She was the one he couldnt have

"I can't believe summer vacation is almost over," Mila said over the phone to her best friend, Willow.

"Tell me about it. At least we have dance tryouts to look forward to," Willow reminded her.

"Yeah, when is Khalil coming back? I've missed him," Mila asked, browsing through the stationery section of the mall's bookstore.

"He said he and his boyfriend Jake would be here in two days. I appreciate how supportive his parents were when he came out as gay," Willow revealed.

"Yeah, they're really great parents... so he's missing the first day of school?" Mila inquired.

"Mila, honey, school starts in two days. Today is Saturday," Willow chuckled at her friend's forgetfulness.

"Ah, that's why Forever 21 is packed. I better grab some outfits for school before all the good ones are gone," Mila said, heading to the shop.

"Actually, I'm inside already," Willow replied, spotting her friend and waving. Mila hung up the phone and made her way over, muttering a few "sorrys" as she navigated through the crowd.

Willow hugged her friend tightly, even though they'd spent the summer together traveling and seeing beautiful scenery.

Mila's parents were both workaholics, so she spent most of her time with her caretaker, Naya. Her elder twin brothers were attending university far from California, and she only saw them on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or when they randomly came home to check on her.

Willow's mother, like Mila's, was a workaholic. Her father had eloped with their maid to start a new family. Not that she blamed him, but her mother hadn't had much time for him. Willow's younger sister, Aaliyah, was starting her freshman year of high school.

"I've already picked out a few dresses," Willow admitted.

"Hello, Aaliyah," Mila greeted, hugging her.

"It's great to see you, Mila, but I have to run. I'll see you at the food court, sis," Aaliyah said, waving as she left.

"So, where were we?" Mila asked.

At 17, Mila was 5'4" with light skin and jet-black hair that wasn't too curly. She had deep dimples and striking light blue-green eyes, giving her a baby face that her brothers often teased her about. She was slim, not too curvy, but had a well-rounded figure.

***

"Mila! We're going to be late!" Willow honked her horn.

"Jeez, woman, calm down!" Mila responded, hopping into Willow's turquoise sports car with Aaliyah in the back.

"Are you ready for your first day of high school?" Mila asked the 15-year-old as Willow drove off.

Mila turned on the radio, and the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" blasted through the speakers.

"I want it that way..." they all sang along at the top of their lungs.

"That was fun, ladies, but we're here," Aaliyah said, her nerves showing.

"Hey, you're going to be fine. You've got Kiera and you've got this," Willow assured her younger sister as they got out of the car.

Aaliyah headed in first to find her friend while Willow and Mila scanned the crowd for Khalil.

"Where's that dimpled guy with locks?" Willow asked as they headed to their lockers.

"Miss me?" Khalil asked from behind them. They turned and hugged him.

"Where have you been? We've been looking for you!" Mila exclaimed.

"I was with Jake in one of the empty classrooms," he winked.

"Okay, enough details. Let's see our class schedules," Willow suggested. They had several classes together, including recess.

"Let's head to Ms. Prick's class before we get detention," Khalil said as they walked to class.

***

"Aaliyah, wait up!" a voice called from behind her.

"Hi," the girl greeted.

"Hello," Aaliyah replied, raising an eyebrow, wondering why the girl had stopped her. Kiera had made a quick stop at the bathroom, so Aaliyah had headed to class alone.

"I'm Vanilla, and I just want to be your friend, if that's okay with you," the girl said, fidgeting with her fingers as Kiera rejoined them.

"I thought you'd be in class by now, Ali," Kiera said.

"I was, but Vanilla stopped me. She wants to be my friend," Aaliyah explained.

"That's a great idea! It won't just be us two anymore. Hi, I'm Kiera," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you, Kiera. I'm looking forward to being friends," Vanilla said.

"Okay then, let's not be late for our first class," Aaliyah prompted as the three friends walked together to their classroom.

That's oddly strange, Aaliyah thought to herself.

Relax, just go with the flow, her mind added as they entered the classroom.

