I keep asking my dad for a picture of my mom, but he puts it off every time. Why won't he give me a picture? It's not like I don't know what she looks like. I need to stand in front of a mirror and voila! There she is. Sometimes I catch my dad giving me these sad, painful looks. He says he's grateful he has a piece of her in me but is he? How can he stand to look at the replica of the woman who shattered his heart to pieces? -Georgie aka Alexx

PS. Don't tell anyone but I found Owen making out with Cleo by the lockers in the annex. And get this—Hugo told me he still has the girlfriend back in Colorado! Can you believe it? I know, I know, I crushed on him too, but I wouldn't have done anything about it. Not when he still had a girlfriend. That's Girl Code 101. Thank God, we've never liked the same guy. Can you imagine??

Monday morning, Alex's eyes popped open an hour before her alarm was supposed to go off. She threw the covers off and sat up feeling refreshed and raring to go. Not her usual response. Waking up early? It was like a vampire seeing the sun, but today was different because Hugo was picking her up.

Hugo.

Adrenaline rushed through her. He was like her personal jolt of caffeine, and she didn't mind. Not one bit.

They'd texted back and forth over the weekend. Seth's fever had gone down, and he was feeling better, but Hugo insisted on staying home in case he got worse. It was sweet, but Alex wondered why Mr. Lorde wasn't looking after Seth. It's not like his office was open on the weekends.

Since she had an extra hour, Alex took her time getting ready. She even washed her hair and curled it, then pulled half of it up into a bun. Now, the hard part. What to wear. She stood in front of her closet, tapping her foot, then pulled out a bunch of options.

Alex decided on a black denim skirt, which originally had been oversized mom jeans, and a red graphic tee paired with her favorite black boots that had a stacked heel. She could use all the inches she could get standing next to Mr. Not-Vertically-Challenged-Hugo Lorde.

"You're up early," her mom commented. She set her phone down and sipped her coffee. "Excited for Hugo?"

"Please don't make a big deal out of this," Alex pleaded. She got up on her tip-toes and grabbed the cereal box on the top shelf. She poured herself a bowl, refilled her mom's coffee mug, and then sat down.

"It's my right as your mom. This is your first boyfriend. It's exciting."

"We're not boyfriend and girlfriend."

Her mom's brows pulled together as she frowned. "Please don't tell me you're doing the...what's it called? Netflix and fill?"

Alex choked on her cereal. "Mom! It's Netflix and chill. CHILL. Not fill." Although the way some people did it, it fit. "And no, we're not doing...that. We're...we're..." What were they doing? "Dating, I guess."

"As long as you remember our rules."

How could she forget? They sat her down and lectured her for over two hours, laying out their rules and expectations. No being home alone or in a bedroom with a boy. No staying out past curfew. Always text to let them know where she was.

Alex felt a whisper of guilt about the last one. She hadn't texted them when she went over to Hugo's. "I know, Mom."

Her mom grinned at her over her coffee mug. "You ruined Mrs. Sheehan's dream. She had her heart set on Hugo and Sloane being an item."

"I know. She's not exactly shy about it."

Her mom let out an amused chuckle. "No, she's not."

Alex set her spoon down. "Is this going to ruin anything between you two?"

"Which part? You dating Hugo, or you not wanting to carpool?"

Alex sent her mom a cautious look. "Both."

"Don't you worry about that." She patted Alex's hand. "We'll be fine."

A text popped up on her mom's phone. Her mom glanced at it, then did a double-take. Frowning, she stood up. "I have to take this. If I don't see you before you leave, have a good day. And be safe." Her mom went into the master bedroom and firmly closed the door.

As Alex ate her breakfast, she could hear low murmurings, but as time went on, her mom's voice got louder. It was still too muffled to make out the exact words, but whoever was on the other line was getting their ass handed to them. Better them than her. No one could give a set-down like her mom.

Alex washed the dishes and finished getting ready. She was downstairs waiting on the front stoop when Hugo and Alexx rolled up in their car.

She bit down on a smile as her insides buzzed with awareness. This is it, she thought. The beginning of something with Hugo Lorde. It was one thing to have a date, but to drive up to school with him? That was a statement—a powerful one.

She walked to the backseat, but Alexx was sitting there. Her best friend winked and motioned for her to sit up front with Hugo.

"Hey," she said as she tried to slide in gracefully—a feat near impossible with a skirt.

