Screen of Secrets

Chapter 11

Evan

I just got home from Fred's place—well, not directly. Nathan and I stopped by a coffee shop halfway between his house and mine. I guess it was an unofficial date?

Sitting in front of the mirror, I notice my cheeks are bright red. I like him. No, I guess I love him. He’s just so perfect.

We’ve been dating for almost a year and a half, and he still puts in effort. He surprises me with presents and brings me a red rose every month on the second Saturday. That day is special to him because it was the second Saturday of January last year when I said yes to his proposal. Back then, I just had a crush on him, but my feelings have grown since then.

I hear footsteps approaching my room. That must be Mom. I need to stop thinking about Nathan when I’m at home. I grab a towel from my drawer and head to the bathroom. The door opens; Mom must have entered.

"Evan," she calls out.

"Yes, Mom," I answer from the bathroom.

"Take Bella outside for a walk, and before that, please tidy up your room. For God's sake, do it properly." I can imagine her eyes widening as she says this. She hates it when I leave my room messy—OCPD tendencies. I promise I’ll do it, and she leaves.

Bella is our dog. Dad got her for me when I was nine after I cried about wanting a dinosaur. Dad couldn't resist and brought home a dog instead. It’s funny how we could cry for things that don’t even exist when we’re young.

Anyway, I clean my room and take Bella for a walk. After about forty minutes, I return home, lie on my bed, and think about Nathan again. I can’t stop thinking about him, especially after he kissed me in front of Fred. It was a bit weird, but I love how witty he is, even if he’s a bit foolish for using that program. Oh, the program—I have it on a pen drive.

I find the pen drive in my jeans pocket and sit at my computer to transfer it. I open it, and it displays the same messages Fred mentioned. I start studying from it just to test.

After half an hour, I understand how Fred managed to top the list in just two weeks. The program makes topics easy to grasp. It covers the hardest topic of this year—the one that made me cry in front of Nathan because I couldn’t grasp even 20% of it. Now, I think I understand about 80% in just half an hour. It’s impressive.

This program could be revolutionary, but why haven’t I heard anyone besides Fred talking about it? Why isn’t it featured in YouTube videos about learning or on Google when searching for simpler explanations?

I don’t have a good feeling about this.