"Am I what? Excuse me?"
"I don't have time for games," Devin said, his tone clipped. "Back in school, girls went crazy over me. I didn't care then, and I don't care now."
"Are you crazy? I never said I liked you!"
"That's exactly why I'm keeping my distance," Devin countered. "I know where this is going. I'm already committed to someone. She's the only one I have eyes for."
"Oh, shut up! I don't even care, you lunatic! You creep!"
"A lunatic?" Devin sighed. "My apologies, I got carried away. I came here to relax, and you two showed up and ruined my peace."
"Are you saying I'm the reason?"
A few feet away, Anna was losing her battle with a fit of giggles.
"What are they doing?" Sam asked, bewildered. "Are they actually fighting?"
"Sam, listen carefully so you understand why I'm dying right now," Anna whispered. "Promise you won't tell Devin. Just act natural."
"I'm lost. Spill it, babe."
Anna leaned in. "I'm Anna. And she... she is Allison. Devin's penpal."
Sam's jaw nearly dropped. "Wait, you're what?"
"Hey, calm down!" Anna shushed him, still laughing. "We're pretending. We arrived from Spain yesterday and decided to switch things up."
A slow, charming smile spread across Sam's face. "Well, that explains why I'm so drawn to you."
"Stop it, you're crazy," Anna teased, a flush creeping up her neck.
The moment was interrupted by the sharp scrape of a chair. A thoroughly annoyed Allison stood up and began marching toward the exit.
"You see? They're hilariously at each other's throats," Anna said, standing up. "Listen: neither of us has the right to spill the truth. Only Allison gets to do that. Bye, Sam!"
"Wait, hold on, baby," Sam caught her hand. "Give me your number first."
Anna laughed, gesturing at her wet swimsuit. "Let me grab my phone from my bag." She hurried to her things, typed her number into his device, flashed a final, brilliant smile, and ran to catch up with a steaming Allison.
The drive back was filled with Anna's leftover giggles while Allison stared out the window in simmering silence.
Across town, Sam collapsed onto his mattress with a goofy grin, replaying Anna's smile. Devin, meanwhile, was oblivious. Drained, he trudged into his room and fell face-first onto his bed—unaware that the "annoying" girl was actually his perfect penpal.
In their own room, Allison flopped onto her bed. Anna crawled in beside her. "Hey, talk to me. What happened?"
Instead of an explosion, a bright laugh bubbled up from Allison's chest.
"I know I was mad earlier," Allison explained, rolling over with a huge grin. "But now... I feel honored. He rejected me because of me. He just didn't know it." She dissolved into soft, happy giggles.
"See?" Anna laughed. "I told you it went well!"
Sam shifted on his mattress, his phone illuminating the dark. A new contact: Anna. He hovered over the keyboard. Was it too soon? He couldn't wait.
Hey, it's Sam. Just making sure my baby made it home safe. He hit send and tossed the phone onto his chest, waiting for the screen to light up.