972 Unsent Texts

Julian got a dare. Phone check. Out of everyone in his contacts, who had he sent I like you to the most?

The most popular girl in class: 3 times.

Me: 972 times.

The cheering in the room died instantly. The most popular girl in class burst into tears.

Julian pulled out his phone and deleted my contact right in front of everyone. He smiled and coaxed her.

"Is this really worth crying over? You know it was just a casual fling for three months. Nothing I said to her meant a thing."

Those nine hundred plus "I like you" texts? Julian sent them to me when he was dead drunk.

He had crouched by the curb, refusing to let his friends pull him up. He just kept his head down, typing those three words to me over and over.

He had texted:

[Once I send 999 of these, the bet is off. We get together for real. Okay?]

Chapter 1

When Julian deleted my iMessage contact, he didn't look at me once.

The private room was eerily quiet. People exchanged complicated looks, sneaking glances at me. Peyton's sobs finally quieted down.

"Do do you really not like her at all?"

Julian wiped her tears. He let out a soft laugh.

"What are you talking about? I told you. It was a casual fling."

"Then why did you send her 'I like you' so many times Weren't you only together for three months?"

Julian froze for a fraction of a second. His tone flattened. "I was drunk. I don't really remember it."

Peyton was finally placated.

We were at the class president's birthday party. The atmosphere stayed dead for the rest of the night. We barely made it through cutting the cake before everyone made their excuses and bolted.

The restaurant wasn't far from my house. I walked back, thinking about those 972 texts.

He sent two of them right after we got together. The other 970 were all from the same day. The day Julian got drunk.

Back then, I didn't know he only dated me because of a dare. A bet between him and Peyton.

They were childhood friends. He liked her and had confessed to her multiple times. But Peyton thought Julian was too good-looking. It made her insecure.

So half a year ago, when Julian confessed to her again, she pointed randomly at me. The most invisible girl in class.

"Would you date someone for three months for me? You can't catch feelings, and you have to break up with her the second the time is up. If you can do that, I'll say yes to you."

The night Julian got drunk, we had been together for over two months.

One of his friends was scrolling through his phone at the dinner table, scoffing.

"What year is it? People still believe this garbage. Look at this. It says if you send 'I like you' to your crush 999 times in 15 minutes, you'll end up together."

Julian squeezed my hand. He took another sip of his drink. He looked completely unbothered.

But the moment we walked out of the restaurant, he crouched by the curb alone. His fingers flew across his screen. No one could pull him up.

I watched the texts pop up on my screen one after another. I crouched next to him, trying to coax him up.

"Let's go back, okay? The temperature is dropping. You're going to catch a cold in this wind."

"Why do you even believe something so childish? We're already together."

The bright green light of his screen reflected on his face. He stared at his phone with total focus, his fingers never stopping for a second.

Chapter 2

"Stella, once I send 999 of these in 15 minutes. The bet is off. We get together for real. Okay?"

I opened my mouth to ask what bet.

"What are you guys doing out here?"

For over ten minutes, no one could make Julian stop. The second that female voice rang out behind us, he froze.

The three words in Julian's text box never sent.

Peyton walked up. Her gaze flicked between Julian and me.

"Jules is just being a drunk mess," a guy said. "Nobody can talk sense into him."

"Good thing you're here. You two grew up together. You try."

Julian deleted the draft. The screen went black. The light reflecting in his eyes died with it.

He stood up, lowering his gaze. "I'm sober."

He smoothly dodged my hand reaching for his arm. "Let's go," he muttered to me. "I'll walk you home."

After that night, he never mentioned those 970 texts again. Like nothing ever happened.

Half a month later.

On my birthday, Julian broke up with me. He confessed to the bet.

I slapped him across the face.

He didn't even flinch. He just stood there with that bastard face of his and stated, "Slap me until you're satisfied. Then we're even."

The memory snapped shut as I reached my apartment building.

Julian stood a few feet away. His dark, bottomless eyes stared quietly at me from beneath his messy bangs.

We locked eyes for two seconds. He looked away.

"Oh. Went the wrong way."

I kept my mouth shut and walked past him.

"Stella."

The faint scent of mint smoke clung to his black hoodie. "That last phone call you made to me a month ago," he said, stopping me. "What did you want to say?"

