The Yearbook Photo: Damien Haas X reader

Old Times

"As a (your age) woman you would think I would be able to find a decent apartment with the salary I have," you scoff to yourself four hours into looking for places to live in LA.

Eventually, you find a place that is decent enough to be a starter apartment in a safe-ish area with plenty of coffee shops and food places that meet your likes. You hover your cursor over the box labeled "move-in date".

"Jeez, I didn't think about the timeline of this move"...

You pick one month from today because luckily it's when your lease is over. Over the next month you say your goodbyes to those you are close to, your parents were always pushing you to do things that you dreamed of so they were supportive in your decisions.

Packing up boxes, things from the past pop-up and you find yourself reminiscing over times gone by. There is a box that you labeled "memory box" from college and childhood years. You blink hard and hesitate, "should I open it?" There are memories you want to suppress but so many good ones in place of the hard ones. Opening the dingy plastic bin you see old photos from when you were a child laughing in the pool with your siblings and childhood dog, report cards from middle school, your high school diploma in its original case. You smile to yourself and dig deeper.

Under faded polaroids you find a stack of letters. Held together by an old rubber band they read "to: y/f/n, from: Jack". You contemplate opening them because they hold such intense memories for you.

... (flashback)

"I promise I'll see you at graduation in 3 months. I'll write you every day until then. I love you with all of my heart and promise to call you when I get the chance." Jack sobs after he finishes helping you move into your college dorm. Jack enlisted in the Marine Corps immediately after graduating high school; you two were high school sweethearts. He was leaving the next day for boot camp in San Diego, California. You both cry as he leaves for what you know as the last time you'll see him for the next 3 months.

College was everything you could imagine, you made friends quickly and studied hard. Jack writes you and you write him back as often as you can. Three months fly by and you see him graduate boot camp in California. When you see him after all of this time, it doesn't feel the same. The spark you once had in high school has left. This thought scares you. "We were supposed to be in love forever" you anxiously think. There's no way I can tell him this now.

Two years after Jack graduates, you have moved colleges and he is stationed in California indefinitely. It had been over a year since you had seen him and the love had left you many months ago. Driving home you realize that this isn't the life you want to live. You call him and end things. "4 1/2 years of my life wasted," you think.

...

*ding ding ding* 

Snapping out of your daydream is your phone ringing. The location of the phone call is from LA, its from your soon-to-be landlord.

"Hey, is y/n there?" a husky voice asks.

"This is she," you say as upbeat as you can after that flashback.

"The apartment is ready earlier than expected and you are more than welcome to move in sooner than you had planned without paying extra!"

Squinting your eyes is disbelief you ask "really?" in a more sarcastic manner than you had planned.

He laughs on the other end "yes y/n I am serious. You can text me at this number if you decide to take me up on the offer. See you soon and welcome to LA!"

Never in your wildest dream did you think your landlord would be that nice, or offer such a nice deal.

You close the envelopes and place them back in the box. The breakup was only two years ago but felt so fresh to you looking at these letters.

Out loud you say "hopefully by speaking this into existence I can find a kind and respectful man in LA!"

The idea of dating was intriguing to you since you've only (unsuccessfully) dated southern boys... we'll have to see. You hope that any future relationships were much more successful and fulfilling than your relationship with Jack was.

Lastly, before closing the box you open a yearbook dated 20XX from elementary school. Thumbing through the pages you can't help but wonder what all of those people were up to now. Stopping at the page with your picture, you notice a smile that seems familiar on the opposite side of the page. Counting the number of pictures it is from the left you find the corresponding name. "Damien Haas" you say. For some reason you never paid too much attention to him but remember him from school events where you were put in alphabetical order. He was always so nice and went out of his way to talk to you or compliment you in some way. Thinking the same thought you had with the others, but this time out loud you say "I wonder what he's up to."