Page 77 of Kiss Me, Maybe

“I don’t like waiting.” Before I can think of a reply, she hangs up.

“Did she change her mind?” Krystal asks as she pulls into my driveway. I glance around, surprised. I was so lost in my own thoughts, I didn’t register that we’d already arrived back at my house.

“I…” I trail off, stunned.What the hell just happened?“I think she did, yeah.”

“That’s…” She looks just as shocked as I feel. “That’s amazing news, isn’t it? This is what you wanted.”

“It’s not… I mean, itis, but it’s god-awful timing, isn’t it?” Ishake my head. “Can we please talk about us first? Everything that happened between us before we got into this car? I can’t handle the whiplash.”

“It’s been a lot for one day, hasn’t it?” Krystal’s chest falls with a sigh. Relief, maybe. “First Isaac, now Natalia.”

“No kidding.” I sink into my seat. “Krystal—”

“I’m not going to hold you to canceling the scavenger hunt,” she says. “How could I? You’ve wanted Natalia to be a part of this scavenger hunt from the very beginning. Plus, you still have Leti to consider.”

“Leti isn’t the one I want to be with,” I burst out. “You’re the one I want, Krystal.You.Nobody else.”

Finally, the words I’ve been holding back for so long are out in the open.

“Angela, I—” Her eyes shut like she’s in pain, and I can hear the words she’s about to say before she even says them.Angela, I can’t. You know I can’t.

“Don’t.” I put up a hand to stop her. “I can’t do this right now.”

“Angela, don’t leave like this.”

But I’m not listening anymore. I pull open the door, half hoping she’ll stop me. Prove me wrong. But I make it all the way to the door, up the stairs, and to my room without a single protest. It’s all the answer I need.

Thirty-Four

Later that night, I scroll through my newest notifications for a dopamine hit, but it doesn’t do the trick of making me feel any better. If anything, they fill me with a strange sense of dread. It doesn’t feel right going on with the scavenger hunt, even though Krystal gave me her blessing. I also don’t want to disappoint my followers when I’ve already stretched out this series for two months, but is that a good enough reason to go through with it?

That dread only grows bigger when I come across a cryptic video on my For You page. A creator I don’t recognize is angry about something, but that’s no different from any usual day. What’s different this time is they’re talking about someone in the aro/ace community. I haven’t checked my phone all day, so I’m not familiar with any new drama or discourse that’s happening currently.

“You know what I’m sick of?” the creator asks. “I’m sick of constantly being lied to by influencers and content creators. But it’s even worse when it comes from someone in your own community—or who claims to be, anyway.”

I watch the rest of the video with a sinking sensation. They don’t give any context to the situation or even so much as a name, but that’s also not unusual. The creator is going on the assumption that their audience will know who they’re talking about. The dread builds in the center of my chest until myhands are shaking.

Something is wrong.

Two more cryptic videos appear as I’m scrolling before another creator finally gives me some sort of clue as to what’s happening.

“The thing about this whole Angela situation is—”

I sit up immediately upon hearing my name. I don’t register a single word out of their mouth past that. How the hell did I become the aro/ace community’s villain of the day? I return to the last video I posted, wondering if I accidentally said or did something that could be considered problematic or harmful, but it’s just me responding to a commenter’s question about a date for the scavenger hunt.

I open the comment section, and that’s when I really start freaking out.

@Alisha:This is so disappointing. I related to your journey so much and now I feel like a fool for buying it. Esme was right about everything.

@Connor:I knew her story had to be fabricated. No one who looks like her makes it to twenty-seven without being kissed.

@Olivia:Another influencer lying on the internet for clout. What else is new?

“What the hell is happening?” For a moment, I consider deleting the app and calling it a day. Better yet, deleting myentire account. Instead, I return to the For You page to the cryptic video that I now know is about me. Butwhy? That’s when I spot the search engine question below the video.

What did Angela Gutierrez lie about?

Good question.

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