“We are. Or we were. We had a fight and aren’t talking right now.”

  “You’re not fighting about me, are you? Because I told Theo I’m not going out with him again.”

  “You’re not?”

  “No, and nothing happened on our date. We didn’t even kiss.”

  I move over on the couch, closer to her. “Piper, relax. I’m not upset that you went out with Theo. He can date whoever he wants.”

  “Are you sure?” she asks, like she doesn’t believe me.

  “Yes. Did you really think I was mad at you?”

  “I thought you were avoiding me. I went over to your house to talk to you but you weren’t there so I asked Theo to tell you to call me. When you didn’t, I thought that meant you were angry at me.”

  “Theo didn’t tell me you stopped by.” I pause. “Or maybe he tried, but I ran off before he could. I haven’t been talking to him since our fight.”

  “What was it about?”

  “I don’t want to get into it. I just spent the last hour talking about it with Avery. Let’s talk about something else.”

  We talk for the next hour, the awkwardness between us gone now that we cleared things up about Theo. Good thing I stopped by or Piper would still be thinking I’m mad at her for dating him. I was never mad, more like annoyed. At Theo. I felt like he was only going out with her to get back at me for going out with Colton.

  Speaking of Colton, I have a date with him tonight. A few weeks ago, I would’ve been thrilled about that. Colton was my dream guy. But now I’m starting to think he’s not. He talks about sports constantly and is even messier than Theo. He knew I was going to his house after dinner but didn’t even bother to clean the place up.

  Our date the other night was okay, but not great. I couldn’t think of anything to say, so I just let Colton talk. And then my mind kept wandering to Theo. I’m sure Colton could tell I wasn’t listening to whatever he was saying.

  At seven, he picks me up to go to dinner. Theo was in his room, but I still went outside to wait for Colton, thinking it’d be weird for him to come into the house to get me for our date. Even though I’m still upset with Theo, I feel kind of bad dating his friend, like it’s wrong even though it’s not.

  “You ready for classes to start?” Colton asks when we’re at the restaurant.

  I’m sitting across from him, wondering why I’m not having that nervous, excited feeling I get when I’m really into a guy. Colton is gorgeous, with a face like a male model and a lean, muscular body. Just looking at him should be turning me on, so why isn’t it?

  “Darcy.” Colton waves his hand in front of me. “You still there?”

  “Yeah.” I take my napkin and set it on my lap. “So what’d you do today?”

  Colton leans back in his chair and sighs. “You want to just leave?”

  “Leave? We just got here.”

  “Yeah, and you didn’t hear anything I just said.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “You were like this last time we went out too. Why don’t you just admit you’d rather be with Theo?”

  “Theo?” I laugh. “I’m not even talking to him.”

  “You should. You need to end this fight you guys are having and work things out. Even if you don’t want to date him, at least go back to being friends.”

  I look down at the table. “I don’t know if we can.”

  “You won’t know unless you try. But if I were you, I wouldn’t keep waiting. Theo’s a great guy and he’s ready for a serious relationship. If it’s not with you, it’s going to be with someone else.”

  I look at Colton. “He told you that? That he’s ready for a serious relationship?”

  “Yeah, so if you want a chance with him, you better hurry up.”

  I shove my chair back. “Let’s go.”

  “Wait, you’re doing this now?”

  “You told me to hurry.”

  “Okay.” He laughs a little. “I’ll take you home.”

  He pulls into the driveway and I open the door to get out, but then turn back to Colton. “It’s not that I don’t like you. In fact, I’ve had a huge crush on you since that class we had together last year.”

  “Oh yeah?” He smiles a little. “I didn’t notice.”

  “I might’ve even learned your schedule so we’d have a chance of running into each other.” I cringe. “I can’t believe I just told you that.”

  “You’re not the first girl to do that. It comes with playing football.”

  “And looking like that.” I motion to him.

