Halsey Imagines

We're Going to Be Friends

A little unsure of how to feel about this one. It's short and seems a little messy in places but I like the plot.

Title taken from a White Stripes song of the same name.

WARNINGS: N/A

Tumblr AU where person A and person B are internet friends and don't realise they sit next to each other in class until person A catches a glimpse of person B on their phone replying to a message they sent (bonus if person A has been teasing person B about a having a crush on an online friend for a while).

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You'd used Tumblr for a while before you started regularly talking to people on there. Usually you would use it in the evening when you couldn't sleep. It was a way to relax you, just scrolling endlessly through lyrics and scenery and aesthetics of the Neighbourhood and Arctic Monkeys.

You got a message one day from a blog you were technically mutuals with, complimenting your posts and your blog in general. And then they sent you a Brand New lyric, but that's besides the point.

From that moment, something clicked. You instantly became friends, talking every night about music, school and usually memes came up in conversation at least twice every hour. You'd started talking over Christmas break, which meant you had more time to talk to her. Her name was Ashley, she was the same age as you and she was from New Jersey. You were sure she was no longer in New Jersey but you never asked her so you weren't entirely sure where she was now.

Waking up for the first day back at school was depressing to say the least. After preparing your bag and yourself, you left the house and made the harrowing journey to school.

Your first lesson was English, which wasn't too painful. You sat next to a girl you'd known since you were a mere six years old and you were good friends with her. It was here that you realised she had the same name as the girl you'd met on tumblr- Ashley. You didn't think any further and continued your way to class.

Ashley comes walking in a few minutes later and sits next to you, asking if you'd enjoyed Christmas and whether new years was another failure again. Last year, instead of being with family or friends, you were completely alone. Everyone had gone out without you, it was by far the worst new year you'd had.

"They were nice enough to actually acknowledge me this year, would you believe it," you say with your usual slightly sarcastic tone.

"That's a first," she nods. "I had a pretty good break. My brothers and I, we always find new things to do every Christmas."

"As an only child I only envy you," you say, taking your pen out.

"When they're pissy, you really don't," she laughs. "Other than that I spent my whole break on Tumblr instead of studying so that's probably not going to end well."

"We're in the same boat."

For the next few days, the same behaviour continues. You'd always gotten along well with Ashley and they'd always been some sort of friendly flirting going on between the two of you.

She tells you about a person they'd met on Tumblr and had started to become close to. You were too oblivious to realise the timing was perfect of you also meeting someone on Tumblr, you don't think much of it and you allow her to continue rambling about how much they like this person.

"Has lil Ashy developed a crush, huh?" You laugh, teasing her and lightly elbowing her in the ribs.

"Y/N shut up," she throws back playfully. You swear for a second, you see her blush.

This continues for a while. Ashley would come and sit next to you in English and wait for the next remark. She never denied her liking of whoever the person on Tumblr was. You'd always tease her about it, yet you never told her the same thing had happened to you. In your situation, it kind of made you a hypocrite.

<><><>

A few weeks into the new school term, you have yet another English lesson. Ashley, as always, is next to you. Your teacher is nowhere to be seen despite being ten minutes into the class already, and of course, instead of getting on with work everyone is passing the time by talking to one another or scrolling through their phones.

"I have to show you something," Ashley interrupts the story she was telling you and pulls her phone out. She opens the Tumblr app and scrolls past her direct messages to her dashboard, and it's at this moment that your heart leaps in your chest.

You see a glimpse of your Tumblr listed in her latest conversations.

You're frozen on the spot as you watch her message the person back first before finding the probable meme she was going to show you, refusing to believe that the person is you.

"Y/N? Helloooo?" Ashley waves her hand in front of you with a wide grin on her face. "You okay?"

"Uhm, I- Ash," you begin. You struggle to form a single word, let alone a sentence.

"Spit it out," she prompted.

"That person you've been speaking to on Tumblr..."

"What about her?"

You slowly reach for your own phone, opening up Tumblr and showing her your personal blog. Of course, it matches the one in her messages. You wonder why you'd never pieced it together, maybe you were just in denial anything so coincidental could happen to anyone.

"Holy shit."

You're unsure of why, but for a moment you expect her to be pissed off. Maybe it's because this person she's met online, was different. They weren't afraid to speak their mind through a screen instead of in person. They could get all of the punk jokes she'd make and vice versa. With Ashley in real life, you never expected to be quite at that level yet despite years of friendship. And you, in comparison to Ashley, thought you were plain and boring.

She doesn't look mad though. Not even slightly. In fact, a small smirk appears on her face. "So, looks like I did have a crush on you all along."

Despite you telling yourself all these years that you didn't like Ashley in any way other than platonic, it'd always been a thought at the back of your mind. Now though, you realise just how well you get on with Ashley, how comfortable you are with her.

You expect yourself to blush and turn away, but it never came. Instead, you felt mutual. "I guess I can tell you about this cute girl I met on Tumblr without being embarrassed about liking her either."

She grins at you and goes to speak but, as if it's the most typical timing he could've picked, the teacher comes strolling in. "Get your books out and continue the essay on Romeo and his immaturity."

"Fuck sake, just as it was getting good." You mumble. The blue-haired beauty next to you releases a small laugh.

"Y/N? Have anything to say?" He looks at you with a raised eyebrow. "Ashley?"

A mutual "no sir," is heard from the both of you as you make eye contact and grin at each other yet again.

Tumblr was an interesting place.

I'll consider doing a second part to this if anyone wants one, with like a 'what happens next' type of thing. As always, apologies for errors I suck at proofreading and thanks for reading, voting and stuff. It means a lot.