Say Anything

Two weeks passed and I still got letters from MM every day. We hadn’t stopped once, and our conversations were getting deeper. I now knew more information about him other than the fact that he likes nachos and has brown hair. He still hasn’t revealed anything about his physical appearance though, but he had told me things like if being an architect didn’t work out for him, he’d love to just play piano for people. He thinks that piano is probably the most beautiful instrument and with so many combinations of keys, the possibilities of writing new songs are endless. He told me he had written me a song, but sadly enough, I had a feeling I wasn’t ever going to hear it.

It’s crazy to think that I may possibly be in love with what seems like a fictional yet not so fictional character. Everything about him made me want to know who he was even more and more.

Avery actually tried to convince me to stick around and wait for him to put the letter in my locker one day, and after continuous persuasion on her part, we staked out and waited for him. He never came. It’s like he knew that we were hiding, and he knew that he was going to get caught. Ever since, we never tried again.

Mine and Heather's final project is tomorrow, and I can still honestly say that she probably still doesn’t know what a beaker is. One perk about being her partner is that I get to hear about all the juicy gossip of the school and how much fun the party she went to the previous weekend was! Note the sarcasm. I frankly think that girl doesn’t have a stop button. She sees me sitting there drawing in my small sketchbook, obviously not caring about anything she has to say, but she just continues to talk. I got to learn a lot about Derek though. Apparently he is quite the partier and has been going to parties with her every weekend and ‘hooking up with Justine’. Heather knew that he and I are friends again, and she would go out of her way to describe in full detail about Derek’s and Justine’s… escapades. For some reason whenever she talked about them two, I felt a strange pull on my heart, but I continued to ignore it, and tried my best to ignore her.

I finally got around telling Avery all about mine and Derek’s friendship. She was kind of angry at first about me not telling her about us, but quickly got over it and still has a major crush on Derek.

-x-

“Wake up sucka!” I suddenly felt someone shake me vigorously and I jolted my eyes open in surprise.

“Avery?” I asked and rubbed my eyes “What the hell are you doing here?”
.
“It’s your birthday, silly! I’m taking you out to breakfast.” She remarked and practically pulled me out of my bed. She stopped and eyed what I was wearing. “I see you found a way to put your old clothes into good use.” She remarked. I stared down at my over-sized mustard colored sweater that I used to wear almost every day to school and my baggy sweatpants. Avery smiled and pushed me into my bathroom. “We’re going to IHOP! Now get ready!”

After I was done getting ready in the bathroom, I walked back into my room and saw an outfit lying on my bed. I had to laugh at Avery. Although she could be a tad persuasive and persistent, she was still my friend and she was always looking out for me.

I looked at the outfit she had planned out for me and smiled. It was a loose purple top with lace at the top and some gray skinny jeans. She laid out boots that she made me wear the first day I had my little ‘makeover’ and threw a couple of rings on top.

I smiled and pulled on the outfit and headed downstairs to hear Avery talking to my Dad. I gulped quietly and headed into the kitchen.

“Happy Birthday, dear.” My father said and handed me a small pink gift bag. I smiled at him and gave him a hug, which he slightly returned. My dad wasn’t really the most affectionate man in the world.

“Thanks, Dad.” I replied and turned to Avery. She smiled and adjusted her glasses while handing me a large rectangular box.

“Open them both right now!” She said happily and I smiled and laid the presents on the table. I opened up the pink gift bag to reveal a small bear with the name “Baylin” engraved in a heart on its stomach.

“Aw, I love it Dad. Thanks!” I said and hugged him again. He patted my back awkwardly and I quickly pulled away. I then grabbed Avery’s present and opened it to reveal a huge box of chocolates and a piece of paper. “What’s this?” I asked.

“Just look at it.” She replied. I shrugged faintly and opened the letter.

‘Baylin Scott,

Your painting has been officially nominated by your art teacher to be in the annual college art fair. It will be observed on Friday, February 17th in your school’s auditorium along with other student’s work.

-Weldon Heights High School”

“What? Avery, I didn’t even enter my painting into Mr. Witten to me nominated into the fair, I-“

“Oh, I entered it, silly!” She replied and gave out a small laugh. “I know you were too afraid to show ‘MM The Painting’ to the world, but it was just too good to pass up. I entered it to Mr. Witten and he nominated yours into the fair. He also nominated mine, isn’t that cool?” She said and got up and hugged me.

I stepped back in shock. How could she do this practically behind my back? I had specifically told her not to enter my drawing to Mr. Witten. But part of me was thankful that she did.

“Thanks, Avery.” I finally said and she hugged me again.

“No problem,” She replied. “Let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and began to lead me out of my house, but I was stopped with a firm grip on my arm. I turned around and raised an eyebrow at my Dad.

