Whispers in the Dark

The Project Pt. #2

Written by Me

Piper's POV

Dear Diary,

I can't believe what just happened today in writing camp. Mr. Cooper announced that he was going to assign a new project. We have to write a poem......about the person we're sitting next to!

Which means I have work with Jackson outside of camp.

Which means I have to talk to him of camp.

Which means I have to get to know him. That's the last thing I want to do.

When the teacher finished talking, he turned to Jackson and me and winked.

I turned my chair to face Jackson. "What's going on here? Why did Mr. Cooper wink at you? Why do you have to be the person sitting next to me? Why do—"

"Stop signing so angrily!," Jackson said, cutting me off. Then, he started laughing so hard. Gosh, his laugh was beautiful! I hated him for it.

"What?" I signed. "Is it funny when I'm angry?"

"No, it's just...it's just," he stammered, laughing so hard he couldn't speak.

"It's just what?"

He finally calmed down. "Your hands were flying all over the place! I was getting worried you were going to punch me or something by accident."

Then, something remarkable happened: I started laughing! No one has ever been able to make me laugh besides dad. Since my dad died so long ago, I haven't really laughed since.

But today I laughed. And laughed. And laughed.

Jackson started laughing too. Soon, we were both screaming laughing. It was the kind of laughing that made me hold my stomach. It was the kind of laugh that made my cheeks hurt.

It was the kind of laughing that made my heart happy.

Jackson made my heart happy for the first time in a while.

I looked up at him and smiled despite my aching cheeks. "Do you want to hang out after class sometime?"

"R-really?" he stammered cutely.

"We have to get to know each other outside of this camp to work on this project, right?"

"Yep," he said.

"Yep?," I signed, crinkling my eyebrows.

"Yeah, that's what I said," he said, idiotically.

"Where do you want to meet up?"

"Oh! Maybe at a Wendy's somewhere?" he said, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

"You are sure?" I asked.

"Yep!" he said once again.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Well, okay Mr. Yep Guy."

He held his cheeks, embarrassed.

We're supposed to meet tonight at 7:00. I'm actually excited to meet him.

Why am I excited?

-Piper