Today, Matt's first class was English. His classes occur every other day in blocks. It was only fifteen minutes in, so he had about seventy-five minutes left. Not so bad—when he's feeling up to doing class work to kill the time.

The teacher was in the midst of grading last week's quizzes when there was a knock at the door. Someone up front opened it to let in a girl. Matt looked up from his worksheets and he froze for a split second. That wavy, light-brown hair, fair, clear skin, and shining, olive eyes—her look was unmistakable. It was Becca Hayes, the girl in Velasquez's photo.

She greeted the teacher with that bedazzling smile of hers, and explained how she had a schedule change. It always puzzled Matt how Becca could make anything she says so intriguing. She could read from an old phonebook and it'd be more gripping than Thea's k-dramas, and those are pretty damn gripping.

Becca started walking down Matt's aisle and he looked down at his desk to avoid eye contact with her. He hoped she wouldn't sit near him. But, of course, the only seat available in the classroom was right in front of him. He noticed that some of her friends sat ahead, so he guessed she'd be more occupied with them. But, of course...

"Hey, Matt," she greeted in that sweet voice. It wasn't too attention-grabbing that it was loud and sharp, but it wasn't too quiet either. It was just right.

"Hey," he responded with a small wave of his fingers.

"You don't mind that I sit here, do you?" she asked.

He glanced around the classroom and said, "Unless you prefer the floor?"

She chuckled at his sarcasm, and anyone who could enjoy his sarcasm was more than decent.

As she took out a pencil and notebook, she whispered, "My mom told me about what happened yesterday. Are you alright?"

Matt didn't need to point out the obvious bruises and slight swelling around his right eye. Instead, he shrugged and answered, "Nothing I couldn't handle."

"I feel more concerned with you saying that," she remarked.

"I'm happy you're concerned," the teen boy said. Then he realized how strange that sounded and stammered, "Not that I enjoy making you worry, or anyone for that matter. I just meant, you know, that I'm thankful that you care. Not that you wouldn't, because you're a very empathetic person, but it's just, we don't talk often and... Th-Thank you. I mean to say thank you."

She giggled once again, a sound that sent Matt's heart fluttering more than it already was. "Are you sure you're okay? Danny didn't hit you that hard, did he?"

"N-No," he answered and smiled along with her. He berated himself for acting like an idiot not even five minutes into their conversation. But she was still smiling, which made his embarrassment kind of worth it.

When Becca turned around, Matt found he could breathe properly. The nervousness in his gut subsided and he didn't feel so warm anymore. It's been six years since he first met her and she still manages to send his heart stumbling. He almost wishes he never had because the way he gets feels so ridiculous to him. But then he thinks about her again and he can't imagine not feeling like this. Tentatively, he reached into his shirt and fiddled with the necklace he always wore. He wonders every now and then if Becca remembers that first day and thinks about it as much as he does. How could anyone forget an introduction like that?

It was the sixth grade and middle school hadn't been merciful on Matt either. Years of being homeschooled never prepared him for what was to come from public school. He had to go into the third grade right in the middle of the year, when friendships and unspoken norms were already established between the other kids. He hated those years in elementary (kids made comments about his eyes left and right, and one even tried to poke it out), and middle school was absolutely no better. In fact, it was worse. His "curse" really got to shine in those years.

It was barely the second month and Matt got into a scuffle with older kids, seventh graders. Before there was Danny Cooper, there was Trevor Montak. Matt could go as far as to say Danny was more bearable, because at least Danny was a sensible psycho. Trevor, on the other hand, was as unreasonable as unreasonable came. Trevor had his own gang of idiot 12 year olds and Matt somehow got on their bad side just by existing.

That same day when the fight happened, Becca was walking home from school with her two friends. In the midst of a conversation over their beloved boy-bands, Becca heard a strange noise. The girls had just passed by a neighborhood alleyway, where the sounds of whimpering echoed faintly. Only Becca heard, or at least was the only one who bothered to acknowledge the noise.

