Dalton's phone buzzed again, the screen lighting up in the darkness of his room. His heart raced as he stared at the message from Vanessa, the one he'd been too nervous to open for the last several minutes. Taking a deep breath, he finally tapped it, the words popping up on the screen.
Vanessa: Hey... Happy Birthday.
A simple message, but it hit Dalton like a tidal wave.
He hadn't expected it, not after everything that had happened. Not after he'd pushed her away, made the dumbest decisions of his life, and effectively disappeared from her world. And yet, here she was, reaching out to him.
Dalton stared at the message, unsure how to respond. He felt a mix of emotions—relief, guilt, and hope, all tangled together. He wanted to say so much, to apologize for everything, but instead, he typed out something simple.
Dalton: Thanks.
***
They started talking again.
At first, it was just small things—catching up, sharing little moments from their days. But soon, their conversations grew longer, more frequent, and the gap that had formed between them over the past months slowly began to close. Dalton found himself feeling more alive with every message, every laugh they shared over their inside jokes.
It wasn't long before they started talking about hanging out again. And one day, after Dalton had missed a few days of school, they made plans.
Dalton spent the morning cleaning his room, scrubbing away the grime that had built up over the months of isolation. It wasn't perfect—there were still patches of decay, the rotting wood, and the faint smell of ammonia in the air—but it was the best he could do. It had to be enough. Vanessa was coming over, and Dalton didn't want her to see the worst of what his life had become.
As he cleaned, Dalton couldn't shake the nagging feeling of insecurity gnawing at him. The house was falling apart—holes in the floors, the occasional scurrying of rats in the walls—and no matter how much he tried to hide it, the signs were there. What would Vanessa think? She had always known him as the quiet, reserved guy at school. Would she judge him for living in a place like this? Would it change the way she saw him?
But he pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on making the place look presentable, even if it was just temporary.
When the time came, Dalton walked out to the end of the road to meet Vanessa. He spotted her standing there, a little smile playing on her lips as she waved. His heart pounded as he waved back, the world around him feeling brighter than it had in months.
They walked back to his place together, chatting about random things—school, anime, editing. By the time they got to his house, Dalton's nerves had kicked in again. He fumbled with the keys, wondering if she'd notice the slight smell in the air or the rough condition of the walls.
Inside, Dalton had made baked ziti.
It was one of the few things he could cook well, and he hoped it would be enough to impress her. As they sat at the small table in his cramped kitchen, Dalton served up plates of the cheesy pasta, trying not to let his insecurities show.
"This looks really good!" Vanessa said, smiling as she took a bite. "I didn't know you could cook."
Dalton shrugged, feeling his cheeks warm. "Yeah, I've had to learn... you know, since it's just me here most of the time."
Vanessa's eyes flickered with understanding, but she didn't press him on it. Instead, they kept the conversation light, talking about school and catching up on the latest anime they were both watching. For a moment, Dalton felt himself relax, even if the cracks in his house loomed just beneath the surface.
After they finished eating, they retreated to Dalton's room.
As they sat in the dim glow of his computer screen, Vanessa's eyes wandered around the room. That's when she noticed it—the red hoodie. It hung on the back of his door, the one piece of clothing that stood out in the otherwise simple room. The word Levl was still visible on the front, though the black-and-white checkered sleeve was a little faded. The bleach mark on the shoulder stood out against the red fabric, a testament to how much the hoodie had been worn.
"That hoodie looks familiar." Vanessa said, tilting her head as she looked at it. "I think I remember you wearing it back in middle school."
Dalton glanced at the hoodie, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Yeah... It used to be my favorite. I wore it all the time, but I stopped after a while."
"Why did you stop?" she asked, genuinely curious.
Dalton hesitated, the memories flooding back. "I don't know. I guess... things changed. But I've kept it around. I guess it's hard to let go of something that meant a lot back then."
Vanessa nodded, a soft smile crossing her face. "It looks like it's been through a lot with you."
"Yeah, it has.." Dalton said, his voice quieter than before.
Later, they sat on the bed as Dalton showed her his edits.
He was nervous at first, not sure how Vanessa would react. But the second the first video started playing, her eyes lit up, and a genuine smile spread across her face. She leaned forward, completely focused on the screen.
"This is amazing, Dalton!" she said, her voice filled with admiration. "I knew you were good, but... wow."
Dalton couldn't help but smile, the insecurities he'd been holding onto slowly fading. Vanessa didn't seem to care about the state of the house, the crumbling walls, or the imperfections around them. She was focused on him, on what he had created, and it made him feel like maybe things weren't as bad as they seemed.
***
When it was time for them to head back to school, Dalton didn't want to let her go.
As they stood by the door, gathering their things, he reached out and gently grabbed her hand. For a moment, Vanessa looked up at him, surprised, but then she smiled, her hand tightening slightly around his.
They walked back to school together, hand in hand, not saying much, but not needing to. It was enough.
This became their routine.
They skipped school a few more times after that, finding excuses to spend the day together at Dalton's place. He cleaned as much as he could before each visit, always nervous about her seeing too much of the decay and the mess. But every time she came over, Vanessa didn't seem to mind. They would talk, laugh, and play games on their phones, the connection between them growing stronger with each passing day.
One day, as they sat together on the couch, Vanessa challenged Dalton to a game of 8-ball on their phones. She grinned at him, her competitive streak shining through as she lined up her shot.
"I'm gonna kick your ass!" she said confidently, squinting at her phone screen.
Dalton laughed, shaking his head. "Yeah, sure. You always cheat by using the corner of your phone to line up the shots."
"I do not!" Vanessa protested, her voice playful.
But she did. Dalton had caught her doing it more than once, her eye shifting to the corner of the phone to make sure her aim was perfect. It was a small thing, but it made him smile every time. These moments were special, little pockets of happiness that made him feel like he was waking up from a long, dark dream.
Before she left that day, something clicked inside Dalton.
As they stood by the door, saying their goodbyes, Dalton's eyes drifted to the red hoodie hanging up on the back of the door. The hoodie he hadn't worn in so long, but couldn't bring himself to throw away.
"Wait" he said, grabbing the hoodie and holding it out to Vanessa.
She looked at it, surprised. "What's this?"
Dalton smiled. "It's my favorite hoodie. I used to wear it all the time, but... I don't know. I think it would look better on you."
Vanessa blinked, clearly touched by the gesture. She reached out, taking the hoodie from him, a small smile spreading across her face. "Are you sure?"
"Yeah" Dalton said, nodding. "I want you to have it."
Vanessa hugged the hoodie close to her chest, her smile growing wider. "Thank you, Dalton. Really."
As she walked away, wearing his red hoodie, Dalton felt a warmth inside him that he hadn't felt in a long time. Maybe things were starting to change after all.