Special One [The One Series - Part 1]

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 - 15

"Why do you always wear makeup and hide your true self?" she asked, and I could feel the panic rising. My mind was racing a mile a minute, trying to come up with some sort of excuse or witty comeback.

But then, just as I was about to crumble, Kat must've seen the sheer terror in my eyes, because she backed off. "Fine, don't tell me, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Everybody has their own secret, if you feel comfortable then tell me otherwise don't," she said, and I could've hugged her for it. I mean, I didn't, 'cause, you know, coffee grounds and personal space, but I wanted to.

She started to walk away, and I let out the breath I didn't even realize I was holding. But then, she paused, and even though she didn't turn around, I could feel her eyes on me. "Someday I would like to see your true self," she said, and something about the way she said it – no judgment, just this genuine sense of wanting to know me – it stuck with me. Then she just walked away, leaving me standing there with a dusting of powdered sugar on my apron and a whole lot of thoughts swirling in my head.

Flashback End

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 After that fateful day when she and I first really got to chatting, it was like some unspoken pact had been made. We just clicked, and in no time flat, we were thick as thieves, good friends in every sense of the term. Oddly enough, she never poked around about why I was so closed off, and I didn't volunteer any confessions. We shared pretty much everything under the sun—hopes, dreams, the latest gossip—everything but the one thing that always lurked in my shadows: my fear.

I let out a sigh, the kind that feels like it's been waiting at the bottom of your lungs for the right moment to escape.Pulling myself back to the present, I realized the library was almost deserted; the bell had rung, signaling the end of another school day, and there I was, still lost in a sea of books. I stretched, feeling like a cat waking from a nap, and started ambling towards my locker, my mind still partly tangled in thoughts.

"Serena!!"

I spun around to see Asher and Blake bounding over. Blake, with his usual lack of personal space awareness, wrapped me in one of his now-familiar bear hugs. It's funny how things change. There was a time when a simple hug would send me spiraling into panic, but now? Now it was just another way to say 'hey' or 'I've missed you'. I'd become one of those normal girls who had friends and did normal student stuff, and it felt...good.

I gave Blake a playful shove, trying to wipe off the sweat he'd generously shared with me. "Eww, what the hell, Derek? Am I your towel, huh? Eww, you are so dirty, go and take a bath, Jerk," I groaned, feigning disgust.

Asher just stood there, a laugh dancing in his eyes. He was a mess too, all sweat and dirt, but somehow, he pulled it off, looking nothing short of a rugged heartthrob. I caught myself staring a little too long at the way his Adam's apple bobbed—a sure sign he was thirsty—and at the way his muscles seemed to play peekaboo through his shirt. The guy had an 8-pack that could make anyone's mouth water. I had this ridiculous urge to trace my fingers over each defined curve.

'Can I eat him?' I mused, half-seriously.

"Like what you see, Angry Birds?" Asher's voice snapped me back to reality, and I felt my cheeks flood with heat. His smirk was infuriatingly smug, and he knew exactly what he was doing, getting a rise out of me. I stuck out my tongue in response, because, why not? He loved to tease, and it seemed he couldn't go a day without it. His chuckle was soft, and we fell into our usual banter, chattering about the day's events as we made our way to my locker.

When I finally got there and swung the metal door open, I was greeted by a single rose and a letter nestled among my textbooks. My heart skipped a beat—this was new. Not the usual chaos of textbooks and scattered papers, but a single, delicate rose lying there like it's got all the right in the world to be among my books. And right there with it, a letter, looking all mysterious and out of place. 

My heart did this weird little flip-flop thing—because, let's be real, this kind of stuff doesn't happen to me. I'm like, "What's this?" and I'm half expecting it to be some sort of prank because, seriously, a rose? In my locker?

Then Asher's by my side, and he's all furrowed brows and concern, asking, "What happens?" like we're in the middle of a suspense novel. And I'm standing there, feeling the weight of his worry, and I'm starting to feel it too because this isn't just weird, it's borderline creepy. I mean, my lock's busted—great, right? Someone's been messing with my stuff, and I'm not exactly thrilled about it. 

I let out this groan, loud enough for the next county to hear, and I'm like, "Oh No," because it's just my luck that my locker's been broken into. "Thanks, Mr. someone," I say, but there's no thank you in my voice, just pure, unadulterated sarcasm.

And then, out of nowhere, Blake is practically bouncing next to me, all energy and booming voice, hollering, "OOH YEAH BABY!!!" like he just won the lottery or something. I whip around to look at him, and he's clutching the letter like it's the winning ticket, and I'm just baffled. "What?" I ask him, because I'm not following the script of this bizarre play we've found ourselves in.

He's grinning like the Cheshire Cat, and he says, "Babes, you got a love letter," and he's winking at me like we're co-conspirators in some romantic comedy. And I'm standing there, dumbfounded, because a love letter? That's when Ash's voice cuts through the confusion, loud and skeptical, "What?" echoing off the lockers.

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Words - 1674

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