"Can you two wait here?" she asked her friends. They reluctantly agreed and watched her hurry into the alley with wary expressions.

Becca cautiously trekked down the dirt road, following the noise that came from around the corner. Slowly, she turned and found a figure hunched over under an old oak tree. The leaves cast a wide shadow over the ground around them so Becca had to step closer to see. The soft crunch of gravel underneath her shoes caught the person's attention and he snapped his head up. Becca flinched and froze, examining the boy's face. She was in awe at his mismatched eyes, one black and one a striking blue in the tree's shadow.

"Hi," she began. The boy didn't respond and stared at her legs. She could see the wetness around his eyes. This is where the whimpering was coming from.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He refused to speak. The way he pressed himself against the tree told Becca she wasn't wanted.

After staring at him, she finally realized that she had seen him before. It was only a brief glimpse. Since the beginning of the school year, she's heard talk about the boy with the "one eye".

"You're from Moore Middle School, right? You're...Matt?"

The boy looked away and finally muttered, "Leave me alone. Please..."

"But, something's wrong. Are you hurt?" Becca asked.

"I said leave me alone," he hissed.

The young girl pursed her lips and thought. An idea came to mind and she reached into her backpack for a bottle of water. With a smile, she crouched and handed it to him. "Well, at least take this. All that crying will make you dehydrated, and you'll get a headache. Here."

The boy named Matt didn't take the water bottle from her. Becca's smile never wavered and she simply set it down beside him. She placed her hands on her knees and said, "If you need someone to walk home with you, I can help. I don't think I should leave you here."

"I don't want your help..."

"I can sit with you. That's not helping."

"No. Just go away already."

Back from where she had came, Becca heard her friends calling her name. She shifted her eyes from the alley to the uncooperative boy before her. She wasn't sure what to do.

"Just come with us," she insisted. "I promise I won't tell anyone else or talk to you after this."

"Becca, c'mon!" one of her friends hollered. "My mom's gonna have a cow if I don't get home soon!"

"Please," she pleaded with him. He responded by covering his ears and closing his eyes.

She pouted and looked back at the alleyway. It seemed like she overstayed her welcome. At this rate, she wouldn't get home in time. She felt a bit defeated with the situation at having to leave this boy behind.

Just as she stood up straight, Matt murmured, "He took it..."

Becca looked down at him. "Who took what?"

"Trevor," the boy answered. "When he and his friends beat me up earlier, he took my necklace. A gold cross and chain. It...It was my mom's."

The moment Becca was going to respond, her friends called for her once again. Reluctantly, she told him, "I...I have to go, but I can try to—."

"BECCA?" they hollered.

"I'm sorry, Matt," she said before running off to join her impatient friends.

Matt watched the spot where he last saw her and sniffled. He suddenly thought about how stupid he must have looked and hit his head against the tree trunk as punishment. In front of him, Becca's water bottle sat waiting for him. Her advice stuck with him. He licked his lips and picked it up with shaky hands.

The next day, Becca had come into school on the search for the boy with the mismatched eyes. Yet it seemed she could never catch a glimpse of him even in the hallways. She wondered if he had stayed home, or had never even left that oak tree from yesterday. When lunch rolled around, she was so out of it that she had forgotten where her friends' table was. She ended up walking aimlessly with a lunch tray in her hands. That was, until she saw Trevor Montak sitting with his rowdy friends at a booth in the back. The image of Matt's tear-stricken face as he explained what Trevor had done came to mind and made her stomach churn with anticipation for what she was about to do.

With a face of stone, young Becca Hayes stormed up to Trevor and interrupted his conversation with a, "Montak!"

Trevor's elated face fell as soon as he laid eyes on her and he muttered, "Yeah? What do you want?"

"I heard about what you did to Matt yesterday," she began.

