The second Jack opens her front door, my hands are on her face, checking for bruises. Only when I’m satisfied that Dan hasn’t chipped a tooth or broken her nose do I finally speak. “What the hell happened, Jack? Miguel just told me you threw down with the entire football team. Are you okay?”

She laughs bitterly. “Come on, Cheer Girl. Do you really give a shit if I’m okay? Because not a single one of your friends does.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Of course I care. I’m here.”

“You’re here now, yeah. But what’s the point? You can’t actually be there when I need someone to stick up for me and say that I belong here. And you won’t be there the next time someone comes at me.” She looks so tired, it makes me want to pull her into my arms and just hold her. “I’m not in the mood to fool around right now, so maybe go find somewhere else to cheer.”

She starts to close the door in my face, but I catch it with a firm hand, even though I don’t know what to say. She’s right. I haven’t been there. But I wanna be. I want to be able to stick up for her and hold her hand and kiss her and keep my friends and become captain and why is that too many things to want?

“Jack. I care. Please let me in.”

She doesn’t swing the door open in welcome, but she doesn’t finish shoving it in my face, either. Instead, her hand limply drops to her side and she walks away, which I take as an invitation to come in.

“What happened?” I ask, closing the door gently behind me.

“I don’t know. An ambush. It was barely even a fight. Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I’m done with it.” She stalks to the couch, currently in its folded-up position with a pile of sheets neatly stacked on the end, and I have no choice but to follow.

I’m done with it. The words could mean anything, but it sounds a lot more final than just having pushed the fight out of her mind. Besides, if she truly had, she wouldn’t be hiding at home instead of facing those assholes in school. “Done with what?”

“With football and with this place. I came home to pack. I’m not staying here.” She gestures down the hall. “My brothers hate me for taking my mom away, my parents only get to see each other once a week, nobody wants to be in Atherton, and I’m tired of going through this shit for a team that doesn’t want me.”

“But I want you” slips out of my mouth before I can stop it.