Man, but Carli. I wasn’t prepared to see her today. I swear to God I’m so happy I could cry. All I want to do is run to her and scoop her up in my arms. But I know I don’t have the right. And the face she’s making isn’t giving me any type of permission.

You’d think that when every picture you’ve ever looked at of a person, and everything you’ve ever done with a person, constantly plays like reruns in your brain, that you would’ve seen every face they could possibly make. But this one is new.

She’s looking straight at me . . . like what? Dude, I don’t know. Definitely no smiling or sweetness going on. Probably too much to ask. But no anger or attitude, either. At least I could’ve worked with that. Normally when girls get mad, that means they still care. But Carli’s face is straight-up blank, like she doesn’t feel anything.

I drop the ball at the free-throw line and walk toward her, hoping to see something I’m missing.

CARLI

When I see Rex on the court, I swear the sun turns up a notch. It’s like my world literally got brighter.

But should I be feeling this? I look back at the sidelines, at the shade along the chain-link fence with the tall, green bushes poking through. It looks so tempting. I could go sit down, lean back, and wait for some kind of sign to tell my confused heart what to do.

But I don’t. I keep walking, putting one yellow Blazer (they’re new) in front of the other on the green court. I wonder what it’s made of. It’s a lot softer than concrete, that’s for sure.

Ahead of me, Cole gives Rex a hug. Then Shannon awkwardly hugs him, too, like she doesn’t know what else to do. Jordan runs ahead of me, daps him up, and tries to beat Shannon to the ball.

My turn.

REX

How I’ve missed her little nose, her quiet brown eyes, and her fierce freckles. They snatch me up, pull me in, and I get lost inside.

CARLI

Being this close to Rex has my heart speaking in colors again. A kingdom of colors. Making all the arguments for our love that words and thoughts couldn’t come up with. It’s such an unbelievably good feeling. Like my heart just gave birth to it. Like I’ve never felt it before.

But I have.

And as much as I want to let the feeling carry me away, cocoon me in all the colors, I can’t. Not yet. For now I feel safer with things being beige.

REX

“Hi,” I say, my eyes moving from the patch of freckles on her nose up to her eyes.

“Hi,” she says, her eyes resting on mine, but somehow not giving me anything.