  He laughs. “So you went from that to ending our date before it even started. That’s gotta tell you something.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” I smile at him. “Thanks for understanding.”

  “Sure.” He nods at the house. “Get in there and talk to him. This has gone on long enough.”

  I get out of the car and go into the house.

  “Theo, are you—” I stop when I see Theo in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with Erica in front of him, his arms around her. “Oh, sorry.” I look away and race to the stairs.

  “I thought she was out tonight,” I hear Erica say.

  “She was supposed to be,” Theo says.

  I hurry down the hall to my room and shut the door. I’m too late. Theo’s already moved on, with Erica. Colton was right when he said if I didn’t hurry, Theo would find someone else. I just didn’t think it’d be this soon.

  The next morning, I go downstairs expecting to find Theo making breakfast, but the kitchen is empty. There aren’t even any dirty dishes. It’s after nine. Theo’s usually having his second breakfast by now.

  I get the coffee maker going, then walk to the living room, stopping when I see a red sweater draped over the end of the couch. The same red sweater Erica was wearing last night. Does that mean she’s here? With Theo? Did she spend the night?

  My stomach knots up and I feel anxious and jittery. I race upstairs to my room to change out of my pajamas. I need to go somewhere. I can’t be here when they get up. I don’t want to see Theo with Erica, not after I finally admitted to myself how much I like him.

  I throw on jeans and a sweatshirt and race back downstairs. I grab my coat and race out to my car. As I’m driving down the street, I call Avery.

  “Hello?” she answers, sounding like she just woke up.

  “Hey, want to meet me for breakfast?”

  “What time is it?”

  “A little after nine. Were you asleep?”

  “Yeah. I don’t work this morning.”

  “Oh. Sorry. So that’s a no on breakfast?”

  “Darcy, what’s going on? You sound weird.”

  I pull over to the side of the road. “It’s Theo. Last night I found him with Erica. And she’s still there. In his room.”

  “Does Piper know this?”

  “He’s not dating Piper. I talked to her and she said they decided not to go out again.”

  “Okay, so what are you saying? That Theo can’t date Erica?”

  “Well, no, he can date whoever he wants but—” I take a breath. “I wanted it to be me.”

  “Wait, I’m confused. Weren’t you out with Colton last night?”

  “Yes, and I realized I want Theo. As more than a friend.”

  “Finally,” Avery says. “It took you long enough.”

  “Yeah, but now he has someone else.”

  “Are you sure? What exactly did you see?”

  “Erica with her hands all over him. They were in the kitchen when I got home last night. Theo had his arms around her. It looked like they were kissing before I walked in. And then this morning, I saw her sweater on the couch. Theo was still in his room with her so I got out of there before they woke up. Go ahead and say I told you so. I know you want to.”

  “I’m not going to say that, but I do think you waited too long to talk to him.”

  “That’s the same as saying you told me so.”

  “Maybe it’s not as bad as you think. Maybe he doesn’t really like her. Maybe it was just sex.”

  “Really? That’s supposed to make me feel better?”

  “Hey, I just woke up. My brain isn’t working yet. Why don’t you come over and we’ll talk? It’ll just be us. Wes is at the gym.”

  I go to her house, but find that I can’t talk about Theo. I’m too upset. I keep imagining him with Erica and then want to slap myself for letting our fight go on for so long and not telling him how I feel.

  At noon, I leave Avery’s house and go to the mall, just to kill time in case Erica is still at the house. If Theo’s dating her, I’ll have to get used to her being there, but I’m not at that point yet. Just seeing her sweater on the couch had me so enraged I had to leave the house. She is so not the girl for him. They have nothing in common. She’s gorgeous, so I see why Theo likes her, but she’s not at all his type.

  I guess I can’t say that since I don’t really know her, but I want it to be true so I’m choosing to believe it. I don’t want Theo to be with Erica, or any other girl. I want him to be with me. But I screwed up. Theo tried to apologize, over and over again, but I wouldn’t listen. I was stubborn and stupid. So maybe I deserve this. Maybe I deserve to lose the only guy I’ve ever loved.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  THEO

  “We’ve missed you,” my mom says, giving me a hug as she comes into the house.

