Monday the 7th of December. School has just finished. I'm now taking the bus home by myself. I seem to be checking the time every two seconds. Their lunch break is at 1:25, their time. It's now 3:23 here in New York.

I wait for what feels like another five minutes. I busy myself by plugging my headphones into my phone in preparation for our daily FaceTime call and picking at my cuticles. I know, bad habit. But when I check the time again, only a minute has passed.

I sigh quietly to myself, looking around the bus. I have no one sitting next to me, thankfully. The bus is pretty empty. I'm sitting near the back and there's only one other guy back here. Most people are sitting up front.

I jump slightly when I feel my phone buzz. I look down and see the picture of Reece and I that's saved as his contact photo. He's FaceTiming me. I answer almost immediately, holding the phone out in front of me slightly as his face takes up the screen.

"Hi, Reece," I murmur, smiling just at the sight of him. He's wearing a navy blue shirt today as opposed to his usual color palette of black and grey. It brings out the blue in his turquoise eyes.

"Hey, Sunshine," His voice is deep and husky as usual, a small smile sitting on his lips. He's sitting in the cafeteria, I can tell.

"No, no, no! I'm talking to her first today!" I hear the familiar sound of my best friend's voice before the camera suddenly shifts so that Amanda's face takes up the screen. I hear Reece's sigh and I laugh quietly. Anna's face soon joins Amanda's and the two of them grin at me. "Hey, girl!"

"Hi," I laugh, tucking some of my hair behind my ear, "How's it going?"

"Pretty good. Nothing's the same without you here, though." Anna pouts and I mimic her.

"I know, it sucks."

"But on a brighter note!" Amanda turns her frown into a smile again, "I got an A on my English essay!"

"See! I told you it was good!" I grin.

She rolls her eyes, "Only after you edited it for me."

I chuckle, "You're welcome."

"More good news!" Anna adds, "Liam's taking me on our first official date this weekend."

"It's about dámn time," I tell her with wide eyes, grinning.

"Hey! I was insecure, alright?" Liam's head comes into the frame, showing the pout present on his face.

"Aww, it's alright, Liam. We understand," I reassure him, chuckling lightly, "Where's Mark?" I ask, noticing the notification that just came through from him. That will be my daily joke about fries.

"Football practice. They have an extra one today because Friday's game is against a really hard team," Amanda replies as Liam moves back to his seat.

"Alright, alright, I want my phone back now, please," Reece's voice cuts through the conversation and the girls hurriedly say their goodbyes before he takes his phone back.

I chuckle, pulling my foot underneath me as I get more comfortable in my seat. "Hello again, Reece."

His face softens into a dimpled smile, "Hi, Sunshine."

"Why do you call her that?" A female voice interrupts. It's Ella. "I've been meaning to ask you."

Reece's lips fall back into their usual semi-annoyed line as he turns to look at her. "Is it a problem?"

"No, silly!" I hear her giggle as her hand comes and rests on his shoulder. I can't see the rest of her, only her hand and my eyes zone in on that one movement. He lets her touch him like that? "I'm just curious."

Reece looks down at her hand for a second before shrugging it off. I guess he doesn't let her touch him like that. "It's because she's basically a ray of sunshine," He turns his head back so that he can look at me, a slight smile lifting his lips again, "It suits her."

"Aww, you're too cute, Reece," I coo, wishing he were here so I could reach out and pinch his cheeks. He'd hate that, but I'd do it anyway.

He glares at me playfully, "No I'm not."

I sigh dramatically, "I don't know why you keep denying it, Reecey."

He chuckles softly, "Alright, we're not having this debate again."

"It's not a debate if there's only one right answer. It's just a fact. You are cute. Stop denying it."

He sighs softly, "Sunshine, if I'm cute, there's not even a word to describe you."

I furrow my brows, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I would use cute to describe you, but now that you claim I'm cute, you're about a thousand times cuter than me, so there's no word to even describe that," he finishes with a small smile.

I sit quietly for a moment, biting back a huge grin, "And that right there is why I keep calling you cute."

~

Tuesday the 8th of December. I'm at my locker now, quickly changing some books between classes. I finish putting some of my books away and slam my locker shut, turning to merge into the flow of students. But I'm stopped by a body standing right behind me.

