The Wrong Text Message

Mia Santos believed in three things. ‎ ‎One: Love should be dramatic. ‎Two: Replies should be fast. ‎Three: If someone takes too long to reply, they are suspicious. ‎ ‎Right now, she was lying on her bed, staring at her phone like it personally betrayed her. ‎ ‎Daniel Cruz had not replied. ‎ ‎Six hours. ‎ ‎Mia checked the time again. ‎ ‎Still six hours. ‎ ‎She groaned loudly and rolled over, almost falling off the bed. Her pillow dropped to the floor. Her blanket was twisted around her legs like it was trying to escape her drama. ‎ ‎“This is disrespectful,” she muttered. ‎ ‎Her best friend Carla was on video call, chewing chips like she was watching a live show. ‎ ‎“He’s probably busy,” Carla said calmly. ‎ ‎“Busy for six hours?” Mia gasped. “Is he fighting a dragon?” ‎ ‎Carla rolled her eyes. “Maybe he’s studying.” ‎ ‎“Studying what? How to ignore me?” ‎ ‎Carla laughed. “You’re impossible.” ‎ ‎Mia sat up suddenly. Her long hair was messy. Her face looked serious. ‎ ‎“I think I deserve better.” ‎ ‎Carla froze. “Oh no.” ‎ ‎“What?” ‎ ‎“That tone. You’re about to send something emotional.” ‎ ‎Mia grabbed her phone dramatically. ‎ ‎“He needs to know.” ‎ ‎“No, Mia, wait—” ‎ ‎Too late. ‎ ‎She typed slowly. ‎ ‎“I think I deserve better.” ‎ ‎She stared at the message. ‎ ‎It looked powerful. Strong. Independent. ‎ ‎“Yes,” she whispered. “Main character energy.” ‎ ‎She pressed send. ‎ ‎And that was the exact moment her peaceful life ended. ‎ ‎Because she did not send it to Daniel. ‎ ‎She sent it to Ethan Reyes. ‎ ‎Her brother’s best friend. ‎ ‎The most annoying person in her world. ‎ ‎Mia blinked. ‎ ‎Slowly. ‎ ‎Then she checked the name again. ‎ ‎Ethan Reyes. ‎ ‎Not Daniel Cruz. ‎ ‎Her body went cold. ‎ ‎“No.” ‎ ‎She tapped the screen again and again like it would disappear. ‎ ‎“No no no no no.” ‎ ‎Carla leaned closer to the screen. “What happened?” ‎ ‎Mia whispered, “I sent it to Ethan.” ‎ ‎Silence. ‎ ‎Then Carla screamed. ‎ ‎“YOU WHAT?!” ‎ ‎Mia threw herself face-down into her pillow. “I’m moving schools.” ‎ ‎Three dots appeared on the screen. ‎ ‎Ethan was typing. ‎ ‎Mia stopped breathing. ‎ ‎Carla covered her mouth. “He’s typing.” ‎ ‎“I can see that!” Mia whisper-yelled. ‎ ‎The message arrived. ‎ ‎“You deserve the best. Who hurt you?” ‎ ‎Mia slowly lifted her head. ‎ ‎What? ‎ ‎That was not teasing. ‎That was not sarcastic. ‎That was… kind. ‎ ‎Carla blinked. “Why is that sweet?” ‎ ‎“It’s not sweet,” Mia said quickly. “It’s suspicious.” ‎ ‎She typed fast. ‎ ‎“WRONG SEND!!! Sorry!!! Ignore that!!!” ‎ ‎A few seconds passed. ‎ ‎Then another message came. ‎ ‎“I won’t ignore it.” ‎ ‎Mia sat up straight. ‎ ‎“What does that mean?!” she whispered. ‎ ‎Another message. ‎ ‎“If someone made you feel like you deserve less, they’re stupid.” ‎ ‎Mia stared at her phone. ‎ ‎Her brain stopped working. ‎ ‎Ethan never talked like this. ‎ ‎Ethan usually said things like: ‎“Why do you walk like you’re fighting gravity?” ‎“Try not to trip today.” ‎“Is being clumsy your talent?” ‎ ‎But this? ‎ ‎This was different. ‎ ‎Carla smirked. “Maybe he likes you.” ‎ ‎Mia gasped loudly. “Absolutely not.” ‎ ‎“Why not?” ‎ ‎“He’s my brother’s best friend!” ‎ ‎“And?” ‎ ‎“And he’s annoying!” ‎ ‎Carla smiled. “Annoying boys are suspicious.” ‎ ‎Mia ignored her. ‎ ‎Her phone buzzed again. ‎ ‎“Are you