JUST PRESS SEND (On Hold)

THREE

CHAPTER THREE
SOMEDAY IN JANUARY

TOBIAS WACH

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With 5 seconds on the clock and the enemy team completely wiped out, it was looking good for my team. I was Mr.P, and I had all the ten gems my team needed for victory. As I ran away from my enemies that were soon to be coming, I triggered Bo's clever traps and I was blown up, instantly losing all my gems.

Which led to my team's downfall. We lost. They hated me. I hated me.

When I looked up, I noticed that Brandon had already left. That made me even sadder because I didn't even get to say my mental goodbye to him.

He was the only reason why I came to the library. I mean, sure, the library was cute and cozy and always had a coffee smell that I loved but there was literally no other reason for me being there.

I just played games on my phone and read books that I found interesting until he left so I could leave.

So since he was gone, it was my cue to leave but before I could even get up to put on my coat, I noticed Brandon's friend approaching me. I tried not to look at him, so I looked back down at my phone and immediately went to Instagram. I just started scrolling and liking everything that I passed.

"Hey! Tobias, right?"

I looked up from my phone. I was confused. How did he know my name? "Uh-" I cleared my throat. "Yes."

He handed me a folded up piece of paper. "It's for you. Take it."

A note? For me? That was just unheard of. I was thoroughly confused.

Why was Brandon's friend with the shoulder-length wavy hair and nice muscles giving me a note...with a smile? Was I paying attention to the wrong friend? Was the Shawn Mendes look-alike into me?

I just held the note in my hand and stared at how nicely folded it was. There was a little heart on the backside of it or maybe it was the front side but it didn't matter because the heart was cute.

I looked at the boy, and he was back at his table laughing with that girl who I assumed was also Brandon's friend. She had really curly hair that was pulled into a small bun. When she looked at me, I could see that she had two curls hanging from each side of her face. She was really pretty.

Why did she look at me, though? Why were they laughing at me? I thought.

I then looked down at the piece of paper and clenched it in my hand with the intention of trying to crumple it.

It was definitely a prank of some sort. I had shoved the note in my pocket and gathered my things before I left.

~

I texted Isabel and told her that I was coming over. I had to talk to her, in person. I was freaking out. I didn't know how to feel. I felt like crying. I didn't cry because I was driving and didn't want my vision to be blurred but I cried on the inside. I just couldn't understand why someone would want to hurt me.

"Why would they do that to me? I did nothing to them," I said.

"They're just assholes," Isabel said as she sat down next to me on her pink bed with the fluffy blankets. Our feet were lined up with our matching white socks as our backs rested against the headboard. I hated that we were the same height so I crossed my legs to not be reminded of that.

I sighed. "I know." I was looking down at the note. "I didn't want to open it to satisfy them."

"Huh?"

I looked over at her. "What?"

"You didn't open it?"

"No."

Her mouth dropped and then she narrowed her eyes at me. "Tobias!"

"What?"

"If you didn't open it then how do you know it's a prank?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. They just seemed suspicious. They were laughing at me."

"Give me the note." She held out her hand.

"No."

She crossed her arms. "Then open it."

"Okay." I was playing with the corners of the note.

"Now!"

"Okay! Geesh." I started to unfold the wrinkled note.

Isabel gasped as she stuck out her neck in my direction to get a better look. "It's his number!"

I didn't even finish unwrapping the note yet and once I did, I saw the numbers. I couldn't believe it. It was Brandon's number. His name was written underneath it with hearts and a smiley face.

"It's Brandon's number! Oh my god!" She was hopping up and down on her knees like a child.

I was hopping too but in my head and also in real life because Isabel's hopping made my side of the bed jump.

"It's not that big of a deal," I said. I lied. It was the biggest deal that I had ever had in my life, but I had my doubts. "I mean-" I sighed.

"Uh-oh. Here we go." I chuckled, and she plopped down next to me. That time she was a bit closer to me. "What's the problem?"

"What if this isn't his number?"

"What if it is?"

I sighed. "You see...okay. Listen. Brandon didn't give me the note. He left. He was gone."

"Maybe he was too nervous to see you open it."

"I doubt it. That would be so unlike him."

"You don't even know him."

I chuckled. "True but I have an idea of his personality. He's always speaking in class to answer questions, and he has no problem with talking to our peers. He seems confident and very not nervous. You get what I mean?"

"Mhm."

"He was also the one trying to start conversation with me that one day at The Grill but I was the one who ruined it."

"Yea. I still think he was nervous."

"I don't. I don't think this is his number."

"Alright. Text it then and ask if it's him."

I held the paper tightly in my hand and I just stared at it. I wanted to text it because maybe it was him. Maybe he was too nervous to give me the note himself. I knew I would've been nervous, but I also didn't want to text it because I was scared. My stomach just churned thinking about it and the chills crawled throughout my body.

"I can't," I said.

My hands were shaking. I just dropped the note in my lap and started to crack my knuckles.

Isabel grabbed the note. "You can and will. Now give me your phone."

"No. We can't do this. I don't even care about the number. I don't want it."

"Yes, you do. You've been crushing on this guy for far too long. It's about time you make your move. He made his now you make yours."

"No. Just forget it about."

"Tobias."

"I said no, Isabel." I had taken the note away from her and balled it up before I tossed it in the trash like a pro basketball player. "I don't want to text him. Now can we please just watch something on Netflix?"

She sighed. "Sure."

I knew she meant well but I just wasn't ready to take that huge step. Texting Brandon was a huge step. It was the hugest of huge steps. It was a leap. A big leap and I wasn't ready. The number wasn't real. I knew it wasn't. It deserved to be in the trash.

But I couldn't help but wonder...

What if it was his number and I ruined yet another shot at love?

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