I ignored the question. "We were even that day. Outside of school, it's best if we don't have any contact."

Julian let out a short laugh. "Right. We're just ordinary classmates with no way to contact each other now. Sorry to bother you, Stella."

His footsteps faded. The streetlights stretched his tall shadow across the pavement until it completely melted into the dark.

Getting dumped out of nowhere left me in a daze. I zoned out through most of my classes those next few days. My period came early. A heavy, dragging cramp settled in my lower stomach, pulling a blinding migraine out with it.

I dragged myself through after-school cleanup duty. By the time I finished, I was the only one left on the floor.

The pain forced me to collapse onto my desk. Muscle memory took over. I called Julian.

"Hello." Julian's familiar, clear voice came through.

A second later, Peyton's voice amplified through the speaker. "Stella, right?"

"Need something from Julian? He's right beside me. Go ahead and say it, he can hear you."

That slapped me completely awake.

I hung up on her. I pressed my face against the cold desk, enduring the pain until it numbed slightly, then forced myself to stand and leave.

The school security guard stared at me in surprise. "Someone's still here at this hour?"

I tried to pull up a smile. I failed.

The class president's birthday party was on Friday night. I assumed getting my iMessage deleted in public would bother me for a long time. In reality, I slept and forgot about it.

Monday morning.

I stopped at the coffee cart near school for my usual latte.

The owner glanced behind me and joked

Chapter 3

"Hey girl, here for a latte with your boyfriend again?"

I froze. "What?"

I followed the cart owner's gaze. Julian's eyes locked onto mine. Peyton peeked out from behind his shoulder.

"You guessed wrong, sir," Peyton said. "He's my boyfriend."

The owner looked at me, then at Julian.

Peyton smiled, playing the gracious winner. "You must have misunderstood."

"Their little 'relationship' a while back was just a Dare. Totally fake. I'm his only girlfriend."

The owner blinked. "Oh, you kids!"

"Julian brought me a latte from here last time," Peyton continued. "It smelled amazing. Way better than the coffee at Michelin-starred restaurants. I even told my dad to order a thousand cups for his whole company to try."

The owner waved his hands, beaming. "You flatter me, sweetie."

That was Peyton's gift. Stunningly pretty. Born into money, but completely down-to-earth.

Bubbly and understanding. Most of the guys in class had a crush on her.

The girls fought to be her friend.

I grabbed my latte and scanned my phone to pay. I turned to leave. A hand clamped down on my arm and jerked me backward.

A massive pot of boiling water sat right in front of me. Steam rolled off the bubbling surface. My arm had been inches away from it.

Julian's fingers dug into my skin. His eyes were dark. "Still haven't fixed that habit of not watching where you're going?"

Peyton's smile went stiff.

I yanked my arm out of his grip. "Thanks."

I walked right past them.

Worse than running into Julian was the fact that I still had to sit next to him. He was my desk mate.

Not long after I got to the classroom, Julian and Peyton walked in. I caught him approaching in my peripheral vision.

I stood up, pushed my chair in, and gave him space to pass. Julian slid in sideways. I sat back down.

We didn't share a single glance.

Peyton sauntered over and leaned her hands on my desk. "Julian, we can change seats next week. Let's sit by the window in the third row, okay?"

Julian rhythmically tapped his pen against the desk. "Sure."

Peyton patted my shoulder with exaggerated sympathy. "Stella, bad news. I just found out everyone else already picked their desk mates. Since we have an odd number of people in class that means you'll be sitting all by yourself for the next two months."

The pen tapping stopped.

I kept my head down. I marked a correction on my worksheet. "It's fine."

Peyton headed back to her seat. A second later, Julian shoved the window next to him wide open.

The team captain sitting behind us yelped. "What the hell, Jules? The wind is freezing my breakfast!"

Julian lowered his gaze. "It's stuffy."

I just wanted the seat change to happen.

I dragged myself through the week until Friday. I let out a long breath.

Between classes, the entire room buzzed about the new transfer student.

"Who transfers in their senior year?"

"I know, right? Heard the teachers talking in the office. It's a guy. I caught a glimpse of his photo. Super hot."

"How hot? Hotter than Julian?"

"A close tie, honestly."

