Chapter 36

Jace drove me home right after he told me about his parents, saying that he just needed some time to be alone. As soon as I entered my house, I found my dad on the couch in the living room, and I immediately fell into his arms. I hugged him. Told him I loved him and that I appreciated every single thing about him. Then I went to bed and cried a thousand tears for a little boy who lost his light in the most tragic, most heartbreaking way.

Jace doesn't go to school on Mondays, and when I asked Jonah on the ride there what Jace does instead, he shrugged, told me to ask him.

I planned to ask him the following day, but my chance comes earlier than expected. It's just after dinner, as I'm about to melt into the couch for my nightly phone scrolling session, when headlights appear through the living room window and disappear just as fast. A moment later, a car door closes, and then the familiar sound of a basketball bouncing on concrete. A smile tugs on my lips, and I school it just before opening the back screen door. Jace is in his usual black basketball shorts and shirt, and he stops mid jump shot when he must hear the door swing open. "Where do you go on Mondays?" I call out.

He completes the shot, the ball not even touching the rim as he scores effortlessly. He grabs the ball again, bouncing it casually as he says, "I take college classes."

"College?" My eyes narrow on him, trying to decide if he's joking or not. "What classes?"

"Computer Science."

Surprised, I tease, "Jace Rivera, are you a nerd?"

"Geek. Not nerd. Big difference."

I don't reply, because I have nothing to say. I got the answer I needed, and so I step back, let the screen door shut between us. Then I shuffle back to the couch and lie across it. Just as I've pulled up Instagram, I hear the back door open, then close, then lock. Seconds later, an insanely hot six-foot-four geeky baller stands over me. He says nothing. Does nothing. Just looks down at me. I shift my attention from him to my phone and smirk as I type in his name. Jace doesn't have an Instagram page, at least one that I know of, but he has a fan page. "You know someone created a fan page for you?"

"You lie," he deadpans, taking the phone from me. He glares at the screen, scrolls up a few times, before handing it back. "That's weird."

I click picture after picture, mostly of him during games. "You look good."

"Yeah?" His lips lift at the corners. "You spend a lot of time looking at them?"

"No." Yes. "Can I help you?"

Hands now on his hips, he looks around. For what? I have no idea. "I read about this movie called Hoosiers."

I sit up. "And?"

He stays standing. "And I don't have the streaming service it's on."

"Geek like you, I'm sure you can work it out."

He shrugs. "I don't have a credit card."

"Are you asking me to watch it with you, or would you like to just use me for my TV?"

He rolls his eyes.

I pat the spot beside me. "Come on, then."

His eyes flick to the staircase so imperceptibly I would've missed it if I wasn't watching him. I could tease him some more, force him to use his words, but I suddenly don't feel the urge to. Or the need to. Instead, I stand and take his hand, then lead him up to my bedroom. He gets comfortable on my bed, like he did the first night he was here, and I turn on my TV and find the movie for him. When I sit down beside him, he offers me his arm, and I hide my smile into his chest as he holds me to him. I raise the remote, ready to hit play, but he gently takes the remote from me. "Harlow," he whispers. I lift my gaze to his. His eyes hold mine, searching between them, before he cradles my jaw in his palm. Thumb stroking my cheek, he offers a slight smile before dropping a kiss on my forehead. "Thank you."

I wait for him to pull back, eyes on mine again. It's as close as we've been. "For what?"

"For knowing what you know now and not treating me like everyone else does." Another kiss, this one on my lips, and he lingers there a moment before pulling away. He faces the television, hits play, and says over the opening credits, "I hope you realize that to me, you're not like everyone else."