#Winning

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I got out of the car and walked into the gymnasium. It was crowded and hot per usual. Piper came into my view as she was sitting by herself on the bleachers and waved me over.

"Hey Piper," I said over the screaming of the crowd.

"Hey girly, we're up 27 to 18." I knew nothing about basketball, but I did know that was a good thing.

"We don't have much longer in the game, so we're definitely winning." She was overjoyed with giddiness and seemed hyper-focused on the intricate plays of the game.

I nodded, "Where's Celia?"

She rolled her eyes, "We had a bit of a falling out after you left. I think she's completely wrong and I'm tired of coddling her." I couldn't hear all of what she said, but I got the overall message.

"So, we're good?" I queried.

"Yeah, and we'll all be soon. It'll take more than Banks to ruin the girl gang. I think we should talk somewhere you can actually hear me." She took my hand and brought me out to the hallway where only a few stragglers were.

"What did you want to talk about?" I asked even though I had a pretty good inkling on what it was.

Piper said matter of factly, "Celia and mostly Banks." Cece's absence was deafening.

"She's sitting at home, pissed off at the world. You can probably guess why she didn't want to be here." Piper elaborated with a little angst in her voice, but I never knew with her.

"Anyway, it looked like a whole lot went down at lunch. Do you want to talk about it?" Piper sputtered while I stood there kind of confused.

She said she wanted to talk to me, yet asked me a question. Still, I answered, "Uh, Liv drama, so much Liv drama. It was all building and building, but it doesn't matter now. That's over."

"When you and her were sent to the office. Banks wasn't happy with whatever was going on. He told us a little bit, definitely more than what you just said," she clearly wasn't thrilled with my answer.

The dad situation had taken over my mind for the past couple of hours so Banks wasn't really my main concern. I was curious as to what my dad would think about him. "What did he say?"

"He said that he's being crucified for his past actions like we all haven't done things we'd rather not discuss. He and Celia got into an argument about what she said to you about him, like a bad one," she leaned forward and crossed her arms.

"Banks and I talked about Celia a little bit. We didn't really have the time, but I'm going to talk to him about it," I said not trying to sound too standoffish.

She pointed out, "Daya, you know me, at least a tiny pinch. Banks, for all the things wrong with him, he's not a terrible person. He's nowhere near it. I've known him since the ninth grade. Neo and I were in the thick of it with him. That period when he was running around doing whatever and whoever he wanted, I was there."

"I also saw him before that when he was with his ex. If he was so awful, I wouldn't be friends with him. Celia was completely out of line telling you all that." Wow, she was really going to bat for him.

I was blindsided being that I thought the conversation I had with him went decently. "Did he ask you to say that to me?"

"No, it's my honest feelings. I'm not a Banks expert, but I haven't seen like this over a girl in a while. He was so torn up about what Celia said because he doesn't want you to think of him like some sort of animal. I saw his face light up when you walked into the gym because he was terrified that you wouldn't want anything to do with him anymore. He cares about you," her words flowed together.

"I know. I care about him too. We just have so much to talk about," I breathed.

"Yes, you do. Now, let's get back in there before one of the boys has an aneurism," Piper joked.

Just before halftime, Cece walked into the gym, her face set in a determined expression. She completely ignored me and sat between Piper and me, practically pushing me over. I tried to catch her eye, but she was resolutely focused on the game.

During the halftime show, Banks came out from the locker room and plopped down beside me on the bleachers. He brushed his hand against my leg, sending a shiver up my spine. Leaning in close, he whispered, "Are you okay?" I pushed his hand off, even though all I wanted was for him to touch me. I tried to focus on talking to Cece, but she was distant, her eyes fixed on the court where Piper was cheering Neo on.

Cece glanced over and saw Banks whispering to me. Her face fell, and she looked upset. "I need to go to the bathroom," she said abruptly, standing up.

"Wait, Ce!" I yelled, but she kept walking, her pace quickening.

I turned to Banks, frustration boiling over. "Look at what you did!" I snapped.

He acted confused, but I didn't care. I needed to fix this. I hurried after Cece. I found her in the bathroom, crying in front of the mirror.

"How could you? You said nothing was going on!" she exclaimed, her voice breaking.

I said, desperate to make her understand. "Nothing is going on! I don't know why he's acting like that, but I already told him that I'm not ready."

Anger was in her eyes. "That doesn't matter if he likes you, Daya. After everything that happened with us, he's still blatantly flirting with you in front of me."

"That's not my fault. If anything, you should be mad at him, not me," I argued.

"I'm mad at both of you! You don't get it! Brian's a nice guy and all, but as soon as you saw Banks, you wanted him because that's what happens with everyone. You don't get the reputation he has off of one or two girls."

