Sitting on my bed, I had my hands full with making the decorations I promised to help Penelope with. Bits of red construction paper surrounded me, a visual representation of my mental state. Penelope wanted paper hearts to be hanging from the ceiling like floating valentine day cards, but the high school government had their hands full already and I never agreed to something faster in my life. Even the club's advisor thanked me for my help. Another vote in my favor for MVP, I hoped. Between this, the soccer team having one of our best seasons to date, having the second highest GPA in the year (damn you Daniella James), and having enough friends to fill a party bus, they had to give me the award.

This MVP would finally be a reward for all my blood, sweat, and manic episodes. Acclaim at my fingertips, I will cut a million of these cheesy paper hearts if I could hear my name be called.

Elena and Skipper were on my laptop screen sitting at the edge of my bed while they cut up their own fake valentines to help the cause. We all watched the same Youtube tutorials and after falling down the rabbit hole of five-minute craft videos that somehow landed us on fidget toy reviews to us giving up, we compromised and listened to music instead. Skipper was the DJ and most of the bands she played I had never heard of and were almost all explicit.

I appreciate the noise.

The talking and music blocked out my annoying thoughts.

Staring at me, Daniella's letter sat on my desk. I was actively trying to not look at it, like it was a ghostly jump scare in a D-rated movie I could see coming, but still frightened me.

"I don't know why you're so worried about getting MVP," Skipper said, pouring an uncomfortable amount of glitter on her valentines. Imagining even a little glitter on my floor, scattered and hidden, made my skin itch. Glitter and cockroaches were the only things that could survive nuclear war.

She said, "You are the poster child of MVP."

"That's just not true," I said, thinking about Jess.

Jess was the MVP and as fast and as hard as I was trying to catch up with her, I could feel myself lagging behind. While I tried to shine, my light always snuffed out, and I had to panic and replace lightbulb after lightbulb. Jess was the sun. She was always shining somewhere. Wherever she was now.

"Let's change subjects," I begged. "Have you chosen what book you're going to do your essay on in AP Lit? I'm gonna use Don Quixote."

Skipper made a face. "Let's change subjects."

"Are you excited about your date with Mona?" Elena asked.

Daniella's letter in the corner of my eye laughed. I ignored it and smiled like a perfectly sane human. "Yeah, I'm glad we had this figured this date out before this dumb bet with Daniella started. Oh, my god—" I sat up, scootching closer to the camera and using my pair of scissors as inflection "—so like this morning—it was so ridiculous, Daniella bet she could finish her half of the 'Acts of Service' challenge before the first bell."

"Why didn't we reschedule that, by the way?" Skipper asked, forgoing her valentine making duties. "I wanted to watch that."

"Oh, uh, she said I could have the win."

"Anyway," I started back up, feeling out of breath for some reason. "I thought she was nuts, but like I always think, she's crazy."

"Why did she let you win?" Elena chimed in this time. "That doesn't sound like Daniella."

"Um..." I sat up a little, sitting the scissor aside and feeling the heat emanating from Daniella's letter. "Remember when we went for pizza, and I left? I said I was going to the school, but I didn't."

Elena smiled. "I knew it."

"Yeah, well, I ended up finding Daniella, and I changed her tire."

All at once, Elena and Skipper's faces slackened. Elena blinked and while both of their brains buffered this information, Elena bounced back quicker. She asked, "Did you really do that?"

"I did? Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just you don't like her."

Skipper nodded. "And didn't her dad say he was gonna pick her up?"

"It's complicated," I said, my face heating up. "Can I get back to my story?"

"Of course," Elena said. "But I think it's sweet."

"It was nothing."

"Sure, but... but I don't know." She shrugged a little and smiled in the warmest way possible, the way Jess used to smile, and I knew she loved me. "I've always thought if you and Daniella could put the past behind you, I think you guys would be friends."

"No way," I said, my brow narrowing. Just that sentiment was giving me a headache. "You fail to realize she's a terrible, nasty person. I don't make friends with people like her."

Daniella's letter laughed again.

Because it knew very well, that I knew a different side of that girl I was bad-mouthing.

"Listen," Elena said. "I am ride or die for you. If you don't like somebody, I don't like them... even if I don't see what you see."

My mind couldn't process what she was saying. Everything that has happened to me, everything in the past, and everything anyone has ever told me, I took with me. Every little memory was like a small token that I placed in my backpack to carry everywhere. Some memorabilia were heavier than others, but I tightened my strap, took some pain medicine and continue trucking to gather more.

I reminded her, "If she ever apologizes for shoving me in front of everyone, maybe I'll consider forgiving her."

Elena raised her hands. "That's fair. Okay. Please continue your story."

"Okay... where was I?" I asked.

Clearing her throat, Skipper spoke up. She was always a master of disappearing during tense situations. "Daniella just bet you she could attempt her half of the challenge."