"Wait, that makes our class an even number. No one has to sit alone anymore."

Chapter 4

"Oh, then our class is an even number. No one has to sit alone."

I didn't care much. As long as I could stay away from Julian, I'd sit with anyone.

Near the end of the day, the oppressive gray clouds finally broke into rain. It was my turn for after-school cleanup duty.

I finished almost an hour later than everyone else. When I reached the school doors, it was still pouring. I didn't have an umbrella.

I had to wait in the lobby.

Julian and Peyton appeared in my line of sight. They ran in from the track. Julian's jacket was draped over Peyton's head to shield her from the rain.

Peyton pulled out some tissues. She stood on her tiptoes to dry his wet hair. "I'm so sorry," she said.

"It's my fault for insisting on feeding the stray cats. Now you're soaked."

Julian tilted his head away. "It's fine. I'll do it."

The rain fell harder. The school security guard walked over, jingling a huge ring of keys to herd us out.

"I'm off the clock. The school is locking up. You three need to head home."

The bus stop was a decent walk from the gates. I'd be drenched by the time I got there.

The security booth by the entrance caught my eye. The roof hung out just enough to offer cover. I clutched my backpack to my chest and sprinted into the rain.

"Stella."

I faintly heard Julian call my name. But the roar of the rain quickly drowned it out. I figured I heard wrong.

Rush hour had already hit. Getting a ride was going to be a nightmare. My Uber app showed 57 people in the queue ahead of me.

I let out a heavy breath. I just hoped the wind wouldn't pick up.

Otherwise, this tiny roof wouldn't do a thing.

Peyton and Julian walked over. They were wearing raincoats.

The downpour thickened, whipping up a fierce wind. Freezing drops angled in, hitting my skin. Even with my heels pressed flat against the booth's wall, my clothes soaked through in minutes.

Julian raised his eyes to look at me. He took off his raincoat. He took two steps toward me.

A sharp ripping sound tore through the air behind him.

Peyton blinked innocently. "Oh no. I accidentally tore my raincoat."

She grabbed Julian's sleeve. "Give me yours. Please? I hate the cold."

Julian's back went completely rigid. He gripped the raincoat for a few suffocating seconds. Then he handed it to Peyton.

"My boyfriend is the sweetest!" Peyton chirped. "I'll just tie this broken one around my shoes so they don't get wet."

"The puddles are so gross. I don't want a single drop on me."

She bundled herself up tightly. She turned to me with a bright smile.

"Do I look like a clumsy bear right now?" she asked. "Stella, you should step back a bit. You'll get hit by less rain that way."

The storm showed zero signs of stopping. Raindrops smeared across my phone screen. My fingers were pale and stiff. I wiped the screen and unlocked it.

Only seven people left in the queue.

I couldn't stop shivering. I crouched down, curling into a tight ball to preserve whatever body heat I had left.

Peyton wrapped her arms around Julian from the front. "See? Now I can shield you from the rain too. You won't get as wet."

Julian peeled her hands off him. "I don't need it," he said. "Just stand up straight. Keep yourself out of the rain."

He stood dead still, staring into the heavy mist of the storm. Rain hammered against his arms, sliding down his pale skin and dripping from his fingertips.

A while later, a car pulled up in front of us.

But it wasn't my Uber.

Chapter 5

It was Julian's family driver.

Julian turned to look at me. "Get in. We'll drop you off."

Peyton let out a disappointed sound. "It's already so late. Plus, Stella's house is so far away. I want to go home early."

Julian looked up. "Peyton, she's been our classmate for three years."

Peyton flinched under his gaze and forced a smile. "I never said you couldn't drop her off. I just didn't know my boyfriend was so friendly to his classmates."

In the distance, another car approached with its high beams on. I squinted at the license plate. It was my Uber.

I stood up. "No thanks. My ride is here."

I ran to the car.

Peyton's light, airy voice drifted through the rain. "Aw, looks like she doesn't care for your kindness after all."

I took a hot shower as soon as I got home. My phone showed two missed calls from an unknown local number.

A second later, the same number called again. I picked up.

Julian's voice came through the speaker. "I'm downstairs."

I instantly looked out my window. "What are you doing here?"

"I brought you cold medicine."

