A/N: A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed and added this story to their favorites and story alerts. That really means a lot to me and I'm glad you're enjoying it. :)

"The kind of morning that lasts all afternoon, just stuck inside the gloom."

Alex's first week of school was a blur in which each day was no different than the last. She went to class on time and kept to herself until lunch. Even though she had people to sit with at lunch, she still didn't feel as if she had friends. The girls would all talk about basketball except for Olivia who hardly talked at all. Alex tried to initiate conversations with her, but Olivia would still give one word answers or act disinterested. Sometimes, she would just get up and leave during the middle of lunch without telling anybody. Alex was worried about her, so she decided to ask Sarah, not that she was any help. Sarah noticed that Olivia was becoming even more distant, but she didn't know why. She had said Olivia was a private person, but Alex felt as if there was more to it than Olivia being a private person. Since she wasn't going to get any answers from Olivia's friends, she decided to get some answers for herself.

On Friday, she decided to follow Olivia home after school. She was careful to remain undetected by Olivia, which wasn't difficult because Olivia never walked home without her headphones on. Alex was curious about what kind of music Olivia listened to, but she knew if she asked at lunch Olivia would just say something along the lines of, "Everything, I guess."

By following Olivia, Alex learned that she never went directly home after school. She'd stop at a desolate outdoor basketball court, or at least it used to be a basketball court. It now had cracks in the asphalt and the net was gone, leaving nothing but a hoop. As a member of the girls' varsity team, Olivia had full use of the basketball court at school, but for some reason she preferred to play on that particular rundown, abandoned court. After watching her, Alex began to realize why. Olivia liked to be alone and this court was a place that not too many people knew about. It was her escape from whatever was bothering her, whatever was making her become even more distant than she already was.

Alex watched as Olivia shot one free throw after another. There were no victory dances or pretending to call a game like other people did. Instead, Olivia just shot free throws from the same spot without saying a word or even smiling when she'd sink a free throw. Alex noticed that she showed no emotion when she succeeded, but she'd become angry and start to insult herself whenever she'd miss a shot. The insults Olivia directed toward herself made Alex want to cry. She had heard girls belittle themselves about trivial matters, but the insults coming out of Olivia's mouth were unlike anything Alex had ever heard before and she started to wonder if someone else was saying these things to her. She noticed that Olivia never cried when she insulted herself. Instead, she was angry and she started throwing her basketball as hard as she could against a nearby wall. When it would bounce back, Olivia would just throw it harder and harder until she couldn't take it anymore. Alex wanted to intervene, but she was afraid of what Olivia would say. With Olivia, it was better to be patient and cherish the small victories. She knew if Olivia were to see that she was following her, she'd lose any chance she could ever have with her.

Alex didn't get home until after 9 that night. She ate a quick dinner and went over to her room. The first thing Alex did was log into her email account, but once she saw that she had no new messages in her inbox, she began to wish she hadn't even bothered. She had e-mailed her friends in Framingham throughout the week and not a single one of them had responded to any of her e-mails. Alex thought about what weekends were like back home. They'd either go to the mall in Natick or out to the movies to watch some horrible teen movie that Alex would hate and her friends would rave about. Either way, her friends would end up spending over $100 of their parents' money each weekend. Alex loved her friends, but she didn't fit in with them. Instead of being handed money, Alex earned a weekly allowance that was nowhere near $100. The more she thought about her friends, the more she felt as if they lacked depth. She wanted Olivia, even if she could only have her as a friend, she knew it was better than not having her in her life at all.

The next morning, Alex decided to go back to that abandoned basketball court in hopes that Olivia would be there. It was only 10 o'clock, but Olivia was already shooting free throws. Her short hair was completely covered by an olive green beanie and she was wearing the same sweatsuit that all of the girls on the team wore. Alex was freezing and she wanted Olivia to hold her close for warmth, but she knew that would never happen. Olivia wasn't even aware that Alex was watching her. She stood out of sight for another half an hour before she finally decided to make her presence known.

