How to Get One Million Reads on Wattpad (a novel)

7) Explore Your Characters

Every time Stacy thought about their first kiss, she felt flutters in her stomach and heat on her face.

And she'd been thinking about it a lot.

Like, a lot.

Especially now, as Derek's latest message lit up her screen. She smiled, her heart racing just a little faster each time his name appeared. Plans for their second date were already in place, and she couldn't wait to see him again.

But even with the excitement bubbling in her chest, doubt crept in, irking her worse than when someone used the wrong form of "your" in a sentence.

She sat cross-legged on her bed, glancing around at her familiar surroundings—the posters of bands she used to love and the overstuffed bookshelves lining the walls. Her fingers hovered over the phone screen, rereading their messages for what felt like the hundredth time.

Was Derek really into her, or was he just being polite? Could someone like him—confident, magnetic, with that ridiculous smile—really be interested in someone like her?

Her heart fluttered, but not entirely with joy. The uncertainty gnawed at her. She felt it simmering beneath her skin every time she thought about their first date. Was it all too good to be true?

To shake off the unease, she called Amanda. There was no way she could sit alone with her thoughts any longer. And her dad was no use.

"Hey, wanna come over?" Stacy said the moment Amanda picked up. "I need your brain. And maybe your sanity."

Amanda arrived half an hour later, greeting her with a tight hug at the door. "You better have snacks," Amanda teased, tossing her jacket over the back of a chair as they headed to Stacy's room.

Stacy flopped onto her bed with a sigh. "Okay, so... remember Derek?"

Amanda's eyes lit up. "Obviously. Now, spill. I'm ready for details."

Stacy filled her in on the highlights of the date—their easy conversation, his quiet confidence, the way his smile had caught her completely off guard. Amanda's expression shifted between teasing smirks and genuine curiosity as Stacy gushed, her words tumbling over themselves in excitement.

"And then we kissed," Stacy finished, her cheeks flushing with the memory.

"No way!" Amanda squealed, swatting her arm playfully. "Look at you! Who knew you had game?"

Stacy laughed, her earlier anxiety softening in the warmth of Amanda's energy. But as the laughter faded, she couldn't help but voice her concerns. "But... I don't know. What if he's just being nice? Or what if—"

"Stop it," Amanda interrupted, sitting up straighter. "Stace, come on. You're amazing. Any guy with half a brain would be into you."

Stacy smiled, though she wasn't entirely convinced. "Maybe, but he's so... I don't know. He's got this whole thing—he's got hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok. It feels like he's in this other world, you know?"

Amanda raised an eyebrow. "TikTok, huh? Did he show you any of his videos?"

Stacy shook her head, biting her lip. "No, that's the thing. He got all shy and weird when I asked about it. Just said he did workout videos. I mean, I get being modest, but it felt like he didn't want to talk about it at all."

Amanda leaned back, thoughtful. "Maybe he's just not sure how to talk about it without sounding like he's bragging. Guys can be strange like that."

"Yeah, maybe." Stacy's fingers fidgeted with the edge of her pillow. "But now that I'm thinking about it, when we were at the coffee shop, these two punky-looking girls recognized him. They didn't seem like the type who'd be into workout videos. I didn't think about it then, but that seems off, doesn't it?"