A Simple Folded Paper

11

The day ended quickly after that. Lauren thanked God she didn't have to see her father getting home and that she had the house to herself and her sister until midnight.

After having dinner, both sisters made their homework together and watched a movie until both fell asleep in Lauren's bed.

The next morning, Lauren woke up excited. She just wanted to go to school and know more about how,  when and where would she meet the mysterious person.

Soon enough, Lauren was making her way to her locker. Opening it, there was a folded paper inside.

Is Saturday good for you?
One mark on the root for no, two for yes.
PS: If I were to take
       all the little things I like about you,
       and mix'em up in a blender,
       the result would be a vanilla milkshake.
       Because those are friggin' good.

Lauren couldn't contain her excitement one more time and let out a small squeal - it actually wasn't that small if Camila was able to hear it from the other side of the hallway.

Lauren closed her locker and basically ran to the tree near the parking lot where she always had lunch. She grabbed a pen and made two marks on the same root as in the day before, circulating them a couple of times.

She took a moment to appreciate the day. Although her familiar situation was not the best, she was glad to have someone to take her mind of those not-so-good things and to make her actually want to go to that shithole she was forced to.

Her high school life was never the best, she used to dread the next day there because she couldn't stand the people, but now she found herself excited and anxious to be at school because that meant notes and notes meant laughs and giggles and blushed cheeks and happiness.

When the yellow buses and cars began to fill the school's parking lot and driveway, Lauren made her way inside to grab the books she forgot that morning after she found the note.

To say that she was surprised when she had a new folded paper inside her locker was an understatement. Looking around her to observe the now almost full hallway, she grabbed the paper and unfolded it, only to get an even bigger smile that she already had.

You don't understand, do you?
You are so pretty, so adorable
AND you have one hell of a mind.
I could look at you
or hear you talk
for the rest of my life,
that I wouldn't get bored at all.

Yup, Lauren was definitely blushing now and had real tears on the edge of her eyes.

How could someone be so sweet towards Lauren without even know her? Or did the other person actually knew Lauren? If so, who could it be? Lauren began thinking of all the people she knew in that school: Elise, but she was in no way that sweet nor wrote that well for what Lauren had seen in English class; Josh, but she had a girlfriend and was definitely not the romantic type; Sarah, from the Art class, but Lauren had seen her writing before and it was a lot less messy than the one on the notes. The circle of people who she talked to was basically this one.

Lauren just wanted Saturday to arrive, and it was still Wednesday. That was going to be a long week, she thought.

~

Camila sat in her chair in Chemistry trying her best not to fall asleep while listening to Mrs. To-Old-To-Be-There talk about that time, a hundred years ago, when she went to a museum and didn't pay the entrance because the security guard thought that she was pretty and how that same security guard became her husband 11 years later. This lady knew how to talk about everything, except chemistry, gladly for Camila, because she was not too fond of the subject.

Camila was beyond tired. She was up all night thinking about how was she revealing herself. She was stressed and her mind couldn't seem to shut off. She wanted to be in her best outfit, in the best place and with a prepared speech to Lauren to meet her. Jacob and Camila talked on the phone about it until Jacob succumbed to sleep and Camila was left alone with her thoughts.

Camila shut down the teacher's voice and opened the notebook to write a few ideas of places where they could meet. The park was her best option since it was always empty and her other option was the beach, and Camila knew it would be pretty windy in that time of the year.

Okay, so the place was settled. Now, the speech. What was Camila going to say? 'Hey, I'm the girl who had been leaving notes in your locker for the past weeks and I have a crush on you for 3 years now'? It was not that bad, the idea, but Camila doubted she would be able to blurt that out that way.

She was interrupted by the bell - saved by it, more precisely. She left the classroom, feeling sick to her stomach and with a will of throwing up her breakfast. This happened the night before as well and Camila was doubting she would handle this until Saturday.

On the next break Camila had, she took the opportunity to go to the tree where Lauren had lunch to see the answer to the note. Two marks, it meant yes, it meant it would happen, it meant Saturday was either going to be the best day of Camila's life or the worst.

Camila made her way to her next class and almost stopped in her tracks when she saw Lauren approaching her in the hallway. They were coming from opposite directions and their eyes met for a couple of seconds. The moment ended when Lauren passed through Camila and continued her previous way. Camila didn't know if she should feel sad or relieved that Lauren was not going directly to her, she was just making her way down the hallway like every other student.

Camila tried to brush it off as she continues her way to her class, but she couldn't. She felt like she was throwing up anytime soon so she entered the nearest bathroom and locked herself on one of the stalls.

If Camila was already this nervous just by passing through Lauren in the hallway, how was she supposed to actually talk to her and profess her feelings? And worst, how could she wait with this knot on her stomach until Saturday?

In a moment of courage, she took her notebook out and a pen a scribbled a note, which she slipped in Lauren's locker before going to class.

I can't wait any longer.
Can we meet at the park after school?
You already know: one mark for no, two for yes.
PS: wear old clothes, because I'm pretty sure I'll throw up all over you from how nervous I am.

~

A/N: First, I hope you're enjoying reading this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it :) And second, I'm making a fundraising campaign for WATERisLIFE. Here is a video explaining it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab25ZiC5Mjo&t=6s and, if you want, you can donate here http://waterislife.com/campaign/100/make-the-difference. Every little help is a help and all the money is going to improve several people's life that doesn't have access to clean water. Fun-not-that-fun fact: in these villages that don't have drinkable water, every 20 seconds a family loses someone to a water-related disease. Yeah, I know. So, if you are interested in helping contact me, I'll be pleased to hear what you have to say about this and help you help!