The Pen Pal Project // Alex Gaskarth

19.

ALEX

Hi-a!

So we made it. Or at least I did, I hope you did too.

But midterms and finals are finally over!!! I'm excited, I mean, I guess.

With the start of the new semester I'm not sure how I feel about my new courses. I'm taking an extra English course so I'm happy, but I'm also getting another free period.

Okay question time!!

Might be random but I'm curious—do you drink coffee? If so how do you take it? You strike me as a person who drinks it black. Me on the other hand I couldn't handle black coffee; I'd be wired for a day.

I take mine with two sugars and cream, but when I bring it to school milk because my parents refuse to let me buy cream...just so you know for future reference. Although I don't know why you'd need it...

Ever since my last final I've kind of been cooped up in my room a lot.

Nothing seriously wrong with me, just having some problems; nothing I can't handle. But it certainly gives me a lot of time to write.

It's mainly been poetry or rants, nothing with a plot, that's for sure.

Anyway, I hope your first week of your new semester is wonderful.

Talk to you soon,

Book-Girl

Alex stared at the page intently.

He hadn't received a letter in almost a week, yet here she was, sounding as if nothing had happened.

He understood of course, she had tests to worry about but a whole week; it made him curious as to why.

Being stuck in your room means you can't write a letter?

Maybe she was sick and her brain couldn't focus on him...but she said she was writing...

Whatever it was, he shook his head and placed the thoughts to the back of his mind and started to write a response.

He wanted to ask if she was feeling better, but he wasn't sure if he should...would that be pushing boundaries?

Without thinking twice about it, he wrote a quick side note asking if everything was alright before he finally sealed the letter and wrote the address he knew by heart on the envelope.

Just as Alex was putting the letter in his backpack, Jack walked into his room casually.

"Hey Jay," he greeted as he picked up Book-Girl's last letter off his desk.

"Is that from mystery girl?" Jack asked quickly without even greeting his best friend back.

"Uh, yeah. Why?"

Jack shrugged, "No reason. I knew she hadn't replied to you and you were a little bummed."

Alex shrugged and placed the numbered letter into his bin full of her letters.

He had two now. One was full of the ones that he had been previously handed into Mrs. Clark and the other had a significantly smaller pile of letters, and had her newest letters in them.

"Did you do any of the physics homework?" Alex asked as pulled that binder out from his backpack.

"That's a funny joke. Me, doing homework. You're hilarious Alex!" Jack exclaimed, his eyes crinkling as he laughed.