  It’s Saturday and my family is on their way to New York City to see a play and go shopping. Ella loves the city and begged my parents to take her there this weekend. Whenever they go there, they always stop to see me since it’s on the way.

  “I didn’t miss him,” Ella says, smiling a little.

  “Liar,” I say, pulling her in for a big bear hug.

  “I can’t breathe,” she says, dramatically.

  “I’ll let you go if you promise to stop dating that Ace guy.”

  “That was over weeks ago,” my dad says.

  I let go of Ella. “Are you with someone else now?”

  “No. I’m taking a break from guys, at least high school guys. They’re so immature. I want to date college guys.”

  “When you’re in college, yes,” my dad says. “Not now.”

  “College is only a few months away,” Ella says.

  “She’d like to walk around campus before we leave,” my mom says to me. “Do you want to come with us?”

  “I have to. I gotta make sure Ella doesn’t ask out a college guy.”

  “You’re going to have your hands full next year,” my dad says. “Keeping this one in line.” He puts his arm around Ella.

  “I’ll probably never see him,” Ella says, “with me living in the dorms and him way out here.”

  “We’ll see each other plenty,” I say. “I’ll make sure of it.”

  Ella rolls her eyes. “I don’t need a babysitter.”

  Having Ella here next year is going to be a nightmare. I don’t have time to keep an eye on her, but if I don’t, who the hell knows what kind of trouble she’ll get in? Her choice in guys already causes me stress and I’m only basing that on what she’s told me about them. I’ll be even more stressed when she’s here and I actually meet the guys she goes out with.

  “Did you pick a place for lunch?” my mom asks. She looks good today, a lot better than she did at Christmas. If she’s been drinking, I can’t tell, which means she didn’t have much. My dad said she’s been going out more and doing stuff with friends during the day instead of staying home drinking. I’m not getting my hopes up. She’s done this before, where she cuts back for a few weeks and then goes back to drinking too much.

  Avery comes down the stairs. “Hi!” She smiles at my family as she hurries over to the coffee table and picks up a book. “I just left my book down here. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “That’s Avery,” I say to my parents. “My roommate. Avery, come say hi.”

  Avery and I are talking again, but not like we used to. She’s very formal with me, like she’s my tenant who’s just here to rent out a room. I’m hoping as more time passes we’ll go back to how we were, if that’s even possible. It might be too late for that, but I’d at least like us to hang out again, even if it’s just watching a movie on the couch. I miss spending time with her.

  “Nice to meet you,” my dad says, smiling at Darcy. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”

  “You have?” She looks at me.

  “I told them how much you love Christmas. I had to explain why I was taking so many photos when I was home.”

  “I hire a company every year to decorate,” my mom says to Darcy. “They do a wonderful job.”

  “The photos were beautiful,” Darcy says.

  “I’m Sherry, Theo’s mom.” She shakes Darcy’s hand.

  “And I’m his sister,” Ella says.

  “Theo said you’re going here next year,” Darcy says.

  “That’s the plan.” Ella smiles at me. “Theo can’t wait.”

  “Yeah, it’ll be great,” I mutter.

  “We were just heading to lunch,” my dad says to Darcy. “Would you like to join us?”

  “Oh, no thank you. I’m trying to get myself organized for class on Monday.”

  “Well, it was good to finally meet you,” my dad says.

  “You too.” She smiles at my family before racing back upstairs.

  “That’s the girl you’re dating?” Ella asks.

  “We’re not dating. She’s my roommate.”

  “She’s really pretty. You should date her.”

  “I’m not dating her, and stop talking about her.”

  “So it’s okay for you to tell me who to date, but I can’t tell you?”

  “Yeah, that’s how it works.”

