Friday morning arrived like any other—Chilly breeze curling under jackets,Chatter echoing off the school gates,Another calendar box crossed off.
Emma Sinclair stepped through the entrance, coat buttoned to her chin, earbuds in. A piano instrumental played quietly in her ears—one of those soft, drifting songs with no lyrics to distract her.Her pace was steady. Her eyes forward.The usual armor.
But her heart?Her heart was louder than her footsteps.
The familiar hallway stretched out before her. Locker rows, faded posters, that one flickering light that no one had fixed since September.Her locker was near the end, just before the staircase.Same as always.
She stopped in front of it, turned the dial—Right. Left. Right.The metal latch popped open with a familiar click.
Inside:Books.Emergency pens.That tiny lavender hand sanitizer she always used during exam season.All perfectly arranged.
But today… something was off.Not loud. Not obvious. Just… off.Like someone had been here.
She tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.And then she saw it.
A folded slip of paper, barely wedged behind the stack of notebooks.Not part of her usual system.Not part of anything.
She reached for it slowly, carefully.Like it might crumble in her hand.
There was no name on the front. No date.Just a feeling.
Something familiar.Something warm.Something... him.
Her breath caught.Her fingers brushed the edge.It felt worn—like it had been folded, unfolded, hesitated over more than once.
She unfolded it slowly.Each crease gave a little resistance, like it didn't want to open too fast.
Then she saw the handwriting.Messy. Loose.Confident in a way that said it never second-guessed itself.
She knew that handwriting.She knew it better than she wanted to admit.
Emma,
I know this is a weird time to write this. You're probably about to punch me for doing something so cliché. But if I don't get the chance—
Thanks.
For taking me seriously when most people only saw my smile.For calling me out when I was being an idiot.For letting me be normal, even just a little.
I don't know what's going to happen after the exams. Or if things will still feel the same.
But I want to believe we'll have another walk through that aquarium someday.Even if I have to ask you again and again.
—Jay
Her eyes locked on the final line.She reread it once.Then again.Her fingers tightened slightly around the paper.The hallway around her felt strangely still—like time had paused, just for this.
It was dated.The day before midterms.
He never gave it to her.Until now.
And somehow, that made it feel more honest. More vulnerable.Like a version of Jay she never got to meet—One who didn't smile to deflect, or joke to escape.
Her chest tightened.The corners of her eyes stung.She blinked, fast. Once. Twice.
But the tears came anyway.Not dramatic.Not loud.Just two quiet drops that slid down her cheeks and hit the page.
Students passed behind her, unaware.Laughing.Shoving each other.Tapping on lockers.
The bell rang in the distance.The sound echoed down the corridor.
Still, she didn't move.
She stood there—One hand clutching the note, the other resting lightly on the locker door.
Her mind was loud.Too loud.
She remembered him beside her on the bus to the aquarium. The way he pretended not to notice when she stared at the ocean tank longer than anyone else. The warmth of his jacket when he'd casually draped it over her shoulders.How effortlessly he filled the silences.And how his silence lately felt like a missing limb.
Finally, after what felt like forever, she folded the note gently—delicately, like it was sacred.She held it against her chest.
And whispered—barely audible:"Come back."
That was all.No speeches.No drama.Just that.
A single wish carried in the quiet.Pressed between heartbeats.
A few minutes later…
She walked slowly toward class.Her earbuds were still in, but the music had stopped playing.She hadn't noticed.
One hand remained in her coat pocket.The other gripped the note like a secret.
Someone passed her and waved.She gave the smallest nod in return.
Inside her bag, tucked between two textbooks,was the note.Like a promise waiting to be fulfilled.