I tried to reason with her. "I do like Brian. I wish Banks would leave me alone as much as you do, more even." I knew it was a lie but I wanted to make her feel better.

Cece leaned in close, tears covering her freckles. "That's not true, you lying bitch." She shoulder-checked me and ran out of the bathroom.

In the hallway, we saw Banks standing there, looking at us. "Cece, I'm sorry," he started, but she mumbled, "Forget about it," and walked away.

"Cece, please," I called after her, but she flipped us off as she kept walking.

I started to follow her when Banks touched my hand and turned me towards him. His touch was gentle, but I pulled away.

I spat at him. "Do you not care about anyone other than yourself?"

"She should be over it," he said too casually.

"Well, she's not," I said, looking down the hallway. Cece was nowhere to be found. Banks and I were alone in the hallway.

I asked him, "Why do you hate me?"

"I don't hate you, Daya. I wouldn't have told you half the stuff I did if I-" his seriousness departed. "I just like seeing that look on your face."

"What look?" I asked, frustrated.

He stood in front of me and started walking closer. I moved until my back hit the lockers. Banks was towering over me and leaned so close to my face. My eyes widened and my lips pouted.

He lifted my chin with his finger. "That one," he whispered so close to me I could feel his breath on me.

I knew the answer but I still asked. "Brian's one of your best friends, why are you doing this?" With everything else going on we hadn't even talked about how this would affect Brian.

"It's not about him. There's something about you, Daya." He started rubbing my hip and I couldn't help but lean into his touch.

I saw vulnerability, something real in his eyes. It wasn't his usual flirty demeanor. It was a real moment between us.

"Why happened that turned you into this?" I asked softly. He sighed and lowered his head to my shoulder.

Banks leaned his head up slightly and he was closer to my lips than ever before. So close I thought he might just kiss me.

But he leaned away from me and smiled. "Now why would you want to know that?" He said smugly and I saw the mask come back on.

"I know there has to be a reason why." I tried my best to be cool but my body was betraying me.

His face dropped again and I knew I was right. But he picked his face back up and said, "I guess you'll just be wondering."

He acted like he was going to walk off when I grabbed his hand. "Why are suddenly acting like this? If you weren't such a prick people might actually like you."

"People do like me. I'm pretty sure no one knew you existed a week ago." His words stung but I couldn't just let it end there.

"My best friend for my whole life left me completely alone and I have a lot of family stuff going on, but here I am still being decent to people. How stupid of me?" I sneered.

He got back in my face and pinned my hands above my head against the locker. I gasped.

"I have a lot of family shit going on too! My life is a fucking mess! I feel like a fraud most of the time! There. Are you happy?" He confessed, but I could hardly focus on his words with the position we were in.

He removed the grip on my hand as I whispered, "Yes." He tilted away from me as I leaned in. I softly touched the side of his face and he flinched before allowing my caress. Holding back didn't seem like a typical move from the Banks playbook or what he would've done in the past. Then, his eyes were on me, dark and intense. And with that, he leaned down and kisses me. My hands fell to his shoulders and he lifted me against the lockers in a passionate kiss. It felt like the beginning of something, the most intense kiss I had ever had. He was intoxicating and I never wanted him to stop.

Until we heard a groan coming from the hallway. Looking around, we saw Brian standing there with anger on his face. Banks put me down and said, "Wait," as Brian stomped towards us.

Brian tore Banks away from me and pushed him into the wall. "What the hell are you doing?" Brian yelled.

"Look man, it just happened. You must have seen it coming, we've been together all day," Banks said, but it did nothing to quell Brian's anger.

Brian punched Banks in the face.

"Stop it!" I yelled.

At first, Banks didn't do anything but said, "I deserved that."

"Shut up," he sneered at Banks, shoving him into the wall one last time. "You deserve so much worse than that, man," Brian exclaimed.

Brian looked at me with so much hurt and disappointment. But he didn't say anything to me. "Watch yourself," Brian said to Banks as he made his descent down the hallway.

"Brian," I yelled, tears in my eyes.

"Just let him go," Banks said, leaning against the wall.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" I said, rushing to him, and grabbing his face.

Banks joked, but I wasn't in a laughing mood. "He's hit me harder than that."

"What did we do?" I cried, and Banks wiped the tears from my face.

"Hey, they'll be okay. I promise," he reassured me.

With self-pity, I said, "I try to make friends and this is what happens."

He said, looking into my eyes, "I'll take as many punches as I have to if I get to kiss you again."

I questioned his sincerity, but with the smile on his face, I knew he was telling the truth. And it made me smile too. I kissed his cheek.

"Is that all I get?" He smirked in that way only he knew how.

I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. It was a much sweeter kiss than the first but still had all the fire.

I giggled and said, "Let's go before someone else catches us." I grabbed his hand and we ran back into the gym.

