Dear Diary, wait no, I don't like that.
Dear Reader,
Can't my life just be normal? I mean, come on! What did I ever do to the universe!
Zoe ran off to the bathroom crying after lunch.
Wanna know why?
She likes Jared.
I felt like a monster.
Of course, I value my friendship with Zoe way more than I like Jared. I told him that I have a friend who likes him and that I feel like I'm betraying her if I date him. He understood. And Zoe was very thankful.
It's one of my "being nice" goals to get them together now.
Sincerely,
Alice 😍
I closed the notebook I'd found in my moms old things.
It was blank, so now it's my journal. I hid it under a loose floorboard near my bed and layed down in my bed.
My phone, (a surprise from Dad this morning) blinked on.
It said,
TEXT FROM: Zoe
SUBJECT: Why I was crying
Alice, thanks for understanding. I know we just met but I already think of you as one of my best friends.
Stay cool
Zoe ☺️
I texted back
TO: Zoe
SUBJECT: your welcome
I think of you as a best friend too.
Sincerely,
Alice 😜
Then I fell asleep.
I woke up at 3 am. Walking to the kitchen to get a drink, I felt like I was being watched.
Sure enough, the mysterious boy from the woods was there again. But then I did a double take. It WAS the boy from the woods, but it was also Jerome.
I went out.
"So it was you watching me." I said.
"Yeah yeah. I needed to watch over you." He replied
"No, you did not." I said sternly
Suddenly he was an inch from my face.
"Alice," he whispered. "something really bad is going to happen, and I need to be here to protect you if you need it."
"What's going to happen?" I asked
He backed up and looked at the woods.
"There's a demon possessing people, and it's on it's way over." He said.
"Excuse me? That's a pretty lame excuse for stalking me."
"I'm not— ugh never mind. I'll see you tomorrow." He said. Then he walked into the woods, shaking his head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I was reading my book while waiting the half an hour for class to start.
I could feel the presence of someone else.
"What." I said. It was more of a statement than a question.
Demetri sat down in his chair.
"Nothing. How are things with you and Jared?"
I snorted. "Yeah, that ended the day it started."
"Oh. Why." He asked.
I still refused to make eye contact.
"I have a friend who likes him." I replied like it was the most said thing in the world.
"Zoe?"
"No." I wasn't giving out her secrets.
"Skyler?"
"No."
"Em-" I cut him off.
"Demetri, even though I love playing this guessing game with you, I think you should go bother some other girl who hates you." I felt mean for saying it, but if it made him go away....
"You don't hate me." He said. "You just like to think you do."
I looked at him.
"I'm trying to read."
"You'll come to me looking for help one day, and I'll help you. I forgive you." And he walked off.
You can just start calling me Awful Alice.