Page 63 of Wallflower

And by half-time, I knew exactly what she meant.

I also understood why Dad couldn't stop talking about him. Dare's talent wasn't exaggerated. The guy's ability was unmatched by anyone on the other team—or ours. And he didn't try to hog the ball either. He spent just as much time passing as he did scoring. It almost made you feel bad for their opponents.

Almost.

You could tell how much Dare loved being out there, too. I'd never seen someone so in their element. The team played like a well-oiled machine. DHS's other guys were no slouches either. Dare wasn't the only one who scored, and he had a lot of assistance from Ty and his teammates. They were definitely good on defense as well—which meant Turner Pike (our goalie) didn't see much action. But when he did, he blocked more goals than he allowed to score. Our crowd cheered a lot, and I heard Dare's name more than once. Each time, it made my heart swell with pride—which I knew was stupid.

We weren't actually boyfriend and girlfriend.

Heck, even though he'd said it a ton of times, I wasn't even sure we were real friends.

Though…I thought we might've been.

Shaking my head, I clapped along with everyone else as Dare scored again. Whatever we were, I thought, I was glad I had come tonight to see this, glad to see him doing the thing he so obviously loved.

When the game ended, the scoreboard read 10-3. Our guys had decimated the other team, no two ways about it. As the Durham High guys lined up to shake hands with Mount Tabor, Estelle, Gigi and I made our way down the steps. It was slow going since there were so many people leaving at once.

By the time we made it to the grass, Jovonte was there waiting.

"Great job, J," Gigi said and pointed to her face. "Now, come over here and give me some love."

Jovonte planted a kiss right on her cheek and hugged her tight. "Thanks for coming, Grandma," he said.

But Gigi looked irked at that.

"You don't ever thank me," she said, giving his shoulder a pinch. "No time for silliness like that. You know I'm your number one fan."

"I do," he said, wincing. "You always have been."

"Since you were in diapers." Gigi nodded.

Estelle held up her hand. "And I'm very glad to be his number two."

She leaned in, giving him a quick pec on the lips.

"Good game, baby," she said.

"Thanks, baby," Jovonte said back.

Dare joined us then, and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd expect me to kiss him, if that was even allowed. Not that I'd have the courage to do it anyway.

"Hey guys," he said, looking sweaty but dang if that didn't make him even more attractive. "It's good to see you again, Gigi. How've you been?"

"Ah, hanging in there. Still getting around, just slower than usual," she said, smiling at him. "Not that you'd know anything about that. You were wonderful, Dare. As always."

Jovonte nudged her with his elbow. "But not as wonderful as me," he said. "Right, Grandma?"

"No one's as good as you in my eyes, J." She gave his hand a pat, which made Jovonte grin. But then she added with a hint of mischief, "Though my eyesight's not what it used to be."

Estelle and I held back laughs while Jovonte frowned, and Dare let out a chuckle.

"Have I told you lately how much I love your grandmother?" he asked and placed a hand on Jovonte's shoulder. "Because it's a lot."

The other boy shoved him away good-naturedly. "You two play too much," he said on a laugh.

"Seriously, you're the best, Gigi." Dare placed a kiss against her cheek.

"Ah, you're just saying that because I'm old." She waved him off, but I could see the joy in her face. "That was quite the game, young man."

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