I didn't answer or reply to any of Ryan's calls or texts. I decided to pay him back for what he did I didn't answer or reply to any of Ryan's calls or texts. I decided to pay him back for what he did by playing his own game but with my way. While he kept his phone off, I kept mine on and straight out ignored his calls.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXaLdTXvJFL
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It's Saturday, so naturally our usual coffee shop is hosting a karaoke night tonight. We'd often go there and conquer the place like it's ours. The guys suggested doing so tonight, and I couldn't agree more. It was a good distraction to lighten my mood a little. I invited Denise, who invited Charlotte and Veronica. I was a little surprised when Denise told me she's friends with the twins. Apparently, they all went to gymnastics classes together since the beginning of high school. They're really "dope" people, she told me. I didn't mind extra company anyway, and neither did the guys. They were actually pretty cool about it when I told them about the girls coming, especially Cody.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyDiCySlEi
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"It's good to have some femininity among the group for once," Cody said.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvneBmAfXU
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"Say that again and slit your throat," I reply with a sarcastic, sweet smile.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmcy18lr8TH
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We went and greeted the workers like they're old friends. The whole group was there, even Amber (yay!), but I didn't see Charlotte around. I asked her sister, who told me that Saturdays are anime marathon nights, in which charlotte and her boyfriend, Luke, would watch anime shows all night.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfmVlkP8CP
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"They're Otakus," Veronica said.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPZR6D1dIh
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"Oh-Tacos?" I marvel at the unfamiliar word.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2hxTTo4rS8
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"Yeah, I thought it was food, too," Denise said.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3opnfvbIvP
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"It means their strong anime fans," Veronica clarified.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uwPiAQ5J9
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We started singing solos, duets, and even as groups. We didn't care about the people watching us as we sing unattractively. The boys would choose Taylor Swift or Katy Perry and sing along to the lyrics in their own girlish ways, and the girls would score their impersonation accordingly. I rapped along with Jordan and Cody a couple times and was crowned Queen of Rap by Denise, much to everyone's opposition.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWITFQ2hZV
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We disturbed a lot of costumers and workers, who kept telling us to keep it down. That only made us sing worse and louder than before, earning more complains as a result. One of us earned a few claps from the audience: Tyler. He surely can sing like a pro, and he never ceases to impress us every time we hear him. Of course, whenever he held the microphone, Amber would cheer for him dramatically as if he's singing in a concert.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdszX2wFOGW
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I felt carefree, just doing what I wanted, careless of others' opinions and thoughts of me. I ignored everything else and focused on having fun. I pushed all the drama and troubles out of my mind. I didn't think of Ryan just once.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡME7yl2hBYq
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Denise invited herself over to spend the night, much to Cody's satisfaction. I didn't mind her at all. Although I only met her two days ago, she's treating me like we're old buddies. She burrowed a pair of orange shorts and a spaghetti white shirt from my wardrobe and made herself at home. We grabbed junk food and drinks before going to the living room to watch a movie. Cody and Will were playing FIFA before we turned it off to watch our movie. We settled on Magic Mike because why not? Cody and Will cringed from the thought, so they moved to Cody's room to continue their game there. Kat and Rosie went to sleep early tonight, saying that they're going house shopping tomorrow early for Rosie since Kat had no work.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMDkONj4JtN
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My phone rang in the middle of the movie, lighting up with Ryan's picture. I silent it and go back to the movie.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl4hATuzE59
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"You still ignoring him?" Denise asks.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Kk1hH7sgP
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"Kinda."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhOAfVlOgp
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"Kinda? Girl, you're totally shutting the poor guy off."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcExESOIzc
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"Well, he deserves it, "I shrug, sipping from my coke, "And are you taking his side?"960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWoPdmOAynJ
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"I ain't takin' nobody's side, sister. All I'm saying is give him a chance and listen to what he has to say, you know?" She answers, quickly taking defense mode.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8WVOyomCp
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"He's making me regret worrying about him," I explain, "Like it's my fault at the end."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxk6f74aZo
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"Maybe he just needs time before telling you what happened to him."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYyXlFX4iX
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"How much time? He needs to know that I'm not a patient person."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxlVcAm5BGJ
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"Well, then be patient for, Nicky, and maybe he'll be patient for you when you need time one of these days."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTqCDOanC97
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She rests her hand on top of mine and looks at me assuringly. I t feels nice just having someone like her to talk to when I need it. I never had a girlfriend before, so having Denise treat me like that is something new to me coming from a girl, yet it has some familiarity to it in some way.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqxI8OTkHT2
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"Maybe you're right."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVCsiHnrGa
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"Like hell I'm right! I'm Denise McQueen, Nicky."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBbgasb0qik
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"What's up with the new nickname?"960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIhimRQNVR
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"I just felt like it'd time I have a different name for ya."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVVcYfIVZkh
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After Denise left the next day, I spent my day in an inner battle with myself and debating whether or not to pay Ryan a visit to talk. Denise had me thinking about what she said all night last night till I came to the decision: I should go open up the topic with him. And yet I was never more hesitant about it. Even after getting his address from Dylan, who I figured would have it, I was still not close to decisive.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMzzqKngoCq
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I ended up taking Cody's car and waiting outside his house for 25 minutes, doing nothing. I took a deep breath before I left the car to walk towards his mansion. Oh, did I mention that he lives in a fucking mansion? The thing is so huge it can fit the whole school in it.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7NDs4K70tQ
