Mission Impossible//Robin Arellano

Part VIII

Denver, Colorado

Valerie left more than a month ago and ever since then, I've been miserable. I never showed it though, usually looking at old polaroids that Finn gave me or listening to her cassettes late at night.

I received a letter from her the other day and I'm not sure how to reply. I could tell her how much I miss her and that I like her, but that seems a little far fetched. On the other hand, she closed out her letter with 'Love, Valerie.' She probably meant it platonically. But what if she didn't?

I didn't have time to decide before my mom shouted to me that it was time to go. I grabbed my backpack off the couch and headed out to the car. I threw my bag on the floor and got in. The ride to school was silent. My mom knew how Valerie's absence affected me but she never wanted to talk about it. She knew I'd probably start crying if I opened up.

As soon as the car stopped, I opened the door and grabbed my bag, not turning around to make sure the car door closed before walking up to the other students. They were stood in a circle, listening to someone. I assumed it was nothing until I heard someone call out to me.

"Robin!" Julie was pushing through the crowd to get to me. Everyone's attention focused to the two of us, letting me know that she was the one speaking. "Isn't it true that Valerie left because she was intimidated by me?" she was slightly nodding her head with a fake smile plastered on her face. She was trying to get me to say yes.

"I don't think she was intimidated by you. Honestly, she probably left because of your psycho behavior." The crowd had moved closer to us so they could hear and when they did they let out 'oohs' and some covered their mouths. I grimaced at how dumb everyone here was. If Valerie were here and I was the one who left, she would kick Julie's ass. I couldn't do that. First of all, I'm not gonna beat up a girl unless it's absolutely necessary, and second of all, in her letter, Valerie specifically asked me not to get into any fights.

That's when it hit me. Literally. Julie's hand smacked my face before she huffed and walked past me, bumping my shoulder. I cupped my cheek as I could feel it turning red. I clenched my fists and walked off, spitting on the ground beside Moose, who had watched the showdown. Valerie was definitely going to enjoy reading that bit in her letter.

The school day went by smoothly after my confrontation with Julie. I most likely failed a math test and forgot about an english assignment that was due today. I stopped studying with Finn after Valerie left. She would always give me an answer or two since we shared second period math. Finn was there too, just farther away.

At one point, she suggested that maybe Finn's tutoring wasn't helping me at all and that she should give it a go. I got C's on all my math tests after that. I can't bare studying anymore. It just reminds me of her and when she would laugh at me when I got an answer really wrong. I miss her laugh. I miss her smile. I miss her confrontational attitude. I miss her.

•_•

I finally wrote back. It was a short little note replying to her updates. I'm glad that she's happy but it hurts me to think she may like it so much that she won't come home.

I've been struggling to get through school this past week. Finn forced me to study and it was brutal. He made sure I didn't think about Valerie at all but he did that by talking about Donna. Honestly, that made me think about her even more.

She was close friends with Donna and the way Finn talked about her was how I thought about Valerie. It's almost October and Finn won't shut up about Halloween. He says it's because Gwen got it stuck in his head but I know he's just really excited.

I wish Valerie would be here for Halloween. Finn was talking to me about group costumes the other day and I remember Valerie ranting about how she's always wanted to do a group costume of the Mystery Gang. She had mentioned that she would be Velma, Gwen would be Scooby(by choice), Donna would be Daphne, Finn would be Fred, and I would be Shaggy. Before, I took that as an insult, but now I'd be happy to dress up as the goddamn van if it meant I'd get to go with Valerie.

When I got home today, I immediately checked the mailbox and sifted through the mail. It was nearing the end of the month which meant a new letter would be coming. I did write back a lot later than she probably expected so she might do the same to me. God I hope not.

I decided to go to Finn's house to get my mind off of things. Things being Valerie. Finn was my way to forget everything for a while. He would put a movie on the tv and we would just sit and chat about the newest comic that Finn read or how bias the school system is. Gwen enjoyed joining those conversations.

I walked up the steps to the Blake residence and knocked on the door. It took a bit before Gwen opened the door and gestured for me to enter. I walked in and headed to Finn's room, Gwen trailing behind me. "He's in the bathroom. He'll be out in a minute. Unless he's taking a shit. If that's the case, we won't see him for a while." I raised my eyebrows at the girl and sat on Finn's bed, flipping through a batman comic.

Finn came in and shut the door behind him, murmuring something under his breath. "You alright?" he asked, sitting beside me. He realized what he said and closed his eyes, scrunching his nose. "I'm sorry.. so.. you like the new poster?" I looked at the wall above his bed and noticed a new space poster.

A smile crept onto my face and I chuckled. His love for space was amusing. "Come on." Finn grabbed my hand and I dropped the comic back onto his bed. We walked out to the kitchen and he grabbed some sodas before making his way to the living room. We sat on the floor and turned on the tv. Finn flipped through channels before stopping on 'Captain America.'

We talked for a while and actually watched some of the movie this time. Normally we would talk throughout the whole movie or I would leave before it was over. It was a pretty decent movie, not really my cup of tea though.

I said my goodbyes as I tossed my soda bottle in the trash can. The walk home was quiet and eerie. I got the feeling that someone was watching me so I picked up my speed, checking my surroundings incase I wasn't just paranoid. My heartbeat sped up as I realized I made a mistake choosing to walk by myself.

As I got closer to my neighborhood, I could hear my mom's voice. I sighed a breath of relief knowing she was here. I turned the corner onto my street and saw my mom hugging someone. When she pulled away, I got a better look at who it was and to my surprise, I saw a familiar brunette standing on my doorstep.

a/n
SHXJJSBDBSHABSBF SHE CAME BACK. I HAVE MOTIVATION TO WRITE NOW. IM SO EXCITED.