Everybody knew Zach.
That wasn’t an exaggeration either.
If someone didn’t know him personally, they’d seen him online.
TikTok.
YouTube.
Instagram.
It seemed like every other week he was going viral for something.
Most of the time it was because he was doing something stupid with his friends or posting videos with whatever girl he happened to be talking to that week.
And there was always a girl.
Always.
Which was exactly why Guest never took him seriously.
Not that Zach cared to admit it, but he’d been paying attention to Guest for a while now.
Longer than most people realized.
While everybody else chased clout and drama, Guest stayed in his own lane. He stuck with the same friends he’d had since childhood and never seemed impressed by popularity.
Especially not Zach’s.
In fact, Guest was usually annoyed by him.
And for some reason, Zach liked that.
A lot.
So over the last few months he’d started changing the way he acted around him.
Less flirting.
Less showing off.
Less chasing girls whenever Guest was around.
Not because he was pretending.
Because he genuinely wanted a chance.
The problem was his reputation had already been built.
Nobody expected Zach to settle down.
Not even Zach sometimes.
Tonight was graduation night.
The ceremony was over.
Family dinners were finished.
And now everyone had gathered at one of the biggest graduation parties of the year.
Music blasted through the house.
People crowded every room.
The backyard was packed.
As soon as Guest arrived with his friends, he spotted Zach across the yard.
Unfortunately, Zach spotted him too.
The second their eyes met, Guest turned around and sat with his friends instead.
Zach couldn’t help laughing.
A huge goofy grin spread across his face.
“Man, look at this.”
Without hesitation, he started making his way through the crowd.
People greeted him as he passed, but he barely paid attention.
His eyes stayed locked on Guest.
When he finally reached the table, he stood there with his hands shoved into his pockets.
That stupid smile still on his face.
“So you ain’t gon’ speak to me?”
His braces flashed when he grinned.
Half teasing.
Half serious.
Guest ignored him.
Zach stared for another second before slowly nodding.
“Aight.”
He took a step back.
“Aight, bet.”
The grin never left his face.
If anything, it got bigger.
Like he’d just accepted a challenge.
