SAM's POV

~Graduation Day ~

Graduation day takes place at the local convention center in Manhattan, right along the Hudson River. We had to walk from the parking deck to the convention center, but the sun was nice and high in the sky providing us with lots of warmth and good energy! Groups of students in their black and yellow caps and gowns were walking across the streets with huge smiles on their faces. My mom and Antonio were right there beside me in their best dressed clothes and their digital cameras ready to go.

"You look beautiful, honey," My mom says in a sweet voice while rubbing my head.

"Thanks..." I reply while resisting the urge to show teeth while I smile.

"I agree. You look like a young woman ready to conquer the world..." Antonio chuckles from the other side of me. "You ready for your next chapter?"

I grin and focus forward. "I was born ready..."

We enter into the room reserved for our school's graduation class. There are rows of red chairs in the middle of the room facing a small stage; about half the seats were occupied with graduating students, and each seat had the student's name taped to the chair in alphabetical order. There are a couple rows of seats along the room's wall facing inward; these were for the parents, guardians, and other guests. I easily spotted Becca sitting in the front row and said hello to her before finding my seat in the sixth row. My mom and Antonio sat along the right wall with other parents.

Within 30 minutes, students and parents filled the room. Julie and her family arrived a few minutes after we did, and her parents sat beside Antonio. Julie sits a couple of rows behind me. Then in walked Jake's family - including a middle-aged man with older but similar features. That must be his dad. Wow... to think I could've been introduced to his dad as Jake's girlfriend, but it's too late for that. His family looked energized, per usual. I took a few glances their way but pretended to deal with a pesky string on the sleeve of my graduation gown to avoid their attention. I don't know what he told them about our breakup or what they might think of it, so it's better to avoid all contact if I can. Unfortunately, I hear his family and my mom's excited voice to my right... and then...

"Sam! Look who's here!" My mom calls me from her seat and waves my way, pointing toward Mrs. Rosalita. I force a grin and wave her way, feeling a bit awkward as I see Jake's aunt and cousins, too. I wonder if they still think we're moving in together?

Finally, Khalil and Diggy's families walk in together just a few minutes before the ceremony is set to begin. I also try to avoid their line of sight as they enter and sit in the open seats along the left side of the wall. Since their last names start with R and S, Jake, Khalil, and Diggy would most likely sit in the same row near the back of the room. But Diggy takes a seat on stage next to the principal and faculty; he wears a yellow sash and holds an index card in his hands.

As my thoughts were running wild, the principal stands to their feet and introduces themselves while welcoming everyone to the event. After a few jokes and a long-winded speech, the principal prepares to pass the mic to someone else.

"And now, let me introduce you to a Wesley High graduating Senior who will be making the valedictorian speech to everyone today. He is an honors student and one of Wesley High School's star basketball players, awarded the Best Boy Athlete and Free Throw Master by his peers. He is signed to play basketball at UCLA this Fall. Please give a warm welcome to your valedictorian, Daniel Simmons!"

The room erupts in applause as Diggy takes the podium. My eyes widen in complete shock. I didn't know he had honors AND would be doing the valedictorian speech. Okay, Diggy... I see you.

"Wooo! That's my baby!" Mrs. Justine's voice is heard screaming from the bleachers, causing a few chuckles here and there.

"And that's my mama..." Diggy replies as the audience chuckles again. He smiles and looks around the room. "Thank you friends and family for being here today to celebrate my graduating class! It's been a long four years, but we made it! Through the snow storms... the basketball championships... the countless research papers, group projects, and finals week... we're here! We're still standing. Everyone should be proud of themselves for sticking it out and making it to this moment. Give a round of applause to yourselves!"

Everyone claps their hands, and a few playful shouts are heard from the crowd of students. I watch as Diggy continues his speech, glancing down at his note card.

"I'm honored to be your valedictorian, but in all honesty, I'm just a normal guy trying to make it through like everybody else. I worked hard to get here, but I'm not better than anyone else just because I got some extra graduation bling..." He says while shaking his yellow sash and smirking. "So I'm not gonna talk down to you like some important figure. I'm gonna keep it real with you like a friend because you're all my peers even if we've only spoken one word to each other."

