“Who is he?”

“My boyfriend.”

Carson recoils like I smacked him. “You were busy today.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I’m just surprised.”

“Why? Please don’t tell Wyatt. You have to promise me, Carson. He’ll start shit. Do you know he told all the guys not to touch me? I’m the one that should get to yell at him.”

The way Carson stares at me, he almost looks disappointed. It was two tiny kisses. It’s not a big deal.

“Just be careful, Kinsley.”

“I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. I know what I’m doing.”

Carson stands up. “I won’t tell Wyatt if you promise to tell him yourself the next time you talk to him. I don’t want to be put in the middle.”

“Thank you. I’ll tell Wyatt soon. Things with Rhett are brand new. I don’t want to mess them up before we even get started.”

“I understand. Goodnight, Kinsley.” He turns and walks out of my room, but I can’t shake the strange feeling that comes over me. Like something isn’t right. Like I made a mistake even when I don’t think I did. In fact, I know I didn’t.

I swipe the lock button on my screen and read my next text.

Rhett: Am I still picking you up in the morning?

I answer that question easily. Even if I am an idiot, I still want him to take me to school.

Kinsley: Yes, please.

He responds right away, just like I thought he would.

Rhett: Was it that bad?

Kinsley: ???

Rhett: The kiss. Was it that awful for you?

Kinsley: No!

Rhett: Are you sure?

Kinsley: Positive. I was nervous.

Rhett: I’m glad I wasn’t the only one.

I never would have thought a guy like him would get nervous. He’s the one who knows what he’s doing.

Kinsley: I’m not good at this stuff. I’m sorry.

Rhett: Stop worrying. It’s not like you’ve never kissed a dude before.

I’m too embarrassed to admit that I haven’t, so I don’t. I’ll keep my secret to myself.

Kinsley: G’nite.

Rhett: Nite babe.

IF I WASN’T so tired, I’m sure I would have been up half the night rereading the texts from Rhett, and remembering the way his lips felt when they touched mine. Both definitely make getting out of bed a lot easier this morning. Not only do I have a day with Rhett, but I have his football game tonight to look forward to.

Football’s a big deal in this town. It’s a way of life that begins as soon as kids are strong enough to keep the helmet on their head without falling over. It may seem like an exaggeration, but it’s not. Wyatt started playing on a team when he was only six. Before that, it was flag football. It’s why year after year, our high school is one of the top in the state—if not the best.

“Kinsley, are you eating breakfast this morning?” Kate yells from the kitchen. On mornings she works third shift, she tries to eat with me before going to sleep. It’s nice to see her for a few minutes, even if it isn’t much.

“I’m coming.” I take one last look in the mirror. It’s nothing fancy, jeans and a school pride T-shirt, the customary attire on game days, but today, it feels a little different. Today, I’m supporting Rhett.

“Hurry up,” Kate yells a little louder this time.

“Sorry, I took another shower when I got up, but I used body wash instead of shampoo by mistake. Now my hair feels weird. Then, the wire in my favorite bra broke when I was putting it on.”

“Um, Kins.”

I look up from my bag, the one I’m mindlessly digging through as I spew my problems to my sister. Only she’s not the only one listening. “Rhett?” I glance at my watch wondering if I’m running late, but I wouldn’t normally leave for at least fifteen more minutes. “What are you doing here?”

Kate winks at me, giving me a knowing look. I haven’t even told her about him yet. “I found this hottie sitting in the driveway when I got home. I couldn’t very well let him sit out there by himself,” she says with a smile.

“I bet you did,” I mumble.

“What was that?”

“I said thank you.”

Rhett’s grinning when I sit on my usual stool at the island which happens to be next to him. He reaches over and rests his hand on my thigh like he did in the car on the way home last night. I didn’t realize how much I liked it until he did it again, just now.

“Sleep well?” he asks, as he pops a piece of banana into his mouth.

“I did once I finally fell asleep.” I leave out the part about Carson walking in on me half naked. I don’t think he’d appreciate that too much—neither would Kate.

Kate slides a bowl of oatmeal in front of me and sets a plate of scrambled eggs in front of Rhett. She doesn’t normally make me breakfast let alone cook much at all. She’s pulling out all the stops this morning, and I’m thankful for her—for making us seem like we have a normal routine like every other family in America.

Rhett digs into his food, moaning around a mouthful. “These don’t taste like my mom’s rubbery eggs.”

“That good, huh?” Kate asks, smiling.

My stomach growls as I take another big bite of my oatmeal. Rhett looks at my stomach, laughing. “Sorry, I’m starving.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m stoked you eat. I swear chicks think it’s a turn off to consume food.” He takes another bite of his eggs, and then continues. “You didn’t eat much yesterday though—probably why you’re so hungry today.”

I stop with my spoon halfway to my mouth. “I ate. I had a salad.”

“You didn’t eat much of it.”

Kate looks up from the sink where she’s washing dishes, doing her best not to pry her way into our conversation, but I know she’s listening to every single word. At least he didn’t start talking about kissing me in the car. I don’t think I’d be able to handle explaining that to her this early in the morning.

“We should get going.” I stand up and hand my empty bowl to Kate. She takes it and kisses me on the cheek. As she does, she whispers in my ear, “He’s hot, and he’s into you.”

“I know,” I whisper back. “We’re sort of together.”

She covers her mouth with the back of her soapy hand. “Really?”

I nod my head. “Really.”

“I want details later. All of them.”

“Okay. We’ll catch up this weekend. Get some sleep.”

Rhett hands his empty plate to my sister with a huge smile on his face that matches hers. “Thanks for breakfast, Kate.”

“You’re welcome, anytime, Rhett. Just take care of my little sister. She’s pretty important to me.”

Rhett grabs his keys off the counter, and then slings my backpack over his shoulder. “I intend to,” he says, adorably.

We walk hand in hand out the front door, and as I turn to walk down the stairs, I notice Carson at the bottom with two grocery bags in his hands, waiting to come up. His head is tilted to the side, like he’s pretty sure this might be the same guy from last night. “Who’s your friend, Kinsley?”

It’s awkward, for a number of reasons, but I have no choice other than introducing the two. “Rhett, this is my other roommate, Carson. He’s one of Wyatt’s friends.” I wouldn’t need introductions if Carson had gone to school with us, but his parents were strict growing up, placing him in the lone Catholic school in the area instead of public. “Carson, this is Rhett. A friend of mine.”

The two size each other up, why I don’t know considering there’s no competition between them. “Can I talk to you a second, Kinsley?” Carson asks.

“Sure, but I don’t have long. We have to get to school.”

“It’ll just take a second.”

I turn to Rhett. “I’ll be right over.”