"Matthews!" I roared, not amused. Water droplets dripped from my hair, down my cheeks, all the way to my socks, making me uncomfortable and itchy.

The source of my anger smirked irritatingly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yes, Sarah?" His smirk might have made some girls swoon, but it only aggrandized my anger.

"What'd he do this time?" I heard one of the girls asked. I recognized it as Veronica Langley, our star small forward asked.

"Pour the rest of his water on her," answered Veronica's male counterpart, Willem Inoue.

The rest of the team stopped practicing to watch. We were always the source of both genders' basketball teams' amusement.

Evan Matthews. He's the captain of the boys' basketball team, 6'3", and has black hair and blue eyes. Not to mention he's a lady killer, expected valedictorian, and the bane of my existence.

I'm Sarah Vega. I'm the captain of the girls' basketball team, 5'5", and have brown hair and eyes. Not to mention I'm also Evan Matthews' target for pranks and jokes.

"I loathe you," I growled, trying to look as intimidating as possible.

It didn't work though, seeing as Evan still had that infuriating smirk on his face. "Change the 'ath' to 'v' and your feelings match mine." He winked.

"Not a chance," I replied flatly.

His smirk faded and his eyes flashed with something for a brief second. Was he disheartened by my swift rejection? I felt a soft tug at my chest. What was that just now?

"Matthews! My office, now!" Coach Williams, the coach of the boys' varsity basketball team, boomed. "The game's tomorrow!"

"See you tomorrow, Sarah," Evan said. He began to walk away before he stopped and turned. He looked back at me and said, "Oh, and by the way, if you were less acrimonious, guys would ask you out more. But then again, you're cuter when you're mad." Then he ran off to the boys' locker room before I could retaliate.

Still dripping wet from the water that was poured on me, I stalked off to the girls' locker room. "Practice is over!" I cried, swinging the door open.

The next day of school was insane. It was the boys' first game of the season and it was one of the biggest talks. Basketball was one of the most popular sports in our school. We hold the title for State Champion five years running, County Champion eight years running, and District Champion fifteen years running. And that was only the boys' records.

It was easy to pick out who was playing today. The five starters were wearing black jeans with their black with cerulean sleeves letterman jackets. In the back of the jacket, there'd be an image of a roaring jaguar, our school mascot. Above the mascot, there'd be your last name written in cerulean. If you were captain, you get to have the word CAPTAIN written on the bottom of the back, just under the mascot, in the same color as the name.

On the front, on the left breast, there was a large JA for John Adams High School. On the right breast, the member's number was written just as big as the C on the opposite side. Then in the middle of the number, the varsity member's first and last name was written on it.

On the left bicep, there was a year printed on there to show what their graduating class was embroiled on in cerulean.

The remaining ten varsity members had a slightly different appearance. Everything the starters had black was cerulean for them, and what was cerulean for the starters were black for the other varsity members.

If you haven't picked it out yet, black and cerulean were out school colors, but only the starters wore black.

"There's Evan," Samantha, our starter shooting guard and my best friend pointing out. I didn't even have to look to know that girls were surrounding Evan, wishing him good luck in the game today.

"Your point?" I asked bluntly. "I don't care what Matthews does with his adherents. I don't care about him; period."

"You're so dispassionate about his feelings," Samantha sighed, watching me as I closed my locker. She walked me to my first class, English 2H. It was on the way to Samantha's AP Lit. She followed me into my class to hang out with me like always.

"What feelings?" I asked, taking my seat. "Matthews just likes to pick on me. You don't see him picking on any other girls in the school."

"Morning sunshine. So, what's up?" Evan broached as he took his seat next to me. Ugh. Unfortunately, I sat next to the devil himself. Speak of the devil and he shall appear. "Morning Sammy."

"Morning Evan!" Samantha smiled happily. I she really talking to my worst enemy when I, her best friend, was sitting right next to her? I nudged Samantha, and she turned to give me a 'What?' facial expression. I glared at her and she rolled her eyes before the bell rang, signaling it was time for her to leave.

