Hearts ✓

Six 💕

You can't plan what happens, and you can't change the clock to do so, sorry.

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After being taken back home from our little expedition to a forest I know how to get to, but don't know the name of, I was in no hesitation to head back to sleep.

Except for one tiny little detail. I just couldn't sleep.

My head was throbbing, but not from a regular headache, or a migraine, but from an overload of thoughts from the dare. I was in desperate condition and needed to know the real Jake before I ended up falling for a hoax.

Boys at Narven High were gifted with the ability to act nice when it was the last thing they wanted to say. In other words, they were masters at being fake.

The more I thought about it, the more my head throbbed. I put the back of my palm to my head. No fever.

Eventually, I decided that I needed to tell someone everything. I needed to get it out of my system. I had debated calling Ally and Elliot, but after figuring out that they couldn't really help much, even if it were to the best of their abilities, I ended up calling the one person I knew could help, and willingly do so: Lauren.

As usual, another flustered Lauren ended up at my front door. Still sweaty from her running gear, she ended up using half my newly bought bottle of deodorant in exchange for her expert advice.

I had told her everything that had happened in the past week, and it was a lot. So much she took it upon herself to raid my fridge from its collection of sweets.

Then I told her about him getting through phase one, and her facial expression froze. Like she was debating what to ask.

Finally, after finishing the bar of Twix in her hand, she threw the wrapper in the bin and began talking again.

"So you're saying he got through face one."

My face was filled with guilt. This wasn't what I planned, but then really nothing was planned anyway. "Oops." was all I managed to mutter before falling into a stance.

Lauren snapped me back to reality. "Callie." I jumped in surprise. "That doesn't matter. What matters if he knows."

"Well, as far as I know, he doesn't know." I start. "But then again, these boys are better at this game then I can ever imagine. So the chances of him knowing are high."

"Only one way to find out."

"Which is?" I grab the last bar of Twix from her.

"You wait." She smiles. "You act normal, and if he starts to proceed to phase two, then you know he knows."

"Okay." I breathe.

"If he doesn't know, then just act normal," She squints. "If he does, then try to put him back to phase one."

"What?" I half-scream. "Is that even possible?"

"Oh, Callie." She laughs. "It's possible, just very unlikely."

I frantically shake my hands as I attempt at controlling my breathing. I place two fingers on my wrist to check my pulse.

"Cals, relax."

"Okay. You're right. I got this." I reassure myself. "Thanks, Lauren."

"Actually, I have you to thank." She winks. "You're saving me from this depressive aftermath of Will."

"You'll be fine, your stronger than a boy from Narven."

"I know."

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Monday mornings are my sworn enemy. I feel like I'm in a movie, wherein the protagonist dreadfully lugs around his or her bag around the school for the first hour of school, nearly falls asleep during class, and feels as if Monday morning is out there to hurt them. At least they had happy endings.

I sigh as I see Jake leaning on my locker, time to see if he knows.

"Get off my locker." I groan with my tired eyes and very much present, snarky attitude.

"Make me." He challenges playfully. "Loser has to buy the winner a Starbucks drink after school."

I felt the words replaying in my head. He knew. From that one sentence, I knew that he knew. I was so, so stupid. I mentally cursed myself and did a very mean shove to my virtual self. These boys were so much trouble.

Please let the clock rewind enough for me to just stay at home and wrap myself in my blanket. I waited three seconds for the clock to do so. It didn't

So now, I was stuck with a boy who was certainly going to win the bet and had no plan of letting me crush his plans.

Instead, I had decided I was neither playing to be the winner or the loser. This has gone too far already as it is. In my mind, I had decided that using my English notebook for science was going to be fine. With that, I headed off without a word.

I couldn't have a second chance at the past week. There were no redo buttons, the one with an icon of an arrow pointing back to reverse everything that's already happened to the day I met him on my porch.

But there was one thing I could do. One thing possible.

I could put him back a phase. That is if we weren't friends.

But a little part of me wanted to be friends.

Because that's how the bet works. No matter how much a girl want's to win, she'll always find a reason to keep going along with it, until it's too late.

My next choices have to be chosen carefully in the next few days. Because my fate depends on it.