She wasn’t the model kid like Ben, at least not in terms of chattiness or seeing the big picture, but after all they’d been through, she did appreciate the importance of family. She’d have given anything to capture the pure joy of the moment and save it for those times when the emptiness came crashing down around her.

  “Come on in, kiddo,” her dad called, holding the door open. “Do you need help with your bags?”

  “You make it sound like I’m moving back in,” she said with a laugh.

  “You practically do every day. Book bag, gym bag, makeup bag.” He laughed, hugging her as she walked past. “It’s like you take a mini vacation every day.”

  “This,” she said, looking around as she dropped her bags by the doorway, “is the vacation. That place—well, aside from the court—is work.”

  “I know the feeling,” he said, shutting the door behind her and making his way to the kitchen.

  “I like the lights, by the way,” she called out, not wanting to damper his obvious pride at his day’s work.

  “Thanks,” he said, setting the pizza box on the dining room table. “We had an early recess today, waiting on a crucial piece of evidence, so I took advantage of a little time around here.” He placed a stack of paper plates and napkins on the table and nodded to the chair across from his. “Have a seat. Got your favorite.”

  “Thank you.” She took a seat and grabbed a plate, opening up the box and grabbing a thick slice of pepperoni, green chile, and olive.

  As they ate, Ben entertained them with a play-by-play of his basketball practice. He wasn’t in the starting lineup yet, but even as a sophomore, he was going to be a force to be reckoned with.

  “What about you?” Her dad turned to face her. “You ready for the game Thursday?”

  Ben smirked across the table, and she knew that he knew. She locked eyes with him for a second, and he shook his head. Her secret was safe for now, and there was no reason to bring her parents into the mess. “Ready as I’ll ever be. I really think we’ll get them this year. No more of them doing a clean sweep. Last year, they beat us all three times. But not this year.”

  “I like it,” he said, taking a bite of his pizza. “I really wish I could be there, or at least send your mom to film.”

  “I know.” She wiped her mouth with a napkin, buying a bit of time to steel her emotions. “Don’t even worry about it.” It was a big deal, and they all knew it. For years, her parents had traveled to every single game, and if her dad couldn’t make it, he’d watch the film with her later. But, traditions were made to be broken. “Mom’s where she needs to be right now.”

  “I know. I just hate to miss it.”

  “Don’t stress about it, Dad.” She picked up another slice. “I’ll fill you in on all the highlights.”

  “Deal.”

  When they finished eating, she grabbed the box and the paper plates. “I’ll do dishes tonight, Ben. Tomorrow’s on you,” she said, playfully nudging his shoulder. As she put the plates in the trash can, her phone buzzed in her pocket.

  “I’m going to do homework,” she called out, grabbing her backpack and making a beeline for her door. As much as she loved them, she needed some time alone to process her thoughts. Although it seemed like a mostly normal day, everything had been weird, from calculus class on throughout the rest of the day. Once she shut the door behind her, she grabbed her phone and opened the text from a number she hadn’t saved.

  Hey, it’s Carter. Just shooting you a text so you have my number. See you Thursday.

  Logan saved the number and started to text back. Was it weird to text back, or was it just the nice thing to do? Up until today, she hadn’t given Carter a lot of thought, but she really was a nice person. Nice and stylish, Logan remembered, thinking back to how cute she looked in her beanie and flannel with those glasses that made her look like she belonged in a coffee shop in Oregon or something, rather than in the halls of Albuquerque Prep, milling around like the rest of the average joes.

  Hey! Thanks. I’ll save your number. Looking forward to it.

  She hit Send before she could overthink it too much. Her phone buzzed again, and she was disappointed to see that it was Barrett. She pushed aside the notification, not wanting to show that she’d read the message, but another one came in right behind it.

  She sighed and opened the message.

  Want to meet up?

  A few of us are headed to the Bosque to hang out.

  She started to type a response, but he was already typing again. She erased her reply and waited.

  It’ll be fun. He’d added a winking emoji.

  She really wasn’t in the mood. Some nights, the Bosque was great. It was cold enough outside, no one else would be near the river and trails. They’d all meet up, probably post some stupid photos online, and half the people would end up hooking up with someone, while she’d end up home right before curfew. Even though she wasn’t quite as wild as some of the group, some nights the gatherings were fun. Tonight, she just wanted some peace and quiet. She wanted to figure out what it was that had made Barrett react so strongly this morning. He always reacted strongly, but he had no reason to really think she was a lesbian. She shook her head, trying to get his expression of disgust out of her mind.

  Can’t. Dad’s home and insisting I finish homework.

  The lie came easily. She could have probably asked her dad and he would have okayed it, but she wasn’t going to take that risk.

  As her phone buzzed again, she picked it up with fresh irritation. “What do you want?” she muttered, scowling at the screen, only for it to fade into a smile.

  Me too. What kind of music do you like to listen to?

  She leaned back on her pillows, staring at the Sue Bird poster on the back of her bedroom door. Pondering the question, she debated how to respond. She didn’t want to come off as pushy and insist on her music being played, not while Carter was already driving her to the game. But, Carter had asked.

