[im Sorry I've been working on other things I've got like 22983773 Things I've directed my attention to there's like smoke rings and the a-team and the rest of this and AaaAAAAAA I'm so unorganized also??? I never do my notes. It's 9:30 pm and I'm doing 32 pages worth of notes on the water supply to the world and its issues. Don't procrastinate like me.]

To: Pete
I need help

From: Pete
Oh my god What I'm busy

To: Pete
He's still on my trail

From: Pete
Wtf are you doing to him

To: Pete
N o t h i n g

From: Pete
Well Obviously you're doing something

To: Pete
If I knew I'd have quit believe me

To: Pete
I think he gave me pneumonia however that would  work and I also have reason to believe he convinced a drug sniffing dog to try to bust me for drugs I didn't have

From: Pete
You don't even do drugs

To: Pete
Exactly

From: Pete
Look dude I'm just telling you. The bet is off you don't have to do anything.

To: Pete
I do what I want. I've come too far to do nothing. I took the time to get him and everything has to fall into place.

To: Pete
At the Very least I'm gonna keep him. Idk about the plan?? I might ditch it now that I think about it.

From: Pete
You're putting everything on the line and it's not smart trust me

From: Pete
I really don't think you should try anything

From: Pete
And words going around that Carmen is going to literally try to kill you. Like with her car. She means business.

To: Pete
Wtf where'd you hear that

From: Pete
I have my sources don't question me??

From: Pete
And also one way or another, ur lowkey bf is gonna find out he was a bet at first and you didn't even have any genuine intentions with him romantically until recently. And by recently I mean like when you texted me about it for the first time. That's when I assumed it really sparked?

From: Pete
Like dude. This is gonna fuck you up.

"Do you wanna go get some pizza?" Dallon hopped down the last few steps of the stairs, pulling on the leather jacket with one hand while trying to text with the other. "My parents aren't going to be home on time to make dinner. They're both working late tonight, I guess."

I nodded and rolled off the couch, and while I was on the floor I shot back one last text to Pete.

To: Pete
He won't find out.

🖍🖍🖍

It was finally cold out. We were nearing Christmas, almost two weeks away from the beginning of break, and as long as I could remember the temperature had maintained a steady seventy-five degrees. Some days, I'd even worn short sleeve shirts.

Needless to say, it made both of us happy to search for huge jackets and any windbreakers stowed away in the coat closet underneath the staircase.

"Y'know, it's only fifty-two degrees out—"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I don't care. It's cold in my book. It's December. Just turn on the cold air so I can shiver and lose weight." I flipped the air conditioning system to freezing as soon as I'd clicked my seatbelt in, and aimed the vents at us.

"Shivering does not shave off pounds. I don't see how blasting cold would make you thinner and healthier."

"There was a scientific study conducted that concluded shivering burns more calories than sweating does. It's science now, loser."

Dallon stared at me for a second like I was a madman, and he had every right to. In the middle of December, I'd tried to make it even colder than it actually was, and then told him I was going to shake off the weight I didn't need to lose. My mom would've thrown me out of the vehicle if I'd tried to do that with her in the driver's seat instead. She hated cold weather, and me as well. "You are so lucky your face looks like that."

I smiled and he started the car, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning between the seats to ensure that he wouldn't accidentally back into the garbage cans again. Sometimes, he liked to put the car in reverse without checking the position of his surroundings.

He couldn't find out. There was nobody that knew that could tell him, and even if they did, he probably wouldn't even believe them. I'd be able to deny it and hide it all so he wouldn't know.

Of course I was going to try and pull off my plan; I wasn't exactly sure what it was yet, but it was going to be perfect. The only issue was that I actually had gotten something out of the process, and I really didn't want to let it go. I couldn't let the chunk of gold slip back into the river, then I'd never get it back. What would I do then?

Probably cry, which sounded really sad, but was definitely true.

"Can we not get pizza?"

Dallon had pulled to a gentle stop at the intersection. The curious frown on his face was bathed in red from the light. "Where do you want to go, then? Why don't you want pizza anymore? Did you just change your mind, or...?"

I shrugged. "I'm just tired. I'm not even hungry right now," — maybe he wanted food, and that's why we were going — "but if you really want pizza, I'll suffer for you."

The light turned green, and instead of driving down the street to the next block with all the good restaurants, he turned around and we started to head home. "I mainly wanted to go because pizza always cheers you up. Sonic is on the other side of town, and Luau is closer because someone dropped one of the flaming torches, so pizza was the next best thing."

"So... we aren't getting pizza?"

"Unless you've changed your mind again in the last three seconds, we are not getting pizza. I don't know what we'll eat, but it won't be tomato sauce and cheese baked on a circle of dough."

I hadn't switched my decision for another time. "Thanks."

It took him a few minutes to respond again. He was pretty focused on the orange lights we kept slipping through just in time. "For what? It's nothing special, y'know."

Once, I told my mom I didn't want to go with her to Target halfway through the drive, and she yelled at me for ten minutes about how I was such a jerk whenever it came to doing things with her. In my defense, I was a squirrelly nine year old. But in her defense, I really was a jerk that complained about every little thing and never wanted to do things with my parents. So people altering their plans to fit what I preferred was almost unheard of. The most Pete had ever really done was changing the times and bringing soda for me.

"For bring you," I said, "and, like, not hating me and giving me a chance."

We drove past the street leading to his house after a few twists and turns. I guess we weren't going home. "Hate you? I think I kinda like you. I'm giving up a whole pizza for you." He gave me a quick reassuring squeeze on the shoulder before bringing both hands back to the steering wheel.

God.

I couldn't pull off any plan anymore.

I couldn't lose him.