A few weeks before she and Nana started talking to Lynx regularly, Monica had something else on her mind—Josh.
Josh was the kind of guy who seemed effortlessly charming. He wasn't the loudest in class, but he always had a way of making people laugh. Monica had never thought about him much before, but during PE one day, she caught herself watching him more than usual. There was just something about him—maybe his easygoing nature, maybe the way he treated everyone nicely—that made her heart flutter.
At first, it was just a small crush, something harmless. They started talking more, little by little. Josh was nice to her, and she began to think he might actually be a really good guy. Everything felt simple, fun.
Then one night, on a whim, Monica typed out a message over chat and hit send before she could second-guess herself. Her heart raced as she waited for his response. When it finally came, she could hardly believe it.
Josh said yes.
For a day, everything felt surreal. She walked around school in a daze, feeling something close to happiness, close to excitement. But then, just as quickly as it started, it ended.
"My mom found out," Josh messaged her the next night. "She told me to break up."
Monica stared at the words, unsure of what to feel. Disappointed? Embarrassed? Foolish for confessing in the first place? But Josh reassured her that they could still be friends, that nothing had to change.
And so, they kept texting. At first, it was normal—almost like before, except now there was a strange, unspoken tension between them.
Then, one evening, Josh sent a message that made her pause.
"Can you send me a picture of you?"
Without hesitation, Monica sent it.
She didn't think twice about it.
She probably should have.