"Can I please make it up to you?" I insisted, my guilt overtaking me, "Like last time. I can owe you favors in return." I'd been feeling guilty about it all day. He raised one eyebrow suggestively, not opposed to the idea. Only this time, I had a feeling the favors would be a different kind... "It's your mum's birthday soon," Chad told Luke, "Maybe Millie can get the present?" I didn't realize Chad was still listening to our conversation. He had to be listening attentively to hear it over Austin's deafening music. Austin was DJ'ing like he was on a beach in Ibiza. "Millie works at the mall so she could easily pick something up," Cearra added. OK, I didn't realize she was listening in too. "MILLIE!" Austin cried out. The party stumbled across a major hiccup, "SAVE THE MUSIC!" The coach was dragging him outside. There goes the DJ... I guess this wasn't the first time Austin had to start a party in the locker room. I'd expected Luke to be much more focused before a game, but I guess he was pretty confident about this one. The coach dragged Austin away from the speakers and kicked him out of the locker room. The coach hadn't seen Cearra or me. Luke and Chad had blocked the coach's view. Without Austin, I now found myself in charge of the music. I had 2minutes tops before coach came back in here. Heavy rap was playing, and I looked through the songs. One caught my eye. I switched to: Feel the rain on your skin No one else can feel it for you Only you can let it in The boys all stopped what they were doing. Natasha Bedingfield's gentle lyrics drifted through the locker room. No one else, no one else Can speak the words on your lips Drench yourself in words unspoken If this song doesn't bring uplifting energy into the room, then I don't know what will. I bet that deep deep deep deep down, guys love this song. This was such a bop when I was a tween. The coach returned and took me too. I didn't resist anywhere near as much as Austin. Live your life with arms wide open Today is where your book begins As I was being dragged out, the song continued to play. The rest is still unwritten I could hear Chad question my music choice before the entire thing was shut off. ** "That's one way to start a basketball game," I mumbled to Austin as we squeezed into spots on the second row of the bleachers. No one questioned Austin when he made them move over. Instead of filing in the normal way, we'd come in from the players entrance and hopped over the first bench. "It wasn't fun this time," Austin sighed, "Coach came in way too soon." I texted Cearra to see if she wanted to join us. I imagine she must've slipped out of the locker room without being kicked out like Austin and me. On the court, the cheerleaders finished their routine with some dance moves and cleared the way for the basketball teams to enter. Cearra squeezed her way next to us, apologizing to everyone who tried to stop her. Austin had to speak out for her when some guy blocked her from coming through. The crowd was deafening as they cheered for our players, and the high school announcer was way too passionate about his role. The game kicked off soon after. "These games are getting crowded," Austin said, not liking how little space he had to move around, "No one used to attend before we started winning." "And until the hottest guys joined the team," Cearra added, "Remember Luke's junior year, when he took his shirt off-" "Oh, is that why there was a line to get in after that game?" Austin asked. "LUKE!" someone almost burst my eardrum from screaming behind me. An opponent on defense was aggressively blocking Luke. Luke threw the ball against Art and it smacked against his back. Then Luke dodged the opponent blocking him and caught the ball as it bounced off Art's back. "The humiliation!" Cearra gasped. "Why is he doing that to Art?" I asked. Austin knowingly said, "You missed the saga at the mall. Luke's taking it out on Art, just like he said he would." He was rinsing him. ** Bad sportsmanship aside, Luke played well. He didn't look like he was trying that much, which surprised me. He's usually so focused. I really wanted to stay to celebrate with them, but I had to get to the mall. My job was not lenient about lateness. I managed to hug Luke before I left him surrounded by his friends. The volume of the crowd died down as I left the courts and headed to my car. I sent Luke another congratulatory text with a dozen emojis. I started the engine up and that's when I saw Joe running around the parking lot. He wasn't wearing his suspenders today but was in baggy gray tracksuits and a t-shirt. I rolled down my car window and waved. "What are you doing, Joe?" "I'm exercising," he answered, jogging at an incredibly slow place. He didn't need to say more. He wanted to run while everyone else was tied up inside. We had track and field, but he didn't want to run in a more public setting. "OK, see you at mathlete practice on Wednesday," I said. I had only ten minutes to get to the mall, so I really had to speed up. ** White vinegar, dish soap and bleach were the three items I picked up from the mall after work. Roger the cat's blood was still a red blotch on my carpet and I desperately wanted to remove it. How could I move on with the constant reminder of a crime scene at my bedroom door? At home, I scrubbed the mixture of vinegar and dish soap into the stain and tried to remove it. My hands reddened from the chafing. "Millie! Are you up there?" my mom yelled up, "Don't come down! I have a man coming around and I don't want him to see you!" I hear about moms who want to protect their kids by hiding their boyfriends until they were sure... it's the other way round here at casa Ripley. I embarrass my own mom and she's made that very clear to me. I sighed and tried not to let emotions get in the way of the task at hand. I scrubbed more aggressively, desperate to remove the stain. It's a reminder that someone hated me. Music penetrated my thoughts, preventing me from descending into a dark place. I realized that the music was coming from outside. I got up, feeling the ache in my knees, and stepped over the bucket of dish soap. I dropped the cloth and walked to the open window in my bedroom. It overlooks the Dawson house. The sound of music got louder. I looked down and gasped. Luke was standing like out of a movie, with his hand stretched up in the air. He held up an iphone that was playing music. He stood in black tracksuits with his gym kit swung over his shoulders. His head was bowed down, looking at the ground, and all I saw of his handsome face was his messy, black hair. "Luke?" He looked up. I felt like this was a movie scene remake... without the boombox or the Phil Collins song... Open up the dirty window Reaching for something in the distance So close you can almost taste it Release your inhibitions He was playing the Natasha Bedingfield song I had played in the locker room before the game. Luke asked, "So are you going to come down?" he pointed at his raised arm, "This is my shooting arm." So it was tired after the basketball game... I was about to run downstairs when I heard him say, "And you can forget your pyjamas again."