JOSH'S POV
I unlocked my phone and went to Jackie's message. I read it. I re-read it. I re-read it again. I pinched myself. I re-read it. My heart was beating so quickly that I had to lay down for a little bit and take some deep breaths.
But what if she did like me? I liked her too-- well, maybe even loved her-- and if the text was real and not a prank or some sort of mistake, I would've been the happiest and luckiest guy in the world.
Now that I had calmed down from the initial shock of her text, I decided I wanted to respond. I unlocked my phone and went to my notes. I didn't want to risk sending it before I was finished or making another stupid mistake like that, so I figured it would be best to write it all out on my notes, read over it a few times so I could revise it if necessary, and then copy and paste it to send it to her. This was the first time I was going to tell her how I truly felt. It had to be perfect.
JACKIE'S POV
I was sitting on my bed and staring at the ceiling, thinking of anything that could possibly make the day worse. Nothing was coming to mind.
I mean, I totally flunked the one test that was going to unite me with the one boy that mattered to me- which takes me to my second sucky event of the day. What was I thinking? We had always been friends, nothing more. Then out of the blue I had to spoil it with a stupid text.
My door slowly opened wit a creak and I looked up to see my mom. Great, I told myself. Probably news about the test that I completely failed. Awesome.
She sat on the edge of my bed and flashed me a smile. She took my hand and scooted a little bit closer to me, reaching into her back pocket and grabbing her phone.
"Mom, I don't think now is the best--"
She cut me off by playing a message from her voicemail:
"Hi, this message is for Jackie Morrison. After much deliberation, we have decided to place her in the 9th grade during the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. She has showed advanced knowledge and maturity, and we are formally inviting her to the ACC--"
"What's AC--" My mom shushed me before I could finish the entire question.
"--Advanced Children Ceremony this upcoming Saturday. Attendance is suggested but not mandatory, as there will be another parent meeting in the fall before the school year begins. We would like to congratulate Jackie in her success and to remind her to keep working hard in her studies. Thank you."
I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. When I looked at my mom, she was smiling and tears were forming in her eyes.
"You did it, sweetheart," she said in a low, shaky voice. I threw my arms around her and we both laughed, tears streaming down our faces.
JOSH'S POV
I read the message I was about to send one more time. It was super sappy and cheesy, but at the same time it was exactly how I felt about her. I was scared out of my wits to send it, but it needed to be done. I copied and pasted it. My finger hovered over the send button for a little bit, but I couldn't press it. I stood up and looked in the mirror. I had been crying and I didn't even know it. This girl? Man, she drove me nuts.
Send.
JACKIE'S POV
The first person I thought of to tell about my success was Josh. I unlocked my phone without noticing that he had sent me a text. I opened up my messages and clicked his name followed by a bunch of cute emojis (come on, you expected me to put my crush into my contacts without emojis?). Once I opened it, I saw a message from him. It was long. I had to scroll up to see the top, and once I did I was very happy with what I saw:
You mean so much to me... I don't know where I'd be without you, Jackie. I know we're young and people don't think teens can fall in love, but I've really fallen for you. You are everything I want in a girl and more. I've waited so long to tell you how I truly feel because I was scared you wouldn't feel the same way towards me... I love you, Jackie. Meet me at the park. Xoxo
"I'M GOING TO THE PARK, MOM." I left the house without waiting for a response. Come on, you don't expect me to wait for my prince, do you?
JOSH'S POV
I was scared she wasn't going to come when I looked up from the park bench I was sitting on and saw her walking towards me. She was so beautiful.
"I have a surprise for you," I said to her, "but you're going to have to follow me to get it."
