Baller929 refused to accept what I told him in my last message.

I hated not knowing who he was, too, but I knew staying away from him in the real world was the best choice. Especially if we were going to stay friends.

But he didn’t understand. He said I didn’t trust him, that all this time, he thought I really got him, that I was different. That he just wanted to meet me in person. No pressure to be anything more than friends.

That sounded nice, but I just couldn’t say yes. I knew what would happen once he saw me. He would change. Once he saw that I was a nobody, he would stop talking to me. People like him and me didn’t become friends in real life. They just didn’t.

And whoever did see us together, well, I’d never live it down. Courtney and Lindsay and all of their friends—they’d pounce on us so fast.

They’d ask why a guy like him was with a girl like me, even as friends.

They’d say he felt sorry for me, pitied me, like the teachers. Or worse.

I didn’t want to think about worse.

For the first time, I didn’t like sitting by myself at lunch, but I had a feeling it was because Baller929 hadn’t messaged me all day.

A lunch tray and journal landed next to me, startling me out of my thoughts.

It was Reyna.

“Hey,” she said with a small smile.

“Hey,” I answered, picking at the taco salad in front of me.

“I never realized before that we shared the same lunch. It’s nice to sit with someone new. I usually sit with Walter and Thomas from Spanish, but they only like to talk about Dragonball Z, and a girl can only take so much of that,” she said, laughing.

It took me a second to get what she was saying, and before I could reply, she said. “What’s up? You seem pensive.”

Pensive? I forgot she used big words like that sometimes. I liked that about her. It was a cool quirk.

I shrugged.

“Oh, look, there’s Selena over there.”

I turned to where she was looking. It was Selena, all right. She was going through the lunch line and about to go sit at one of the tables.

As she glanced around the lunchroom, she caught our eye and waved.

We waved back. I was surprised. Selena wasn’t quite one of the popular girls, but she was the leading scorer on the soccer team, so she was up there.

Athletes normally hung out with other people who played their sport, so her walking over to us, tray in hand, was an even bigger surprise.

“Hey, you two. Can I sit?” But she was already sitting down without waiting for an answer.

Reyna and I exchanged a happy look. This was nice.

“Definitely,” Reyna said.

All of us except Tori had met two or three times as a group with Ms. Moreau, and it had gotten easier and easier to open up to them, but this was…something else.

Waving to each other in the hallways in between classes or sitting together in class was one thing. Sitting together at lunch meant real friendship.

This…this was good, especially now that Baller929 and I were in a weird place.

Selena opened a carton of orange juice and took a long swig before putting it down and looking at us. “So what class are you guys in next?”

“American Lit,” I said. Both of my stepsisters were in that class with me. It wasn’t my favorite.

“Art,” Reyna replied, digging into her taco salad and jotting something down. She didn’t just write in boring blue or black ink pens. Nope. They were either the colors of the rainbow, or super fancy pens, or something else that was different than your average Sharpmate.

“Cool,” Selena said. “I’m in chem, and it sucks. I don’t get anything the teacher is talking about.”

Reyna perked up. “Oh, you should totally talk to Ella. She’s super smart. She helped me pass math last year. We’re in chem together after lunch.”

Selena smiled at me and turned back to Reyna. “That’s funny because we have math together first period, and she is definitely the reason I’m passing right now.”

“Do you have study hall? We can do our homework together?” I offered.

“Oh, that would be awesome. Where do you usually hang out?” Selena asked.

“In the library.” I talked to Baller929 while I did homework. Not the past couple of days, though.

“Oh, I think I see you in there sometimes. You sit at the computers, right?” Selena took a bite of her sandwich.

I nodded again. “Yeah, I—I like computers.”

Wow, that sounded lame. I like computers?

“Like I said, she’s so smart,” Reyna said, still going at her taco salad.

“Thanks,” I replied, blushing a little. I loved how nice she was by default.

“That’s so cool. I wish I was smart, but my talents are limited to kicking a ball inside a big net.” The way Selena said it made it sound like she wished reality was the opposite.

“Well, isn’t there usually a person trying to stop you, though?” I replied.

Selena stared for a second. “Yeah, the goalie. And defenders.” She grinned and nodded. “You’re right.”

Reyna laughed. “Definitely a lot harder than it looks.”

I smiled again, glad that had turned out better than I thought it would. Selena was a lot different than I expected overall. I guessed you couldn’t always judge a book by its cover.

