New text message from 914-459-0111: Heyyy

Massie gasped, and couldn't take the smile off her lips if she tried. He finally texted her! It had been a few hours since she gave Derrick her number, and she was getting nervous he wasn't going to message her after all. She was afraid that maybe he backed out, after all. She tried so hard to not get her hopes up.

So, instead of staring at her phone for three hours, she tried to motivate herself to finish her homework ahead of time for friday. If it all worked out, she'd be thankful friday she didn't have to spend time doing homework instead of getting ready. And, if it didn't work out, she'd at least have a clear friday night.

She was in the middle of her calculus problem when her phone buzzed. Massie had hid it underneath her pillow, so she could focus more on her work. Quickly, she clicked around to add him as a contact before replying.

MassB: Hiii

DHarrington: whats up? It's d.

MassB: heyyy! It's massie. Not much just hw, wby?

DHarrington: ugh, same here, never ends right lol

MassB: omg ik!

DHarrington: so are you excited for friday?

MassB: ya, i'm super excited to see the game

DHarrington: i meant to meet me ;) but that works too

Massie's cheeks flushed bright pink, and she was thankful he couldn't see her. Oh my god Massie, can you be any more awkward? Don't mess this up already!

MassB: yea thats what I mean! To see you play in the game :)

DHarrington: o hahaha

MassB: sorry hahaha it made sense in my head!

DHarrington: np lol it happens

She breathed out a sigh of relief, leaning back against her pillows and tying her chestnut brown hair into a messy bun at the top of her head. She couldn't stand having it hang down her shoulders when she was in bed. Quick save, Block.

DHarrington: i'm gna tell the guys, im sure they'll be xcited to meet ur friends too

MassB: me 2, maybe we can do something after?

DHarrington: ya we normally go out aftr

DHarrington: i thnk josh is throwng down this time

Massie frowned at that. She thought they'd be alone after, at least for a little bit. I mean, they've been messaging for the past six months, didn't he want to see her alone? She sighed a little, before her phone buzzed with another message from Derrick.

DHarrington: if thats ok. If no we can do somth just u n me

MassB: Your call :) I'm good with anything

DHarrington: dnt worry, if we go to josh's we'll still get to spend tome 2gether

DHarrington: im not kidding, i was deprived this week

Why did he always know what she wanted to hear? Over the past six months, the two got to know each other really well. Which, she'll admit, was a little scary considering it was an anonymous program that matched them up. So, to this day, neither of them know what they actually look like.

MassB: LOL, im sorry about that

MassB: i should've given you my # sooner!

DHarrington: i mean if u wanted me to beg i wouldve lol

MassB: Oh really?

DHarrington: u have that effect

Massie really needed to get her emotions under control, or she'd be a bright pink tomato in front of him the entire time! She couldn't help it, though. She had been down this road before with her ex boyfriend James, who was way less than chivalrous. It seemed like Derrick really knew how to talk to a girl. He was extremely flattering, and Massie prayed to the gods above that he was as handsome as he sounded.

There were so many times when her friends wanted to search him up, but she refused to let them. Massie was into surprises, and she wanted this to be the big reveal - in person, romantic under bright lights and the night sky. She didn't want anyone to ruin this for her.

MassB: Don't act like you aren't a casanova!

DHarrington: u wanna know somethin?

DHarrington: no1 else knows

MassB: You can tell me anything, you know that.

DHarrington: i know

DHarrington: ive nvr had a gf before

Now that made Massie nervous, confused, and conflicted. Why hasn't he had a girlfriend before? He's eighteen, six months older than Massie. He plays a sport at one of the best all male private high schools in the country. He's a partier, Massie knows this, just like he knows she's a bookworm. There has to be something wrong, right?

DHarrington: its not tht i never wanted 1. Its just tht i never met a girl tht made me feel like u do.

MassB: You make me feel so happy.

DHarrington: i feel normal w u.

DHarrington: i hope i didnt scare u

DHarrington: i know it sounds like a red flag, but u kno me

MassB: I do, I do know you.

