A Letter to You

senior year: day one, lunch

The first four periods flew by in a flash, what with the constant texts bombarding your phone--both from Mikey and your cousin--that distracted you from anything your teachers were talking about. By the time the two had finally stopped texting you, the bell that signaled lunch echoed throughout the building, and you were being pushed around in the halls by your peers as they hurried toward the cafeteria.

It was, in short, a madhouse as you tried to keep your bearings, but you were twisted and turned around so many times that you no longer knew if you were facing the east or west wing, and you were...well, lost.

It was just your luck that you caught sight of a head of striking blue hair hovering above the crowd, a few inches above anyone else.

"Dylan!" you called, and the boy whipped around. When his eyes landed on you, he offered you a smile before pushing past people, eventually making his way to where you stood.

"Hey, Y/L/N," he greeted. He shifted his bag higher on his shoulder as he said, "You coming to lunch or what?"

You chuckled. "Uh, yeah. I just got a little--"

"Lost?" he finished. You nodded sheepishly, and he placed a hand on your shoulder. "No problem. This school goes wild when it's time to eat. C'mon, I'll take you." He spun you around and gently guided you in the other direction.

For a few moments, it was silent between the two of you, and you were nudged or shouldered every so often by a student that was rushing to meet their friends. Dylan, however, decided to speak up once he realized you weren't going to.

"So, a little birdie told me you've got a date with Mikey Madison tonight..."

"Does that little birdie happen to be blonde and my cousin?" you asked, even though you already knew the answer.

He shrugged. "Maybe. So, it's true, then? You and Mikey?"

"Uh, well, I guess so." You shrugged. "She said she'd show me around town tonight, so if that constitutes as a date, then..."

He clapped you on the back; you stumbled forward slightly. "Oh, man! That is totally a date!"

You could feel as your entire face warmed, and your mouth fell dry. No words seemed to come to mind as a response, so you stayed quiet until the two of you stood in front of two large double doors with the sign 'cafeteria' high above them.

"Well, here we are," Dylan said as you two entered the room.

It was a madhouse, yet it was easy to spot your cousin, and she caught your gaze quickly, waving the two of you over to the circular table that she was sitting at. The blue-haired boy took the seat on her left while you slid into the chair on her right. No one else had arrived yet.

"So, what're you gonna wear tonight?" your cousin asked immediately, barely giving you any time to settle in. She was staring at you with a wide grin, her eyes even wider as she waited for a response.

"I--uh...I have no idea," you said with a shrug as you began digging through your backpack for the lunch that your aunt had packed you that morning.

Maddie hummed. "Well, that just won't do."

"Why don't we come over after school and help you out?" Dylan offered.

Your cousin gasped. "That's a great idea babe!" The blue-haired boy smiled victoriously.

"Oh, um, okay. Sure," you said.

Just as you finally found your lunch, Emma and Jenna strode up to the table, the shorter brunette sitting next to you while the blue-eyed girl sat on Dylan's left, completing the circle. She was practically bouncing where she sat, a gleaming grin pulling at her lips.

"I can't believe you have a date tonight, Y/N!" Emma exclaimed, and, again, you blushed.

"It's no big deal," you said, brushing her off.

"Except it totally is!" your cousin countered. "Mikey is, like, the most sought after girl at our school."

Jenna scoffed from beside you. "She's not that big of a deal, Mads. She's just Mikey."

Maddie shook her head. "You don't get it, Jenna: you're not into girls."

"Yeah, whatever," the brunette next to you muttered, digging into her own backpack in search of her lunch. "She's not even that hot."

"Like Maddie said, Jen, you just don't get it," Emma said with a shrug. "Because she is that hot."

"Who's that hot?" a semi-familiar voice asked from behind you, and when you turned around, you gulped at the sight of Mikey, a smug smile on her face. "Hi, Y/N."

"Uh, hey," you croaked, throat suddenly going dry. "Err...what's up?"

She shrugged, placing her hands on the back of your chair so that she could lean toward you slightly. "Just wanted to say hi," she confessed, biting her bottom lip as she stared at you. You swallowed, your eyebrows raising in surprise.

"Oh, well...hi?"

She laughed lowly, voice raspy, and you sucked in a breath of air. "You're cute."

"This is disgusting to watch," Jenna piped up. You could feel your cousin glare at her.

"Oh, shush, Jenna," Maddie said. She turned to the girl hanging off your chair. "So, Mikey, where are you taking Y/N later?" You suddenly wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole as Mikey chuckled.

"Dunno, really. Just...around," the raven-haired girl answered smoothly.

"You ask a girl on a date and you don't even know where you're taking her?" Jenna asked incredulously. "Jeez, Madison; you sure know how to woo a girl, huh?"

Mikey crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at the brunette. "Got something you want to say, Ortega?"

You glanced at Jenna, watching as she clenched her jaw, eyes flitting toward you quickly before settling on Mikey again. "Nope."

"Thought so," Mikey said. You gulped at the obvious tension that thickened the air.

The two girls stared at each other for a moment before someone on the other side of the cafeteria called out Mikey's name. She turned toward them, held up her pointer finger to tell them to give her a minute, and then looked back down at you.

"Guess I've gotta go." She offered a grin that made your legs feel like jelly. "See you later, pretty girl." And then she disappeared.

"Jenna!" Maddie scolded as soon as the raven-haired girl disappeared. "What was that?! I didn't know you had some sort of vendetta against Mikey."

"I just...don't like her, okay?" the brunette said simply, and then she pushed herself away from the table and stomped out of the cafeteria, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

You watched her leave. "Uh, is she...alright?" you asked carefully.

Maddie sighed. "She can be a little, how should I put it--"

"Jenna's got a short temper," Dylan interrupted. "When she's pissed off, she just likes her space. This happens somewhat often."

"Yeah, she'll make her way back to us soon," Emma agreed with a nod.

"Okay..." You said, but you couldn't help the aching feeling in your chest as you stared at the brunette's empty seat while the others engrossed themselves in conversation. For whatever reason, this almost felt like your own fault. 

author's note: why does jenna not like mikey, hmm? and what's mikey planning? questions, questions. 

-bingwriterxo