Message In A Bottle

Aug 27 (Part 2)

A/N: So. American high schools. I've been writing about them for like 5/6 years now and I've literally never been to America. But I've given up now, none of this is realistic, this is My City Now.

I don't care if this is supposed to be canon or not, but the kids' middle school and high school share the same campus. Or at least they're adjacent to each other.

-

It was a warm summer's afternoon and Alex didn't know what to do. Conner was of course out with Bree, and if Alex spent one more hour thinking about school she was going to go insane. It wasn't healthy for her to stress so much when she'd completed her homework two weeks prior. So when she learned Fred was sick, she decided to go over. As Fred's childhood friend, Alex was always a welcome member in the Hayford household.

As expected, Fred was tangled up in his blankets, his curtains drawn shut. Well, at least his room was less messy than Conner's room (to be fair, she doubted anyone could be messier than her brother). After all this time, Alex still felt a little self-conscious stepping to Fred's room because this was his territory. They'd known each other ever since they were kid, but it still felt too...intimate.

"Hi," she said as if her footsteps hadn't announced her presence already. It was just to be polite.

Fred's messy blond hair emerged, his face tinged a slight pink due to his illness (not that it was very visible in the dim light). "Hey."

"How are you?"

"It's not the worst I've been, to be honest. Sucks that I can't go out though." Fred glanced at Alex, then quickly looked away. "Thanks for coming."

"Hope my company's not too boring." It was a joke, but a bit of Alex's self deprecation slipped through.

Fred frowned, if only just slightly. "Hey, I don't know about the rest of the world, but I like being around you."

The atmosphere inside Fred's room subtly shifted. Alex suddenly found it difficult to stare in Fred's general direction. The usually carefree Fred sounded oddly serious. It was almost a bit unnerving.

"... So I hope you like being around me too."

Alex could almost hear Fred saying those words. In fact, she was pretty sure that was what he was thinking now.

Fred shuffled so he was sitting upright. Alex walked over and noticed the cup of tea on his bedside table. "Ooh, what's this?"

"Ginger."

Alex picked up his mug and sniffed it. The sharp scent of ginger invaded her nose. "Spicy."

Fred chuckled. "Hey, don't drink it, you're gonna get sick."

"I wasn't going to." Alex set down the mug and sat on the end of Fred's bed.

"So, what do you think about school starting?"

Fred's question was only to be polite. Alex might not have been explicit about it, but he'd picked up her cues. Fred knew Alex didn't like talking about her worries unless she was asked to, and now he was basically inviting her to vent.

Alex exhaled. "I mean... it's pretty scary that everyone's viewing me differently. After, you know, I saved that historical building last year."

Their joint middle and high school campus was made from historical buildings, and most were demolished with newer buildings built over it. Their Lynn Building was beloved by students for its architecture, and it was school tradition to take graduation pics in the Lynn Hall with its elegant arches and pillars. (It was also a popular prom photo spot.)