usic blasts from my stereo as I wait in the parking lot. Kino is late, and when he finally shows up, he's walking with Alyssa.

My heart does this fast, little flip. The pair of them are laughing as they head toward the parking lot. Kino stops near Alyssa's Audi and leans in to say something. I stand back and watch them, watch the way she flashes him her brightest smile, and all I can think is, goddamn is it a nice one.

Finally, Kino slings his bag across his shoulder and crosses the parking lot. I climb into the truck, and when he opens the door and slides into the passenger seat, he's wearing that goofy-ass smile.

I catch Alyssa's eye. She looks different, somehow. She's tied her hair in a perfect ponytail, and every time she moves her head, it brushes the delicate part of her neck. She's got a shit ton of makeup on, and her lips are coated in a thick, pink gloss. It doesn't look bad–in fact, it's sexy as hell–but it doesn't look like her. It looks like someone else.

I'm the first to break eye contact. Those pink, glossy lips are doing something strange to me, so I shift my gaze to the rearview mirror and reverse out my space.

"How was it?" I ask Kino.

"It was fine," he says. "Alyssa's pretty cool, right?"

I instantly tense at the mention of her name. "You're hanging with Alyssa now?"

"Yeah. She just, I don't know. She's different."

We spend the next few minutes driving in silence. I'm still pissed about what happened at the club, and even though I'd won my fight, it was all I could think about. Further proof this girl is becoming a distraction.

Finally, I say, "You like her?"

Kino glances at me. "Nah, she's just cool."

I nod and face the road again before turning up the music. He doesn't even complain when I switch on some Tupac, which is how I know: this kid has got it bad.

Shit.

"She's from The Palisades."

"I remember."

I look at him now. "Do you?"

He rolls his eyes like this is all just a game, and maybe for him, it is. I've spent years trying to protect him, but maybe that was wrong of me. Maybe by shielding him from it, I've left him vulnerable.

"Listen to me," I say. "I didn't spend the last few years keeping you out of trouble for you to mess around with some rich girl."

Kino scowls and folds his arms before looking out the window. "Do you know how stupid it is that people even care? Like, it's really fucking stupid."

My grip tightens around the steering wheel. "I didn't make the rules, Kino."

"You sure as hell follow them." He slowly turns to face me, and I can feel his eyes burning into my profile. "The only way it stops is if people stop following those dumb rules. I should be able to hang with whoever the hell I want to."

I'm quiet for a second as I make a left turn. This isn't the first time he's kicked off because he doesn't like the system, but if he doesn't learn the rules, he's going to end up in trouble. If by chance Alyssa happened to like him back, does he really think her family would accept him? His friends? We're nothing to them, lower than nothing – he'd just get his heart broken.

I clench my jaw. "Whether you like it or not, there are certain things you can't do when you come from where we come from." I sigh, because even though I'm trying so damn hard, I can't get her out of my head. "Just because you go to their fancy school now, don't kid yourself into thinking you're one of them, Kino. We don't live in a nice, gated community. We don't live in a place where the cops smile and tell us to have a good evening. No matter how hard you try, those kinds of people will never accept you."

I pull up to the house, and before I've even killed the engine, Kino is throwing open the door and running inside the house. I rub at my temples and slam shut the door before heading inside.

As soon as I've changed and showered, I'm heading to the gym to cool off. I say what's up to a few of the others and head for one of the punching bags to let off some steam.

At some point, Maddie pops out of the office and walks toward me. I swear this girl sleeps here. "Hey," she says, looking concerned. "Do I want to know what's got you so worked up?"

I stop punching and grin at her. "No, and don't take this the wrong way, Mads, but you need a life. It can't be good for you to be around so much testosterone all the time."

She puts her hand to her heart like she's hurt, but a smile still plays on her lips. "Hey, I have a life. I'm a big shot college girl, in case you've forgotten, and running this place on the weekends is a full time commitment."

I smile. She's right, between juggling her second year at UCLA and keeping Hayden in line on the weekends, I don't know how she stays so upbeat.

"Anyway," she says, "if you're done insulting me, I need to talk to you."

She looks a little serious, so I straighten up. "What?"

"Don't get mad," she starts, which automatically puts me on edge, "but I'm thinking of asking Alyssa if she wants to start training after the gym closes. I can tell that the way these creeps keep staring at her is making her uncomfortable, and I don't want it to drive her away. It's hard enough getting other girls to join the gym as it is."

My face falls. "Maddie–"

"You don't have to do anything," she interrupts. "I just figured since Hayden lets you train after hours, you can both do whatever you need to and then you can lock up after."

I think for a moment. She's asking for my permission out of respect more than anything because this isn't my gym and it isn't my decision. "Fine."

She smiles again. "See, I knew you had a heart."

"Don't kid yourself."

As if on cue, Alyssa walks in wearing tight black yoga pants and a pale pink hoody that matches her sneakers. I can't for the life of me figure out why she keeps coming back, but I do know one thing. The more our worlds keep colliding like this, the harder it's getting to ignore her.

She crosses the room, and Maddie goes over to tell her about the plan while I get back to punching. Wiley, Hayden's best friend, sits next to me on the bench, and he finishes off his water before saying, "I don't think I can handle all these cute girls joining. Makes me feel all self-conscious and shit."

I keep punching and say, "If it makes you feel better, I doubt any of them are interested in you."

He laughs and clutches his heart like he's been shot. "Ouch. Not like I'd try it, anyway. I don't have a death wish."

Unlike Hayden, who comes from the better side of South Los Angeles, Wiley comes from the same neighborhood as me. That means he knows the rules, and he knows that messing with a girl from The Palisades is not worth the drama.

I don't stop punching. "Yeah, well, my brother does. I think he's got a crush on Alyssa."

"Damn," Wiley says. "That's some Romeo and Juliet shit right there."

I wish he were wrong, but in a world like this, who you align with is all people care about.

It's the parents of the rich kids from The Palisades that control most of LA. They're the ones who closed down our Youth Clubs and churches and everything else that makes our lives that little bit more bearable. They're the enemy, plain and simple, which makes everyone from there the enemy, too.

Including her.

❤️