Proposal Week

Three: Get Out Drill

|Tuesday|

I woke up on the couch, my hands over my eyes. My alarm wasn't sounding.

I reached over and grabbed my phone. I have to be down at the station in ten minutes to catch my bus. I have to get moving.

Soon enough, I was rushing down the sidewalk to get to the station, barely squeezing between the doors before they could shut on me.

I slumped into the closest seat and placed my hands on my knees. That's not the best start to my morning.

Once I was walking across campus toward my writing class, I finally felt my heart rate slowing down. It was like any other day at Tristan University when I looked around.

I passed by the same kids on the same routes with the same coffee and the same tired glances and the same meaningless, spoken words. Early morning classes are a doozy, but I somehow manage to get through all of mine that I have since I have no night classes because I'm a swimmer.

I sat down at my usual seat, a bit later than normal since I walked slower. Class came to a start, and the first thing the teacher told us was what we would be doing. Typical.

"Today, you will be writing an apology letter to a friend you have done something to. Apologize for ruining their book or spilling coffee on their iPhone or confess about real happened between you and this other friend. Make it special. You'll give it to me. It'll be for my eyes only. You're secrets are safe with me. If you want to copy it to send to them, go right on ahead." He sat down behind his desk to keep grading writing papers like always.

It's a lot of grades and papers and a few kids as it seems to me, he says. That's his explanation of his work.

I started on the letter to Tally, putting myself in mine and Libby's shoes. I was definitely copying mine to put in her room for her to read without me there, but I still could make a few revisions for her copy. I mean, he wouldn't know.

Once I had finished, I turned the paper into the teacher. "Where is your brainstorm, Ryla?" He asked.

"In my head like it should be. I didn't have one since I'd been planning that out." He motioned for me to lean down toward him.

"This better be impressive. It has great importance with where the winning letter goes and you get extra points. It means a lot." I nodded and read over the note in my hands.

It's the wrong one.

I gave the teacher the more heartfelt one.

I left the classroom quickly to try not to second guess my choice. I paused and thought about going back, but I thought of something else.

So what? That letter was better anyways. Just fix the one you have to give to her. I nodded to myself before walking toward my next class.

~

Once I finished with my two morning classes, I headed to the apartment and planted the letter before going out to a diner near by and started researching for a paper for my research class.

The diner was usually quiet but always had a steady trickle of customers. It wasn't known by many people at all since it didn't have a big sign, and you have to go down an alley and then down some stairs to get to it.

It's a beautiful and friendly place. I mean, usually you don't find good things in the back alleys of New York, so this is the only one that I go down.

After an hour or so, someone sat across from me with a tea and a cinnamon roll.

I looked up to see Tally sitting across from me, the letter sitting open in front of her.