"I don't need it. I can buy my own. Go home, I'm hanging up."

Julian's tone didn't shift. "Or, I can come up and find you."

My parents were still watching TV in the living room. Terrified he would actually come upstairs, I grabbed my coat and hurried down.

Julian threw a bag of medicine at me. "Stella. Didn't you say we were just going to be classmates?"

His lips pulled into a faint smirk. "Do you avoid all your other classmates like the plague?"

Before I could even react, Julian turned and walked away.

I stared at his back. I had no idea what he was so mad about.

Monday morning.

I took that unopened bag of medicine and dropped it right on Julian's desk.

The class president had already taped the new seating chart to the podium. I found my new spot. I packed my things and moved them over bit by bit while the classroom was still mostly empty.

By the time morning study hall started, everyone had switched seats.

The homeroom teacher walked into the classroom and stood at the podium. "We have a new transfer student today. Come on in, Declan."

A guy walked into the room. A ripple of quiet gasps swept through the class.

"Damn, he's hot"

"Even hotter than the photo I snuck a peek at in the office."

The teacher scanned the room. She pointed to the empty desk next to me. "You can sit there for now. If you have any questions, ask your desk mate."

I stared at Declan's face for two seconds. He looked vaguely familiar.

Declan and I didn't say a single word to each other all morning. His eyes carried a cold exhaustion, giving off a heavy do-not-disturb vibe.

Our last class before lunch was PE.

The team captain invited Declan to play basketball.

I sat on the bleachers nearby, my eyes tracking Declan. I just kept thinking he looked familiar. I didn't even notice the seamless teamwork between him and Julian on the court.

Then, in a flash, it hit me.

I remembered the day I made that final phone call to Julian. I had just finished my after-school cleanup duty. The blinding cramp from my period hadn't faded, and my entire body felt weak.

I got on the bus. The driver slammed on the brakes, and I nearly lost my footing. A hand shot out and caught me just in time.

A guy stood up from his seat. "Come here. Sit."

"Thank you."

I sat down. My head was spinning so fast I didn't even get a good look at his face.

A few stops later, a middle-aged man boarded the bus.

Chapter 6

He stood right in front of me.

His massive stomach strained against his tight dress shirt, threatening to pop the buttons. I had to press myself flat against the window to keep him from touching me.

The guy walked over. He seamlessly wedged himself between me and the man.

The choking stench of smoke and alcohol vanished, replaced by the crisp, clean scent clinging to his clothes.

I tugged his sleeve.

He tilted his head and looked down at me.

I thanked him again, properly this time.

He turned back around and went back to scrolling on his phone. He let out a low grunt.

That guy had been Declan.

The bus had gotten more crowded. My eyelids grew heavy. I leaned against the window, drifting off.

At one stop, Declan stood up straight.

I expected him to get off. Instead, he just glanced at me and lowered his head to his phone again.

I woke up a little. "Are you tired? You can sit," I said. "Thanks for letting me have the seat for so long."

I started to stand up. Declan pushed me right back down. "Don't worry about it. Sleep if you're tired."

I really did fall asleep.

Through my groggy haze, I woke up a few times. Declan was always there. By the final few stops, the crowd thinned out.

When I fully woke up, he was gone.

I decided to buy Declan lunch to thank him.

The dismissal bell rang. I jogged over to find him.

A huge crowd surrounded him on the court.

Julian handed him a bottle of water. "It's been a while. Dinner tonight?"

Peyton handed him a towel. "It's on us."

She put heavy emphasis on the word "us."

Declan caught on immediately. "You two are together?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Peyton smiled.

I froze in my tracks.

A heavy lump formed in my throat. I couldn't breathe.

Peyton spotted me. She tilted her head. "Stella, who are you looking for?"

Everyone turned to look at me.

I opened my mouth. I fought to find my voice. "No one."

I walked past them, keeping my face completely blank.

Watching Peyton and Declan chat so casually triggered a dark memory. My hands started to shake, and I couldn't stop them.

My mind replayed my first encounter with Declan. Dark suspicions crawled into my head.

Was everything on that bus intentional? Was he just like Julian? Did they both like Peyton? Was he following her orders to purposely get close to me, just to play me for a fool?

I would never forget what happened on my birthday. The day Julian dropped the breakup on me out of nowhere.

