Chapter one: Introducing my best friend to my future self.
I sighed folding the paper I just wrote. For a long while I sat on the grass in the back garden studying the letter I just wrote. I had gone all the way, putting it in an envelope and even writing the receiver in cursive, neat handwriting. Dear 26 years old Erielle. why I choose that year in particular, I have no idea. I just figured I'll have it all figured out by then, professionally and personally. or at least I hoped I would. A question lingered at the back of my mind as I sat studying the letter, though. Now what?
A question I didn't get to ponder an answer for, as a loud car screech
interrupted my thought, indicating that someone parked the car outside the beach house. I frowned. It was Thursday. Usually no one comes in here on week days.
Oh crap, no one is supposed to be at the beach house on Thursdays. Especially not a 17 year old skipping school to write a letter to her supposedly future self while confessing her love for her lifelong best friend. I cursed my choice to come here of all places I could have gone to and quickly started putting all of my stuff in my bag and ran towards the back of the house deciding I would just go around the House and hightail it to my car that was parked a few blocks away, when suddenly I came to a halt, having a sudden full awareness of the letter in my hands. Something about taking it to school with me where It can be near my very best friend I wrote the letter about didn't settle well with me.
I tapped it on my hands, contemplating the best place for it. taking it to school was out of question and so was tearing it and throwing it away. I wanedt to keep it, maybe have a laugh at it when I really am 26 year old.
I heard footsteps Inside the house and I started to panic, looking around frantically until my eyes fell on the makeshift mailbox in the middle of the garden. It was the mailbox Zoe (my female bestfriend) and I built when we were just eight. it wasn't exactly a mailbox in the literal meaning. it was a broken table leg that my dad helped us hammer into the ground with a shoe box glued on the top with a hole in the side where we would put silly letters to each other in.
A soft smile graced my face at the memories and I instantly made my mind walking to the mailbox. I placed the letter inside making sure it was out of sight then jogged back around the house and to my car, driving back to school.
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"you skipped math again" Austin sat opposite me, placing his food tray in front of him and giving me a very big, mouth watering piece of apple pie. I could have pretended not to hear him over the loud chatters of the students eating around the packed cafeteria but that would only get me too far. Plus we always took the far table near the Windows where the noise was slightly less.. Painful.
"Is that a question or a statement?" I replied not really looking at him and gladly taking the pie and giving him the chicken sandwich I made for him this morning. We've reached that agreement the moment we realized that food poisoning was a huge possibility with the cafeteria food. Especially on pizza day. So I usually make sandwiches ( or force dad to make me ones. semantics, really) and when ever his mom makes anything he brings it. It was not very often now adays but the wait is freaking worth it because his mom's cooking is the best thing ever.
"so you did skip math" there was a hint of anger there and I decided to look up just to see his cute expression when he decides to put on the "I'm mad at you" face.
Don't get me wrong, Austin can look pretty Intimidating at times. Alright, maybe most of the times. His sharp features and grumpy mood helped with the case, too. But not to me. Austin can be roaring like a lion but to me he'll look like a cute cat meowing for attention. Okay, that might be a bit too much, but, you get the point.
"I'm pretty sure there are other problems happening in the world right now that are far more important than me skipping math class, Austin" I rolled my eyes, and took a huge bite of the chicken sandwich.
Austin sighed, running a hand through his hair. "you might be failing math, Eri . You need the attendance grades"
I smiled at him. He was putting on my favorite look right now, the "I care about you" look. The look that makes me feel things I'm not supposed to feel for my best friend. God, i'm so whipped. "I know, and fine, I'll try not to skip again" I rolled my eyes." now can you stop worrying about me failing math and start worrying about your hair? Seriously dude, you need a haircut" I pulled On the few hair locks that fell down on his eyes for emphasis. Austin was a handsome seventeen year old boy. He was the kind of honey-tan that hinted at his mixed heritage. His eyes were slanted and upturned and the perfect shade of light brown. He was lean and tall, his hair once black now grey always fell over his eyes in a manner that seemed to bother him but amazed me because he usually ran his hand threw it in a hair-ads kind of way.
He chuckled running a hand through his hair as if to prove my point. " I think it looks perfect, you're just jealous I got to dye my hair grey while you couldn't"
"you really shouldn't flatter yourself like that. The only proof for your youth was your black hair, now no one will have to over think your age when you always sound like a grandpa." I put a finger on my chin thinking " on second thoughts, I think it really suits you, grey hair for your old, lame soul"
"have you seen these new k pop bands? Grey is the shit right now" he smirked and drank some of his cola Running a hand through his hair again making it look like he had just been in a four hours car trip with the Windows down. I stifled a laugh.
"last time I saw you listening to a song from this decade was when some one made a new nirvana remix you liked, why are you talking about k pop?" I raised a brow. Austin's taste in music or in anything for that matter was quite old. His soul lived in the nineties and that was another thing about him that I grew to -ehm- be fond of.
At that he started laughing putting one hand on his eyes, something he always did when he laughed because to him, his half Asian eyes looked too small when he laughed. I, however, absolutely disagree. Austin's eyes are fucking perfect and his laugh is probably one of the reasons I might get a heart attach one day, not even kidding.
"what do you have after lunch?" he asked taking a bite of the sandwich.
I sighed, closing my eyes "chemistry, the teacher is pairing us up again" I growled.
"lemme guess, you're paired up with Elias?"
I glared at him "dude, what did we say about names that bring bad luck"
"oh yeah, sorry." he smiled sheepishly. Damn that smile of yours. "And good luck with Elnope" and then he started cracking up at his own joke.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Austin can be the most depressed teenager to the world, but to me he's the cutest, goofiest man out there. with a slight error in the sense of humor area but To me, he's the best friend anyone could ever wish for.
