First Comes Like #Wattys2020

8

EIGHT

Macey and I. After school. My room.

We're both on our phones, not talking to each other. The Double Tap app is open on my phone and I'm patiently waiting for it to be 6:00. Mr Daniel said that the app will be officially open for use then. I'm a little excited.

OK. A lot excited.

There's just the thrill that I have no idea who my match is, yet that person shares basically all my interests. It could be the boy who sits behind me in English. Oh God. It could be Cole.

Sigh. Cole.

"Hey Val." Macey says, her voice a bit muffled because her chin is on my pillow. "I just text Gat."

I sit up and stare at her. "Really? Saying what?"

"You know. I told him that we should sign up for the app. To see if we get matched up."

"Mace-" I start. That sounds like a recipe for disaster. It sounds like a freaking Break Up Formula. Literally, a formula to break up. "Don't."

"No Val." Macey says firmly, "I'm not changing my mind. If we get matched up then, perfect! If we don't then... I'll think about it." She looks away from me and back at her phone.

"Fine." I say. Because there's just no arguing with Macey once she's made up her mind.

***

At 6:00, Macey and I fill in all our info on the app. At 6:10, the words 'The app is working its magic...' still twinkle on the screen. I wish it didn't have to take so long.

At 6:15, there's a knock on my door. Dean's body occupies my whole door frame.

"You called?"

I roll my eyes at him. "No. I didn't call. Who let you in anyway?" Almost instantly, Nina's curly head disappears from behind Dean.

Figures.

Dean steps inside my room and waves the glittery calendar in the air. "We have to work on this, remember? I'd prefer if we could just do it now and then avoid each other for the rest of the week." He says looking at a photo of Macey and me on my desk.

"And I'd prefer if I could postpone seeing you for as long as possible." Dean makes a humph sound, but doesn't leave. "Go home Pinkette." I say. 

He checks himself out in my mirror and flexes his muscles a bit. A pillow comes flying at his head from my hand. I didn't even think about doing that.

See? I even subconsciously hate Dean.

The pillow comes flying back into my face.

Oomph.

"Fine." Dean says as he leaves (finally), "I'll be talking to the hot girl I got matched up with."

"He got matched?" Macey squeals and I'm thinking the same thing.

As if on cue, my phone and Macey's ding simultaneously. I grab my phone and look at the screen.

'You've been matched!' sparkles over a heart. I double tap. I already have one new message.

Hey

Eeeeep!

"He said hey!" I tell Macey as I type back.

"Nice!" she says, "Mine hasn't said anything. I think I'm going to send the first message."

My match responds almost immediately: What's up?

Nothing much. You?

Same.

He starts typing but apparently changes his mind. He doesn't say anything after that. Mace and Iie in silence both not talking to our matches. It's kind of disappointing. I thought that our first conversation would be witty and exciting, but neither of us knows what to say next. At least, I don't.

What if my match just doesn't want to talk to me? What if we don't click? What happens when you don't like your match?

I didn't even think about that and it's something that could happen. Maybe Dean was right. Maybe it isn't all about what you have in common with a person. There are other things that make you like them.

"Hey, Macey?" I say.

"Yeah?"

"Why doesn't Cole talk to me?"

Macey's quiet for a while, then, "He probably wants to." she says, "Maybe you're too pretty. Maybe you make him nervous."

"Too pretty? You're saying I need to look less attractive?"

"That's what you need to do." says not-Macey.

I look up and find Dean back in the doorway. I'm about to give him one of those 'Go home Pinkette' s I save just for him but he speaks again.

"I was helping Nina with her assignment and I was on my way out." he says defensively, "And I overheard."

I'm not buying it. It's written all over my face.

"Seriously Blythe?" Dean says, shifting the glittery calendar from one hand to another and raising an eyebrow. "What? You think I was hanging around, listening to your conversation?" He gives me a pointed look, "Please. I'd rather have tea with Ms Justin."

OK. So he wasn't eavesdropping. "Can I come in?" Dean asks casually. I sigh. He already heard, and besides, he's a guy. He would know about these things.

"Fine."

Dean plops down next to Macey on my bed. "So, yeah, you need to dress down." He make air quotation marks with his fingers when he says 'dress down'. "That should be easy for you, it's not like you dress that nicely in the first place."

Macey flicks him with her finger so I don't have to, but I still glare at him.

"I'm joking." Dean says, "Anyway, I know guys who prefer to look at a pretty girl from a distance because he's scared that he'll mess up if he approaches her and ruin his chances."

"Well his chances are already ruined if he never plans to approach her." I say, "I mean, what does he plan to do, write her a letter asking her to meet him in the auditorium after school?"

Dean looks amused as he shrugs. "I don't know. That doesn't happen to me."

I roll my eyes. Of course not.

"What am I supposed to wear?"

Dean shrugs again. "Some that makes him see you as just another human being. You know, ith a pretty face and lady parts."

Dean called me pretty? What?

Macey laughs. "Wear that hideous sweater your Dad got you."

I shoo Dean out and change into a dull and an over over-sized red sweater my Dad bought me but I've been too nervous to say I hate leggings and sneakers. I wrap my hair into the messiest messy bun ever. I honestly look terrible.

Macey laughs that crazy snorting laugh of hers.

"This is crazy." I say. I open the door so Dean can see.

From the doorway, he cocks his head at me. "If he still can't approach you in that." Dean scrunches his nose. "Then he has a serious problem."

"Agreed." says Macey.

I take one last look at myself in the mirror. I hope this works. I can't afford another embarrassing Cole moment.