"So, did you do it?"

Wendy Callahan looked up from half-mindedly picking and prodding at her cold turkey sandwich to her best friend, Olivér Roderigo, who'd asked the question in an overly exaggerated conspiratory whisper. He leaned over the table they were having their meal at in the mall's cafeteria, the bangs of his long and perpetually messy honey blond mane flopped forward into his eyes. However, the teasing glint in his lush grass green gaze wasn't completely obscured by the silky strands.

"Do what!? What happened this time?" Neil Olsen, the third wheel in their little merry band of misfits, demanded sharply. Neil darted a glance between the other two before settling intently on Wendy, thick dark brows drawn close above gunmetal gray orbs beginning to fill with alarm. He hated being left out of the loop. Well, if he wasn't always busy hanging out with his boyfriend most of the time then he wouldn't be.

Not that Wendy had anything against the guy Neil was dating; Shawn's awesome, and he treated Neil with all the love and respect he deserved. They were perfect together, Wendy was happy for them. But it was still somewhat hard and odd to share Neil's time and affection with anyone other than Olivér. The three of them have been thicker than thieves since fifth grade. New relationships are bound to change their dynamics, didn't mean they'd be quite fun to get around.

Maybe Wendy would start appreciating such change when she got her own intruder. For now, she'd try not to eat anything from disgruntled trees.

Besides, now wasn't the time for moping. Wendy and the boys were on a Friday night out to watch a movie they'd been anticipating for a while, she could be more excited than this.

Olivér turned to Neil, his mouth tipping upward at one corner into an amused smirk. "Dude, chill. I'm just asking if she's told Zoe she likes her already." He punctuated the statement by using fingers that were still slightly coated with ketchup to grab the end of a braid worked into the side of Neil's strawberry-bleached hair and tugged on it.

Wendy's heart did a weird combination of a flip and squeeze at Olivér's casual name-dropping of the girl she's only been soul-encompassingly in love with for months.

The sound Neil made in protest of Olivér dirtying his locks and the argument that ensues-because of his shorter than average fuse, Neil was a much easier target of Olivér's asshattery tricks-gradually muted and the entire cafeteria dissolved too as Wendy's mind transported back to that afternoon.

***

Wendy's butt was glued to her seat.

The book club meeting ended five minutes ago and members were milling around the borrowed classroom. Either taking their leave or creating small clusters to further discuss the recent/next book, seeing who wanted to hang out someplace else or whatever the heck they were yapping about. Wendy didn't care.

Wendy didn't care about much when Zoe Paige was in the same room with her. Wendy became practically blind to anything else when Zoe Paige smiled, her full lips curved in a downright sensual manner which left Wendy's mind, conscious and unconscious, spinning with wild fantasies. And deep brown eyes framed by pretty lashes brightened. Wendy hadn't managed to find a way out since the first moment she stared into those.

Zoe's features were topped off with an endearingly upturned nose, smooth and glowing toffee colour skin, and black natural curls she had in a different style every day. She was quite a sight for Wendy's very sore eyes.

Zoe Paige was beautiful, smart, and a senior. Way out of Wendy's league didn't finish covering it. Which was why she was currently wishing a tornado would waltz into the room and conveniently sweep her bag, which contained the evidence of her lunacy, away with it.

Wendy had decided though. She was going to confess her feelings and stop this endless pinning. The worst-case scenario was a public rejection, and she already had a plan for that. Move to the Himalayas and enlist in the monastery. She even had an aunt who lived in Kaza. Great.

But then Zoe, laughing at something a dark-haired girl said to her, picked up her bag from the floor next to the seat she'd sat in during the meeting and began walking towards the exit of the classroom with the other girl at her heels.

Oh no.

While Wendy's brain understood that she couldn't possibly have given Zoe the letter in a room of other unwanted and curious eyes, panic was the emotion that never read her messages.

Heart pounding against its rib cage, Wendy jumped to her feet, startling the guy and girl standing in front of her and cutting off their conversation. Disregarding the glare and muttered curse missiled her way, she scurried around them without an apology, following after Zoe.

Wendy caught up with the two older girls in the school's parking lot as they were getting into a blue Honda Accord. She skidded to a halt a few feet away and attempted to force her breaths and heart, which seemed to be trying to beat its way out of her chest, under control. It was a lost cause, of course. Her face was probably the same shade as a tomato. Sweat from the impromptu exercise and nerves slid down her forehead to her nose and cheeks.

Zoe noticed her first which made Wendy's insides warm with pleasure from being the focus of her attention, even for mere seconds.

"Hey, Wendy. What's up?" Zoe greeted, smiling and scattering the efforts of Wendy's valiantly regrouping brain cells. She barely registered the other brunette's hello.

"H-hey Zoe," Wendy stuttered. And possessed by some good will ancestors' spirit with more ingenuity than she could claim, pulled out the book within which pages she'd placed the letter earlier. "I want to give you this." She held the book out to Zoe and watched her face like a hawk for her reaction.

Zoe's expression softened sweetly. "Oh," she said and collected the book with a wide grin, well-manicured fingers painted lavender at the nails lightly brushed Wendy's. "Thank you, Wendy. I'll read it well."

"You're welcome." Wendy flushed-any more and she'd resemble a fire truck, feeling ridiculously high on the brief contact and pleasing Zoe with a supposed gift.

"Alright, see you later." Zoe opened the driver's side door and got into the car while her friend did the same on the other side. Wendy noticed her gently tuck the book into her bag.

"Later." Wendy waved and waited till they drove out of the parking lot before she headed for the bike racks. Her cheeks hurt with the dopey grin stretching her lips.

Until she realized the probability that Zoe might have just said those things to be nice to her, wouldn't read the book at all and never find Wendy's love note.

Ugh.

***

That same night, Zoe Paige discovered something absolutely thrilling to her while diving into the pages of her latest mystery read.

...

Dear Zoe,

I think I love you. I think about you all the time and when I see your smile, it seems like the sun's peeking through the clouds in my day. To me, you're so perfect, I've been afraid to tell you how I feel in person. I hope you'll finally notice me with this letter.

P.S.: I'm sorry. This is probably the lamest confession you've ever received.

Willing to be yours sincerely, Wendy C. xo.