Horizon High's latest social experiment, "The Locker Message," takes students by surprise. Instead of traditional invitations, anonymous notes appear in lockers, sparking curiosity and intrigue.
Armelle, a student at Horizon High, never imagined she...
SPIRIT WEEK WAS over, as it was now Friday - homecoming.
Elle was pumped up about the dance, something very unusual. On a normal day, she would show up at parties just to show off her new dress and of course, ridicule people who looked like competition. Today, however, was different.
Her mini dress sat upon her skin as soft petals, its hue the many blues of the sky. In her homecoming dress, she felt strong. In that delicate fabric, she felt the strength that had been there all along finally blooming.
"You look beautiful," her mother said, pulling her into a hug. It was the day of her parents' anniversary so they were going out for the weekend. She watched as her father's lips turned up into a small smile.
"Armelle, I can't tell the difference between you and your mother even though she's right here." She cringed on hearing her full name.
She wasn't sure whether it was a compliment or not; nevertheless, she thanked him. She gave her parents a last goodbye and they were off.
Moments later, the clacking of shoes was heard. Elle watched as Elliot walked down the stairs. We feel great when we look good; that was what the tuxedo did for him. It accentuated a smile that glowed the way it did when he was a little kid. There was no way he wouldn't be Homecoming king.
She thought about the message that she had dropped in his locker, which he had claimed not to have seen when she asked him. She never bothered to ask again, knowing that she had without a doubt, lost her brother.
"Mum and Dad have gone?" Elliot asked. Elle looked around to be sure he was talking to her.
"Yes. They left not quite long ago," she responded.
Elliot dipped his hand into his tuxedo, fishing out a pair of heart-rimmed glasses and putting it on. Elle stood there, frozen, and slowly reached into her purse, bringing her pair out along with the note. On seeing it, Elliot opened his mouth so wide you could shove an apple in it.
"What are you doing with Joy's glasses?" He tilted his head, waiting for an explanation.
And then it clicked.
The note, the glasses, everything was meant for Joy. Elliot had slipped the right message into the wrong locker.
It was stupid to think that someone would actually be interested in interacting with her. She blinked back tears as she slowly handed him the note and glasses.
He seemed to understand his mistake as he heaved a sigh and proceeded to hug his sister. She was taken aback at first, but soon she leaned into the hug, cherishing it while it lasted.
They arrived at school, and Elle was the first to step out of the car, knowing that she had to set things right. She collected the glasses and note from her brother and rushed to slip them into Joy's locker, him trailing behind her. As she didn't understand how to slip the glasses in, she slipped the temples into the locker so that the glasses would be pointing out of it. She told Elliot to hide and come out only after Joy had read the message.
Rushing into the gym filled with lots of students having fun, she found Joy getting herself some punch. Joy flinched on seeing her and was about to run when Elle grabbed her hand.
"I know we're not on good terms, but you have got to believe me. Just go to your locker now."
Joy narrowed her eyes at Elle before rushing out of the gym, Elle following her discreetly. She watched as Joy opened her locker and took in the content. Her eyes lit up at the sight of Elliot, and together they walked back to the gym.
Elle came out of her hiding spot and sat in front of her locker, head in hands. She could only dream that someone would feel the same about her. Going to the dance was a stupid idea.
She decided to hang in the hallway until it was over, finding something to do to pass the time. Opening her locker, she dug through for her sketchbook, and a paper fell from her locker, yet again.
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Nobody needed to tell her, she just knew she had messed up and it was too late. She had a message all along.
"I see you got my message." Elle paused at the sound of a voice. She eyed the boy standing next to her. Well, you would too. He had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks.
"I just saw it now, I swear."
"You don't have to explain yourself, I know," he said, "So is it a yes or a-"