Trevor smirked. "You mean Schizo? So what about him?"

Becca ignored the rude nickname and said, "You took his necklace. I'm here to take it back."

"Oh, you mean this beauty?" The seventh grader pulled out the necklace from under his shirt and it sparkled such a golden gold. It couldn't be gilded.

Just as Becca was about to grab for it, he pulled away and hissed, "Why should I give it to you?"

"Because I'm giving back what is rightfully Matt's. You stole it from him and now I'm taking it from you."

"Pssh, I don't think so. I'm selling this shit to a shop. Bet it'll pay nicely. Screw off, fishie."

Trevor and his friends went right back to chatting and blabbering away, ignoring Becca. She frowned and tightened her grip on her lunch tray. In her annoyance, she blurted without thinking, "Trade!"

Trevor looked at her with bored eyes. "Huh?"

"I'll trade the necklace with something I have," she elaborated.

He laughed. "Like what? A cheap bracelet from Claire's?"

"No, this." Becca set down her lunch tray and took off a jade ring from her right middle finger. Shining its brilliant green in the light, she said, "It's from India and completely authentic, passed down through a royal family. Handcrafted by a long dead ring-maker and you won't find any other like it, I assure you."

"I call bullshit," one of the other boys at the booth chortled and the others snickered.

Trevor smirked and said, "I don't know, fishie. I take his side."

"I'll give you something else, too," Becca persisted. "You want me to tutor you? Do all of your homework for the rest of the year? You name it. Anything."

A mischievous light twinkled in Trevor's eyes as he said, "Anything, huh?"

Becca nodded eagerly.

He chuckled and said, "You really want that Schizo's necklace that bad? Alright. I'll take the ring...and you."

Becca grimaced. "What exactly do you mean?"

"You said anything, right, fishie? Then I'll take you to be my lil' girlfriend. You're pretty for it anyway," he replied with an amused look that made her cringe. All the boys whistled and whooped and Becca never felt so disgusted in her life.

"Th-That doesn't count," she stammered, but was taken aback when Trevor grabbed her wrist and squeezed tight.

"You said anything. Didn't she, guys? Anything. You want this damn necklace, you have to put out," he hissed.

"Screw you!" she spat and tried to pull away from him.

Due to her effort, when Trevor had let go of her on purpose, she ended up falling backwards onto the floor from her own momentum. He and his friends laughed down at her and she could feel the frustration sting around her eyes.

Suddenly, a shadow crossed over her body and Trevor's gaze shifted to one of mild amusement. "Well, look who's here. Back to get your ass beat again, Schizo?"

Becca looked up to see Matt, who kept his face placid as he helped her to her feet. As soon as she was up, he told her, "Forget it. Let him have the necklace."

"What? But—."

"It's not worth it," he said. There was sadness in his eyes, along with resignation. He was ready to make peace with the loss of his mother's necklace. The thing was, Becca wasn't.

"Leave before you get in trouble," Matt told her.

"Listen to your pathetic boyfriend, fishie. Maybe you'll be good for something then," Trevor gibed.

As Matt was walking away, expecting Becca to follow him, the young girl looked at the teachers on watch nearby. There was no way she was letting Trevor Montak have satisfaction over her and Matt. She was getting that necklace back, even if it meant playing dirty.

Before any of the boys at the booth could notice, Becca grabbed the lunch tray she left behind and smashed it against Trevor's face. Slimy fruit, mashed potatoes and nuggets fell all over him and he reacted instantly. He hollered his anger and took it out on Becca by shoving her to the floor. This was enough to grab a teacher's attention, just as Becca planned.

"What's going on here?" the man asked.

"This crazy bitch just threw food on me for no reason!" Trevor growled.

Becca got up and fired back, "I had a very good reason. You stole my necklace!"

"It's not yours!"

"Well, it sure as hell isn't yours either!"

