“Hey, Trent, could I have your cell phone number?”

Trent smiled. “Yeah, sure,” he agreed, before giving it to me.

My heart almost burst out of my chest.

Oh, my god, I’m getting Trent’s cell phone number!

And he doesn’t even seem at all perturbed by my sudden wanting of it!

Score one for Spencer!

Humming, I entered Trent’s number into my cell phone just as the bell rang. I got up and put my phone into my back pocket. Trent and I walked together to our lockers, before parting ways before our next class; our last class as well.

As I walked down the hall, still elated from scoring Trent’s number, I spotted him, and my face suddenly fell.

Sven Diederich.

He had “elegantly disheveled” black hair, and he always wore a baggy grey and black pullover and jeans that were re-sown to fit like a second skin.

I had to admit, he’s really hot.

But very mean!

Pouting, I huffed past Sven, mad at him for ruining my good mood.

You see, Sven’s picked on me ever since kindergarten. I don’t know why, but I’ve just always been the target of his stupid snide remarks. So, now being in my sophomore year of high school, it’s definitely started to wear on me!

“Hey, Caufield,” I heard Sven’s deep voice say. He always called me by my last name because in seventh and eighth grade, we had the same art teacher, who always called us by our last names. Since we haven’t had a class together before or since, I’ll bet he doesn’t even know my first name.

But anyway, at the sound of his voice, I didn’t stop or turn around; just continued stomping childishly away.

There was a pause before, “Hey!”

I winced as I was pushed into the wall of the school right next to me. I felt my back pop as it collided with the wall, but I didn’t complain since my spine had actually been feeling a little stiff prior to it.

I glared up at Sven, into his blue eyes, lined with kohl.

“When I’m talking to you, you respond, ’kay?” Sven smirked at my squirming.

“Get away from me!” I shoved at Sven and ran to my class, which was only a few doors down.

--

As I was walking to work that day, I pulled out my phone and giggled as I texted Trent.

‘Hey whats up? its spencer’

I kept my cell out and played Tetris as I waited for a reply.

‘Hey nm u?’ was the horribly chat-speak diluted reply. Usually I really hated chat-speak, but I thought it was fine for texting because typing on the cell phone is a bitch.

‘Just walking 2 work Dx’ I responded, sighing, and going back to Tetris.

My job was just a boring job as a cashier at a grocery store. It would have been a bit cooler if there was anyone there that was my age, but everyone was old. And that meant work was really, really boring.

It took a bit longer than last time for Trent to reply, ‘Heh me 2’

‘Oh yea? where do u work?’

‘Hot topic’

Hm, what a weird place for someone like him to work.

‘Really? well maybe i’ll visit u there sometime!’

‘Wtf stop being a pansy’

I frowned at the reply. Trent didn’t seem like the kind of person to call someone a pansy…I suddenly felt really stupid, and could feel my face turn red. I quickly typed, ‘Sorry. i gotta go c u’ before flipping my phone closed and sliding it into my pocket.

The next day at school, I wandered around campus before first period. After a while, however, I found Trent talking to a few other people, and I quickly made my way to him.

“Hey, Trent,” I greeted happily.

“Oh, hey,” Trent turned to me and held out his arms to give me a quick hug. I almost squealed like a fangirl on crack as my arms wrapped around his neck briefly.

The two of us talked until the bell, where we went to our different classes.

Over the next few weeks, Trent and I talked a little less at school, but made up for it by our massive amounts of texting. We really got to know each other, and while Trent wasn’t exactly like he acted in real life, he was still an amazing person.

So now, I had just left Trent to go to my last class of the day. The class went by like normal, except when about halfway through, Sven suddenly walked in, telling the teacher he was sent here to take a test.

Sven immediately spotted me, and of course took the empty seat behind me. I scowled, trying my best to ignore him. He didn’t do much, since he was under the supervision of a teacher, just kicked the back of my chair a few times, which was easy to disregard.

Feeling a little down nonetheless, I decided to text Trent.

‘Hiya what class do u have now?’

Just after I send the message, Sven’s own cell phone vibrates. Somehow, teachers never seem to hear it when a student’s cell vibrates, which is exactly what Miss Frank did as Sven glanced at her, and flipped open his phone.

I heard the number keys click lightly as Sven typed something on his cell. Once he puts it away, my own cell phone vibrates.

Both Sven and I stare at where the sound came from. How coincidental, I think, sighing.

Flipping open my phone, I read, ‘Science but im taking a test in Franks’.

My eyes widened. How is that possible? That sounds like Sven…

I whipped around in my seat and whispered frantically to Sven, “What’s your cell phone number?!”

Sven smirked. “Jeez, I thought you hated me…”

“Shut the fuck up and tell me your number,” I replied, irritated.

“What, you’re stalking me now?” Sven laughed.

Frustrated, I pulled up Trent’s number, and asked him, “Is it 445-3632?”

Sven cocked his head to the side, laughter gone. “How do you know?”

I couldn’t believe it. I must have typed the number in wrong, because I was so excited…and my luck would have it that it would turn out to be fucking Sven.

“Do you know what my first name is?” I asked slowly.

“No, but I fail to see how that has anything to do with anything right now.”

“My name is Spencer!”

He blanched.

“I’m the one you’ve been texting for who knows how long now! Jesus, I can’t believe this…”

“Quiet down over there!” Miss Frank said to us.

Sighing, I turned back around in my seat and put my head in my arms, deciding to sleep my way through the rest of class.

At the end of class, I awoke to the bell, but didn’t move. I didn’t feel like getting up yet…

A hand lightly shook my shoulder, and I heard Sven lightly say, “Hey, c’mon.”

Groaning softly, I slid out of my seat and grabbed my messenger bag. His hand slipped down to my arm, and he pulled me out of the classroom.

“You’re an asshole, you know,” I muttered sleepily as we walked to the front of the school.

He laughed. “You didn’t seem to think that during our loving conversations…”

“How the hell could you have not caught on to the fact that you were texting the wrong person?”

“Well, I have a friend named Spencer, and I thought it was him,” he responded. “Though I always did wonder why he didn’t get it when I talked about things we’d said in texts…”

“So, what now? Just because we had a few conversations, we’re gonna pretend we never totally hated each other for ten years?”

“A few conversations?” Sven retorted as he stopped walking, moving in front of me. “You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy staying up late to talk to me, and everything we goddamn said to each other—”

“That’s because I thought you were Trent!” I replied, stepping back from him.

“That doesn’t change the fact that we really…connected…” Sven sighed. “Whatever. You know what? Whatever you want to do is fine.”

He turned around and started walking away. I huffed, turning to walk the opposite way, but I couldn’t get farther than two steps before turning to look back at him.

Even though I’d thought I was talking to Trent, we had developed a strong connection…I couldn’t possibly walk away from that.

I silently rushed back over to him and wrapped my arms around one of his own, leaning my head on his shoulder.

“Hm?” He stopped and looked down at me, surprised.

“If that’s so, then this is what I want to do,” I said quietly, closing my eyes.

He turned towards me and I let go of him before he slid his arms around my waist.

I don’t think I’d have ever guessed we would, but I suppose opposites do attract.