I see a few people nod their heads while listening to Diggy's speech.

"And as your peer, I wanna ensure you that everything will work out for you. That job that you want, that school you wanna go to, that place you wanna go, that person you wanna meet... it'll happen. It's so easy to get discouraged when things don't go your way. I've had my fair share of disappointments and trying times, and I swore things wouldn't get better. But I kept putting my best foot forward and showing up every single day. I faced my fears, I had those tough conversations, and I persisted every step of the way until I got an outcome that I could live with. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a New York native, once said "You can't win unless you learn how to lose" ... and, oh, did I learn that this year."

He pauses while looking through the crowd. 

"This year, a lot of drama hit me. I broke up with a really good girlfriend of mine, and I lost the respect of my best friend..." Diggy's eyes fall on mine as he's talking. My heartbeat starts to rise and I wonder if other people notice his gaze on me. "It felt like I was going insane, like I was missing a part of myself." Diggy frowns and looks down at the podium. "I didn't realize what I had until it was gone..." He looks up again, glancing at me every now and then. "I failed to realize how much my friend looked out for me and cared about me. They had my back even through my selfishness. When we fell out, I had no one to share my deepest secrets with... an assurance that I took for granted. But once I realized that - what I had lost - I refused to take it for granted again... and I started winning." Diggy grins. "My mood improved, my relationships improved, and I felt assured about the future."

The quiet room erupted in supportive applause before he continued with a chuckle.

"I say all that to say... it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to lose, it's okay to fall down. It's normal. It's how we learn. Don't be discouraged if things don't work out at first. Keep trying and remember to learn from your mistakes so that you can grow into a better person so that you can prepare yourself for even better things. Life is what you make it. You hold the key to your own destiny. So don't be afraid of failure, and just go for it! Because your determination will lead you to better opportunities for the rest of your life. Thank you."

The room erupts with applause as the graduates and their families give Diggy a standing ovation. I feel a whirlwind of emotions... but the biggest one is pride. Diggy's speech was so positive and personal. I never expected him to talk about his relationships, but he did it in a great way that felt encouraging. It almost brought tears to my eyes watching him talk on stage with so much passion and purpose. Despite my awkward feelings, I couldn't help but smile once he finished his speech.

Diggy steps down from the stage as everyone continues applauding him, and I watch as he takes his seat near the back of the room near Jake and Khalil. I even catch the three of them dapping it up like old besties. Hmm, at least they seem to be on good terms - even Jake and Diggy.

"That was a lovely speech, Daniel. Wasn't it, everyone?"

"We love you, Dig!" Mrs. Justine and her family cheer from the side of the room.

"Next up is the moment you've all been waiting for. It's time for our wonderful students to walk across the stage and officially graduate! Staff, please go to your respective positions next to each row and we will begin calling names in alphabetical order..."

***

I felt proud watching my classmates and close friends walk the stage and receive their diplomas!

"Rebecca Blue..." Becca walks across the stage, all smiles, and snaps a picture with the principal. I feel forever grateful to have a friend like her by my side since Freshman year.

"Samantha Goode..." When my name was called, I confidently walked across the stage, feeling proud of my milestone despite the recent drama...

"Julie Martinez..." Julie tip-toes across the stage while waving to her parents; my face doesn't distort in disgust at the sight of her like it used to. I think I may enjoy having a female cousin...

"Jacob Ruiz..." Jake walks like a true businessman, his serious, handsome face glowing with happiness as he shakes hands with the principal and takes his diploma. I wish our story had a happier ending... but it was good while it lasted.

"Khalil Sharieff..." Khalil pimp walks on stage, doing a little twirl to appeal to the audience, and daps up the principal who only chuckles at his antics. This dude always gotta be extra...

"Daniel Simmons..." When Diggy walks across the stage, his family and mine give a huge round of applause. All I can think about is that we need to sort out what happened at prom before it's too late...

