"And there's this really nice boy on Wattpad— " she was saying over dinner to her parents one evening.
"Wait," her mom said, cutting her off abruptly.
"What?" Lovie said, pausing, fork halfway to her mouth.
"You can talk to people on there?" her mom asked incredulously. "I thought you just put stories and things on there."
Lovie had a feeling she'd said too much. "You can put stories on there," she said hesitantly.
"You just said there was a really nice boy on there," her mom said, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Lovie, have you been talking to a boy? That you don't know?"
Lovie didn't know what to say. If she said yes she could get banned from Wattpad and she didn't want that. How was she going to talk to Jess then? She realized that she'd never told her parents about Jess, her best friend of two years, but here she was spouting about George who she'd just started talking with two weeks ago. Lovie also didn't want to lie, but what else was she going to do.
"No, I was just reading his stories and he seems very nice," she said, trying to act casual. She didn't lie to her parents all the time because she wasn't that kind of rebellious person. She went to school, barely associated with anyone, came home, and did her homework. Her life as a straight-A student was very uneventful.
"What are you— some kind of stalker?" her dad teased once the tension between her and her mother was partially gone.
Lovie just laughed nervously. They didn't ask anymore and she didn't say anymore.
* * *
"George, you've been spending a lot of time on your computer lately," his mum said when she came into his bedroom to bring him some clothes that had come out of the washing machine.
George self-consciously turned the screen away so she couldn't see it. He was on Wattpad, trying to decide what he wanted to say to Lovie. He hadn't heard from her all day, which was odd.
"What are you doing on there?" Louise asked suspiciously, nearing him.
He exited out of the page and went to his photo album that consisted of pictures of him and Paul and John. He hadn't even told her he was on Wattpad. He had originally signed up because John had mentioned that he had an account, and that had been a couple months ago.
"Looking at pictures," he said, hand on his chin, acting as though he was preoccupied and not feeling a little guilty.
His mum came and looked over his shoulder quite nosily, in George's opinion. Once she decided there wasn't anything scandalous in his photo album, she left. As soon as she was out the door, he went back onto Wattpad and typed out:
hazza: Hi, Lovie!
He paused. What else should he say? Should he ask about how her brother was settling in at his college? Did that sound too nosy?
"George!" his mum shouted from another room
"Yes?" he called back.
"John is here!"
"Tell him he can come here!"
A few moments later, John came through the doorway and was soon squinting at the computer screen over George's shoulder. John didn't have his glasses on, so he couldn't see very well.
"Messaging your bird, are you?"
"Shh!" George hissed. "Don't say it too loud!"
"Is it a secret?" John asked.
"Yes."
"What are you saying to her?" his friend asked, continuing to squint. George told him. "Have you no game? Say something else?"
"Like what?" George asked, looking back at the screen.
"Let me see it," John said, reaching for his computer. George hesitantly handed it to him and John slowly typed out something.
"Whatever you do, don't send— " he started.
"Just did."
"What?!?" George cried and jerked his computer back to see what the lunatic had sent.
hazza: What's shaking, baby?
George banged his head on the desk, moaning.
"What?" John asked innocently.
"Don't you realize how that sounds?" George groaned, wanting to cry.
"It sounds like you're interested in her and you are," John said matter-of-factly.
"She's going to think I sound like jerk," George said, head in his hands. "I sound like you!"
"That's because I wrote it," John said. "Anyway, the reason I came over was to tell you that we have got a gig on Saturday."
"Why didn't you just call?" George asked. "There's this new thing called a phone and you use it to call people if you want to tell them something."
"The other reason was to see how this relationship of yours was coming along, and from what I've seen, it's bad. Geo, you sound like a loser. Do you want to get the chick or not?"
"I won't be getting her at all, because she's in Hawaii."
"Well, you might go on a vacation to Hawaii or something and meet her," John said.
"Yeah, right," he scoffed.
"Still," John continued, "don't you want to get something moving here? Sound like you're interested and not just her gay friend?"
"I don't sound gay," George objected.
"Ha!" John laughed. "Whatever, Geo. Anyway, I'll see you later."
George didn't say anything as John went out the door. He just kept staring at the screen at what John had sent. He hoped Lovie didn't take it wrong. Maybe he should say something like, "My idiotic friend said that." But at the same time, he kind of wanted it to stay there. He didn't say anything else and waited for her to respond.
* * *
moves_like_jagger: He said, "What's shaking, baby?"
loveshackB-52: Yes.
moves_like_jagger: Wow.
moves_like_jagger: What are you going to say?
loveshackB-52: "Not much"?
moves_like_jagger: I'm laughing so hard right now!!!
moves_like_jagger: So does he think you're his girlfriend?
loveshackB-52: I don't know.
loveshackB-52: I would like it if he did, but this is kind of sudden.
moves_like_jagger: He was acting his normal dorky-self and then he says that?
loveshackB-52: Yep.
moves_like_jagger: Hmmm.
moves_like_jagger: This can only mean one thing.
loveshackB-52: What's that, Jess?
moves_like_jagger: He either got drunk and sent that or he sent it to the wrong person.
loveshackB-52: Ha ha.
moves_like_jagger: Was that just me, or did that sound really flat?
loveshackB-52: It's just you.
moves_like_jagger: That sounded flat too.
moves_like_jagger: I have an idea what you can say back.
loveshackB-52: Please share.
moves_like_jagger: I gladly will.
moves_like_jagger: Say, "Are you sober?"
loveshackB-52: Very funny, Jess.
moves_like_jagger: Or the second option, "Was this sent to the right person?"
loveshackB-52: I don't know what to say. :(
moves_like_jagger: I just told you!
loveshackB-52: I'm not saying that! I'll just act like he didn't say anything.
loveshackB-52: If he keeps talking like that, I'll can him
moves_like_jagger: That-a girl.
loveshackB-52: Maybe autocorrect got him.
moves_like_jagger: What would he have been typing that wound up like that?
loveshackB-52: "I'm baking a baby"?
moves_like_jagger: That's a bad image.
moves_like_jagger: Why do you do this me, Lovie?
moves_like_jagger: WHHHHHYYYYYYYYY
loveshackB-52: Are you done?
moves_like_jagger: Hang on. WWHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYY
moves_like_jagger: Okay, now I'm done.
loveshackB-52: I'm messaging him back!
moves_like_jagger: Tell me how it goes. I want to know if you dump him.
loveshackB-52: I don't know if there is anything going on between us to dump.
moves_like_jagger: Uh-huh.
moves_like_jagger: Riiiiiight, Lovie.