I'm already pleasantly surprised by how well my trading game is going. When I originally came up with the idea, I hoped it would work. But I didn't expect it to blow up like it has. It's only been two weeks since I started, and my channel is already sitting at almost 10,000 followers. Every day I get emails from people suggesting trades. But most of them are out of my area and seeing as I'm on a bit of a time crunch, I decide to keep the trades within the Coeur d'Alene/Spokane area. Right now I'm in Post Falls at the Falls Park waiting to make my second trade.

Keke is with me, and since we're meeting up with a guy this time, Vale insisted that Tyler join us for the trade. He wanted to come himself, but he couldn't get out of his shift at the restaurant. So here we are, Keke, Tyler, and myself, sitting on the old merry-go-round waiting for our trader. Keke is fiddling with her phone, getting ready to start recording for when our guy, known only as Coolhands13, finally arrives with the Live, Laugh, Love wall decoration he's trading for the Write-in-the-Rain.

"So what's the story with this guy?" Ty asks as he gently kicks the ground, spinning the merry-go-round ever so slightly. Keke and I both give him inquisitive looks. "I mean, do you know anything about him? What's he trading for the notebook thing?"

Keke turns back to her phone, leaving me to answer Tyler's questions. "Well, he told me had a Live, Laugh, Love wall decoration thing he could trade for it. Said he picked it up at a yard sale for his ex-girlfriend right before he caught her cheating."

"So this is a revenge trade?" Tyler asks, and I can hear the humor in his voice. I don't blame him. Even I have to admit that it's a little funny to think about.

"It's definitely a revenge trade," a voice says behind us, and all three of us whip our heads around to see a guy in his early-twenties heading our way. His blonde hair is so short that he almost looks bald, but he's super tall. Well over 6'3, which is how tall Tyler is. The guy approaches us, Live, Laugh, Love wall decoration in his hands. Then he sets it gently on the ground and holds his hand out to us. "Hey. Name's Paul."

Tyler and I shake his hand, introducing ourselves to this total stranger. But when it's Keke's turn, she doesn't even bother looking up when she says, "Hey, so do you have any problems being on camera? Last trade we made didn't want to be filmed. Just getting a feel for how this is going to work."

Paul gives her a tiny smile just as my Keke glances up at him at last, and I see her cheeks redden ever so slightly. "I don't mind being filmed. In fact, I was kind of banking on it." He turns back to me and says, "My ex was a big fan of these trading things. Always talked about doing it herself, but never did. I'm kind of hoping she'll see this video and realize what a total asshole she was for cheating on me with my friend."

Ouch. That part of the story I didn't know. I turn to Keke, unsure of whether we should go through with this trade. But she's not even looking at me. It's funny, seeing her this way. Usually whenever she's working on a project, she's in full videographer/producer mode. But something about this guy has her all flustered in a way I've never seen her before. It's kind of cute.

"Um," she says, and I can tell she's trying to pull herself together. She looks down at her phone, like it's a foreign object she just found on the ground and has no idea how to use, before saying, "Okay, so I guess we should just start. Ready?"

"Ready," I say, giving her a thumbs up. A few seconds go by as she fumbles with her phone. And then I hear the beep of the record button, and I know I'm being filmed. "Hello, hello, hello," I chirp out, and I'm pleased to find I feel a little less awkward about being filmed this time than I did last time. Maybe this will work after all. "Gen here at the Falls Park in Post Falls, Idaho with Paul." Keke pans the camera at Paul, who waves enthusiastically. I see Keke bite her lip behind the camera. "You want to tell us a bit about yourself, Paul?"

He nods his head. "Sure thing, Gen. So I saw your last video about wanting to trade for a Write-in-the-Rain notebook. I've had a few of those over the years, and they always work out well. Especially in my line of work. I'm a landscaper, so I'm outside a lot. You'd be amazed at how many of my notebooks have been ruined by the rain over the years."

"And what are you trading for?" I ask, trying to keep the conversation going.

Paul lifts up the Live, Laugh, Love decoration. "I brought this. Bought it for my ex-girlfriend's apartment last month before I caught her cheating on me with my friend." He leans down and waves into the camera. "Shout out to Ben. Hope you're enjoying my sloppy seconds, buddy."

