Mikaela’s POV

  I slowly blinked my eyes open, squinting against the faint light creeping through my curtains. A groan escaped my lips as the shrill sound of the alarm mercilessly yanked me from my dream, the remnants of which were already slipping away. I stretched lazily, my limbs heavy with the lingering comfort of sleep. My hand blindly searched for the snooze button, but the relentless beeping persisted, reminding me that I had to face the day. Yay, me, I thought to myself

  With a sigh, I turned my head and noticed a damp spot on my pillow. Great. Drool. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at myself. Who did I inherit this charming trait from? Mom and Dad always denied this responsibility, leaving me to wonder if it was some sort of genetic mystery. The thought made me chuckle softly, but that was quickly overshadowed by the realization that it was a school day.

  My duvet was wrapped snugly around me, the warmth and softness tempting me to stay cocooned in bed forever. The idea of leaving this cozy haven to brave the outside world felt like sheer madness. Who in their right mind willingly drags themselves out of bed for school, anyway? The thought of sitting through boring classes made me want to bury myself deeper under the covers. But as much as I hated to admit it, the world wouldn’t wait for me.

  Reluctantly, I started to get up and checked the time to see when I needed to leave. Grabbing my phone, I noticed a few unread messages: one from Kira and one from Mr. Lasagna. My eyes widened as I shouted, “Oh shit!” I’d completely forgotten he was picking me up today—if he hadn’t canceled already. I opened his text: “I’ll be there in 30 minutes.” Okay, great, I still had some time. I’ve exhaled with ease knowing that I still have some time.

  I took a few deep breaths before realizing he’d sent the message 15 minutes ago. SHIT SHIT SHIT. Quickly, I opened Kira’s message and typed, “Babe, don’t pick me up today. I’m going on my own. See you later!” I hit send without realizing I’d sent it to both her and Mr. Lasagna.

  I ran to take a shower. I love hot showers even in the middle of a scorching summer. Call me a psychopath, but I can’t stop doing this. Today, though, I forced myself to take a cold one. I managed to wash in 5 minutes, dashed out, and started choosing clothes. Grabbing the first decent-looking cargo trousers and a random top, I couldn’t find matching socks, so I wore one purple and one white.

  “Okay, this will do,” I muttered, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

  Now for makeup. I quickly applied blush and attempted a winged eyeliner. “SHIT!” I cursed under my breath. It was uneven. After a few more attempts, I stopped before I looked too gothic for school. Then I noticed a huge pimple forming on my forehead.

  “Perfect, Mikaela. Just perfect.” I slapped a star-shaped pimple patch over it. My tiny wispy bangs wouldn’t hide it completely, so I put my still-wet hair into a bun and hoped for the best.

  My phone vibrated. His message indicated he was already here. I ran downstairs, greeted warmly by my parents at the kitchen island.

  “Mika, honey, grab these two bags for Kira and Lewis. I made some warm blueberry buns.” Jagodzianki! What time does Mom wake up to make these?

  “Thanks, Mom, but I might need an extra one today,” I smiled. She handed me another bag, smiling mischievously. “Thanks, Mom. You’re the best!” I rushed out and hopped into his fancy car.

  “Hi, babe. Couldn’t help myself—I had to come pick you up,” he greeted me with a mischievous smile. Babe? Did I hear him right?

  “Are you having a stroke?” I put my hand on his forehead. “No, you seem fine. Just something’s wrong with your head this morning.” I laughed. “Why are you calling me babe, Lasagna?” I’ve asked him squinting my eyes.

  He showed me the message I’d accidentally sent. “Fuck, I’m sorry. That was meant for Kira so she wouldn’t come to get me with Lewis. My bad.” Embarrassment flushed my cheeks. He burst out laughing.

  “All good, Wilson. Don’t give me those puppy eyes, especially not with that thing on your forehead.” He placed his hand on my thigh and gave me a once-over. “Seat-belt on. Let’s go, or we’ll be late.” I smiled, buckling up.

  “Oh, right. Here!” I handed him the bag. “For you if you get hungry after practice.” He looked at me shocked and confused as he watched me wave the bag with the jagodzianka inside. “My mom baked it. I thought you’d enjoy it since you liked her baking yesterday. It’s a blueberry bun. I would teach you the Polish version but I’m afraid that we would be very late then.” He smiled shyly, grateful when I handed him his little sweet treat.

  “Thanks, Mika, you didn’t have to!” He smiled. “How about we ditch school this morning? We can go back this afternoon for my practice and your drama class,” he suggested. My eyes widened. “How do you know I have drama today?” I asked surprised that he remembered my schedule.