Hugo had a bright smile waiting for her. "Hey, you."

Alexx popped her head between the two seats and sent her a sly look. "Someone looks nice today."

Self-conscious, Alex touched her hair. "Don't I always?" She didn't make a big production of getting ready, but she tried to look nice every day.

"You do," Hugo assured her.

Alexx piped in, "But you look extra special today."

Hugo frowned at his sister, his voice stern. "Georgie, sit back and put your seatbelt back on."

Her best friend gave her signature pout—the one she practiced in front of the mirror while Alex sewed. "You're no fun."

"I'd rather be a buzzkill, than have your insides splattered across the pavement."

"Fine," her best friend snapped but did as she was told.

Seconds later, Alex received a text.

Georgie: I hope you know how much I love you. I barely had ten minutes in the bathroom this morning before Hugo hogged it.

Freddy: Thank you for sacrificing your beauty regimen for my happiness.

Georgie: Anything for my best friend and bro.

"Oh, before I forget," Alex said. She unzipped her bag and pulled out the notebook. She handed it back. "Here."

"Finally! I've been dying to read this all weekend." Alexx flipped to the latest entry and began reading.

Hugo glanced at his sister in the rearview mirror. "So how did I rate?"

Alex's heart stopped. "What? No! I-I..."

"How can she rate you when you didn't even go on a date?" Alexx demanded to know.

"It was a date," Hugo refuted. His gaze cut to her, worry lining his mouth. "Right?"

"Well—"

Her best friend interrupted. "No, it wasn't. Making the girl come to you is a hangout, not a date. I expect a re-do with you picking her up and taking her out. No skimping," Alexx scolded. Her tone was haughty. "My best friend deserves to be treated like a queen."

Queen? Alex swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She created a heart with her fingers and lifted them above her head so Alexx could see.

"Right back 'atcha," Alexx whispered.

It was funny how some people meet each other and know they're meant to be friends. It's this gut-clenching, bone-deep feeling that grabs hold and won't let go. The moment she talked to Alexx, she had that. They were perfectly in sync, getting each other's jokes and liking the same things.

When Alexx introduced her to Sloane and Bri, she thought she'd feel the same way. It made sense, right? Like should get along with like but that wasn't the case. Something was missing. It was like being one-note off the rhyme of the beat.

Sloane and Bri were dancing to a different rhythm than Alex, and even if they tried to force it, that missing beat was always between them. And as time passed, the missing beats grew until they were on different songs altogether.

Hugo called her name, drawing her attention to him. "You heard her," he said. "We need a re-do. How about this coming Friday?"

Alex winced. "I can't. I have dinner with the drama club." Keya had sent out an email informing everyone to clear their schedules for that night. "What about Saturday night?"

"I promised the guys a basketball game." He reached over the console and took her hand in his. Sending her an assuring smile, he said, "We'll figure something out."

Alexx loosed her seatbelt and scooted forward, her gaze trained on their interlinked fingers. "Can I just say how much I love you two together? You know, Freddy, if you re-joined Playhouse you'd have more time with Hugo..."

"I can't." Her tone was apologetic. "Keya is counting on me."

Alexx made a scoffing noise. "I'm counting on you too." Underneath the scorn was a layer of hurt, Alex couldn't ignore.

"I know you don't like Keya, but I'm committed to the club. They need me in a way that you don't." She gentled her tone, trying to make Alexx understand, but instantly regretted her words.

Alexx pounced on her words like a wolf hunting down its prey. "What do you mean need you in a way that I don't?" she demanded to know.

Alex debated how much to divulge. She knew Keya wanted to keep things under wraps. "Where did you get your info about Keya stealing your donors?"

Alexx held the notebook up to her chest. "Does it matter?"

Was that a hint of defensiveness? "I'm curious. Tell me."

Alexx blew out a noisy breath. "Cleo told me."

"Cleo?" Hugo piped in. "You still talk to her?"

Her best friend hesitated for a beat. "When I heard Keya was restarting the drama club, I may have gone on a secret mission."

Hugo squinted into the mirror. "What kind of mission?"

She sighed and fell back in her seat. "I pretended to forgive Cleo for...well, you know...and then got her talking."

Hugo groaned, "Georgie..."

"What? She's the one who did me dirty first. I'm just..." Alexx shrugged, the strap of her tank falling off a shoulder. "...returning the favor."

"Georgie!" Hugo snapped.

