Page 27

"Paige, you cannot write finna. It's supposed to be romantic." Azzi said looking up from the paper I handed her.

I threw my head back. This was my third attempt just trying to finish the last paragraph. I just didn't know how to sound romantic while still sounding like myself.

"I like it, makes it seem like she really wrote it." Rose shrugged, chiming in. She was peeking at the paper over Azzi's shoulder, reading the words I'd scribbled on it.

"Wait, why'd you call me a dipshit?" Jay asked, his mouth hung open.

"What's with the doodles?." Rose pointed to all my little drawings on the sides of the paper. I couldn't stay focused on writing forever.

"Is that supposed to be me?" Jay held the paper up to my face pointing at the stick man with a mop on his head. I nodded, watching Azzi and Rose try and hide their laughs.

Jay pushed my shoulder, walking back over to the couch with my letter in hand.

"I can't do this, I wasn't made to be romantic." I sat on the floor in front of the couch the three of them sat on. We'd been at this for days, since my conversation with Jay. We had come up with the idea of a love letter with a twist.

"Paige, she's gonna love it." Azzi comforted. She was mostly just in favor of me finishing this letter as soon as possible because I'd woken her up way too many times asking her to reread it while I paced around her room.

"What if she thinks it's too corny? I can't give it to her." I was now dramatically sprawled out on the floor. My wrist was aching from how much writing I'd done lately. My head was pounding and words were starting to mesh together in my head.

"Trust me Jules loves corny. Her favorite movie is Valentine's Day." Rose laughed.

"Isn't that the shit with Taylor Swift and Jacob Cullen?" Jay asked. Could this guy get any stupider? Seriously this guy had a 3.6 GPA and still knew nothing about pop culture.

"It's Jacob Black." Azzi defended, obviously team Edward. Blankly staring at Jay, waiting for him to say he was joking. He wasn't.

'Guys I need help." I jumped up, shoving my hands in the air to emphasize my point. They looked at me like I was crazy but I couldn't be taking my sweet time with this.

"Paige, you need to just calm down and write the truth. That's all Jules wants to hear." Rose said, putting her hand on my arm to calm me down. She handed me back the paper and pushed me back towards my room.

"And take out the 'finna's." Azzi screamed at me. I popped my head out of the room, giving her a pleading look.

"Can I have one finna?" I begged, putting my hands out like I was really begging. When Azzi didn't say no I ran back in my room, closing my door and sitting back at my desk. I grabbed a new paper, deciding to start over.

Just write the truth, that's all I needed to do. I wrote about everything. From the moment I met her till now. Surprisingly writing out my feelings to her was much easier than actually saying them. I could never actually give this to her though, I'd look like such a softie.

A knock at my door distracted me, making me lose my train of thought. I looked back at the new paper, having written a lot more by just focusing and being honest. I mumbled something to the person behind the door, going back to my writing. I was locked in. Jay walked in, taking a seat on the edge of my bed.

"Let me read." He tried to grab the paper from under me but my grip on it remained firm. I finished my sentence, throwing the paper at his face and he started reading over it. I looked away, not wanting to see his reaction to my cheesy sentences. I hated the fact that other people had to read this to make sure it was good enough for Jules.

"She's definitely gonna cry." He handed the paper back to me, leaning back on my bed. I was definitely gonna need to wash my sheets from the smell of his cheap cologne but I'll do that when he leaves.

"If she even reads it." I groaned, still not fully prepared for Jules to read this. What if I just embarrassed myself and she laughs in my face?

"There's no way you're gonna write all this just to keep it for yourself." He laughed. Jay did not know me very well because that is definitely something I'd do. I'd reread it a thousand times just kicking myself for never giving it to her and ruining any chances I had with her.

"Try me. Now get out please, I'm in the zone." He put his arms up in defense, walking out of my room and closing the door behind him. When he finally left I got back to my writing, having to stop every once in a while to rest my hand but I had to get this done, keeping my usual language very minimal.