After every graduating student's name was called, the principal gave us the signal to throw our graduation caps up into the air in celebration! We did it!! We're high school graduates!

***

After the ceremony, everyone runs to their families and hugs and kisses each other. I spot Becca and Khalil go to their families and smile. I'll talk to them later. I find my family and get scooped up in a hug.

"I'm so proud of you!" My mom says with a smile. I hug them back while watching Julie give small, awkward hugs to her parents. Her mom tries to avoid touching Julie's belly before she eyes me and smiles.

"Samantha! Congratulations to you too," says Mrs. Teresa, Julie's mom. She wraps her arms around me and I gently pat her back.

"I heard you're going to UCLA as well," Mr. Javier says while sticking his hands in his pockets and grinning. "Impressive. Congratulations."

"Thanks," I reply to them both before turning back to my parents as we discuss lunch plans and festivities afterward. Then my mom mentions inviting Mrs. Rosalita and her whole family, so I have no choice but to aggressively disagree.

"No, mom, that's okay. Jake told me they had plans already..." I lie while avoiding making eye contact with Jake's family who are just a few steps away from us.

"What? Jake's mother told me they were free to do something together with both our families tonight..." My mom replies while crinkling her eyebrows.

I glance at Antonio who doesn't seem suspicious or fazed at all about the conversation, and before I can come up with another lie, I hear my name being called from a familiar feminine voice. Then I feel a warm hand on my shoulder and turn around to make eye contact with Jake's mother. Oh boy.

"Sam! It's so good to see you again! Congratulations!" Mrs. Rosalita warmly embraces me and my body is filled with her positive energy. There's no one on Earth that could hate this woman's hugs. An unexpected smile forms on my face as I hug her back before pulling away.

"Mrs. Rosalita, hi! Thank you..." I reply.

"I was just telling your mother how I'm so thankful that we both have such smart, hard-working children. I am so proud of the both of you!" She gushes.

"Thank you," I say again.

"Are you all up for coming to my restaurant after this?" Mrs. Rosalita asks, referring to the Hispanic cuisine restaurant that she works at. "I rented the place out this afternoon just for my family, but we have some extra chairs for some more friends. It would be so fun to have you there!"

I look into her excited eyes and then gaze behind her at Jake... he chews on his bottom lip, looking conflicted. Dang, I can't turn down his mom... but I really can't pretend like me and her son are currently on good terms. It's too soon.

"Um..." I rub my throat, feeling my tongue get dry, and glance at Antonio and my mom. "I'm actually not feeling too well, suddenly..." I lie again. Sorry, Mrs. Rosalita.

"You alright, Sam?" Antonio asks, appearing concerned.

"I... have a headache and my throat hurts. It's like I'm light-headed all of a sudden..." I tell them while acting like I'm in pain.

"Ah... that's not good. You should drink something? Are you dehydrated?" Mrs. Rosalita asks with concern, adding to my feeling of guilt for denying her invitation.

"I don't know..." I reply.

"Here, drink some water..." My mom passes me a water bottle from her purse and I open it and drink.

Mrs. Rosalita pats my arm and says, "Ah, it's been a wild day. You know what, hun? We can meet up another time. You take care of yourself..."

"Thanks, Rosalita," Antonio replies in my stead, smiling down at the older woman. "Let's find a good day to meet up again. We love your family. You've always been so kind every time we see you."

"Ah, you're so sweet!" Mrs. Rosalita smiles and returns to her upbeat attitude. "Okay! Well, let me not keep you any longer. We got some more people to say hi to. Let me just get a picture with you and Jake, okay?" She says while reaching for her son and taking the portable camera from her nephew, Tommy. I eye the rest of Jake's family with nervousness, then I force a grin and walk slowly toward Jake.

"I hope you feel better, Sam..." Jake says as he steps beside me to take a picture. I was surprised at his concern.

"Thanks..." I reply, feeling uncomfortably guilty.

"Okay. Stand a bit closer. Why do y'all look so stiff? Act like you're dating each other," Mrs. Rosalita demands, chuckling along with some of her family.

