Leaving her schedule and papers lying around was very careless on my part. I should’ve known better but I never had any ill intentions. All I wanted to do was learn more about her, learn everything I could because she’s so different from most girls. I just wanted to improve my chances with her by studying what interests her and what’s important to her.

It’s been five days since I’ve talked to her. She hasn’t come into the bookstore—at least not while I’ve been there—and I thought about going to the cafeteria to see her, but I don’t want to make things worse.

I don’t know what to do.

The only thing that I know for sure is that I have to do damage control—and fast. If I would’ve known that she’d find those things or react the way she did, I wouldn’t have kept any of them. There was no reason to, really. I memorized her schedule at the beginning of the year and anyone can find her research online. The only thing that I would’ve kept was the picture that I took of her with my phone. Maybe I shouldn’t have printed it out but I couldn’t help myself. She’s just so damn beautiful.

One thing that I know for sure is that my luck has ran out, and probably my chances with her, too. I’ve got to fix this and redeem myself. I want to show her that I’m not a creep and that her sorority sisters have it all wrong. She’s a good girl, and I’m a good guy. We belong together. I have no doubt about it.

As I drive to Dr. Bradley’s office to shadow him for the rest of the day, I pass by the Shackleford Mansion and notice all of the cars there. The girls are carrying things inside, getting stuff set up for their haunted house. I wasn’t kidding when I said I wanted to be part of it, and I still want to be.

I spend the whole afternoon thinking about her and wondering what she’s doing. Her car wasn’t parked outside the haunted house; I hope I didn’t make her give up on it. That would be awful.

When six o’clock hits, I help Dr. Bradley lock up and begin my drive home. There’s hardly any traffic out and the sun has almost set. A dark indigo sky is slowly replacing an orange-streaked sunset as a crescent moon hovers in the thick clouds, blocking out any stars that might be present. It’s the complete opposite of the night that Marissa and I took a stroll after our cozy dinner. There are a few visible stars, barely flickering, a far distance away, but none that shine as bright as they did when she was by my side.

The engine of my car hums as I expertly take the curve in the highway that leads to the mansion. I spot Marissa’s car in the long, winding driveway that leads to the main entrance and notice the trunk of her car is open. The boxes from my mom’s house are clearly visible.

Good, she didn’t give up on it. She must be getting her room ready for the haunted house.

I turn on my blinker, applying the brakes to slow down before turning into the driveway. The house is quiet and there’s only one other car besides hers. I park behind her car and grab a couple of the boxes from her trunk and make my way inside.

I know it’s foolish to show my face around here considering the fact that her friends have talked enough shit about me to make her hate me before her little ‘discovery’ but I want to apologize. I never got the chance once she found everything and ran out.

“Hello?” I call out.

There’s no answer. Walking room to room, I periodically call out Marissa’s name, hoping she’ll answer or someone will appear and tell me where she is. This place is spookier than I imagined and my echoing voice is eerie. After searching each floor of the house, I finally decide she must be in the basement because she’s nowhere to be found.

Descending down the dusty basement stairs, a dank, musty smell fills my nostrils. Surely, there must’ve been buried bodies here some time ago because I’ve never experienced such a pungent smell. I can’t imagine why Stacy’s family would own something so old and disturbing, but now I’m worried about Marissa.

Why isn’t she answering me? Who does the other car in the driveway belong to? Where is she? And what the hell is that putrid smell?

“Marissa?” I yell. “Are you down here?”

Turning the corner, I find myself staring down a long, narrow hallway with doors on either side. It appears that a hanging light is swinging in one of the rooms, so I head down the hall to the room where the light is moving.

“Are you in—,”

“Boo!” She jumps out from behind the door, scaring the shit out of me. She starts to giggle but abruptly stops when she sees me. “Oh, I thought you were someone else.”

“Jesus, Marissa! You scared the shit out of me,” I say, catching my breath as I set the boxes on a table in the center of the room. My eyes wander and I notice the walls in this room are painted black with maroon letters spray painted on the walls that say ‘Get Out’ and ‘Save Yourself’.

“Yeah? You mean like you scared me?” She puts her hand on her waist. “What are you doing here?”

“I was on my way home from Dr. Bradley’s office and noticed that your car was parked outside. I came to apologize and explain everything.”

“Todd, I think you should go,” she insists. “Now.”

“Just hear me out. All I’m asking for is five minutes of your time and then I’ll leave if you still want me to, but I hope you’ll change your mind.”

Her plump lips purse in resentment as she struggles to make the decision whether or not she’ll give me a few minutes. Instead of waiting for her approval, I start talking.

“I know everything you saw might’ve looked bad, but I promise, it wasn’t. Ever since the first day I met you, I was intrigued by you. You’re nothing like other girls and your research and charity work means a lot to me. I didn’t want to tell you this—I’ve never told anyone this—but we struggled like crazy when I was growing up and my mom worked her ass off. I almost wasn’t able to go to college until I won two grants and a scholarship. Without those, I wouldn’t be here today, and the reason why I study psychology is so that I can help others. I’ve gone through the battle of wondering why I wasn’t good enough or what else I could’ve done, and I used to blame myself for things. I grew up hating myself because of it until I read a self-help book that I checked out at the library. It changed my entire outlook on my life—and that’s what I hope to do for others when I graduate.”

“That doesn’t explain why you were taking secret pictures of me or had my schedule or the research that I’ve done. Who does that?” She throws her hands in the air.

“Me, that’s who. Marissa, I don’t know what else to say. As a psychology major, you learn how to read people and I had to get close to you. I wanted to know everything there was to know about you. I wanted to learn what was important to you. I wanted to know where you were so I could make sure no one bothered you. I wanted to improve my chances with you. You’re one of a kind.”

“Yeah, so are you,” she huffs.

I step forward, closing the distance between us. Even with the putrid smell surrounding us, I can still smell her vanilla scent. My shadow looms over her, and her eyes dance in wonder as I cup her chin in my hands.

“I promise if you give me another chance, I won’t screw up. All that stuff you found was me trying to learn more about you before I tried approaching you. My whole life has felt like rejection, starting with my dad, then not having my mom around because she had to work so much, and then the odds being stacked against me, ruining my chance to go to college to help other people. I’ve overcome a lot of things, Marissa, but one thing I’ve never had is a girl like you and I wanted to make sure I got you.”

Her perfect lips part and her sweet breath floats over the top of my hand that hasn’t left her face. I lean down and slowly bring my lips to hers. At first, she doesn’t respond to my kiss but I’m not giving up on her. I open my eyes for a second and see that hers are closed. Her mind is fighting this but her heart knows what to do. My lips touch hers for a second time and, finally, she returns my kiss. Her soft lips lock onto mine and I grab her curvy hips, pulling her against me as our tongues dance and her body softens.

“Ahem,” someone clears their throat. The two of us quickly pull apart as I spin around. Marissa stays partially hidden behind me. “I don’t mean to interrupt but I came to check on you when I noticed a car in the driveway. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, Ava,” she says. “Everything’s good.” She looks up at me. “This is Todd.”

“Mhmm, I know who he is. So, everything’s good then?”

“Yep, he came by to help me carry some of the boxes from my car so we could set up. You can go now.”

The minute Ava leaves, we both breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like we’re both getting a second chance after all.