It was on Thursday morning that Carter wondered how he had never noticed Johnny Mason at school, before their incident. 

On that morning, Carter spotted him nearly as soon as he set foot inside the school building with Seth by his side, Luca and Frankie in tow. They had taken advantage of Seth's presence that morning to drive to school a bit later, instead of going with Mike at early bird hours. Bellla and her friends, who had all ended up staying the night in the living room, drove right behind them in Roy's old red car.

They made up a strange gang walking through the school gates. Their group soon dissolved, tough, as they all took up different routes the instant they stepped inside.

The rest of the morning ticked by the same as always. It wasn't until lunch period that Carter noticed Johnny again. He saw Coach's son standing by his locker, while Carter walked the halls among the stream of students flowing toward the cafeteria.

When Johnny shut his locker, Carter instantly averted his eyes, suddenly afraid of being caught looking. He couldn't help a quick glance back, though. When he found the other boy walking away, Carter realized he had been kind of expecting to find brown eyes staring back at his. He couldn't quite class the feeling in his chest at the realization Johnny hadn't even noticed him.

At the cafeteria, he sat between Mel and Seth at their athlete-crowded long table. Opposite them, Joey Ashley sat next to some of their senior teammates. At one point, the starting wide receiver leaned over the table, with an excited glint in his eye aimed at Seth and Carter.

He slapped both hands down on the table. "What're the plans for tomorrow night, caps?"

Carter startled a bit, glancing at Seth. His best friend looked at him non-committally, as though he considered that question and its answer entirely meant for Carter alone. Even if he had no idea what to say.

Bobby Gonzalez, a senior and their most aggressive tackle, seemed glad to jump in to answer in Carter's place.

"Party at Chaz's," he boomed. "His parents are out the whole weekend. Everyone who brings a six-pack is welcome." He grinned wildly, patting the shoulder of the golden-blonde senior to his right.

Joey hooted in appreciation, with the support of the rest of the table. He pointed a demanding finger at Carter. "You coming, right?"

Seth's hand flattened on his shoulder. "Like Cart would ever miss a wild party," he mused.

When Carter turned his head to look at him, he noticed the little smile on Seth's lips held an edge of teasing amusement behind its shallow front. Carter bit back a smile of his own, resigning with the fact he had just found himself Friday night plans.

Walking out the cafeteria with Seth felt a bit like escaping a madhouse, after that. The whole table had erupted in orderless tumult following the news of Chaz's house party. Carter was starting to feel the same kind of headache he often got at the Santoro dinner table. Seth either shared his discomfort or noticed Carter's, because they left unusually early for their math class.

On the plus side, being early left every seat at their disposal. Instead of sitting in the front row, like they usually did because they were always late, Carter and Seth took their seats at the back, waiting for the bell to ring. When it did, only two other girls were already in the room, whispering to each other and shooting them frequent and unceremoniously obvious stares. 

The classroom filled quickly, after the bell, and Carter almost forgot who else was in this class. Until he saw her walk over to the seat in front of his, like lightening striking a tree.

"That's Rupert's seat," Bella spat, slumping non-too-gracefully on her chair.

"Who's Rupert?" Carter spoke evenly.

As soon as he said it, he saw a tall ginger kid blush furiously, his cheeks going a few shades darker than his hair. Bella grabbed the guy's meager arm before he could walk away. 

"You stay. Golden boy goes," she asserted.

"I was already sitting here, Bella." Carter's voice sounded more tired than challenging.

Bella glared. "No, you sit at the front. Every day. Making wooing eyes at Mrs Abrahams, I imagine, so she can give you an A. Rupert sits behind me to give me the answers."

Carter rubbed his temple, feeling his headache intensify. "It's just a seat," he muttered. He looked up at Rupert. "Do you mind?"

The kid shook his head vigorously, looking absolutely mortified to be caught in someone else's dispute.