"Okay, okay. I won't talk to her anymore. Happy?"

"That's not why I'm upset, and you know it. If the situations were reversed, how would you feel?"

Mutinous, Alexx retorted. "Since I wouldn't have betrayed my best friend in the first place, it doesn't matter." Alexx threw up her hands when Hugo gave her a long look. "Fine. I'll stop. Calm down, Dad."

If Alex hadn't been watching Hugo, she would have missed the almost imperceptible flinch.

"I am not Dad," Hugo stated in a calm, even tone. His grip tightened on the steering wheel to the point that his knuckles turned white. "Not now. Not ever."

"Don't be like this. Please," Alexx begged. "He's trying his best."

Hugo's tone took on a hard edge. "You wouldn't understand."

"You always say that, but I understand more than you think!" Alexx insisted.

"Alexx," Hugo bit out in a terse tone that brokered no argument.

Her best friend didn't make a peep, but Alex could feel steam piping out of her ears. Obviously, this was an old argument. One that spoke volumes about their dad, who to Alex, seemed like a complete ass. She got that Alexx loved her dad, and she was sure Hugo did too, but there was a difference between trying and using it as an excuse.

The air was tense as Hugo drove onto the campus parking lot and found a spot. Alexx opened the door and jumped out before he turned off the engine.

Hugo slammed a fist on the wheel and arched his back, pushing his head against the seat. "I hate this."

"I'm sorry." The fractures within the Lorde family were more profound than she imagined.

Hugo released a breath and slowly let the tension in his body out. "I should be the one apologizing. This is not how I wanted today to start. It seems whatever I plan for us veers off course."

"At least no one can say you're boring," she said.

He chuckled. "I'd take boring right about now." He reached to the back and grabbed his backpack. "Want to eat lunch together?"

Regret sliced across her face. "I have a meeting with Keya." The girl had been blowing up her phone with texts, and it was more than costumes. Keya wanted her input on everything from set designs to props.

"Oh." Hugo was understanding, but underneath was a layer of disappointment.

"What about tomorrow? We can get lunch then," she suggested.

His eyes brightened along with his posture. "Deal." He opened his car door and gestured with his head. "Come on. I'll walk you to your locker."

She threw her arm out, stopping him. "Actually, is it okay if you don't? I want to check on Georgie. Make sure she's okay."

Alex swore the temperature jumped up ten degrees as his expression grew tender. She drew in a sharp breath when he leaned in. The ends of his lips lifted as if he found that amusing, but before she could think about it, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. His lips were cool against her flushed skin, and as he lingered there, she wondered if his pulse was beating as fast as hers.

"What was that for?" she whispered.

Every fiber in her body went on alert when he kissed her again; only this time, he was just shy of the corner of her mouth. Her lips tingled as he pulled back, taking all the oxygen with him.

"For being you," he whispered back.

Her breathing grew labored as her heart raced into overdrive. Did everyone who dated feel this way or was this the potentness of Hugo Lorde? Because if this was how everyone felt then wow, props to them for not having a heart attack every couple of hours.

Alex felt eyes on her as they got out of the car and hugged, but she tuned them out.

"I'll see you after school," Hugo said.

She nodded. "Oh, before I forget—"

"If you even think of giving me gas money..." he started.

She laughed. "Not gas money, I swear. Um, this is kind of awkward but does the Playhouse have extra set pieces lying around that you aren't using?"

Hugo looked up, his expression thoughtful. "Not really. We pretty much use all of it, and any leftover pieces are saved for the next play. Why?"

Alex kicked the ground and sighed. It was a long shot anyway. "Don't tell anyone, especially Georgie, but the drama club isn't as well off as Cleo made it out to be. They're struggling for even the most basic stuff."

Hugo scowled. "And they're counting on you to fix it?" It was clear he did not like that idea at all.

"Not me specifically," she quickly assured him. "It's more of a group effort."

His scowl faded. "It better be. I hope they didn't poach you so they could use your connections to Playhouse."

Alex grabbed his hand and sandwiched it between hers. "It's not like that. They want me for my sewing." But doubt crept into her mind. Had her connection to Playhouse been a factor in Keya's decision to recruit her?

"Good." He kissed her forehead. "We better go. Classes start soon."

After saying goodbye, Alex went to her best friend's locker, but she wasn't there, so she texted her.

Freddy: You okay?

Georgie: You see, right? The way he treats me like a kid.

