The Locker Letters

Ugh, couples, Jackie though as she walked through the crowed school hallways. They were everywhere, holding hands, kissing, and doing all that other weird couple stuff. Couldn't they just wait until Valentines Day?

Apparently not. There was still a week before the fourteenth. Yet, all her friends and everyone at school were already planning for the Valentine's Dance. What are you going to where? Who are you going to take? Her friends bombarded her with questions. She was planning on sitting at home, watching movies with a pint of ice cream. And that was good enough for her, thank you.

Jackie reached her locker and started to dial her combination. She had reached thirteen when she realized there was something taped to her locker. It was a small letter sealed in an envelope that was no bigger then a flashcard. From your secret admirer, it read in scrawly handwriting on the back. Taped beside it was a fun-size pack of sour patch gummies. Jackie held both the letter and the candies in one hand as she tried to open the package of gummies. But before she could make the slightest tear, the gifts disappeared from her hands. She sat there, mouth agape, staring at her empty hands.

"Thank you!" called a smug voice from behind her. Holding her letter and sour patch gummies, stood Austin, her arch rival, with a smirk on his face. Jackie seethed with anger. Ever since she had moved to this area in fifth grade, Austin had always taken everything from her. He beat her in every spelling bee. Gotten first chair in band while she gotten second. Beat her out of first place in the science fair. She was sick and tired of coming in second to him. But yet every time something new comes along, he has to take it.

"Give them back Austin!"

"No." He tore open the sour patch package.

"Austin don't you dare-"

But he had already popped one into his mouth. Jackie raced towards him. No one eats her food.

And lives.

She chased Austin through the halls and out into the field. She had almost caught up to him until he climbed up one of the tall oak trees. Trees were Jackie's weakness. She can not climb up one branch without falling backwards.

Austin sat smug on a tree branch that was just out of Jackie's reach. He eat a few more gummies and watched how Jackie was turning pink with rage.

"Well lookie what we got here," Austin help up the letter. "Oooh, from a secret admirer!"

"Give that back! It's private!" Jackie shouted from the ground.

"Aw, is little Jackie in love?" Austin cooed.

"Shut up!"

Austin started to unfold the envelope. He pulled out the letter and began to read. As he read he popped a few more sour patch kids in his mouth. As he read, a smile grew on his face. A few seconds later Austin doubled over with laughter. He almost fell out of the tree!

"Oh my goodness! This is the stupidest note I've read in my life!"

"Oh come on Austin, if you're just going to laugh about it could you please just give it back?"

Austin smirked. "No," he replied.

Jackie had just about reached her boiling point. She could almost feel the steam rising off of her. "At least tell me who wrote it!"

"No way! That would spoil all the fun, wouldn't it?"

"UGH!" Jackie screamed. Why did Austin have to be so obnoxious?

I was at that moment that Jackie's father had pulled into the school parking lot. He was honking the horn so loud that it could have woken up all the penguins in Antarctica. Jackie heaved her boulder of a back pack onto her shoulder. She gave Austin one more death glare before hopping into her Dad's truck. Austin was still sitting on the branch, swinging his legs, and eating her candy.

*******************************************************

For the next few days it seemed Jackie's life was stuck on repeat. The same thing happened over and over again. She would wake up, go to school, sit through seven, long, boring periods, and pack up her stuff at her locker. Every day, there was a package of sour patch kids and a note taped onto her locker from her secret admirer. And everyday Austin runs by and plucks it from her hands. The first couple times she had chased him around campus, but now Jackie didn't even bother.

Today was February thirteenth. The day in which every kid at school was running around and freaking out about their plans for the next day. Jackie had no boyfriend, and absolutely no intention of going to the dance tomorrow. So, she was pretty much the only sane person at school.

When the final bell rang, Jackie melted. She could finally go home and get away from all the talk of couples and the color pink. She raced over to her locker. Like every day this week, there was candy and a note taped to her locker. Jackie sighed in exasperation. She pondered whether she should just leave the gifts there. It's not like she would ever get to keep them anyway. Austin would pop out of bush two seconds later and then race off like he always does. Jackie hesitated for a moment, but finally took the note and candy off of her locker.

Before opening the envelope, she searched around for any sight of Austin. But there was none. Jackie opened the note with caution, as though it would explode if she laid eyes on it. The note unfolded with ease. Thankfully with no unwanted pyrotechnics. It was written in neat cursive on pale blue stationary. Jackie took a deep breath and began to read.

Dear Jackie,

Ever since we were kids, I've looked up to you. I admired how well you did in every subject, how you had so much confidence and made friends so easily. I wanted to be just like you. I wanted to show you that I could do things like that too, and then you would like me just as much as I liked you. But as we grew older, I realized that my feelings for you stretched farther then just admiration. I fell in love. But I must have obviously gone the wrong way with how to show my feelings, because you ever seemed to return them. But mine never faded away. You have know me as a rude, stuck-up, know-it-all jerk. But I have seen you as the girl with more talent then she knows what to do with. The girl with the fabulous hair that everyone wishes they had. The one that everyone loves to be around and can tell the best jokes. The girl that I fell in love with. You probably still hate me, but that is expected. What is one slip of paper going to do? But if it does, would you come to the Valentines Day dance with me? I'm sure it will be much more fun then sitting at home by yourself. Just let me know.

Your Secret Admirer, Austin Manton