I reached for his hand. I told him to stop making such a joke.

He dodged me. He said he liked someone else. He only dated me because of a bet.

"Dating you was no different than completing a mission for me," he had said. "The three months are up. My mission is done."

"It is what it is. Let's be practical. What do you want for compensation?"

My mind snapped back to the present.

I looked down. My nails had dug so hard into my palms they left deep, crescent-shaped marks.

I forced myself to calm down. Only one thought remained.

Stay away from Declan.

Lunch break. I sat in the gazebo, memorizing vocabulary.

A girl from the drama club and two other girls walked up to me.

They made small talk for a bit. Finally, they sheepishly got to the point.

"Stella, how are you getting along with your new desk mate? Are you guys close yet?"

Chapter 7

"Can you figure out if he has a girlfriend? If he is single, ask him his type."

I shook my head. "We aren't close. I can't help you guys anyway. I'm going to ask the teacher for a seat change."

Usually, seats were locked in for two months. Asking for a random swap without a solid reason made the teacher suspicious.

It was why Peyton didn't dare ask for one before, terrified of getting caught dating.

But Declan and I were newly paired. I could easily invent an excuse.

"What? Why? Do you have any idea how many girls want to sit next to him? Did he do something to you?"

"No." My expression stayed flat. "I just have a natural dislike for him."

"Alright. Well, if you do switch, switch with me!"

They left. I went back to memorizing vocabulary words.

The vines behind the gazebo rustled.

I turned around.

Declan stepped out from the shadows. A mocking half-smile hung on his lips.

Caught talking behind his back on day one.

He raised his hand.

My brain went straight to the worst-case scenario. I flinched, squeezing my eyes shut.

No hit came. He just flipped open the cover of my vocabulary notebook and read the name on the first page.

"Stella?"

He threw a sideways glance at me. "You should change your name to Ungrateful Brat."

He remembered the bus ride.

A scoff slipped past his lips. He slapped the notebook against his palm. "I am actually curious too."

He stepped closer. "Did I offend you?"

I pressed my lips into a tight line, heat crawling up my neck.

Declan stood tall, looking down at me.

The warning bell rang.

He tossed the notebook back onto the table. It landed with a soft thud. "Interesting."

He turned around. The sound of his footsteps moved away.

I watched him head straight for the school gates. "Class is about to start," I blurted out.

Declan didn't even turn his head. "Aren't I an eyesore to you?" he called back. "I am not exactly dying to force my presence on someone who hates me."

Declan didn't come back for the rest of the afternoon.

During breaks, I rested my chin on my desk and stared at his empty chair. His furious expression kept flashing in my mind.

Did I actually misjudge him? Faking a coincidence on a public bus off-campus was a massive stretch.

My shoulders dropped. A heavy breath pushed past my lips.

I really was an ungrateful brat.

The final bell rang.

From a distance, I spotted Declan standing at the school gates.

I squeezed my hands into fists. I took a step forward, debating if I should apologize.

Peyton brushed past me. She ran straight up to him.

"Let's head to the restaurant first. The teacher held Julian back to talk about the Physics Olympiad. He will meet us there."

Declan slowly pulled his gaze off me. He walked away with Peyton.

They stayed ahead of me on the sidewalk. Peyton talked non-stop. Declan only offered a random grunt of acknowledgment.

Listening to them, the truth clicked into place.

Declan didn't know Peyton well at all. He was just Julian's friend.

I had completely misunderstood him.

Guilt pushed my head even lower. I stared at the pavement.

Then, four bodies blocked my path.

I looked up. They were high school dropouts who constantly loitered around the neighborhood.

The guy in the front smiled, his eyes doing a slow sweep over me. "Hey classmate, how about a number?"

The guy next to him sized me up. "Axel has good taste. Those flashy girls get boring. This innocent type is definitely a fun change of pace."

Chapter 8

Up ahead, Declan stopped. He looked over.

Peyton offered a dismissive piece of advice. "It's fine. Ignore them. I know a bit about Stella. If a guy chases her for two months, she says yes."

"I'm not saying she's easy. She's just desperate for affection."

"Someone else wants to date her now. She's probably enjoying the attention. She won't actually reject him."

"Let's just go