Ah... so he still hasn't told them. Well, I can't really judge because I haven't even told my mom either. It just... hasn't come up.

Jake wraps an arm around me and I stiffen, still forcing a smile as all eyes are on us. Finally, his mom snaps a picture and we step apart. Jake's aunt Vickie chuckles.

"Jake, you're acting like she's infectious..." She laughs. "He never did well with people being sick anyway."

Jake awkwardly laughs and glances at me. I can tell he's trying not to show that anything is wrong with us, so he plays into her joke. "Hey... I'm not taking any chances... even if she is my girlfriend," he forces a laugh.

Our families slightly chuckle, and I feel a little sad on the inside about the fact that we have to lie like this. This is too much awkward tension. Time to get outta here!

"It was nice seeing you again..." I say, hoping to speed up the process.

"You too, beautiful!" Mrs. Rosalita says. "We'll see you later."

I nod my head before rubbing my neck and drinking more water, continuing my 'sick' act all the way to the car...

***

~A few days later~

"Woo-hoo! Let's celebrate!" Becca flings her body around and dances to the music while waving her sunhat in the air like she just don't care. She belts her favorite song into the karaoke mic while me and Julie laugh at her.

"I didn't think she could get more hype, but it's possible..." Julie says while clapping to the beat of the song.

"Unfortunately..." I reply while giving Becca a judgmental look and plugging my ears. Once the song finished, she received a score of 87, and she gasps.

"87?! Man, I just sang my heart out!!" Becca whines while taking a seat with a pout. She downs the rest of her lemonade.

"Heart does not equal talent, sweetie..." I reply.

Julie giggles. Becca ignores my comment while taking off her heels.

"Whatever... I was robbed. Ugh. My feet ache..."

I notice that all of our drinks are empty as Becca reaches for the bowl of mixed snacks, popping the crunchy goodies into her mouth.

"While you're on a cool down, I can get us some more drinks," I offer while standing to my feet.

"Ah, that would be so nice, Sam..." Becca replies, appearing thankful while lounging on the couch.

"Yeah," Julie agrees. "Thank you!"

I gather some of our trash and throw it away before heading out of the private karaoke room. Out in the hallway, I glance a few doors down where Jake, Khalil, and Diggy are in their own private karaoke room. I can hear the soft murmur of a rap song being played. We decided to get separate rooms so the guys and girls could chill and bond together. We're still in the same area, but at least we get our own little spaces and can talk about whatever we want without bothering each other. For example, Julie may not wanna talk about pregnancy stuff with the guys, but she can talk with the girls. Also, I don't have to be in the same room as Diggy and Jake, because that would be awkward.

I walk down the hallway of the karaoke bar, following the glowing pink and green strip lights aligning the floor and walls until I reach the quiet snack bar. There weren't many people here in the afternoon, which is nice. I grab three cans of flavored drinks from the mini fridge then pick up a pack of Twizzlers before walking to the cashier.

"Just these, please..." I say to the cashier who rings up my items.

"I'll pay for hers and mine..."

I look behind me and make eye contact with Diggy holding a tray with three bags of chips, a hamburger, and a drink. My jaw drops as he walks to my side, sets his tray on the counter, and instantly pays for our snacks.

"Thank you. Have a good day," the cashier says while grinning at Diggy.

"Thanks, you too," Diggy smiles. He puts his wallet back into his pocket and grabs his tray, looking at me. "Fancy seeing you here." He smirks. "You wanna chat for a bit?"

I felt a bit shy and speechless for some reason at his suggestion, but I give in. "Uh... sure."

We walk to the lobby, which is a lot brighter than the rest of the karaoke bar. There are plenty of tables and chairs, and the room has a couple of old-school gaming arcades along the wall. We find a table and sit, and Diggy wastes no time digging into his hamburger. My eyebrows raise to the ceiling watching him devour his food, and I chuckle to myself.

"Did you not have breakfast?" I ask.

