on the REBOUND (On Hold)

Chapter 13

TASHA'S POV

You know the feeling when you wish for something really hard and it comes true but then you realise that's not what you actually wanted?

Well I didn't but now I do.

For the longest time I'd wished Haywood was the kinda girl whom I could do makeovers and explore latest fashion trends with, but when she appeared in front of me complete with foundation, blusher, mascara, green contacts, cherry red lipstick and perfectly blown hair, and asked for my opinion on Pinewood High's top 5 hottest guys, it struck me hard I just wanted my old friend back.

"It's just a phase, Tasha." She explains when I gawk at the transformation.

"No, no, no, Haywood. Phases aren't your thing... You're supposed to be the smart, sensible one who keeps me grounded!"

"On account that I put up with your 1D phase for a year following the 2 painful Belieber years, please indulge me for a while."

"Will you keep it down." I hiss. "You promised you'd never bring J-U-S-T-I-N up again!"

"Well, then get cracking Tasha. I want the list of guys now, please filter out those who are already attached. Oh, and those with good reputations." Haywood says briskly, in an almost businesslike manner.

"Wait, you want the top 5 single bad boys?"

"Bingo, sweetie."

"Woahwoah what for? Bad boys aren't your type."

"Exactly. Let's just say... I'm going through an exploratory phase."

"Haywood, we just spoke about this last sleepover? Bad boys are OFF LIMITS. They create the illusion that they can do anything for you and are willing to change for you but once they get you you realise they've been feeding 5 other girls the same sob story. For god's sake, YOU were the one who told me this when I wanted to date Dent."

"You would have loved Dent much more than that motherfucker deserved. I just want to have some fun, Tasha, you know, so it helps me get over a few things."

"You play with fire, you just might get burnt."

"Hold up, I thought you gave up J-U-S-T-I-N."

"Yeah I know that I let you down. Is it too late to say that I'm sorry now?"

"I promise I won't get hurt, Tasha."

"How can you be so sure Haywood?"

"You can't get hurt if you don't have a heart anymore Tasha."

==

So I churn the data during lunch. Ted Martins taught me well, but I'd never admit this to Haywood. She positively loathes the fella, but other than his tendency to show-off and nerdy appearance, he seems pretty decent. I actually learnt a ton of data mining techniques from him. But until the day I dare to vouch for Ted Martin's character, my friendship with him will remain underground.

"I'm going to proxy Instagram likes with popularity and use face detection software to detect the frequency at which the guys change female partners ok? Of course, there could possibly be discrepancies but I guess we can confirm the reliability of this data with other sources."

Haywood nods. "Remember to filter out those who no longer have 'Single' on their Facebook statuses. Oh, oh, can you also show their classes and after school activities?"

Done... and done.

"Of course, the final ranking could be a little biased cuz the algorithm may have been influenced by my Google searches of various hot male celebrities." I quickly clarify.