  “Wilson, only a fool would forget that memorable Tuesday afternoon when a bowl of lasagna landed on him because some girl decided to improvise a dance in the cafeteria.” My body tingled at the memory. It was over a year ago, and he remembered. Something about it just made me want to kiss him again. “Sure, let’s get out of here. Got anywhere in mind?” I asked. “Yeah, I might just know the place.” He responded smiling at me.

  We were driving for quite some time until we reached a park. We left his car and our things inside. We started walking in silence towards a place he knew. After a few minutes, he grabbed my hand, intertwined our fingers, and kept looking straight ahead.

  I was so happy. Is it stupid that I’m enjoying this? Is it some kind of decoy, and in the next few seconds, someone will jump out of the bushes and scream, “We got you, MIKA!?" I quickly shook the thought out of my head and carried on walking.

  “We’re almost here,” he said, leading me to the top of a small hill. We had a beautiful view of the whole town. It must look amazing at night.

  “WOOOW, this is awesome, Nico!” I squealed in excitement.

  “I’m glad you like it, Mika. This is where I come to unwind after a hard day.” He sat down on the grass, and I joined him after a few minutes, once I’ve absorbed the beauty of the surrounding area.

  “I’m sorry for asking, but how does someone like you have a hard day?” I asked, scanning his facial expressions.

  “Someone like me? Mika, you don’t even know me. I may come across as someone popular and wealthy, but I’ve worked hard to get where I am. The money isn’t mine; it’s my parents’. They’re just kind enough to let me use it. As for popularity, our school favors basketball over football. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be that recognizable.”

  This was the longest sentence I’d ever heard him say. He wasn’t just handsome; he was smart and humble. He was kind. KIND... and yet somehow, I’d never seen it.

  “And yet you told me to fucking move,” I said, narrowing my eyes and playfully hitting him with a closed fist, pretending to be serious. “Hey!” He laughed and started massaging his arm, pretending like it was the hardest hit he’d ever taken. “You splattered a whole bowl of lasagna all over me just before I was supposed to meet some very important people at my parents’ law firm. I was supposed to work for them this summer, but I ditched it because I was too embarrassed.”

  What in the actual hell? I might have destroyed his future. I stopped looking at him and stared into the grass. “I’m sorry. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been messing around. I’ll try to behave when I’m around you, okay?” I raised my eyes to meet his, smiling. My natural blush blended with my makeup.

  “I don’t want you to start behaving. Be as you are. That’s why I like you. That’s why, for some reason, I’m so fucking drawn to you” He placed his on my knee and moved slightly higher, leaning towards me. He looked into my eyes and placed a soft kiss on my lips. Slowly, the kiss turned more passionate, our tongues intertwining and getting used to each other.

  Remember those butterflies I mentioned yesterday? They were back, and goddammit guys, they came with full force.

  After a few minutes of amazing kissing, I felt something crawling on me. I screamed, jumped on my feet, and started flailing my arms in every direction.

  “Mika, it’s a ladybug, leave it!” He laughed, enjoying my acrobatic performance. “Please, take it off, take it off...” I begged, tearing up and being genuinely terrified.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  Ladybug or not, I was scared of every insect. I should’ve thought about that before deciding to make out on the grass, but we live and learn, right?

  “Okay, wait.” He came up to me, grabbed my waist, pulled me closer to himself, and gently removed the ladybug, placing it aside. “It’s okay, you’re safe now.” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “We need to head to school, otherwise we’ll be in more trouble.” He stated firmly whilst holding my hand and making our way back to his car.

  Why was time flying by so quickly? We had just started hanging out. I want some more time with him!

  We got back into his car and headed to school. He played some songs from his iPhone. As we drove, Arctic Monkeys’ “I Wanna Be Yours” played. We were exchanging smiles the whole drive.

  A few long moments later, we arrived at school. It was a long lunch break, and many students were hanging out in the parking lot. “Shit, do you want me to leave now? I can meet you later,” I said, lowering myself like I was in an action movie trying to hide from sight.

  “What are you doing, weirdo? I’m not hiding you,” he chuckled, grabbing my arm and lifting me from my ridiculous position. He parked, grabbed our bags, and waited outside the car. “Are you coming?” I’m not sure why I was so terrified of what others would think, but I was. “Yeah, coming.” I quickly got out and grabbed my bag.

  “Thank you for today. I’ll see you later?” I smiled, looking into his brown eyes awaiting a simple goodbye to leave his mouth. “Let’s go,” he said, grabbing my hand as we walked towards the school entrance. Some people were shocked to see us together, some nodded at Nicholas, and some just waved from afar. Once inside, he left me in front of the drama class.

