“OH THAT WAS SUCH A FOUL!” Ross cried, standing up. “Ross you just dumped your popcorn all over my lap.” You laughed, brushing popcorn kernels off onto the floor. He looked down at you. “Oh crap, sorry Mack.” He said, sitting back down. Ross had decided to take you to an L.A. Lakers game at the last minute tonight. You had gotten into a fight with your boyfriend earlier today and since Ross had an extra ticket, he’d brought you along to make you feel better. Riker leaned over and whispered in your ear. “You should know better than to go to a basketball game with Ross, Mack. He gets a little-” “WHAT WAS THAT??” Ross cried again. “Excited?” you finished. Riker laughed. “Yeah.” You looked back over at Ross and smiled to yourself. He was so cute. His blonde hair was slightly mussed from how many times he’d run his fingers through it in frustration. And you loved the way his forehead creased whenever he got annoyed. ‘Wait…what am I doing??’ you thought. You quickly shook away those thoughts. He was your best friend, you didn’t need to go there. You couldn’t go there; you had a boyfriend. A boyfriend that lately, you were getting kinda tired of. He never spent any time with you; you spent more time with Ross than you did with Joey. You had confronted him about it this morning and it had led to a huge fight. “So what exactly happened with Joey? Or are you not ready to talk about it?” Ross asked. You sighed. “I asked him why he was always blowing me off to hang out with his friends, and he got mad. So we ended up having this huge argument. I don’t think we’re going to be together much longer.” You admitted, looking away. Ross was silent for a moment before speaking again. “Well good.” He said. You snapped your head over to look at him. “Good?” you asked. “Yeah, good.” He repeated. “You could do so much better than him MacKenzie. You need someone who wants to spend time with you. Someone who’ll make you number one in their life. He doesn’t deserve you.” You smiled at him. “Thanks Ross.” You said quietly. He smiled in return. “Well it’s the truth.” You watched the rest of the first half of the game in silence. At halftime, Riker stood up. “I’m going to get another drink, you want anything?” he asked. “Yeah grab me a Coke.” Ross said. “Me too please.” You chimed in. Riker nodded and left. Moments later, the announcer’s voice boomed across the court. “Uh-oh….it’s Kiss Cam time!” You and Ross laughed, watching as the Cam claimed its first victims. The camera continued to scan the gym for several minutes. Riker came back, carrying three bottles of Coke in his hands. He took his seat next to you. You watched as the camera zoomed in on a boy and girl sitting next to each other in the stands. They frantically began mouthing that they were brother and sister. “Wow, that’s awkward.” You laughed. Just then, the camera focused in on you and Ross. “Not as awkward as that!” Riker said quietly, laughing to himself. You and Ross made eye contact. You knew you shouldn’t. Before you could process what was happening, he was leaning towards you. You didn’t move away. You felt his lips gently touch yours. The kiss only lasted a moment, but it sent an electric shock throughout your entire body. You sat in silence for the rest of the game, your mind racing. You felt terrible for kissing Ross while you were still with Joey, but at the same time you didn’t regret the kiss. You loved Ross. You always had. “Mack. Mack!” Riker’s voice snapped you back to reality. “Huh?” you looked up. “The game’s over.” He said. You looked over to your left; Ross was gone. “Where’d he go?” you asked, looking back to Riker. “He left a few minutes before the game ended. Said he wanted to walk home, clear his head.” He said. You frowned, standing up and following Riker out to the exit. You wondered if Ross regretted the kiss.
**two weeks later**
You were walking through Walmart, grocery shopping with your mom. You hadn’t spoken to Ross since that night at the Lakers game. He had been avoiding you and you didn’t know why. Joey had no idea about the kiss; fortunately he hadn’t been watching the game on TV that night. You weren’t sure why you were still with him. You wanted to break up with him, but at the same time you couldn’t stand losing anyone else. “It’s not like I kissed him! He kissed me. So why is he acting like this??” you asked your mom. You had told her the whole story once you’d gotten home from the game that night. She patted your back soothingly. “I’m sure it’s nothing you did honey. He’s probably just trying to work through his feelings. Give him a little more time. In the meantime…you need to end things with Joey. It’s obvious that you don’t want to be with him anymore.” She said, tossing a box of cereal into the buggy. You sighed. She was right. You walked past a young teenage girl reading a magazine, and stopped short when you saw the cover. It was a picture of you and Ross kissing from that night at the Lakers game. “Who is Ross Lynch’s mystery girl?” the caption said, plastered across the front in bright yellow. “Oh crap!” you cried. Everyone standing on the aisle turned to look at you. You blushed and quickly continued walking behind your mother. “What?” she asked. You walked over to a magazine rack and picked up a copy, wordlessly handing it to her. “Oh…” she said. Moments later your phone buzzed. It was a text from Joey. ‘We need to talk. Come over later.’
After leaving Walmart, your mom dropped you off at Joey’s house. He opened the door as you were walking up the steps. “Hey.” He said quietly. “You know don’t you?” you asked, looking down. He nodded. “Mack I know I haven’t been the best boyfriend. You deserve better than me. But since I’m being honest, can you do the same with me?” he asked. You nodded wordlessly. “You love him, don’t you? You’ve always loved him. Long before we ever started dating.” He looked directly at you. You looked up at him. “Yes.” You whispered. “I always have.” He smiled slightly, though you could see it pained him. “And you always will.” He said softly. You felt tears well up in your eyes. “Joey I’m so sorry it all happened like this-” “Mack it’s ok.” He said, cutting you off. “I want you to be happy.” You shook your head. “Ross hasn’t spoken to me since that night. I don’t think he wants to be with me.” Joey laughed quietly. “Mack I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s the exact same way you look at him. He loves you too, I know he does.” You looked down, letting a few tears slip down your cheeks. “Go. Find Ross. Be happy.” He said, smiling at you. You could tell that he was masking the hurt he felt over losing you. “Thank you Joey.” You whispered, turning around and walking down the steps.
You slowly walked up the pathway to the Lynch’s house a few hours later. You paused when you reached the front door, taking a deep breath before knocking. Riker answered. “Mack! Hey!” he greeted, pulling you in for a hug. “Hey Riker.” You said, looking around. “Is Ross home?” you asked. He nodded. “Yeah, he’s upstairs. I’ll go get him.” He took off up the stairs. You went to sit in the living room. Minutes later, Ross came running into the room. “Mack.” He breathed, stopping short once he reached the couch. You jumped up from the couch. “Hey Ross.” You said, smiling weakly. “Mack I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that at the game, especially since you were already having problems with Joey-” he started. “Ross, no it’s ok. Listen-” “No let me finish.” He cut you off. “It was wrong of me. It’s just, the camera was on us and I felt pressured and you were looking so cute and when I looked into your eyes I realized just how much I loved you-” he clamped his hands over his mouth. “Crap.” He said, his voice muffled. You moved a step closer to Ross. “You love me?” you asked, barely above a whisper. He took his hands away from his mouth, dropping them down to his sides. “Uhmm…” he began. You closed the distance between you, stretching up on your toes to kiss his lips gently. “I love you too.” You whispered, taking a small step back. “You do?” he asked, the corner of his mouth turning up into a half smile. You nodded. “I do.” He closed the distance this time, taking you in his arms and kissing you again. You wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling yourself closer to him. At last, everything felt right.
