AN UNEXPECTED DATE

I stared at the email, my heart pounding in my chest. "I KNOW YOUR SECRET." My hands hovered over the keyboard as I tried to think of what to say back. What secret could they possibly know? Antonio and I had been so careful… or so I thought.

I don't have a secret, I typed out, my fingers shaking slightly. You must have the wrong person.

I hit send before I could second-guess myself. There was no way someone could know what happened between Antonio and me. It was just a one-time thing, and no one else was there.

Maybe this was just a prank, someone trying to mess with me for fun. But who would do that? Antonio? Jenny? No, it couldn’t be them. They had no reason to.

I waited for a few minutes, staring at my phone, hoping for a quick reply that would reveal this was all a joke. But nothing came. The screen stayed stubbornly blank, the email thread mocking me with its silence.

I need to stop overthinking this, I told myself. It's probably nothing. 

I set my phone down on my bedside table and crawled into bed, pulling the covers up over my head. I tried to push the thoughts out of my mind, telling myself that tomorrow would be better. Maybe by the time I woke up, the email would just be a bad memory, something I could laugh about.

I must have finally dozed off because the next thing I knew, sunlight was streaming in through the curtains, and my phone was buzzing on the table. I reached for it, my heart skipping a beat when I saw the notification.

The Mailer replied.

I sat up in bed, suddenly wide awake. My fingers fumbled as I opened the email, my heart racing.

"I wouldn’t dare me if I were you."

I stared at the screen, my breath catching in my throat. What the hell does that mean? My mind raced, trying to make sense of the cryptic message. Was this person trying to threaten me? Was this about Antonio? How could they know? I felt a cold sweat break out on my forehead as I started to type a reply.

Who are you? What do you want from me? I started, but before I could finish, there was a knock on my door.

“Vanessa? You awake? You’ll be late for school,” Antonio’s voice came through the door, making me jump. I quickly locked my phone and shoved it under my pillow.

“Uh, yeah! I’m up!” I called back, my voice shaky. “I’ll be ready soon!”

I heard him walk away, and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. My heart was still pounding, and my mind was spinning. I need to calm down, I told myself. It’s just an email. I’ll figure it out later.

I threw off the covers and got out of bed and took a quick shower. After that I quickly pulled on a random jeans jacket. My hands were still shaking, and I felt like I was going to be sick. I couldn’t stop thinking about the email.

Stop it, Vanessa, I told myself. You’re just being paranoid. I took a deep breath and tried to push the thoughts out of my mind as I zipped up my jacket. I grabbed my bag and slung it over my shoulder, ready to leave my room. But as I reached for the door handle, I hesitated.

What if this wasn’t just a joke? What if someone really knew? The thought made my stomach churn with anxiety, but I couldn’t just stay in my room all day. I had to face the world, even if I didn’t want to.

I opened the door and stepped into the hallway, trying to act like everything was normal. Antonio was waiting for me in the kitchen, his usual calm and collected self.

“You want a ride to school?” he asked, looking up from his cup of coffee.

I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My mind was too wrapped up in the email, in the possibility that someone out there knew my secret. Instead, I just walked past him, heading straight for the front door.

“Vanessa?” Antonio called after me, but I didn’t turn back. I didn’t even say goodbye. I just needed to get out of there, away from him, away from the house. I needed to clear my head.

I stepped outside, the cool morning air hitting my face like a splash of cold water. I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my life was about to change in a way I wasn’t ready for.

*    *    *

Class was a blur. I sat in the lecture hall, my notebook open in front of me, but I wasn’t writing anything. I wasn’t even listening to the professor. My thoughts kept drifting back to that email. Who could have sent it? How did they know? And why now? It didn’t make any sense.

“Vanessa?”

The professor’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I blinked, looking up, but I wasn’t sure what was going on. The professor was staring right at me, his eyebrows raised expectantly. The entire class had gone quiet, and I could feel all their eyes on me.

“Vanessa?” the professor said again, a little louder this time, clearly annoyed that I hadn’t responded the first time. “Care to share your thoughts on the topic?”

My mind went completely blank. I had no idea what he had been talking about. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but no words came out. I stammered, trying to form a coherent sentence, but nothing made sense.

Before I could completely embarrass myself, I heard a voice from the back of the room.

“Actually, Professor, I think what Vanessa is trying to say is that the author uses symbolism to convey the internal conflict of the protagonist,” the voice said smoothly.