Tyler laughs on the merry-go-round, and I find myself even cracking a tiny smile. We make the trade, I thank Paul for coming out, and I tell everyone how to get ahold of me if they want to trade something for the wall decoration. Then I say my little outro Keke and I came up with together, and that's it. Cut. End of video.

I lift the wall decoration up and examine it for the first time. It's cute. Definitely a step up from the notebook. "Thank you so much, Paul. Seriously, this is so great."

He gives me another smile as he shrugs his shoulders casually. "No problem. I hope you get what you need to get into that school. And sorry for the sloppy seconds comment. You can edit that out if you want. I don't know. I kind of just needed to say it, but I know how dickish it sounded. I swear, I'm not usually like that. It just really fucked me up, you know? Ben was my best friend. We've known each other since we were in middle school. And I needed to get it off my chest to someone. So thanks for that, I guess."

Paul hangs out with us for a bit as we talk about his plans for the notebook and my plans for school. I keep hoping Keke will chime in, because she's obviously into this guy. But she's as quiet as one of those old silent films she's always going on about. And when Paul leaves an hour later, I can see her watching him leave with longing in her brown eyes. Ugh, I can't stand it. It's too painful.

"Hey Paul," I call out, and he turns back around. "My friend here is obviously too shy to ask, so I'm going to do it for her. Can she get your number?"

Paul stares at me for a second, and then turns to look at Keke, who has just turned fifty shades of pink. Then he gives her a dashing smile, pulls a pen out of his pocket, and writes his name and number on a page of the notebook he just got. He tears the page out and hands it to Keke. "It was great meeting you..." he says, and then he hesitates, not knowing her actual name.

She just stares at him, not getting the hint. I roll my eyes. God, she's worse at this than I am. I nudge her in the shoulder hard, forcing her to finally speak. "Keke. My name is Keke."

Paul grins. "It was great meeting you, Keke," he says with a little wink, and I swear I see my friend melt into the ground. We all watch as Paul walks away, heading back up the hill and out of our sight.

The three of us are quiet for a few seconds as we stare at the last place we saw Paul. And then Tyler smirks and says, "Looks like our Keke has a crush. Never thought I'd see the day."

These words are what snaps Keke out of whatever spell she's under. Her head snaps in my direction, and I see what looks like anger in her soft brown eyes. "I can't believe you just did that! Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

It's taking everything in me not to burst out laughing. Instead, I just grin at her, point to the torn-out notebook paper in her hand, and say, "It worked, didn't it? You got his number!"

"That's... not the point!" Keke yells, seemingly stumbling over her words. But then her eyes look down at the phone number in her hand, and I catch a hint of a smile. "I can't believe he gave me his number though. Like, he doesn't even know me. Honestly, I don't even know him."

"It's one hell of a meet cute though, right?" I ask, not even bothering to hide my own smile anymore. "I mean, you literally met him during an act of revenge against his cheating ex. Seriously, how hilarious is that?"

"Almost as hilarious as you getting the number for her," Tyler says. "What the hell's come over you lately, Gen? Seriously, that was the most outspoken I think I've ever seen you."

He's not wrong. Getting Paul's number for Keke was totally out of the norm for me. But lately, I've been feeling so much more confident. Like I can take on the world if I really wanted to. Maybe it has something to do with the growth of my channel. Or maybe it's the sweet nothings Vale whispers into my ears in the quiet hours of the night when it's just the two of us alone in his car. But I'm starting to feel like I can do anything. And damn, it feels amazing. Whatever water I've been drinking, I need to make sure I get more of it.

"Well, whatever's come over you," Keke says, pulling my attention back to the conversation. "Just know that payback is a bitch. And it's coming for you." She pockets Paul's number, and I hope she ends up calling it later. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I am absolutely starving, and I'm craving a meatball sub from Santorelli's."

A smile forms on my face as I intertwine my arm in hers. "Fine. My treat though. Take it as a peace offering."

Keke grins and rests her head on my shoulder as the three of us head up the little hill toward the parking lot. "Deal. But payback is still coming for you, Cross. Make no mistake about it. It'll get you."

Author's Note:
Well, well, well... looks like Keke has a tiny crush! What did you all think of this chapter? Should she call the hot trader guy from the park? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

This chapter took me FOREVER to write. But I have a bunch of chapters after this, so you'll probably see the next one sooner rather than later. Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts. Love you all, and I'll be back soon!
XOXO,
~Aly