Page 63 of Didn't See That Coming

Sourdawg:Yeah, you’re right

Dudebro10:And second of all, maybe there’s something going on that you don’t know about?

Sourdawg:Huh.

Sourdawg:You mean like…maybe the guy isn’t such a douche toward her in private? I guess. Yeah, that makes sense. Maybe this whole time, him calling her crazy was an inside joke or something…

No.No!That wasn’t what I meant, Liam! Of course Jonas is as much of a douche to me in private as he is in public. And of course calling me crazy isn’t some cute inside joke! Damn it, Liam.

Dudebro10:I meant, like, maybe she has other reasons for wanting to date him

Sourdawg:Hmm. Well, the guy is apparently one of the richest people in the country, so maybe that’s why

Wait,nooo!Oh my god, now he thinks I’m some gold digger.

Dudebro10:No, I didn’t mean that. I mean, like…

What did I mean to say? Well, what I really want to say is:Maybe there are other reasons she has to date him, like maybe he’s blackmailing her.But of course I can’t say that. So after an excruciating eternity, I simply type: “Nvm. Yeah, I have no idea why she might want to date him” and leave it at that.

Life as Jonas’s girlfriend is so much worse in a myriad of ways I didn’t foresee. I thought, foolishly, that at least a silver lining in this whole farce would be that Jonas would stop bullying me and I would cease to be the school pariah. Jonas did stop bullying me, but it’s not as easy to erase weeks of my Crazy Kiki reputation.

When people found out that we’re supposedly dating, the reactions ranged from vitriol from his diehard fans to confusion from the newfound, tentative friends I made in the last couple of weeks. The latter makes me want to sob. On Tuesday afternoon, the girls once again invite me for coffee.

“Are you and Jonas really an item?” Zoelle asks.

I focus on stirring my iced latte so I can avoid looking at her and the other girls. There’s no good explanation I can give them, especially Peishan, who happily accepted the offer of a double date with Liam. After a while, I say, “It just happened.”

“Are you going with him to the Spring Dance?” Peishanasks.

I shrug. Technically, that was our deal. I’m still holding out hope that Jonas will dump me by then, but who knows?

Looks are exchanged around the table. These girls don’t like Jonas, and god, I would give my left arm to be able to say that I despise him too. But now that I’m his girlfriend, they don’t know how to relate to me. They probably think something is seriously wrong with me, that I’m one of those jerks who’s into Jonas because he’s an Arifin.

That’s the last time they ask me out for coffee.

Online, there are a bunch posts discussing how unworthy I am of Jonas. On Wednesday, I see the wordsDIE, LOSERcarved with ferocity into my desk. Tears blur my vision, and I wonder if I should report this, but the thought of having to speak with Principal Lin exhausts me, so I just slam my folder onto my desk, obscuring the hateful message.

Liam glances over with a start. “Hey. You okay?”

No. Not even a little bit. I force a small smile, but I feel it wobble on my lips. Liam’s face creases with concern, and he scoots his chair over so it’s right next to mine. His arm brushes mine, light as a feather, and goose bumps erupt across my skin. “What’s going on?” he murmurs, his voice low and soothing. Why is he still so nice to me? I know he’s no longer interestedin me, but he’s still so caring, and I hate it. I don’t know how to deal with it.

I can’t bear to answer, so I just shift my folder to one side and nod at my desk. Liam’s expression darkens as he reads the words that have been cut into the wooden surface.

“What the fuck. That’s messed up. Let’s report this.”

“No.” The answer comes out too harshly, too abruptly, but I can’t be bothered to soften my tone. “Principal Lin is not exactly my biggest fan. And this is just a prank. I just have to ignore it, and they’ll get tired and move on.”

“If it is a prank, it’s a really…aggressive one,” Liam says. “Are you sure you don’t want to report it? I’ll come with you.”

“Stop being so nice to me. I’m Jonas’s girlfriend, remember?” I spit out with venom. I wish I could grab the words, take them back, cram them into my mouth, and pretend they were never said. The way Liam’s face changes, hurt slashing across it, breaks me. Why did I say that? I just couldn’t bear it. Liam’s gentle concern, the way he’s been so wary around me ever since Monday, the way our conversations have become so stilted. And he thanked Dudebro10 for stopping him from making a fool of himself. I wanted to scream at the screen:You are not the one who made a fool of yourself. It was me. All me. All this mess that has spun so far out of my control has been my fault, my cowardice. And now I’m paying for it. As I should be.Maybe having to be Jonas’s girlfriend is a fitting punishment. Karma and all that.

Liam’s face shuts down, and he nods. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry, I should get used to you dating Jonas.” And with that,he scoots his chair away from me and pores over his notebook,effectively shutting me out. I deserve this. I wanted this—it’s so much more bearable than having Liam be so kind to me. But even as I think that, I know that I have never been more miserable in my life.

Jonas’s new yacht is just about as revoltingly huge as I expected. A towering monstrosity that is a fuck-you to the environment, it bobs on the water, its sides gleaming, and Jonas stands on the prow and waves at me. He’s wearing an actual captain’s hat, and I marvel at the surprising capacity I have in me to hate one single human. I stand on the pier as Jonas walks down the yacht and across the plank with both arms spread out.

“Huh?” he says. “Right? Didn’t I say my new yacht slaps?”

I can barely hide the distaste in my expression. I’m spared having to reply when someone calls out to us. Not just any someone. I would recognize that voice in my dreams. I turn around and, sure enough, Liam is here. With Peishan. Who he’s holding hands with.

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