chapter 2

Vanessa's POV

"Kova, hurry up!" I yelled at the top of my lungs for the third time. Still, no sign of him.

I was at Kova's house, which was just two blocks from mine. Let me introduce you to my best friend—Kova Willson. My partner in crime, my movie marathon buddy, and the person who always keeps me waiting.

Now, how does Kova look? Like a model. Seriously. His messy, jet-black hair always shines, his clear brown skin glows, and his jawline? Sharp enough to cut. And don't get me started on his honey-colored eyes framed by long, thick lashes. Ugh. Why do boys always get the best lashes? So unfair.

"Seriously, Nessa, you scream too much," Kova called back from upstairs, finally making his way down.

"Not her fault, it's you who's late," Gracia—Kova's mom—chimed in from the kitchen. I grinned and high-fived her. Gracia Willson was basically the coolest mom ever. She and my mom had their little 'women's parties' where they gossiped about everything under the sun. She always kept her long black hair in a bun, her warm brown eyes full of amusement.

"Haha, my mom's on your team? Wow," Kova mocked, clapping sarcastically.

I ignored him. "Not having breakfast?" I asked when I saw him grabbing his backpack, black jacket, and favorite shoes.

"Breakfast's on you, Nessa." And with that, he stepped out the door.

"What?! Hey! Why me? Kova!" I grabbed my stuff, shouted a quick goodbye to Gracia, and ran after him.

"Wait for me!"

He barely glanced back. "Where are we even going?"

"To Charlie's," I said between breaths.

Kova shot me a suspicious look, the unspoken 'why are we going there?' clear on his face. I ignored it.

We stood outside a store called "Comicon", owned by none other than our ridiculously handsome friend, Charlie Gomez. With his jet-black hair, ocean-blue eyes, and built physique, girls practically swooned over him. The store had an awesome vibe—colorful shelves lined with the latest comics, anime figurines (I have no idea what they're called), and everything a geek could dream of.

Charlie was stocking comics on a high shelf when I walked in like I owned the place.

"Good morning, Chars!" I beamed, arms open.

"Get out, Vanessa," Charlie said flatly, not even looking at me.

"Excuse me?"

He turned, gave me the 'obviously-I'm-talking-to-you' look, and walked to the counter, ignoring me. Rude.

Before I could respond, a familiar voice called out, "Vanessa, hey!"

I turned to see Marie, and immediately, my grin widened. Perfect. Time for my plan.

"Marie! Hey!" I walked over and hugged her. Marie Markin, my friend, with her dirty blonde hair, hazel-green eyes, and slight height advantage over me. She was wearing a blue Killua T-shirt (from Hunter x Hunter—the only anime I actually know), tucked into light blue jeans with black-and-white sneakers.

"Nice shirt, Mar! Where'd you get it?"

"Online. I'll send you the link. But what are you doing here? You don't even read comics."

"True. But I'm here to visit a friend who owns this store. What about you?"

"Just stocking up on new comics. This place has all the latest updates."

"Bingo. You should totally tell the owner how much you love it! Come on, I'll introduce you to him."

Before she could protest, I grabbed her hand and led her to where Kova and Charlie stood.

"Marie, meet my best friend Kova, and this is Charlie, the owner of this store. Guys, this is Marie."

As expected, Charlie's dreamy gaze locked onto Marie. Oh yeah. My plan is in motion.

Kova introduced himself with a handshake, and Marie smiled in return.

Then it was Charlie's turn. "Charlie Gomez. Nice to meet you," he said, offering his hand with a shy smile.

Marie blushed slightly. "Marie Markin. Nice to meet you too."

The conversation that followed was painfully awkward. Just them smiling at each other.

Kova leaned in. "Do you think this will work?"

"It has to," I whispered back. Okay, Nessa. Time to intervene.

"So, Marie," I started casually. "Are you free tomorrow?"

She looked confused but nodded. "Yeah… why?"

I turned to Charlie. "And you?"

"Uh… yeah?" he said, still processing.

"Perfect. Then why don't you two go on a date instead of just staring at each other every day?"

Both of them froze. "WHAT?!"

"Oh, come on. You guys follow each other on every social media platform, like each other's posts, and even drop flirty comments all the time."

Charlie blinked. "Wait—how do you—?"

"Shhh, Charlie." I pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him, then looked at Marie. "Do you have a problem going out with Charlie tomorrow?"

Her cheeks flushed. "I—uh—no, I'd like to."

"Great! He'll pick you up at 6 PM," I said. Marie nodded shyly and practically ran out of the store.

Then I realized my finger was still on Charlie's lips. "Ew." I wiped my hand on his shirt.

Charlie was still in shock.

Kova snapped his fingers. "Charlie?"

Charlie suddenly broke into a joyful dance. "Oh my god, THANK YOU, Nessa! How—what—this is amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah. You're welcome. But you know what I want in return."

Charlie groaned. "No way."

"Yes way."

"Nessa, last time I lent you my car, you almost broke the door. And let's not forget about the nameplate."

"I won't this time! I swear! I'll return it in perfect condition. Maybe even better!"

"Better? That means I won't get the nameplate at all this time," Charlie said sarcastically.

"Rude. Now hand over the keys."

He hesitated but finally groaned and tossed them to me. "If anything happens, you're banned from this store."

"Deal." I grinned, spinning the keys between my fingers.

As we walked out, Charlie called, "I want my car back by 6 PM, Nessa!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

Kova shook his head. "Damn, it actually worked."

Just then, my phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, I smirked.

"Hello, Mar. Congratulations on your date!"

"Thank you so much, Nessa! I can't believe it actually worked!" Marie gushed.

"Of course it worked. It was my plan." I laughed, hanging up.

Turning to Kova, I grinned. "Let's go!"

And with that, we sped off, ready for our next adventure.

...

hello there

another chapter of 18 to 80...still a very long way to go....I hope you like the 2 chapters.