"Okay," the teacher started, "the both of you need to calm down, or else it's a trip to the principal's for you two. And none of this foul language. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," Trevor grumbled.

"Go clean up. Both of you quit causing a ruckus and behave," the man ordered.

"What?" Becca exclaimed. "But—."

"You heard him, fishie," the seventh grader remarked. "Get lost or else—."

Once again, Becca found herself doing before thinking, and she kicked him right in the groin in front of the teacher. It was such a hard blow that Trevor cried out in pain and keeled over holding himself. The teacher grabbed Becca's arm and said, "Hey! That's it! You're coming with me! You too, Montak."

While she was getting dragged away to the front office, Becca found Matt's eyes in the little crowd that had formed during the argument. Right before she disappeared out of the doors, she gave him a smile and a thumbs up. Something about those gestures made Matt feel something he never had before.

Later, after school had ended, Matt took his place at a bench to wait for Thea to pick him up. While he listened to his Walkman in peace, a hand tapped on his shoulder and startled him. When he turned his head, he saw the girl who had dared to ram Trevor Montak right in the goods.

"Hey," she greeted once again.

"H-Hi...," Matt replied quietly.

Becca came up right next to him and said, "Soooo, I have a little something for you."

She pulled out her hand from her jacket pocket to reveal the gold cross in her palm. Matt's face brightened with awe and relief in an instant. He grabbed it and said, "You got it back from him...! H-How?"

"Well, after Trevor recovered from getting kicked where the sun don't shine, we had to sit down with the principal and explain ourselves. I told him the truth about everything that had happened, how it was your necklace. The principal believed me since he remembered you fidgeting with it in his office one time. He demanded Trevor give it to me so I could return it to you."

"And...what happened with Trevor?"

"His ass got suspended for stealing and sexual harassment. Administration will deal with him, too. I also got after-school detention the rest of the week, but...it was worth it to hear Trevor cry like that, haha..! And to get your necklace back, of course."

Matt marveled at her and said, "I'm sorry you had to do that. I should've helped."

"It's alright. I can't always be a good student. Doing the right thing is more important."

"Thank you."

She beamed at him. "No problem. Oh, let me put it on you."

Without waiting for his response, Becca plucked the necklace from his hands and unclasped it. Carefully, she leaned over and wrapped it around his neck to return it to its rightful place. As she worked to hook it again, Matt took this time to gaze up at her. He couldn't help but pay attention to her breath on his cheek and the concentrated look in her olive eyes, which he hadn't noticed were olive until now. Her light-brown locks of hair cascaded over her shoulders and tickled his nose. It was at this very moment that Matt's heart began to beat a certain way—something he had never felt before—and he came to understand what his father had always meant by that notorious, fuzzy, warm feeling he called "love".

"Aaaaaand done," Becca chimed as she leaned away. She fixed the cross to place it in the perfect spot on his collar bone. With sparkling eyes, she added, "I can see why you were so upset over it. It's beautiful. I'd be pissed off too if anyone stole something so precious from me. That almost happened, haha."

She caressed the jade ring on her finger and stared lovingly at it. Matt noticed the look and asked, "Is it really from India?"

Becca nodded excitedly. "Yeah! My mom, Sarama, gave it to me as a birthday gift when I turned ten. I've been wearing it ever since."

"It's very pretty," Matt murmured, restraining the urge to add "like you" to his statement.

Becca smiled, and her cheeks became so plump when she did. They were like little apples on her face. "I'm glad you have your necklace back. I'm sure your mom will be relieved."

It wouldn't be until next semester that Becca would find out that Matt had lost his mother and father three years prior, while watching him and a transfer kid named Danny Cooper dish it out in the courtyard, and Danny kept spouting "orphan bastard". (For the longest time, most of the sensitive things she heard about him only came from judgmental rumors.) But at this time, Matt had made no comment about it and simply nodded in agreement.

"Well, I should get going before I get more detention," she said. Holding the straps of her backpack, she chimed, "I'll see you around, Matt. And stay hydrated!"

