3:30pm

9: deal

<I wish my heart was made of stone, yeah>

°•°•°•°

Dear Diary,

Today, the 28th of September, 2019, I got kissed by Brent Lockwood. Brent, fucking, Lockwood. I can still recall what he tasted like. Coffee. Not black. Excess sugar. The feeling of his lips on mine.

It's been almost two years since I'd been kissed. By Stephen. So I had to admit, it felt weird. And it all just happened so fast and for the rest of the day I felt so guilty. Felt like I'd betrayed Stephen. Felt like I was cheating on him.

He explained things, Brent. Said there were no feelings attached to the kiss we'd shared and that he'd only done it to get back at his girlfriend, Bree. But none of it mattered because all I could think of then was Stephen.

But here's the bottom line. What if I took his offer?

I stopped, dropped my black ballpoint pen and flexed my fingers before cracking my knuckles.

The music in the background, from my father's old boombox I'd placed on top of my dresser earlier, Diamond Heart, helped ease the tension in my head. Helped me think.

What if I took his offer? I mean, I really need a tutor. My Calculus grades are going to shit, for real. And there are no feelings attached right? So on the inside, we'd relate just as friends, keeping it PG 13, but on the outside, to everyone, we'd be dating, till whenever I decide I've learnt enough Calculus to help me graduate and keep me out of Mr Cunningham's black book (preferably by Christmas). Still keeping it PG 13.

What about Stephen, you might ask. I already have it figured out. At school tomorrow, I'm going to tell him about it. He might not like it, but I've got a failsafe incase he doesn't. I'm also going to tell him that I still have feelings for him and as soon as the whole Brent and me thingy dies off, and it would, before Christmas, we can be together again.

I stopped again and picked up the coin I had placed beside my diary before I began writing.

In my hand is a coin. I'm gonna do a coin toss. Heads for calling Brent now (I can get his number from his Telegram) and telling him that I accept his offer. Tails for leaving it till tomorrow. Here goes nothing.

I flipped the coin, caught it in the palm of my right hand and opened my hand to see what it was.

Crap. It's heads. Here goes another nothing.

I dropped my pen, stood up and went over to my charging phone. Unplugging it, I turned it on, only to see two missed calls from an unknown number.

Unknown number? I chewed on my lower lip, frowning. Who could it be?

As I was contemplating whether I should ring back or not, the phone buzzed in my palm, the caller the same unknown number.

I picked the call and put the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Hey, Cleo. It's me, Brent." His voice came back to me, low and quiet.

"Brent?" I walked over to my bed and plopped down. "How did you get my number?"