“Hey, isn’t that Harper?” Selena asked, nodding toward a table in the back of the cafeteria.

“I didn’t know Harper had lunch right now.” I turned. It looked like she had just sat down. This was such a large cafeteria, and I was always on my phone or looking down at my plate. No wonder I hadn’t noticed her.

“And she’s sitting by herself too,” Reyna said, putting her fork down. “We should ask her if she wants to sit with us.”

Selena got up. “I’ll go.”

A minute later, Harper joined us at the table, and suddenly, our group felt complete.

Well, except for one person.

Just when I realized Tori was the only one missing, she and a bunch of other cheerleaders walked past us. She caught my eye right away, and a look came over her face, but it was impossible to read.

“Hey Tori,” Harper said, “you guys want to sit with us?”

I opened my mouth to stop Harper or make an excuse, but it was too late.

A couple of the cheerleaders rolled their eyes, and another smirked.

Harper’s smile fell from her face.

“Yeah, we don’t think so,” the one who smirked said, shaking her head and walking away with the rest of the other girls.

Only Tori hung behind for a second, saying, “No, thanks.”

But she hesitated before walking away to her usual table.

We all stared after them for what seemed like a full minute.

“Wow,” Selena said. “I do not like cheerleaders. Why do they have to be so mean?”

The rest of us nodded and agreed. We finished our lunches together, but somehow, it didn’t feel quite as fun as before.

To my surprise, the next day, we sat together again.

First, it was just me.

But then Reyna’s class came in, and she walked right over, journal and tray in hand.

We were already talking and laughing about how the chem teacher had made references to Harry Potter on that day’s quiz when Selena and Harper joined us a few minutes later.

Rey shook her head. “I knew I had heard the word gillyweed somewhere so I thought that was the answer!”

Tori and her friends walked by again. A couple of them nodded in our direction and mouthed something to each other, laughing. Tori glanced our way and continued leading her pack of cheerleaders to their table.

Selena was right.

Why did they have to be so mean? I didn’t get it.

It was like they thought they’d be nobodies if they didn’t reign supreme.

But clearly, Tori was happy in her bubble.

I was pretty happy in the new one I found myself in.

Selena told Harper those girls weren’t worth getting upset about, and the mood at the table immediately lifted when Harper nodded and agreed. Then she proceeded to show everyone a funny cat video on her phone. My phone buzzed at the table, and my breath hitched when I saw a message from Baller929.

Baller929: Just so you know, I could never walk away.

My breath hitched at his words.

“Ooh, who’s Baller929?” Selena asked, looking at my phone screen.

I automatically hit the lock button.

“Oh, no one.” I stuck the phone in my pocket.

It had been almost a week since our last conversation. We’d never had a fight or gone more than a day without talking, so I’d been sure he had decided to move on, but instead, he had told me were still friends.

“Doesn’t sound like no one,” Selena teased. “Is he cute?” She put some broccoli in her mouth, and everyone else looked at me along with her.

Reyna smiled. “Does he go to this school?”

I stuttered, trying to find a way to not talk about this.

No one knew about Baller929. Not my stepmom or Courtney or Lindsay. I knew what they’d say.

Could I tell Reyna, Selena, and Harper about him?

I exhaled and looked at them.

“He’s someone I talk to,” I said. “A lot.”

That got lots of giggles from everyone.

I could feel my face turning hot.

“What’s his name?” Harper asked.

Selena gave me a playful nudge. “And you didn’t answer Rey’s question. Or mine.”

I opened my mouth, trying not to jumble up my words again. It was thrilling, if a little embarrassing, to say his nickname aloud and tell someone else about him.

Not just have him exist on a screen.

“I met him on the student forums last year. He needed help with math,” I said. Everyone hung onto my every word. “We actually just realized that we go to the same school.”

That got several raised eyebrows and gasps.

“But I don’t know who he is, and he doesn’t know who I am,” I finished, trying to go back to my sandwich.

“What?” Selena cried. “That sounds like a TV show!”

Reyna nodded. “Or a fairytale.”

“You’re right,” Harper said. “So mysterious and romantic.”

That made me smile. “It’s not like that. We’re just friends.”

Selena gave me a playfully suspicious look. “Is that why you’re blushing?”

We all laughed, even me.

I couldn’t believe everything I was sharing with them, but Selena seemed like one of those people who it was hard to hide things from. She had a way of just saying what was on her mind.

