A Letter from a Stranger
Hey, Rockie here again. About the interruption in my last entry—my mom caught me writing and I had to hide my diary. I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't even hear her coming up the stairs.
November 16, 2020
History class always feels like it lasts forever. Just when I thought I was going to survive the boredom, Mr. Jimmy caught me smiling.
"Miss Rockie, why don't you come and share with the class what's so amusing? With all these frowning faces around, I think we could all use a reason to smile."
I blinked. Oh no.
"Oh, I was just smiling," I blurted out.
Seriously? That's all I could come up with? Clearly, I was daydreaming again. Mr. Jimmy didn't look amused. My brain scrambled for an excuse, but before I could say anything else, the recess bell rang.
"I'll tell you next class, Mr. Jimo!" I called as I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the room along with the other students.
I'd always wanted to call him Jimo, and I finally did. Thank goodness for that bell—if it hadn't rung, I'd probably be sitting in the principal's office right now.
I headed to my locker, and as I opened it, I saw something inside—a letter.
"Who would send a weirdo like me a letter?" I muttered to myself, confused.
I unfolded the paper and read the words written inside:
"Hey, beauty. Even the stars and the moon can't outshine your radiant beauty."
I froze. Wait—what? A secret admirer? Me? That had to be a mistake. Stuff like this didn't happen to people like me. I stuffed the card into my bag, grabbed my things, and left school early since I had the 7th and 8th periods free. I planned to go home, rest a little, and return before my next class.
Oh, how I hated math class. I never understood why math couldn't just grow up and solve its own problems. Imagine—a subject is luckier than I am. At least it has people willing to help it, while I have no one to solve my problems.
"Oh, but you are lucky... you just don't know it yet."
A chilling voice whispered outside my window.
I dropped my pen and ran to check, but I saw nothing. Only the sound of the door banging outside.
"Great. Mom's back. And now she's going to give me another lecture on why I left school early. Ugh, how I hate these lectures."
I sighed, put on the most pleasant face I could manage, and went downstairs.
"Oh, Rockie! What are you doing home at this time? How many times do I have to tell you not to leave school before it closes?"
She went on and on while I zoned out, slipping into my own little world of thoughts. I just hope I don't accidentally smile again…
Wow, that was a good daydream.
"Oh my gosh, this woman never gets tired of talking," I mumbled under my breath.
"You better make sure you haven't been skipping classes!" she continued.
Back at school for math class, I tried faking a stomachache to get out of it, but my mom wasn't that easy to fool. I swear, that woman is made of iron.
"Trigonometric ratios," the teacher wrote on the board. Ugh, not this topic.
"Ms. Rockie, come up and solve this problem for us, would you?"
Gosh, did I walk into my teacher's dreams last night? Why me? First history, now math?
I stared at the question and cursed under my breath.
"I… I don't know the answer to that one, sir. Sorry."
Just as he was about to punish me, a voice spoke from the back of the class.
"I'll bail her out, sir."
I turned and saw him—a handsome guy with fair skin and thick, curly black hair. He walked to the front, solved the problem effortlessly, and saved me from embarrassment.
Class ended, and as I went to my locker, I saw another letter. My heart pounded as I opened it, and for the first time in my life, I blushed.
"Rockie… Sounds tough and wonderful because no one can get to a rock unless the rock itself permits."
I stared at the note, my mind racing. Who could this love poet be?
"Hey, lovely."
A voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned and saw the same guy who had saved me in math class.
"Hey, you're the guy who bailed me out earlier," I said.
"Yeah, I'm Kyle," he introduced himself.
"And I'm…" I hesitated. I hated saying my name out loud. It always embarrassed me.
"You're Rockie. A wonderful and tough name."
I blinked. Wait… what?
"Why do you say that?" I asked.
"Because no one can get through a rock unless the rock itself permits," he said with a smirk and walked away.
My heart nearly stopped.
"Oh my gosh… That's exactly what was in the letter!"
Wait… Does this mean Kyle is my secret admirer?!
It can't be… Kyle is brave, handsome, and the most popular guy in school. Every girl drools over him—except me, of course.
Why would he like me? There are plenty of girls prettier than I am…
Footsteps.
"Oh no! Mom's coming again!"
I slammed my diary shut.
To be continued…