FicWad

Chapter Twenty-three

So. I knew who I liked. I also knew why I liked them. However, I had no idea what to do with this information. So I did what anybody else would do. I waited.
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Joanna was the name written on the note that was attached to her locker. She paused for a few more second, staring at it in bafflement. Then, when she still had no idea what it was, she ripped it from her locker door and unfolded it.
Joanna.
Roses are red
Violets are blue
You’re really cool.
And I like you.
She looked around, looking for someone, anyone who could have written the note. No one was around.
“Anna! Hey.” It was Will who came sauntering up to her, hands in pockets, hair looking darker than normal.
“You dyed your hair?” she asked, turning to face him.
“Me? Nah,” he replied. “Rick decided to colour it with a pen.”
“Oh.” She nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Yup,” he grinned. “You coming to lunch?”
She looked down at the note that was held tightly in one hand. “Um, yeah.” She agreed. “But I have to do some Maths homework.”
”What?” Panic spread across Will’s face. “What maths homework?”
She laughed, the sound echoing in the empty corridor. “I had extra, because I’m finishing the class work too quickly.”
“Phew.” Will breathed a huge sigh of relief. “Don’t do that. Ever.”
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I didn’t recognize the handwriting on the note, and I really, really wanted to know who had written it.
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They were all staring at her.
“What?” she asked.
Maria, Mikey, Will and Rick all looked at each other in disbelief.
“Are you guys hearing what I’m hearing?” Rick asked.
“Yeah,” Maria replied.
“It’s extremely worrying,” Mikey added.
“What?” Joanna exclaimed.
They glanced at each other once more before Maria began. “You’re using our accent. You have done during the whole of what you just said.”
“No way.” Joanna blanched. “No way.”
“Yes way,” Rick told her.
“Mikey Way,” Mikey interjected. Maria cuffed his head.
“I can’t talk like you guys. Ever. Period.” She moaned.
“Did you just say period?” Maria asked, a grin spreading across her face.
“I meant full stop! Oooh,” Joanna moaned. Rick patted her on the back.
“It’s good to hear the new kid finally settled in.”
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I’d finally done it. I’d got an American accent. Nothing against American accents, but English ones are just so much better.
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Joanna was the name written on the note that was attached to her locker, the next day.
“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and temperate.”
That was what Shakespeare said.
So I’ll say:
“Shall I compare thee to Mia Patel?
Thou art more cool and beautiful.”

She smiled, before stuffing the note into her bag. There were too many people around for her to even attempt to guess who it was from. It was sweet, whoever was doing it. She still didn’t recognize the handwriting.
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The notes made me smile. I looked forward to them. They came, roughly, three times a week; different every time and it wasn’t until the second week of December that I told anybody.
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“Do you ever get stuff stuck on your locker?” Joanna asked as they sat on the wall outside Rick’s house.
“Well that depends on what kind of stuff,” Maria replied seriously. “I’ve had detention notices, stickers with punk is dead written on them, random love notes, a pair of boxers-“
“Whoa, wait up. You’ve had a pair of boxers stuck on your locker?” Joanna queried.
Maria grinned. “No. Just wondered how you’d react.”
Joanna laughed. “Thanks.”
“Anyway, why’d you want to know?”
”Because I was slightly worried about the misuse of underwear.”
“No idiot,” Maria reprimanded. “About stuff being stuck on lockers.”
“Oh!” Joanna smiled bashfully. “’Cause I’ve kinda been getting these kinda letters…” She trailed off, looking at the floor. If she’d been standing up she would have been scuffing her converse, that were actually Will's.
“You’ve been getting love notes haven’t you?” Maria probed.
“Kinda…”
“Aw!” Maria gushed. “That’s so sweet.” Who are they from?”
Joanna shrugged. “I don’t know.”
”Stalker alert,” Maria grinned.
“I’m not a stalker!” Rick butted in. Joanna fell off the wall; Rick having made her jump. She looked up from where she was on the floor.
“Um…hey?” She offered, as she clambered to her feet, dusting grit of herself then realising that she’d cut her elbow. “Um, Rick? Could I borrow, a plaster or something?”
“Yeah sure. Come in.”
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Rick and me went inside while Maria stayed outside. That’s the first time I was glad that Maria wasn’t with us.
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