Diggy takes a break from chewing his burger and looks up at me. "How can you tell?"

I chuckle again, eyeing his tray. "Are all those chips for you?"

"Nah, they're for Khalil and Jake."

"Won't they be looking for them?"

"Eh. They can wait..."

I nod my head and notice the toppings of his burger as he takes a big bite. His favorite combination. "Double cheeseburger with extra pickles, onions, tomatoes, and mustard... you always order the same thing," I say to no one in particular while opening my bag of candy.

"Because it's good..." Diggy replies, mouth full of food. He wipes his mouth with a napkin and nods towards my snack. "I'm surprised you only got one bag. You used to devour those as a kid."

"I'm on a diet..." I reply while biting into the strawberry-flavored chewy rope candy.

He shakes his head. "If that's true, you don't need to be. You're beautiful the way you are..." Diggy replies while chewing like a carnivore, his attention on his food.

I smirk. "You talkin' to me or the burger?"

"Oh..." He looks up at me and wipes the mustard from his lips, snickering lightly. "The burger..."

I frown and hit him with one of my Twizzlers as he continues snickering.

"So annoying..." I say as my eyes glance around the room, looking at nothing in particular. The awkward tension I felt when we first made eye contact has left, and it feels like just another day with my best friend. After a few seconds, Diggy breaks the silence.

"So... how do you feel?" He asks.

"About what?"

"Graduating high school. Is it everything you expected?"

"Mm... it's too early to tell," I shrug. "I mean, I'm glad I'm finished but... you know. Now I have to worry about getting through college."

He frowns. "Aye, what's there to worry about? You'll have me by your side. If you don't avoid me, that is."

I frown at his comment. "Why would I avoid you?" I ask, though I've literally been avoiding him since prom. I sigh at the realization. "Ah... it's not--"

"We haven't talked since prom night. Is it because of... the thing... that happened between us?" He asks. "I didn't mean for it to push us farther apart."

"Well... it kinda did. It also pushed me and Jake apart... so thanks..." I reveal while leaning back in my seat and crossing my arms.

"What do you mean? Did you tell him what happened?"

"I had no choice. The guilt was eating me up... so I broke up with him," I reveal.

"You and Jake broke up? He didn't tell me that..." Diggy is in shock as he looks to the side with glazed eyes.

"Why would he tell you? It's not like he was happy about it. And it was your fault!"

"I talked to him after finals because he was giving me the cold shoulder." I wait for Diggy to finish chewing his food and continue his explanation. "I asked him why he was being funny, ignoring me and acting mad like I did something. I didn't realize he knew about... you know... our situation..."

"You can say it. The kiss... it's not a secret anymore."

"When I confronted him, he said he thought he'd be a lot angrier facing me man-to-man, but he decided that the best thing was to forget the past and be on good terms with each other for your sake." He shrugs and I sit up in my seat. "I didn't know where he was going with it. He was kinda talkin' in circles. But he told me not to worry about him, and everything was fine, and we were cool. He was saying that whatever happens between us in the future, even if he's in New York and I'm doing my thing in L.A., we'd make sure that you were safe and happy. It almost sounded like he was telling me to watch out for you while he was in New York... but I didn't realize y'all broke up..."

"Yup..." I reply, feeling a ping in my chest. "I didn't know you two talked to each other. I expected Jake to be angrier too... but I guess he's not that type of guy..." I say with a sigh. Jake is super level-headed and calm, even in the wildest of situations. He's so mature.

"Wait, when did y'all break up anyway?" Diggy asks.

"After prom... at his house," I reveal.

"Dang? So it's been a week? Dang..." He replies. "That's why y'all were acting so weird during the Spanish final. Y'all didn't talk to each other at all. I thought it was strange."

"No thanks to you..." I glare at him and rest my elbows on the table.

His face falls. "I'm sorry about that, Sam. I didn't expect you to break up with him. I didn't want that to happen!"

"Be for real... why did you kiss me? I've never given you signals that I've liked you, but suddenly you have this big romantic confession. It really weirded me out. I'm still confused," I reply, wanting to get to the bottom of the situation.