"Why don't I give my seat to Rupert?" Seth intervened, moving to pick up his understuffed bag.

"No," Bella scoffed. Before she could explain whatever logic was processing in her head, though, the door shut with a thud.

"Mr McCrory, are you going to take a seat, or do you require a formal written invitation?" Mrs Abrahams demanded.

Bella rolled her eyes, letting go of Rupert's arm to let him rush to a free seat at the front, so Mrs Abrahams could start the class.

Thanks to his headache, Carter had trouble keeping up with the usual density of information she scribbled on the board. In front of him, Bella didn't even seem to be making an effort for her pen and Carter had a small idea of why she needed the ginger kid to give her the answers.

"You good?" Seth whispered, leaning over toward Carter's desk.

Carter nodded, glimpsing Seth's scribbled notebook. Usually, he didn't really copy the board, counting on Carter to let him see his notes. Today though, perhaps because he had noticed Carter's lack of focus, he seemed to be at least trying.

"My head hurts," Carter muttered back.

Seth's eyebrows drew in with concern. "You good for practice later?"

"Yeah," Carter whispered. "It happens a lot lately."

"Want a tissue to wipe those tears?"

Carter drew a breath in. "Mommy and Daddy never taught you it's rude to eavesdrop?"

Bella turned around with a glare. "It's not eavesdropping if you're talking right behind me in the middle of class."

"Pretty sure it is, as long as you're listening to a conversation that doesn't concern you," Carter hissed back. Irritation boiled the blood pumping from his chest.

"What do you mean it doesn't concern me?" Bella cooed, with fake hurt. "You're my brother now. Your well-being is my concern."

"Oh, just fuck off, Bella."

"Mr Parrish!"

Carter's chest heaved at Mrs Abrahams's stern exclamation. He still felt his vision flash with hot white choler flash at Bella's pleased little smirk.

"Miss Santoro, your face should be to this side of the classroom," Mrs Abrahams scolded. Bella turned around slowly. "I gave your brother his first detention of the year today. Would you care to keep him company?"

Carter couldn't see his stepsister's face now. "That depends," he heard her say. "Frankie or Luca?"

Judging by Mrs Abrahams's expression, which Carter could see, that was most definitely not the appropriate answer. Even if Seth seemed to think it worth a hearty laugh. The teacher's hawk-like laser glare zeroed in on him.

"The three of you," Mrs Abrahams declared. "Detention, after school."

Seth's lips parted. "What exactly did I do?"

"Contributed to wearing my already thin patience out entirely," Mrs Abrahams answered. "And, in the process, lead me to decide there will be a test for all of you tomorrow." The whole class made their outrage audible and Carter wished he could turn himself into smoke. "You can all thank Mr Queens, Mr Parrish and Miss Santoro outside. Meanwhile, I advise you to pay attention, as this most certainly could be on the test."

No one actually came up to either of them to 'thank' them for the surprise test, but Carter and Seth both got a couple of glares from classmates as they left the classroom to go to practice. Luckily for them, it was impossible for Coach Mason and Mrs Abrahams to have crossed paths yet, so Coach hadn't heard of their detention yet. They could have made for a much tenser practice.

Since being late could only get him in further trouble, Carter had to abandon his post-practice ritual of waiting for the showers to clear before going in himself. He rushed as much as he could without neglecting hygiene. He expected Seth to be close behind him, but when he left the showers, his best friend was standing to a corner, away from the others, gear still on, frown upon his face and phone pressed to his ear. He only hung up after Carter was done getting dressed.

"What's up?" Carter asked him, taking in the look on Seth's face. He knew that look. "Do you need to go?"

Seth pursed his lips, nodding.

"I'll cover for you."

Seth smiled faintly. "Doubt it'll make a difference, but thanks."

In truth, it probably wouldn't.

There weren't a lot of people in the detention room – there never was, in the begging of the year. The busiest detention months were the ones before winter or summer holidays, when the students were more restless and the teachers less patient.

