Hilary is persistent, I’ll give her that. But Zoey is hard-headed, I really did wonder who could hold out the longest. At first, we tried the direct approach, after school we walked together to the bike rack where Zoey was bound to show up eventually.

When she did she eyed me, then Hilary, then our hands interlocked together. I saw her narrow her eyes at me.

“Zoey, I want to apologize for what I did to you.” Hilary started.

Zoey unlocked her bike, threw the bike lock at me so I had to let go of Hilary’s hand to catch it, then quickly rode away.

Hilary and I sighed.

So then we tried Hilary’s idea, which for the record I already felt was a bad idea. We went back to the skating rink and spray-painted in huge letters. Zoey I’m sorry! Tagged by HP. We waited a couple of days but she still continued to ignore us.

So then we tried Wes’s idea. Yes, we were desperate enough to try Wes’s idea. I approached Zoey, on my own, convinced her to talk to me, then led her to a room where Hilary was waiting.

She immediately tried to bolt once she realized what was happening.

“Zoey please!” I stopped her from running.

“Poppy! No! You know I don’t want to talk to her!” she said in distress.

“You can’t keep avoiding her forever! We are back together now.”

“Then I’ll just avoid both of you,” she tried to leave.

“I’m sorry!” Hilary screamed.

We both turned to her.

“I am so sorry for what I did to you, please just hear me out.”

Zoey looked at me, and I gave her the puppy dog pleading look. Then she sighed and turned to face Hilary, arms crossed and a defiant look on her face.

“I knew poppy had a crush on you, I mean it was kind of obvious. And when you two got into a fight or something and I saw you weren’t talking to each other, I knew I had to take a chance. I have been trying to get Poppy’s attention for a very long time but nothing worked, because you had her attention. I knew me interacting with you would finally force her to pay attention to me. I’m sorry I led you on and hurt your feelings. I just wanted Poppy to talk to me. What I did to you was awful and inexcusable, I know that now. Please Zoey, please, please, please give me another chance. I just want us to be friends.”

“No,” Zoey said, just like that.

I cringed.

“I won’t give up!” Hilary declared before Zoey could leave.

Zoey stopped.

“I’m not a quitter, just ask Poppy. Every day I am going to make an effort to make this right until you finally forgive me.”

“I’ll never forgive you.” She said, then she left.

I sighed.

Hilary sniffled, and I moved to comfort her.

“That’s just Zoey, she’s very hard-headed,” I say.

“I won’t give up!” she said in determination.

Wes and I made a bet on who could last the longest. I got 20 on Hilary, he has 30 on Zoey. I mean it was kind of funny all the creative ways Hilary came up with getting Zoey to forgive her.

She tired the banner thing again.

Zoey took it down and burned it.

Big yikes.

She went up on stage in front of the school assembly and apologized.

Zoey threw cheese fries at her and got detention for it.

She even filled Zoey’s locker with double bubble bubblegum, Zoey’s favorite candy apparently, and on each one, she wrote an apology.

Do you know what Zoey did? She chewed a big wad of gum and stuck it on the handle to Hilary’s locker.

I had to get it off for her.

It was gross.

When none of that stuff worked, Hilary thought bigger. She got Zoey a whole new bike. Zoey didn’t take it. She got Zoey a raincoat, Zoey threw it back at her. She paid for food to be delivered to Zoey during lunch.

Zoey ate the food, then chewed another piece of gum and spit it in the receipt, which had an apology on it, then handed it to Hilary.

At this point, I had already given up hope that Zoey would ever come around.

But Hilary thought even bigger.

Hilary had been noticing that Zoey had taken a liking to Hailey Queen, the girl who always proclaims herself as Hilary’s bff. So Hilary actually went to talk to Hailey.

“It’s not going to work.” Wes said as we ate lunch.

I eyed Hilary and Hailey from across the cafeteria as they schemed up some new plan.

“I tried telling her,” I sighed.

Zoey marched over to us and sat down.

“What is she doing!? What is she telling her about me?” she demanded.

“If you would just forgive her, she’d stop,” I say.

“Ugh! Why? Why do you have to like the most annoying girl in the whole school,” Zoey groans.

“She’s persistent,” I shrug.

“How could you even get back with her after everything?”

“She’s sorry, you used to have a crush on her. Don’t deny it’s impossible to hate her.”

Wes shakes his head at us.

“How do you know she won’t just backstab you again?” she challenges.

“I don’t, I just have to trust her. Isn’t that what love is all about? Taking a chance on someone you care about and being vulnerable with them?”

She looks away from me.

“Look, I can’t make you forgive her. I understand she really hurt you, but I do know she won’t stop until you do. Just give her a second chance. Please.” I beg.

She sighs and looks back at me.

“Incoming,” Wes says.

We both look up as Hilary and Hailey make their way over to us.

This should be good.

Zoey narrows her eyes and crosses her arms.

“Poppy, Zoey,” Hilary said.

“What is it now Hilary?” Zoey snarked.

“Well, I was talking to my great friend Hailey here and…”

“Uh, Zoey,” Hailey nervously pushes her hair behind her ear. “How would you like to go on a date with us. A double date.”

Zoey’s eyes got big and her cheeks flush.

Hilary bites her lip nervously.

We all wait for Zoey’s answers.

“Um, der um yeah, of course. I’d love to go on a date with you.” Zoey finally forces out.

“Really!?” Hailey’s eyes light up.

“Yeah,” Zoey smiles.

Hailey gives an annoying squeal, very similar to the one Hilary makes. I’m still not sure about her. She gives off creepy vibes. Wes eyes me, using his asexual powers to read my mind. I pout and sink down in my chair.

“So, does that mean you finally forgive me?” Hilary ask.

Zoey looks at her then at me and sighs before finally saying,

“Fine, just stop harassing me.”

“Yes!” Hilary whoops.

“Ha! In your face Sanders! Pay up.” I say smugly.

“I call foul play,” he grumbles as he pulls out his wallet.

“I’m going to get you two,” Zoey says.

Hailey laughs and moves to sit next to her. Hilary runs over to me and hugs me, I fan her with my new money. She giggles.

“It’s a date then,” Hilary says.

“a double date,” Hailey adds.

Somehow I got a bad feeling about this.