I must have done something in my past life or something.

Throughout all six periods (and lunch), Matthews had done something to get me fumed for the rest of the hour. Not only did I have him in all six periods, but he also sat next, in front, or behind me in every class.

Within six hours, he's managed to make my binder fall twenty-five times, scare me at least twenty times, make me scream four times, embarrass myself two times, and pull a few light pranks here and there. I guess blandishment is good when you're a prankster. You don't get in trouble. I, on the other hand, was reprimanded at least twice in each of my classes.

I was walking to the gym alone because Samantha's last period was across the school from mine. Students that were attending the game immediately ran to the gym after the final bell had rung. I walked, not bothering to waste my energy.

Ah, the benefits on being on the varsity basketball team were having reserved seats behind the other varsity basketball players.

We were playing against Westshore, a school that was more famous for their baseball. We'd dominate them no problem like we always did.

I entered the gym immediately hearing the excited chattering from both our school and Westshore. Due to the publicity we got from basketball, the gym was renovated so it was bigger to hold more people.

I immediately spotted the varsity boys already dressed and ready to go. It wasn't hard to miss Evan on the court. He was chatting with two cheerleaders, who were giggling appreciatively at whatever Evan was saying. I scowled at the cheerleaders. People not playing should just get off the court.

"Is someone jealous?" Samantha's voice crept up from behind me. I turned to look at my best friend. Her dirty blonde hair was tied back and out of her face, while her hazel eyes sparkled with interest. "Don't worry about it," she reassured me. "Look at Evan's face." She pointed over to where Evan and the stupid cheerleaders were.

I followed her advice, looking at Evan, who was giving them a tight lipped smile. Hm. Funny. I thought he loved the attention.

"He's quite boorish to those girls," Samantha told me. "He told me himself he didn't like the cheerleaders. The only girl he actually likes to make a conversation with is you. Everyone always has to start a conversation with him. You? He just goes right up to you."

"He's been picking on me since I first met him in second grade eight years ago. We're in our sophomore year in high school and he's still picking on me."

Samantha raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow at me, but said nothing. If only I knew that she knew Evan had told her that he liked me.

The cheerleaders were then called over for them to begin their stretches. I saw Evan sigh happily and I smirked. Evan looked around the gym before his blue eyes landed directly on me, and it was his turn to smirk.

Samantha dragged me over to where Evan stood. He nodded at her in acknowledgement before he looked down at me. He had a bemused expression on his face while I looked curiously at him. Normally, he'd make some sort of comment as soon as I was within hearing range of him.

"Wanna make a bet?" Evan finally said.

"… What?" I answered, confused. "No way."

"Aw. Scared?" he taunted. "Is little Sarah scared that she'll lose?"

I glared at him. "No! Name it!"

He smirked deviously. Oh no. "Alright then… If I can make a half court buzzer shot… you'll have to kiss me."

"What?"

"You heard me. I'll make a half court buzzer shot, and then you'll have to give lil' ol' me a kiss."

I snorted. How attractive of me. "Pft. I know you can make a half court, but can you get the ball fast enough before the buzzer?"

As a fellow basketball player, I knew you got lost in the game and didn't keep track of the time. Every time the buzzer rang, I would always be surprised.

"Watch me." Evan's eyes sparkled with confidence, which made me wonder what I got myself into. "Nothing but net, baby."

I opened my mouth to make a retort, but was interrupted by the buzzer. Evan gave me another infuriating smirk and walked away. Damn. He got the last word in.

I turned to look around for Samantha, who had disappeared. I found her sitting with the other girls on the team, talking to Veronica.

"Hey Vega!" I turned around just in time, catching the bright orange rubber ball. I moved it out of my line of vision and saw Geoffrey Eckstein, Evan's best friend and partner in crime, standing there, head cocked to the side. "Since you're done flirting with Evan; play a little one-on-one with me."

