With each one he sends, it becomes harder and harder to keep my composure. I finally can’t hold it in any longer by the time I reach the fifth. It’s a picture of the front of my school with the caption, “I wonder if any of the guys there actually have dicks.”
A bark of laughter leaves my mouth. I instantly smack my hand over it, but it’s too late. The damage is done. Everyone in the room turns to look at me, and my face turns beat red. Thankfully, Mr. Lachey pulls the attention back onto himself and everything goes back to normal. My fingers move quickly as I type out a response to Knox.
Delaney: You’re such a jerk. I literally laughed out loud and everyone looked at me.
As soon as I hit send, I can see the three dots appear. It’s only seconds before his reply comes through.
Knox: So, you agree. Th
e guys in your school don’t have dicks.
I roll my eyes.
Delaney: You’re hopeless.
Knox: ;)
THE REST OF CLASS passes quickly, thanks to my obnoxious distraction. We’ve talked about everything, from the monotone voice his teacher has to the fact that everyone seems to have known about this party Tessa is throwing but me. Speaking of, I really need to talk to her.
As soon as the bell rings, I grab my things and head out the door to find my sister. It’s not hard, being as she’s waiting at the end of the hallway where we always meet. However, the second she sees the look on my face, she turns to run away.
“Don’t even think about it,” I warn, and she stops. “I thought we agreed that if I didn’t like the party at Zayn’s house, you wouldn’t throw one.”
“No,” she counters. “I said if you didn’t have fun I’d consider throwing it somewhere else. I considered it. You lost.”
I groan, throwing my head back. “Tessa, I don’t want a huge party!”
“Uh, in case you’re forgetting, it’s not just your birthday. And besides, I’m older, which means I’m in charge when Mom and Dad leave.”
“Okay, one, you’re two minutes older. And two, I can guarantee you that if we were to ask Dad who is in charge, the last person he would say is you.”
She waves me off dismissively. “Yeah, yeah. What do you want me to do? Everyone already knows about it. We can’t cancel it now.”
“You’re the worst, you know that?”
A triumphant smile graces her face. “You love me.”
Just then, my phone vibrates in my pocket. I pull it out to find a new message.
Knox: You could always join the convent. I’m sure you qualify.
His text is a response to me complaining about having to spend eighty minutes a day listening to my teachers go on and on about how important our high school education is, as if we’re not going to forget it all two months after graduation.
“Who’s putting that smile on your face?” Tess asks, ripping my phone from my hand.
“Give that back. It’s none of your business,” I protest, but it’s no use.
She scrolls through the last few messages of the conversation. “Seriously? This is what you two are talking about?” She glances from my phone, to me, and back again. “This is boring.” Her fingers start to dance across the keys. “Luckily for you, you have me.”
My jaw drops and I go to take my phone back, but she pulls it away. “Stop! What are you doing? Tessa!”
As soon as she finishes whatever she was typing, she grins and hands me my phone back. “There. You can thank me later.” She walks away and down the hall. “Glad we agreed on the party!”
I roll my eyes and look down at my phone, reading the message she sent to Knox.
Delaney: Enough of this platonic texting shit. Let’s explore each other’s bodies using only our tongues. I’m dying to find out if you’re as good in real life as you are in my mind. ????????
HOURS PASS AND I’M yet to hear anything from Knox. I start to wonder if maybe he just isn’t going to answer at all. I’m just finishing up moving my stuff from my locker to Savannah’s when my phone finally vibrates. My heart skips a beat when I see his name on the screen.