"Right okay. Well," I said, the air let out of my good mood balloon. I wasn't even excited to tell the story anymore. There was no avoiding the attitude lacing every word. "All she did was give me movie tickets for my date with Mona. Turns out Mona is like a huge fan of black and white movies and Daniella had these tickets like ready to go. Isn't that wild?"

Skipper gawked. "Totally wild, but like maybe for different reasons."

"Right? I mean, if you think about it," I said, pushing away my anxiety and regret of everything I've said today and trying to have a good attitude and smile. Things we going well until I upset Elena. "Daniella had the best hand at the table and folded, giving it to me. I've already won the first two challenges. I just have to win one more and then, I win."

"Zoey," Elena spoke up. "Aren't you straying a little away from the point?"

My brows scrunched together. "What do you mean?"

God.

My stomach twisted. What now?

She sighed. "Never mind. I'd rather let things play out."

While I was lost, Skipper giggled. "Elena, I love it when you get all cryptic."

"That's fine. I don't even want to know what you're thinking," I said and went back to making valentines and ignoring Daniella's letter and Elena's words and my own thoughts and everything else. "Will you at least help me pick out my date outfit?"

"Of course." Elena smiled demurely, using a heart-shaped valentine as a fan. "I would be honored, Miss Summers. I shall make you as cute as you wish and as comfy as your little anxious heart secretly desires."

"You understand me at a molecular level, don't you?"

"I'll never spill my secrets."

"Do me next!" Skipper piped up, and it was live on the feed the moment she knew she messed up. "I mean, like read my vibe."

My eyes caught the exact millisecond Skipper regretted saying that and the way she said it. If only I could evaporate from existence and not be here.

Elena's smiled turned wicked, and as she pondered all implications. Sighing, Elena said, "I'd read for Zoey, but darling, it's just too easy."

Skipper's face did an elaborate gymnastic floor routine until she hit the landing on being amused and laughed, covering her face, and rolling on her bed until she vanished off screen. I shook my head but didn't comment. If they were this unbearable with me here, I wondered what they were like just around each other. Different performances for a difference audience. How I acted around my friends was not the same way I'd act around my parents. Daniella also got a different Zoey than anyone else.

I made the mistake and looked at Daniella's letter.

Curious about other people.

Being lonely.

Interested in making friends. This I didn't have enough experience to give better or solid advice. Taking my marker, I wrote "LOVE ME" on a decently cut red heart. "How long have we been friends?" I asked.

Elena hummed. "Must be three years now, right? That's how long you've been I the soccer club."

"Do you remember how we became friends? I mean, I know how, but what did I say to you? Was there a moment you knew we'd be friends?"

Skipper reappeared in the camera with the biggest grin on her face. She said, "Oh, I remember it. I complained everybody scattered the soccer balls as far as possible because it was my turn to collect the balls. I remember it. You said let's go, Masterson, and started kicking the balls at me with full force. It was the most unhelpful and chaotic way to help someone, and I knew you were my people."

I remembered that and maybe I'm a less simple person than I first assumed because to me; we weren't friends at that moment. We weren't friends at the next practice or around the time we started having lunch together regularly. I realized we were friends because Skipper asked if I wanted to hang out at Starbucks. Outside of school. Singling me out when she could go hand out with absolutely anyone.

"I think I made you laugh this one time," Elena said. "If I had to pick a moment, but honestly, I considered us friends from the first moment we met. I'm just that way, though."

"I just laughed?" I asked.

"Really laughed. Like crying with laughter, and if someone laughs at my jokes, they can hang with me."

Skipper nodded. "Yeah, we have to have the same sense of humor or it's just not gonna work."

"Do you remember the joke?" I asked, getting a word document ready so I could quickly jot it down and share with Daniella.

"No." Elena laughed.

"Oh, but do you know what was really funny about last practice?" Skipper asked, quickly abandoning her half of the decorations for her story. Even through the webcam, her eyes were sparkly. I listened with as much focus as I could manage as I delicately sat my own valentines to the side.

"Hold on," I said, and hobbled off my bed to get to my desk. I touched Daniella's letter, glancing over at the words again. Before I knew it, I grabbed a notebook, pen, and returned to my bed.

One more letter.

I'll just write her one more letter than never again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello friends! I hope you enjoyed the update! Really enjoyed writing this baby and all knowing Elena and her mind magic ~ Please let me know what you think about the chapter. I cry over every single comment. Thank you so much. 

And some more questions. Have you ever made your own Valentine? Do you like Valentine's day? Personally, I always make my siblings cards (it's my sister's favorite holiday) and I learned how to make envelopes. And! Let me know what you think about Elena and Zoey's talk? What did you think about Zoey's way of carrying her history on her back? 

All thoughts are appreciated :)