He was used to braving the storm. She was used to bringing it.
. . .
In which the popular girl gets partnered with the quiet kid for a project.
#1 in populargirl
#1 in dualperspective
#2 in unlikelyromance
#4 in unlikelyfriends
#6 in nerdboy
began :...
I flip my head to the other side, my tired brain rationalizing that if I cover the other ear (even leaving the other exposed) I would stop hearing the ruthless pings. When that doesn't work, I open my eyes and fix a ruthless glare on my phone, ready to try whoever's testing me this early in the morning.
Several notifications. TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and--
Apple's default Opening ringtone plays and my tired eyes fail at reading the caller ID so I just pick up.
"Ryleigh! Ryleigh, oh my gosh." Maya screams enough to make me believe banshees are real. "Who is it? Who is it? Oh my gosh, literally, why didn't you tell me?" She whines, not stopping there. No sir. "Sooooooo adorable! Oh my gosh, you guys are literally—"
I hang up and turn my DND on, knowing full well she'll only continue trying to call me when I don't even have my bearings. On earth is she talking about?
Looking back at my phone, I confirm this as I read several articulations of the same three words across my DMs and comments.
"'Who is that?' Who is who?" I tap on a notification leading me to the top comments on my latest TikTok. The one I filmed with Elijah.
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I take a minute to rewatch the clip we recorded together a few times over. I had spent a good twenty minutes trying to teach him a dance or two, then ultimately gave up when he couldn't seem to loosen up. I choose possibly the easiest audio in the history of audios to use, Something New. The way his stiff little shimmy makes him look like he's getting electrocuted makes me bark a laugh.
"I thought I saved this as private..." I keep scrolling. I don't know if it's to my horror or to my surprise, but I scoff. Everyone's losing their mind over 'the new guy.'
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Some of the messages I get actually make me laugh out loud, some are concerning, for one reason or another.
I put my phone down and wait for the laughter to subside. Questions flood my head without warning. What does this mean? Does he already know? Does Eli know? Does he have an Instagram? What if my followers find him before I do?
I scratch the crown of my head and head to the bathroom for my routines. Will he be willing to do more?
