I didn't even make it to my first class before I had to see Coach Sue.

We had just walked up to our lockers when Becky appeared. Coach wants to see you.

I looked at you, but you just shrugged. "Want me to go with you?" you asked.

I shook my head. "I'll be okay," I said. "Get to class."

You bumped my hip, and I brushed my hand across your back as I passed. I walked to Coach Sue's office with Becky.

"Brittany is here to see you, Coach," she said.

I stood in the doorway for a few moments before she looked up. She leaned back in her chair. "What do you have second period?"

"I help Ms. Pillsbury," I said.

"And she needs all the help she can get, but you're a Cheerio. There's no reason for one of my girls to be doing stuff for her when they can be doing it for me. Someone else can do that work."

I nodded.

X

There wasn't much of a sitting room in Coach Sue's office, so even though I became her aid, I stayed in the room connected to Ms. Pillsbury's. And I continued to help her, too, so it wasn't much different.

That morning I was in the computer room. I bombed my Spanish quiz the day before, so I was retaking it. By question five, however, I was distracted.

"What'd Coach want?" you asked, walking into the room.

"I'm her aid now," I said, trying to get back to reading the question in front of me.

You hopped up on the desk without responding. "What are you doing?"

I looked up at you, and back to the screen. "Trying to take a quiz."

You twisted to look at the screen.

I typed an answer.

Incorrect.

My nose scrunched up.

I read the next one. I put my fingers over the keys. I squinted my eyes, trying to think.

When I felt your breath on my ear, everything went out of my head. "Se lava," you whispered.

I stared blankly. I felt your smile.

"Se lava," you repeated, and then pulled away.

I blinked, and then I typed.

Correct.

I read the question. I glanced at you as you leaned forward again.

Me afeito.

I typed it.

Te duermes.

I typed it.

Nos levantamos.

I typed it.

You giggled as I moved mechanically at your words. But when I turned my head, you went quiet. Slowly, your hand cupped my cheek. You looked at me, and then you guided me forward. You kissed me.

You started to pull back, but I followed. I put my hand on your leg, and tried to get closer, but then my chair tipped. My lips ripped away from yours as I tumbled to the floor.

I looked up at you slowly. As I watched you, looking right back, I noticed you were breathing just as hard as me. I cracked a smile and we both started laughing.

You slipped off the desk and offered me your hand. You pulled me up, and you pulled me close.

Tu eres linda.

I didn't even know what the words meant, but I thought they sounded good enough to deserve a kiss.

And then the bell rang.

X

We didn't go outside for lunch.

I figured we were just wasting time like usual, but as we walked down the quiet hall with our lunches, you suggested we go somewhere else.

I didn't see any good reason to deny spending alone time with you.

When you led me to Coach Sue's office, though, I got a little nervous. You had a key, but I had a feeling we weren't really supposed to be there.

What if we get caught?

You assured me we wouldn't. Couch always went out for lunch and she wouldn't be back until after—maybe not even till last period. Nobody was around, nobody would know.

The privacy was great. I liked spending time with our friends, but there, just me and you, was one of my favorite things.

The only downside was that the only comfortable chair in there was Coach Sue's chair, and even you didn't want to go that far. The chairs on the other side of her desk, the ones for students or anyone else who happened to be in her office, were rock hard. They were the most uncomfortable things ever. We agreed that it was Coach's intention to have such horrible chairs.

So I suggested we just sit on the floor. You didn't answer, but I knew you would follow, so I lowered myself to the floor. I saw the corner of your lips tug up, and I watched the smile grow as you sat in front of me, your eyes on mine the whole time.

The longer you watched me, the more I wanted to kiss you. And the more I wanted to kiss you, the more I thought about earlier. The first time we'd ever kissed at school. It doesn't seem like a big deal. It wasn't, really—but it also kind of was.

I bit my lip.

You shifted up to your knees, and I realized I'd been staring up at your lips. I focused on the little sparkle in your eyes, but I felt your hand next to my leg. You got closer, not even stopping before you pressed your lips to mine.

You held there, and then your lips slid against mine so slowly that by the time you pulled away I was struggling to remember how to breathe.

I listened to you move, to the sound of your lunch bag. I felt the little rush of air when you snatched my bag, too. But it wasn't until the silence was back that I opened my eyes.

You sat there, legs crossed, eyes on me. We stayed like that for a moment before my eyes wandered down. Our lunches were laid out in the space between our knees.

Thank you.

X

We got through practice without you getting too upset with Quinn. She didn't even mention our absence from lunch, although you had the perfect excuse prepared—it's fucking cold out there.

She did remind you a few times about how we were hanging out soon, though.

All it took was a few whispered Santana's to keep you calm.

X

We drove back to my house and just as you'd put the car in park, your phone went off. You frowned when you looked at it, and you didn't turn the car off.

You just dropped your phone back into the cup holder and said, "Sorry, Britt, I have to head home."

I was disappointed, but the sudden change in mood told me it wasn't the time to ask.

I kissed you before I got out, and you waited until I was inside to leave.