(Madison ^ )

"Can you drive me to Elliot's?" Mads pounces on me the minute I get home from practice.

"Done with your homework already?" I set my gym bag on the floor.

She nods, "Yup. A light load today."

"Alright then, come on," I wave her out and drive over to the Perkins' residence. Mads hops off and just when I'm about to turn the car around, the front door opens and two people come out.

Evan and Tyler give me weird looks, the former coming to tap on my window.

I roll it down and quickly explain, "I just dropped Mads off." I don't know want them to get the wrong idea.

Evan nods, "I figured. But since you're here, want to join us for some mini golf?"

"Uh..." I look from him to Tyler, who's looking at his friend like the latter has lost his marbles. I seriously doubt he wants me to join.

"Come on, Sanders," Evan coos. "Don't mind the jerk," he points his thumb at Tyler, "he'll come around."

I seriously doubt that. But since I only have an empty house and homework and chores waiting for me at home... "Okay, yeah, sure. Hop in, I'll drive."

Evan gives me directions to the mini golf place, but other than that, the drive is silent.

"Just prepare yourselves to lose" Evan boasts as we walk to the first course.

"Pfft," Tyler and I say at the same time. We exchange an awkward glance and clear our throats.

"Not in this lifetime, Perkins," I scoff.

"I'm undefeated, just to let you know" Tyler brags.

This is going to be interesting. "Ladies' first," I announce and line up my putter.

"I don't see any" Tyler quips and I bare him an "I'm so amused" look before hitting the ball. Hole-in-one. Yay!

"Take that, losers!" I stick out my tongue.

They look at each other and shake their heads at me.

"It's only the first course" Evan says. "It's always the easiest one."

"Well you do it, then," I move aside.

He gets the ball in in two tries, scowling at his putter like it was at fault.

Tyler goes next and manages a hole-in-one as well.

"Damn," I mutter under my breath and we move to the second course. A sign next to it declares it can be done in a minimum of three shots. Challenge accepted.

I concentrate and manage to do it in four. Dang it!

"Move over" Evan says cockily. "Let the master show you how it's done."

Tyler laughs. "I suggest you move over, then."

Evan gives him the stinky eye and puts the ball. It takes him four tries, as well.

"Now I'll show you two losers how it's done" Tyler pushes up the sleeves of his gray sweater and moves to position.

My jaw drops down as he actually does manage to do it in three tries.

"Told ya," he winks smugly and leads the way to the next course, this one looking a tad more complicated.

"We have to beat him" Evan mutters beside me. I agree. I'm not letting that smug son of a bitch win.

When we come to the ninth and last course, Tyler and I are tied with Evan coming behind by two points.

"You've got this!" Evan cheers me as I line up for my shot. I spare him a brief smile before looking down at the ball. I take a deep breath and then hit. It takes me seven shots to get past the various obstacles.

"Nicely done!" Evan raises his hand and I high-five him. Tyler just shakes his head.

"Watch this, I'm going to break even" Evan says confidently but does the course in eight shots.

I clear my throat and grin, "What were we supposed to be watching, exactly?"

He just narrows his eyes at me but a smile tugs at his lips.

"Neither of you ever had a change against me" Tyler tells us. "I just have to do this in six and I'll win."

I cross my arms over my chest. "Yeah, good luck with that." It was actually a pretty hard course.

He shakes his arms to loosen his body and then proceeds to knock us out of the park.

"What—" my mouth hangs open. Evan looks equally impressed.

"What were you saying again?" Tyler turns to us, grinning smugly.

"Yeah yeah, you win" Evan rolls his eyes at his friend and fist pumps him. Yeah, I'm not doing that. "Better luck next time," he tells me.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time" I can hear Tyler quietly mutter under his breath, and Evan gives him a hard look.

"Knock it off," I hear him tell him.

"It's fine," I wave it off and smirk, "I'm not a big fan of Ty-Ty's, either."

Tyler's eyes go wide and a faint blush creeps up his face. "What did you just call me?"

"What's the matter, Ty-Ty?" I put on an innocent face while Evan is just laughing his ass off by the side. "Not a fan of your cutesy nickname?"

"Stop calling me that," he grits his teeth.

"Why? It's adorable when Bella does it."

"Yeah well, she's hell of a lot cuter than you are."

"Ouch," I fake gasp and put my hand over my heart dramatically. "My bleeding heart! How will I ever survive?"

"Okay, stop it," Evan gets in between us just as Tyler is about to fire back something presumably rude. "Can't you at least pretend to like each other?"

I exchange a look with Tyler. "No," we say in unison.

Evan looks like he's about to pray for patience.

"Okay, fine," I succumb. "I'll be nice if he is."

Evan looks at his friend, who after a moment grudgingly nods.

"Lovely" Evan claps his hands. "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Me too," I say just as my stomach grumbles, earning grins from the two guys. "What?" I ask, following them out.

"Nothing" Tyler says and they exchange a grin. Boys, I decide and shake my head.

"Whatcha all want?" I look over the various restaurants and coffee shops decorating the street.

"Pasta," they say in unison.

I smile. "Pasta it is." My favorite.

---

Dinner is actually kind of fun. Tyler and I manage to act civil and Evan's a hoot to be around.

"Ugh, I'm stuffed," I lean back and pat my full belly.

"I could eat another course" Tyler licks his lips, looking around for a waiter.

"Are you serious?" my eyes bulge. He's already eaten a huge plate of pasta carbonara with a side of garlic bread and salad.

"What? I'm a growing man," he tells me.