My face flushed slightly, and I glared at the star shooting guard of the boys' team. "Shut up, Eckstein," I retorted before dribbling the ball, running around him.

I could hear him run after me, but it was too late. I ran past Joseph Lee, who was the back-up small forward, and did a layup. When I didn't hear the ball make contact with the ground, I turned around to see why.

Evan stood there, head cocked to the side, basketball under his right arm. I faintly heard Geoffrey sigh, "I was gonna get revenge for her beating me last time, but I'll just go and warm up with the other guys. Have fun, you two."

Evan gave me a wink before he began dribbling the ball, making me crouch down on instinct, eyes on the ball. He began to head towards the net, but I jumped in front of him. Of course, it wasn't that simple. He was the captain of the varsity team after all.

He evaded my jump and threw a shot, making it go through the net with a swish. I caught the rebound and ran around Evan, who tried to make a steal.

I made a jump shot from the two-point line and it went in just as Evan's smooth shot.

"YEAH, GO SARAH!" I heard a guy's voice yell from the stands. I turned to the general direction of the voice and smiled, not sure who called it.

"Eyes on the ball, Vega," I heard Evan lecture, with a tint of annoyance in his voice. Jeez, what was his problem?

I was about to say something, but the damn buzzer buzzed again, making me glare at the stats table. The guys that were sitting there just shrugged, and pointed at Coach Williams, who was waiting for the guys to gather around for a pep talk.

"Maybe we'll continue this game some other time," Evan winked at me. "Don't forget if I make a half-court buzzer shot, you're mine for a night."

"I believe the term was a kiss, not that I was your possession for a night," I replied.

"Please," Evan scoffed. "Once you kiss me, you'll be begging for more." Evan smirked, placing his hands on his hips.

I opened my mouth to retort, but was once again interrupted by the buzzer. I glared over at the stats table, where the guy at least had the decency to look sheepish. He pointed at the timer, signaling it was ten minutes until the game began.

I rolled my eyes and went to sit down next to Samantha, plopping down in the seat with a huff just as warm-up music began to play.

My eyes wandered around the gym, observing who was here and whatnot. Around seventy percent of the school's students were here, along with a few teachers.

Before I knew it, ten minutes passed in a flash and the five starters from each team were gathered on the court. Evan and Westshore's captain, Leon Quirke, were gathered at the center. The referee threw the ball in the air, and Leon hit the ball, passing it to one of his teammates.

Our team didn't waste any time stealing the ball. Fred Lindon, our starting power forward, stole it out of Westshore's hands and headed towards their basket. One of the players tried to steal it, but Fred was faster, spinning out of the way whilst dribbling the ball.

Fred passed the ball to Justin Flynn, our star center. Justin quickly passed the ball to Geoffrey, who managed to avoid three of Westshore's players. Geoffrey took aim from the two-point line and shot, making the ball go through with a light swish.

The crowd cheered and the guys hi-fived each other. My eyes darted to the scoreboard to see there was still seven and a half minutes out of the eight minutes in the first quarter left.

Samantha let out a low whistle beside me. "Thirty seconds in and a score?"

"Evan just made a three-pointer," Priscilla, Justin's younger sister and the girls' star center commented.

"Justin's making really good assists," said Evelyn Niklas, Priscilla's best friend and our starting power forward.

"Well it's his senior year, so he's gotta show he's got good teamwork. He's telling me to make lots of shots and passes during my games next year so the scouts will be looking," Priscilla answered.

"I heard Evan made a bet with you, Sarah," Veronica said, looking past Samantha to me. "Something about a buzzer shot and a kiss?"

"Really?" Louise Fernandez, the backup point guard asked, leaning over Priscilla to look at me. "That boy really has it bad for you, doesn't he? It's so obvious."

"What on earth are you talking about?" I asked, looking at her confused. I turned to Samantha. "Have you been spouting lies?"

"Truth is truth," Samantha quoted Shakespeare.