Joey Ashley, their star wide receiver, and Jenna Torres, the cheerleader, sat in the front corner away from the door. There were also a few other students in the middle seats. In the back row, Luca and Frankie Santoro both saluted Carter with a grin. The black-haired girl Carter had seen before with Frankie, sat next to them, black boots propped up on her desk.

"Pretty boy decided not to grace us with his presence?"

Carter turned to face Bella behind him. She had her arms crossed over her chest and was looking up at him with all the contempt her mighty five-feet managed to undermine.

"He had family issues," Carter explained.

Bella smiled cynically. "Don't actually care," she said, walking past him into the room.

Carter took a seat behind Joey and Jenna. The supervising teacher came in shortly after, telling them to do homework and then focusing all his attention on his own laptop.

Carter spent his hour solving Calculus problems, with Joey and Jenna playing the hangman game in relative quiet in front of him. Not everyone was so subtle, though. At the back, Bella and her brothers talked and laughed loudly. Frankie's friend had her bulky headphones on and her feet still up, the whole time. The supervising teacher said nothing, though.

Without Seth, Carter had no ride home after. Jenna offered, but Carter knew she lived in the opposite direction and politely declined. He took his phone out to text his mom, already dreading the long walk if she couldn't pick him up. He was wondering if he could maybe call Mike, when he reached for the door absently. A hand slapped the glass window on the door from the other side, startling Carter, and his head shot up, wide-eyed. Gleeful brown eyes stared back at him.

"You don't learn, do you?"

Carter frowned in confusion. His expression must have been comical, because Johnny grinned in amusement.

"Texting and walking," Johnny stated, glancing between the phone in Carter's hands and the half-opened door between them.

"Oh." Carter bit his lip, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "I wasn't texting, this time. Not...yet. I was just trying to find a last-minute ride," he finished lamely, realizing Johnny probably didn't care.

"No ride home?" Johnny asked casually, opening the door the whole way to step inside the school building. Carter's hand slid off the door handle, where it had stayed, and he found himself suddenly unsure what to do with it. Self-consciously, he slid both hands in his jacket's pockets.

Johnny's lips quirked up, after Carter took too long to answer. "It's late," he noted. "Did Coach extend your practice?"

Carter didn't know what to make of the teasing undertone in Johnny's voice. He was teasing, right?

He felt uncharacteristically awkward. His next words didn't help the matter.

"Detention, actually."

Johnny's eyebrows shot up and Carter remembered the cut on the boy's forehead. 

"How's your face?" He blurted.

Johnny smiled, poorly concealing his amusement. He touched his forehead absently. "It's fine. Barely remember it's there, honestly."

"And your lip?"

Johnny seemed surprised with that. His tongue flicked out to wet the subtle injury on his bottom lip. "That one still stings a little, actually," he said. "Even though it doesn't show so much."

Carter nodded, self-conscious again. He had noticed it.

"Uh, why are you in school so late?" He asked, in an attempt to see if making the attention rebound off him would ease his discomfort.

"I help Mrs Lewis close the library sometimes," Johnny said. "She lets me stay reading after closing time, when I do." He shrugged.

"Oh," Carter said lamely. "That's cool."

Johnny snorted, entertained. "Yeah. But I left my jacket there when I left. I was going to run back in to get it. Might have missed her, though. After staying here talking to you."

"Oh. Sorry." Carter rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"It's fine, I'll get it tomorrow." Johnny shrugged. "The perks of spending my every waking hour in the library." 

Carter laughed when he understood it was a joke. It took him a couple of seconds, though. Johnny's smile made him realize he was probably coming across as the stereotypical slow jock. It made Carter want to show Johnny he was smart. Even if that sounded dumb.

"You can have mine if you want," Carter said suddenly, unzipping his varsity jacket. Johnny's eyebrows shot up in surprise again. Carter could tell he was preparing to object, so he beat him to it. "It's fine, I'm too hot, anyway." 