“So you really don’t know who he is?” she asked a few seconds later.

Everyone immediately looked to me.

I shook my head. “Only that he’s a basketball player. On the varsity team.”

Reyna dropped her fork with a loud clatter, but everyone was too busy staring at me to notice. Mouths open. Non-blinking.

Harper broke the silence first. “He’s on the varsity basketball team?”

She was still new, but she knew what that meant. He was royalty, and I—well, I definitely wasn’t wearing any crown.

Reyna finally blinked and seemed to realize her hand was empty before picking up her fork.

Selena nodded in approval. “Which one?”

“I have no idea,” I said. “That’s all I know.”

It was a big school, and there had to be a dozen varsity basketball players.

“To be honest, I don’t even know anyone on the varsity team. Not in person anyway,” I added.

“They’re not in any of your classes?” Selena asked. “I know there are a few in mine.”

The other girls nodded, and I realized they were right. “I think there are a few in my literature class and my chemistry class. But I definitely don’t talk to them.”

I looked at Reyna, and she confirmed the same with a nod.

Harper shrugged. “You guys are the only people I’ve really gotten to know since I moved here. But I’ve seen some basketball players around.”

Reyna nodded at Harper. “Yeah, no. I don’t have many friends either. Definitely not any athletes.”

Selena coughed and raised her hand like we were in class. “Um, excuse me? Student athlete here. I thought we were friends?”

We all laughed out loud.

I nudged her shoulder. “Other than you.”

She laughed, then continued, “I’ve met some of the basketball guys, but I don’t really know them. I normally only hang out with the soccer team.”

“I hardly talk to anyone either,” I said, “other than you guys.”

“And, of course, Baller929,” Selena said with a wink.

I sighed. “He’s kind of my best friend. Has been for the past year.”

Harper rubbed her hands together. “Sounds like we need to do some digging.”

Selena nodded and turned to me. “What about your stepsisters? Do you think they know him?”

The thought made me cringe. “They kind of live in their own world. They probably do know him, but—”

Selena asked, “Lindsay and Courtney Porter, right?”

“Yeah, do you know them?”

She nodded. “They’re in some of my classes. They kind of grind my nerves.”

“Me too,” I said. “But what can I do? They’re family. My dad married their mom before he…passed away.”

I’d talked about it a little in our group sessions with Ms. Moreau, so I was glad I didn’t have to explain it all now. They knew the gist of what had happened.

Even Selena looked away uncomfortably.

Harper put her hand over mine. “Well, either way, you totally deserve to meet Baller, what’s-his-name.”

Selena wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “And we’re going to help you.”

My smile left my face again. “Guys, I told him I can’t.”

They listened intently as I told them why the idea of meeting him face-to-face scared me.

“You don’t know that he’ll write you off,” Selena said afterward. “He sounds like a really nice guy.”

I shook my head. “We’re just friends. That’s all we can be via message, and it’s all that’s gonna happen if he ever finds out who I am.”

They looked like they wanted to convince me otherwise but stayed quiet.

Good. My mind was set.

“Ella, wait up,” Harper said.

I turned and saw her emerge from the crowd of juniors and sophomores headed to the afternoon pep rally.

She caught up, and we walked together toward the gym.

“It is so cool I get to miss math for this,” Harper said.

Reyna walked slowly ahead of us. Almost meandering. Probably in her own head again.

“Rey!” I called.

Selena had called her that the other day in the cafeteria, and it had stuck.

Rey spun around with a smile before running over to join us.

The nickname was something else that bonded us, like glue. With each day that passed, it felt like we were becoming more than just a peer support group.

I really hoped things stayed that way because I had really gotten used to having lunch with Rey, Selena, and Harper. Not to mention constantly sending each other texts in our group chat during class or after school.

At the pep rally, Selena joined us on the bleachers. We were pretty high up, so we had a good view of the entire gym before us. There were huge banners with painted basketballs and hoops and bold letters hanging on the gym walls.

GO WESTWOOD! GO KNIGHTS!

The cheerleaders had made them. The entire squad was already lined up below on the pristine gym floor. They each held red and white pom-poms and wore short skirts with form-fitting long-sleeved tops.

Each cheerleader stood like a perfect Barbie in their crisp uniforms, white shoes, high ponytails, and glittering makeup. I couldn’t help but stare a little along with everyone else and feel a little self-conscious over my lack of makeup.

