She didn’t know what else to say since his thought seemed unfinished.
When his reply came her heart skipped a beat.
I don’t want to be a bad experience.
It was possibly the most romantic thing she’d ever read. Which, of course, only proved how much her dating life had sucked. But still…the words made her want to wrap her arms around him and hold him tight.
She couldn’t type that back to him, though. While she thought about how to reply, he shot another text her way.
And I’ve got a perfect way to silence the blabbermouths tomorrow.
Mia hoped the punchline to all this wasn’t something vulgar. She braced herself for a penis pic. Because…wouldn’t
that be just like a boy?
She keyed in ??? and hit Send. Hoped for the best.
I’m serious about this.
came his first text. Followed quickly by
Think before you laugh.
And then, just when she couldn’t stand the suspense, his text showed up.
We could pretend we’re a couple.
Mia most definitely did not laugh. She read it. Reread it. Knew it had to be a joke. It was like one of those teen movies—the guy pretends to like the sleazy girl and the whole school laughs at her behind her back.
Except that she couldn’t picture Davis Reed spearheading stupid pranks. And what if he didn’t believe she was sleazy the way the rest of Crestwood seemed to?
Have aliens abducted you?
she sent back, needing to cover herself in case this was a joke. And then,
Is a Martian keying in this crazy idea?
The texts came faster now.
Would a Martian know about the blue balls??? Be real.
Mia had never typed an emoji in her life. In her mind, it was way too cliché. But if she’d been a smiley face sort of girl, she would have sent one. Outside her bedroom, she could hear Gabriella and Clayton talking, making her wonder how long her so-called brother was staying. She couldn’t decide if they were really a couple or not. Not that itmattered since she wouldn’t be speaking to either of them again.
When her phone pinged, she read the note from Davis.
I’ll drive you to school and we walk in holding hands. Best defense against people saying stupid stuff. Guys, at least, have some respect for another guy’s girlfriend.
Mia debated. He could still be playing her. What if he was sitting around with a room full of other band geeks while they collectively decided what to text to her? It just seemed too…high school. Possibly more cliché than a smiley emoji.
But what if he was serious? He was a different kind of guy, that was for sure. If he really was interested in putting a stop to the gossip about their date—to shutting down people before they asked intrusive questions—his idea might do the trick. She’d always been a serial date in the past. Never a real relationship. What if that stopped the gossips?
I do need a ride to school, she typed back finally. Best to be cagey and see what happened tomorrow. She wasn’t going to be a sucker and swoon all over him, only to find out he was playing her.
Then again, she also wasn’t going to knee him in the balls again if he tried to kiss her.
If that ever happened, Mia had the feeling she’d kiss the living daylights out of him for saying she was a smart girl. For now, she sent the address of the Chances’ house and hoped for the best.
This is going to be fun.
