2,136Here we are!
2brown-eyes has read almost all of this, and even given me killer ideas which I'll be sure to point out bwahaha :P
All mistakes are in your imagination ;)
Date For Hire:
I'm looking for a young stud, ages 22 to 25, to go home with me for Christmas. He must be able to convince the fam that I'm the most special girl in the world. Physically fit and good looking is a must, intelligence and able to talk sports a plus.
Dates: December 22-26
Compensation: Flight, room & board, spending time with a good-looking, intelligent woman who's sick of the boyfriend game, and $500 cash
Reasons: Help a girl out!
Contact: Email B at sickofcheatinglosers at gmail dot com
There.
That's a good ad, right?
Who cares?
I hit publish on craigslist and then repeat the process on a couple of other popular personal sites. Adult Friend Finder, Reddit Personals, and even the Kasual app. It's only seconds later when I get my first ping, and it's a scam right away. They're wanting me to give them a code to make sure I'm a real person.
I hit block and delete, and then do it two more times on other scam emails before my inbox falls silent. I begin to consider deleting all the ads, realizing it may not have been the best way to go about this. Only an idiot would make such a request of a stranger, right? Surely, someone I already know could fill the role?
"Nice!"
I jump at the sound of Alice's voice, turning with my hand over my heart. "You scared me shitless."
"Sorry, B." My best friend is slender and sleek, slipping in as quietly as a mouse. "I couldn't help myself." She nods to the screen. "I can't believe you actually did it."
"Why not?" I'm acting indignant, but she knows me, and this is definitely a stretch.
"Oh, please." She rolls her eyes, pulling her crop top over her head and tossing it in the vicinity of the corner. "If you hadn't caught Jake in the act, he'd still be using that ticket."
I turn and stick out my tongue in the adultiest of adult moves. "Whatever. There's nothing saying he can't still finagle his way in."
"God, Bella." She scoffs, digging through my drawer for a shirt. "Have some self-respect. Jake is a cad."
"I know that." I shut my laptop with a huff. "But I've already told Rosalie I'm bringing someone important. If he can beg for forgiveness and play his part, I'll consider it."
"Why do you do this to yourself?" She sits beside me after kicking off her jeans and pulling on an oversized sleep tee. "Surely your sister wants what's best for you?"
I sigh. "She does, but she's going through so much, and I just want to make her happy. She's always wanted me to have what she has, and if I can give her that, then I'm damn well going to." I shrug. "It was actually true until two days ago."
"That dog," Alice growls, giving me a side-arm hug.
"Don't remind me." I press my knuckles against my eyes, trying to erase the image of Jake fucking Leah from behind.
"Is she still undergoing treatment?" she asks softly.
"I think so." I lean my head on my best friend's shoulder, my stomach in knots at the thought of losing my sister. "She doesn't share much, which I think is worse than knowing."
"Then make it your mission," Alice says, matter-of-factly. "I want you to go home and come back with concrete answers."
"Is it stupid of me to say that I'm also afraid to know?" Tears prick my eyes.
"That's human of you, not stupid."
A chime from my phone interrupts our conversation, and because I know it's my email sound, I can't help but feel curious. I raise my head and wipe my face, pushing away the choking emotion. "Hand me my phone, will ya?"
Alice chuckles, rolling her eyes as she leans over to grab it from near the foot of the bed. She holds it close to her chest. "Just promise me I'll get to okay any guy before you take off with him?"
I draw back, indignant. "What if it's a girl?"
"Or girl." She pokes out her tongue.
"Fine." I hold out my hand.
She places the phone in it, and I eagerly unlock it and hit the Gmail app. And there it sits, a real email from a real person. No scammer would have an email handle like that, and I snort as I click to open the body of the message.
Let's see what sonotacheatingloser at gmail dot com has to say.
Looks like we'll have 26 chapters, so we start today!
Daily until Christmas.
I want this one to give you all the feels… literally lol!
See you tomorrow :)