  I like a little bit of everything. Almost always have Billie Eilish on repeat, but I’ve been into a lot of different things lately. Halsey, Dua Lipa, The Weeknd, some old school jams like blink-182 and Foo Fighters, and some even older stuff like Fleetwood Mac. I’ll also sing along with everything from Crime Mob to Brandi Carlile. You?

  She reread the message twice before sending. She should have probably added a few more obscure bands to come across cooler, but she liked what she liked. When the bubbles popped up on the screen showing that Carter was typing, she smiled again. What kind of music did Carter like? What did she like to do? Logan shook her head. She’d never really thought about it. Maybe she should widen her circle from time to time. She was always surrounded by the same people, and with college just a year away, it wouldn’t hurt to try her hand at making a new friend—especially with someone who didn’t just hang around the same twelve people all the time.

  All good choices. I like a lot of those too, as well as the Beatles, the Black Keys, Childish Gambino, Meg Myers, Little Comets, Adaline, Fletcher, and Sharon Van Etten. I’ll make a playlist.

  This girl was too much, in a good way. Driving her and making a playlist.

  Cool! I’ll bring snacks. Any favorites?

  It was the least she could offer, after all Carter was doing for her. She was really coming in clutch with getting her there when no one else could. What would they talk about for two hours? Logan closed her eyes and tried to imagine the ride, but decided between music and snacks, they’d have plenty to focus on. If nothing else, they could always turn the music up loud.

  Gummy bears and coffee, the secret to any successful journalistic endeavor.

  Logan laughed out loud, propping herself up on another pillow.

  I think it’s pretty cool you do the school paper stuff. I love your columns.

  Really? I wasn’t sure anyone ever read them.

  I really do enjoy them. There’s a lot of cool inspirational stuff in there. She looked to her nightstand, where she knew she’d stashed a couple that had helped her through some of her darkest days of depression. That was too much to admit. She hit Send.

  Thanks! I’m really glad to hear that. By the way, I’m sure you’re going to crush it Thursday. I wrote an entire article about it.

  Logan felt her cheeks grow hot. It was no secret that she was one of the lead scorers of the team, but even though Carter was covering the game, she didn’t really think she would have been a fan.

  Thanks! You like basketball?

  Love it! My dad and I watched it all the time growing up. It was one of the few things we had in common.

  This girl was full of surprises.

  Who’s your favorite team?

  That depends on the league. WNBA – Washington Mystics, because Elena Delle Donne is a queen. NBA – San Antonio Spurs. NCAA Women’s – Tennessee. NCAA Men’s – Duke.

  Quite the spread! I like it!

  Logan breathed a sigh of relief. She’d had her doubts. It had been years since she’d made a new friend, and even then, it was a friend who was pulled into her existing group of friends. But, this was going to be okay. They’d have plenty to talk about on Thursday. Logan glanced at her backpack. She really should be doing her chemistry homework, especially after dozing off. She grabbed the book from her bag, along with a notebook. All she wanted to do was continue this lighthearted conversation, but she was already in enough trouble.

  I’ve got to catch up on some stuff for chemistry. She typed her response, wanting to add more, but a quick glance at the clock told her she was already biting off more than she could chew. I’ll be sure and bring the good snacks on Thursday!

  She set her phone on her nightstand to get the distraction out of her mind. The phone lit up continuously with messages from Barrett, Selena, Josie, and everyone she assumed was out at the Bosque. She flipped the phone over to cover the screen. But even as she settled in to work on her homework, she couldn’t help but think that what had started off as a punishment might actually turn into something fun.

  Chapter Five

  Around her, lockers clanged shut and kids chattered loudly as if finally freed from the prison of the school day. Carter downed the kombucha she’d treated herself to after her last class of the day. Normally, she’d have been on the road already, getting to the opposing team’s gym early enough to set up all of her equipment, test shoot a couple of warm-up photos and cover the junior varsity game, but today that wasn’t her focus.

  She’d wait the extra half hour for Logan to finish up. Making her way to the bathroom, she examined her outfit for probably the thirtieth time of the day. Not that it should have mattered, but she wanted to look the part of both journalist and maybe cool new friend. She rolled her eyes at her reflection. She had plenty of friends, but this one was different. This new friendship meant paving the path to actually meeting new people and breaking outside of her comfort zone. And, more than that, it meant hanging out with Logan Watts, someone she’d all but worshipped the past couple of years. Carter’s black jeans hugged her curves in all the right places, she noted. These would go in her college pile for when she was actually trying to get dates. The white shirt she’d chosen popped perfectly against the steel gray scarf and denim jacket she’d paired it with. She looked down at her Chucks and gave herself a mental high five.

  It all screamed lesbian journalist on the town—the exact look she was going for when she’d started the day. The only thing missing was a giant cup of coffee, which she hoped Logan had remembered to bring. In the car, she’d add her beanie for an extra touch. If there was such a thing as too many accessories, she hadn’t gotten that memo. She smiled, knowing she’d have tossed the memo in the trash, right alongside everything else people told her she just had to do.

