Beau Maxwell is used to getting your attention. You're his girlfriend, his best friend, and usually the person he can count on to laugh at his jokes, answer his messages, and indulge his constant need to annoy you. So when you decide to prank him by ignoring him for an entire day, you expect him to catch on eventually. He doesn't. And what starts as a harmless prank quickly becomes Beau's increasingly desperate attempt to figure out what he did wrong.
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@maddiemontclair# CHAPTER ONE: THE LONGEST DAY
The first thing I register is the weight of my phone on the pillow next to my face, buzzing like an angry bee against the cotton case.
7:47 AM. Monday. Briar University's campus is already alive outside my window, the muffled sounds of footsteps and laughter filtering through the thin glass of my off-campus apartment.
Three missed texts.
Beau
good morning baby
you up yet?
breakfast before class? i'll buy
I stare at the screen. The little typing bubble appears. Disappears. Appears again.
My thumb hovers over the keyboard.
I lock my phone instead.
Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I pad across the cold hardwood to the tiny kitchenette, where Allie's already perched on the counter, feet swinging, a bagel in one hand and her phone in the other.
Allie Hayes
Oh my god, okay, so update on the Garrett situation—
She stops mid-sentence, eyes narrowing at me.
Allie Hayes
Why are you smiling like that?
I just shrug, pouring myself coffee, letting the bitter smell wake me up properly.
"No reason."
Allie Hayes
That's the most suspicious thing you've ever said to me.
My phone buzzes again on the counter. I don't look at it.
"You're not gonna get that?" She tilts her head, curiosity flickering across her face.
"Nope."
Allie Hayes
slowly "Okay. Who died?"
"Nobody."
"Who are you ignoring?"
I don't answer. Just take a long sip of coffee.
She stares at me for a beat, then her face splits into a grin.
Allie Hayes
"Oh my god. It's Beau. You're ignoring Beau."
"I'm not ignoring him—"
Allie Hayes
"You literally just looked at his text and put your phone face-down. That's the definition of ignoring."
"It's called being busy."
Allie Hayes
"It's 7:50 AM on a Monday. You don't have class until ten. What are you busy with?"
I don't have a good answer for that.
Allie Hayes
"Okay, spill. What did he do? Did he forget something? Say something? Because if he did something, I need to know so I can be properly mad at him—"
"He didn't do anything."
I set my coffee down and meet her eyes.
"He didn't do anything wrong. I just thought it might be fun to see how long it takes him to crack."
Allie's bagel pauses halfway to her mouth.
Allie Hayes
"...You're pranking your boyfriend."
"I'm testing him."
Allie Hayes
"For what?"
I shrug again, a smile tugging at my lips despite myself. "To see if he's paying attention. To see if he actually knows me. Or if he's just... comfortable."
"Jesus Christ, you're scary."
"Thank you."
Allie Hayes
pointing her bagel at me "You know he's gonna be losing his mind by lunch, right? Beau Maxwell, the most laid-back guy on campus, reduced to a nervous wreck because his girlfriend randomly stopped responding to him?"
"That's the plan."
Allie Hayes
"You're evil. I love it."
My phone buzzes again.
Beau
you alive?
okay ignoring me. got it. i'll just die of loneliness i guess
The second text has three crying-laughing emojis. He's definitely not taking this seriously yet.
Which is exactly what I'm counting on.
Because the thing about Beau Maxwell is that everyone thinks they know him. The laid-back football player. The easygoing guy who never lets anything get to him. The one who always has a joke, a smile, a casual arm slung around someone's shoulder.
And that's true. It is.
But underneath all that? He's the most observant person I've ever met.
So if I'm going to pull this off, I need to be careful.
"What's your first class?" Allie asks, hopping off the counter.
"Psych. Lecture hall on the quad."
"Oh nice, I have theater history in the same building. Walk together?"
"Yeah, sure."
I grab my bag and my keys, and I leave my phone face-down on the counter.
"Uh, you forgot—"
"Did I?"
Allie's eyebrows shoot up. Then she lets out a low whistle.
Allie Hayes
"Okay. Commitment. I respect it."
The walk to campus is only ten minutes, but the Virginia morning is already warming up, the sun cutting through the leaves of the old oaks lining the paths. Students stream around us, clutching coffee cups and laptops, already looking tired.
I catch sight of him before he catches sight of me.
Beau's standing outside the student center, talking to Dean and Tucker. He's wearing that worn-out grey hoodie I stole from him freshman year, his hair still a little damp from a shower, head tilted back as he laughs at something Dean said.
He's so easy. So comfortable. So completely unaware.
And then he sees me.
His face lights up.
"Baby!"
He starts walking toward me, all easy confidence, that smile that makes my stomach flip every single time—
And I walk straight past him.
The confusion on his face is immediate.
"Y/n?"
I don't stop. Don't turn around. Just keep walking toward my building like I didn't hear him at all.
Behind me, I hear Dean's voice.
Dean Di Laurentis
"Damn, Maxwell. Called her the wrong name and everything?"
Beau Maxwell
"I didn't—that was the right name—"
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
This is going to be a long day.
And I can't freaking wait.