Page 175 of Head Play

Exactly how I would’ve submitted it.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

And for the first time in three months, my brain shifts away from the silence left behind by a missing pen pal.

Maybe this is good.

Maybe obsessing over someone who vanished without explanation is finally getting pathetic.

Maybe what I actually need is distraction.

A challenge.

Someone capable of keeping up with me.

Someone smart enough to work beside me without needing constant handholding.

My thumb taps once against the edge of my phone.

“Schedule the interview,” I tell Dara.

Parker leans back in his chair dramatically. “Wow. He likes them so much he used a complete sentence.”

I ignore him.

But as I stare down at the application again, something unfamiliar settles low in my chest.

Anticipation.

And for the first time in months… I almost forget to wonder where she is—my online rival, my pen pal. But like the sideview mirror says:

Warning! Objects in mirror might be closer than they appear.