18 | Don't Flatter Yourself

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I couldn't find Finn again on Friday to apologize, so by Sunday I was a bundle of nerves

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I couldn't find Finn again on Friday to apologize, so by Sunday I was a bundle of nerves. It was mid-afternoon when I finally got too fidgety to ignore the situation any longer and picked up my phone, clicking on the chat I had with Finn for the fifth time since breakfast.

This time I finally decided to swallow my pride, typing out a quick message and hitting send before I could change my mind.

You were right, okay? I'm sorry. It's your campaign. Do you still want my help?

I set my phone face down next to me on the mattress, staring at the ceiling of my bedroom and pretending like I wasn't waiting for the familiar notification tone to ring out. I flinched when my ringtone played a minute later, sitting up to answer the phone.

Finn spoke before I could even say hello. "I never wanted your help in the first place, Princess. I seem to remember you coming to me."

His words were harsh but playful, and I couldn't help but smile with relief at his relaxed tone. "Are you gonna let me help or not?"

"Well, my schedule is open for the day... what was your next move?"

"Flyers," I answered, standing and stretching slightly before walking over to the grey desk in the corner of my room. My binder was on top, and I quickly flipped open to the page I'd been reading to him on Friday. "It was why I wanted to get your promises sorted out, so we could pass out flyers with all your plans."

"You don't think my promises are good enough?" His voice insinuated he already knew the answer.

I turned to lean against the table, facing the window. Light leaked in between the white curtains, basking the blush-colored room in a warm afternoon glow. "Why don't we make it fifty-fifty?" I suggested. "Half serious, half... Finn. We reel in both crowds that way."

There was a beat of silence before he spoke again. "Yeah, okay. But only because I know it burned your ego to make that offer. You wanna come over?"

If I was being honest, just the idea of going to Finn's house was enough to make me tense. I was worried that things could end in another fight, but this time, neither of us would have anywhere to storm off to. Plus, I was never a fan of playing on the other team's turf— working at his place gave him the upper hand.

"What?" he prodded the silence. "Scared to see how the other half lives?"

"Text me your address," I said, heading across the room to grab my bag. "See you in a few."

I didn't know why I let him do that— it was obvious I was playing right into his hand, and it was obvious that he knew it, even if I tried my best to make it look like a power move. For all our differences, I was starting to see that Finn and I had things in common, too. He could read people with a single glance, and he always seemed to know exactly how to get what he wanted. And whether he would admit it or not, we both had images to uphold. 

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