UPON ENTERING THE dorm, another butter-colored envelope lay on the kitchen counter. With the same handwriting as before, it wrote:
To: Hadley Summers
Except this time, in the top left corner, it said:
From: Anonymous
But with no luck, there still wasn't a return address or any other clues to who it could possibly be from. The feel of the smooth paper envelope in my hands sent subtle goosebumps to form along my arms.
"I found that right in front of the door when I came home about an hour ago. Someone must've slipped it under the door because I almost stepped on it when I came in," Ava said, standing in front of me after hearing the door open. "Well, what are you waiting for? Open it up."
"I'm scared for what it's gonna say, Ava. It's from that person who sent the last note."
"Well, you'll never know what they have to say next unless you open that up."
Exhaling a deep breath, I carefully tore the flap open, heart galloping faster with every fleeting moment. Pulling out the thin piece of paper, I warily unfolded it.
To: Hadley Summers
J is the name
that brings so much pain.
shackled am I by the chains
of the mistaken blame that remains.
"J is the name?" I mumbled under my breath, eyebrows scrunched as I attempted to decipher the next message.
"J? Like James?" Ava sprouted from beside me, reading the note over my shoulder.
I gave an incredulous look, "Why would it be James of all people?"
"Well, he's the only person that we know that has a name that starts with a J," Ava suggested.
"Was Nicole home when you found this?"
Ava gave me a look, "I know what you're thinking, but no, she wasn't home at the time. And," she emphasized, "she nor Milo are the ones who are sending you these notes. From what it sounds like, these letters could be coming from a crazy ex of his. So relax, I'm sure these notes are nothing." She squeezed my shoulders, trying to ease my worries.
"You're right...you're right," I repeated, trying to convince myself. I was not the least bit convincing or convinced. She gave me another look, to which I responded, "Um, yeah, nope. I still don't believe in your theory."
"Ugh, you're impossible," complained Ava, rolling her eyes dramatically. She walked back to her room, dragging her feet defeatedly. I chuckled as I also made my way into my room.
Shutting the door gently behind me, I put the note back in the envelope and set it down on top of the previous one, which was sitting on my desk. Too lazy to go to the bathroom, I swiped away my mascara with a makeup wipe and slipped under the thin covers, letting sleep take over me.
∞
"HOW'S EVERYTHING GOING over here, Hadley? You doing okay?" Professor Hyatt asked, sporting a soft smile. I nodded and she walked over to Milo, who turned his easel once again so I couldn't see his painting. Even though I thought my first idea wasn't the greatest at first, I ended up going with it.
For my project, I planned on painting the silhouette of a girl sitting on a tree swing as she stared at the sun rising over the horizon. A swarm of small butterflies, also in silhouette form, would surround her. The butterflies symbolized a new beginning, and the sunrise represented the future, the start of something new.
And so far, I had only finished blending half of the sky together, a transition from yellow to orange. When I glanced over at Milo and Professor Hyatt, she smiled fondly at his painting as she watched over his shoulder.
As if feeling my eyes on him, Milo turned towards me and for a second, it seemed like the world stopped. My breath hitched as he smiled softly at me and winked, returning to his work shortly after. Unable to function properly and without my knowledge, I continued to stare and didn't notice Professor Hyatt walk away from him.
"Didn't your parents ever tell you that it's rude to stare?" Milo teased without looking up, smiling to himself.
"Sorry." I could feel my cheeks growing hot and I turned back to my easel, wishing the ground could swallow me whole right then and there.
"I'm just teasing," he responded with a huge grin. "I'm sorry if I made you feel as though I wasn't."
I glanced at him through my peripheral vision and noticed his teasing expression morph into a tender look.
"Well, my parents said it was rude to stare at strangers, but you're not a stranger, are you?" I teased with a smirk.
"Are you telling me that you enjoy staring at me?" Milo smirked, glad that I wasn't upset.
My smirk dropped, "That's not what I meant."
Embarrassed that my cheeks were probably glowing red, I returned back to my work, violently blending the orange and yellow together.
"Why do I even open my mouth to speak?" I grumbled under my breath. Overhearing my words, Milo chuckled and dipped his paintbrush in a paint cup, glancing back at me from time to time. And even though I shouldn't have, I paid attention every single time I felt his eyes on me, enjoying yet loathing the feeling it brought.
∞
AS I PUT AWAY the last, cleaned paintbrush I used today, I spun around and took a step forward. Thinking I was the last one to leave, I was startled when my foot landed on top of someone's foot instead of the concrete floor. Looking up, my throat closed up as I locked eyes with his dark chocolate eyes. Being enveloped in his lavender scent and our close proximity sent my brain into a frenzy.
Attempting to place some space between us, I took a step back, only to have my back gently hit the rim of the sink.
"Um, hi," I spoke softly. "What are you still doing here? I thought everyone left already."
Milo shrugged, "I thought I'd stay behind and wait for you. Besides, I thought we could walk to that informational meeting together." He stuck his hand in pocket, the other holding his bag strap slung over his shoulder.
The Visual and Performing Arts department was holding an informational meeting about their annual trip to New York. It was included in our course fees, something that had piqued my interest when applying.
Suddenly slipping into a state of panic, I slipped around Milo's frame and snatched my bag from off the floor. "What time is it supposed to start again?"
"One thirty, I think."
I picked up my phone, waking up the screen, and saw the time read 1:26 pm. Adrenaline roared through my veins even more. The informational meeting was being held all the way across campus and we had less than five minutes to get there. "We really need to hurry."
I snatched up my things and made a mad dash out the door, Milo following quickly behind.
We ended up arriving right when one of the professors was about to close the door. Unfortunately, there were no more seats left, so we had to stand in the back. Shortly after, the low chatter came to a halt when a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties walked up to the mic and began speaking.
"Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming to the informational meeting. As you may or may not know, every year, the Visual and Performing Arts program department hosts a trip to New York. It was included in your tuition, but it is still optional to go."
She began going on about how going to New York was a valuable and possibly life-changing experience. In New York, there were opportunities for people like us who wanted to get into visual or performing arts. She even told a quick anecdote about how one of last year's graduates went on the trip and was offered a small part in a Broadway show.
That made me want to go all the more.
"The trip will be in the middle of next month, and we'll be in New York for ten days. You will not be required to make up any work for your visual or performing arts classes; however, if you are taking any other academic class, you will have to make up the work you miss."
She glanced down at her notes to see if she covered everything we needed to know before continuing, "Well, I hope you all are able to join us. Have a good rest of your afternoon."
And with that, everyone stood from their seats. Luckily, because we were in the back and were right next to the doors, we were the first ones to leave and avoided the mob that was dying to get out.
"Hmm, sounded interesting. You going?" questioned Milo from beside me.
"Without a doubt," I said confidently. "New York's always been on my bucket list."
"Then it looks like I'll be going too," Milo smiled, his words making my heart flutter. And for a moment, as I looked into his eyes, the world around us seemed to disappear and my worries fleeted away, floating away like a balloon in the wind.
_______________
A/N: Hello everyone! Thank you again for reading!
So I know I said things will pick up a bit in this chapter, but NEXT chapter will be when things speed up a bit more and is CRUCIAL. Also, the next chapter is a tad bit long but BEAR WITH ME ;))
Please vote ♡ if you enjoyed this chapter or any other! :)
-Karlee 💛