you're writing, like usual

Annie Halden had a peculiar habit of writing letters to herself every single day.

There was something liberating about the practice—spilling her innermost thoughts onto paper with no one to judge her or pry into her feelings. Her words, often frantic and full of emotion, were safely confined to those scribbled letters, letters she had no intention of sending to anyone but herself.

It was her secret ritual, one that felt simultaneously necessary and deeply personal. The very idea of someone else reading them was enough to make her cringe. It embarrassed her to think about it, almost to the point of feeling pathetic.

Yet the comfort it brought her outweighed the shame.

"Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind," Virginia Woolf had once written.

Annie clung to that quote like a lifeline. Writing felt like the only way she could truly be free, a safe harbor where her thoughts could roam without restriction.

Speaking them aloud to another person? The mere thought of it sent shivers down her spine.

"You're writing again," Jack, her older brother, remarked with an amused smile as he walked into the school library, catching her at her usual spot: tucked away at a corner table, head bent over her notebook.

Jack was her polar opposite in almost every way imaginable.

He was in his senior year—popular, extroverted, and seemingly involved in every school activity known to man. With his spot on the football and basketball teams, endless parties, and a constant flock of friends and admirers, he was the quintessential golden boy. His life was a whirlwind of social engagements, sports practices, and charm that never seemed to fade.

Annie, on the other hand, had a quiet existence.

A junior in high school, she was a true introvert, content with her two close friends, her beloved books, and her collection of private letters. She preferred to blend into the background, to let the world swirl around her while she stayed safely out of sight.

It wasn't that she resented Jack's lifestyle—far from it. She just couldn't imagine herself thriving in that world. It felt too loud, too overwhelming.

Annie was fairly certain that most of Jack's friends didn't even know she existed, let alone that they were related. The idea amused her sometimes.

She glanced up from her paper, her pen coming to a pause. "I am," she responded softly, her voice barely audible, even to her brother.

Jack gave a nonchalant shrug as he briefly scanned her page, his eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to make out what she had written. He knew she was private with her thoughts—especially the ones she poured out on paper.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, sounding both concerned and casual at the same time.

"About what?"

"Anything." Jack shifted his weight, glancing around the library as if to distract himself from his own awkwardness. "Where are Amari and Jay? Don't you usually hang out with them around now?"

"In class, I presume." Annie busied herself with doodling in the margins of her paper, sketching little flowers in the corner.

Jack stuffed his hands into his pockets and gave a small nod. "Alright, I've got practice. I'll see you later, yeah?"

Annie returned his smile with a slight nod of her own.

Jack was in his element on the field, far more comfortable there than in the quiet of the library. She didn't mind his brief visits, though. He always checked in, as if he knew she needed a little tether to the world, even if she didn't realize it herself.

As he left, Annie returned to her writing, the soft scratch of her pen against paper calming her mind once more. Time slipped by without her even noticing.

The sudden ring of the bell startled her. She hadn't realized how late it had gotten.

Scrambling to gather her things, Annie rushed to her next class, determined to arrive before everyone else so she wouldn't have to endure the discomfort of walking into a room full of seated students.

✉

By the time school ended, Annie found herself waiting by Jack's car in the parking lot, as she did most days. Jack was usually late after practice, and though she was tired, she didn't have the heart to complain.

She'd much rather avoid the awkwardness of riding the bus home alone.

The thought of curling up in bed later to watch Gilmore Girls comforted her enough to wait without complaint.

"Are you Annie?"

The voice caught her completely off guard.

She looked up, and her heart nearly stopped in her chest. Standing before her was Leo Smith. Not just any Leo Smith—the Leo Smith. He was practically a legend at school, the bad boy with an effortless charm that made him impossible to ignore.

He was the kind of boy people whispered about, the one whose reputation followed him everywhere.

There was something intoxicatingly dangerous about him—the fast cars, the cigarettes, the perpetual aloofness. His bad-boy image was nearly a caricature, yet there was something undeniably magnetic about him.

And now, here he was, standing before her, saying her name.

Annie's mouth went dry.

She blinked, trying to find her voice. "Um... yes. I am." The words tumbled awkwardly from her mouth, and she cursed herself for sounding so ridiculous.

Her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of why he was even speaking to her. She'd never spoken a word to him before. She wasn't even sure he knew she existed.

"Am I in your way?" she blurted, suddenly feeling like she was trespassing in some unspoken territory. "I—I can move if you need me to, but my brother has the keys..."

Leo's lips curled into a small smile, his amusement evident. "No, you're not in my way, Annie." He said her name slowly, like he was testing how it sounded.

She blinked, her brain catching up. "Wait—how do you know my name?" she asked, before she could stop herself.

Her stomach churned with embarrassment at the boldness of the question.

Leo chuckled softly. "I have my ways. Besides," he paused, glancing around the parking lot, "Jack Halden's little sister isn't exactly invisible."

That comment made her brow furrow. She had spent years assuming she flew under everyone's radar.

Apparently, not everyone's.

"Anyway," Leo continued. "Saw you waiting, that's all."

Annie nodded numbly, still trying to process the fact that Leo Smith was talking to her, let alone acknowledging her existence. She was used to fading into the background of Jack's vibrant social life, not having his friends or acquaintances stop by for a casual conversation.

"Right, well, see you around, Annie," Leo said casually, flashing her a smile before heading off to his car.

As he walked away, Annie couldn't help but stare after him, her heart racing. What just happened? What did he want?

Her head was still spinning when Jack appeared beside her, completely unaware of what had just transpired. "You ready to go?" Jack's voice broke through her trance.

Annie blinked, turning toward him. "Did you know Leo Smith knows who I am?"

Jack raised an eyebrow, clearly caught off guard by the question. "Leo? Sure, he knows you. I'm sure plenty of people do, Anne. Why?"

She sputtered, "He—he just talked to me. Like, out of nowhere. Asked if I was Annie."

Jack's surprise faded into a grin. "Ah, Leo's good like that. Probably just being friendly."

"Friendly?" Annie repeated, incredulously. "He—he doesn't even talk to people like me, does he? I mean, he's... he's Leo Smith."

Jack chuckled, unlocking the car and opening the door for her. "You've got to stop thinking of yourself like you're some outcast. People know who you are, Annie. Especially if they know me."

Annie frowned, sliding into the passenger seat. "I'm pretty sure Leo doesn't care about me because I'm your sister, Jack."

"Maybe not," Jack replied, getting into the driver's seat. "Or maybe he's just interested in you, not because of me."

Annie opened her mouth to protest but found herself at a loss for words.

Jack smirked, throwing her a teasing glance. "Relax, it's probably nothing. He just talked to you."

But Annie couldn't help the way her mind raced the entire drive home. What had Leo wanted? Was it really just casual small talk? Or was there something more to it?