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I pass by two guards, who don't bother to ask me who I am. They need to do something about their security. I mean, one of the guards just grinned at me like it's my place.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZRM3BgWUd
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I reach for the doorbell, and as I wait for it to open, I recite what I was planning to say one more time.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogoevruN9z
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Ryan, I know that there are things you prefer to keep hidden from me, but I want you to know that I care about you because you're my boyfriend and I care about you...960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjt3VMaIHU
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Shit, I'm really bad at this!960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVrNn1lQcYE
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The door opens, and I hold my breath in anticipation. A pretty lady in a maid uniform opens the door with a smile and my heart beats go back to normal. She asks who I am and I respond back, "I'm Nicole. Is Ryan here?"960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcar7JAqrdg
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"Matilda, who is that?" A woman yells from inside.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkz0bf7pBe9
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"It's a friend of Mr. Ryan, Ma'am," Matilda calls back.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5z3FmOqT4
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Listen, Ryan, I get that you wanna keep things from me, but you need to know that I only wanna help you...960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4eL9Q45omy
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"I'll take care of it, Matilda. You can go now," Ryan opens the door wider. He was wearing a sleeveless tank with dark blue shorts and looked like he was in the middle of a tough workout session.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9IApZZd2EN
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"Shadow."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fNIoRf043
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"Ryan."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HUJ3bYciQ
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He waits for me to start, and for a few seconds, I forget why I came here in the first place. I guess it's because he looks like fucking beast with his muscles flexing and sweat dripping from his body that I got lost for words.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡebYexPlsfM
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And then I recall what I'd been reciting since yesterday.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqrL2euZmuj
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"Oh, you um...forgot you pen with me." That's it Nicole, smoother than silk. What the fuck is wrong with me?960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2tTHpDE30z
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I point the pen in my hand at him, "I came to return it." I try hard to avoid his hard gaze that's piercing through my body.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKFtHJUYeaW
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"But this is not my pen," he raises an eye brow, humor and amusement simultaneously evident on his face.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsa80lAwOc
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"Yeah," I lift my hat up, brush my hair to the back then put it back on—an action I unintentionally do when nervous—and mentally curse myself and my damn dignity. The whole thought of apologizing or even admitting anything I've done wrong is not exactly something innate in me. Yes, it's selfish and not right, especially when it's really me at fault, but I can't bring myself to do it.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlEKgS0QRY
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Then again, for certain people in your life, you'd do whatever it takes to fix your relationship with them, even if it means bringing your stupid ego below their feet.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78XolPC0MM
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"It's actually Cody's; I found it in his car, and..." I trail off and watch his expression getting more and more humorous. "Look, I'm really bad at this."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqiiHCtKRHg
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"You don't say."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1iIYM6JRB
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"Please, just go with it as it is," I take a short breath. "I know I've been a little pushy lately. And I know that even if I'm you girlfriend, I shouldn't be like that. I also know that there are some things you don't want me to know. But I don't give a crap about all of this because I care about you. So can you just please let me in? I know I might be asking too much, but like I said before, I don't care about—"960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjTrtc1d8fE
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He cuts me off abruptly, holding my face with both his hands and kissing me intently. I kiss him back with similar affection, taken a bit off guard by the sudden gesture. He pulls apart a couple seconds into the kiss to look me in the eyes and say, "you know nothing, Shadow."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnkQ5DmCgu
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"Huh?" I say, breathless.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KuTHKmOpb
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"I said you know nothing. All you said might be true to some other guys, but not to me. In fact, I wanna share with you everything about me—all my problems and stress. I was planning on telling you everything in the right time, but you never gave me a chance."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOTuReCNe8o
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"I'm sorry, Ryan."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMZFXh985e
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"There's nothing to be sorry for. We both just had to get each other better, that's all," he then pulls me into a hug. "I know I can be really understanding, babe."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYHJfPkN4v
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I push him away, "Don't get too full of yourself, Hastings." Then I punch his chest, "This is for interrupting me earlier," I punch him again, "and this is for hugging me while you're sweaty."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMSSWfRhN6c
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"How sweet of you," he says sarcastically, rubbing circles around his chest. "Now, don't you wanna come in?"960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9tJ18fegs
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"No, I better go back before Cody realizes I stole his car."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCocwc8iuxY
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Right on cue, Cody's stupid face lights up on my phone screen. Ryan leans against the doorframe while I answer, only to earn myself a shitload of yells from my dear friend.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT42t883KxV
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"What the fuck, Nic? You stole my baby? Are you fucking me over, right now?! I told you I have a date tonight."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqH0YBQSBDK
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He did?960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnk1cCsZKH
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"Calm down, bastard, I'm on my way back."960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFffAAmoQKl
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"You better be here before I tie my shoelaces," and he hangs up.960Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSymqWLT1XM
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"He really needs to see a doctor," I sigh.