"Don't you like him too, Sarah?" Basel Gabrielson, but prefers to be called Gabe, Louise's male counterpart, asked, leaning back in his seat. "It's so blatantly obvious."

"Shut up, Basel," I sneered.

"Touchy, touchy," Gabe tore his eyes from the match to look at me. "Hasn't our dear Evan told you that you shouldn't have a sneer?"

"Quite frequently, actually," Samantha replied for me. "He sometimes says her cantankerous mood is rather unattractive."

I rolled my eyes and tuned everyone out, turning back to the game. We were six minutes in, and to say we were beating Westshore was an understatement. It was twenty-two to zilch. I was surprised there hasn't been a foul yet.

The referee blew his whistle just then. Well, speak of the devil. Westshore fouled.

I watched Evan wipe away a trail of sweat with his wristband on his right hand. He took possession of the ball and scanned the court quickly. His steel blue eyes focused deeply on the court and he passed the ball to Willem, who seemed to jump from out of nowhere, shocking the player from Westshore.

Willem dribbled the ball to the other side of the court, but had it stolen on the way. Evan, who was behind everyone else, was quick to act and stole the ball quickly. Seeing as his entire pathway was blocked by multiple players, he took a shot right from half-court.

The ball went in with another swish, and loud, deafening cries commenced. If I talked right now, I wouldn't be able to hear myself over the boisterous crowd.

"And Evan makes the first half-court," I heard Samantha half-say, half-yell. "Not surprised!" Just then, the buzzer rang, and I could tell Evan was kind of annoyed. So far, so good. We were winning the game, and I was winning the bet.

"Too bad," I commented. "He was ten seconds off."

The team gathered around Coach Williams to discuss how the game was going, and Louise went to get us drinks.

"Okay, it's twenty-five to none, we've got this in the bag. Matthews, clean half-court you had there. Eckstein, your layups are getting sharper and faster. Inoue, nice usage of your speed and size. Lindon, your steals were clean, good job. Flynn, terrific footwork. Let's keep this up for the next three quarters. Matthews?"

"Well, Coach said everything I wanted to say. Let's just keep Westshore out of the ball's way and score one after another. If you're surrounded, make a shot, then we'll try to back you up by catching the rebound if it misses. Panthers after," Evan spoke. He placed his hand in the center, along with the other nine guys. "One, two…"

"Panthers!" all ten exclaimed.

"Wolves!" the other team exclaimed shortly after.

Evan caught my eye and leaned over his chair, which was occupied by his sports bag.

"You were off by ten seconds," I commented. "Too bad."

Evan smirked, and for some odd reason, my chest tugged lightly. Huh… were his eyes always this bright when he smirked? "There's still three more, Sarah. I'm getting that kiss."

His gaze was suddenly too tense to hold and I huffily turned my head in the other direction. "Hmph. We'll see about that."

"Evan, time to get back on the court," I heard Geoffrey say.

"I think I'm getting heartburn or something," I said, rubbing my chest. "My heart just tugged really hard just now."

Samantha looked at me in a way that asked, 'Are you really that stupid?' "You're so…" she began, but then sighed and shook her head.

I gave her a dubious look, and was about to say something, but the buzzer rang again. This was the third time was cut off by the buzzers. I had really crappy timing. Ugh. Verbal diarrhea. Gonna shut up now. The game's beginning again.

With celerity, the boys passed the ball from one person to the next, effectively avoiding the opposing team.

Samantha handed me my Coke, which I nodded in thanks to Priscilla for getting.

"Have you ever liked Evan?" Samantha asked, effectively making me start choking and coughing.

"Evan missed a shot!" Veronica exclaimed, along with a bunch of disappointed "aws" from the stands. Then she went, "Ow!" and then, "Oh…"

I felt Samantha rubbing my back soothingly as the soda in my nose burned. Gah. I hated it when this happened. I wish people wouldn't talk when I drank.

"What do you mean," I paused to cough, "have I ever liked Evan?" I rubbed my nose, which still burned from the soda.

