A Letter to You

senior year: day one, car ride

Outside the house lingered a light blue Subaru Crosstrek, blasting music, and you could make out two people that already sat in it. However, the passenger--a girl with shoulder-length, brown hair--slipped out of the car and climbed into the back, leaving the seat empty.

"Hurry up, slow pokes!" the driver called, a laugh cutting into his words. To emphasize his point, he pressed on the horn again, the sound startling you once more. Maddie chuckled at the action, speeding up into a slow jog. You followed close behind.

"You're going to wake the whole neighborhood, Dyl," Maddie chastised lightly. She clambered into the passenger's seat and pressed a quick kiss to the boy's waiting lips before turning the music down.

"To hell with 'em," he replied.

You slid into the back row, sitting beside the aforementioned brunette, who greeted you with a bright smile and shining blue eyes. "Hi! You must be Y/N. I'm Emma." She stuck a hand out for you to shake, and you took it, hoping the girl wouldn't notice your clammy skin.

"Ah, hi. That's me," you said awkwardly before twisting in your seat to shut the door.

"Nice to meet you, Y/L/N," the boy said from the front seat, grinning at you through the rearview mirror. "I'm Dylan."

"I like your, uh"--you gestured to the top of your head--"hair." It was dyed a bright blue and, upon hearing your compliment, Maddie reached over to mess it up.

"Hey, hey," Dylan said as he leaned away from her grasp. "No touching the goods." Then, he glanced back at you. "And, thank you. This one over here"--he pointed at your cousin--"doesn't appreciate it as much as she should."

"I like it! I just like your natural hair better," she complained.

"Rude," the boy muttered.

"Can we get going?" Emma asked, interrupting the couple. "I'm not trying to be late on the first day of school." Her leg was bouncing up and down as her eyes were trained on the time that shone from Dylan's dashboard.

"Yes, ma'am," Dylan answered at the same time Maddie said, "such a good student."

He shifted into drive and sped off down the road. Your hand immediately flew to the overhead handle. Your cousin, glancing towards the side view mirror, seemed to notice the sudden fear that gripped you, and she leaned towards Dylan, whispering something that sounded a lot like "slow down a little, alright?"

"So," Emma began in an attempt to divert your focus from the quickly moving car, "how are you liking New York so far? You only just got in a few days ago, right?"

You nodded, your attention now solely trained on the brunette. "It's...different from how I remember."

She widened her eyes in surprise. "Oh! I hadn't realized--when was the last time you were here?"

"Y/N hasn't visited in years," Maddie said, adding herself into the conversation. "Last time she came, I was still friends with--" Rather than finish her statement, the blonde shivered dramatically, and you nodded, remembering her old friend group. 'A bunch of little shitheads,' your aunt had called them once.

"Fuck them kids!" Dylan hollered.

"Yeah! Fuck them kids!" your cousin repeated, laughing.

"Hey! Turn this up!" Emma said, tapping Dylan's arm as her head moved rhythmically to the beat of the song that was playing from the car's speakers. The boy abided by her request and the music was soon blasting throughout the space; it was so loud, you could barely hear the others as they sang along.

"Lowlife for life 'cause I'm heartless!"

"Said I'm heartless--"

"Tryna be a better man but I'm heartless--"

"Never be a wedding plan for the heartless--"

"Lowlife for life 'cause I'm heartless!"

You laughed as they all jumped around in their seats, Emma and Maddie dancing as best as they could while Dylan swung his arm around to the beat. The car shook beneath the weight of their movements, and fear pricked at you, but it was almost easy to ignore.

Eventually, as the song came to an end, the car slowed to a stop. You looked out the window, eyes landing on a short brunette as she exited her front door. She directed a wide smile towards the car, and it caused a number of unknown feelings to stir in your stomach, heat rushing to your cheeks. Quickly, you unbuckled your seatbelt and moved over slightly, your thighs pressing against Emma's, while the newcomer opened the door.

"What's up, losers!" the girl yelled, to which everyone else cheered. It was a whirl of color as she moved faster than your eyes could register, and she was soon seated beside you. You tried to disregard the feel of her legs pushed up against your own. "You're new," she stated with a grin. That close to her, you could see freckles that dotted across her tanned skin, covering her face from cheek to cheek.

You swallowed. "Yeah...hi. I'm Y/N."

A look of recognition washed over her face as she stared at you, her dark brown eyes so intense that goosebumps rose on your arms. "Right! For a second, I thought that Emma had finally gotten a girlfriend."

"Not cool!" the blue-eyed girl huffed as Dylan shouted, "out of pocket!"

"You know I love you, Em," the brunette said as she reached over your front to pat the girl's knee. She leaned back, head falling to rest against the window, and added, "I'm Jenna, by the way," as though introducing herself was an afterthought.

"Not to be that girl...again...but we're gonna be late if we don't get going," Emma said.

"On it, chief," Dylan replied, chuckling at his own words. Again, he sped down the road, and, without a handle to hold onto, your hand instinctively landed on Jenna's thigh, gripping it to steady yourself.

"Jesus, dude. Do you work out?" the girl joked. You sent her a questioning glance before realizing what your palm was pressed against. As though her skin had burned you, your hand flew off of her.

"Oh shit! Sorry, I--sorry. I'm...sorry," you mumbled.

"You're all good. Don't mind a good hand on the thigh every once in a while," she teased as she winked. You turned your head, facing the window on Emma's side for a moment in hopes that she wouldn't see the red tinting your cheeks.

"Yeah, says the only straight one in the car," Maddie called as she glanced at you through the rearview mirror, shaking her head just slightly. The action told you enough: not her. Anyone but her. Your shoulders sagged at the new information.

"Does it really count if you're dating a man?" Jenna retorted.

"Don't be bi-phobic!" the couple scolded at the same time. The brunette simply chuckled as Emma shook her head, an amused smiling pulling at her lips.

"You guys are such idiots," the blue-eyed girl followed up with.

"We know," the three of them said simultaneously.

author's note: boop. here's most of the main cast! just one more character to come in next chapter!

-bingwriterxo