Write Me A Letter

33 | fourth

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE | F O U R T H

        "HAVE YOU BEEN WATCHING KOREAN DRAMA AGAIN?"

Brie rolled her eyes when Paula gave her a look that said, "yes, yes I am so what?".

Oh, Paula. Brie wanted to laugh at how defensive her friend looked even when the evidence was there, proud, and with no intention of hiding. A week's worth of eye bags and dark circles were a nice touch to her pink highlights. It made her look like a cool college student. But with just a few more seasons, Brie was sure that Paula would have sunken cheeks. Ever since middle-school, K-Drama had always been Paula's addiction and though Brie was sometimes dragged into it, she never intentionally spent a night without sleeping.

She already had trouble having a good rest without the help of cute guys with dimples and cheesy lines. She would need all the sleep she could get.

"What? Their oppas are as good as their face masks," Paula said. With a dreamy sigh, she then pressed her fingers to her cheeks that looked immaculate despite her obvious lack of sleep.

Was Brie jealous? Yes. Would she still watch a series in one sitting? No, definitely no. Was she convinced that the Korean skincare was a gift from the heavens? Yes, definitely yes.

"Even better than Noel?" she teased, grinning when Paula's face brightened.

"Well," Paula giggled, "we've been texting yesterday too so I can't really tell who kept me up all night."

Of course.

Shaking her head at her friend, Brie pulled open her locker door. The smile on her face slipped as soon as she spotted something that wasn't supposed to be there. Sitting on top of her worn-out Physics textbook was a folded piece of yellow paper. Instinctively, her head spun around to check the people around them. Everybody looked normal for a group of teenage kids after loitering around the campus a few minutes after dismissal. Totally nothing to be wary about. Then, she turned to the right. There was Mikayla who was eagerly telling a story to Yuki and her boyfriend Mo. Her hands were waving around as her hair flew with each motion. Mo looked like he much rather head home while Yuki had a deadpan look on her face.

At the sight of them, Brie's heart thudded as her mind ran through a thousand bad scenarios that involved them, the letter in her locker, and the texts she had been receiving.

Could it be one of them? Was Izzy telling her friends to threaten her?

Paula's head popped inside her locker. "What're you looking at? Do you have chips in there?"

The instinct to pull the door came in instant along with the regret when she heard Paula's yelp. "I'm sorry! Oh gosh! How's your head?" Brie tried to reach for Paula's head, but Paula pushed her hand away with a wince.

Now, Paula looked like she needed sleep.

"Girl, what is up with you? Are you gonna cut my head off with your locker?"

"I'm so sorry! You just caught me off-guard. Do you want me to bring you to the clinic?"

Paula's brows furrowed in thought as she pressed her hands to her neck as if assessing her state. Brie watched her carefully with wide eyes, afraid that she caused real damage to her best friend. Stupid. Sometimes, she really wanted to hit herself.

"Nah," Paula said with a grin and Brie released a breath of relief. "I'm all good. But what were you hiding there anyway?"

With pursed lips, Brie looked around them, grateful to see that Mikayla's group was no longer near. She turned to Paula with determined eyes. "You have to promise not to tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay?" Paula looked at her like she had lost her mind. She probably had. With the amount of tossing and turning she accumulated since that day when she received the threatening text, Brie was sure she was on her way to losing her sanity. That text scared her more than she would ever let on. It was less of the fact that someone really threatening her, but more of the guilt brewing deep in her belly.

She was hanging out with Xander and she was enjoying his company. She liked his presence in her life again. That only made the digital threat feel like its letters were alive, crawling out of her sleek smartphone to choke her in her sleep.

She leaned in close to Paula and lowered her voice. "Someone texted me when we're hanging out with the guys. They called me a bitch and told me to stay away from their boyfriend or else I'll regret it." Paula's eyes widened with horror. She looked like she had a litany of things to say but swallowed them with a gasp instead.

"I think it's Izzy," Brie continued, careful not to have anyone hear. News traveled fast in their school, and the last thing Brie wanted was for Izzy to know how much that text affected her. "Remember how Xander dropped her call when we were at his place? She's upset and she thinks it's my fault."

"But why would she threaten you instead of talking to her boyfriend?" Paula asked. She looked dumbfounded, afraid, and angry all at the same time. "Isn't that how relationships should work?"

"I know, but she already told me to stay away from him when we saw her at the mall. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd do it again this time."

Paula whistled as she shook her head. "Damn, isn't she a little crazy? Like, okay I get it. She's upset. But sending threats?"

"That's why I'm worried that this is from her." Brie plucked the folded piece of paper from her locker and waved it. It had a crumpled corner with rust stains she noted while flipping it in her sweating hands. Whoever sent it obviously struggled to slip it in her old locker, or they probably pushed it in a haze.

Please don't be from Izzy's. Please. Swallowing her fear, she opened it and frowned.

"It's from Xander."

"What? Let me see." Paula grabbed the paper from her and mouthed each word in the letter as she read.

Brie struggled to stand straight as she watched her best friend's expression change at every sentence. Waiting for Paula to say something after, felt like she was waiting for a verdict.

"What did it say? I just saw his name at the bottom and recognized his handwriting."

"There," Paula said, thrusting the paper in her hand. "No wonder her girlfriend's pissed."

Brie,

I remember how you asked me to pick a color the first time you wrote me a letter. After that call, I thought it was funny how you take particular notice of these things. It felt insignificant at that time. Now that I picked a yellow one, I realized how important it is. We haven't really followed through that pact so I thought we might as well continue it as promised.

Thank you for the pizza and the movie. I didn't realize how much I missed hanging out with you guys until then. I hope for that to happen more often in the coming weeks. I enjoy your company a lot. I missed it.

Xander

"I—"

Paula only raised her brow. "Call it unsolicited advice, whatever. But if I were you, I'll be careful with how I deal with that one. Nothing that started out with selfish intentions can morph into something good."

Brie tried to come up with something to say but the words died in her throat. Paula was right, and although her words hurt her in a way, it wouldn't erase the truth in them. And just as about she was to tell her that, a commotion at the far end of the hallway caught their attention. Both she and Paula watched the students gather around with furrowed brows.

"What's going on? Aren't everyone supposed to be headed home?"

Paula shook her head. "I don't know, it looks like—holy fuck! Jean's storming out of here."

Shock and confusion dressed Brie as she watched her old friend pass by them on her run towards the exit with tears streaming down her face. Her eyes followed Jean's shaking figure until she disappeared. She exchanged the same look of concern with Paula who looked like she wanted to punch people.

"We should follow her."

This time, she'd make sure she could finally help her.