I woke up to the sound of rain droplets aggressively hitting the glass. I shivered at the temperature drop in my bedroom and pulled the covers off me. I slipped my feet into my bunny slippers and wandered over to the curtains. I pulled them apart and saw how stormy it actually was. Rain was hitting the glass of my window, pelting down onto the ground outside and with the street lamps on, I could see how fast the rain was falling.

I shivered again and could hear the wheezy sounds of the wind hitting things outside. Trees were swaying back and fourth and the lid to the mail boxes swung open from the strength of the wind.

I ran over to my wardrobe and put on a jumper. I slipped out of my pyjama shorts and pulled on some sweatpants. I put on some pink fluffy socks and slipped my feet back into my slippers. I walked back over to the window and pushed open the window to listen to rain.

I was a sucker for rainy weather. It barely happened here in Cali so I took it for granted.

Suddenly, the window handle was snatched out from my hand and I gasped. The wind was far too strong to mess around with.

I quickly pulled the window handle towards me and it took great strength. But I managed to lock it shut.

My hand and partly my face was covered in specs of rain. Great. Just great.

I opened my bedroom door and knocked on my Mom's. She didn't answer straight away so I knocked again. "Mom." I called and then I heard some movement from behind the door.

"Yes, sweetie. Are you alright?" She asked groggily, rubbing her eyes.

I nodded and stood up on my tippy toes so see if I could see the weather from her window. "It's stormy outside." I told her and she looked at me slightly taken aback.

"It is?"

"Yes. I knew there was a storm coming." I said and my Mom walked over to her baby blue curtains and pulled them apart.

"Holy moly. It is." She said and closed them again. "If it's like this tomorrow then you're not going to school." She kissed my head.

"I don't think schools will be open, Mom." I said and hugged her. She was warm.

She hummed in response. Then I heard her sniffing something. I leant back from her embrace and saw her lifting the sleeve of the sweater I was wearing, up to her nose.

Oh shit. Shit shit shit.

"This isn't yours." She said, eyeing me suspiciously. "You don't smell like this either."

I stared at her awkwardly.

"Willow Sofia Anderson. Who does this sweater belong to?" She crossed her arms over her chest and I bit my lip.

"I don't think this is the right time to discuss the owner of a sweater. The earth's dying outside." I told her and tried to walk out the door, but before I could, she grabbed my shoulders and span me around.

Her eyes pieced mine. I knew she wasn't angry. She would never get angry over something like this, unless knowing I wasn't being safe in the big wide world.

"Sofia." She warned and I groaned.

"Please. The middle name, really?"

She raised her brows and I sighed. "It's from a boy."

She gasped, squeezing my shoulders tighter. "You have a boyfriend? Is it cute little Mike?" She pinched my cheeks and I pulled my face away.

I groaned. "No."

She stopped. "It's not Mike? There's another boy?" She asked frantically.

My eyes widened. God to forbid how she'd react to it being someone who wasn't Mike. My Mom had always liked Mike and knew I'd be safe with him. But if she knew about Theo and that he smoked, drove fast, punched people and looked like a Louis Vuitton model. I didn't know how she'd react. She'd probably tell me to run in the opposite direction.

"What? No!" I said, swallowing.

"No? So then you are seeing Mike?" She asked and I could see a smile forming on her face. How could I say no now?

"Yes." I said, painfully grimacing to myself. "Ha ha. So cool right?"

She wrapped her arms around me and I groaned quietly.

"I need to message Mrs Clayton right now." She said. "Go wake Callum up."

"What why? It's the night time. Aren't the Clayton's going to be asleep?" I asked, walking over to the door. God knows why I was waking up Callum, too.

She waved me off. "Then they'll see my message as soon as they wake up."

I stared at her and she looked excited. But fuck. She was messaging them and I really hoped Mike wasn't going to hear about the whole sweater thing. I knew he liked Angel, it was obvious. I just didn't know how he'd feel knowing I used him to hide the fact I was with another boy and that boy gave me this sweater.

I rubbed my sore eyes and trudged down the hallway over to Callum's door. As I knocked on the door, I realised the door was actually open. Callum had came home earlier on but I fell asleep. Did he go back out?

I pushed open his door and his bed was made. Everything seemed so pristine. He wasn't here.

"Mom!" I called from the hallway and she poked her head round the door from her room. She looked sleepy and now she had a robe on.

"Yes, sweetie?"

I rubbed my hands up and down my arms and walked back into her room. I pulled her cover up and sunk myself into her bed. "Callum's not there."

"What do you mean he's not there?" She looked confused.

I sat up against the headboard and pushed my hair behind my ears. "Callum's not in his room. Did he go out earlier?"

My Mom thought for a second, tapping her chin. "Ah! Yes! I remember now. Jake- Jack-"

"Jackson."

"That's him. He came to pick him up earlier on." She said and I nodded slowly. "But he hasn't responded to my last message." She stared ridiculously close to her screen.

A wave of panic washed over me. No matter how much of a dick he was to me, I still loved that dude. "I'll call him." I walked out of her room and into mine.