"I feel like I'm watching the next Lisa Leslie," Alex said as she approached the court.

"I'm not trying to be the next anyone," Olivia said without even turning around to look at Alex. "How did you know I was here?"

"I followed you yesterday after school," Alex admitted even though she knew it would upset Olivia.

"Are you stalking me now?" Olivia asked angrily.

"No, I just–"

"No offense, Alex, but this is where I come when I want to be alone."

"But you always want to be alone," Alex said. "Why is that?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Olivia told her. "And I really don't want to talk to you right now."

"Okay, I get the hint," Alex said. She tried not to let Olivia's comment get to her, but it was pointless. She started crying right there in front of Olivia.

Olivia stood motionless for a few seconds before she finally acknowledged the fact that Alex was crying. "Oh, no. You're crying? I hate it when girls cry."

"I'm sorry," Alex managed to say as she was wiping her tears.

"Don't be sorry," Olivia said. "Come here."

Alex hurried over to Olivia, completely unaware of what was going to happen next. Once Alex was standing in front of her, Olivia hugged her and let her cry into her shoulder. As juvenile as it sounded, she didn't want the moment to end. She'd never admit it to anyone, but the happiness she felt for merely being hugged by Olivia made her cry even more.

"I think you're the only girl who looks pretty even when she cries," Olivia told her. She wasn't sure if Olivia was being sincere, but at that point it didn't matter. Alex lifted her head off of Olivia's shoulder and started to smile at her.

"Thanks," Alex told her.

"I was being honest," Olivia insisted. She walked over to a nearby bench and motioned for Alex to take a seat next to her.

"It's not you who made me cry," Alex admitted. "Don't get me wrong, your comment contributed to it, but that's not the only reason."

"What are the other reasons?"

"They don't matter now," Alex said.

"Your friends from Farmingtown?" Olivia asked.

"Framingham," Alex corrected. "And yes. They've been ignoring me. They don't respond to my e-mails or my phone calls."

"Then they aren't your friends," Olivia said nonchalantly. "Just stick with Sarah and the girls. They're...genuine."

"What if I want to stick with you?"

"Don't waste your time with me," Olivia insisted.

"You're not a waste of time," Alex told her, but Olivia just started laughing and then returned to shooting free throws. Alex loved the sound of Olivia's laugh; she just wished Olivia was laughing for a different reason.

"Hey!" Alex shouted to get Olivia's attention. "Hey!"

It was no use. Alex decided to take matters into her own hands and walk over to Olivia. She grabbed the ball from Olivia's hands and set it down next to them.

"What now?" Olivia asked angrily. She had known her less than a week and Alex was already used to Olivia's mood swings. Instead of giving in and using that same, angry tone of voice, Alex just put her hands on Olivia's waist and looked into her eyes. For once, Olivia wasn't fighting her and Alex could have sworn that Olivia started to tremble.

"You're not a waste of time," Alex told her. "I know you're not going to believe me, but you're the reason I look forward to waking up each morning."

Alex had no idea what kind of reaction to expect from Olivia, but she had wanted it to be better than the smirk that Olivia ended up giving her. She had poured her heart out to her and all she was given in return was a smirk. Alex had tried to be understanding, but she had reached her limit.

"I should go," Alex said hesitantly.

"Yeah."

"I guess I'll see you Monday," Alex told her as she turned around to leave.

"Alex?" Olivia said after hesitating for a few seconds.

"What?"

"Do you want to go to lunch tomorrow?" Olivia asked and Alex felt her heartbeat racing.

"Like on a date?" Alex asked. "I can't date yet."

"It's not a date," Olivia insisted. "It's a group outing."

"Oh," Alex told her. "My parents would be fine with that."

"Cool," Olivia said and started smiling. "Just don't tell them I'm not inviting a group."