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I mentally prepared myself before entering the classroom to meet the devil, taking deep breathes and reminding myself that I just have to stand this for a few more months, then I'll be off for college, hopefully. Only if I don't get myself in jail for murdering a human being, or that's what they'd think. I'm pretty sure the judge won't believe me when I tell him that Elias Dunbirk is actually a devil on a mission to send me to hell, even if I told him all the shit he's put me through for prove. He might sympathize with me though, maybe shorten my sentence.
I peeked inside the classroom, trying to spot him, and oh, the joy, when I found out that beside the two nerds arguing about whether the "spooky action at a distance" can be scientifically and philosophically possible or not, there was no one there and even though hearing those two talking made me feel really stupid, my happiness for not finding anyone else in class stopped me from interrupting.
I started happily walking to the seat at the back of the classroom, suddenly appreciating my day, and enjoying the summer breeze. I would have sat down if I was not pushed aside right before doing so by no one other than the devil himself.
"hey, that's my freaking seat. " I huffed crossing my arms.
He shrugged "the seat belongs to Whoever sits on it First, it just happen to be me, Stevens, deal with it "
"No, Elias, We had an agreement that whoever comes first can take the Window seat, you're cheating. " I started impatiently clicking my feet against the floor tiles.
He, yet again shrugged. "no one was sitting here when I came"
"that's because you fucking pushed me when I was about to-" I was interrupted by the teacher asking everyone to take a seat.
I sighed, the seat at the end of the classroom is mine. Well, it was. I used to always set here till one day I skipped chemistry and Elias here took my seat, then I guess he got emotionally attached to it or something cause ever since then we've been fighting over who can take this seat.
Now I know what you're thinking, how childish of me to argue over a seat, and I can go on and on about how this seat is actually the best in class because it's got a window next to it and it's pretty hard to spot, but all of that is absolute bullshit. I actually hated the seat because the person in front of me needs a serious education about the great invention that is a shower, but nevertheless, it's MY seat, and if Mr Elias here suddenly decides that he wants it, then he gotta fight me for it first.
"you heard her, take a seat, Sweetheart " he raised a brow, as if to challenge me, or so he fucking thinks.
"well, I would if your ass wasn't stuck to my seat, Dumbwreck" I hissed back at him, if he want to use nicknames, I can use them as well.
"well, what can I do. you see, this seat specifically has a pretty sweet view, if you know what I mean" he put emphasis on 'sweet' then smirked looking outside the window and relaxing one arm over the chair.
Okay, I may have forgotten to mention a small detail about the seat. The seat is beside a window and from the seat you get a pretty good view of some other classrooms, one of those classrooms is English. Now, you maybe wondering why is this important. it is to me seeing that Austin takes that class and I don't mind me some sightseeing without being caught, as for Elias he shares my sentiment about the sightseeing thing seeing that one of the classrooms is for the dancing club, and for those of you who doesn't know what that means, it means a lot of girls in a very compromising positions with very little clothing. so yes, I kinda see where he comes from.
"ELIAS, I swear to god if you don-" I would've completed my sentence with a few death threats if our lovely teacher didn't interrupt me again with a lovely "anything wrong Ms Stevens?"
"not at all Mrs Johns" I smiled, sitting on the available seat which once belonged to Elias. I was already getting a c in that class and I can't have detention today so I decided that some good manners won't kill Me today.
" Good girl. " he whispered.
" you're a piece of shit. " I hissed back. "now shut the fuck up, because unlike you I actually need to pay attention in class to pass" I said hating the fact that he always gets A's in almost all of his classes without even trying. God, I hate smart people.
He chuckled before unlocking his phone and doing god knows what on it.
I huffed and started looking at the window, far away, there sat Austin looking like he wanted to be anywhere but there. he always looked like he was sulking and prodding and as much as I hated seeing him almost always unhappy, I'm giving him some credit. he looks hot with that frown. and that grey hair. and that beautiful eyes. and that-
My train of thoughts was so rudely interrupted by a throat-clearing from Elias. I mentally slapped myself before moving my eyes from the window to look at a very smirking Elias.
"I guess you do know what I mean about the great view, maybe even a little bit more than you should" he said, still smirking, then excused himself to the bathroom, all while still looking me dead in the eye.
I let out a huge breath I didn't know I was holding. damn you Elias, and may the toilet seat swallow you alive.
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After school and before going home, I decided to stop by the beach house first, to take the letter I left this morning. dad bought that house back when I was eight, he thought it would be a good place to stay in the summer and we usually stay there all summer long. it wasn't any thing fancy or overrated, in fact it was as typical as any beach house can get. Glass balcony, ridiculously big doors, two floors and a big sized garden in the back where the makeshift mail box was.
when I parked in the driveway No car was parked there and I mentally reminded myself to thank god and repay the favor with a good deed that I'll come up with later.
I quickly made my way to the back of the house while looking for any evidence that anyone was there before me.
When I finally reached the mail I opened it and released a sigh of relief when I found the letter inside. I took it out, only to find out that the letter was not mine.
Shit! Shit shit shit shit! No good deeds for me anymore, in fact, I am playing a serious game of Gta today and I'm killing as many hookers as I can find. I turned the letter around, praying that my eyes are deceiving me and that this is actually the one I put in this morning. Maybe I just forgot what it looked like?
But what I saw on the envelope made my stomach suddenly feel like an old washing machine and as my eyes lingered on the words written on it, I wondered what kind of dumb fuck read my letter and decided it would be fun to start it with..
Dear past Erielle
Oh god, what have done to deserve this?!