I waited for a long time that night before I texted Cash.
Or, more accurately, it was a long time before I had the courage to text him. I paced my room for hours after I'd completed all my homework, and I was distracted for the entirety of dinner.
Elena noticed it too, but when she questioned me as I was doing the dishes, I merely shook my head and muttered "It's nothing. I'm fine."
But I was most definitely not fine.
A million thoughts and feelings were warring within my head. I had Cash's phone number-But now what? What would I say? Would he even respond?
Had he-Had he just given it to me as a joke? Were he and Bryce waiting by his phone, eager for my text?
At ten o'clock, I'd finally had enough of my over-thinking.
"Just text him, Alyx," I told myself firmly, pulling out my phone. "And if it's all just one big prank, at least you'll know for certain." Then I could move on. And put this whole thing behind me.
Somehow, I doubted it'd be that simple.
'Hey,' I texted finally. I sat at my desk staring at the screen for a minute, then quickly added, 'It's Alyx, btw. In case you didn't know.'
Ugh, I sounded so lame.
The response came a little while later.
'I know who you are,' Cash said.
'Right,' I replied. 'Of course you do haha'
Ughhh. Someone end me-It was just so awkward. Was this it? Would our texting relationship end right here?
My phone buzzed atop my desk with a new message: 'I don't give my phone number out to just anyone.'
Oh damn, okay. Talk about butterflies.
'I don't believe that,' I teased, smiling as I typed. 'I think you kiss lots of people in the rain.'
'Girls? Maybe. Boys? No.'
Okay, so there was a bit to unpack here; Cash was, indeed, a player. And I really was his first male kiss.
Neither of which was particularly surprising.
'I'm assuming you've changed your tune?'
'We'll see, Miller. We'll see.'
I could almost hear his signature drawl through the phone.
'I'll have you know I got a cold because of you,' Cash added.
'What are you blaming me for? That was entirely your fault.'
'Lies.'
I settled onto the floor and leaned against my bed, resting my phone onto my knees. 'You're in denial.'
'You're mean, you know that? I wasn't expecting you to be this mean.'
I laughed aloud, my shoulders shaking with the movement. I felt warm-And vaguely giddy. 'Yeah, well, there's a lot about me you don't know.'
'So true. Let's remedy that. I want you to meet me tomorrow.'
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god-Was this really happening?!
'When? Like, after school?'
'Yeah. I'll text you the details later. That cool?'
Was that cool? Was that COOL?!
'Yeah,' I replied quickly, 'that's cool.'
'Okay. Goodnight, Miller.'
- - -
For the entirety of the next school day, I was in a state of frazzled apprehension. I kept staring at the clock, or at my phone, anxiously ticking down the minutes. Thankfully, I didn't have English today, so I didn't have to endure seeing Cash with his usual football buddies, and that made it a little bit easier to wait.
But when the bell rang at the end of the day, I rushed to my locker and began hurriedly packing it.
"Dude, slow down," Robert muttered, coming over to lean against my locker door. "You were out of that classroom faster than the football assholes, and that's saying something."
"Sorry," I panted, hurriedly zipping up my bag.
"Are you like...Going somewhere?" He asked, cocking a brow.
"You say that so incredulously," I joked.
"No, it's just..." Robert rubbed awkwardly at his neck. "I was gonna suggest we do something this afternoon. I know we don't usually...But like, after that game on Friday, I feel like we should hang out more after school. Without Martin and Ky pushing it to happen."
"Oh..." I stood hesitantly by my locker door as it swung closed, staring blankly at my feet. "Um, actually, I've got a...thing..."
Right on cue, my phone buzzed in my pocket, and I knew, instinctively, that it was Cash.
"O-kay," Robert said finally, frowning quizzically. He ran a hand through his hair, making the strands stand on end. "Well, ah-"
"That sounds really fun, though," I cut in quickly, already shuffling down the hall. "Let's hang out soon."
I waved over my shoulder as I left the building, then checked my phone with a sigh. Lying to Robert did not feel good.
'Meet me at Pinebrook in ten.'
Pinebrook was the closest mall to Grammarville, which made it the resident hangout of Grammarville students. Equipped with shops, a bowling alley, restaurants and cafes, and a cinema, it was pretty much always packed with people.
Cash wanted to meet there?
Feeling nervous, I sent a quick text to Elena letting her know I'd be late, then set off for the nearest bus stop. The whole way there, I practiced what I'd say to Cash when we were face to face again. The very thought sent anxious jolts through me, and as I stepped off the bus a few minutes later, I worked on keeping my expression as neutral as possible.
"Hey," I'd say, in a super suave voice. Yeah, that's what I'd do. Just super casual. Super low-key.
When I entered the mall, I had a second text from Cash: 'I'm outside the movies.'
The movies? Oh my god, we were gonna watch a movie together.
"Be cool, be cool, be cool," I whispered to myself, climbing the nearest escalator. Casey Truman and a few of her friends walked past below, and I ducked my head and stared determinedly in the opposite direction until I knew they were gone.
"Hey," Cash called when I approached the cinema, raising a hand in greeting. He was wearing a yellow hoodie, and a shaft of sunlight was streaming in from an above window, illuminating him brilliantly.
I took a deep breath, schooling myself, then blurted "H-Hello there! Crazy seeing you here!"
Ewww...So not the entrance I'd envisioned.
To my relief, Cash tilted his head back and laughed incredulously. "You're so weird, Miller," he remarked. "Absolutely bizarre."
"Thanks." I fell into step beside him as we entered the cinema. "So, what movie did you want to see?"
"I figured I'd leave that up to you." Cash ran his fingers through his hair. "Did you want snacks, by the way? I'll go get them now."
"Oh-Right." I dug hastily around in my pocket and produced a few crumpled notes. "Here, pay for mine with this."
Cash took one look at the money in my hand, laughed again, and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry about it," he snorted, and I noticed for the first time just how pink his cheeks got when he was amused. "I'll cover it."
"Are you sure-" I began as he started to walk away. "I can-"
"Popcorn, no salt?" Cash interjected, glancing over a shoulder.
"How did you know?"
He wrinkled his nose thoughtfully. "You look like an unsalted popcorn guy."
I could only gape as he disappeared into the crowd. My cheeks were burning, my hair was ruffled, and I was still holding a handful of crumpled notes in my out-stretched palm.
Yep, I thought, tucking the notes back into my pocket. I definitely have that post-Cash look.
A/N: Thanks for reading! If you're enjoying so far, please leave a vote and/or a comment :)