Dear Valentine

IX

I didn't text Alex ever since Corrine sent me his number. I figure that if she gave me his number, she would've done the same to Alex, giving him my number. Then, he would text me first. I didn't want to seem clingy by being the first one to text him, so I decide to wait for my phone to buzz and for his name to pop up on it.

By five a.m. the next morning, my phone buzzed. Who could be up at this hour? I wonder when I saw what the time was. I reach over to my phone that is sitting on my nightstand and turn it on. On my screen, Alex's name is displayed.

I know you said that next Saturday is the next time you're free. However, if you find the time, I'll be at the coffee shop near the pool working. Come visit me. -Alex.

By my guesses, if Alex and his friends were not at the pool, they must be somewhere near it. Perhaps it was so that after they were finished being near it, they would end up being inside of it. I don't know where they find the time to be at the pool all the time.

Alex, Elliott, and their gang do not attend my school, but our school's rival when it comes to sports. Both of the schools contain a swim team and the boys are all on it. They are the top swimmers in the entire county. It would be surprising if they weren't, due to the massive amount of time that they swim.

Ever since Corrine started lifeguarding duty and has seen Elliott, she had started to drag Aiden and I to the swim tournaments that he participated in. By the fifth meet, I began to attempt at making excuses. I wasn't too keen on swimming competitions, but I went. It was so she would look like she wasn't stalking Elliott, which she was. I think he might be the top guy she has ever stalked so much for. I wondered how he hasn't caught on yet.

Alex must've somehow read my mind and found out I actually don't have any plans for today. I usually never have any plans that don't consist of Aiden, Corrine, or my family being apart of it.

I can't decide if I want to text Aiden and Corrine to meet up at the coffee shop. I'm not entirely sure that I'm ready to be alone with this guy. I've never had much experience with guys other than Aiden, after all. I've always relied on their company.

I decide that I would call Corrine. She could take her lunch break and head out to the coffee shop to see me. It's the perfect excuse to have her with me. If it was Aiden going, the excuse with him would be that he just felt like getting coffee. I don't think it will sell to well as Corrine's will.

I grab my phone and find her name in my contacts list. When I find her, I quickly tap on the button to call. She picks up on the first ring, almost immediately.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would call me," Corrine complains through the phone. I become taken aback. What is she complaining about?

"I don't understand what you mean," I mutter, but she clearly caught onto what I said.

"I had to hear from Elliott's friend, Brandon, about the news about you and Alex!" she yelled into the microphone, obviously frustrated. I extend my phone away from me, due to the loudness of her voice, and turn down the volume a bit.

"Since when did you talk to Brandon alone?" I ask, mainly to point away the conversation about the topic of Alex and I.

"Not important," she groans, waving the conversation back to me. "Anyways, tell me about what happened in your point of view. Brandon's retelling of the story is not good enough information for me."

"There isn't much to tell," I answer her.

Corrine doesn't buy what I'm trying to say. She groans again. "Cut me so crap. Aiden called me earlier and told me you seemed a bit flustered after you left."