"Well, Evan's pretty good-looking. Add that he's the varsity basketball captain and that he has a four-point-oh GPA, he's perfect," Samantha said. "How long have you known him? Eight years?" When I nodded, she continued. "You've known this guy for eight years and you're still in just the friends area? I would've gone out with him the moment my hormones began running if I were you."

"I wouldn't call us friends, per say," I narrowed my eyes. "That guy's out to torture me."

"I don't think that's the reason why he teases you," Samantha said, turning her attention back onto the court. "Have you ever tried to look from an unbiased point of view on why Evan does what he does to you?"

"Biased or unbiased, he still tortures me," I said, stubbornly looking away from her. Actually, no I haven't, but she didn't need to know that.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Sarah, surely you've heard of that saying before."

"I know Evan, Samantha," I commented. "From day one, he's been out to get me. He took my red crayon and used it."

I didn't have to look to know she was rolling her eyes at me. "I think Evan has a reason for all his teasing. Talk to him, maybe you'll find something."

Since when did Samantha become Aristotle? She's just full of confounding sayings today.

"Well I—" For the fourth time today, I was cut off by the buzzer. I really need to talk to the stats table about this. They're always interrupting me. Great. Now what was I going to say again?

Samantha and the other girls left me in my pondering. I sat in my seat alone, wondering what Samantha was trying to say. A couple minutes later, I heard the boys shuffling out of the locker rooms, and soon found myself staring into oceanic orbs.

"What was that about earlier?" Evan asked, sitting backwards in his chair after he tossed his sports bag on the ground.

"What was what about earlier?" I answered his question with another question.

Evan grabbed a Gatorade from his bag and took a chug before answering my inquiry. "You started coughing in the middle of the game."

"Oh, Samantha asked me something weird while I was drinking, which made me choke," I replied, gesturing to my Coke can on the ground.

Evan made a small noise that signaled he understood. "What's Sammy ask?" He went to take another swing from his Gatorade bottle.

"She asked if I ever liked you," I replied, making Evan's eyes widen and he began to splutter his orange Gatorade. My eyes widened as Evan began coughing profusely, hitting his chest to calm himself.

He took a deep breath a few seconds later, before sighing heavily. Then he cleared his throat. "People really should shut up when someone's drinking. Someone will die someday if they don't do so."

"That's what I thought too!" I exclaimed. "Well, not the dying part, but that's really good. There should be a law or rule or something about that."

Evan nodded in agreement. "Surely liquid going down the wrong pipe will cause someone to desist from breathing and then eventually, they'll die because of lack of oxygen."

"Exactly," I nodded firmly.

"What are you two lovebirds talking about?" Willem asked, coming up with the other guys. "Oh by the way, Sarah, you should refrain from coughing during the game. Our dearest captain missed his free throw because of you."

"Oops," I scratched my head sheepishly. "My bad. But really, you should blame Samantha. She's the one that made me cough because she had to talk while I was drinking my Coke."

"I'll be sure to complain to her later," Willem nodded, not really interested in my excuse. "Whatever. We're still winning."

I looked at the scoreboard, and indeed we were. Westshore had managed to get some points, but we were still leading… by a long shot with forty-three to eight.

The buzzer buzzed again, signaling that it was time for the second half AKA the third quarter to begin. Evan had dampened his towel with a little bit of water to clean off the Gatorade that he had spilled on himself. All of the starters but Willem, who had four fouls went onto the court. Joseph had gone up to replace Willem's absence.

The game began in no time, and the guys were off. Even with a different small forward, the guys still played as well as the first half of the game. We weren't the best team around for nothing. We had the best teamwork on the east side of the US.

Third quarter blazed on by, and I soon found myself watching the last quarter leaning towards the edge of my seat. It wasn't that we were losing, oh no. It was now fifty-eight to thirteen. It was just that rush feeling you get during the remaining time left in the last quarter.