I turned around, my eyes searching for the source of the voice, and there he was—Jason Montgomery, leaning back in his chair with a lazy smirk on his face. He winked at me, and I felt my cheeks flush even more. The professor nodded, seemingly satisfied with Jason’s answer, and moved on with the lecture.

I turned back around in my seat, feeling both relieved and embarrassed.  Jason had saved me, but now I felt like I owed him something.

After class, I spotted Jason leaving the lecture hall, his tall figure cutting through the crowd with ease. I hesitated for a moment, biting my lip.

Should I thank him? It felt weird not to. I mean, he had totally saved me from humiliation in front of the entire class. I owed him that much, at least.

Taking a deep breath, I hurried after him. “Hey, Jason!” I called out, catching up to him.

He turned around, a slow smile spreading across his face when he saw me. “Hey there, Vanessa,” he said smoothly, his voice deep and confident.

I tried to smile, though I still felt a little awkward. “Thanks for… you know, saving me back there in class. I had no idea what was going on.”

Jason chuckled, his eyes glinting with amusement. “No problem. I could tell you were in a bit of a bind.”

I looked down at the ground, feeling my cheeks flush again. “Yeah, I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now.”

Jason raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. “Oh?"

Jason’s smile grew wider, and he took a step closer to me. “Actually, I’ve got a better idea. How about you thank me properly?”

I blinked, a little confused. “Properly?”

“Yeah,” he said with a grin. “Let me take you to dinner. Tonight. You can thank me then.”

I felt my heart skip a beat. Dinner? With Jason Montgomery? I hadn’t been expecting that. I hesitated, my mind racing.

Part of me wanted to say no. I didn’t need any more complications in my life right now. But then again… maybe a distraction was exactly what I needed. And Jason? He seemed like the perfect distraction.

I found myself smiling, almost against my will. “Okay,” I said softly. “Dinner sounds good.”

Jason’s smile grew even wider. “Great. I’ll pick you up at eight,” he said confidently. He pulled out his phone and handed it to me. “Give me your number so I can text you later.”

I took his phone and typed in my number, handing it back to him. “Thanks again for earlier,” I said, feeling a little more relaxed now.

“No problem,” he replied, his eyes glinting with mischief. “Just don’t make me wait too long tonight.”

I laughed, feeling a strange mix of excitement and nerves. “I’ll be ready.”

With one last wink, Jason turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart still racing. What have I just agreed to? I wondered as I watched him disappear into the crowd.

But at the same time, I couldn’t deny that it felt good. Maybe this was exactly what I needed—something to take my mind off the email and Antonio and all the other craziness in my life. Maybe Jason could be that distraction.

*   *   *

It was almost 8 p.m., and I was pacing around my room, trying not to freak out. I’d been nervously getting ready for this dinner with Jason since I got home, and now the time had finally come.

I had changed outfits at least three times, debating whether to look casual or dressy. Finally, I settled on a simple black dress—classy but not too much. I even did my makeup, trying to keep it natural but still cute enough to impress Jason.

As I stood in front of the mirror, checking my reflection for the hundredth time, I glanced at the clock. 8:05. Jason was late.

I huffed and grabbed my phone, scrolling through my messages to see if he had texted me. Nothing. I bit my lip, wondering if I should text him first. Maybe he got caught up in traffic or something. Maybe he forgot. Or maybe he was standing me up.

I shook my head, trying not to let my mind spiral. It was just a few minutes. He’d show up. I grabbed my jacket from the bed and slipped it on, figuring I’d wait by the door so I could hear the doorbell.

Another five minutes passed, and my nerves were starting to get the best of me. I could feel the anxiety bubbling up in my chest. What if this was a mistake? What if he wasn’t coming?

Just as I was about to give in and send him a text, the doorbell rang.

Finally!

I practically leaped off the couch and ran to the door, my heart pounding with anticipation. I took a deep breath, plastering a smile on my face as I reached for the doorknob.

Jason was finally here, and I was ready for a fun night—something to get my mind off all the craziness of the last few days.

But when I swung the door open, my smile immediately fell. Standing in front of me wasn’t Jason. It was Blair.

I froze, my hand still on the doorknob as I stared at her in shock. Of all the people I could have expected to see tonight, Blair was the absolute last person I would have imagined showing up at my doorstep.

Her voice smooth but laced with something that sent a chill down my spine. “Hello, Vanessa,”