"Sure you are, champ," Johnny muttered as a humorous glint lit his eyes.

Carter felt color rise to his cheeks. It was true, though. Even as he stripped off his jacket, he was abnormally warm.

Johnny took it hesitantly, slipping it on with care. He was practically the same height as Carter but much leaner, and Carter's jacket ended up looking baggy on him. Johnny shrugged understuffed shoulders, like he was testing the roomy feel.

"Feel like a cheerleader," he joked. 

Carter gave a short, hearty laugh that made Johnny smile. 

"You probably think I'm crazy for needing a jacket in September, in Florida," Johnny mused.

Carter shrugged. "My mom's always cold too. Even if it's ninety degrees out or something."

Johnny smiled slyly. "So I'm like your mom?" He tilted his head. "Awesome."

Carter laughed. "Didn't mean that."

"I know." Johnny shrugged and reached for the door again. "Can I return the favor by giving you a ride home?"

"You don't have to."

"That's why I said it's a favor to return a favor," Johnny replied evenly.

"Only if it's on your way," Carter said.

"You're living with the Santoros now, right?" Johnny asked casually. Was that public knowledge? Carter nodded, regardless. "I live two blocks down from them," Johnny told him.

"So you know the Santoros?" Carter asked curiously, following Johnny through the parking lot.

The other boy gave him a meaningful look, stopping next to a grey car – old, but distinctly clean. 

"Everyone knows at least one Santoro. There's a whole battalion of them," Johnny said, sliding into the driver's seat. Carter joined him on the passenger's side. "My brother played football with Richie Santoro. Back in their time," Johnny added, starting the car.

"Kevin Mason?" Carter asked, already knowing the answer. Coach Mason's oldest son had been one of the best quarterbacks their team had ever had. People used to tell Carter he was the best since Kevin too.

Johnny shot Carter an interested sideways smile. "Guess not all my father's sons are equally popular among the football players," he mused.

"Oh, I—" Carter had no idea how to finish that sentence.

Johnny laughed. "Relax, champ. Just messing with you."

Carter smiled. "So... Where's the great Kevin Mason, now?" He asked, feeling a need to keep the conversation going.

"Auburn. Got in with a full scholarship and has been wow-ing his way through college football since," Johnny answered. His words were complimentary, but his tone held an underline of something else. "My parents were so proud when he got in, they gave him a new car. And now I get to share this one with my mom."

"Cool."

Johnny shot him a skeptical look.

Carter laughed, despite himself. "Seriously. I don't even have a car."

"I take it the big, shiny BMW belongs to a friend, then."

Carter stared at Johnny. After knocking into him, Carter had been seeing Johnny everywhere in school. He had gotten the idea Johnny hadn't noticed him, though. But he had to have noticed him enough to see him enter or leave Seth's car.

Lost in that random line of thought, Carter stayed quiet too long, breaking the easy flow of conversation that had settled between them. Johnny stared ahead at the road the rest of the way, in silence. Carter couldn't find it in himself to bring another topic up until they pulled into the Santoro's driveway. 

Johnny unzipped Carter's jacket.

"You can give it to me tomorrow," Carter tried.

Johnny smiled. "Got a feeling my dad might have some questions if I get home wearing one of his players' jackets," he teased. Carter laughed, but the mention of Coach Mason made him feel awkward again.

"Thanks for the ride," he said, taking his jacket back.

"Of course." Johnny smiled.

There was a new period of awkwardness, before Carter unfastened his seat belt and opened the door. He stepped out, wondering if he should say anything else before closing the door. He shot Johnny another sheepish smile.

Usually, Seth would wait until Carter was inside to drive away. But Johnny took off as soon as Carter pushed the door shut. Carter watched the car go and disappear with a right turn, which his mind registered in a little box for safe-keeping.