Page 26 of The Kissing Challenge

"Yeah, I know," I said. I had checked, too. "So?"

"Don't you see what this means?"

"Not really."

"Ugh, Anne! What if it washim?" Gemma said. "Captain totally could've created the account and challenged you to see if you feel the same way about him that he feels about you."

My jaw dropped. "That's reaching, Gemma. There's no name on the account. It could be anyone."

"No, I thought about this. Hear me out." Gemma tilted her head. "Captain writes a lot of the song lyrics for Hero Complex. Right?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Most of them are a bit broody and dramatic," she added.

I frowned and crossed my arms. "He's an awesome writer, and he's hardly the most broody guy in the group. I mean, have you met Brandon and Liam? Do you have something against sad songs?"

Gemma took a deep breath, looking like I had exasperated her. "My point is that the username is sad and dramatic as well. Maybe Captain's heart is 'lonely' because he loves you"—my heart stuttered—"and you're both just too shy and scared to say anything."

The words I'd been about to say disappeared.

Poof.

Just like that, they were gone, and my mind blanked.

"It's just a guess," Gemma said and reached out to give my shoulder a squeeze. "But I think it's a good one."

What she said was the only thing I could think about. School was something I usually enjoyed, but for the rest of the day, my mind was stuck on one very distracting question. Was my best friend LonelyHeart1? Could Captain—who I knew wasn't a big fan of social media unlike the other guys in the band—have left that comment for me? Was it possible he felt even half of what I felt for him?

There must've been something wrong with me. Or maybe Gemma's crazy words had embedded themselves in my brain. Whatever the reason, I found myself hoping.

I wanted Captain to be the one.

I wanted everything Gemma had said to be true.

I wanted…oh, I wanted him.

Captain found me at my locker after the final bell rang. He was smiling like always, but for some reason, he looked nervous.

"Hey Anne," he said.

"Hey Captain," I said back, searching his face. Before I could stop myself, I asked, "Do you have any other SM accounts I don't know about?"

A line formed between Captain's brows. "No."

"Really? None at all?"

Are you LonelyHeart1?That was what I really wanted to say. But if Gemma was right, and Captain did share my feelings, I hoped this might give him the chance to confess.

"Nope, I don't think so," he said again. "Why?"

"I just know some people have multiple accounts," I said. It was a prompt, one last attempt to see if it was him. "I thought maybe you might."

"Yeah right." Captain laughed. "One is more than enough for me. You know I hardly ever post, though Liam's always on me about it, says the band needs more exposure if we want to make it."

"Ah." I nodded, feeling a little deflated. "That makes sense."

"Hey," he said and laid a hand on my arm. "Are you okay? You look sad all of sudden."

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