I instantly picked up my phone and sniffed. I dialled his phone number and lifted my phone up to my ear. Impatiently pacing around my room.

"Come on, come on.." I chided. I paced back and fourth as the call rang and rang. But no one was picking up. What if he had gotten into a car accident of slipped? That weather outside looked dangerous.

The phone call ended and I stared down at my reflection. I spammed him load of messages and sat on my bed. I felt sick to the stomach.

I pressed the call again and again. But no answer.

"Come on you dick-"

"What an unusual way to say hello." I frowned at the voice. It wasn't my brother.

"Hello? Who is this?" I asked and bit down on my nail. What if something really did happen to my brother? I couldn't live with myself if that was the case.

"It's Theo." My heart sparked at the name. I was speaking to a very tired sounding Theo whilst wearing his sweater. But he didn't have to know that.

"Oh, erm. W-where's my brother?" I cursed at how crazily he effected me.

I heard him chuckle on the other end and it sounded extremely sexy. It sent more shivers down my body than the cold weather hitting my skin, did.

"He's at mine." He said and I could hear some shuffling on the other end. I also heard distant voices talking before Theo's voice was speaking to me again. "He's passed out but don't worry, he's fine." He said and I let out a large sigh of relief.

I let myself drop back onto my bed. Thank you Universe. "O-okay." I said and slammed my eyes shut. Stop being so ditzy! This wasn't like you, Willow!

"I'll drop him back tomorrow." I heard Theo say before I heard some muffled chatter again.

"What about Jackson? Can't he drop him back?" I knew it sounded rude but that wasn't my intention. I thought anywhere Callum would go, Jackson would follow.

I heard Theo clear his throat deeply. "Yeah." He said and then he paused. "Why?" His voice seemed to of gotten deeper and I smirked to myself.

"It doesn't matter." I said quietly. I expected no one knew about Jackson and Callum. I seemed to be the only one who sussed it out.

"Well Jackson's not here. He left a couple hours ago." Theo's voice sounded much sharper and he sounded in some way, aggravated. But I didn't know why.

"Oh. Okay." My voice trailed off as I couldn't think of anything else to say.

"You still got my sweater?" He asked and I stared down at the very one I was wearing.

"Yes. I'll give that back to you as soon as possible. I promise." I sat up against my headboard and kicked my door closed with my foot.

What a workout.

"You're fine. You keep it." My heart raced at the idea of keeping Theo Willis' sweater. I felt like a fool but I was happy. It smelt so damn good and it looked expensive too.

"No it's fi-"

"Keep it. It's yours now." He said deeply and I had to remove the phone from my ear to scream internally. Holy mother of God.

Before I replied, I had to take a couple deep breath to stabilise my jagged breathing and erratic heartbeat. I cleared my throat and bought it back to my ear. "Okay. Thank you."

He grunted in response and I heard some more talking. Sounding like he had re-entered a room. "Get some sleep. I'll drop your brother back tomorrow."

I twisted myself onto my side and grinned like a child in a candy store. "Okay. You too- I mean get some sleep. I don't know if you have a brother, I just me-"

Then I heard a deep chuckle. He was laughing at me. "I know what you meant, Will."

Will.

I froze. I gasped. I screamed.

All in my head, of course!

"Right. Yeah, course." I said, desperately trying not to sound like a weirdo. But I already failed. "Okay, so I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow." He said just before ending the call.

I stared at my phone and smiled.

I think I stared at my phone for five, or ten, or twenty minutes.

"Sweetie?"

I pressed my phone to my heart.

"Sweetie?" I jumped as I heard my Mom's voice just outside my door.

"Yes, Mom?" I called.

"Who were you speaking to? Did you get ahold of Callum?"

I coughed and sat up. "Yes. He's staying at a friends house but they are going to drop him back tomorrow." I said and pulled open the door.

"I guess that's the most logical thing to do since it seems to be getting worse out there." She said and leant forward to kiss me on my head. "Looks like no school for you tomorrow." She shook her phone.

"Has the news already distributed weather reports?"

"Yes. School's shut down until this storm has passed." She said and sighed to herself. "Means no work for me."

I learnt my head on the door. I felt quite reluctant school was out, knowing I wouldn't have to do any school work. But I also felt saddened that I wouldn't see Theo till we were back.

After today, when he found me crying, it felt like something shifted between us. It felt different and it felt good. I'd never of guessed he had Dad issues too.

"Goodnight, Mom. I love you." I hugged her and she smiled.

"See you in the morning. Or the afternoon." She said and walked back into her room. I snorted and shut my door. I slipped out of my slippers and got under my bed covers.

I stared up at the ceiling and blinked.

I blinked.

I blinked.

I blinked.

I grabbed my phone and turned it on. I squinted at the brightness and pressed onto messages. Onto Theo and I's messages.

I wanted to message him about today but I didn't know if he would reply.

Thank you for

today on the beach.

It actually helped me

a lot.

I stared down at my screen and felt instant regret. I fiddle with my hands and let my phone drop onto my chest. He wasn't going to reply.

Ping.

My heart raced and I slowly raised my phone back up to take a look. There was a message from him.

He messaged me back.

I'm glad I could

help.