okay?” ‎ ‎That simple question made her chest feel strange. ‎ ‎Why did it sound real? ‎ ‎She typed slowly. ‎ ‎“I’m fine.” ‎ ‎His reply came instantly. ‎ ‎“Liar.” ‎ ‎Mia’s heart skipped. ‎ ‎Before she could answer, her bedroom door suddenly opened. ‎ ‎And there he was. ‎ ‎Ethan Reyes. ‎ ‎In real life. ‎ ‎Standing in her doorway like this was his house. ‎ ‎Mia screamed. ‎ ‎Carla screamed through the phone. ‎ ‎Ethan blinked. “Why are you screaming?” ‎ ‎Mia quickly hid her phone behind her back. “What are you doing here?!” ‎ ‎He raised one eyebrow. “Relax. Your brother told me to get his charger.” ‎ ‎From the living room, her brother shouted, “It’s on her desk!” ‎ ‎Mia wanted to disappear forever. ‎ ‎Ethan walked into her room casually. He grabbed the charger from her desk. ‎ ‎Then he looked at her. ‎ ‎Really looked at her. ‎ ‎She was red. Frozen. Dramatic. ‎ ‎He smirked a little. ‎ ‎“So,” he said calmly, “who hurt you?” ‎ ‎Carla made choking sounds through the phone. ‎ ‎Mia glared at him. “It was a wrong send!” ‎ ‎He leaned against the wall. “Sure.” ‎ ‎“Seriously!” ‎ ‎He tilted his head slightly. “Then why does it sound true?” ‎ ‎Her mouth opened. ‎ ‎Closed. ‎ ‎She had no answer. ‎ ‎Because deep inside, it was true. ‎ ‎Daniel had been ignoring her lately. Short replies. No effort. No real care. ‎ ‎Ethan noticed her silence. ‎ ‎His expression softened. ‎ ‎“You don’t have to tell me,” he said quietly. “But don’t let someone make you feel small.” ‎ ‎Mia felt something strange in her chest. ‎ ‎It was warm. ‎ ‎Uncomfortable. ‎ ‎New. ‎ ‎“Why do you care?” she asked softly. ‎ ‎Ethan hesitated for one second. ‎ ‎Then he smiled gently. ‎ ‎“Because you deserve better.” ‎ ‎Her heart beat loudly. ‎ ‎This was Ethan. ‎ ‎The same boy who once replaced her ringtone with a chicken sound. ‎ ‎The same boy who teased her for tripping on flat ground. ‎ ‎But right now, he looked serious. ‎ ‎And kind. ‎ ‎Her phone buzzed again. ‎ ‎Daniel finally replied. ‎ ‎“Sorry. Busy.” ‎ ‎Two words. ‎ ‎That was it. ‎ ‎Mia stared at the message. ‎ ‎Six hours. ‎ ‎For two words. ‎ ‎Ethan noticed her face change. ‎ ‎“Is that him?” he asked quietly. ‎ ‎She nodded slowly. ‎ ‎“What did he say?” ‎ ‎She showed him the screen. ‎ ‎He read it. ‎ ‎His jaw tightened just a little. ‎ ‎“That’s it?” ‎ ‎She nodded again. ‎ ‎For some reason, she didn’t feel dramatic anymore. ‎ ‎She just felt… tired. ‎ ‎Ethan looked at her. ‎ ‎And something in his eyes changed. ‎ ‎“Yeah,” he said softly. “You definitely deserve better.” ‎ ‎Silence filled the room. ‎ ‎Carla whispered through the phone, “I feel like I’m watching a movie.” ‎ ‎Mia grabbed a pillow and threw it at Ethan. ‎ ‎“Stop being serious!” she said, embarrassed. ‎ ‎He caught the pillow easily. ‎ ‎“I am serious.” ‎ ‎She stared at him. ‎ ‎Why was he acting like this? ‎ ‎Why did it feel different? ‎ ‎Why did her heart feel confused? ‎ ‎Ethan walked toward the door. ‎ ‎But before leaving, he turned back. ‎ ‎“If he makes you question your worth,” he said quietly, “don’t wait for him.” ‎ ‎Then he left. ‎ ‎Mia sat still on her bed. ‎ ‎Carla slowly spoke. “Okay. I’m officially invested.” ‎ ‎Mia touched her chest. ‎ ‎Her heart was still beating fast. ‎ ‎Not because of Daniel. ‎ ‎But because of Ethan. ‎ ‎And she hated that. ‎ ‎Because that wrong message… ‎ ‎Might not be a mistake after all. 💕 ‎ ‎