  “Why don’t we eat at this cafe?” my mom says, showing me her phone. “We haven’t been there and it has good ratings.”

  “Yeah, it’s new. It’s really popular. It might be hard to get a seat, but we could try.”

  We go to the restaurant and get the last open table. My mom talks all through lunch, which she never does when she’s been drinking. And she didn’t order wine like she usually would. Maybe me taking off after Christmas bothered her enough that she cut back on drinking. My dad said she was really upset when I left, but he supported me for doing it. He understands I don’t want to see her like that.

  “We need to get going,” my dad says, checking his watch.

  “You sure you don’t want to come with us?” my mom asks me.

  “No, I already have plans.”

  “With your roommate?” Ella asks in a tone that implies I’m dating Darcy.

  “I’m going to Colton’s house. He’s having some people over.”

  “Does she have a boyfriend?” Ella asks.

  “Darcy? No. She went out with Colton a few times, but it didn’t work out.”

  She didn’t tell me why. Neither did Colton. I haven’t asked him about it because I’m trying to stay out of it. Interfering with Darcy’s love life is what ended our friendship.

  As we’re getting up to leave, I spot Curt at the hostess stand.

  “Hey, my new coach is here,” I say to my parents. “I want you guys to meet him.”

  They follow me over to where Curt is standing as he waits for a table. “Coach Hensley.”

  He smiles. “Theo. I didn’t see you at the gym today.”

  “Yeah, I was there early. Hey, I wanted you to meet my family.”

  As I step aside, I notice Curt’s expression go from relaxed to panicked.

  “Curt?” my mom says.

  “Sherry,” he says, sounding as panicked as he looks. “I can explain.”

  She shoves past me to Curt. “I told you to stay away from him!”

  “What’s going on here?” my dad asks, coming up behind my mom. “How do you know this man?”

  “Yeah, how do you know Coach Hensley?” I ask.

  “Let’s take this outside,” Curt says, lowering his voice. He turns and walks out the door.

  My mom storms after him. “Yes, run away! Just like you did before!”

  “What the hell’s going on?” I ask my dad.

  “I don’t know,” he says, concern in his voice.

  We follow my mom outside and watch as she stops in front of Curt. “I’m calling the police. You are not to be anywhere near my son! How dare you show up here, pretending to be his coach!”

  “Mom, he’s not pretending,” I say, walking up to them. “He’s the new assistant coach.” I look at Curt. “What’s going on? How do you know my mom?”

  “Tell him,” my mom says. “Tell him the truth.”

  Curt’s eyes dart from my mom to me. “I was going to tell you. I just wanted more time.”

  “Tell me what? What’s going on?”

  “Your mother and I knew each other in high school.” He clears his throat. “We dated for awhile.”

  “Wait,” my dad says. “You’re not saying—”

  “Yes,” my mom says, her eyes narrowed on Curt. “But I want Curt to tell him since it seems he’s been hiding this from him.”

  “Tell me what?” I ask, my heart thumping harder.

  Curt pauses. “That I’m your father.”

  “You’re what?” I step back, not believing it’s true. Not wanting to.

  “Curt Hensley is the boy who got me pregnant,” my mom says, glaring at him. “And then took off, without any explanation.”

  I stare at Curt, at his face, suddenly seeing the resemblance. The color of his eyes. The shape of his nose. The thick dark hair. He’s an older version of me. I never noticed it before. Why would I? I never in a million years would’ve thought he was my father.

  “I trusted you,” I say, my anger building as my shock turns to rage. I step closer to him. “I confided in you. All those questions you asked about my personal life? I thought you were just being nice, a coach who actually cared about his team. But this whole time, you were trying to get information about me. You lied to me. You’ve been lying to me this whole time!” I lunge at him, but my dad grabs me and pulls me back.

  “Theo, stop!” my dad yells.

  “I was trying to get to know you,” Curt says to me, “before I told you who I was. Maybe that was wrong, but—”