Chapter 3: The Pact

"What do you mean he doesn't have the letter? Then how does he know the content?" Trudy asked while driving. They had left the school environment and were headed home.

"Apparently, he read it over my shoulder in class," Lia explained.

"Okay, but still, that's an invasion of privacy," Trudy pointed out.

"That’s not the point! Who has the letter now? I can't let it land in the hands of someone who hates me!" Lia was starting to panic; she couldn't go through what she went through last semester, not again. Not ever.

"Just relax, okay? We will sort it out. It's probably not a big deal," Trudy tried to calm her down.

"Okay," Lia sighed.

"And what's with Tyler, anyway?"

"He’s going to help me move on from Asher, and I'm going to help him confront a girl he’s secretly in love with."

"Really? Didn't he have a crush on you in middle school?" Trudy said out of the blues.

"That was a long time ago! He must have gotten over it. Besides, he used to date Bella; they were so cute together. I have no idea why they broke up."

"Is it just me, or did he grow a lot taller and he's stacked? Who knows what might happen?" Trudy winked.

"You’re crazy," Lia joked.

~~~~~~~~

Lia sat on the rooftop ledge, waiting for Tyler, her legs swinging in the air. She used to love this place a lot. It was their favorite spot in school; they would watch the sunset together. Why had she stopped coming here?

"You look like you’re about to jump. Should I call someone or just sit and watch?" Tyler teased.

"You would be delighted, wouldn't you?" Lia joked.

"Of course not. Here," Tyler handed her a soda and a bag of chips.

"Thanks..." She smiled, but her smile quickly faded. 

"Are you alright?" Tyler asked, sitting next to her.

"It's just the first week of the term, and I'm already messing things up."

"You mean writing a letter to your ex, misplacing it, and now it somehow ends up in the hands of the wrong person?"

Lia mock gasped, "When you put it like that, it sounds borderline poetic."

"You'll be fine; you have Trudy and an additional emotional support." He gestured to himself, and they both laughed.

"I need to get over him. Asher. He’s not mine. Maybe he never was," Lia said.

"You will, I promise." Tyler gave her a reassuring smile.

"Okay, how about you? You don't have to tell me who she is, but could you at least give me a hint?" Lia begged.

"Okay, fine. I really like her a lot, but she’s off-limits. It’s complicated. But that's all the more reason I want to be there for her."

"So romantic," Lia said.

"Shut up," Tyler playfully pushed her. Silence fell between them. Then Tyler straightened up and held out his pinky finger. "A pact."

Lia raised an eyebrow. "What kind of pact?"

"We help each other. I distract you from Asher, and you help me get my girl," Tyler said.

"Ooh, okay..." Lia giggled. "But the whole pact thing is kind of cringe, though. It sounds like high school."

"Exactly. So? Besides, you used to love pacts," Tyler said.

"And you are always breaking them, but fine." Lia locked her pinky with his.

"Deal." Tyler sealed the agreement.

"I’ve seen something like this in a movie where they end up falling in love. So just to clarify: no catching feelings," Lia said.

Tyler gulped and then mock saluted, "Scout's honor. Besides… you’re not really my type."

Lia pretended to be offended, but for some reason, it hurt more than expected. "Rude! You’d be lucky to have me," Lia teased.

"Of course," Tyler replied. They sat in silence; it was warm and comfortable.

~~~~~~

Lia sat at her usual spot in the library, surrounded by books and notes, the smell of musty paper filling the air. She was lost in her studies when she sensed someone slide into the seat beside her. Turning slightly, she caught sight of Tyler.

"Hey, princess," he greeted her with a playful grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Hey, frog," Lia replied, a smile spreading across her face. The easy banter between them always lightened her mood.

"What you up to?" Tyler asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a teasing manner, as he often did when he wanted to distract her.

"Just studying," Lia said, glancing at her scattered notes before closing them with a decisive snap. "But now that you're here…” She leaned forward in curiosity. “What do you have for me?"

Tyler's smile broadened clasping his hands together as if preparing to unveil a grand secret. "Right, so this is what I came up with." He produced two colorful tickets from his backpack and placed them on the table between them. 

Lia picked up one of the tickets, examining it closely. "A game fair?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. 

"Yes! We're going to do all the fun things you used to love before you met Asher," Tyler explained, his enthusiasm infectious. "It's a great way to redirect your focus and bring back that joy. You used to love playing these games."

Lia chuckled lightly, the corners of her mouth turning upward at the thought. "I can't remember the last time I played," she admitted, her tone both wistful and intrigued. The idea sparked a flicker of excitement within her.

"It will be so much fun!" Tyler exclaimed, his confidence radiating. "And maybe this time, I’ll actually whoop your ass," he joked, a teasing edge in his voice.

Lia laughed, shaking her head. "In your wildest dreams, pretty boy," she shot back, a playful glint in her eye as she snatched one of the tickets for herself.

~~~~~~

It was a Monday morning, and Lia had almost forgotten about the letter when Harper walked up to her in the hallway.

"Six months and you still haven't gotten over your ex. How pathetic can you be?" Harper slammed her hand against the locker next to Lia's.

Lia collected herself and spoke with confidence. "I don't know what you’re talking about. Please, go bother someone else." She takes her books and was about to leave.

"Oh yeah? How would you explain this..." Harper said, drawing people's attention as she pulled out the letter Lia wrote and began to read it aloud. "Hoping that somehow he would find his way back?" Harper mocked. "He’s not lost, bitch! Find his way back to what exactly?" Some students in the background burst into laughter.

"How did it get to you? Give it back!" Lia made an attempt to take back the letter.

"So you actually wrote it," Harper said, her voice dripping with a blend of disbelief and amusement. Lia could tell from the smirk on Harper's face that she had been waiting for this moment.

"Just hand it over already, will you?" Lia replied, her heart racing with discomfort. She despised the feeling of being the center of attention, feeling every pair of eyes in the room boring into her like a spotlight on stage.

"No, not until the whole school hears it," Harper taunted, her tone mocking and playful. She leaned back confidently, enjoying the control she seemed to wield over the situation, while Lia's anxiety knotted in the pit of her stomach. The Crowd had already formed around them, curious to listen to the content of the letter.

 "Now everyone wants to hear it, sorry sweetheart but I have to satisfy their curiosity.....", Harper chuckled as she went ahead to read it ".......There were days you couldn’t imagine a life without him in it?" Harper sneered, throwing her head back in mock laughter. "Poor, lonely soul," she added, making a pity face. The crowd around them began making videos of the moment.

"I said, give it back!" Lia demanded, pushing forward, her frustration boiling over.

"No, I won't What are you gonna do about it?" Harper shot back, an arrogant grin plastered on her face.

"She asked you nicely. What’s so hard to understand?" Trudy chimed in, stepping beside Lia, her eyes darting apologetically at her friend for not being there sooner.

"And what, are you her personal bodyguard now?" Harper laughed, her voice dripping with disdain.

"Do we really need to do this the hard way?" Trudy challenged, setting her bag aside, her glare fierce enough to send shivers down Harper's spine but Harper shaked it off.

"Look at you? No one would even know you gave me the letter", Harper laughed.

"What?", Lia heart skipped turning to look at Trudy, who didn't look surprised at all.

"You just had to say it, didn’t you", Trudy looked at Harper not paying attention to the surprised look on Lia's face.

"oops", Harper joked pretending to cover her lips.