Best Mistake ★ Nicholas Chavez

Nineteen | match

flashback

—••—

"Oh my God, he's such a slut," Amara blurted out before she could stop herself, looking up from her phone. Her friends—Zendaya, Madelyn, Madison, and Renee—were all sprawled around her living room for a sleepover.

"Who is?" Zendaya, the oldest of the group, asked, eyebrows raised as they all turned to Amara with curiosity.

Amara's eyes widened, like a deer caught in headlights. "...Nicholas," she muttered, clearing her throat and glancing away, trying to downplay her slip-up.

"Elaborate?" Madison asked, leaning in with a smirk.

Amara sighed, feeling all eyes on her. "Okay, so... I found out he has a Raya account, which definitely means he's been hanging out with different girls, like, a lot," she admitted, struggling to keep her tone casual. "I mean, he's single, he can do whatever he wants, but... it's like, bro?"

Zendaya gave her a knowing smile. "And you care because...?"

Amara rolled her eyes, trying to brush it off. "I don't care... it's just... an observation."

Renee raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly did you find out he has a Raya account?"

Amara flushed, mumbling, "I might have one too." Her friends all burst into laughter.

"You're both the same, babe," Madelyn giggled, nudging her.

Amara's phone buzzed with a new notification, and she glanced down, only to freeze when she saw the words: You and Nicholas Chavez are a match on Raya.

"What is that?!" Madelyn exclaimed, spotting the notification before Amara could hide her phone. " You matched with him!"

Amara's cheeks flushed as she quickly tilted her screen away. "Nothing! Just... um, a glitch?" she stammered, but her friends exchanged glances, grinning.

"Oh, sure," Zendaya teased. "Just a harmless little 'glitch' with your ex."

Amara sighed, knowing there was no escaping the incoming teasing. "Guys, I feel possessed," Amara groaned, leaning back on the couch. "I wasn't even gonna swipe right, okay? But it was like the universe was cheering me on." She sighed, recalling how complicated things had become since Avan's party last week—and the very memorable night with Nicholas in his car afterward.

When he'd dropped her off, they both stayed silent, leaving things unspoken. He had texted her the next day, just a simple "Hi," but she hadn't responded, keeping her feelings in check—or at least trying to.

"You're dick gobsmacked," Madelyn declared bluntly, giving Amara a pointed look.

"That's exactly why you don't hook up with your exes," Zendaya chimed in, shaking her head knowingly.

Amara rolled her eyes, trying not to laugh. "It's not like I planned this!"

Renee smirked. "It's never planned. But now you're swiping on him, ignoring his texts... and here we are."

Amara sighed, realizing they weren't wrong. The lines she'd tried to draw with Nicholas were blurring faster than she wanted to admit.

Amara buried her face in her hands, half-laughing, half-groaning. "Why does my life feel like a rom-com gone wrong?"