Hi guys, it's May. Long time no read, huh? I said I was working on something, didn't I? I actually started this as a birthday present to my friend (I AM SO SORRY, MY DEAR.) However, school is a real challenge to juggle with writing. And motivation just wasn't really getting me there. So I'm sorry to report that I'm probably not going to finish that thing I mentioned. But I'm going to post everything I had in hopes of apologizing. I love y'all! I hope you enjoy! Here's my somewhat love letter to this fandom. ♡

Michael stared at his mirror, absentmindedly stitching a new patch he had just gotten into his hoodie. As he got lost in thought, he felt a prick and winced, looking down at a bead of blood that formed at the tip of his index finger. 

Sighing, he stood up and stretched, walking to his drawer and setting down the needle and thread to grab his first aid kit. He looked down at the red drop of liquid for a moment curiously, wondering why in the world humans were so dependent on such a thing. Life, he thought, is a weird thing. 

~~~~~

Jeremy gazed at himself in the mirror, trying to drown out the internal critiques constantly being thrown at his self-confidence. Exhaling slowly, he slid down the wall until he could just barely see past his knees. 

He had some good qualities, he thought, but were they enough? 

He scratched his neck, shaking his head and sighing. Convincing yourself that self-love is enough, he decided, is a tough thing. 

~~~~~

Michael shoved his skateboard into his locker, taking out a notebook and his headphones. 

Before he had time to put the muffs over his ears, he was attacked from behind. 

“Rich,” he started. 

“Hmmm?” the short boy on his back responded. 

“Kindly remove yourself from my back; you’re so heavy I’m going to develop back problems.”

Rich snickered, unlatching himself and proceeding to lean against the lockers. “The only thing you’ll get back problems from is gay se-“

“Shut up, Goranski,” Michael cut him off, shoving his hand into Rich’s face. 

“I’m just kidding,” Rich assured him playfully, batting Michael’s hand away. He noticed Michael’s far-off look, and his expression became slightly concerned. “Are you alright?”

Michael smiled tiredly. “Oh, yeah, man,” he responded. “I stayed up pretty late, that's all.” He motioned to his most recent patch.

Rich nodded, his expression relaxing as he admired the new patch. “I see,” he replied. “I also see you gained a battle scar in the process,” he joked, gesturing to the band aid and causing Michael to snort. Rich gave him a toothy grin before looking down at the time on his phone. “Crap! Mrs Hansley is gonna kill me! I gotta go, Mikey, hit me up later!”

He rushed off, and Michael smiled sheepishly, not even bothering to tell him again how much he disliked that nickname as he made his way to his own first period. 

-----

“Mr Heere will be joining our class due to a schedule change.”

Michael looked up from his desk sleepily. His gaze fell on the boy his teacher was referring to, and he felt his eyes widen. When he found himself staring, he buried his face in his arms. 

“There’s an open seat by Mr Mell back there,” he heard the teacher offer. His stomach flipped, a mixture of fear and excitement causing his heart to beat quicker. 

This was going to be a long class. 

~~~~~

Jeremy sat in his seat awkwardly, glad it was at the back. He had felt stares down his back the moment he walked in, and that wasn’t doing much to help his anxiety. 

One boy in particular kept his eyes on him longer, and when Jeremy glanced at him, he saw the boy bury his face in his arms. Feeling a bit weirded out, he began taking out his things, hoping the rest of his schedule changes weren’t this strange. 

~~~~~

When class had ended, Michael had finally built up the courage to speak to the boy next to him. 

“Hey...” He looked over, only to see that he had already left. His cheeks heated up significantly as he shook his head and packed his things. 

He walked into the hallway only to be slapped on the back. “YO, MIKEY!”

Michael turned to the source of the sudden noise. “I told you how much I hate that nickname, right?” 

Rich puffed his chest out. “You did. And that’s why I love it.”

“Asshole.” Michael shook his head. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the boy he’d been eyeing earlier run up to a girl everyone knew as the ‘air-headed theater geek.’

“Hmm? Who you starin’ at?” Rich asked, a smug look on his face when Michael turned back to him. He hadn’t even noticed he was looking at him for that long. “Can’t be Chrissy, you’re too gay for that,” Michael shoved him, “-so the twink?”

“Ugh.” Michael’s hands covered his face. 

Rich gasped over-dramatically. “My Mikey Mell has a CRUSH!” he exclaimed, causing Michael to punch his arm. 

“Shut up! You’re so loud!” Michael shushed. He huffed. “Yeah, so I guess I’ve got a crush, so what?”

“Do you even know his name?” Rich asked.