Diggy crumples his empty hamburger wrapper and sits back in his seat, looking down in thought. "I did it... because I like you. I can't pinpoint a specific moment when things changed, but I started to realize my care for you was deeper than just friends."

I nod my head, trying to understand and make sense of what he's saying to me. "Okay... but what do you want me to say? I still don't see you as anything more than a friend. So I don't know what to tell you or where to go from here."

This time, Diggy raises his eyes to meet mine and leans in close, resting his elbows on the table like me. His stance is confident and unwavering, and his gaze is almost hypnotizing. "When I kissed you, I felt a spark that I didn't think I'd ever feel with you. Are you sure that you didn't feel ANYTHING that night?"

I gulp as my eyes shake. That night... when we were alone in the gym hallway... my mind remembers the moment he pulled me closer and kissed me. And I kissed him back. But why? If I only saw Diggy as a friend, then why did I kiss him back? Was it just habit? Did I imagine him as Jake and my lips just did their own thing? Or perhaps the answer is the most obvious one that I dare not think about? I refuse to believe that the butterflies I felt in my stomach during our kiss was because of some mutual affection or attraction to him. Not him! Not Diggy, my best friend since childhood. That could never happen! It's too weird! I refuse!

I shake my head and confidently reply: "No. I didn't feel anything, because I don't like you like that..." I stand to my feet, watching Diggy's face droop with disappointment.

"Oh..." He says.

"I should go. The guys are probably looking for you, same as me," I say while grabbing the drinks for Becca and Julie along with my Twizzlers. "We've talked enough."

"Wait," Diggy stands to his feet and grabs his tray. "We should meet again sometime this week to talk again. When are you free?"

I glance toward the empty hallway leading back to the karaoke rooms. "Uh... well, only this week, because next week I'll be on vacation."

"Where are you going?"

"Cruise ship with my mom and Antonio..." I say with no excitement. "For two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Diggy replies, looking surprised and concerned. "So I won't see you until right before we move to L.A."

"Yup..."

"Dang... time's moving so fast already..." He replies with a sigh. "Well... text me, okay? I really wanna hang out one last time in New York before everything changes--"

"Hey, Diggy!"

We both turn our heads towards the hallway and see Jake walking towards us. I awkwardly look away and then face him again once he's closer.

"Khalil was asking why it's taking you so long with our chips," Jake says while eyeing Diggy's tray. "Now I see why..."

Diggy forces a chuckle. "Sorry... I was catching up with Sam. I was just about to head back though."

Jake faces me and I rub the back of my neck. "Hey, Sam..." He says.

"Hey..." I reply, the awkward energy thick as smoke.

"Maybe we should talk, too. If you have time?" Jake asks.

I glance at Diggy, and he nods his head and pats Jake's back.

"Yeah. You two do your thing. I'll be in the room," Diggy says before walking off. I watch him disappear down the hallway, wishing I could escape with him.

"You don't mind, do you?" Jake asks with concerned eyes. "Just since you're here... we haven't gotten the chance to talk since you broke up with me."

I feel my heart beating through my chest, and guilt fills my soul. "Um... yeah... what do you wanna talk about?" We take a seat at the table.

"First, I wanna apologize for my mom during graduation. I hadn't told her about our break up, because I didn't know how to, and I was scared she'd be upset," Jake says. "She really cares about you, so... but we could've avoided the whole pretend-like-you-'re-dating bit. That wasn't cool, and that's on me."

I shrug. "It's okay, Jake. I haven't told my mom either, so... consider us even. I'm no better than you..."

He releases a breath and the corners of his mouth tug upward in a playful grin. "Okay... um... second, how are you? I missed you like crazy, and I hated not talking to you for days," Jake reveals. I can see the longing in his eyes, but I can no longer give him what he's asking for. It's not like I didn't miss talking to him either, but everything's different now, and I need to accept that. The sooner, the better.

"I'm fine..." I say with a shrug.