  “Come to my practice after, and I’ll come with you to your place to study,” he said, kissing me on the cheek before heading towards his friends, who began tapping him on the back and exchanging laughs and remarks. “Nick, what the hell, man? You and the weirdo?” “When did this happen, man? Are you just bored?” I could hear a few remarks in the background, but they didn’t bother me as much as I thought they would. I was used to it by now.

  Not a few moments later, I heard a loud roar. “Michaalisjna Wasilewssska!” It was Kira, imitating my mom. “Yeeessss, moom?” I turned around, terrified.

  “You bitch, why didn’t you tell us that you and Mr. Popular are a thing?” She and Louise grabbed me in a tight embrace, forming a small circle, and stared at me while giggling.

  Okay, it was time. Now or never. “Why didn’t you tell me that you guys were a thing?” I looked at them and saw how red they both turned. “Ha, I knew it! I fucking knew it, you assholes!” I shouted, throwing my hands up in a dramatic gesture like I was exploiting them in some reality TV show.

  “Mika, it’s not like that. We just got close after one class when we were waiting for you to come back from detention. Sorry, forgive us.” They both hugged me tightly and looked insanely serious.

  “Fucking hell, guys, what are we, three? I love you both. Be together, be happy, but don’t sabotage our friendship group!” I kissed them both on the cheeks, and we headed to drama class.

  Yeah, I made them attend it due to their very low attendance score last year. I’m hilarious, I know.

  “Okay, now tell us. You and Lasagna? How? When? Are you guys dating?” They looked at me very curiously. “No, we’re not dating. I’m not sure what we are. It just happened yesterday when he was teaching me math.” They exchanged looks and burst out laughing, hearing that I fell for a guy over a math lesson.

  “Hey, I know it’s not ideal. My image is hurt now, you know, me being a weirdo falling for a popular guy, I know, I know.” I let it all out while stretching and reading the script for the next act we were about to perform with Mr. Smith. “Falling, huh?” Louise chuckled and kissed Kira on the cheek. “It is going to be very interesting, Mika.” Kira hugged me tightly, and I could hear genuine happiness in both of their voices for me.

  After drama class, I said my goodbyes to Kira and Louise and made my way to Nicholas’s basketball practice. I wasn’t sure if I should enter the basketball court, but I did. I spotted Nicholas on the other side, throwing a ball into the basket. When he turned around and saw me, his concentrated gaze immediately switched to a smile. He waved and started running towards me.

  “Quick thinking!” Someone shouted from an unknown direction and threw a ball at me. I wasn’t able to react, and it hit me on my left arm. I almost fell, but a wall on my right helped me regain my balance. “Fuck, seriously?” I turned my head to see none other than Mason Parkdale, an 18-year-old senior prick about to finish school and head to the most prestigious college. His parents were disgustingly rich, and it was known that his father had the key to the most elite Ivy League schools. If looks could kill, he’d be dead right now.

  “I warned you. Sorry, I didn’t know you’d be too slow to react. Sorry about that! I’m Mason.” He extended his hand, and I shook it, just to avoid drama. “Come on, man, are you serious?” Nicholas shouted at his friend, ran up to me, and lifted my chin, looking concerned. “Are you okay?” He kissed me quickly on the lips, and a few drops of his sweat landed on my face.

  “Oh shit, sorry.” He laughed and wiped the drops away with his fingertip, and I blushed immediately. “You guys make me wanna throw up. I’ll see you at the party later, Nicks?” Mason asked as he headed towards the changing room. “Yeah, I’ll think about it!” Nicholas shouted back, grabbing his bag.

  “Are you ready? Let’s go,” he asked, taking my hand. “Are you not going to take a shower?” I chuckled, seeing him visibly drained in sweat after practice.

  “I don’t want to waste time away from you. I can shower at your house if your parents won’t mind?” He gave me a flirtatious gaze. “I guess we’ll have to find out. Did you enjoy the jagodzianka?” I asked. “Oh, you mean the blueberry bun? Yeah, I loved it. It was just what I needed during practice.” He gave me the sweetest smile, and we left the school.

  We arrived at my place, and my mom welcomed us warmly. I asked if Nicholas could take a shower since he came straight from practice. Of course, she agreed. The thing with my parents is that they are super chill. As long as I’m honest and don’t cross trust boundaries, they will trust me 100%.

  While Nicholas showered, I paced around my room like a crazy person. After about 15 minutes, he came out wearing shorts and a top, showcasing his muscles. He looked mesmerizing, like some kind of Greek God. Or maybe I was exaggerating, but at that moment, he did. His wavy, curly wet hair made him look even hotter. At this moment I’ve had about a thousand thoughts crossing my mind, and all of them were up to no good.

