NotADog: “How do you know that?”
DogWhisperer: “Add me.”
NotADog: “It’s a private group chat, what would
you want in there?”
DogWhisperer: “I have a crush on Ethan.” I
made up a random excuse.
NotADog: “Aren’t you a guy?”
DogWhisperer: “Got a problem with that?”
He added me to the group chat. Then he
messaged me privately again.
NotADog: “Delete those pictures, okay?”
<
NotADog: “I would never hold her hand.”
I didn’t reply. I switched back to my main
account. As soon as I opened the group chat, I
got a message from Ethan.
Ethan: “Did you sign the sheet?”
Ethan: “Wanna go camping this weekend?”
Before I could reply, Sarah messaged me.
Sarah: “Ethan invited me camping! Should I
go?”
Ethan always did this. He’d ask someone else
first, and I’d always be his backup plan. But this
time, I wanted him to taste his own medicine.
We arrived at the campsite. Sarah beat me to
Ethan’s passenger seat. “Sorry, Amy,” she said.
“I always get carsick if I’m not in the front.”
The back seats were full. Ethan said, “You can
ride with Riley.”
“Yeah, you two can chat,” Sarah added, winking
at me. “Since you went to all the trouble of
adding him last night.”
“You added him?” Ethan picked up on that.
Riley in the backseat chuckled. “So, new target,
Amy?”
Ethan’s expression changed subtly, but only for
a second. Then he put his usual carefree smile
back on and called out to the other car, “Riley,
she’s your responsibility.” He closed the
passenger door for Sarah, making it clear I
wasn’t getting in his car.
“Hey, don’t say I never gave you a chance,” he
muttered to me, then gave me a little shove
towards Riley’s car.
But Riley, with a completely straight face, said,