Derrick bit his lower lip, leaning back against his navy blue velvet couch in the far part of his bedroom. He was nervous to say the least. To his friends, he was too much of a playboy to settle down. In his heart, he just never met a girl he liked enough. He never met a girl who made him want to be with them before.

You could call him a late bloomer, I suppose. He just didn't want to date for a few weeks, or months at best, he wasn't interested in spending four months with a girl to end it and have to go through the motions. So, he stayed single. He had his flings, obviously, any guy does. But, to commit himself, she had to be special, she had to be worth it.

Don't forget, his family has a lot on the line as well. His family is constantly in the media, the Harrington's are a press released family. His father owns Harrington Enterprises, a string of hotels down the East Coast. His sister and himself were constantly on page six, pictures of him playing soccer or his sister at her dance events.

Sam Harrington was lucky, she was twenty three, graduated college at Boston University, and had her own life to live. She became a dance instructor, and thanks to their family fortune, opened her own studio in SoHo. She wasn't stuck under her parents wings and guise like he was.

Him, on the other hand, had a plan he had to live by. He had to graduate as an alumni from Harvard like his father, playing his sport of choice. He'd go to the Harvard School of Business after, get his masters, and work alongside his father until he was given the entire company to manage.

It was a heavy weight on his shoulder.

He ran a hand through his shaggy, dirty blonde hair and reminded himself he needed to get his haircut before friday.

Friday, oh my god it's almost monday.

His friends knew bits and pieces about Massie, but not the full extent of how long their relationship had been going for. He knew they'd make fun of him if he told them the truth, so every time it came up, he skirted the issue. The only one who knew the truth behind it was Josh Hotz, his closest friend. He knew every detail, and he didn't judge Derrick for it. He knew how Derrick really was, and he helped keep up this image for Derrick in front of his other friends, teammates, and classmates.

He and Massie didn't meet very conventionally, but in this modern day and age, it was pretty normal to meet online. They both signed up for this anonymous online website called The Corner, and it was sort of a place you can go when you need to rant or get advice but you don't want anyone knowing who you are. You get matched to an anonymous person, the only information you give is your screenname, and it's all done in an online chat server like instant messenger. You either log on for advice, or to give it, and then you get paired up from there.

The two of them got to talking after their initial exchange, and from then on, it was only the two of them. They shared secrets, told stories, spoke daily up until last week when Massie's internet was unavailable. It was then that Derrick realized he didn't want to go without her. He was hesitant to give someone his number online, knowing his family history he was extremely guarded and cautious. But, he knew Massie was different, and he didn't want to go without her anymore.

MassB: So, why hide it from your friends?

Massie's message brought his attention back to earth. He knew you shouldn't hide things from friends, but at the same time, being a guy in high school was hard and he was known around his school as the alpha type. So, it didn't fit his image to tell the whole truth. His friends knew bits and pieces of his truth, but only one knew the whole thing.

DHarrington: u'll see when u meet them. guys have a rivalry, im captain, im looked at the most.

DHarrington: i have to keep an image

DHarrington: but tht doesnt mean anything w/ u. Ur perfect. Dont get nervous.

MassB: Okay, good, I didn't want to cause any problems for you lol.

DHarrington: don't be crazy lol u never would

DHarrington: ur the answer to all of them

He knew he was a smooth talker, but it didn't come naturally until it was with her. Before that, he was always super nervous and shy around girls he liked. His image mattered a lot to him, to his family, to his school. So, he kept up the cool guy persona but with Massie, it was impossible. She knew how his brain worked, she could tell when he was lying, she knew him like the back of her hand and they still hadn't even met face to face.

She was special, and he was afraid to ruin it. So, he put off meeting as long as possible, but he knew he couldn't continue to be apart from her. He needed to know the truth. All he knew about her was her first name, and her last initial, but he knew her more than any of her friends probably did.

MassB: you're too sweet :)

MassB: hey I have to get to sleep, I have a big exam tomorrow. Talk in the morning?

DHarrington: ya, i'll b here ;) sleep tight

MassB: you get some sleep too! Big game friday ;) night