Page 43 of Wait for the Dream

“Is someone going to tell us what is going on?” Maddox asks, concern lacing his tone.

“My ex is moving to Colorado and transferring to Alpine University,” Dallas says.

“His ex is psycho. She would literally start fights with girls just for looking at him before we moved to Colorado and he broke up with her. She even had a problem with me,” Chloe says, “What are you doing to do, Dall?”

“I don’t know, but she’s already texting me asking to meet up.” He turns his phone toward the group, and I see a string of texts he's received over the last few months,

10/15 10:35am

Brittany (She devil): Hey baby, why won’t you respond to me?

11/23 11:26am

Brittany (She devil): Baby, please. I miss you.

12/25 12:32am

Brittany (She devil): Dallas, baby, I know you miss me. Please talk to me. Merry Christmas! I sent you a present, did you get it?

1/30 9:26am

Brittany (She devil): I’ll stop reaching out if that’s what you want, but just know. I will love you forever.

5/3/2026 1:32pm

Brittany (She devil): I know I said I would stop reaching out, but I’m moving to Colorado. My dad’s job is transferring him to a branch in Denver, and my mom got at job at Alpine University. We are going to be going to school together. Isn’t that great?

Brittany (She devil): Can we please meet up and talk? I don’t want things to be awkward. Maybe the spark from high school is still there.

“Fuck, she sounds crazy,” Maddox’s eyes are wide, his face a weird mix of concern and amusement.

“I don’t fucking know. I can’t just ignore her this time. By September, she is going to all up in my space. I’m pretty sure she’s pre-med too, so I won’t be able to avoid her,” Dallas groans.

“Tell her you have a girlfriend?” Bailey suggests.

“Not the worst idea, but what will I do when she ends up asking about my girlfriend in person?” Dallas asks.

“You have time to figure that out,” Maggy shrugs, “You won’t see her until classes start, so we can brainstorm this summer.”

Dallas types a few things on his phone and then throws it down on the couch next to him, “There it’s done. I am apparently a taken man.”

“When did you get a girlfriend, Dallas?” Charly asks walking into the living room, “Wait, Maggy, do you need to tell me something?”

“What do I have to do with this?” Maggy looks flabbergasted, and honestly I am too. What does Charly know that I don’t?

“Charlotte Grace, mind your business,” Maddox says with a raised eye brow that clearly says shut the fuck up.

“I’m so confused,” I whisper to Bailey.

“Oh, you sweet, delusional man. You’ll figure it out someday,” Bailey pats me on the arm placatingly.

Wait, does this have something to do with the way Maggy and Dallas have always looked at each other with stars in their eyes?

“I don’t actually have a girlfriend,” He says then proceeds to explain what we just discovered and the whole fake girlfriend thing.

“Fake dating is my favorite trope. It’s like you’re about to walk into one of my favorite books,” Charly claps her hands together.

I chuckle at my baby sister, who flops down on the couch next to Maddox. We all chat and make plans for the weekend. Sebastian and Luca are driving down this weekend to hang out, and we are all excited to see them. This is my happy place, surrounded by my favorite people in the world, with the love of my life safe in my arms. There is no where else I would rather be, even when we have to plot shenanigans and make up fake stories to get psycho exes off someone’s back.