When the night studies ended, Cora was the first to arrive in their room. There was nobody else inside. She used that golden chance to take the letter out of her pillow. But when it came to ripping it open, she hesitated. So many questions hovered in her mind. She prioritized her friendship with the girls, mostly Freya. She knew the right thing to do was to obviously shred the letter into pieces and throw it somewhere nobody will find. But there was another option. And she went with that. When the girls came back to their room, Cora's mind was already made up.
"Excuse me. I have something to say.", she stood at the center of the room.
She successfully grabbed everybody's attention.
"First of all, let me just say, I absolutely love our friendship and pray for us to get closer each year. We're graduating in 3 weeks and if someone told me to start high school all over again I'll say yes, as long as I have you guys with me."
The girls awed in synchronicity.
"I know friends hide some things from each other, which is okay. I've hidden some things from you guys, but this one I don't intend to make it a secret.",
Cora dug the letter from under her pillow and took it to Freya. It was all still a fuzzy moment as nobody knew what was actually going on. Freya read the address and the sender's name, and her face instantly creased.
"Christopher Vanguard?", she asked,
Now the rest kinda got the idea. They let it flow with the help from the universe.
"Christopher did send a letter last Saturday, but it was meant for me.", Cora explained.
"So why _",
"I heard your story the other day. It sounded like you guys had an argument. Last time I spoke to Christopher was 6 months ago. Receiving a letter from him was a shock. I then realized that maybe he wrote to me because of what's happening between you. I chose not to be in your way. I don't want to be a third wheel.".
Freya didn't know how to feel. Anger? Why? Guilt? No. Pity? Sadness? It overwhelmed her. "What did he write inside?", she asked, ignoring the voices in her head.
"I don't know. I never opened it.", Cora answered.
"Why?",
"Because all in all, it's about you. So, you open it.".
"Are you sure?",
"A hundred.".
Freya looked around the room. Everyone seemed to agree with the idea. Water had already spilled, pot broken into pieces. Just lick it.
Freya, chest tight like an 18th century corset, opened the envelope and took the letter out. She unfolded it slowly and started reading it. The whole room was quiet, eagerly waiting to find out the contents written in that A4.
When Freya finished reading it, her hand fell hopelessly on her lap. She huffed, a question mark painting her face, "Wow.", was the first word that escaped her lips.
"What did he write?", River asked curiously from the top of her bed,
"Did you guys make a promise?", Freya asked, a question meant for Cora.
And Cora wore a look of realization. She nodded, "We did, a stupid promise.".
"That if you're both single after high school, you should give it a try.", Freya completed the sentence, "He wants to know if you're up for it because apparently he's single.".
Cora had a blank expression. Yes, she was surprised, but what could she do?
"Do you like him?", Freya continued the interrogation.
"What if I do? He likes you.",
"That's not what he said in this letter. You guys liked each other from the beginning. Why didn't you tell me?",
"We already fight over lipgloss, Freya. Last thing I want is for us to fight over a boy.",
"You think if you told me, I'd have fought with you? For some dick?",
"That's our difference.", Cora painfully scoffed, "You see him as just a piece of meat, but I … what I felt, what I still feel for him is something I've never felt before.",
"That's the type of shit you were supposed to tell me before he and I got physical. I'm a girls' girl. I'm my girls' girl.",
Now Cora was wounded, and Freya was offended. There were no picking sides for the girls.
"I feel like a bad friend.", Freya continued, "All this time I was hurting you and had no idea. I don't even fuck with him that much. Just take your letter. Do what you want with it.",
Cora took the letter. Freya got up and started looking for her slippers, "I'm going to take a walk around the dorm. I just want to calm down. I feel suffocated. I know I'll feel better tomorrow morning. We'll talk then, okay?",
As soon as she found the slippers, Freya left the room in a flash. Cora felt really bad that she had to ask, "Do you think I'm in the wrong here?",
"Honey, what's friendship without a little drama?", River joked, luckily clearing some of the tension in the room.
***