Chapter 5
I'm still staring at the trash bin when Mom comes outside.
“Stella?”
Her eyes move from me to the gold chocolate box.
“What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“You threw away Tyler's gift.”
I wipe at my face.
“I'm dieting. I don't need chocolate.”
She doesn't look convinced.
“Did you two fight?”
“No.”
That's not technically a lie.
You have to actually have a relationship for a fight to count.
I walk past her and go upstairs.
A few minutes later, the doorbell rings.
I almost ignore it.
Then my phone vibrates.
The private Instagram account sends me a message.
**Go check your front door.**
My heart stutters.
I hurry downstairs.
There's a package sitting on the porch.
Gold box.
Same brand.
Same letter chocolates.
But this one is sealed.
Untouched.
Every piece is still inside.
I carry it upstairs and take a picture.
**Did you send this?**
The reply comes almost immediately.
**You liked them a few months ago.**
Another message appears.
**Thought they might make you feel better.**
I stare at the screen.
At first, this guy was only supposed to answer me because Tyler couldn't be bothered.
He had no reason to remember what kind of chocolate I liked.
No reason to remember anything about me.
My fingers move before I can stop them.
**Why are you so nice to me?**
The typing bubble appears almost instantly.
Then:
**Because I like you.**
I stop breathing.
For a second, I wonder if I'm reading it wrong.
I type back.
**Even when I was over two hundred pounds?**
His answer comes so fast it almost feels like he was waiting for the question.
**You could gain another hundred and I still wouldn't care.**
Then:
**I'd still be able to pick you up.**
A laugh escapes me.
It comes out wet because I'm crying again.
But this time, I'm actually smiling.
For the first time all day.
I look down at the unopened box in my lap.
One man gives me leftovers.
Another remembers something I mentioned once months ago and makes sure I get the whole thing.
I don't know who he is.
I don't know why he's been pretending to be Tyler.
And I definitely don't know if I should trust him.
But I know one thing.
He's one of Tyler's teammates.
Which means he'll probably be at dinner tonight.
I pick up the box and walk downstairs.
“Mom?”
She looks up from the kitchen.
“Yeah?”
“Where are they going tonight?”
“Who?”
“Tyler and Cole. The welcome-back dinner.”
Her eyebrows rise.
“I thought you weren't going.”
I grab my keys off the counter.
“I changed my mind.”
Mom gives me a look.
“Why?”
I glance down at my phone.
The last message is still sitting on the screen.
**Because I like you.**
I close Instagram.
“There's someone I need to meet.”
Tonight, I'm walking into a room full of Tyler's hockey teammates.
And one of them has been calling me baby every night for the past year.
Tonight, I'm finding out which one.