There was one minute on the clock left, and Fred had that ball. He passed it to Evan, who managed to free himself from Westshore's captain. He grabbed the ball and dribbled down the court, and soon, three guys were surrounding him.

He lifted the ball above his head, but seeing as he had no other way, he took a shot from the three-point line. As the ball fell, Joseph went to grab it, but it was stolen. Well, crap. There was twenty seconds left.

Evan and the guys quickly went after Westshore, and Evan jumped up to intercept the shot. Seeing as we were winning, Evan just stalled as long as possible before buzzer ran out of time.

The crowd got to their feet, roaring loudly. The final score was sixty-one to thirteen. Our complete victory. And mine too, since I won the bet.

"Poor Evan looked like someone kicked his puppy," Samantha chuckled lightly. "Does that boy have a puppy?"

"He has an eight-year-old male American Akita," I answered.

"And you have an eight-year-old female American Akita…" Samantha said slowly.

"Our parents took us to the pet store and bought us one each when we were like, eight. We are neighbors after all and our parents are good friends."

I watched as Coach Williams gave congratulatory statements to the members of the team. Though Evan won the game, he lost the bet, so I could understand why he was so unenthusiastic.

"You should see him after the game," Samantha said quietly, watching as the members of the team headed towards the locker rooms.

I couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Evan. I left the gym, which was still raving on about our spectacular win. Well, it wasn't spectacular, more like one-sided, but still.

I waited outside the boys' locker room, patiently waiting for Evan to come out. One by one, the guys came out, giving me a quick greeting and wave before informing me that Evan was still inside.

Geoffrey, who was second to last, grinned at me. "Evan's all pouty inside 'cause he lost the bet. Lemme call him." He opened the door to the locker room and yelled, "Hey Evan! Sarah's out here waitin' for you! It's not polite to keep a pretty girl waitin'!" He then closed the door and smiled at me. "He'll be out shortly. Bye Sarah~" he said with a slight musical tone to it.

Just like he said, Evan came out a few seconds later. His hair was damp from his shower, and he looked down at me silently. Hm. For once, he didn't have that smirk on his face.

"You won…" I started awkwardly.

"We're league champions, it would've been an anomaly if we had lost," Evan replied.

"Right…" I nodded. Then a silence fell. Gosh, this was so awkward.

"I know I lost the bet, if that's what you're here for," Evan said. "State your terms."

"What?" I inquired, confused.

"State your terms. You never got to say what you'd like me to do if I lost the bet," Evan told me, running his hand through his hair.

"Oh," I answered dumbly.

"Yeah," Evan nodded. "Oh."

"Before I could do what I want to, can I ask you something?" I asked.

"You already did, but okay," Evan replied.

"Why do you pick on me?"

Evan looked startled, and questioned, "Come again?"

"Why do you pick on me?" I inquired again.

"Well…" He ran his hand through his hair. "It's… well…" He muttered something and I couldn't hear what he had said.

"Excuse me?"

"It's 'cause you're cute when you're mad!" he snapped, glaring at me. "There! I've actually had a crush on your since you demanded your red crayon back in second grade! Then it just grew from there! You happy?"

Was this really what Samantha meant by knowing Evan? I just thought he liked torturing me, but I guess I really had to know someone before I judged them.

"Can you at least say something?" Evan looked at me, slightly annoyed.

This was mental. Could I really be thinking of doing this? Before I could stop myself, I found myself saying, "Lean down."

Evan looked at me weirdly, but did so anyway. He leaned down slowly, and I don't know what hit me. I just suddenly grabbed him, and pulled him towards me.

My lips met his in a flash and I shut my eyes tightly. As soon as it began, I pulled away, pushing Evan back.

A small smirk appeared on his face, and my heart began to thunder in my chest.

"Could you do that again? My lips were closed," he grinned like a Cheshire cat. I rolled my eyes and he reached forward, pulling me close to him. I didn't fight it as he leaned down once again and kissed me. This time, I just closed my eyes gently and let this feeling… whatever it was, take over me.

