"No way!"

"What?"

"I refuse to accept this."

"I don't see what the big deal is."

"Dakota," Keegan leaned in between the two front seats of my car the following morning, glaring at Quinton, “will you please tell Quinton that he can’t kill Scarlett Johansson over Robert Downey Jr!”

“I mean, she’s a talented actress,” Quinton said from the passenger seat, “but after Iron Man, there’s really no competition. Scarlett can’t even compare.”

“She plays Black Widow!”

“There’s no contest between knowing how to kick a dude’s ass and engineering a multi-billion dollar tech suit. C’mon, Keegs.”

“She mastered an entire skillset! Tony Stark only knows how to use a computer!”

“I’d argue that’s a skillset too.” I injected.

Keegan looked outraged at Quinton’s smug expression. I laughed at my friends antics. They’d been having this debate since we got in the car twenty minutes ago. Coincidentally, it was the same amount of time I’d been regretting not stowing away the comic book left on my bedside, if only to avoid this argument turning into a full-on brawl.

“Okay, okay,” I called as they began to get into it again. “What was the original question?”

Keegan sighed dramatically. “I asked Quinton who he’d choose in a game of Marry, Bang or Kill: Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans. Quinton said he’d marry Chris, bang Robert and kill Scarlett. Dakota, what the hell?”

I flick Quinton a raised eyebrow as we take a left turn.  

The other boy shrugged. “If I bang them, maybe I’ll get some of their superpowers. It’s biology.”

“You know what’s not biology?” Keegan interjected from the back seat. “The chemistry Scarlett Johansson and I would have if we ever met.”

I let out a laugh. Normally, I tended to stay out of Keegan and Quinton’s arguments given the fact they’re both so relentless with their opinions, but it still humoured me to listen to them bicker from time to time.

We arrived at the cafe where we’d chosen to have breakfast. I parked and we headed inside, making a direct beeline for our favourite booth in the back. Thankfully, we’d missed the breakfast rush.

It doesn’t take long for a waitress to come by as we settle into the booth. We each order our usuals, not bothering to glance at the menu we’d memorised by the age of ten.

“So,” Quinton said, taking a sip of tea. “What do you guys want to do today? We could go to the park or maybe head to-“

“Is that Connor Taylor?” Keegan interrupted suddenly.

Our heads turned in unison to where Keegan was gesturing. Sure enough, Connor and two other boys were getting out of a green car in the parking lot and making their way inside.

I didn't know the two flanking Connor’s side but recognised them from Northshore's line-up. They must be Connor's closest friends.

The thought had me scoffing under my breath. How could anyone tolerate the guy long enough to be friends with him?

"There goes my beautiful Saturday morning." I sunk down on the bench. “Ah! But when sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but in battalions.”

"There was nothing good or bad, only thinking makes it so." Quinton smiled in return.  

Keegan only shook his head at us. We all looked up when the door to the café opened and Connor and his friends came striding in. Without so much as a look in our direction, they made their way to a booth on the opposite side of the room.

"At least we can pretend they don't exist." I muttered.

“Yeah, no. That’s not happening.” Keegan smirked, and before I could reply, he very intentionally knocked his set of cutlery off the table.

I cringed deeply as the metal pieces hit tile, letting out a ringing crash that sounded across the entire café, rendering the room to silence.

My mouth dropped open. I shot Keegan a glare, who only returned my horrified look with a proud grin.

“I’m going to kill you.” I seethed under my breath.

If Keegan's plan had been to get Connor's attention then he succeeded admirably. All three of them, along with the rest of the café’s patrons, had looked up at the sound.

Connor met my eyes across the room. Immediately, I sunk as low as possible in my seat and buried my face in my arm.

“Oops,” Keegan smacked his cheek. “Clumsy me. I’m terribly sorry for the loud and distracting noise.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Connor’s group standing from their table and beginning to approach.

“One day,” I hissed at Keegan, “when you’ve forgotten this moment, that’s when I’ll come for you.”

Keegan rolled his eyes, unable to retort because that was the moment Connor reached our table. “Hey guys,” the Northshore Captain greeted, grinning warmly. “What’s up?”

"You have three seconds to leave before I bruise your other shin." I warned aggressively, but Connor only laughed.

"What? And miss this little reunion? No thanks."

"Hey Scott, Trent.” Quinton nodded at the pair next to Connor. “Nice to see you guys again.”

Ah, so that’s what their names were.

The boy to Connor’s left spoke first. He was tall and smiling softly, looking very much like a younger version of Ronald Epps. “Hey Quinton. Good to see you again on better terms.”

 I scowled. “What do you mean ‘better terms’?”

The boy – Trent – chuckled. “Last time we saw each other we were dragging you and Connor away from each other on the field. Not for the last time, I’m sure.”

Realisation dawned on me. “Oh, that’s right. You’re the team whose asses we kicked last week. Now, I remember.”

Connor’s glare could’ve flayed the skin from my bones. Too bad he looked more like a golden retriever than a threat.

