26 next problem
I'm still in Jess's living room when my phone buzzes again.
At this point, I don't even check who it is right away. That's how bad it's gotten. Every notification feels like it's about the same thing-the dance, the posts, the comments that somehow feel more observant than they should be.
Jess is mid-sentence about how "the internet doesn't lie," which is objectively untrue, and Riley is half-listening, half-watching me like she's waiting for me to admit something I'm not planning to say out loud.
My phone buzzes again.
I glance down.
Caiden.
Of course.
I open it.
I stare at the message for a second, already suspicious.
Three dots appear immediately.
I let out a quiet, disbelieving laugh before I even think about responding.
"No," I say out loud.
Jess stops talking. "No what?"
"He's texting me like I work for him."
"That's romantic," she says.
"It's not."
Riley leans forward slightly. "What did he say?"
"He said I'm going to Flagstaff."
Jess's eyes light up. "Road trip."
"No," I repeat, louder this time, typing at the same time.
I hit send before I can overthink it.
Jess watches me like this is entertainment. "You're going."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are," she says again, more certain this time.
My phone buzzes.
I stare at it.
Then type.
I hit send, leaning back into the couch like that settles it.
Riley's watching me more closely now, her expression calm in a way that usually means she's already figured out where this is going.
My phone buzzes again.
That... is irritating. More irritating than it should be. Because he's not wrong. Which is the worst kind of correct.
Jess shifts closer to me, trying to read my screen. "What's he saying?"
"That he's insufferable."
"That's not new."
"He's telling me it's not optional."
Jess smiles slowly. "So you're going."
"I'm not."
"You are."
I don't answer her this time. Because I'm already thinking. Which is a problem. Because thinking leads to-
solutions.
And solutions lead to-
compromises.
And I don't want to compromise. But I also-
don't want to deal with whatever happens if I don't go.
I look back down at my phone.
Then type.
There's a pause this time, longer.
Jess leans forward. "You're negotiating."
"I'm setting boundaries."
"That's not what that is."
Riley smiles slightly. "It kind of is."
My phone buzzes again.
That was fast.
Too fast, like he expected that.
I narrow my eyes slightly, then type.
Jess freezes.
Riley looks at me.
Jess grabs my arm. "You just invited us."
"I did."
"You're going."
"I didn't say that."
"You just did."
"I didn't."
"You absolutely did."
I ignore her, focusing on my phone.
There's a pause.
I blink. That was-
easier than expected, too easy.
Jess lets out a sound that's somewhere between a laugh and a scream. "We're going to Flagstaff."
"We're not," I say automatically.
"We are," she corrects, already standing up. "Oh my god, what are we wearing?"
"This isn't happening."
"It's happening."
Riley leans back against the couch, clearly more amused than surprised. "You agreed."
"I didn't agree."
"You set conditions," she says. "He accepted them."
"That's not the same thing."
"It kind of is."
I look down at my phone again.
At the messages.
At the part where I didn't say no again.
Jess is already pacing now, talking about snacks and playlists and how "this is going to be iconic," which is not helping.
"I hate everything," I mutter.
"You don't," Jess says immediately.
"I do."
"You don't," she repeats. "You're already thinking about it."
"I'm not."
"You are."
I don't respond. Because... I am. Not in a way I want to admit, not in a way that makes sense.
But enough that I'm already running through it in my head-what it's going to be like, how long it is, what I'll need to bring.
Which is-
annoying.
Because I should still be saying no. Instead, I'm... planning.
Jess drops back onto the couch next to Riley, grabbing her hand like this is somehow their win too.
"It's going to be fun," she says.
"It's going to be long," I reply.
"Same thing."
"It's not."
Riley glances at me, her expression knowing. "You're going."
I exhale slowly, leaning back into the couch again.
"I'm being forced."
Jess grins. "Sure."
I look down at my phone one more time. At his last message. At how easily that just-
shifted.
And I shake my head slightly, like that somehow cancels it out.
It doesn't.
Because whether I admit it or not-
I'm already in.