Dear Lucy

Chapter 5:The First Letter

          
As the closing hours approached, Lucinda made her way to her locker, her feet carrying her on autopilot. As she turned a corner, she spotted Liam, he looked up then his eyes fixed back on his phone . She expected a nod or a smile, but instead, he pretended she was invisible. His gaze didn't even flicker in her direction, his expression a mask of indifference.

Lucinda felt a pang of surprise and confusion.

Hadn't they just had a conversation earlier?

Hadn't he shown her kindness and concern?

She slowed her pace, wondering if she should say something, but Liam's deliberate avoidance made her hesitate.

She decided to let it go and continued to her locker, trying to shake off the feeling of being snubbed.

Lucinda swung open her locker door, and a letter slipped out, fluttering to the ground. She picked it up, curiosity piqued, and began to open it. But before she could read a single word, her phone rang

She hastily stuffed the letter into her bag and answered the call, her brother's voice warm on the other end.

"Hey, BB!! I'm here to pick you up," he said, and Lucinda's face lit up with a smile.

She rushed out of the school, ignoring the glances from the students.

Outside the gate, she saw a parade of luxury cars , Lexus, Mercedes, and more, picking up students, but she didn't pay them much attention. Instead, she scanned the sidewalk and spotted her brother waiting by his bike,a concerned expression on his face.

"Hey, BB!" he said, as she approached. "Are you okay? I saw you leaping out of the school like your life depended on it!"

Lucinda brushed off his concern. "It's nothing, I just fell down," she said, but her brother's skeptical look told her he didn't believe her.

"Let's just go," she added, and her brother handed her a helmet. She put it on, wrapped her arms around his waist, and they sped off into the afternoon sun.

~~~
At home
~~
Lucinda chatted with her mom about her new school and her new friend Xena. "She seems like a good person," her mom said, smiling.

"Yes, she is," Lucinda agreed. "And I hope you didn't miss me too much."

Her mom teased, "No, I didn't. Everywhere was peaceful, and there was no one playing loud jazz music in the house."

Lucinda laughed, "Oh, mom!"

Her mom's expression turned warm. "Of course, I missed you." She reached out, trying to find Lucinda's face, and Lucinda guided her hand to her cheek. "My little pumpkin," she said, her voice full of love. Lucinda smiled, feeling happy to be home with her mom.
~~~~~
~~~~~~

                       Lucinda's POV

I entered my room, dropping my bag onto the bed as I began to undress. My gaze drifted to my ankle, and I couldn't help but think of Liam's strange behavior earlier. But I pushed the thought aside, not wanting to dwell on it. Instead, I headed to the bathroom to take a refreshing shower.

After washing up, I dressed comfortably and started unpacking some books from my bag. That's when I saw it - the letter that had fallen out of my locker earlier. I picked it up, curiosity piqued. "Is it some kind of prank letter or a welcome to school letter?" I wondered, as I opened the envelope and pulled out the contents.

    "Dear Lucy
             I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I admire you. Your intelligence, kindness, and beauty all shine through in everything you do. But it's your smile that really catches my attention, it's like a ray of sunshine that lights up the whole room. Keep being your amazing self, Lucy. You truly are a joy to be around.
                                                             Sincerely,
                                                   Your anonymous writer.

I couldn't help but smile as I read the letter again. "Is this a love letter or what?" I thought, but quickly dismissed the idea. "No, it's just someone appreciating me."

Just then, Lucas knocked and entered with a tray of fruits. "What's that?" he asked, noticing the letter in my hand.

I handed it to him, still smiling. "Someone wrote me a letter saying I'm charming and beautiful."

Lucas read it, then raised an eyebrow. "A letter on your first day of school, that's cool. But what's not cool is you getting your ankle sprained."

I rolled my eyes, knowing he wouldn't let it go. "Okay, fine. So, there's this weird girl at school, and I tried to follow her when I saw her jumping the fence. Then I fell, and a guy treated me."

Lucas gave me a knowing look. "It's not what you're thinking," I said quickly.

"So, a guy treated you?" Lucas asked. "And what's wrong with you going to the school clinic? Doesn't the prestigious school have a clinic?"

I sighed. "Lucas, let's just drop it, okay? The good news is I'm fine."

Lucas nodded, but I knew he wouldn't stop worrying until I was fully healed.

"Hope you didn't have a rough day?" Lucas asked, and I hesitated, unsure how much to share. I couldn't tell him about everything that had happened at school - Alex, Ethan, Liam.  I knew he had overheard me talking to Mom about Xena, so I didn't want to reveal too much more.

"No, not at all," I said, trying to sound casual. "But I am going to the welcoming ceremony party tomorrow."

Lucas shrugged. "Tomorrow is Tuesday. There's nothing bad about going to school and then attending a party on campus."

I smacked my lips, knowing he wouldn't understand. "Well, well, it's actually not going to take place in school... and it's at night... and—"

"You're not going," Lucas said, standing up and crossing his arms.

I could tell he wasn't going to budge, but I wasn't ready to give up yet.

"What?!" I stood up, surprised by Lucas's sudden refusal. "Lucas, please! I'm 18, and remember what you said two years ago? You said if I turned 18, I could go to night parties. And I'll be 19 in just a few months!"

Lucas looked at me for a few seconds, then shook his head. "The answer is still no."

I nodded, trying to sound sad and pitiful. "Well, okay. Seems I'll never have fun, and that's just it."

Lucas grunted, clearly moved by my dramatic tone. "Argh... Fine. Just know that I'll be the one taking you there, and I'll come back in 30 minutes to pick you up."

I rolled my eyes. "You've got to be kidding me... 30 minutes? What exactly am I supposed to do in 30 minutes?"

Lucas hesitated for a moment before relenting. "Okay, 45 minutes."

I raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

He sighed. "An hour, and that's final."

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving me feeling both relieved and annoyed at the same time.

I took a bite of the apple, feeling satisfied with the one-hour compromise.

I picked up the letter, smiling as I read it again. I will definitely cherish it forever, so I carefully placed it in one of my old boxes.

Then, I checked my phone and was surprised to see many messages from groups.

I had been added to the Oakland School group chat and the project group chat. The project group chat only had one message from Xena, announcing a meeting tomorrow at 12 pm at the usual place. I checked the group members, there were only six of us, including me.

I examined each profile picture.

Xena's profile picture was a photo of herself.

Another member had a ball as their picture, which I assumed was Ethan.

One member had no profile picture, while another used the letter "A" as their picture, likely Alex.

Someone else used a flower as their picture, possibly Angelina or Liam.

But what did any of this have to do with me? I shook my head, deciding to take a short nap.