By lunchtime, Tate's phone already had a profile picture, a bio she didn't write, and three posts she hadn't approved—a photo of her lunch, a selfie with Martha, and a candid picture Martha had taken of her without warning.
She groaned. "Martha, why the picture of my lunch?"
Martha grinned. "Food aesthetic."
Tate sighed. "Right."
Without asking, Martha went ahead and followed a few people from Tate's account—herself, Landon, and a couple of classmates.
Then she landed on Damien's profile.
"Want to follow him?" she asked casually.
Tate stared at his profile picture. He was shirtless, his curly hair falling messily into his face. Since when had he been that… handsome?
Martha raised an eyebrow. "Tate?"
Tate blinked. "No. We're not that close. It'd be weird to just follow him out of the blue."
"Okay," Martha said with a shrug, then changed the subject.
They were mid-conversation when Landon walked up, practically bouncing with energy. Tate eyed him warily. Energetic Landon usually meant trouble—for her.
"I have good news," he announced. "We're having our first campaign meeting with Damien during free period today!"
Tate blinked. "We're what?"
"You, me, and Damien," he said with a proud nod. "He already has poster ideas and ways to make people fall in love with us even more."
Tate's stomach sank. Avoiding Damien was starting to feel impossible.
Martha, oblivious to her discomfort, clapped her hands. "That's going to be fun! I can't wait to see what you guys come up with."
Tate forced a smile. "Yeah. Fun."
When their last class ended, free period rolled around. Normally, Tate would spend it with her head on her desk or laughing with Martha. Instead, she was headed to a meeting with the one person she'd been actively trying not to think about—or run into.
Tate nodded. "It's fine. Can we start?"
She promised herself she'd be civil. This was for the campaign. She wanted it to succeed.
She stepped into the empty classroom they'd picked for the meeting and spotted Damien sitting alone, scrolling through his phone. Landon was nowhere to be seen.
Perfect.
She couldn't stand awkwardly in the doorway forever.
Clearing her throat, she said, "Hey."
Damien looked up. "Hey. You're here."
"Yeah," she replied, taking a seat. "Any idea where Landon is?"
"He just texted. Mr. Matthew called him to his office. He said if he's not here in ten minutes, we should start without him."
"Oh. Okay."
The silence that followed was unbearable. Tate didn't want to be in the room, and clearly, Damien wasn't one for small talk either. She picked up her phone and opened social media, pretending to scroll.
Then he spoke. "I know you don't like me."
Her fingers froze. She looked up at him.
"We don't exactly see eye to eye," she said slowly.
He nodded. "I'm sorry if I offended you with how I acted before."
Tate blinked. Was she hearing him right?
"We didn't exactly start on the right foot," Damien continued. "But we have to work together now, and I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."
This wasn't the Damien she remembered—the one who ignored her, mocked her, and accused her of dating Landon. He sounded… sincere.
"Are you only apologizing because we have to work together?" she asked.
He let out a short breath. "Honestly? Yeah. But also because I realized I was a jerk. Especially about the whole hallway thing. And the 'boyfriend' comment. That was out of line."
Tate hesitated. At least he was apologizing—something a lot of people in her life never bothered to do.
"Fine," she said. "Apology accepted."
Damien smiled. "Friends, then?"
"Friends" felt like he was pushing it but somehow, she found herself nodding. "Yeah. Friends."
His grin widened. "I saw you have an account now. I followed you. You should follow me back."
She looked down at her phone. Sure enough, the notification had just come in.
Before she could reply, Landon burst into the room, slightly out of breath.
"Sorry, guys! Mr. Matthew wanted an update for the teacher meeting." Tate nodded. "It's fine. Can we start?"
The meeting went smoothly. Damien came up with some really smart ideas, and Tate couldn't help but be impressed.
Smart and handsome. The Lord clearly had his favorites.
She found herself staring at his hair—curly, always shiny, always perfectly in place. What product did he use? She wondered if it smelled as good as it looked.
Then she caught herself. Jesus. What's wrong with me? she thought. Why am I thinking about his hair?
It was already bad enough that she could recognize his scent in a crowded hallway. Now she was wondering what his hair smelled like?
After school, instead of taking the bus, Tate decided to walk home. She wanted to listen to music, let the cool evening air wash over her, and maybe clear her head a bit.
Halfway through her walk, she spotted Allen coming from the opposite direction. He noticed her too and waved.
"Hey Allen," she said. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you around school."
"I went on a trip with my parents to visit family," he replied. "But I'm back now."
"Oh, okay. How was the trip?"
"Not bad. Landon told me you're vice class governor now?"
"Yeah… I guess I am," Tate said with a little shrug. "But I still have to participate in a campaign. You know how Landon is—he's a bit over the top with stuff like that."
Allen chuckled. "Oh, I know how Landon is. But I'm happy for you. Now more people get to see you—and that beautiful face."
Tate laughed awkwardly. "Well, I don't know about the 'beautiful' part."
"I know what I'm saying Tate," Allen replied gently.
She looked at him and saw the way he was looking at her.
He really did like her, huh?
Too bad she didn't feel the same way. And she didn't want to lead him on.
"Thank you, Allen," she said softly. "I really appreciate it."
"You're welcome. But I have to go."
It wasn't until then that she realized they were already standing in front of her house.
"Oh… yeah. Bye, Allen. See you in school tomorrow."
She watched him walk away before heading inside, feeling something she couldn't quite name. It wasn't guilt exactly—but something close.
After dinner, she tried to relax, but her mind was scrambled. She lay back on her bed and closed her eyes, hoping rest would help.
Five minutes in, a notification pinged.
She figured it was probably Martha. She had texted her earlier and was expecting a reply.
But it wasn't Martha.
It was Damien.
Damien: Hi
Tate stared at the screen.
Why was he texting her?
She considered ignoring it… but curiosity got the better of her.
Tate: Hey
A moment later, she saw the typing dots appear.
Damien: I thought you'd be asleep already.
Tate:Not yet. Haven't gone to bed.
Damien: How's your night going?
Why is he making small talk? she thought. What does he want?
Still, she decided to keep things civil.
Tate: Good.
Damien: Okay, that's good to hear.
Tate: Yeah.
There was a short pause.
Damien: I actually messaged to let you know I came up with a slogan for the campaign.
Tate: Oh really?
Damien: Yeah. I already sent it to Landon, but I wanted your opinion too.
Tate: Okay.
Damien: Sending it now.
A moment later, another notification appeared. It was a poster—her and Landon side by side, with bold white letters at the top:
"Don't Miss Out on LATE — Landon and Tate for Class Governor!"
Tate read it over.
"LATE"? Landon and Tate… Late.
It clicked.
That was actually… clever.
Tate: That's actually not bad. We can decide for sure tomorrow.
Damien:Okay, cool. Till tomorrow then.
Tate: Goodnight.
Damien: Goodnight, Late. Sweet dreams.
Tate stared at the message, her heart doing something weird in her chest.
What was happening to her?
Maybe sleep would cure her of… whatever this was.