I stared at the three finished pages, rereading them so many times I could recite it by heart. I tried to keep my handwriting neat and eligible because if not it wouldn't be readable. My handwriting could often be compared to a seven year old boy's. I stapled the paper's together, very cautious of doing them in the right order. I folded them, placing them in the envelope Azzi bought me and adding my gift inside before closing it. It would probably remain closed until I felt so guilty and decided to torture myself by reading it.

I walked out of my room, immediately walking over to the couch and flopping on Azzi and Rose, Jay thankfully had practice.

"Don't you have physical therapy?" Azzi asked, her focus still on whatever stupid cooking show her and Rose had been watching all day. I groaned, standing up and walking to the door. Yes I was wearing slides and socks but I felt like a zombie. I thought I would finally get a break from my five days of letter writing.

"The letter is on my desk, don't touch it or open it. By the time I get home, you'll be at practice." I remembered and walked out.

The second Azzi and Rose heard the door shut they ran to Paige's room. The letter was sitting on her desk like she said. Perfectly sealed with 'Jules' written on the front. Azzi grabbed the letter, carefully putting it in her bag she was taking to practice.

"Isn't she gonna be mad?" Rose asked, suddenly nervous that them interfering wasn't the best idea.

"Probably but when we help her get Jules back she won't be able to stay mad." Azzi defended. She knew her best friend would be mad but she also knew that if they didn't interfere Jules would never see this letter. She would never know how Paige truly feels. At least if Paige tried to kill them Jules could come to their defense. They were just giving Paige the little push she needed.

Practice was much later than usual today, running till it was pitch black outside so Azzi and Rose waited around for a bit, continuing to watch the shows they had become so intrigued with lately. When Azzi finally got up to go to practice Rose drove back to her apartment, anxiously waiting for a call from Azzi to update her on what happened.

Azzi got to the center much earlier than everyone else, putting her bag into a locker and making sure the envelope was still safe. The other girls started crowding in, making small talk but Azzi stayed quiet, silently praying that this wouldn't be the downfall of her friendship with Paige.

Jules walked in, camera around her neck as she waited for the girls to start. Geno decided to be in a bad mood today, forcing the girls to run suicides the second they walked out. Jules took pictures of the sweaty girls running back and forth. Some of which collapsed trying to catch their breath and others were stripping to just their bras. After the suicides they ran some drills, trying to redirect the team for the season without Paige.

The second Geno dismissed the girls most ran to the showers, desperate to feel clean after sweating so much today. Jules packed her camera away, cleaning up before she left. Last year she would wait for Paige but since the girl wasn't here today there was no reason to wait other than the rain pouring outside.

"Wait, Jules." Azzi screamed at the brunette who seemed to be making an escape plan by the door. When Azzi finally reached Juliette she was out of breath, leaning over and pulling the letter out of her bag. She placed it in front of Jules who stared at it confused.

"It's from Paige, I knew she would never build up the nerve to give it to you herself." She started walking away, leaving the girl to read the letter alone. She walked back into the locker room, knowing if Jules really needed her she would just burst in.

Jules carefully opened the envelope. Running her fingers over her name in the handwriting she immediately recognized as Paige's. She pulled the papers out, the small drawings catching her eyes first, laughing at what appeared to be Jay. She skimmed over the handwriting, smiling at how hard she tried to make it neat. She never would've figured Paige would write a letter, especially one that was three full pages long.

She started reading it, the bolded phrases immediately catching her eyes. She started to catch on, tearing up at how much time this must have taken her. A blush coated the brunette's face, laughing to herself at all the moment's Paige described so perfectly in her words. She felt something heavy in the envelope, reaching inside and pulling out a necklace. The 'P' chain dangling from the end.

On the other end Paige got home from her therapy, immediately going to lay in bed. She looked to her desk, expecting to see her letter staring back at her but she didn't. The letter was nowhere to be found. She explicitly remembered putting it on her desk. She tore her room apart, desperate to find her missing love letter but still no sign of it. It wasn't under all the furniture she threw over, it wasn't hidden under her pile of clothes she had been meaning to put away. She ran to Azzi's room ready to complain and cry but she remembered the girl was at practice. Practice where we all knew Jules would be. Paige grabbed her keys, running out into the storm and rushing to get that letter back before Jules could see it.