“I need you to be back right after school, alright?” He asked. I nodded and said goodbye and headed towards my front door with Avery. I opened it to reveal a large gift on the steps, wrapped in baby blue wrapping paper.

“Oh my god.” I said under my breath and kneeled down. I traced the gift with my fingers and saw Avery run out in my front lawn and look around for MM, just like I did that one day. She sighed and shrugged when she didn’t see anyone and headed back to me.

“That boy seriously insists on remaining a mystery, doesn’t he?” She asked exasperatingly and I just smirked and slowly began to unwrap the present. Once I was done, an abnormally large sketchbook lay before me. There was a baby blue envelope taped to the front. I smiled and opened the envelope to reveal the letter.

‘Happy 18th, Bay. I hope you like this. Promise to draw me something amazing, okay?

-MM

Your best is almost always intercepted by the skeptics to keep you where you are. Don't let them take you alive.

I smiled and picked up the large sketchbook and placed it inside my house by the door. I then walked outside, closed my door and headed out with Avery to IHOP with nothing but MM on my mind.

-x-

After consuming what seemed like pounds of pancakes at IHOP, Avery and I walked into the school.

“I swear I’m never eating there again.” She said while holding her stomach. I laughed and waved goodbye to her as she walked to her class. I headed towards my locker and saw Derek casually leaning his back against it.

I walked up and raised an eyebrow and he merely smiled and took out a small black box out of his pocket. I looked at him and my mouth gaped slightly. “But I didn’t tell you today was my birthday.” I stated. “I only told Avery.”

“You think I’d forget your birthday?” He said questioningly and placed the gift in my hands. “What kind of friend do you think I am?”

I just smiled and opened the gift slowly. A gold locket necklace appeared in my hands and I almost fainted. The locket was shaped in a circle and I opened it and saw a picture of Derek and I in it, the same picture I had taken off of his mirror the day of our project, only this one was smaller.

I smiled and practically tackled Derek into a hug and he immediately hugged back.

“I love it.” I whispered and placed the locket around my neck.

“Well, you know, it can go with that ring.” He said nonchalantly while I just grinned like an idiot. I never thought Derek would be thoughtful enough to give me something like this. I didn’t even think Derek knew today was my eighteenth birthday. “So the big one eight, how does it feel?” Derek asked me while we walked to our first period class.

“Nothing different than one seven,” I replied. “But hey, atleast I can get my license.” I added and he nodded. I lifted up my hand and grasped the locket with it and smiled again, but my smile quickly faded away when I saw Alex leaning against the wall by the door of our classroom.

“Hey.” Derek said to Alex, Alex just nodded back and stared at me.

“Why are you hanging out with her?” He asked, still not taking his eyes off of me.

“Dude, I told you, we’re friends.” Derek replied and opened the door to the classroom. “See you inside.” He said and headed in. I inwardly groaned at the fact that Derek left me outside with Alex and tried to turn the knob to head inside but Alex stopped me.

“What happened to me saying I wanted you to stay away from him?” He asked while pushing his blonde hair out of his eyes with one hand.

“Are you his Mom?” I replied and Alex just merely smirked.

“I’d just listen to my advice if I were you.” He remarked and walked inside. I stood there for a second thinking why Alex was so persistent on having me stay away from Derek, but quickly shrugged it off and headed inside.

-x-

Heather and I sat in the library doing chemistry problems in the quiet. Mrs. Briggs had us all go to separate parts of the school to work on our finals together and I was praying that Heather would just not talk to me. I honestly haven’t said two words to the girl that weren’t science related, but I doubt she really cared.

“Am I doing this right?” She asked while flicking the end of her pencil against her paper. I looked over and nodded before turning back to my paper. She finished her problem, sighed and turned to face me. “To be honest I never knew you are Derek were ever friends.” She whispered. “He never mentioned you before, and then all of a sudden you two are all buddy buddy.”

I just looked at her and shrugged, but of course she didn’t get the hint and kept talking.

“I don’t know, it just baffles me that he would never mention you, and then all of a sudden want to be friends with you again.” She said. I stopped writing but kept my head down. “Maybe he has different reasoning for like, talking to you again. Like maybe there is something behind it.” She added and smirked. “But hey, I could totally be wrong.” She stated and returned back to her paper.

I shrugged it off and continued to write the rest of my homework down, but just as she wanted, her words engraved in my mind. Why did Derek all of a sudden start talking to me again? He hadn't talked to me in years. He freaking gave me hate letters with all his buddies before, he made fun of me blatantly with his friends before... why did he suddenly want to apologize for all that and be my friend again? Maybe Heather was right, maybe he was just doing this as a big joke to humiliate me. To get me to open up and talk on a normal basis again, and then find out a secret about me and tell everyone at school.

I quickly shook all of those thoughts out of my head.

Derek could never be that cruel. Ever.

Could he?