Freddy: I think he's trying to protect you.

Georgie: I don't NEED protection. I'm fifteen! I'm old enough to get my driver's permit, and I'm certainly old enough to understand what goes on in my own house.

Alex knew her best friend needed to yell and rant it out of her system before she calmed down.

Freddy: Where are you?

Georgie: I'm with the girls—fuming. I'll see you after school.

Alex pocketed her phone as jealousy wrapped its green tentacles around her chest and squeezed. She wanted to be the one Alexx turned to. Was this going to be the norm now? Alex waiting her turn in line for her best friend's attention?

***

The next couple of days passed by, in the same way. Hugo and Alexx picked her up in the morning and took her home. She only ate lunch with Hugo a couple of times, too busy going over plans with Keya, but he did walk her to her locker every morning which had eyebrows raising.

Alex had never been the center of the gossip circle at Terra Linda High, but she was that week. She received quite a few spiteful looks from girls ranging from popular seniors to baby-faced freshmen.

She won't lie, she got a kick from the envious looks. It made her stand up straighter, walk with more confidence, and she actually raised her hand in Mrs. Trentworth's class and answered a question correctly.

But where Hugo was a bright light in her life, Alexx had the opposite effect. No, that wasn't totally right. Alexx herself didn't do anything wrong. It was the green-eyed monster inside of Alex that cast a shadow. Yes, they had their notebook, and they'd been filling it up as quickly as quicksand but outside of that? Nothing.

Alex supposed this was what she wanted when she broke away from the group, but she hadn't anticipated how empty she would feel like someone had sawed a hole in her chest. The Playhouse filled some of it, but not the way that she needed. She had no one to celebrate her accomplishments with or commiserate about her failures.

Sure, Alexx said she was fine with her joining the drama club, but there was an unspoken rule between them that Alex wouldn't mention the club in the notebook, so she had to keep half her time private. And yes, she meant half her time because Keya had roped her into being her wingman alongside Cleo. If Alex wasn't at school or doing homework, she was busy with Keya and everything drama club related.

By Friday night, Alex was exhausted. She dragged herself up the four flights of stairs to her apartment. She wanted to change into her baggiest PJs and fall face-first onto her bed and not move until Sunday.

The drama club dinner had been surprisingly fun. Though the cast and crew were small and relatively inexperienced, they had a passion for the theater. They ate and chatted for hours until their server informed them they had to order more or leave. Even then, they stood outside the restaurant for another half an hour, laughing and talking.

Pulling out the key from her bag, Alex pushed it in and turned the doorknob. She stopped when she heard raised voices.

"Fine. Blame it on me!" her mom exclaimed. "That's what you always do. It's never your fault. Maybe if you took ownership for once, I wouldn't have to—"

Her dad scoffed. "Ownership? How about I work my ass, day in and day out, to pay our bills—"

"And I don't?" The testy tone in her mom's voice had Alex closing the door and backing away.

It would go on for another hour before one of them stalked away and locked themselves in their room. Then the silent treatment would begin. And it wasn't just any silent treatment. Oh no. This was a bone-chilling freeze. The kind that burned anything it touched. It coated the apartment for days, while anger and resentment simmered underneath.

She didn't have the energy to deal with that. Not tonight. She walked to the park a couple of blocks away. It was her favorite spot to take a breather and boy, did she need to breathe.

Alex sat on a swing and closed her eyes, letting the night air wash over her. What was wrong with adults? Weren't they supposed to be mature and have their lives together? So then, why did it seem like the adults around her were just as messed up as the kids?

Alex's head snapped up at the sound of footsteps. In the distance was a hooded figure. She could tell by the cut of the jeans, the figure was male. His head was down, and his hands were in his pockets.

Anxiety spiked. Calm down, Alex, she told herself. It's probably someone enjoying the night just like you are.

But when the person took the path that led to the playground and straight to her, her legs started to tremble. Where was her phone?

Alex patted her sides but remembered she wasn't wearing jeans. Why had she decided on a skirt tonight of all nights? She glanced at her bag, which was all the way over by the slide. Could she get to it without the guy noticing?

The hooded figure was almost at the playground. Her fingers curled around the swing's chains as she planted her feet firmly on the ground, ready to run if she needed to.

He passed under the light post, and she caught a glimpse of his face. Her grip loosened as shock entered her system.

"Ravi?" she whispered.