“Mary,

Meet me in the courtyard after school, ok?”

I read the letter in my desk, and the absence of a signature left me puzzled. Who on earth wrote this? And why?

My eyes continued to search the page for an answer, but to no avail. The letter’s author would remain anonymous… for now. I mean, I was going to figure out who it was this afternoon anyways.

Though my curiosity was all-consuming. The mysterious letter was all I could think about, so as classes passed by, I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to hear anything the teachers were saying. But I did notice something.

Every time I pulled the mysterious letter from my pocket, the boy sitting next to me, Max (who just so happened to be my crush), would momentarily glance at it with wide eyes, then look away with what appeared to be an annoyed expression adorning his handsome face.

_Could it be that Max wrote this for me?_ I wondered, but I quickly shook the thought off.

Max was the most popular guy in the entire school, so he would never notice me. I was… I was just me! One of the many girls who had fallen for his irresistible charm…

Oh god… I was hopelessly in love…

Even though I was sure that Max wows not the one who wrote the letter, the lingering hope remained in the back of my mind as I counted down the seconds until the school day ended.

Time passed so, so slow…

1 hour left…

58 minutes left…

55 minutes left…

54 minutes left…

By the time it had hit 30 minutes, I was restless. My hands were shaking, my leg was bouncing incessantly, and my eyes couldn’t seem to focus on one thing for more than 15 seconds! The anticipation was killing me… but I waited… and waited… then waited some more…

_Ring, ring, ring!!_

The bell went off; school was finally over! I practically leapt out of my seat and dashed to the courtyard to meet the mysterious letter’s author.

_It’s probably not him, but oh please let it be Max! _I hoped and prayed that I would see Max waiting for me when I arrived at the courtyard, and my hopes and prayers were answered… with a “no.”

Standing in the courtyard, staring at me, was one of my other classmates, Jack. He was smiling at me, a faint blush appearing in his cheeks as I approached him. He looked really nervous…

Now, don’t get me wrong, Jack was pretty cute, and he had a great personality… he just wasn’t… Max. And I wanted Max, but Max would never want me…

“Hey Mary, thanks for meeting me here in such short notice… I just had something I needed to tell you…” Jack said, his voice trembling.

“What did you need to tell me?” I tilted my head slightly in curiosity, though I had a feeling I that I knew what he was about to say.

“Mary, I-I like you! Like, I’m in love with you! A-and I was wondering… will you go out with me?” Jack stuttered out the exact words I knew he’d say.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could even get a sound out, someone said “she’s not going out with you, Jack. She’s mine, so back off.”

It was… Max?!

My theory was confirmed when I spun around and saw none other than the most perfect boy in the world, Max!!

“Max…” Jack’s face fell as he said, “M-Mary isn’t yours…”

Max turned to me with a look of genuine love in his eyes.

“Mary, will you be mine? Like, as in being my girlfriend? I know this is really sudden, but I’ve liked you since the first time we spoke,” Max said, smiling. “Remember? You had to sit next to me in math class on your first day here, and when I introduced myself, you got all flustered and stuttered a ton. I thought you were adorable, and my feelings only grew from there… so… yeah… how do you feel about me?”

Hearing his confession made my heart beat a million times faster than before, and what really shocked me was that his confession seemed genuine.

I gave Jack an apologetic look and said, “Jack… I’m sorry, but I’ve had feelings for Mac for a while now… but you’re a great guy, and I’m sure you’ll find your special someone soon enough, but… it won’t be me. I’m really sorry.”

I could tell that Jack was on the verge of tears, and I felt a pang of guilt in my chest, but I had done what was right for me. I told him the truth.

Jack wiped the tears away from his eyes and mumbled out a quick “ok” before speed-walking away.

Even after he turned the corner, I could still hear his sobs echo through the still air. His pain was heartbreaking, but I had done what I needed to do.

“So…” I turned to Max. “Does this mean-“

“Yes, Mary, it means we’re together now.” He said, a soft, loving smile on his face.

_Oh my god… this is really happening! I’m dating the boy of my dreams! This is the best day ever! _Hopes and dreams I thought had been shut down were coming back to me like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

_Mary and Max… Max and Mary…_ I thought, smiling.

Out of the blue, Max took my hand in his, his fingers intertwined with mine. The sudden affection made me blush, but I welcomed the flustered feeling with open arms.

Max may not have been the author of the letter, but together, he and I were going to write the perfect story: our future.