She scampered off and Matt couldn't help but smile at the way her hair bounced with every stride she took. After she was gone, Matt felt like he could breathe again. He held onto his mother's necklace, the ghost of that girl's touch still present on his neck. And it wasn't until Thea had arrived and he got into her car that he realized something.

What was her name again?

"Matt?" Becca's voice called.

The teen boy snapped out of the memory and gave his attention to her. She smiled and said, "The teacher is giving us a packet. Want to work on it with me?"

Blinking his eyes, he answered, "Y-Yeah, sure." He sat up straight and grabbed his work packet that was passed down the aisle. As he wrote his name at the top corner, he was taken aback by Becca reaching for his chest. He froze and looked down to see her fingers holding the cross necklace. There was a serene aura to her expression. Does she still remember that first time they met?

When she realized what she was doing, she chuckled and said, "Sorry. Just wanted to look at it."

"It's alright," he replied. It was not, in fact, alright. It was making his stomach do flips. That was not alright.

The two of them finished their work packet in time for the bell. Everyone else in the classroom got up, while Matt waited to be last. He watched Becca walk out with her friends, bearing that sweet smile of hers. The exasperated feeling in his chest faded away and he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

As soon as he exited the English classroom, Becca popped up again and he stifled a surprised yelp. He quickly composed himself and stammered, "G-Geez, hey, what's up?"

"Sorry if I startled you," she said. "What do you have next?"

"Um, bio," he answered. "You?"

"Yearbook. Let me walk with you."

Matt didn't protest or agree; he was just busy trying not to stare at her too much. He walked...with Becca Hayes at his side. This was...strange. Becca is a nice person, but she and Matt never really talked. Even after her grand gesture upon their first meeting in sixth grade, they never became friends. She became too likable—popular—with many people, and got involved in a variety of clubs and activities. Matt, on the other hand, never wanted to step anywhere near her circle, or anyone's circle. He admired from afar and kept his horizons small. High school was no different than junior high. Nurse Velasquez was probably his only connection to Becca, and he never dared to impose using the girl's own mom as a gateway. So this meeting was peculiar. Why was she walking with him to his class, especially when yearbook is the other way? What was going on?

"Matt, can I ask you something?" she spoke up all of a sudden.

Crap, he thought, did she finally figure it out? I thought I was getting better at not being obvious!

"Yeah," he replied in a level voice.

"If I were to invite you to a party, would you go?" she asked. Matt nearly sighed with relief.

"Depends. I don't really like...social gatherings," he responded stiffly. He mentally punched himself.

Becca chuckled. "Well, what if you got something out of it?"

He eyed her curiously. "Like what?"

A blush tinted her cheeks as she explained, "Okay, so, my friend's cousin is hosting the party, and he made a bet with me, saying that if I came with a guy that he'd get us all our own supreme, ultra pizzas from Randy's. I don't know a lot of other guys I can trust to make it to the party, so now I'm asking you."

Matt furrowed his brow in thought. "Sooo...you want to use me? For Randy's pizza?"

Becca rubbed her neck with an awkward grin on her face. "Well, when you put it like that...okay, yeah. That's bad, isn't it?"

Matt smiled. "Getting used for pizza is a first, but I can't be mad."

"You'll get your own box too," she added.

"Of Randy's? Sounds tempting already," he jested, pretending as if going to a party with Becca wasn't already a hook, line, and sinker.

"So you'll come? It's this Saturday."

Although the offer was intriguing, the idea of going out to a party with only Becca as his sole acquaintance was daunting. He's always heard about the cliché high school parties where kids get drunk and use the chance to do stupid things, but he's never been to one. From what he's heard, they don't sound appealing. Alcohol, food, sweating people, and sometimes spicy drama. Not something a person like him could handle all at once or individually. Except the food. He'd only go for food—which is exactly the case in Becca's offer, but this was different! Because there's Becca. And Becca is...Becca. Maybe he's overthinking this.

