Chapter 7
After doingsome more research on Calvin, I wasn’t sure if reaching out to him had been such a great idea.
The stress I’d been dealing with cloudedmy brain. Calvin Wong was currently vying for the top seat in The Triad against another member. He had climbed the ranks over the years and had become a trusted member. His father died a few years ago. The Triad had respected his father, and that respect had been passed onto Calvin. Creating a fake identity to join specific group chats had gotten me enough information that exhausted me.
I didn’t want to think about violence and death anymore. I showered, slipped into my silky pajamas, and slid into bed. Kaylee was already in bed because she was heading to a Sanrio event in Boston with her friend Violet tomorrow. Violet’s mom, Grace, was driving them to look at all the stuffed animals and K-pop collectibles.
Kaylee had saved her allowance money to spend at this event. She finished the lo mein and also ate the salad in the fridge. She told me my account for her Heartstrings app was all set up. All I had to do was play along and interact. She needed all the feedback I could give her.
She kept her word, and I’d keep mine.
I couldn’t believe Kaylee created a dating app. Should a thirteen-year-old girl be doing this? Should I allow this? What was the right way to raise a teenage girl? She was smarter than most kids her age. Even if I stopped her from doing what interested her, she’d probably go behind my back to do it anyway. So, taking part in her project would help me monitor her. With her brilliant mind, she could make this world a better place.
Arrow”s face invaded my mind as I tried to clear my thoughts so I could fall asleep.
Can you let me know when you’re ready?
I hadn’t met a persistent man like him. Most men would have moved on already.Was this a game to him? Maybe he liked a challenge, and winning a date was the prize he’d aimed for.
You’re overthinking again.
My phone buzzed on the nightstand, and I grabbed it to see a notification from Heartstrings.
You have two heart tugs. One yellow heart tug and one red heart tug.
What did they mean?
I had planned on looking at the dating app tomorrow when I wasn’t so tired. But the tugs intrigued me. Sitting up in my bed, I clicked on the icon with two adorable smiling hearts connected by one string. An adorable logo that illustrated the app beautifully.
I browsed through the app.Colored hearts rated the connection scale. Yellow meant a wonderful friendship. Pink meant a potential love match. Red signified passion, while black meant not a chance.
Goodness. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this coming from Kaylee. She was only thirteen years old! She shouldn’t be thinking about these things!
Remember when you were a teenager?
Being a guardian to her was like being a parent, and I had no experience whatsoever. I was more like a big sister to her. But I also lacked experience in that area—I was an only child.
“Who are these people?” I asked no one in particular.
Curiosity had me checking out the red heart tug. What made the match? More importantly, what kind of profile did I have?
What the hell was I thinking, trusting a thirteen-year-old girl to set up a profile for me?
You’re just helping her test out a prototype.
Still, I had to know everything.
Ismiled at my alias, Tulip, which showed an image of a single yellow tulip. She knew I loved yellow tulips. They reminded me of joy and new beginnings in the spring.
Oh my God.
I gasped at the preferences in my profile.
Preferences: A man with brains who can buy me whatever I want. Stable job. Funny.
Age: Late twenties.
Hobbies: Fishing and martial arts. Shopping. Good food.
Dislikes: Fakers. Mean people. Bald men.
Laughing, I shook my head.
Likes: A lot of things. Ask and find out.
Tagline: N/A
I guessed she left the tagline for me to add. I had no idea what to put there.
Who was going to read all of this? I’d never used a dating app before. One of my former hygienists met some guy through a dating app, and he turned out to be on the FBI’s Most Wanted List.
Creeps were all over the place, even on the internet. I had to protect Kaylee from this. Who was she working with at Whiz Kidz? Were they doing enough to ensure the kids were safe from online criminals?
The red heart linked me to someone with the alias DonutDude. He managed a donut shop, loved to eat donuts, and wanted to find someone special to share his love for donuts and other pastries. He was on a mission to lose weight and needed a partner to take walks with. I couldn’t help but laugh at the description, but I silently wished DonutDude would find his DonutGirl soon.
How was the calculation done? What happened behind the scenes to match my profile with his?I had to talk to Kaylee about this. This donut guy and I would not work out. If this app was going to be something real, she needed to revise the matching calculation.
If this was a prototype in its testing stage, who were these people? Did she know them? How did she know them? Whom did I have to hurt? Did the people at her afterschool program know about these things?
Gosh, I needed to have a chat with her tomorrow.
I clicked the other profile with the “friendly” tug. It showed he was online.
He sent a wave of a hand.
I waved back.
I read his profile with the name Bullseye and an image to match it.
Preferences: Here for friendship.
Age: Thirties, but sometimes I forget.
Likes: Fishing. Playing video games. Sports. Doing nothing.
Dislikes: Dentist, alcoholics. Too many to list. Ask me.
He sent me a text:
Bullseye: You like fishing?
Tulip: Yup.
Why did he dislike the dentist? I wasn’t sure if this friendship could happen.
Tagline: Weirdo looking for someone weirder.
That tagline made me laugh.It took me out of my stress bubble. Maybe I could be friends with a weirdo.
Tulip:Are you a creep in disguise?
Bullseye: Are you?
Tulip: Maybe.
Bullseye: Why so suspicious?
Tulip: Why not? The world is full of dangerous creeps. Trust no one.
Bullseye: Then why r you on a dating app?
Tulip: Weeding out the creeps.
I didn’t know why I said that, but if he were truly a creep, that statement would have made him more cautious.I had to protect my Kaylee.
Tulip: How did you find out about this app?
Bullseye: A friend told me about it. You?
Tulip: Same.
Bullseye: The app says we could be friends.
Tulip: But you could be a sixty-year-old, lonely creep trying to lure young girls.
I had no idea why that thought kept flashing in my head.
Bullseye: Could say the same about you too. Are you a serial killer?
Tulip: With a dental drill as my weapon. (scared face emoji)
Bullseye: Evil. So evil.
I didn’t realize talking to a stranger about random things would relieve the stress I’d been carrying.I’d never chatted with an online stranger this much. But if he were a creep, I had to ensure he wouldn’t get near Kaylee.
Two hours later, I yawned and texted.
Tulip: Gotta go. Past my bedtime.
Bullseye: Okay. Good night, Dental Drill.
I grinned at the ridiculous nickname.The device was actually called a dental handpiece. I logged out of the app, unsure when I’d be back on.
As I closed my eyes, Arrow’s face splashed across my mind. What would it be like to date someone that intense? Someone who demanded attention without saying anything. Someone who seemed to follow a strict chart, not missing a single step? I’d probably be bored to death.
Then my mind wandered to Bullseye. What did he look like? For all I knew, he could be a grumpy old man who showered once a week, had an STD, and only came online to defraud people.
I’d never gone to bed with two men occupying my mind. For now, the distraction gave me the reprieve my mind desperately needed.