"Hello?"

I literally felt like collapsing, my feet ached from hours of hiking, my arms itched with countless mosquito bites, and my brain was working at one million miles per hour. My ex, Topher, had invited me on a hike, which while we were dating had been our "thing". While on said hike Topher admitted he was still in love with me, that when he had first seen me it was "love at first sight".

I didn't believe in that. I never had, I never will. Something about just setting eyes on someone and instantly falling for them just sounded so out of place? The only way that would happen for me is if Wes Bennet from Lynn Painters Better Than The Movies came knocking on my door. So I was a romance girlie, sue me.

Once I stepped through my dorm door, my roommate, Ainsley, was instantly in my face. Our dorm looked like a shopping mall had just exploded, and my roommate was a victim in the crime.

"Reagan! Oh thank goodness you're finally back! I need help choosing between a sweater." I stared down at the pile before me, she couldn't possibly mean from this heap of clothes? "This orange one?" She nudged it with her foot. "Or this bright pink one?" She glanced up at me with big brown eyes.

"Well, what's the occasion?" That was the most logical question in the moment. What if she had been asking me to help her pick an outfit for a funeral, and her only options where a hot pink sweater or an orange one.

"I'm going to grab my food from the cafe. Want somethin'?" All this? Just to go to the cafe? This girl was crazy, but that was one of the things I adored about Ainsley Smith. She always looked like she was ready to take on the world.

"Meh, im okay. Topher and I got salads on our way to the park." Ainsley's face goes blank for a moment, before something clicks in her brain.

"WAIT, do you mean Topher? As in the Topher you dumped like a month ago?" She looked surprised, but Topher was actually a decent guy. Besides all the lovey dovey stuff. I always thought of it more as overbearing than romantic. Don't get me wrong, it's definitely sweet, but for me I feel like it's a little much.

"Yeah, we just went on a hike. I texted you like three hours ago that I was leaving!" I pulled my phone from my pocket to show her the time stamp. "See, it says 1:42 pm." Ainsley peeped over at the clock.

"Well I wasn't exactly checking my phone then, I was...busy." By busy, she means she was making out with a new boy. Ainsley wasn't big on relationships or commitment, she always would say "Why tie ourselves down so young, when the guys are hot now, and there's a lot of them!" I won't say she's wrong, but there's something comforting about having a partner.

"Ok, well if you're just going to get something from the cafe." I hesitated before picking up the orange sweater from off the ground. "This one looks good, it's nice and fall like." It was mid October in Massachusetts, so fall vibes were the vibe.

"You're a genius Rea!"

I chuckle, "I know." I said smugly, because that's how Ainsley and I worked. I was the smart, logical, committed one. Ainsley was the, if it passes it works, I'm gonna do it because it looks fun, hes hot lets go get his number, kind of girl.

As she slipped through the front door, I flopped onto my bed. The mattress squeaking as I landed with a thump. For some reason hanging out with Topher today made me sad. He was a good guy, but he can't love me. I just didn't feel the connection with him. We just didn't click.

I was scrolling through tiktok when I heard a tapping on the door. We lived in the dormitories, but no one ever got visitors. I hadn't felt like getting up. So I called out, "Who's there?". Silence. Then the knocking continued. I yelled again, "Who's there?!". The person outside just kept knocking.

After the knocking had finally ticked me off enough, I leaped off my bed and stomped to the door. I swung it open with such haste I didn't even realize who had been standing there before I started yelling at them.

"Do you even know how annoying it is to have someone consistently knock on your door while your just trying to-" I opened my eyes, but not to see a face, rather a grey MSU sweater. I tilted my head up, struggling to get a good look at whoever it was before me.

A deep chuckle rumbled from the person, "You haven't changed a bit Gigi." Only one person in my whole life had ever called me that name before. And that was the only person who had permission to call me that, but why would he be here?

"W-wyatt?" I asked, squinting my eyes up at him. He crouched lower so he could be in my eye sight. Yep, it was him.

"How you doing Gigi?" I was still in shock, mainly by the fact that he was even here. Wyatt and I had been thick as thieves in grade school, and that hadn't really changed going into middle school.

"I'm-I'm good. Uh, how're you?" I was stumbling over my own words, I sounded exactly how my nervous eighth grade self had been. He smiled, and his iconic dimple popped out from the corner of his mouth.

"I've been good." He just stood there, while I awkwardly craned my neck to look at him. I was getting tired of standing around out here,

"Why are you here Wyatt." I sounded more annoyed than I had intended on sounding. I hoped he hadn't thought I was annoyed with him.

"I need your help Gi." Wyatt Gabeson needed my help. My oldest best friend, and the same boy who had broken my heart five years ago.