Tate got home a few minutes before curfew. Allen had been a complete gentleman—walking her to her door and even offering to speak to her mom if she ran late. She was grateful for that.
As she stepped inside, she spotted her mom curled up on the couch, watching a show.
"I'm back, Mom," Tate called out.
Her mom looked up. "Tate, you're back. How was it?"
Tate groaned, already picking up on the teasing in her tone. She walked over and sank onto the couch beside her.
"Mom, it was just a hangout. Don't be dramatic."
Her mom winked. "If you say so."
Then she added, "If you're hungry, there's food in the fridge. You can microwave it."
"I'm not hungry," Tate replied, leaning back.
There was a short pause.
"When is Dad coming home?" she asked. "I miss him."
"Next week," her mom said. "He misses you too. You should call or text him."
"Okay." Tate stood up and stretched. "I'm off to freshen up and sleep."
"Alright. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Mom."
She headed to her room. But the moment she was alone, her thoughts circled back to earlier. She still couldn't believe Damien's parents owned the restaurant Allen had taken her to. Of all the places—on all the days—she had to see him there.
After freshening up, she lay on her bed, still restless. She picked up her phone, intending to text Martha the highlights of the evening.
But instead of texting, she called.
It rang once. Twice. Martha picked up on the third ring.
"Hey, Tate."
"Hi, Martha."
"So…" Martha's voice brightened. "How was your hangout with Allen? Give me all the details!"
Tate smiled a little and started telling her about it—well, most of it. She left out the part where she ran into Damien and discovered the restaurant was his parents'. Martha was already suspicious enough as it was.
"Allen sounds like a real gentleman," Martha said. "So... are you guys together now?"
Tate hesitated. "No. We're just friends. For now."
"But he likes you. So if he asks you to be his girlfriend, what would you say?"
The question lingered.
Tate hadn't thought that far. She wanted to move on from Damien. She was trying. But becoming Allen's girlfriend? That felt like a whole other decision.
"I don't know," she admitted. "I just want to take things slow and be friends for now. And he knows that."
"Okay," Martha said. "At least Allen cares. I don't know what's wrong with Damien. It's like he ghosted me. Even in school, he barely looks my way. I texted him about the project tonight, and he gave me a one-word reply."
Tate's stomach twisted with guilt.
Was it her fault? The timeline matched. Damien had started acting differently after the kiss they shared on Saturday.
"He's an asshole," Tate said, trying to sound more annoyed than conflicted. "Why don't you just ask him what's going on?"
"I don't want to," Martha replied. "If he wants to act like this, fine. I just... I want to know what changed all of a sudden."
Tate stared up at the ceiling, heart pounding.
This is because of me, she thought. And if Martha kept digging, she might connect the dots.
That couldn't happen.
"I'm sure it's nothing. He'll probably come around," Tate said quickly.
"Just a heads-up," Martha added. "We're having a project meeting during lunch break tomorrow. I haven't told the others yet—just you and Damien—but I'll let them know in the morning."
"Okay," Tate said softly.
They ended the call a few minutes later, but Tate couldn't stop thinking.
Damien was acting off. Martha was suspicious. And she was stuck in the middle of it all.
She reached for her phone.
Unblocked Damien.
Typed, "We need to talk."
Tate woke up to her alarm buzzing. She reached for her phone, rubbing her eyes as the screen lit up.
Five missed calls—from Damien.
She frowned. He didn't reply to her message, but he called? She didn't even remember falling asleep after texting him.
One glance at the clock told her she had to hurry or she'd be late.
---
She got to school just before the first bell and slipped into class. Martha was already there. As Tate sat down, she looked to her side and accidentally made eye contact with Damien.
Her heart skipped a beat , but she quickly looked away and focused on the board as the teacher began the lesson.
At lunch, she and Martha went to get snacks before heading to the classroom for their project meeting. While Martha was paying, Tate's phone buzzed.
A message from Damien:
" You said we needed to talk. Why are you avoiding me?"
She stared at the message for a second, unsure how to respond. She didn't want to talk to him in school and wanted to avoid anyone seeing them together.
"We'll talk later," she replied.
"Let's go," Martha said, handing her a snack.
They walked into the empty classroom. It was the same one from the Winter Ball night—the one where she overheard Damien. Being back there brought the memory back, but she pushed it aside.
Damien was already inside, sitting at a desk and looking at his phone. He glanced up when they walked in, eyes briefly meeting hers before she looked away and took a seat far from him.
The rest of the group showed up, and they picked up where they left off. They agreed to go with Leo's idea of an anonymous hotline and Tate's idea of putting up posters around the school. Martha and Leo volunteered to talk to Mr. Matthews and the school board. Tate offered to work on the posters, and Damien and Lexi would present the project to the class.
Everything was set, and Tate felt confident they'd do well if everyone kept to the plan.
---
After the meeting ended and they agreed to meet again in a few days, everyone started to leave. There was still time left in the break, so Tate and Martha headed to the cafeteria to finally eat.
But just before they got there, Tate stopped and realized her phone wasn't in her pocket.
"I think I left my phone in the classroom," she said.
"Want me to come with?" Martha asked.
"No need. I'll meet you at the cafeteria."
Back in the classroom, she found her phone lying on a chair. She must have dropped it when they were discussing.
Just as she picked it up and turned around
She saw Damien standing in the doorway.