16 year old drew lay on his bed, staring up at the popcorn ceiling while the quiet in his room felt way too loud. It had been two months since everything fell apart with Jake. Jake had left for the music club, and Drew—acting out of pure frustration and spite—had been a total jerk to the whole group. He knew it, too. He wasn't proud of it, but looking back, his head had been a complete mess. He was still trying to process how he’d been so blind about Zoey. They’d dated, and he’d spent the whole time throwing money and expensive gifts at her, totally clueless that she was just using him for his cash while seeing someone else behind his back. But honestly? Drew knew why he’d let it happen. His parents had spent his whole life substituting expensive stuff for actual attention, making him think buying things was the only way to make people care. He was just desperate to be liked. Then came May. They’d met at summer camp, and she was... weird. Loud, unfiltered, completely unpredictable, and entirely different from anyone he’d ever met. Drew had panicked during one of his typical awkward moments and bought her a necklace, shoving it at her with a hasty, "Whatever, I don't care." It was a knee-jerk habit left over from Zoey—he just assumed that’s what girls expected. But May had looked at him like he had two heads and told him straight up that she didn't need fancy gifts. And yet, she’d worn that necklace every single day since. It wasn't fair. He couldn't even remember giving her his number, but suddenly she was a constant in his life, texting him randomly, driving him crazy, and refusing to let him retreat into his usual broody shell. She was a year younger than him, completely chaotic, and completely genuine. Drew let out a long sigh and threw an arm over his eyes. For the first time, someone actually liked him, not the stuff he bought them. And he had no idea what to do with that.