𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕 | 𝙱𝚊𝚍𝚐𝚎𝚜

It was a normal Thursday, Nessa and I settled onto our usual spot on the bleachers, overlooking the football field. The afternoon was quite peaceful, I got rid of Navan's menacing attitude, but I still couldn't settle my mind over the conversation we had yesterday.

I closed my "Better Than The Movies" at the moment when Liz sneaked out with Wes at their backyard to watch the stars. "Did I do something crazy at summer camp?" I asked Nessa, as always, focused on her sketchbook.

"Uhm, you're always crazy. What do you mean?" She replied, not taking her eyes away from the notebook.

"No, something like cheati—"

"Hey, girls!" A familiar voice interrupted me, and I looked up to see Ethan walking towards us, he looks so good smiling that I could die from the sight.

"Hey, Ethan," Nessa greeted him, side eyeing me.

"What's up?" I asked, my heart fluttering a little at the sight of him.

"My cousin's having a party this Saturday," He stood in front of me, wiping his sweaty forehead which I wished I could do for him. "It's gonna be a blast. You guys should come."

My heart leaped with excitement. "Really? We'd love to!"

Nessa raised an eyebrow. "What kind of party?"

"Just a chill get-together," Ethan said, shrugging. "Music, games, maybe some dancing. Nothing too crazy."

"Sounds fun," Nessa commented, continuing her drawing.

"I'll text you the details later," Ethan said, his smile widening. "See you guys around."

He turned and walked away, leaving me crazily excited. I can't believe he came over to ask us to go the party. A personal invitation! I couldn't wait for another chance to impress him.

As we walked back to the dorms, Nessa and I discussed the upcoming party, my excitement bubbling over.

"I need to go shopping," I opened the door to our dorm with urgency. "I have nothing to wear!"

"I wish I could go with you," Nessa said, her brow furrowed. "But I have classes tomorrow."

"Maybe you could ask Navan to go with you?" Nessa suggested, her eyes twinkling with mischief.

I scoffed. "No way! I'm not going shopping with him."

"Why not?" Nessa asked, teasing me. "He's cute, and he seems like he'd be fun to hang out with."

"I think you're forgetting how much I don't like him."

Nessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. You're the one who asked him a favor."

I groaned. "Which was a huge mistake."

Nessa chuckled. "Okay, okay. I get it. You're a complicated girl."

***

The following day, as I made my way to the library to study, I felt a sudden tug on my backpack.

"Gotcha!"

"What the heck!" I screamed loud enough for the librarian and everybody else to glare at me. I turned around to see Navan standing behind me, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips.

"Navan! You scared the life out of me!" I whispered, my heart pounding in my chest.

"Sorry," he stepped closer, a satisfied smirk playing on his lips. "Just a little prank."

"A prank?" I asked in disbelief. "You call that a prank? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Come on, Melody," his voice softening. "You're such a drama queen, aren't you?"