It's a boy. He's tall. About 6'1". He has blonde, wavy hair which is long on top and short on the sides, parted in the middle. He's pretty handsome with high cheekbones and hazel eyes. Not really my type though. He looks too much like a 'goody-goody'. No tattoos or anything that I can see. Who knew I have a thing for bad boys?

"Um, hi?" I question awkwardly, tucking some of my hair behind my ear.

He smirks, dropping his gaze over my body quickly before meeting my eyes, "Hi, gorgeous."

"Can I help you?" I ask, realizing what this was. He's a player and he's trying to get in my pants. Not happening.

His smirk deepens, "Yeah, I could use your help," He leans in closer, "I've been looking for a really pretty girl to take on a date. I think you could help with that."

I pull back, my back hitting my locker, "Um, no thanks."

His eyes narrow slightly, "Why not?"

My eyes widen and I stutter, "I- um, because I... have a boyfriend."

"Oh really?" He raises an eyebrow, clearly not believing me. Why did I have to stutter?

"Yeah," I swallow, roughly before an idea hits me. I quickly dig my phone out of my pocket and turn it on to show him my lock screen. "This is him."

His eyes widen slightly when he sees the photo. He leans back away from me and nods his head slowly. "Alright, I don't really wanna mess with him," He quickly moves away and blends back into the crowd.

I sigh in relief, looking down at my phone as well. I smile slightly at the photo of Reece and I. Thank God Reece looks so intimidating.

~

Wednesday the 9th of December. I pad across the hall, balancing the bowl of popcorn and the two bags of candy I have in my arms. I push open my bedroom door with my foot and waltz inside, placing everything down on my made bed.

Bella skips in a second later, carrying her laptop, "Have they called yet?"

I shake my head, "No, not yet."

We both collapse next to each other on my bed and Bella brings up Netflix. My ringtone suddenly rings through the air loudly and I jump slightly. I quickly take out my phone and answer the FaceTime call. Instantly, three smiling faces fill my screen.

"Hi!" Anna, Amanda, and Claire all chorus at once.

Bella leans closer to me, grinning when she sees them, "Hi guys!"

"Hey, are you ready for our girls night?" Amanda does a little shimmy, consequently shaking the camera slightly.

I laugh, nodding, "Of course. What's our movie tonight?"

"Hmm, I dunno. I'm thinking a drama though," Anna adds.

"But I want a romance!" Claire pouts.

"How about a compromise?" Bella suggests, "What about Pride and Prejudice?"

Amanda gasps, "Yes! I love Mr. Darcy!"

Claire laughs, "Yes!"

"I'm in," Anna agrees.

"Perfect," I grin, "We'll both bring it up and press play at the same time. Hopefully there won't be too much time difference."

Anna nods, "I'm bringing it up now."

Bella does the same while I continue conversation, "Where are the boys tonight?"

"Well, we're all at my house," Amanda tells me, "And Mark, Liam and Reece are all around having dinner at the Carters'."

I nod, slightly disappointed that I won't be seeing them. Especially Reece. But I have no doubt that we'll be on FaceTime for at least an hour later tonight.

"Okay, I have it paused at the very start. Are you guys ready?" Bella asks, ducking her head back into frame so they can see her.

"Ready Freddy!" Anna confirms, grinning.

Amanda grins as well, "Let's get this girls night started then!"

~

Thursday the 10th of December. That's today's date. Do you know what that means? It's been a month since I moved to New York. One. Full. Month. A month without seeing my dad in person. A month without cuddling my dog. A month without our - almost - weekly girls nights in person. A month without going to the Carters' house. A whole month without a hug or any kind of physical contact with Reece.

That might not seem like such a big deal and I didn't think it would be. But lying in my bed alone tonight I really feel it. I would like nothing more than for him to walk through my bedroom door and lie down beside me so we can watch a movie.

I can almost picture it. He would have one of his adorable, dimpled smiles on his face and his hair would be all messy. He'd put his arm behind me and I'd automatically fit into that spot, resting my head on his chest so I can listen to his heartbeat. Then I'd start running my hands through his hair and scratching his neck lightly. And he'd rub soothing circles on my hip with his thumb, neither of us really paying attention to the movie in front of us.

God, I want that. I want that so bad. But instead, I'm lying in my bed, alone in his hoodie. His scent is slowly disappearing. I tried to hold onto it for as long as possible, but it's fading. Soon I might just completely forget what he smells like. I really fúcking hope I don't.