“Oh God.”

~~~~~

“Jeremy, I’m so glad you changed electives!” Christine squealed in excitement. “This is going to be so fun!”

Jeremy snorted. “You’ve thoroughly converted me, Christine.” He bowed dramatically causing the girl to giggle. 

“Welcome to the cult,” a voice called from the front of the room. 

Jeremy recognized him as Jake and laughed. “Thanks, man.”

“Sorry I’m late!” A flurry of blonde hair flew past him before swiveling around. “Oh, Jeremy! You finally switched your schedule, huh?”

Jeremy grinned. “Oh hey, Brooke. Yeah, it’s been a pain in the ass adjusting, but I think it’ll be worth it.”

“Theater is always worth it,” Christine said solemnly. 

Jeremy had been a part of this group since sophomore year, and recently he’d found himself feeling more confident around them. He smiled at that thought before something else crossed his mind. 

“Is Chloe moving electives too, Brooke?”

She nodded. “Yeah, but someone else caught her before I could.”

“WHO?!” Christine yelled. 

“Jenna with yearbook,” Brooke answered, laughing nervously and scratching her neck. 

“Jenna, you sneaky cat,” Christine muttered. 

Jake and Jeremy laughed in amusement. Christine wasn’t going to let this go for a while, they could tell. 

“Seems she told Chloe she could take pictures of cute guys.” Brooke giggled as she said it. “Though, if you ask me, I’d say she’ll want pictures of anyone she finds cute.” She winked, causing Jake to snort. 

“I’m still surprised you got Jake to settle on one elective,” Jeremy remarked. 

“It wasn’t easy,” Christine agreed. 

“Something about Chris...” Jake muttered. “She can get a person to do anything.”

Brooke hummed in amusement. “Maybe it’s super effective on a certain someone.”

“Shut uuuup,” Jake groaned. “That was like three months ago. Besides I found someone el-” He stopped suddenly. 

“Ohhh?” Brooke prodded. “Is our very own Jake Dillinger eyein’ someone new?”

Jake ruffled Brooke’s hair, causing the blonde to laugh and yell in protest. 

Jeremy smiled. This was going to be a good year. 

~~~~~

Michael could not be more of a hopeless romantic, and Rich wasn’t passing up the opportunity to tease him about it. 

By the time Michael finally got in his car to head home, he was thoroughly exhausted. Hypothetical situations swirled through his head of possible conversations he could have with the boy whose name he didn’t even know yet. 

He groaned, letting his head fall onto his car’s steering wheel, weakly setting off the horn. In a single class period he’d lost any and all social skills he thought he’d had. 

He opened his front door, announcing his presence loudly to his moms before collapsing onto the couch. 

He heard footsteps. “Hey, you look awful, something happen?” 

“Mph,” he responded, his head stuffed in a pillow. 

“I’m so glad I have a son who speaks English,” she teased. 

Michael rolled over. “Mimi, how do you do love?” 

She snorted. “That talk, huh...? How ‘bout we wait for Mom to come home, yeah? I’ve never been the greatest at these things.”

“‘Kay,” he murmured, getting up to go to his room. 

“Go take a nap or something,” she called after him as she went back into the kitchen, the smell of food already wafting through the house. 

Michael loved his moms. They both worked hard to reach out to him, but they never pushed something he didn’t want to talk about. His mom had told him about his biological father, and he’d been surprised but happy to know that there was no bad blood between them. She and Mimi opened up to him, so he felt he should open up to them from time to time. 

But there were exceptions to being open. Especially, Michael thought later, considering what happened soon after he entered his room. 

He stared at the magazine sitting right in front of his mirror that was very obviously not his. And next to it there was a folded piece of paper. He hoped this wasn’t another joke from his mimi about his lack of sexual interest in girls, but when he unfolded the paper, he saw somewhat frantic scribbles on it.

Hey uh this is super weird. I know. But is there anyone on the other side of this mirror? Is there a magazine there? It just slipped through. God this is so embarrassing.

Michael read the note many times over before wondering if he’d gone insane. Was he really about to write a response? He bit his bottom lip as he threw things around to find a pen. 

When he’d finally found one, he wrote on the back of the note. He finished, but a thought crossed his mind. How do I even send it back? He sat criss-cross in front of his mirror as he thought. 

It just slipped through, the note had said. 

He found himself holding his breath as his heartbeat sped up. It couldn’t work right? It was too strange. He counted to three in his head before flicking the note into the mirror. He gaped as he watched it disappear. 