Tori was down there. All eyes were on her, as always, and she had a dazzling smile as she led a cheer. Lindsay and Courtney were down there, too, toward the back. They’d been cheerleaders since sixth grade.

“They almost don’t look real, huh?” Harper told me quietly.

I turned to her. “I know.”

Rey sat on my other side, doodling in her notebook, completely oblivious to the chaos of students finding their friends around the bleachers and teachers yelling at everyone to take a seat.

Selena sat one row above me. We observed the crowd beneath us. The front two rows had guys and girls all seated together. They looked like athletes to me.

“The soccer team?” I asked, and Selena nodded.

I wondered why she wasn’t sitting with them, but she didn’t say anything.

“So have you replied to Baller929 yet?” Selena asked, and even Rey looked up from her notebook.

I shook my head. “I don’t even know what to say, you know? It feels like maybe things won’t be the same anymore.”

Selena stared in the same direction again. “All I know is he sounded like a really nice guy. Not a lot of those around here.”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

She made a good point.

The principal’s voice sounded throughout the gym, and everyone finally settled down.

He handed the microphone to one of the basketball coaches, who introduced the varsity and junior varsity boys’ and girls’ basketball teams. One by one, they rose from the bleachers and ran to the center of the gym, starting with the girls.

Some students screamed, and others cheered, but most of us just clapped politely.

“So Baller929 is one of the guys down there?” Rey asked quietly.

We all scanned the line of varsity basketball boys.

“They are cute,” Harper said.

“Very cute,” Selena agreed.

I was thinking the same exact thing. “And tall.”

“Another plus.” Selena gave me a playful nudge.

“Definitely,” Harper said.

We continued staring at them. I took them in, one by one, wondering who Baller929 was.

I recognized most of their faces, and several of them were in my classes, so I knew their names, but I didn’t really know any of the basketball players beyond that.

Was Baller929 in one of my classes?

“Who do you think he is?” Rey asked.

I shrugged. “He could be any of them.”

Harper pointed. “I bet he’s that guy over there, the super tall one with light brown hair.”

I almost laughed at the image of me walking down the school hallways with that very tall, very lanky guy.

“No, I think he’s that one,” Selena said. “I bet he has muscle.”

Now we were giggling as we considered what physical attributes Baller929 embodied.

It was hard to believe what he said about not caring about looks when he was probably one of the hottest guys in school. But I know I didn’t care about looks. I cared about what was inside. He had been there for me before Selena, Harper, or Rey had become my friends. Whoever he was, whatever he looked like, I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

Rey lifted a brow. “Most of the guys on the team are pretty handsome.”

She was right.

All of the guys stood tall. Some towered over the rest, including one who made six feet look short. Something else they had in common? Well-built frames that gave away how hard they worked out. Their broad shoulders and toned arms belonged on statues. Most of the players were lean while others could have passed for football players. I decided they were handsome all the same. The majority of the boys’ teams sported short hair, but I preferred the few with hair long enough to grab. An easy-going smile was another plus.

I recognized a couple of players from my chemistry class. Their names were Jesse and Will, and they sat a couple rows over from me. They both had hair I could just imagine running my hands through. The shorter one was your typical class clown, always cracking a joke. The other guy had the kind of smile that made a girl forget her name, but he also seemed like the kind of guy who knew it.

I tore my gaze from him and scanned the rest of the team as the basketball coach finished reading off names. As they lined up next to each other and faced us, I tried to picture them as Baller929, but it was impossible to know if I was guessing right.

I couldn’t help but notice that the school cheered like crazy for a few of them. Clearly, they were the more popular basketball players, including the couple of guys I’d been staring at.

“We invite you all to support the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams at our first game on Friday. Go Westwood Knights!”

Both the boys’ and girls’ teams walked over to the first few rows of bleachers and sat down together as the cheerleaders started a routine.

Lindsay and Courtney lifted Tori up into the air. Then she twirled down, stiff as a board into their waiting arms.

Everyone in the stands stood up and cheered.

I clapped too, but my thoughts were on Baller929. What was going through his head right now? Which one of the guys down there was he?

Tori’s voice filled the gym as she reminded everyone about Homecoming that Saturday. “It’s a Halloween theme, so wear a costume! We’ll have gift cards and prizes for the best disguises. Make sure you get creative. And don’t forget to submit your vote for Homecoming King and Queen.”

There was no need to vote. As junior cheer captain, she’d win.

And someone from the guys’ varsity basketball team would be her king.