He went to the library again the next day. He wasn't even entirely sure he meant to, but then there he was, back in unfamiliar territory. Would she even be there again today?

When he rounded the shelves corner and saw her sitting there, curled in the beanbag chair he felt himself let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

She looked up. "You're back." Her eyes widened as she took him in.

"Yeah, I'm back." He sat down in the beanbag chair. "I was hoping you'd be here." Zack said, he wasn't sure what it was, but those green eyes had been haunting him ever since he had left the library the day before. He couldn't remember the last time he had really looked forward to seeing a girl.

"Well, I'm usually here." She studied him carefully, her eyes looking into his, What do you want from me? They seemed to be asking. He wanted to tell her that he didn't know. He just knew he wanted to be here, beside her.

"So, you always have a free period now?" He wanted to slap himself. He'd spent all night thinking about this girl and that was the best he could come up with?

"Uhmm… Yeah." She looked away, smirked a little, and went back to her book. The silence lingered for a moment.

"So, what else did Kaity say about me?"

Rachel looked up at him. "If you're just here to gossip about your girlfriend, sorry, ex-girlfriend, you can just go. I have no interest in talking about her or thinking about her any more than I'm absolutely forced to."

"Sorry, I didn't mean- that's not what I'm here."

"Why are you here?"

"I enjoyed talking to you yesterday. First time in awhile that I remember really enjoying a conversation." Zack looked at her intently, staring into her impossibly green eyes.

Rachel blushed and broke off their eye contact. "It wasn't that special," she muttered.

"It wasn't about football." He smiled at her.

"So if I start talking about football you'll go away?" Her smile took the edge off her words and she leaned slightly towards him.

"Do you even know anything about football?"

"There's a uhmm, field involved. And a ball. I'm pretty sure about both of those things."

Zack laughed. "That's pretty good, you're right about both. Anything else?"

"It involves running up and down the field holding the ball. And now I think we're at the end of my football knowledge."

"Alright, well, here's a fun football fact for you. I have three brothers who are also on the team with me. I have two brothers who have already graduated from this school. I have another brother at home who will one day go here and play football. I'm sure you can imagine how many conversations I have about football. It's nice to have one that isn't."

"You have six brothers?"

"Yeah."

"Wow. That's… A lot of brothers."

"Yeah, it's a big family. Do you have any siblinbs?"

"No, actually, it's just me."

"Just you?"

"Yeah, just me and my mom has enough trouble with just me."

"How much trouble can you be? You don't seem like the trouble making type."

"I'm not, my mom's just not the motherly type." Rachel blushed and looked away.

"If you want, we can put family on the list of the things we don't talk about." Zack offered and was rewarded with a small smile from Rachel.

"It's fine." Rachel shook her head, like she was trying to shake away bad memories.

"So, you're on the event committee right?"

"Oh. Yeah. It's dumb though, we don't do that much. Just like, make the voting ballots and string up the lights for the dance."

"Come on, you have to do a little more than that."

Rachel shrugged. "It's not not a big deal."

"Homecoming last year was great. You did a good job."

"Oh yeah, I guess. I acutally, didn't go."

"You didn't go? Why not?"

"I just, I had other stuff going on that night."

"Sucks you missed your own party."

"It wasn't my party. It's a party for the football team. And the popular kids."

"Well, you know, that's partially the event committee's fault."

"How so?"

"Well, you guys are printing up the ballots for this year's nominations right."

"Is that what this is about?"

"Is that what what's about?"

"I should have known."

"Known what?" Zack asked, his eyebrows raised.

"You want to know if your name is on the ballet."

Zack almost started to laugh. "You think I'm talking to you because of that?"

Rachel looked away. "It's fine. Yeah, your name is on it. You can go now."

"Wow, you really think that's the only reason I'm talking to you." Rachel just stared down at the red beanbag, cheeks flushed. "It's not okay? I promise. I'm here because I like being here. But I was right."

"Right about what?"

"Up until yesterday, you didn't even know who I was, but you still put my name on the ballot."

"So? You're the quarterback of the football team, I just kind of assumed…"

"That I was popular?"

"Well, yeah."

"How do you decide who's popular?"

Rachel shrugged. "We have people we ask."

"Really? Who?"

"Well, uhmm, actually, I asked Kaity. She's on top of the social food chain and everybody knows it."

"Okay, well, what if you asked someone who wasn't on the top? What if you put the best looking people on the ballots? Or the most talented? Or the smartest? Come on, you could totally change the whole game. Then it wouldn't just be our party."

"No one would go."

"What do you mean no one would go?"

"Come on, everybody knows. People at this school do things because they see the popular students doing it first. Remember when Kaity wore leggings and motorcycle boots? Well, of course you don't, but I remember. I remember because after that, all the other girls started wearing leggings and motorcycle boots."

"Doesn't look like you followed that trend." He glanced at the baggy sweats and oversized hoodie emblazoned with the words "Kyle's Garage" that Rachel wore.

"And I didn't go to the dance either. My point is, other kids go because the popular kids go. The popular kids go, because they're the ones up on stage. The football team gets money because the whole school buys tickets. Everybody wins."

"I bet Kaity's on the ballot too."

"Of course. And you and her will probably win."

"I'd rather be up on stage with anyone but her."

"You don't have to vote for her."

"You're right. In fact, I'm going to do a little experiment."

"What kind of experiment?"

"Well, you say kids at this school just do whatever the popular kids do right?"

"Right…"

"So I'm going to write in my own candidate."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Like who, Selena Gomez?"

Zack shook his head. "Nah, not quite."

"Alright, well, I guess I'll be seeing how your little experiment works out won't I? Hey, that gives me an idea. I'll be right back." Rachel sprang up and returned a moment later with a crayon, a lighter and a piece of white paper. "Write down your candidate and then fold it up so I can see it."

"Okay…" Zack did as she told him then handed the folded paper back to her. She folded it several more times than flicked the lighter to life and held the crayon over it until the wax softened then she pressed it into a ball and flattened it over the fold.

"After we count the ballots, we'll open this and see if you were right."

"That's a bit elaborate isn't it MacGyver?" Rachel ducked her head. "Hey, stop. It's cute." He reached over and lifted her chin gently and looked into her eyes. "How did I never see you before?"

"Maybe you just weren't looking." She pulled her head away.

"I think you didn't want to be found."

"I should get going." She tossed what was left of the crayon into the nearby trash bin.

"Alright, well, I'll be seeing you." Zack winked.

"Right. See you." And then once more she was gone.