Then my phone vibrated with another notification.

Sleep.

👍🏻

Seen

I couldn't sleep. What was he on about?

Instead of sleeping I pressed onto Instagram and searched him up. I couldn't stop myself, okay?

He had a new picture up on his account and I felt warm inside.

It was of him on the beach. He was in a wet suit and his hair was covering his face whilst he was looking out to the sea, his surfboard grasped under his arm.

The colour again, was black and white.

Why did he have no coloured photo's?

I wouldn't exactly call it stalking. But looking at his account in a non-creepy, stalker-y way.

I was debating whether or not to request his Instagram to later on so-not-stalk it in a so-not-creepy way. It was normal for me to act like this. Clearly. I was just very, super awkward and excited at a very late time of the night.

But why should I care what he might think of me wanting to follow his account? I mean his account was public and all and I could totally just search up the letter T into the search bar and bam, his account would appear right at the top...or even in my most recent searches.

I searched him up a lot but for research purposes.

It wasn't a big deal. I could literally just press on the button that said 'follow' and then I'd follow him.

Would he follow my account back?

I chewed on my lip and my finger was dangerously close to pressing it. I felt the sudden urge to but what if he'd blocked and remove me from his followers list?

You're thinking about it too much, Willow.

He wouldn't even care. Just grow up.

You're seventeen and shouldn't be scared to follow someone who was your brothers best friend.

Like you'd even date anyway.

Why am I thinking about dating Theo?

Holy shit.

I did it.

Holy mother of God I just did it.

Shit, shit, shit, shit, shiit!

#iregretmylife

I threw my covers over my face and screamed into my hand. Quiet enough so that my Mom didn't think I was getting murdered right next door to her. I had a horrible, sickening realisation of what I had just done and I threw my phone to the end of my bed.

I stared at it.

I stared up at the ceiling.

I wanted to be sick.

I tried to shut my eyes and magically fall asleep but I couldn't.

I felt like I had just drank a load of coffee and went on a morning run.

This felt unreal.

I quickly scrambled to the end of my bed to check and refresh my phone just in case in the twenty seconds of hyperventilating, he would've done something in response to my request.

I stared at in awe and threw myself back.

I stared at the ceiling once again and this time I felt like I was really going to be sick.

I scrambled back to the end of my bed once again and unlocked my phone.

Oh, fudge cakes that was new.

I didn't think he'd accept and request to follow me in a span of a minute.

My whole life had turned upside down.

I was happy.

I felt like I was dancing on clouds with a load of unicorns.

I was zen.

I grabbed ahold of my phone with shaky hands and as much of a 'TMI' that my underarms were sweating, I clicked onto the notifications to see them with my own eyes.

Right there in broad...daylight/nightlight, I stared in adoration at his request.

I manifested my own destiny. I could accept it tomorrow and make him wait the whole entire ni-

I accepted.

I pressed the big, blue daunting button and now he followed me.

I went straight into his following list and he followed a load of basketball and football stars. Along with a few of his friends and some random people I had never met or seen before. I wasn't very sociable.

The further I scrolled the more I could see. Like I could see that he was still following Stephanie. Her profile picture changed and it was her posing like she was in some magazine. She was very pretty and it annoyed me. I'd never call myself pretty because I just wasn't.

It was simple.

I pressed onto her account and it was also public. She had a bunch of followers. Her whole feed was of her and her prize possessions. Her bags and heels.

If I had money they'd be my main priority too so I didn't blame her.

I frowned and swiped off her account, taking my back to Theo's followers list. I scrolled off that too and I was back on his account. Staring at his pictures.

I scrolled right down to the very bottom, to the photo's that I had never seen before. He looked younger — a lot actually, but he still looked handsome as he did today.

I was about to swipe off it when my finger stupidly pressed on something. My finger pressed on the heart button.

My finger, was about to get freaking chopped off!

No! Why oh why?

I cried into my hands and tossed my phone away. It fell down onto the floor and I whacked my head up and down on my bed.

You're such a dickhead!

Why did you do that?

The photo dated back to bloody two thousand and nineteen.

I liked a picture from four years ago.

I want to die right here and right now-

Ping.

I stopped whacking my head at the sound of my phone signalling that I had another notification. It was probably him telling me I was obsessed and a stalker.

I picked phone up from the floor and switched it on.

I dropped my phone and then picked it up again. What did I post again?

I pressed onto the notification and it took me straight to my story. It was a picture of the sky this afternoon. I had took it when I got back from seeing Theo at the beach.

I ventured to my account and looked at it. I had no profile picture nor a bio. I was extremely lacking photo's too.

I pressed onto 'change profile' and scrolled through my camera roll. I managed to find a picture of when I was with my friends before we went to Marcus' party. We were all posing in the mirror but I was getting my makeup done.

I added a few cool and cute emoji's in my bio and refreshed my page to get a fresh look at it. It looked great.

I smiled and pressed onto Theo's account once again. It was like I was expecting him to say something or compliment my account...or give me some sort of validation.

But nothing.

I switched off my phone and plugged it into charge.

I think that was enough for tonight.

I was seeing him tomorrow.

A/N: