Deleted After 972 I Love Yous

Theo Prescott drew the Dare: Hand over your phone.

The question was simple, cruel, and designed for a crowd: Who in your contacts has received the most 'I love you' texts from you?

The queen bee of our senior class: 3 times.

Me: 972 times.

The raucous cheering in the VIP room died instantly. A suffocating vacuum of silence took its place.

Kennedy Nathans eyes welled with tears.

Theo didnt even blink. He pulled up my contact right there in front of everyone, hit Delete, and then leaned in, a soft, indulgent smile playing on his lips as he coaxed Kennedy.

"Is that really worth crying over?" he murmured. "You already knew. I only played house with her for three months. None of those words meant a damn thing."

Those nine hundred and seventy-two I love yous had been sent on a night Theo was blackout drunk.

He had crouched on the curb outside a diner, refusing to let his friends pull him up. He just kept his head down, his thumbs flying across the screen, firing those three words to me over and over again.

If I send 999 of them, he had typed. The bet is off. We do this for real. Please.

01

When Theo deleted my number, he didnt look in my direction. Not even once.

The atmosphere in the private karaoke room was eerily quiet. People exchanged complicated glances, their eyes darting toward me with a mixture of pity and morbid curiosity.

Kennedys soft sobs began to quiet down. "Did you... did you really not like her at all?"

Theo reached out, his thumb gently catching a tear on her cheek. He let out a low, breathy laugh. "What are you talking about? I told you, it was just a game."

"Then why did you send her all those messages... You guys were only together for three months."

A microscopic shift occurred in Theo's expression. His tone cooled, flattening out. "I was wasted. I don't even remember doing it."

That was all it took. Kennedy was thoroughly appeased.

Tonight was the Class Presidents birthday bash. After that display, the energy in the room was irrevocably dead. We all forced our way through the cake cutting, and the second it was done, everyone scrambled for excuses to leave, bolting like theyd been pardoned from death row.

02

The venue wasn't far from my house. I decided to walk, the cool night air biting at my cheeks. As my sneakers hit the pavement, my mind drifted to those 972 texts.

Two of them were sent right after we started dating.

The other 970 were all sent on the exact same day.

The day Theo got drunk.

Back then, I didn't know that my entire relationship was born from a dare. A bet between him and Kennedy.

They were childhood friends, running in the same wealthy, country-club circles. He had always loved her, had confessed to her more times than anyone could count. But Kennedy liked keeping him on a leash. She thought a face like Theos was too dangerous, too much of a flight risk. She told him he couldn't give her security.

So, six months ago, when he confessed his love yet again, she casually pointed across the classroom to methe quietest, most invisible girl in our AP Calculus class.

If you really want me, she had said, prove it. Date someone random for exactly three months. Don't catch feelings. The second the clock runs out, you dump her. You pull that off, and Im yours.

The night Theo got drunk, we had been together for a little over two months.

We were at a diner with his friends. One of his buddies was scrolling through TikTok, scoffing at his screen. "Can you believe people actually fall for this manifestation crap? Look at thisit says if you send the person you like 999 'I love you' texts in under fifteen minutes, the universe locks you together forever."

Under the table, Theo squeezed my hand. He took another shot, his face completely unbothered.

But the moment we stepped out of the diner, he dropped to a crouch by the curb. His fingers flew across his screen. None of his friends could drag him to his feet.

I stood there, looking down at my phone as the screen lit up with notification after notification. I love you. I love you. I love you. I sighed, feeling a helpless sort of fondness.

I squatted down beside him, keeping my voice gentle. "Let's go home, okay? The temperature is dropping. If you stay out in this wind, you're going to catch a cold."

"Why are you buying into something so childish anyway?" I whispered. "We're already together."

The harsh, artificial glow of the phone screen illuminated his face. His expression was intensely focused, his thumbs never stopping.

Josie, if I finish all 999 in fifteen minutes, he typed. The bet is off. We do this for real. Please.

I was just about to ask himwhat bet?when a voice cut through the night air.

"What are you guys doing out here?"

For ten minutes, nobody had been able to make Theo stop. But the second that feminine voice rang out, the typing ceased. The last message hovered in his text box, unsent.

Kennedy strolled over, her gaze drifting leisurely between Theo and me.

"Man, Theo's being a crazy drunk tonight," one of his friends groaned. "Nobody can talk sense into him. Good thing you showed up. You've known him foreveryou give it a shot."

Theo stared at his screen for a second longer. Then, he deleted the unsent text.

He locked the phone. The light reflecting in his eyes extinguished instantly.

He stood up, his eyelashes lowering, casting long shadows over his cheekbones. "I'm sober," he muttered.

When I instinctively reached out to take his arm, he smoothly, imperceptibly stepped away, dodging my touch.

"Let's go," he muttered to me. "I'll take you home."

After that night, he never mentioned those 970 texts again. It was as if the moment had been erased from time.

Two weeks later, on my birthday, Theo dumped me. He confessed the whole truth about the bet.

I slapped him across the face.

He didn't even flinch. He just stood there, wearing that devastating, bastardly face, and said in a deadpan voice, "Hit me until you feel better. Then we're even."

03

The memory severed itself the moment I reached my apartment building.

Theo was standing a few yards away. His eyes, dark and bottomless beneath the messy fringe of his hair, were fixed quietly on me.

We held each other's gaze for two agonizing seconds before he looked away.

"Oh," he said, his voice flat. "Took a wrong turn."

I didn't say a word. I just sidestepped him and kept walking.

"Josie."

The faint, unmistakable scent of mint and stale nicotine drifted from his black hoodie. He called out again, stopping me in my tracks. "A month ago... the last time you called me. What did you want to say?"

I didn't answer his question. I only looked at him and said, "We were even the day you let me hit you. From now on, unless it's strictly about school, it's best if we pretend the other doesn't exist."

Theo let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh. "Right. We're just classmates who don't even have each other's phone numbers anymore. Sorry to bother you, Miss Evans."

His footsteps grew fainter. The streetlight stretched his tall silhouette into a long, distorted shadow against the pavement until, bit by bit, it melted entirely into the dusk.

When the cliff-drop breakup happened, I spent days wandering around like a ghost. I spent most of my classes staring blankly out the window.

To make matters worse, my period had come early that month. The cramps were blinding, radiating a heavy, dragging pain through my abdomen, triggering a brutal migraine.

I had stayed after school for cleanup duty, and by the time I finished, the entire wing was completely deserted. I collapsed onto a desk, paralyzed by the pain.

In a state of pure, thoughtless desperation, I dialed Theo's number.

"Hello?"

It was Theo's voiceclear, familiar, sending a pathetic jolt of relief through me.

But then, immediately after: "Theo, let me answer it for you, okay?"

A second later, the girl's voice filled the speaker. "Josie, right? Did you need something from Theo? He's right here beside me. You can just say it, he's listening."

It was Kennedy.

The fog in my brain vanished, replaced by a bucket of ice water. I hung up the phone without a word. I lay my head on the cold desk, riding out the wave of pain until I could finally force myself to stand up and walk out.

The campus security guard looked at me in shock as I limped toward the gates. "Still kids here at this hour?"

I tried to force a polite smile. I couldn't make my mouth work.

04

The Class Presidents party had been on a Friday night. I genuinely thought the sting of being publicly deleted from his phone would haunt me for weeks.

In reality, I woke up Saturday morning and barely thought about it.

Monday rolled around. Before first period, I stopped at my usual neighborhood coffee cart near the school for a bagel and a latte.

The owner, a sweet older man, peered over my shoulder and teased, "Morning, kiddo! Brought the boyfriend around for coffee again, I see."

I froze. "What?"

I followed his line of sight. I ended up staring dead into Theos eyes.

Kennedy popped her head out from behind his shoulder, beaming. "You guessed wrong, sir! He's my boyfriend."

The owner looked at me, then at Theo, clearly mortified.

Kennedy, sensing the awkwardness and thriving in it, offered a sickly-sweet explanation. "You definitely misunderstood before. That little thing they had going on? It was just a game of Truth or Dare. Totally fake. Im his one and only."

"Oh, you kids!" The owner laughed nervously, desperate to change the subject. "Well, last time Theo brought me a coffee from your competitor down the street, and honestly? Mine's better."

Kennedy immediately charmed him. "Of course yours is! I told my dad to order a hundred of your pastries for his corporate office just to let them taste real quality."

The owner waved his hands, entirely won over. "You're too kind, sweetheart."

That was Kennedy's superpower. She wasn't just stunningly beautiful. Despite being born into massive wealth, she played the approachable, down-to-earth girl perfectly. She was bubbly, understanding, and completely magnetic. Half the boys in our senior class were in love with her, and the girls fought viciously for a spot in her inner circle.

I grabbed my latte, tapped my phone to pay, and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a hand clamped down on my wrist, yanking me backward.

Right in front of me was the espresso machine's steaming wand. A violent hiss of boiling water shot out, hitting the exact empty space where my arm had been a split second before.

Theos grip on my wrist tightened. His eyes were dark, almost stormy. "Still haven't fixed that habit of walking without looking?"

Kennedy's smile turned brittle.

I snatched my arm back. "Thanks."

Then I walked away, leaving them both behind.

05

The only thing worse than not being able to avoid Theo in the hallways was being forced to sit next to him in AP Bio.

I had barely settled into my seat when Theo and his crew walked into the classroom. Catching him in my periphery, I kept my head down, pushed my chair in, and made myself as small as possible so he could slide past me.

He slipped into the seat beside mine. For the entire duration, we didn't exchange a single glance.

Kennedy strolled over, leaning heavily against the edge of our lab table. "Theo, the seating chart changes next week. Let's grab that table by the window in the third row, yeah?"

Theo was rhythmically tapping his pen against the black countertop. He didn't stop. "Sure," he muttered, sounding completely indifferent.

Kennedy turned to me, offering a painfully dramatic sigh as she patted my shoulder. "Oh, Josie. I have the worst news. I just found out everyone else in the class has already paired up. And since we have an odd number of students... it looks like you're going to be sitting all by yourself for the next two months."

The tapping of Theo's pen came to an abrupt halt.

I didn't look up. I just kept erasing a mistake on my worksheet and said softly, "That's fine."

A few minutes after Kennedy flounced back to her seat, Theo suddenly reached over and violently shoved the window next to us wide open.

The guy sitting behind us, our varsity track captain, let out a yelp. "Bro! What the hell? You just blew my notes everywhere!"

Theo let his heavy eyelids drop, his expression bored. "Its too suffocating in here."

06

I was counting the seconds until the seating chart changed. When Friday finally arrived, I let out a massive breath of relief.

During the passing period, the entire school was buzzing with a single topic: the new transfer student.

"Who transfers in the middle of senior year?"

"I don't know, but I overheard them talking in the main office. It's a guy, and I saw a glimpse of his file. Holy shit, he is gorgeous."

"Gorgeous how? Better-looking than Theo?"

"Honestly? It's a tight race."

"Wait, if we have a new guy, that makes the class numbers even. Nobody has to sit alone."

I tuned it out. As long as I was far away from Theo, I didn't care if I was seated next to a serial killer.

By the time the final bell rang, the oppressive grey sky had finally broken, unleashing a torrential downpour.

It was my turn for homeroom cleanup duty, so I left the building nearly an hour after everyone else. When I reached the main double doors, the rain was coming down in sheets. I didn't have an umbrella, so I stood in the vestibule, waiting for a break in the storm.

Theo and Kennedy jogged into my line of sight. They were sprinting back from the parking lot. Theo had his varsity jacket draped over Kennedys head to shield her from the rain.

She pulled a few tissues from her bag and stood on her tiptoes, carefully dabbing at his soaked hair. "I am so, so sorry. This is all my fault. I just had to go feed that stray cat near the bleachers, and now you're freezing."

Theo tilted his head slightly away from her touch. "It's fine. I got it."

The rain was only getting heavier. The security guard came jangling a massive ring of keys, shooing us out. "Shift's over, kids. Building's getting locked. Time to head home."

The bus stop was a solid ten-minute walk from the campus gates. Making a run for it meant getting drenched to the bone.

My eyes landed on the small security booth by the front gates. The roof had a slight overhangjust enough space to huddle under and stay dry.

I hugged my backpack tight against my chest and bolted into the rain.

"Josie."

07

I thought I heard Theo call my name. But the roar of the rain swallowed it up instantly. I figured I must have imagined it.

It was rush hour. The absolute worst time to try and get an Uber. The app told me I was 57th in the queue.

I let out a miserable sigh, praying the wind wouldn't pick up. If the rain started coming in sideways, this little overhang wasn't going to save me.

A moment later, Kennedy and Theo walked over. Theo had apparently dug a spare rain poncho out of his locker.

As if on cue, the wind began to howl. Icy, needle-like rain slanted viciously under the awning, hitting my legs and arms. Even with my back pressed flat against the brick wall of the security booth, my clothes were quickly soaking through.

Theo looked up, his eyes landing on me. Without a word, he started to shrug off the poncho. He took two steps in my direction.

Then, behind him, came the sharp, unmistakable sound of plastic tearing.

Kennedy blinked, looking the picture of innocence. "Oh no! I accidentally ripped my umbrella on the gate. Theo, let me wear the poncho, please? I'm so cold."

Theos back went rigid.

He stood frozen for a few agonizing seconds, his knuckles white as he gripped the plastic. Then, he handed it to Kennedy.

"You're the absolute best boyfriend!" she cooed. "I'll just wrap the broken umbrella around my shoes so they don't get ruined. Puddle water is so gross, I can't bear to let it touch me."

She bundled herself up tightly, fully protected from the elements. Then she turned to me with a brilliant, sympathetic smile.

"Do I look like a giant marshmallow?" she giggled. "Josie, you should really press yourself further back against the wall. That way you won't get too wet."

08

The sky looked like it was trying to drown the city.

My phone screen was slick with rain. My fingers were blue and stiff with cold as I wiped the glass against my damp shirt and unlocked it. Seven people left ahead of me in the queue.

I couldn't stop shivering. I finally just dropped into a crouch, hugging my knees to conserve whatever body heat I had left.

Kennedy wrapped her arms around Theo from behind. "If I stand like this, I can block the wind for you. Then you won't get as wet."

Theo peeled her arms off him. "I'm fine. Just stand on your own so you stay dry."

He stood perfectly still, his eyes locked onto the misty, unrelenting downpour. The rain battered his shoulders, the water sliding down his pale skin and dripping rhythmically from his fingertips.

A few minutes later, a sleek black SUV pulled up to the curb. It wasn't my Uber. It was the Prescott family's private driver.

Theo turned to look at me. "Get in. We'll drop you off."

Kennedy let out a soft, dramatic sound of disappointment. "It's already so late. And Josie lives so far out of the way. I really just want a hot shower."

Theos eyes snapped to her. "Kennedy. She's been in our class for three years."

Stung by the sharpness in his gaze, Kennedy forced a tight laugh. "I didn't say we couldn't take her! I just never knew my boyfriend was such a bleeding heart for his classmates."

Headlights pierced the rain in the distance. I squinted at the license plate as it approached. It was my ride.

I stood up, my joints popping in the cold. "No thanks. My car is here."

Without looking back, I ran for the silver sedan and pulled the door shut behind me.

As the car pulled away, Kennedy's airy voice drifted through the rain. "Well, looks like she doesn't care much for your charity."

By the time I got home and took a scalding shower, I had two missed calls from an unknown local number.

A second later, the same number called again. I answered.

Theos voice came through the receiver. "I'm downstairs."

I marched over to my bedroom window and looked down at the street. "Why are you here?"

"I brought you cold medicine."

"I don't need it. I can buy my own. Go home. I'm hanging up."

Theos tone didn't shift. "Or, I can just come up to your door."

It was late, and my parents were in the living room watching TV. Panic flared in my chest. I threw on a hoodie and practically sprinted down the stairs.

I pushed open the lobby doors. Theo tossed a pharmacy bag at my chest. I caught it by reflex.

"Josie," he said, the corner of his mouth lifting in a faint, bitter smirk. "Didn't you say you just wanted to be ordinary classmates?"

He stepped closer. "Do you run away from all your classmates like they're a plague?"

Before I could even process the audacity of the question, he turned and walked away. I stood under the flickering awning light, staring at his retreating back, utterly baffled as to why he was the one acting angry.

09

Monday morning.

I walked into homeroom and dropped the unopened bag of cold medicine squarely onto Theos desk.

Our homeroom teacher had already taped the new seating chart to the whiteboard. Following the diagram, I packed up my things and began migrating my books across the room before the bell rang.

Everyone was settled into their new spots by the time the morning announcements crackled over the PA.

Our teacher stepped up to the podium, clapping her hands. "Alright, listen up. We have a new student joining us today. Come on in, Kieran."

A guy walked through the door. A collective, suppressed gasp rippled through the room.

"Holy shit..." someone whispered behind me.

"He's even better looking than the picture I saw on the counselor's desk."

The teacher scanned the room and pointed to the empty desk right beside me. "Kieran, you can take that seat. If you have any questions about the syllabus, just ask your partner."

He dropped his bag and slid into the chair. I stared at the side of his face for two full seconds.

He looked... intensely familiar.

10

Kieran and I didn't exchange a single word all morning. He exuded an aura of chilled exhaustion, practically radiating a "Do Not Disturb" sign.

The last period before lunch was P.E. Kieran was immediately recruited by the varsity guys to play a pickup game of basketball.

I sat on the bleachers a little ways off, my eyes involuntarily tracking him across the court. The longer I looked, the more the pieces clicked together. I didn't even notice how seamlessly he was passing the ball to Theo.

Then, like a lightning strike, it hit me.

The day I had my excruciating period cramps. The day I called Theo, only to hear Kennedy's voice.

After leaving the school that day, I was completely drained. I managed to drag myself onto a crowded city bus. The driver slammed on the brakes, and my knees nearly gave out. I would have hit the floor if a hand hadn't shot out and grabbed my arm.

A guy stood up from his seat. "Here. Sit down."

"Thank you," I had mumbled. My vision was swimming, and I hadn't even looked at his face.

A few stops later, a middle-aged man boarded. He stood directly in front of me, his stomach bulging so far out it threatened to pop the buttons off his shirt. I had to press my spine flat against the window just to avoid touching him.

Seeing this, the guy who gave up his seat smoothly maneuvered himself right into the gap between me and the older man. The suffocating smell of stale cigarettes and alcohol was instantly replaced by the clean, sharp scent of pine and fresh laundry.

I had gently tugged at his sleeve. He tilted his head down to look at me. I offered him a sincere, exhausted "Thank you" again.

He just gave a low "Mm," turned back around, and kept scrolling on his phone.

Now, watching him shoot a three-pointer on the court, I realized that guy was Kieran.

Later on that bus ride, the crowd had gotten denser. My eyelids felt like lead, and I ended up dozing against the glass.

When the bus stopped a while later, Kieran had straightened up. I assumed he was getting off. I forced myself awake. "Are you tired? You can take your seat back. Thanks for letting me rest."

I had tried to stand, but Kieran just pressed a hand to my shoulder, gently forcing me back down. "Don't worry about it. Go back to sleep."

I did. I slept through most of the route, waking up groggily a few times, always seeing him standing there, standing guard. By the time we reached the end of the line, the bus had emptied out, and he was gone.

11

I decided I needed to buy Kieran lunch to properly thank him.

The lunch bell rang, and I practically jogged over to the gym doors to catch him.

He was surrounded by a crowd. Theo tossed a bottle of water to him. "Man, its been way too long. Dinner tonight? On me."

Kennedy leaned in, handing Kieran a fresh towel. "Dinner is on us, actually." She heavily emphasized the us.

Kieran caught the towel, wiping the sweat from his neck. "Oh, you two finally made it official? Couldn't really tell."

I froze in my tracks.

It felt like someone had shoved a fistful of wet cotton down my throat. For a second, I literally couldn't breathe.

Kennedy spotted me hovering near the doors. She tilted her head, feigning innocence. "Josie? Are you looking for someone?"

Every eye in the group snapped to me.

I opened my mouth, struggling to find my voice. "No. Nobody."

I turned on my heel and walked away as fast as dignity allowed.

Seeing Kennedy and Kieran chatting so comfortably, with such easy familiarity... it triggered something awful in me. Like emotional PTSD. My hands started shaking.

I thought back to the bus ride. The coincidence of it all.

My mind went to the darkest possible place. Was it planned? Was he like Theo? Did he like Kennedy too? Was this just another game, another dare orchestrated by her to make a fool out of me?

I would never, ever forget the day Theo broke up with me. The utter devastation of him sitting there, telling me it was a prank. I had begged him, reached for his hand, told him not to joke like that.

He had yanked his hand away. He said I was delusional. He told me he was doing a chore.

Dating you was literally a homework assignment for me, he had said. The three months are up. Assignment submitted. Now let's be adults about thishow much do you want? What kind of compensation is going to make you go away?

The memory violently pulled me back to the present. I looked down and realized my fists were clenched so tight that my fingernails had drawn half-moon crescents in my palms.

Once the panic subsided, only one clear thought remained in my head:

Stay the hell away from Kieran Maxwell.