I was about to leave for school that Monday when mom caught my arm on my way out the door. She had her headphones around her neck again and her chestnut hair up in a tangled bun. Classic Claire Dobs, except it wasn’t like her to want to talk like this.

“What’s up?” I said.

She let go of me, and I watched her eyes soften as she noticed my Pink Floyd t-shirt. Mom and I had similar tastes in music, although she usually preferred her rock bands old and British.

“Nothing, I just wanted to say have a good day at school.”

I narrowed my eyes. What?

“Yes, and?”

Mom shook her head. “I wanted to tell you how proud I am of you.”

Has she been watching Dr. Phil again?

“Thanks,” I shrugged, fixing my bangs.

Suddenly I looked up and realised there were tears in her eyes!

Before I could think about it, I hugged her. Only Charlie and I were the hugging type in my family, but she hugged me now, her hand on my back pulling me closer. I smiled.

This was mom. As safe as my room. As safe as music. As safe as… Theo.

“My first baby, sweet girl.” She laughed softly, leaning away from me and wiping her tears. She giggled shyly…

“Nevermind, I’ll just miss you. You’re growing up. But I know you’ll love college, you’ll fit right in.”

I blinked. Oh shit. I couldn’t think about college now, or even start explaining to my mom what was going on with me and Theo and all that.

I kissed her on the cheek, hurried outside, and began walking to school. It wasn’t raining but it was chilly and the wind was bracing. I pulled my hood over my head, quickly realising that I was wearing Theo’s jacket.

I shivered. I couldn’t wait to see him today. Would it be weird to be at school with him after this weekend? After everything that had happened? Ugh, I didn’t know. Man, being in love is confusing…

I stopped walking in the middle of the street.

I love him. I lost.

I put my hands in my pockets, hoping his jacket could warm up my frozen fingers… I was staring off into space when a car drove by me and honked. I stepped to the side.

What should I do? Tell him I lost? Does he already know? He loves me… he lost too.

Theo and I both fell in love with each other. But who lost first? Who won?

As the wind whipped past me and I pulled the strings on Theo’s hoodie tighter around my face, I breathed in and noticed that it still smells like him. I found myself smiling.

And all at once, standing on the side of the road, I realised the obvious. Wow, was I an idiot?

I won. I may have lost The Game, but I won him. I had Theodore Kim, and he might possibly be the only thing I’ll ever want, besides music and art.

He is art, I thought dreamily, remembering this weekend. Remembering him in my bed.

Oh, better not. I shook those thoughts away, but the smile on my face wouldn’t leave. My walking started getting faster as I began thinking about the past month…

How we met. How I yelled at him, his cheat sheet, his words; you don’t know me Ravina.

I did now. I should tell Theo the truth. That we both lost, and we both won.

I got to school slightly early because of how anxious I was to see him. I realised I was also nervous to have this conversation. It meant the end of our Love Game, and I’ll admit, the security of calling our relationship a game used to feel like it was protecting me. But I didn’t want a game anymore, I didn’t need a lie. And my mom being proud of me? Yes, I’d go to college. And so would Theo. Maybe not at the same time, but he and I would work that out. We’d work everything out. Because that’s what we did.

I was sweating as I entered the school as I’d basically run there. When I got to my locker, somehow I managed to open it without screwing up my combination a million times…

“Yo, Dobs!”

I jumped at my name being called across the hall.

Whirling around, I accidentally slammed my locker door shut with a crash that made literally every student in my vicinity turn their heads. This was less than ideal, seeing as Theodore Freaking Kim was the one that called my name.

Everyone stared at us with wide eyes as he came to stand next to me, leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed like every teenage boy I’d seen in any movie ever.

“Yo?” I blinked up at him.

My fingers itched to tuck his hair away from his forehead, but then he did it, seeming to read my mind. Theo’s eyes practically sparkled as he smiled at me…

“How are you?” He asked.

I smirked up at him. “Fine. Yourself?”

Glancing around shyly, I noticed first period traffic was starting. Students hurried past us on their way to class, some of them pausing to gawk at Theo and I as my completely oblivious hotshot boyfriend grabbed my hand…

I blushed. “I gotta get to class, I’ll see you after.”

Theo didn’t seem to hear me.

My eyes widened as I looked around. Some people had stopped to stare at us. I was definitely not used to being on anyone’s radar like this, and yet Theo seemed so at ease. It made me want to yank the drawstrings of his hoodie tight around my face and skitter away like a nervous crab…

Theo was practically undressing me with his eyes now, so I quickly pulled my hand away and tried to put some distance between us.

“Hey!” I hissed.

“What?”

I jerked my eyes in the direction of the four or five people that were watching.

“You’re not exactly being subtle,” I warned him.

Theo’s eyes followed my gaze, and when the bystanders realised they got caught, they looked down and ran off.

Theo grinned.

“Good, I like showing you off.” He said, taking my hand again.

And his words were too enchanting for me to resist him any longer. Theo’s eyes held me captive, as if he’d woven a spell inside my heart that reacted whenever he looked at me. He brushed my bangs off my forehead and kissed me sweetly.

My heart thudded in my chest as I fought the urge to jump away from him, since more people were watching now…

But I didn’t. I just closed my eyes and smiled.

He loved me like this. So much, so deeply, so openly. In front of the world, because I was just simply that precious to him. Wowza.

Sighing, he pulled away.

“I love you,” I whispered quickly as the bell rang. Aw crud!

He still held onto my hand, so I had to pull away again.

“Bye.” I blushed, starting to turn.

Theo frowned…

It felt weird to leave him like this, so, calling on the part of me that is fearless and in love with him, I spun around, putting the people around us out of my mind. It was just Theo and I here.

I grabbed his jacket collar, like I did that first time all those weeks ago. I stood on my toes, and I paused. Theo smiled because he remembered… and then I laughed. And I kissed him, right here. Because he’s that precious to me too. And the very best way that I can show him, is by being brave. Loving him here, out in the open. Like he deserves…

“Bye-” I giggled again, pulling away and running off down the hall.

Somehow I managed to get to my seat on time. Phew! Today in class we were filling out graduation forms. Dude, it was almost here! I couldn’t believe I was almost done with this shithole. What month is it? End of September…

I thought back. Theo’s birthday was in October. Hmm, what should I get him?

Soon I realised I was doodling his name on my notebook, and then sketching a picture of him and I in the margins of my math notes. Crowns on our heads. King and Queen.

I was one lucky girl, that’s for damn sure. And brave. I was brave too.

Well, I had to be brave for what comes next.