Once they had reached the science wing, he finally answered, "I'll consider it."

That was enough for her. "Fair enough. Text me when you make up your mind."

"I don't have your number..."

Becca stopped him and presented her open palm. Hesitantly, Matt gave her his phone and watched as she put her contact in.

"There. Problem solved. Let me know what you want to do. I gotta go. I'll see you!"

Before Matt could reply, she was off in a flash to her yearbook class. He looked down at his phone to see the new contact in his short list. A chuckle escaped him upon reading the name Pizza Girl.

Does this make me Pizza Boy?, he thought.

The sound of the tardy bell snapped him out of his own head and he scrambled to get to his biology class at the last second. Unfortunately, he didn't make it in time, and would have to wait 15 minutes outside of the door before he would be able to enter. Regardless, this morning has proved to be a major step up from yesterday's trouble. Looks like his "curse" let up this time.

✥✥✥✥✥

When he got home, Matt turned in his phone and retreated to the comfort of his room until dinner. After another great meal, evening medication, and a round of watching Thea's k-dramas (sometimes making clever remarks in which she responded by jabbing his sides with her fingers), Matt returned to his room. As he sat down in bed to complete homework, he heard a quiet ding come from his dresser. Curiously, he got up and opened the top drawer to see the tablet that he barely used. It was mainly for storage and...well, it was just there.

Cautiously, he took it out and checked the message that he received in a chatroom for gaming. The sender was a user named TheJJ07. Oh boy.

veggie405: JJ, what's up?

TheJJ07: the hell r u at? we were supposed to do competitive in Punch Priest!

Ah, yes, competitive in Punch Priest, a game-mode where anything is on the table and there is absolutely no dignity or shame, within an online-multiplayer game about demons and priests waging bloody war on each other. It's every man for himself—or every player for themselves. Matt wouldn't be able to handle it without JJ, and other players wouldn't be able to handle JJ without Matt. They were initially a tag team via random selection in the server, but found that they did pretty well together. JJ was just about the only friend outside of Matt's immediate life that he had, and they don't even know what the other looks like. They don't have to. It's only play and brag about the wins with them, and there's always wins.

veggie405: Some stuff came up. Won't come back on until a week or so.

TheJJ07: a week! c'mon

veggie405: Why don't you play with your other friends?

TheJJ07: first of all, they suck ass, second of all, THEY SUCK ASS

veggie405: See? You all are perfect for each other.

TheJJ07: lol screw u veg. what happened this time?

veggie405: Another fight. I'm grounded.

TheJJ07: lol fckn loser

The only kind of ridicule Matt could take without getting pissed was from JJ. It was entertaining more than hurtful.

veggie405: Hey, can I ask you something?

TheJJ07: if u have a rash down there, see a doctor

veggie405: Wtf? No, it's nothing like that.

TheJJ07: well, keep it in mind anyway. so what do you really want?

Matt found himself hesitating. He's usually not so shy when it comes to JJ, but then again he's never been very personal. The only time that came close was when Matt had heatedly ranted about Danny (he never mentioned his actual name) and how the way he's been treated was unfair. That was as close as either of them would go into their personal lives. Play and brag, always.

But this time was different; this was important. Matt needed an outside opinion.

veggie405: So this girl asked me to go to a party this Saturday in order to win a bet.

TheJJ07: already sounds horrible, but continue

veggie405: She's really nice, and the reward is our own boxes of like the best pizza in the universe. That sounds good right?

TheJJ07: i guess. so what's ur dilemma?

veggie405: Well...I've never been to a party, nor have I ever really hung out with this girl.

TheJJ07: i'm not surprised. ur such a fckin nerd.

veggie405: Shut up. Anyway, what the hell should I do? I'm not very comfortable with the idea of a party. I can barely tolerate the crowds in the school halls without getting just a little aggravated. I'm not that good with people, JJ.