“Ignore him.” Keegan spoke, flicking a glance at me. “He’s always moody in the morning.”

“What about on the field?” The other boy, this one with light hair styled in a neat quiff atop his head, rolled his eyes.

What had Quinton called him? Sam? Steve?

“Easy, Scott.” Connor said, but his glare was yet to fade. “Save it for the Championship.”

I scoffed. “Yeah, cause that’s within your realm of possibility.”

Apparently that was when Connor decided he’d had enough of my antagonism. He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Outside, Anderson.”

Quinton sighed as I slid out of the booth. “Can we trust you two not to pummel each other into the ground.”

“No promises.” Connor grabbed me roughly by the arm and dragged me out a back door behind the café. The stench of rotten food scraps assaulted my nose as we came to a stop in a penned area, sheltered from sight by green dumpsters lined against a concrete wall.

Once the door had swung closed, Connor deposited me against the wall before standing back with his arms crossed.

I right myself. “Problem, Taylor?”

Connor fumed. “What are you doing here? You live on the other side of town, jackass!”

"Alright, don’t get your panties in a twist. We’re here because it’s a free country.”

“You know that’s not part of our agreement.” Connor frowned. “We stay away from each other in public. That means I don’t go near Ridgemount and you don’t come near Northshore.”

“Okay, first off, you approached me-”

 “-because the last thing we need is someone finding out about us.”

“Oh, please. If you’d stayed away this wouldn’t have been a problem.”

“And if you just learnt to shut your damn mouth for once, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

“And what situation is that exa-mmph!”

The breath was ripped from my lungs as Connor’s mouth met mine in a savage kiss. The force of his attack pushed me back against the wall, Connor moving closed until we were pressed together, the length of our bodies aligned.

Connor was the first to pull away. He dropped his gaze, muttering, “Because you make me want to do that.”

I felt the smirk pull at the corners of my mouth. “Oh, so someone giving you shit does it for you, Taylor? Is that what gets you off each night?”

“It’s not a kink or anything.” Connor mumbled, still not meeting my gaze. “It’s just the situation.”

“Right. The situation where I don’t kiss the ground you walk on like everyone else in your life? Where I don’t believe the bullshit lies Connor Taylor spins to keep everyone happy?”

Heat rose in Connor’s eyes when he finally looked up again, but the spark flickered. “I’m no more of a liar than you are.”

I laughed once. “I’m out, Taylor. Have been for years.”

“Yeah, but they don’t know about me.”

“And it’s going to stay that way.”

“Why are you here?”

I glared at Connor. “Because it’s a free country.”

“I could’ve happily gone my whole weekend without seeing you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

“Yeah, well, that’s ruined now.”

“So, why is your mouth still talking?”

That was all the encouragement Connor needed. Tangling his hands in my hair, his lips captured mine once again as we began to aggressively make out.

“Wait!” Connor broke away and glanced around anxiously. “What if someone sees? Our friends may come looking for us.”

I shrugged. “Then we’ll pretend to be fighting. It’s half the truth anyway.”

He sighed. “Okay, fine, but let’s make this quick. I’ve got Eggs Benedict coming.”

Laughing, I stooped down to kiss him again. He met my enthusiasm with his own and soon enough, we’d flipped positions so Connor was pinned against the wall.

My mouth worked its way down his jaw, teeth grazing over the tan skin on his neck. Connor moaned in pleasure and twisted his hands deeper into my hair. I’m tempted to mark him but he’d kill me if somebody saw.

Besides, it was more fun to leave marks elsewhere. Places only Connor could see. That way he’d have no choice but to think of me every time he looked in the mirror.

We made out for another five minutes before I reluctantly pulled away. Completely unashamed, I fix my shirt and run a hand through my hair but it wasn’t enough. No one was going to believe we’d only been talking this entire time.

“Wait,” I reached for Connor when he began to move away. “Something still isn’t right.”

He cocked his head. “What?”

“It has to look believable. Do you really think anyone is going to believe we just had a civil discussion?”

“So what do you sugg-mother fucker!”

I punched him square in the face, but tactfully. Missing his nose, I clocked him just right of his eye so it would bruise but not swell. The skin remained intact.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Connor yelled, stumbling back as he clutched the right side of his face. “That’s going to bruise?”

“Aw,” I fake pouted, “can’t little baby Connor handle a little bruising? You certainly didn’t seem to mind when my tong-“

“You’re an asshole!” Connor returned the favour by elbowing me hard in the stomach.

Having not seen it coming, the breath was stolen from my lungs as I keeled over, wheezing. “What the hell, dude? You’re insane!”

“The feeling is mutual.” Connor mocked my tone from earlier.

“Fuck off, Taylor.”

“Not so fun, is it?” Connor smirked as he began to move toward the door. “Next time don’t punch me in the face, jackass.”

“I hate you.” I told him, still doubled over.

The other boy only laughed and walked inside.