The Tapes; A 13 Reasons Why Fanfiction

Tape 3 Side B

Y/n's POV

It was a normal day outside. The sun was shining, the sky was a brilliant blue, and there was a gentle breeze. I had decided to walk to school today, and I was glad I did. The weather was beautiful. I had my earbuds situated in my ears, a catchy pop tune playing as I walked. But when I got to the street before the high school, I saw a group of students forming a circle around something, and that was never good. I paused my music, shoved my earbuds into my pocket, and then pushed through the crowd to see what was going on. When I got to the front, I saw that Monty and Alex were punching each other, and it was definitely not for fun.

"Hey!" I shout and run towards them, grabbing a hold of Monty's arm. When I tried to pull Monty away, he resisted and jabbed his elbow back, catching me straight in the mouth. I stumbled backwards, surprised by what had happened, and leaned over to spit blood out of my mouth. When I saw the red substance staining the pavement, a wave of anger surged within me, and I grabbed Monty forcefully, pulling him away from Alex. Thankfully, as I did, Mr. Porter showed up to handle the rest of things.

"Sorry about that," Monty apologized when he saw that my lips were slightly red from my bloody mouth. "I didn't mean to hit you. It was an accident. I swear."

"Yeah. Whatever," I mutter and shove my earbuds back in my ears. "See you later, Monty."

How many of you remember the Oh My Dollar Valentines? Those were fun, weren't they? You fill out a survey and, for just a buck, you get the name of your one true soulmate. And hey, all proceeds go to a worthy cause: Cheer Camp. The Dollar Valentine survey was a two-parter. Describe yourself, and describe what you're looking for in someone else. And, as I filled mine out, I realized I was actually describing a certain someone.

You'd think if my answers all described one person, that person would at least appear in my Top 5, but no. I didn't match up to the one person who might really have been right. Maybe it wasn't my fault. Maybe none of us can say who we truly are. Maybe we're more than what the world sees, or less. Maybe none of us are who we see. Maybe I was stupid to keep hoping for someone great."

* "Y/n!" Sheri called out as I walked past the booth she was sitting at. "You should totally do a dollar valentine."

"I don't know Sheri. Dating isn't really my thing," I confess.

"Why not? You're hot, athletic, smart and funny," Sheri listed off. "There has to be a boy in this school who is good enough for you. Plus, I've always wanted to set you up with someone."

I sighed, but handed over a dollar bill. "Fine. I'll take the survey."

"Thank you Y/n," Sheri chirped and passed me a bright red piece of paper. "I'll be in the gym handing out the results later, so come find me when you're done." Later that day, I was standing by my locker filling out the survey, circling the answers I had chosen for the questions that both described myself and my ideal partner. And it wasn't long before I was approached by my friends.

"What does Y/n have here?" Bryce quizzed and walked over with Zach and Monty before snatching the paper from my hands.

"Bryce, give that back," I demand and reach out to try and take my paper back. However, he held it out of my reach, so I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest. "Seriously dude?"

"Is this a dollar valentine?" Bryce asked me.

"Yeah. Sheri is making me do it," I respond.

"Based on what Y/n filled out, it looks like she wants an athletic boy who enjoys sci-fi movies, likes chilling on the weekends, and is close with his friends and family," Bryce read from the list. At Bryce's conclusion, I felt my cheeks heat up a little bit. The boy I seemed to be describing was Zach, and he was standing right next to me.