TheJJ07: i figured since ur talking to me. and also coz ur a nerd.

veggie405: Can you take this seriously?

TheJJ07: fine, fine. so u like this girl or what?

Again, Matt hesitated. God, this was embarrassing...

veggie405: ...yes

TheJJ07: and ur getting free pizza out of this?

veggie405: Yeah.

TheJJ07: go to the party then. it's obvious u should. pizza and a cute crush (i'm assuming this chick is cute) sound damn good.

veggie405: JJ, this is me WITH my cute crush we're talking about here.

TheJJ07: if she managed to invite u, let alone talk to ur dumb ass in the first place, then there's nothing to worry about. plus, it's time u let loose and stop holding that brick up ur ass. live a little, veg.

veggie405: I'm really not that good with people.

TheJJ07: why should other people matter? just have fun with ur girl. if u can handle Punch Priest's toxic-ass community in competitive, u can handle a simple high school party.

veggie405: There's a difference between online and real life.

TheJJ07: and sometimes u have to find inspiration in the two. dive head first into a horde of demons with ur book of courage and destroy the blood gem and win the match. say "fuck it" and do it.

veggie405: Gaming lingo? Really? And you call me the nerd.

TheJJ07: go to that damn party, veg, and quit trying to find an excuse not to go when u actually want to.

Despite the aggressiveness of the advice, JJ had a point. Matt did want to go—for Becca. The thought of being around other people made him nervous, but his true goal lied with that sweet girl with the cute, round cheeks that reminded him of apples. His urge to go was especially made stronger with the idea of doing it to help Becca with that bet. It was the perfect scenario. He already had her number! This could be his chance to finally do something and stop being a faraway admirer.

veggie405: You're right.

TheJJ07: of course i am. now what do u say?

Matt groaned aloud.

veggie405: Thanks.

TheJJ07: yaaaaaaay. in return for my noble deed, u have to face me in PvP. if u win, u get bragging rights. if i win, i get ur current Layla skin.

veggie405: Ugh, why Layla? You know I worked my ass off for that one.

TheJJ07: exactly. so u better make the fight good. i've been craving for a real challenge.

veggie405: Lol, Punch Priest junkie

After ending the conversation, Matt put the tablet back in the drawer and left his room. Thea was still lounging on the couch but was watching a different show this time. She paused the episode upon Matt's appearance and said, "What's up?"

"Can I use my phone real quick?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Why...?"

"I need to text a classmate notes for tomorrow," he lied.

Thea kept that suspicious glare on him, before suddenly shifting into a smile. "Alright. But that's it, you hear?"

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a playful salute.

Matt's heart started racing as soon as he had the phone in his hands. Looking at the name Pizza Girl in his contacts was making his head spin with so many worries. But then he remembered JJ's helpful and wise words: fuck it.

Holding his breath, he texted to Becca: I'll go.

There. He did it.

But, then he realized there was no context to his message. He added: To the party, I mean.

And again: This Saturday. Like you said.

And again...: With you. I'll go with you. To the party. SATURDAY.

And once again....: THIS IS MATT BTW SORRY

When will you learn?, he scolded himself.

"What's up with you? You're all red," Thea pointed out.

"Nothing!" the flustered teen blurted. "Here, I'm done! Goodnight!"

Thea caught his phone and replied, "But it's barely eight—."

"I'm a growing boy who needs sleep!" he exclaimed as he ran into his room and shut the door. The black-haired woman merely stared at his door and shrugged dismissively. No point in trying to understand what the hell that was.

In his room, Matt recovered from his beating heart in silence. As much as his first attempt at texting Becca was awful, he felt kind of proud. It was almost as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. This felt so new and exhilarating...! And suddenly the reality of his decision finally hit him and he threw himself face-down on his bed.

He's going to his first high school party with Becca Hayes.