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“Thanks to your app, my boyfriend found out about a secret I didn’t tell him about. I wanted to tell him on my own time and on my own terms. Now he thinks I was hiding it from him. Some security your stupid app has!”
More people have crowded around me, nearly all of them yelling complaints at me. It feels like a wave crashes over me and I’m gasping for air. This can’t be happening…
Please wake me up from this nightmare.
“Excuse me!” I hear Ava yell. “Get out of the way so I can get to my friend! It’s not a freakin’ circus. Move before I moveyou.”
“Willow!” Chloe calls.
Hearing my friends’ voices lessens some of my panic. But they’re still so far away. And the crowd is only getting rowdier. It’s getting harder and harder for me to breathe.
Someone wraps their arm around my waist and yanks me away. The next second, I’m pressed against a warm but hard body. I glance up and see that it’s Colt with his strong, protective arm around me, holding me close to his body as he leads me away from the mob. I’ve never been so grateful to see him before. He’s like my guardian angel.
I open my mouth to say something, but my whole body is shaking and my throat is so tight. The kids still yell after me, some of them trying to get in our way. But Colt pushes through everyone.
“Wanna get out of here?” he asks.
“Yes,” I gasp, still not able to speak properly. “Please. Just take me away from them.”
With a determined nod, he tightens his arm around my waist and continues leading me away. Out of the school doors and to his car, where he opens the door and helps me in. I’m still shaking pretty badly and can barely think straight. I really thought some of those kids would hurt me.
Once he’s in his seat, he reaches for my hands and squeezes them. “Are you okay?”
“I…I…” I swallow and get my bearings. “That was…”
“Crazy.” His eyes are furious. Like he wants to hurt every kid in there who was yelling at me. He presses his hand to my cheek. “But are you okay, Willow?”
I nod. “I’m okay. Thanks.”
With a relieved sigh, he falls back in his seat.
I hear the bell for first period ring and sit up. “I’ve never missed a day of school in my life.”
“Do you want to go back?” he asks.
I blink at him. “No. I want to stay far, far away from them as possible.” I lean forward and press my hands to my face. “Oh my gosh, what a nightmare. No, it’s a disaster. Ava claims I created a utopia, but I created adystopia.”
Colt wraps his arm around my shoulder and tugs me to his body. “I’m here,” he says. “If you want to tell me what happened, I’m here.”
I slowly lift my head to his, seeing the genuine concern in his eyes. I’m so glad I’m here with him right now. I’ve never felt safer.
With shaking lips, I tell him about all the complaints I got this morning. “I don’t understand. Things were going so well the last few days. All my friends matched with their boyfriends and I had lots of other successful matches, too. And now all of a sudden people are having problems with it?” I reach into my pocket and check the status of my app. My jaw almost hits the bottom of Colt’s car. “So many uninstalls. The number is dropping by the tens every minute.” My eyes widen. “Fifty failed matches? And oh my gosh, the feedback is terrible.”
I groan as I hit the back of my head against my seat, tears of frustration building up in my eyes. I think Colt sees them because he gathers me to his chest, his breath warm on my cheek as he whispers, “Hey, you’re okay. Just breathe.”
“I’m s-sorry.” I hiccup. “Oh, crap. I never cry.”
“The hiccups will just get worse if you hold back,” he says. “It’s okay to let everything out.”
I’m about to stubbornly shake my head, but I’m not strong enough for this. I bury my face between his neck and shoulder and cry. “All my hard work down the toilet. This is a total disaster, Colt.”
He rubs my back and smooths my hair. He doesn’t have to say anything. Having him hold me like this is enough.
After what feels like hours, my tears dry up and I pull out of his arms. With an embarrassed laugh, I tuck some hair behind my ear. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay,” he assures me. “Do you want to get out of here?”
“But, Colt…your perfect attendance.”