"This is gonna spread like a wildfire tomorrow by the time announcements in second period begin," a voice commented amusedly.

I broke away from Evan and saw that the rest of our teammates were standing there.

"You guys took way too long, so we had to see what was up," Evelyn informed us. "Apparently, we were interrupting something quite important." She grinned devilishly.

I buried myself into Evan's chest, trying to hide my burning face. Hm… had he always smelled this good?

"It'll be all over school before the morning announcements start," Evan said, looking at Samantha, who had made that comment.

"Wanna bet on it, Matthews?" Samantha demanded.

"It better not be a kiss too," I muttered into his shirt. Evan chuckled, which made me able to feel the rumbling of his strong, hard chest. Wow… am I really becoming one of those kinds of girls?

"Twenty bucks," Evan stated his terms.

"Deal," Samantha agreed.

The next day, Evan surprised me by coming to my house at seven, just as I was about to leave my house for school.

"Let's go," Evan said, holding out his hand. "I have a bet to win."

"What's in it for me?" I quirked an eyebrow at him. "I could just help my best friend win twenty bucks."

"Or you can help your wonderfully, handsome, super awesome boyfriend win twenty bucks, which he will then use to pay for movie tickets this week for his equally wonderful, super cute, super awesome girlfriend," Evan gave a toothy grin.

"Real smooth there, son," my dad said, leaving the house.

"Thanks Walter." Evan tipped an imaginary hat to my dad. Dear God, my parents wouldn't shut up about my going out with Evan last night. Dad almost had a heart attack when I asked about their thoughts of getting a boyfriend, but then he was thoroughly pleased when he heard it was Evan.

We began our walk to school, which was actually a good half hour walk. But it was nice. I mean, despite it being the winter time, it was still really comfortable and nice.

Once we entered through the main doors of the school, all eyes were on us. They darted from Evan, to me, and then down to where our hands were closed. Immediately, the whispers began.

Evan smirked triumphantly. He went over to where Samantha was, waiting for me by my locker. He held out his free hand to her. "Pay up."

Samantha grumbled, but pulled out a folded twenty-dollar bill, slapping it onto Evan's hand. "Ugh. I thought Sarah would walk to school alone and you two wouldn't see each other until first period, but couldn't do anything until passing period."

"Guess not," I shrugged.

Samantha glared lightly at me, but I knew it was all in good fun. Her eyes said it all, 'Traitor.' Hah. Payback from yesterday. She walked away, not even bothering to wait for me any longer. Oh well. She'll be over it by break time.

First period passed by with a breeze, and I was pretty glad that Evan hasn't pulled a childish prank on me. Maybe this isn't so bad at all.

I entered second period with Evan, and we took our respective seats next to each other. I couldn't help but feel this dread that was going to appear though.

"Good morning Panthers! Did everyone see yesterday's match against Westshore? Our varsity won amazingly with sixty-one to thirteen!

Joseph Lee scored five wonderful points with his amazing layups. Justin Flynn scored ten whopping points. Fred Lindon made eight great points. Willem Inoue made three points and countless great assists. The vice-captain, Geoffrey Eckstein, made thirteen beautiful points. And our terrific captain, Evan Matthews, made a grand total of twenty-two points.

Speaking of Evan Matthews, did you all see him and Sarah Vega, captain of the varsity girls' basketball team this morning? Holding hands? According to Samantha Richards, Sarah's best friend and fellow teammate stated they were very intensely proclaiming their love for each other after the match. Sorry girls and guys, but these two star point guards are off the market from now on.

Today, the Chemistry Club will be-"

I tuned the rest off and muttered to myself, "Samantha is sooooo dead."

The rest of the kids were snickering and even our chemistry teacher had a small smile on his face.

"There, there," Evan rubbed my back soothingly. "Should I kiss it to make it all better?"

"Kiss what?" I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Just you in general, since you're feeling intensely stiff right now," Evan grinned. I rolled my eyes at him, turning in the other direction so we couldn't get in trouble for PDA.