Page 90 of Foul Territory

NotYourAverageJoe19

Then try. Give him a chance to prove himself to you.

FaeAtHeart

What about you?

NotYourAverageJoe19

I’ll be here.

But don’t think about me. Give thisguy your all.

And if you end up with him, I’ll be happy you’re happy.

FaeAtHeart

Okay. I’ll message you soon.

17

SYDNEY

Laying flat on my stomach, I reach under my bed, shuffling around different boxes, until I find the ones I’m looking for. My craft supplies are a little bit of organized chaos.

I’ve resorted to sorting the various supplies in shoe boxes while at school. It forces me to keep each collection manageable. My crafting hoard at home is another story. I will need to slim that down before I move.

I stack the shoe boxes and carry them out to the dining table. I’ve been an emotional mess the past few days and in need of some creative therapy.

Between spending more time with Koa and losing my connection withNotYourAverageJoe19, my heart has been in a tailspin. I know he meant well by giving me space, but I do miss our chats a little.

I have taken his advice and slowly started talking to Koa about these things again. It was weird at first to text him a photo of the book I’m reading along with a silly anecdote. I was worried he would tease me or leave me on read.

He may have kept a book we read since we were teens but that doesn’t mean he’s reading now. I’ve never seen himwith a book other than something for a class since he started playing baseball in high school. That's when the sport took over his life.

To my surprise, he texted me back almost immediately. We ended up texting back and forth all night. I don’t want to say it felt like old times because I don’t think it did. Talking with Koa now feels new and exciting.

I’m not sure what to expect from him next. He’s still the shy boy who lived down the street but he also has an air of confidence to him. He speaks with such certainty.

Sighing, I grab the remote off the table and scroll through the list of rom-coms until I find one of my favorites and hit play. I slide over the box full of thread and jewelry making supplies.

Digging through the box, I find a few unfinished pairs of earrings. I should probably finish those, but I found a new tutorial I want to try. They will have to wait. I unearth my phone from the mess I’ve already managed to make to look up the video and notice a new text from Koa.

KOA

Have you read this one yet?

I bite my lip to keep from smiling. It doesn’t stop my cheeks from heating up as I look at the screenshot.

ME

Not yet. I like the cover.

KOA

I thought it was cooltoo.

What are you doing?