My eyes canvassed the place and I saw Brian and Michy talking by the entrance of the gym. I hoped he could forgive us.

The game ended 38 to 25 with Deering High being the winner. The entire crowd roared, and the air was buzzing as the teams high-fived.

The gym started clearing out, but Piper and I stayed to wait on the boys. "Neo was so amazing tonight! The whole team was, but God I love these games. This season has been amazing," Piper gushed over her boyfriend.

"I just wish his parents were here to support him more. They've been to maybe two games this whole season, and never at the same time," her face dropped.

"Is Neo upset about it?" I asked not trying to pry.

"He'll never admit it aloud, but I can see it in his eyes. He'll say that they're too busy for him. Or running one of their many businesses. Mark and Brian's parents come to almost every game or at least someone from the family. Banks' mom has even been to more games with his little brothers and they have a damaged relationship," she huffed.

The boys came out of the locker room a few minutes later. Neo ran up to Piper and picked her up off the ground in a cyclone of love. "Whew, another W!"

I smiled at their embrace and exclaimed, "Congratulations," as I hugged Banks.

"That was awesome! We needed this win! WOO," Mark roared as he was filled with vigor. That was definitely the happiest I had seen him so far. He's usually very distant and quiet like he'd rather observe the action than be involved.

"Serrano, we won because of you man," Banks reached over and shook his shoulder. "I was off my game the whole time but you gave this 110 percent."

Mark shouts in joy, "We should celebrate!"

"Bro, you know I'm always down to party, but Pipes and I are going to celebrate privately," he playfully nudged Banks in the side.

Mark dolefully spoke before he shifted around uncomfortably, "Yeah, another time."

"Are you and Daya going out after this?" He asked Banks with a delicate look in his eyes.

"I'm going to drop her off," he tightened his hold around my waist and gave me a little squeeze.

He put his hands in his pockets and looked off into the distance. "Cool, bro. I'm just going to head home then. See you peeps on the fly," Mark walked off before we could really say our goodbyes.

"Okay, I don't know much about basketball but I know what winners look like! You did great," I remarked trying to get past the downer feelings from them leaving.

"No, we won despite me, Day. But, how was your first game?" He asked nervously but tried to play it off.

I looked over at Piper, "Pipes gave me a lot of information. I'll still need to see a game from the beginning. I'm sorry I was late. A lot was going on."

He shook his head no, "I'm just happy you're here. I was worried I scared you off." He quirked his eyebrow and smiled that goofy smile at me.

"Well, look at the lovebirds," Neo purred at us.

"You must be looking in a mirror, bro," Banks replied.

"Pipes and I are heading out, it's late and I'm tired. I'll see you two dudes whenever," Neo patted his shoulder as he walked by.

Piper wrapped me up in a hug. "Tell me if Banks doesn't get you home safely or tries anything," she smirked at us.

"Trust me, she's safe, Pipes," he groused at the insinuation.

Piper's smirk grew, "Oh, I'm sure she is. Bye loves." And with that, we were mostly alone beside the other people heading out.

"What was that all about with Mark?" I questioned with my concern creeping back in.

"Serrano's my closest friend. He's always been like that, protective of me. I think it's just because we all used to hang out a lot more before." He just shrugged it off but it gave me pause.

We walked out into the parking lot toward his big truck. "My adrenaline is still pumping," he said as he put his varsity jacket around my shoulders.

"You're like twice my weight. This thing can swallow me whole," I laughed.

"I think it looks good on you. Definitely better than when it's on me." He opened his car door and picked me up to put me in the seat.

I poked his shoulder. "Ah, I could have gotten up here myself."

"Is it a bad thing that I want to help you?" He squeezed my thigh and suddenly everything got a little bit more intense. He bit his lip and looked up at me slightly and I knew exactly what he was about to do.

On impulse, I pressed my forehead against his and cupped his cheek with the long sleeves of his letterman jacket. My eyes closed, my breath started to shake, and my lips parted awaiting him.

Gently, he leaned in the bottom half of his face and brushed his lips over mine for a few agonizing seconds. He looked like he needed to tell me something. But I just wanted to feel his lips on mine.

"Banks, I...," and I connected his lips with mine once more but it was definitely more than a caressing brush.

My fingers tangled themselves in his hair as his hands roamed my body over my clothes. His smell was intoxicating and his touch electric. His tongue fought against mine as I allowed him dominance in the heart of that passionate moment.

Breathlessly, I pulled away to gather myself and panted into his neck as I tried to gain control back over my senses. My forehead rested against his again, and he tried to go back for seconds, but I stopped him.

My rational mind came back into the fray before I said, "We can't do this."

He slightly tilted his head to the side. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

I kissed his forehead, "No, it's Celia, Jay, Brian, Mark, Liv! Everyone is screaming at me that this is wrong. And I don't know if I'm ready. I've never even had a boyfriend before."

He furrowed his brow before he walked over to the driver's seat and hopped in. I closed the door and turned to face him. "Daya, I know I'm not perfect but honestly all of that sounds like excuses to me," he didn't say it in an accusing way, but more like he was merely expressing himself.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier. If you're not feeling the same way I am that's fine. If what I told you is too much, maybe we should just cut it off now. Because if we're deep diving into my past you're going to hear worse than that. If I'm too much for you that's okay, but you should just tell me that instead of dancing around it," he laid his feelings out on the table.

"Don't say it's because Brian is pissed or because my ex said hurtful things about me. Think about it. If I was so awful to her, why's she still so hung up on me? If I'm so terrible why does she call and text me every day? Why is she still in love with me? Why is she so determined to keep me away from other relationships? I know, It's because she doesn't want me to move on and I..." my mouth covered his before he could say anymore. And because he was rambling uncontrollably at that point.

With his eyes wide, I slowly removed my lips but stayed close, "I hear you." My voice was no louder than a whisper as I peered into his oceanic eyes.

My hand caressed the side of his face and I pressed a kiss to his red cheeks. "Piper told me that you and Celia got into an argument after I was sent away. What happened?"

He shut his eyes in frustration, "We did. I wasn't the best boyfriend to Celia and I know that. But, she knows that I'm not that guy anymore and it pisses me off that she would say that to you because... I really like you."

I smiled slightly, "Banks, it's okay."

"It's not though, Daya. It hasn't been long since we met and I'm already having to defend my character," he wedged his fingers into his forehead.

"I want to trust you, but I need to know the full story." He seemed vexed by that wish.

He gradually started to calm himself. "Why does it matter? I'll tell you if that's what you want, all of it. But, I need to know. Why does it matter what I did in the past?"

"It just does, Banks. It's complicated," I answered without thinking.

"Is it? Or do you just not want to explain it?" He adjusted his position in the seat further away from me.

I retorted in exasperation. "I want to believe you. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before and I'm trying to be... careful. This is scary for me and new. This is a big gray area that I've never been exposed to before. With Jay, everything was always uncertain, up in the air. He would say that he loved me and that I meant the world to him but never clarified what any of that meant. I'm not trying to go through that again."

"You're right, in the long run, it doesn't matter. But, this is incredibly serious to me and I need to be sure. This, me and you, could go somewhere. And I need to be certain that I can trust you with my heart, my soul, my... body. Everyone is telling me different things about you and I want to be sure of your intentions with me. I can't go through another repeat of the Jay situation. I won't," I insisted.

"Well, if you wanted to know my intentions you could of just asked me that," his smile slowly increased in size.

I rolled my eyes overdramatically, "I'll be more direct next time."

"My intentions are genuine and innocent. As innocent as they can be for me," he vocalized.

I leaned closer to him, "And just so you know, It's not about everyone else. I like you too."

He leaned closer to me as well, "Then, all that other stuff doesn't matter anymore. I'm not saying we have to be boyfriend and girlfriend already. We can take this slow. But I volunteer if you want to make out at any time," I giggled at his remark.

"Or, if you want to talk to someone who isn't going to judge you. I'm here. We can be friends, for now," his hands interlocked with mine.

I brushed my lips against his and said, "I'd like that, for now." Our lips were still pressed against each other. He clutched my chin and kissed me again softly.

"We're starting off this whole friends thing wrong already." He pulled back and got his truck ready for us to start driving.

I cozied myself into his jacket, but I couldn't take my eyes off him. "Why are you staring at me? I know I'm pretty, but dang," he teasingly smirked at me.

"Before, I wouldn't let myself take you in, to look at you fully. There's nothing stopping me now." I was swooning and my entire body was warm even though he had only just turned on the heater.

"Well, you still haven't seen me fully," he smirked and then quirked his eyebrow again.

"Why do you do that?" I asked beaming.

He spoke in a husky tone that made me feel like I could lose consciousness. "Look and talk to you seductively?"

"No, lift your eyebrows really quickly," I stroked my thumb over the facial hair above his eyes.

"I don't know. It's an involuntary reaction. Sometimes it happens when I'm not with a beautiful girl." I laughed without opening my mouth.

"As much as I don't want to, I got to take you home," he squeezed my leg.

A mischievous thought came into mind, "I don't want you to take me home either." He looked at me as if I was joking.

"Seriously, I have so much family crap going on, let's just drive around all night," I suggested with a glint in my eye.

His confused look turned into a full-on smile as he said, "I have a place in mind we can go."

*I'm really enjoying writing them together. I have so many ideas in my head!

Sorry for how long this one was. I had to go back and add some things.

What has surprised you the most about the story so far?

Thanks for reading. Please remember to follow, comment and share!*