Your Ten Letters [Completed]

Letter 6

Letter six: June
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Lily couldn't ignore it any longer – the truth was undeniable. She liked Marcus.

Her heart was in turmoil, emotions swirling like the raindrops falling outside her window on that gloomy Monday morning.

The weather matched her feelings, with the rain and fog creating a serene atmosphere that she found strangely comforting. The sound of raindrops tapping against her windowpane provided a rhythmic backdrop to her thoughts.

In the past few weeks, Lily and Marcus had been inseparable. They ventured into new territories together, exploring each other's interests. Lily introduced Marcus to the world of painting, and in return, he opened her eyes to the beauty of poetry.

They shared laughter, confessions, and dreams, and with every passing day, Lily found herself falling deeper in love.

But uncertainty clouded her heart. Marcus's claims that he couldn't like anyone, left her grappling with doubt and confusion.

Their closeness fueled rumors at school, whispers of a blossoming romance that Marcus constantly denied. Those denials, though well-intentioned, began to weigh on Lily's heart more and more.

As she arrived at school, the absence of Marcus caught her attention. He seemed to be getting sick more often lately, and it worried her.

Lunchtime arrived, and Lily found herself following the same routine of sitting alone when Marcus wasn't around. It had become a familiar solitude, and she had grown used to it.

Despite Davina's multiple attempts at apologizing, Lily knew she needed more time to process everything that had happened between them.

As she settled at her usual spot for lunch, she noticed Davina approaching once again, likely to offer yet another apology.

Lily, however, wasn't ready to face her just yet. She needed a breather from the constant apologies and the reminder of the fractured friendship.

In a spur of the moment, she decided to change her surroundings and sat next to a girl from her class, Charlotte.

Lily had never spoken to her before, but she hoped that striking up a conversation might help distract her from the emotional disturbance she was going through and make Davina go away.

"Hey," Lily said, mustering up the courage to initiate a conversation with a relative stranger.

"Hi," Charlotte replied, her focus still on her food as she continued eating.

Charlotte was known for her reserved and introverted nature, keeping herself distant from most people. Her brilliance in academics, consistently achieving the top grades, had been a source of admiration until Marcus arrived and dethroned her.

Rumors whispered that her mother's high expectations were the cause of her closed-off demeanor. Once, she had been a ray of sunshine, but the pressure to excel seemed to have dimmed her spark, shutting out the world.

Although Lily's initial motive for sitting with Charlotte had been to escape Davina's constant apologies, she now saw an opportunity to know her better and perhaps offer some support.

After struggling with how to start a conversation, Lily decided to bring up the recent presentations in class.

"You did great on that last presentation," she praised her, hoping to strike a chord with Charlotte.

However, Charlotte's response was far from encouraging, and Lily found herself grappling with the difficulty of connecting with someone so reserved.

"I really liked how you liked your topics," she tried again, her words awkwardly phrased, "I mean, how you presented them..."