"Fair enough," I give and scan the menu for the desserts. Yum, cheesecake! "You can order more food if you'd like but I'm getting cake."

"Of course you are" Evan holds back a smile.

"Hey!" I pout at his insinuation. "I burn the calories!"

"So you've earned the cake?"

"Exactly," I say and smile as the waiter comes up. "Two slices of cheesecake, please."

The guys look at me shocked.

"What?" I shrug my shoulders. "We train enough."

Evan seems to consider it. "The apple pie and a banana split, please," he tells the waiter, who looks a little confused. Tyler just looks us at weirdly and orders more food.

"I have no idea where you fit all that" Evan later looks from my now empty dessert plate to my stomach.

"There's always room for dessert," I tell him. "Everybody knows sweets go to a different place than food."

"Uh-huh," is all he says.

"You haven't changed a bit" Tyler chuckles, looking at me. I return his gaze, remembering how we used to bake together back when we were still friends. I've always had a major sweet tooth and he used to tease me about it mercilessly. My heart squeezes and I break the stare.

"Anyway..." Tyler coughs, looking suddenly a little embarrassed, while Evan is just grinning by himself like an idiot, "we should probably get going."

I nod and we get the check, each paying our own meal, and walk back to my car.

I drop Evan off first since I have to drive by his place anyway on my way to Tyler's. Tyler lives in the other side of town, apparently having moved since we quit being friends. The drive is spent in an uncomfortable silence, neither of us coming up with anything to say.

I stop in front of a small brown house and Tyler hops off.

"Thanks," is all he says before running inside. Wanting to get away from me as fast as possible, most likely.

"You're welcome," I mutter to myself and turn the car back around, driving home deep in memories.

"Ty! Ty!" I yell at the young dark-haired boy standing by the swings, trying to get his attention.

"Nora!" he turns around, a big smile plastered on his face. "You came."

"Of course," I smile up at him, taking his hand in mine. "I told you I would."

Something dark flickers across his face. "I didn't know if your dad would let you."

I frown. "He's not that bad."

"He almost never lets you have fun" Tyler burrows his brows, his nine-year-old self looking serious.

"He just wants me to be great at everything I do," I tell him, thinking about how dad always pushes me to be the best. It's a little exhausting sometimes to run from track practice to piano lessons to home to do homework, but he just wants me to do well. It doesn't leave me much time for friends, though, which I'm sad about. He just wants me to be a winner.

"I guess," he frowns, then looks down at our intertwined hands. "Promise you'll never stop playing with me?"

I look at him surprised. "Why would I not play with you anymore?"

"Because you're too busy," he gnaws at his full bottom lip.

"I'll never be too busy to be your friend," I smile at him and squeeze his hand. "I promise."

He looks happy and pulls me toward the swings. "Who can jump higher?"

"Me!" I laugh and run to the swings.

I smile at the memory, wondering how the hell we went from that to this. I guess I'll never know.

I park the car and find the house empty. Mads is probably still with Elliot. For the first time in a long time, I feel lonely, the house feeling big and cold. I put on some music to drive away the emptiness and start doing the laundry.

---

"It's Friday, bitches!" Olive screams into my ear as I pick her up the next morning. Mads gives her an odd look but says nothing, resuming texting someone.

"Thank goodness for that!" I say. It's been an exhausting week.

"Maddie, you going to any parties this weekend?" Olive asks, even though I'm pretty sure she knows the answer.

"Not a chance," my sister looks up briefly before looking down at her phone again.

"Are we going?" Olive turns to me. "We're going, right?"

I scrunch my nose. "I don't know." I like being around people, but I don't really drink all that much. No real athlete does.

"We should," she says matter-of-factly. "It's been like a month since the last one."

I think back to the party thrown by Jaxon, a football player and one of Zane's best friends. Zane and I got into a fight before midnight and I left the party angry as hell. Good times.

As if reading my mind, she says, "Zane's not gonna be there. They've got an away game tonight, remember?"

"Right." Zane's in the varsity team. There was a time I went to every one of his games, whether it was football in the fall or basketball in the spring.

"I heard Ximena's brother is throwing one tonight," she tells me while pulling down the visor to check her make up.

"The one in college?" I rack my brain for his name. "Miguel?"

She nods. "That's the one. He's twenty-one, so he's supplying the booze."

"Doesn't matter to me," I park in my spot near the doors. "I'm not going to drink this close to the season."

"I figured," she adjusts her bag on her shoulder and the three of us head inside. "But we'll have fun anyways."

"I'll think about it," I promise her and say goodbye to my sister, who barely acknowledges me before heading to the opposite direction.

"So you're in, great" Olive smiles brightly and crooks my arm with hers.

---

"You going to the party tonight?" Evan nudges my side in music class, even though we're supposed to be coming up with the harmonies, not talking about non-related things.

"Probably."

"You don't sound too exited."

"Because I know what it's like being sober at a party full of drunk-ass people."

"I'm not going to be drinking."

I give him a doubtful look.

"Have you ever seen me shitfaced?"

I think about it, recalling numerous parties over the years. "Yes. Buttloads of times."

"Okay, fine, I give you that. What I meant was have you ever seen me drunk so close to the season starting?"

"Actually, no."

"Exactly. There's going to be a lot of sober people tonight."

"Whatever."

"Perkins! Sanders!" Mr. Tanner interrupts our whispered conversation and we look up to see everyone looking at us. "Pay attention!"

"Sorry!" I send Evan an annoyed look and turn back to my classmates.