  “Are you ready?” he asked, sitting down on the floor by the table. “Ready for what?” I asked, staring at him. “For our lesson, weirdo. Let’s not forget you need to pass this exam. Otherwise, I won’t be able to hang out with you as much next year,” he said, pulling me down as I rolled my eyes. I sighed loudly. “Yay, me,” I muttered, feeling miserable. Over two hours later, after solving problems, I felt like my head was about to explode.

  “Okay, that’s it. I can’t do it any longer. I will die,” I said, taking out my hairband and letting my hair loose. I resembled a witch, having forgotten I did that “hairstyle” while my hair was still wet, after a long day, they managed to dry and it forced them to go in every direction.

  “Shit,” I muttered, looking in the mirror and realizing how comedic I must look, especially with the pimple sticker on my forehead. “You are impossible, you know that, right? You remind me of a cartoon character,” he said, studying me while trying not to laugh. “If that’s how you get girls, well, it’s not working, Lasagna,” I retorted, giving him a killer look before bursting into laughter.

  I stood up and lay down on my bed. “Come here,” I tapped the space beside me. He stood up and sat down, staring into my eyes and then my lips.

  “Nico, are you playing games with me? Are you bored? Is this some sort of case study for your college essay? Why are you doing this? Because I know you’re a nice guy, and you don’t need to worry about hurting me. We can end this right here, and I will understand. I won’t be angry, I prom..—” He cut me off with a kiss. A kiss longing for me. It deepened as his hand trailed across my waist. Our tongues intertwined in a beautiful, romantic dance. He sure could kiss. I didn’t want it to end... Until we heard a loud knocking on my door.

  “Mika, I’m going out for a bit. Your father is out with his friends! Make yourselves some food, guys!” my mom shouted from behind the door. She knew not to cross my privacy, and I respected her for it. “Thanks, Mom. See you later!” I shouted back, laying my head down again.

  “I’m not playing games. I’ve liked you since the day I saw you standing up to Fat George in the library when he was making fun of you for asking people to join your photography club. I’ve liked you since I knew about your weird people club and saw how close you are to your best friends. I liked you from the moment you splattered lasagna all over me. I’ve been drawn to you ever since. You’re giving me some kind of brightness that I’m missing.”

  Fucking hell. When I tell you I was gobsmacked, I was. I didn’t know he felt this way. I started tearing up, not knowing how to handle these emotions.

  I lifted myself and went deeper onto the bed, putting my back against the wall. I couldn’t stop crying. What the fuck is wrong with you Mika? Pull yourself right here and now! I’ve thought to myself. My eyeliner was destroyed.

  “Look what you did. Now I resemble a freaking panda. How am I supposed to be good enough for you when I look like this?” I let out a small sigh and chuckled to myself. He moved further onto the bed and pulled me towards him, embracing me in a big hug.

  “Stop overthinking. You’re perfect, even as a Panda,” he said, letting out a tiny laugh and kissing the top of my head. I hugged him tightly, and I’m not sure when it happened, but we fell asleep.

  The noise of his phone ringtone woke us up. It was 10:34 PM. Mason was calling him. “Yeah, what’s up, Maze?” he asked, yawning.

  “Come on, man, the party is just getting started. Are you coming? Don’t leave your best friend hanging!” I could hear Mason trying to persuade Nicholas. He looked at me, asking for permission. I knew he would rather stay in bed with me, but my parents would be in for a surprise if he did.

  “Go and have fun. Just don’t think too much about me,” I smiled, lifting myself off him. “Okay, I’ll pick you up tomorrow again, okay?” He gave me a quick kiss before grabbing his bag and leaving my house. “See you tomorrow!” I shouted and went to take a shower.

  When I got back to my room, I was feeling a surge of energy that I couldn’t ignore. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through my playlist, landing on “End of Beginning” by Djo.

  I twirled around the room, arms outstretched, I was lost in the melody. Feeling like I’m on top of the world. Then I realized my phone vibrated. It was Kira calling. I had to fill her in on all the details of my relationship with Nicholas.

  It’s weird not calling him Lasagna as much. I think I was really falling for this guy. It’s funny how connected you can feel to someone in such a short time. We talked for over an hour. Around midnight, I received a selfie from Nicholas with his friends. “Goodnight,” he wrote. I guess he just wanted an excuse to send me a cute picture of himself. I’ll take it. I smiled, zooming in on him.

  “Goodnight, handsome,” I responded and drifted to sleep.