I hope the first day of freshman year goes well, Kiera murmured to herself as they found their seats.

***

"What time are tryouts today?" Mila asked Willow.

"After school," Willow replied, her mouth full of salad. The cafeteria doors burst open as Hayes and his friends, Natalie, Mike, Austin, and Nina, walked in.

Willow rolled her dark grey eyes at the boys. She was medium-sized, stood at 5'5", had olive skin, and a great personality.

Some girls adjusted their tops to show more cleavage, while others batted their eyelids. Girls glared at Natalie and Nina, who cared less as they tapped away on their phones.

Mila wasn't bothered by their presence or anything that concerned them. Natalie and Nina nodded at Willow and Mila since they were both on the dance team. Hayes just glared at them, trying to intimidate them.

"You could try better, buddy. That doesn't work on us," Mila found herself saying to him.

"You better watch your tongue," he bellowed.

"You better watch your tongue," she mimicked.

"You don't scare me, Miller. Try something else; this one is getting old," she stated.

"That's enough, Bennett. Don't you know when to stop? Jeez..." Mike chimed in. She was about to answer when Khalil put a hand on her shoulder, signaling her to stop.

"Cat got your tongue, miss fakey fake?" Hayes taunted, running his fingers through his blonde hair. Hayes stood at 6'5", well-built, with the rarest shade of green eyes. He slightly bit his pink lips just to rile her up. He was a ladies' man and enjoyed it.

She shook her head at him, not willing to stoop so low. Besides, she wasn't a fan, and neither was he.

"That's enough, Miller," Nina added with finality in her voice.

"Whatever," he murmured as the bell rang.

"Finally, it seemed like an eternity with all this tension. Phew," Willow let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"Come on, Bennett. We've got math," Khalil said as the friends walked to their next class.

Mila felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned to meet Hayes' dark ones and flipped her middle finger at him, smirking triumphantly as she headed to class.

Mila: 100

Hayes: 0

Beat that, she smiled to herself as they entered the dreaded math class.

"Good afternoon, class," the boring old teacher greeted.

"Ugh, my life," Mila whispered to Willow as they giggled.

***

"So, I was thinking we could try out for the cheerleading team," Aaliyah suggested.

"It's not a bad idea. I was thinking the same," Kiera agreed.

"Vanilla?" They both asked.

"Sure, I'd love to," she beamed.

"Alright then, let's go," Kiera said, leading the way as the girls followed.

***

"It seems like this year's tryouts have more people than usual," Willow said, dropping her bag on the table.

"Of course, it does," Mila agreed.

Nina and Natalie were already seated, waiting for Willow and Mila so tryouts could start.

"Sorry, we're late," Mila apologised.

"Nope, you're not. We were just a bit early today," Natalie chimed in.

"Okay, let's begin," Willow announced.

"Hey everyone, welcome to the dance team tryouts. As you know, we're auditioning for new members. Show us what you've got, and we'll decide who stays and who goes. Let the auditions begin," Natalie added with dramatic flair.

"Thank you all for trying out today. By Thursday, your names will be posted on the notice board to see who made the team. Until then, ciao," Willow said as they piled out of the dance studio and headed to the parking lot.

Aaliyah spotted her sister and friend, eager to share how her day went.

"So, someone seems happy. I guess your day went well," Willow said as she reached her sister.

"Yeah, and I can't wait to tell you both about it," Aaliyah said as Willow unlocked the car doors and they all got in.

"Alright, spill it," Mila urged as they buckled up.

"Well, I made a new friend named Vanilla. She seems nice, and we all decided to try out for the cheerleading team," Aaliyah shared.

"That's awesome! I'm glad you're making friends already," Willow said, smiling at her sister.

"Yeah, it's great. I just hope we all make the team," Aaliyah added, her excitement bubbling over.

"Don't worry, you've got this," Mila reassured her.

As they drove home, the girls continued to chatter about their day, and their hopes for making it for the cheerleading team.