"Don't fucking touch me," Dylan shoves Xavier away from him. Xavier looks as if he is about to lunge at Dylan when Casey jumps between them. Xavier stops in his tracks and frowns at Casey. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asks her. "That's none of your business. You're not going to lay another finger on Dylan and you're going to take Kay and leave," she says in a voice that scares me. He doesn't look happy to see her at all. "You don't even care what he's doing to Kay?" "I don't give a shit about Kay. You were my friend, not her," she crosses her arms. The way she carries herself in front of him surprises me. Xavier is a big and scary guy, but Casey makes him seem smaller. "And I would believe anything Dylan says over what she has to say," she says while Kay rolls her eyes. Dylan is quietly standing by. His fists are clenched at his sides, but he's clearly interested in how Xavier and Casey are interacting. "I see," Xavier nods, but a there's a look of disgust is on his face. "After all we've been through, you won't even take my side." "You left my side last year. You don't get to say that," Casey points at him. Her voice is tinged with pain. Even Xavier's face holds a slight twinge of pain. His eyes are focused on Casey and it's like something clicks. Finally, he looks at Kay and says, "Let's go." "But—" she starts. "We're done here," he tells her. "For now." He pushes past her and walks out the entrance. Kay shoots a glare at all of us before she follows Xavier out of Raven's. Dylan clears his throat, breaking the silence between the three of us. "Thanks, Casey." She lets out a long sigh. "No problem. I don't know if I'll be able to pull that one again, so you're on your own next time," she says, nudging his arm and smiling. "I'll leave you crazy kids alone." After she heads back to the table, things feel particularly awkward between me and Dylan. My emotions catch up with me and I realize I like him a lot more than I've allowed myself to admit. "I think we should talk," Dylan says before I can say anything. "Wanna go outside?" I nod and we walk out into the cool air which feels good on my warm cheeks. The rapid beating of my heart makes me feel like I'm going to pass out. Dylan walks to his car and leans against the hood. I hesitantly sit next to him and wait. "There's something I have to tell you," he says, meeting my eyes. There's a part of me that thinks he's more nervous than I am. "I became your friend because I wanted to get to know you." A smile plays at my lips. "Isn't that why people become friends in the first place?" "Well, yeah," he says, scratching the back of his neck until he laughs. "You're making this impossible." If he's going to say what I think he's going to say, then I need to ask him something before it drives me mad. "What was going on in your head the other day in your room?" He hesitates. "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea about me after it happened." "The wrong idea?" "I didn't want you to think I brought you to my house and my room just so I could kiss you," he explains. I hadn't thought about his intentions. I guess I know Dylan well enough to know all of that isn't a part of some grand scheme to sleep with me. All along it's felt like he just wants to be my friend. "I never thought that," I shake my head. "I just felt confused after, you know." "Me too," he says. He hesitates again and I wait for him to speak. "I'm just going to be completely honest. I liked you at the beginning of the school year, and I wanted to get to know you better. I also still liked Kay at the time and you were still figuring things out with Jacob, so I assumed things would never work out between us." So, he did like Kay. Does he still like her? "How do you feel about Kay now?" "I don't feel anything towards her. I thought I wanted her, but then I met you," a small grin spreads on his face. "A bit cliché don't you think, Parker?" I nudge his arm to break some of the tension. "Maybe, but that's how I feel. I left her and now she won't leave me the fuck alone, as you saw in there," he lets out a frustrated sigh and runs a hand through his hair. Kay is a nuisance, but she can be dealt with. The other nuisance that has to be dealt with is Jacob. As much as I hate myself for it, I need closure with him. Dylan must sense what I'm thinking because he speaks up again. "It was selfish to help you get over that dickhead. I wanted you to realize that you could do way better than him." "And you're better for me?" I smile. "I like to think so." It's a lot to process. Dylan admits that he likes me. He's being honest with me and I need to be honest with him. "And I just wanted to get all of that out, and now I feel kinda weird because you're not saying much," he says, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Just thinking," I give him a small smile. "I just have some things to clear up, you know?" He nods. "I get it. We don't have to talk about it all right now. We can go inside, if you want." "Okay," I say. As we make our way to the door, I stop him. Questions appear in his eyes and I know what I want to do. I can't tell him how I feel yet, but I can show him. A little ungracefully, I press my lips to his. His soft lips move against mine and I feel his hands grip onto my waist. With his back against the wall, I bring myself as close to him as I can. There's a part of me that feels insecure and unsure where we're headed, but I push those thoughts out. When I pull away, our foreheads rest against each other. "Let's keep that one a secret too," I say, breathlessly. He grins, but nods in agreement. Casey and Carlos are on the dancefloor again when we walk back inside. Derrick and Jared are no longer on the stage and I feel bad for missing most of their set. A new band is on and they're playing more upbeat music. When Dylan and I sit down at the table, Anthony and Reece give us suggestive looks. "Where have you two been?" Anthony asks, raising a brow and smiling. "Just talking outside," I say before Dylan can speak up. He's a terrible liar too. Reece has a smirk on his face as he says, "Long talk." Dylan and I swap glances and I smile to myself. "It was."