Palms sweating, she fumbled with her cell, sliding it open and closed. “You can do this Kelly,â€? encouraging herself, falling back against the pile of pillows and stuffed animals on her bed.

The phone slid open again, beeped at her as she typed in the number he scribbled on her hand. Heart pounding, she listened intently to each ring on the other end, trying to imagine what to say when he answered.

“Hello?â€? The sound of his voice emptied her mind. Eyes wide, skin pale, she couldn’t respond. “Hello?â€?

“Uh, Jonathan? Hey, this is Kelly.â€?

“Oh, hey. S’up Kelly? Coming to my party tomorrow?â€?

“Yes.â€? The word screamed into the phone, unable to contain her excitement. “Sorry… yes. Yes I’ll be there.â€?

“Cool. Starts at 9; my house. You know where it’s at?â€?

She knew exactly where it was. Once a week, she would follow him home, hiding so he didn’t see her. “No.â€?

“Ok, I’ll text you directions. See you at 9 tomorrow.â€?

“Cool. Bye.â€? Just before the line clicked dead, Kelly thought she heard laughing in the background.