  She pulled her glasses off to clean the lenses. As she wiped them on the hem of her shirt, she smiled. Today felt different. It wasn’t just a normal day. It was a fresh start.

  “Here you go again, getting poetic,” she whispered to herself, shaking her head, but knowing it was true. Regardless of how cheesy it felt to admit, something was different, in a good way.

  She opened her phone, flipping over to her Spotify account and checking to make sure the playlist had saved. It might have been over-the-top, but she wanted to make Logan feel at ease. Nothing did that more quickly than music.

  Music is therapy. She’d repeated the mantra a million times, and it was just as true every time she said it.

  With a few minutes left until Logan finished up, Carter went to her car, started the engine, and pulled to the front of the school. Once she found a parking spot, long since abandoned by any of the students who showed up early enough to get front row parking, she shot Logan a quick text.

  Out front. You can’t miss me. I’m in the Honda Civic that’s older than both of us. She added an emoji and plugged in her phone to the charger. She looked around the car. She’d taken the time to vacuum the interior and added one of those air fresheners that looked like a pine tree. If nothing else, it added to the car’s vintage vibes.

  “It’s your time to shine, Sophia,” she said, affectionately patting the dash of her car, named after her favorite Golden Girl. “This is the first of many adventures I shall take you on, where you’ll be responsible for impressing the ladies.” She laughed at the thought, but cleared her throat as she saw Logan emerge from the building. Game day was always a treat, since the coaches insisted that the players dress up to look professional before traveling. Instead of her normal jeans and a hoodie, Logan wore fitted gray slacks and a navy blue button-down covered in a pattern of prints of some sort of bird. Whatever they were, Carter was willing to call them her favorite animal. The ensemble was a striking look on Logan’s tall, slender frame. She smiled as she spotted Carter. Greeting her with a nod, she walked over and tossed her bags in the back seat. Neatly hanging her jersey on the hook, she rounded the car toward the passenger side.

  “I didn’t forget,” she said, as she climbed inside. Reaching behind her, she pulled out a giant bag of gummy bears and two bottled coffees. “It’s not fresh, but I didn’t have time to grab you something hot. I hope this is okay.”

  She held the snacks out, as if they were a peace offering. Her sheepish grin made Carter smile. “This is perfect. Thank you.” She accepted the bag of gummy bears, opened it up, and put it in the console between the seats. “Help yourself.”

  “Thanks,” Logan said, grabbing a few bears from the bag. “I figured we have two hours, so we needed the jumbo bag.” She grinned as she popped one in her mouth. “There’s another bag for you, by the way, for the ride home. I’ll be back on the bus then, but I didn’t want to leave you without any company.”

  Carter smiled, but her heart fell. She’d forgotten all about the ride home. Not that she didn’t enjoy her alone time, but today wasn’t about solitude. She straightened her shoulders, intent not to let any negative emotions seep through and ruin their time. She had plenty of time to brood on the way home, if needed. For now, she’d live in the moment. And the moment just happened to have coffee, gummy bears, and Logan Watts.

  Beside her, Logan leaned back in her seat and popped open her metal reusable water bottle, which Carter was now close enough to see was covered in an array of stickers, ranging from bands to pop culture references, to motivational quotes, to a llama. She stifled a laugh, while Logan took a long swig.

  When Logan screwed the cap back on, she glanced over at Carter. “So what’s first on the playlist? I hope you included some of your music. I hadn’t heard of some of the bands before, and I’m always down to expand my horizons.”

  Carter laughed, nervously turning up the music. “I took some liberties with it,” she said, putting the car in gear. “I hope you like it. Think of it as your very own Tiny Desk Concert.”

  “Tiny Desk?” Logan crinkled her nose, and Carter looked away, focusing her eyes on the road. Logan’s expressions were so distracting, she was sure she’d crash if she didn’t pay more attention.

  “It’s a regular show on NPR.” She took a drink of the coffee and waited for a response. “Public radio,” she clarified when Logan didn’t respond.

  “Oh, cool! Well, I’m looking forward to my musical awakening.”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Carter watched as Logan moved her head to the beat. “I like this one,” she said after a couple of minutes. “It’s got a chill vibe. Really nice,” she added, grabbing another gummy bear.

  “Good, I’m glad.” Carter winked. She gulped. She could have kicked herself. What was she doing winking?

  “So, Carter Shaw,” Logan said, clearing her throat. The way Logan said her name, it sounded as sweet as honey. Carter fought to keep a neutral expression. She was going to have to get it together, considering this was as close to a date as she’d dared to go on thus far, and it was absolutely not a date. Logan was straight. She shouldn’t have to keep reminding herself of that fact. “Why is it that our paths have never crossed before?”

  Carter gave her a sideways glance. “Really?”

  “I mean, I know we’ve had our share of classes together, but aside from that, we’ve never hung out or anything.” Logan shrugged. “You have good taste in music and snacks, and you’re fun to talk to.”

  “Don’t spread that around school,” Carter said dryly, grabbing another gummy bear for herself.