Dear August

|Nine|

Is it a date? No. But what if August thought different?

I turn over in my bed and sigh. Why am I staying up thinking about this? I have school in the morning. I grab my phone off of my nightstand and turn it on. The screen lights up my face and my eyes strain slightly painfully to see it.

3:37 am.

Great. I haven't gotten a lick of sleep.

I sigh. Well, I guess there's gonna be no sleep tonight. I reach over to my desk and turn on the lamp, grabbing a pen and my notebook.

Dear August,

So I'm going on a... date? I think? With the August I told you about. I don't know what it is. But I'm sort of excited about it. We've never hung out without the rest of my friends. By the way, have I ever told you about them. Well there's Finley, Joey, Luca and of course, August. They're all so cool. All of their little traits sometimes remind me of you. Like Joey, she puts ketchup on her eggs, like you did. And Finley, she loves, and I mean LOVES talking about the things she likes. August, well August's is obvious. Same name and everything. And Luca... he's sad. Just like you were. But I hope this time I can help him. Like I didn't with you. Not like I didn't want to help you. I just didn't know. But I should've. You're my sister for gods sake I should've known. And I'm sorry for that. Anyways, it's very very, late so I should try to sleep. Insomnia is really starting to take over my ass. We'll talk soon.

With love,
Riley.

I turn off the lamp and put the note into the shoebox with all the other notes.

•••

I wake up with the afternoon sun shining through the window. I must've slept through my alarms. I pick up my phone. Lots of messages.

From Mom💞
You slept through your alarms. Thought I'd just let you sleep today. I'll be back a little later than usual. Love you honey :)

From Finley💘
Where are you?
Helllooooo
Rileyyyyyy

Riley🦋
Slept through my alarms
Sorry I just woke up

From Joey🌼
Bro the I caught that college guy in his room with another girl
What a hypocrite right?

Riley🦋
Very much so

Joey🌼
Where are you?

Riley🦋
Slept through my alarms

From Luca💫
August misses you today ;)

Riley🦋
Yeah yeah
Whatever
Don't tell me lies

From August🌹
Hey

I hesitate to text August back. My thumbs do a little dance around the keypad.

Riley🦋
Hey

I set my phone down, and don't plan on picking it back up in a while. I grab the remote as I turn on the tv and plop myself down on the couch.

My phone buzzes a few times but I ignore it, not wanting to see August's text. If he even texts back.

A few minutes pass and my phone starts ringing. I sigh and hop up from the couch.

Finley💘 is calling...

I sigh and answer.

"Hello?"

"OHMYGOD FINLEY INEEDTOCOMEOVERRIGHTNOW YOUWONTBELIEVEWHATJUSTHAPPENED SO LUCA-"

"Finley? Finley!"

"What?"

"Finley you gotta slow down I cannot understand you."

"I'll be at your place in two minutes." She hangs up. I frown and look at my phone.

Like a tsunami, Finley comes straight in without a text or knock.

"RILEY" She calls through the house. I pop my head out from the cabinet. She throws her backpack on the couch and half jogs half runs up to me, grabbing my shoulders semi-aggressively. "Riley you will not believe what you missed in class today."

I quirk my brow. Nothing could be that important or exciting. It's school.

I continue to search through the cabinet for food. "What happened?"

"Okay, okay so. Luca came to art history, he's like 'where's Riley?' And I'm like 'idk not here' and then he says that AARON MINS was asking for your number. So I'm like shocked right. And Luca is like, 'should I give it to him or like respect August idk what to do' and I'm like 'I don't know either bro' so he texts August to come to the classroom ASAP."

I munch on the bowl of cereal that I poured myself while she was telling the very long, anti-climatic story.

"So August comes and then Luca tells him what happened. And he goes silent for a second and is like 'no' and me and Luca are like no what?? And then he goes," she takes in a breath. "DONT GIVE AARON HER NUMBER."

Wow. She probably blew out one of my eardrums. I squint my eyes at her.

"Who even is this Aaron kid?"

"Um like a really hot guy. Like wow he's hot."

"Then why didn't Luca give him my number?" I ask, mouth full of Cheerios. Finley takes the bowl from my hands and sets it down on the counter. I look at the bowl then back at her, contemplating grabbing it back.

"Riley," she grabs me by both shoulders. "Did you not hear the end of that story? August fucking likes you. And he's not about to let another guy go for you."

I stare at her and reach for my cereal again, not breaking eye contact. She slaps my wrist and pulls me back to face her.

"You are going on that date on Friday. And you're gonna like it. For the sake of your good friends Luca Joey and Finley."

"Why are you talking in the third person all of a sudden?"

"Come on!" She pulls me by the wrist to my bedroom. "You need an outfit for that date!"

I reach for my cereal longingly before she pulls me all the way into the room. It's gonna be all soggy by the time we find an outfit.