Page 121 of Popular Boys Don't Fall For Geeky Girls

Vanessa.

I quickly stand. “I need to get started on my homework. Let me know when you’re done so we could game.”

“Yay! Thanks, big sis.”

I go to my room and sit down at my desk, waking up my computer to start my homework. My phone dings with a notification. Grabbing it, I scan the screen. The familiar pink letters and design pop up before my eyes.

Congratulations! Your Perfect Match has found you a match!

I stare at the screen, my brain unable to process what my eyes are absorbing. My app has found me a match? Who? I thought I was out of the matchmaking business. Unable to contain my curiosity, I click on the notification. Let’s see how else my app screwed up.

The phone slides out of my hands.

Colton Andersen.

“What the…?” I scramble out of my chair and stare at my phone lying there on my desk at an odd angle. What demon has possessed that thing? Me and…Colt?

I tell myself to relax. The app is one big mess. It matched Colt and me because…because we’ve been hanging out a lot. Going to the same places and doing the same things. Of course the algorithms would match us with each other. It doesn’tmeananything.

But why does a part of me know I’m lying to myself?

I know I shouldn’t, but I look at the summary of why we’re a good match. We both have the same goals and interests, and our personalities and mentalities are practically the same but different enough that would make us have a great relationship.

“No, no, no,” I mutter as I pace my room. “How many times do I have to remind myself that he has a girlfriend? Well, an almost girlfriend. Or rather, a once-again-girlfriend. Whatever, he has Vanessa. Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa. The girl he wants back, Willow? You know, the girl he’s in love with? The girl who he’s been obsessing over since they broke up?”

And now my stupid app will ruin everything for him. I hope he doesn’t get the notification. No, of course he’ll get it. If I got it, he got it. I check the app just to make sure. Yep, he did. But he’ll disregard it, right? Because he knows he’s supposed to be with Vanessa and he also knows that my app is one big mess. Surely he won’t think it means…something.

“What has my life become?!” I groan as I fall to my knees.

“You’re getting into improv, too?” Mom asks as she walks into my room with the laundry basket.

“No,” I groan again as I remain on the floor, contemplating how my life got so complicated in such a short amount of time. Just a few weeks ago, I didn’tfeelanything. I wasn’tconfusedabout anything. I was living in bliss. And now my app matched me with my fake boyfriend, the sweet and selfless guy who makes my stomach all tangled up?

“You okay down there?” she asks as she puts away my clean clothes.

“Super,” I mumble.

“Want to talk about it?”

“Why do things make sense one minute and then don’t make any sense the next?”

Mom chuckles. “That’s called life, sweetie. What’s bothering you?”

I stare at the spot before me, my mind racing with thoughts. They’re going so fast, I can’t make sense of any of them.

“Willow?” Mom asks.

My gaze snaps to her and I sigh. “My app matched me with Colton.”

“Ah, I see. And you don’t like him?”

“He’s supposed to be myfakeboyfriend. Why did my stupid app match me with him?”

“Your fake boyfriend?”

I throw my hands up. “Yeah, we’ve been faking for the past few weeks. And now I’m so confused…”

“Honey, sit down.” She lowers herself on my bed and pats the area near her.

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