Wednesday arrived. And with it came disaster. Not a huge disaster. Not a life-changing disaster. Just the kind of disaster that only high school could create. Aiden had barely stepped into school when Noah appeared beside him. Looking far too excited. Which was never a good sign.
"What do you want?"
Noah grinned.
"Nothing."
"That's a lie."
"It's not."
"It absolutely is."
Noah placed a hand over his heart.
"You wound me."
Aiden kept walking.
"I'll survive."
Noah laughed. Then pulled out his phone.
"Aiden."
"No."
"You don't even know what I'm going to say."
"I don't need to."
"You should."
"No."
"Aiden."
"What?"
Noah shoved the screen in front of his face. Aiden immediately stopped walking. Then groaned.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
Noah wasn't kidding. Unfortunately. Someone had created a poll. A school-wide poll. And the title was
"How Long Until Aiden Scott Finally Asks Mia Out?"
Aiden closed his eyes. Slowly. Painfully. Like a man accepting defeat.
"Noah."
"Yeah?"
"I hate this school."
The poll had hundreds of votes. Hundreds.
One option read:
By the end of the week.
Another read:
By the end of the month.
Someone had even added:
He's too scared.
That option currently had the most votes. Aiden looked offended.
"I am not scared."
Noah immediately started laughing.
"Sure."
"I mean it."
"Sure."
"I do."
"Sure."
Aiden wanted a new best friend. Things somehow got worse when Mia found out. Which happened approximately ten minutes later. Because Sophie existed.
"Mia!"
Mia looked up from her notebook. Sophie practically threw her phone onto the desk.
"Look."
Mia looked. Then immediately covered her face.
"Oh my God."
"Right?"
"Oh my God."
"RIGHT?"
Across the room, Aiden was having the exact same reaction. The entire class was insufferable. Everywhere they looked, someone was smiling. Or whispering. Or looking suspiciously interested. At one point, the teacher even looked confused.
"Why is everyone so distracted today?"
Nobody answered. Because nobody wanted to explain. During break, Aiden escaped to the courtyard. At least that had been the plan. Unfortunately, Mia was already there. Sitting beneath a tree. Reading. For a moment, neither spoke. Then Mia looked up. And immediately started laughing. Aiden pointed at her.
"Don't."
"I'm sorry."
"No, you're not."
"I'm really not."
Aiden sighed. Then sat beside her. Not too close. Not too far. Just enough. For a few minutes, they sat quietly. A comfortable silence. The kind that only happened when two people genuinely enjoyed being around each other. Eventually, Mia closed her book.
"So."
"So?"
"The poll."
Aiden groaned.
"Can we pretend it doesn't exist?"
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
Aiden dropped his head back dramatically.
"The universe hates me."
Mia smiled.
"I thought the universe hated us."
"Good point."
A comfortable silence returned. Birds chirped. Students laughed in the distance. The afternoon sun warmed the courtyard. Then Mia spoke again.
"Aiden?"
"Yeah?"
Her smile softened. Just slightly.
"Why haven't you dated anyone this year?"
Aiden blinked. That question had come completely out of nowhere.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Aiden looked away. Suddenly interested in a random tree. Mia noticed. Which meant she also noticed the faint pink appearing on his ears. Interesting. Very interesting.
"Aiden."
"What?"
"You didn't answer."
He sighed. Because apparently the universe wasn't done torturing him today.
"I just didn't feel like it."
Mia narrowed her eyes.
"That's not the real answer."
Aiden groaned. Again. She was getting way too good at reading him. Before he could think of an excuse, Noah appeared. Running. For absolutely no reason.
"THERE YOU ARE."
Both jumped. Noah stopped in front of them. Breathing dramatically. Like he'd just finished a marathon.
"What?"
Noah pointed at Aiden. Then at Mia. Then smiled. A very dangerous smile.
"Oh no."
Aiden immediately knew that smile. It never led anywhere good. Noah clapped his hands together.
"I have an idea."
"No."
"You haven't heard it yet."
"I don't need to."
"It's a great idea."
"It's not."
"It is."
"It isn't."
"It is."
Mia was already laughing. Noah ignored both of them.
"Here's the bet."
Aiden stood up.
"No."
"If neither of you confesses by the end of next week-"
"Noah."
"Then-"
"NOAH."
"You both owe me lunch."
Silence. Complete silence. Then Mia laughed so hard she nearly dropped her book. Aiden looked like he wanted to disappear.
"You are insane."
"Maybe."
"This is ridiculous."
"Probably."
"You can't make a bet about that."
"I just did."
Aiden stared at him. Noah stared back. Completely serious. For almost three seconds. Then he started laughing again. The bell rang before anyone could continue arguing. Students began heading back inside. Mia stood up. Still smiling. Still trying not to laugh. Aiden pointed at Noah.
"This isn't over."
Noah grinned.
"It absolutely is."
As they walked back toward class, Mia glanced sideways at Aiden.
"A lunch bet?"
"I know."
"That's honestly kind of funny."
"It isn't."
"It is."
"It really isn't."
Mia laughed again. And for some reason, hearing her laugh made it impossible for Aiden to stay annoyed. That night, both of them found themselves thinking about the same thing. Not the poll. Not the rumors. Not even Noah's ridiculous bet. Just one question. The same question. The one neither of them had managed to ask. The one that kept getting interrupted. The one getting harder and harder to avoid. Because sooner or later... One of them was going to say it. And when that happened... Everything would change.