The Locker Letters

The Locker Letters (pt. 2)

~Authors Note~

Oh boy. What do we have here? It's the follow-up chapter that people have been bugging me about for almost two years. Originally, I was not going to write this. I was stubborn. But you guys just kept bugging me about it. To be honest, the success of The Locker Letters has always amazed me. I wrote this one shot in a few hours for a Sour Patch Kids contest. It was a cliche short story that I thought would quickly be forgotten and disappear into the depths of Wattpad. But TWO YEARS later, people are still reading and commenting on this little story. We've come a long way. 11k reads? I was overjoyed when we hit 500 reads! This story has far exceeded my expectations. I hope this chapter is everything you ever dreamed (although I doubt it will be). Thank you everyone who read, commented, and enjoyed my story. This chapter wouldn't be here without you guys! - Libby 

Jackie stood in front of the steel gym doors. They were decorated with pink and red streamers, a failed attempt to make the gym look more inviting. The streamers fluttered in the wind. Why am I even here? Jackie thought. Until yesterday, she had zero interest in going to the Valentine's Day dance. She was going to sit at home and watch a movie with a pint of ice cream. But no. Now she was standing in front of the gym, in a dress, and had a date waiting for her. She didn't even like Austin. He was pretentious and seemed to take pride in shoving his academic achievements in her face. Sure, he confessed his love in the letter he wrote, but why should that have changed anything? Jackie didn't want a boyfriend and even if she did, she wouldn't want it to be someone like him. I should have just stayed home, Jackie thought with regret. But it was too late for that. Her parents had already driven off, and she lived too far away to walk back home. That left only one option. Jackie took a deep breath before opening the doors. Not because she was nervous, but because she didn't want to smell the stench of sweaty teenagers. It didn't work.

The inside of the gym was uncomfortably warm and stuffy. Electronic pop music blared from huge speakers on the other side of the room. The dimness and flashing neon lights gave her a headache, as if the heat and sound weren't enough. Jackie decided it was in her best interest to find Austin as soon as possible. He invited her after all. She tried not to step on torn streamers or plastic cups on her way to the dance floor.

The dance floor was packed. Most people were clustered in a tight group in the center of the room, but there were a few couples dancing on the outskirts. There was no sign of Austin.

"Boo!"

Jackie whipped around. Belle stood there, with Peggy by her side. "Jackie, what are you doing here? You said you weren't coming!" Belle said with a smile.

"Oh, well, I got asked out," Jackie shouted, trying to speak above the music. "Austin invited me."

Bella squealed. "That's awesome! You're both top of the class; you're perfect for each other! Why didn't you tell me sooner? Come on, friends tell each other things like this!"

"Yeah," Peggy chimed in. "This is you first dance right? We would have walked in with you so that you wouldn't have to be all by yourself!"

"Well, it was a bit short notice," Jackie laughed nervously. "I wasn't sure I was going to come until a few hours ago. You're here with Chase right?"

Bella nodded. "He's probably wondering where I am. So, I'll see you later tonight okay?"

"Sure thing."

Jackie gave them a small wave as they ran back into the crowd. She didn't know how they could stand it in the huge huddle of people. She tried pushing through the crowd, but there were just too many people. Jackie finally gave up. She would just wait by the wall until she saw Austin. She prayed the DJ would play a song she actually liked. It would hopefully distract her from the couple that was making out beside her.