Red Heart

*|| Lovely Weather ||*

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🐱 BEFORE YOU READ: 🐱

Song to listen to for this part: Drew Barrymore by Bryce Vine

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Gazing out of the passenger window, I release a heavy sigh, my head resting against the seatbelt pressing against my neck. I tried to distract myself with thoughts of the future and life's big questions, but who was I kidding? My mind was consumed by one thing: Red. I couldn't shake the nervous fluttering in my stomach at the thought of opening his snap. What if he got the wrong idea? What if he thought I was some sort of crazed stalker? But no, I couldn't possibly be obsessed with a guy I barely know, right? Okay, okay, you can stop laughing now.

"Hey Sophie, how about Whataburger? I'm feeling it." My dad grins pulling into the parking lot of the Whataburger.

"Not giving me much of a choice here Dad." I roll my eyes but smile while I'm doing it.

"That's my girl."

As we stroll into Whataburger, it's pretty late, like around 10:30 pm, but what I see catches me off guard. Red's chilling in the back booth surrounded by his entourage of friends. Normally, when you spot someone from school, you might try to duck out of sight, but not me. Nope, I'm feeling bold tonight, ready to seize the moment. But then it hits me – I haven't even replied to his snap yet. Talk about awkward. Is he thinking I'm playing hard to get or just don't care? The uncertainty's killing me, adding a whole new layer of drama to the night.

"You alright?" My dad looks back behind himself directly at me.

"Oh, no yeah I'm fine." I smiled up at him.

"I find that hard to believe now that I've asked you around 3 times what you wanted." He rolls his eyes at me.

The cashier is staring at me with bold eyes, tapping her nails against the counter. Looks like she's ready for her shift to be over.

"Just a large fry with ketchup and a drink please," I order for myself.

As I wrap up my sentence, I sneak another glance at Red's table. There's Red, looking as hot as ever, surrounded by Ryan, Jack, and Max, all big-time basketball players. But wait, who's that mystery guy across from them? With his dark brown hair and towering presence, he stands out from the crowd. His tan is a shade darker than Red's, and he's wearing a white graphic tee that hints at his laid-back vibe. Who is he, and why haven't I seen him around before? The intrigue is real.

"I'll get a double cheeseburger with extra pickles and some spicey ketchup." My Dad ordered, pulling out a wallet from his pocket.

I grabbed my drink cup from the register counter and continued over to the fountain drinks. My dad walks over and hands me his cup.

"Hey, could you make me a water, I'm gonna go hit the restroom real quick." He turns around.

"Sure, why not." I fill my cup with Sprite.

Just as I set my drink down to fill up my Dad's, the mystery man is right behind me, waiting.

"Oh, you don't have to wait for me, I'm just getting water," I say, not even turning around.

Not even knowing I was going to be presented to a group of boys I'm wearing my black leggings, a big sweatshirt with the print "Alaska" on it, and slides.

"Nah, that's alright I've got time." He replies with a deep musky voice, that's just perfect enough to give me chills.

I turned around to be hovered over by the perfect body of the man who had been behind me. Brown eyes, thin lips, a tight jaw, and long legs. Boy, Red do we have some competition.

"Cameron Dwayer, nice to meet you." He gives me a quick salute and then slips past me to refill his drink with Dr.Pepper.

"Sophia," I reply, giving a soft smile while holding both drinks in my hands.

"Well, Sophia, If you'd like you can come sit with me and my friends, we're all just hanging out. I've seen you around school, so I know you're chill." He gestures his hand towards their booth in the back.

All the boys are shifting and turning their heads. I can't tell if they're welcoming me, or telling me to stay away. Just before giving a certain answer to Cameron, my dad walks up behind me.

"Hey, who's this?" My Dad turns his head and sternly looks at Cameron, and then at all the boys sitting in the back.

"Guy from my school, Cameron." I give a weak smile, and then turn back around to my dad.

How awkward is this... Every single one of the boys was staring at me.

"Let's go find a seat, Sophie." He replies, not even acknowledging Cameron.

Dragging myself to our table felt like trudging through a cringe-worthy swamp. Dad just had to pick the spot farthest from the boys, didn't he? I shoot a quick look at Cameron as he ambles back to his crew. Sitting across from my father, I plunk down both drinks, silently scheming my next move.

"Dad, not cool." I sigh, placing both of my elbows on the table, and bring my hands to my face.

The only thing good about today is the fact Red added me, and that my eyelashes are on fleek.

"I was doing you a favor. I know the difference between a good and not-so-good high-school boy." He looks at me with a plain face.

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🐱 BEFORE CONTINUING: 🐱
Song to listen to for this part: Boyfriends by Grace VanderWaal
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The rest of dinner was a total snooze fest. The boys bolted right after we got our food, leaving me and Dad in awkward silence. Like, seriously, could it get any more awkward? And the car ride home? Let's just say it was quieter than a classroom during finals week. And it's not like I did anything wrong! Dad's the one who made things super weird. He's this tall, kinda graying military dude who's all about hunting and fishing. Yeah, we butt heads sometimes, but I still love the guy. He's made my life way better, even if he's a tad too picky about who I date. Mom's a bit more chill in that department, thank goodness. But as for me scoring a boyfriend? Who knows at this point? Ugh, I totally forgot to snap Red back...

Lounging in bed, I dive into Snapchat, eager to see what Red's been up to. His snap reveals a pic of him and his crew at Whataburger, including Cameron. Cute, right? I consider saving it in chat, but then I'm like, nah, that's too obvious. But hey, I already know what you're thinking.

Before snapping back, I touch up my makeup and give my hair a quick brush. But when it comes to sending a reply, I keep it low-key with a pic of just my tan shoulder. Subtle, yet intriguing, right?

After waiting forever for a response (okay, maybe just an hour), I decide to hit the shower since it's way past midnight. But as I'm drying off, I hear a faint buzzing from my room next door.

"Hmm," I murmur, slipping into a comfy oversized tee.

With the lights off and my family asleep, I tiptoe back to my room, only to find my phone buzzing with an unknown caller. Heart pounding, I answer the call, eager to see who's on the other end.

"Hello?" I say with a questioning voice.

"Hey, this is Cameron." The musky tired voice answers.