Jake nods, appearing disappointed at my weak response. "Okay... look... we may not be a couple, but I hope we can still be friendly. I want us to be cordial before you leave for UCLA. I still care about you, Sam. Always will. It feels like you've distanced yourself, and it makes me wonder what I did wrong..."

"You didn't do anything wrong," I assure Jake with a sigh. "You're a great guy. You deserve an equally great girl who's loyal to you and who isn't living across the country. That's why we had to break up..."

"I still don't understand..." Jake frowns.

"I'm sorry..."

"So that's it? We break up, and you move to L.A., and we don't talk anymore? I don't want that to happen," he pleads. "I told you that I don't blame you for kissing Diggy... isn't that why you broke up with me? Because of him?"

"No, it's not entirely because of that. It just-- can't work out! I'm sorry! And you shouldn't be okay with your girlfriend kissing another guy!" I reply while standing to my feet, feeling frustrated.

"I've forgiven you. I've forgiven him!" Jake says while standing up and grabbing my hand. "If you can accept that... just come back to me. I love you enough to work through this--"

"I can't, Jake! That's stupid," I retort back while pulling my hand away and grabbing my snacks to take back to the girls. They've been waiting forever at this point.

"Why is it stupid? How is it stupid if you still care about me?" He asks with pleading eyes.

"Because..."

"Because what?" He snaps back.

"When I'm out in California with Diggy..." I shake my head before revealing my thoughts to him. "I can't promise that something like that won't happen again..."

Jake scoffs as his eyes widen - but not for too long, before they fall in sadness. His eyebrows wrinkle and he shakes his head. "What are you saying, Sam? That you'd kiss him again?"

I avoid his eyes as Jake vocalizes my biggest fear. I cross my arms as the tension in the room rises. I look down at my overworn sneakers and reply in a whispered voice, "...that's what I'm afraid of..."

I continue avoiding Jake's eyes, feeling disgusted and confused at myself for having these feelings. He doesn't deserve any of this drama.

"Sam..." Jake places a soft, comforting hand on my shoulder while closing the distance between us. "You can be honest with me. Do you have feelings for Diggy?"

I'm surprised at his question, so I slowly raise my eyes to meet his. I open my mouth to reply, but no words come out. I'm not sure how to respond.

"Hey! What are y'all doin' out here?! We've been waiting for fifteen minutes for some drinks!" Becca shouts from the hallway, interrupting our conversation. Epic timing.

"Agh... sorry..." I say to both Jake and Becca as I quickly greet my friend and charge for the karaoke room, not looking back at Jake who's still lost in thought.

Becca eyes me suspiciously then calls out to Jake, "Jake! You coming?"

"Y-Yeah... I'm, uh-- tell the guys I'll be there in a minute. Gonna use the restroom," Jake replies before leaving the lobby.

***

"Everything okay? You were gone for some time..." Becca immediately questions me as she reenters the girls' karaoke room. Julie also looks at me with curiosity and concern.

I release a sigh. "Yeah... I had a talk with Diggy and with Jake. It was intense."

"It kind of looked intense when I interrupted you two. Are you guys good?" Becca asks, a frown on her face.

I shake my head. "Not really..."

"You wanna talk about it?"

I shake my head again. "I'm just tired of the drama, and I'm tired of being one of the reasons for causing it." I lay down on the loveseat while staring up at the ceiling in thought.

"Aw... I'm sorry, Sam," Becca pouts while giving my lower leg a comforting squeeze. "Don't worry, too much. Things always work out in the end. You'll get through this."

"Yeah... I hope so..." I reply.

"I don't know what the situation is, but..." Julie speaks up in a soft voice, "I hope it works in your favor. Whatever happens, we're here for you, Sam."

I glance over at Julie who is surprisingly supportive of my situation. I grin at her as she does the same. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it. We're family now," Julie boasts with a huge smile.

"Yassss, Julie! I'm loving this confidence boost!" Becca cheers from her seat. "She's right, Sam. We're here for you whenever you need us."

"Thanks, guys..." I grin to myself, then float back into the world of overthinking...