“What... the heck...?”

~~~~~

Jeremy paced his room nervously. Half of him expected nothing would happen; that he had just lost the magazine and he’d only imagined writing the note and watching it... go through his mirror. 

He was going insane. 

Or he would have if not for the piece of paper that came fluttering through his mirror soon after. 

Jeremy stared and began to inch after it slowly, scared of something else coming out of his mirror. He grabbed the note delicately and hurried away across the room as he opened it. 

Uhh yeah there’s a person here. What is happening? Did my mirror just become one of those paintings in Mario 64? Because if so, hella. 

Jeremy snorted. He already liked whoever was behind his mirror. Suddenly, all the thoughts of getting his magazine back were thrown to the back of his mind as he began writing a reply on a new piece of paper. 

~~~~~

Michael found himself grinning when he saw another piece of paper slip through the mirror. This was still strange, there was no arguing there, but at least now it was a fun kind of strange. 

Nah it’s more like the ones in Mario Odyssey. 

It was a short note, but Michael burst into laughter. He’d found himself a fellow nerd. When he composed himself, he noticed something more written towards the bottom of the paper. 

P.S. you think I know what’s happening? I just kicked a literal porn mag and it disappeared into what I thought was a mirror. 

Michael’s smile widened as he let out another laugh. He didn’t know who was behind his mirror, but he did know he wanted to meet them. 

“I’m home!” Michael heard someone call from downstairs. It was his mom, from the sounds of it. He started to walk out of his room before realizing he hadn’t replied. 

My God, you’re totally right. How could I have been so forgetful?

P.S. I’m keeping the porn mag until we somehow find out how to meet up. 

He slipped the paper through his mirror, suppressing a smile as he left his room. 

When Michael had walked into the living room, he saw his mom and mimi sitting close together and speaking softly as they hugged each other. 

“What a couple,” he teased. 

“Micah!” his mom exclaimed happily, getting up to hug him. “How was school? How’s Rich? We need to have him over sometime.”

“Mom,” Michael laughed, “Cool your jets, I can only answer so much at a time.”

“I’m sorry, kiddo, I’m still a stay-at-home mom at heart,” she confessed. 

“It’s alright,” he assured, grinning a little. “School was school, Rich is Rich, and we’ll figure out plans with other people some other time or something.”

She chuckled. “Alright, alright." Her expression softened. "Mimi says you have something to ask about?”

Michael felt his face heat up. He’d totally forgotten about the boy after all that had just happened. 

“O-oh right,” he started shyly. “I think I’m in love? But I don’t know what to do.”

His mom brought her hands together and inhaled slowly. “Oh, Micah, that’s wonderful!” she responded happily. “I’ll be happy to answer any questions!”

“I told you,” his mimi said from the couch, chuckling as she shook her head. 

Michael smiled sheepishly. “This person just got their schedule changed, and I have first period with them. I couldn’t stop myself from staring at them... I don’t think I’ve ever been so distracted.”

He finished, and his mom grinned widely. “Oh, to be young,” she joked. 

“So is he handsome?” his mimi asked. 

Michael flushed, and his mimi smirked. “Yeah I guess,” he muttered, not wanting to mention that she’d already known it was a guy. 

“This is so exciting,” his mom commented happily. 

“Yeah, maybe, but I’m sure it’s not gonna go anywhere because I have no idea where to start.”

Michael’s mom smiled and touched his cheek lovingly. “It’s okay, Micah,” she said softly. “The first thing you need to do is talk to him. Past that, the only thing you have to do is be yourself. And if he doesn’t accept you for being yourself, he’s not worth your time.” Michael frowned. “I know it will hurt if that happens, kiddo, but we’re here for you no matter what, okay?”

He nodded. “Thanks, mom.”

She smiled warmly. 

A timer went off in the kitchen. “How about we go get dinner, yeah?” Michael’s mimi started. 

His mom nodded. “If you want, we can tell you how WE met!”

~~~~~

Jeremy stared at his ceiling fan. No more notes had come, but at least he knew there was hope to meet this person. Thinking for a moment, he grabbed his phone. 

Me: Hey mom?

Mama, Heere: Hello, son!

Me: I’ve got a question

Mama, Heere: I assumed that was the case. 

Me: Did you ever tell me something about mirrors when I was a kid? 

Mama, Heere: I did. 

Me: ... what was it?

Mama, Heere: There we go. I was waiting for the question :) <open link>

Jeremy rolled his eyes and clicked on the link his mother sent him, feeling himself hold his breath for reasons he couldn't explain. A short starter paragraph was displayed, seemingly posted by someone. 

Anonymous asks:

I’m having a bit of a predicament. I was messing with my hair while looking in the mirror when I dropped my hairbrush. I went to pick it up, but I accidentally kicked it... and it vanished into my mirror... I’m not going crazy, right? I really can’t find it anywhere!

Jeremy began reading the replies curiously, recognizing this phenomenon. 

Pepetunia answers:

Ah, young love. You’ve crossed paths with your soulmate. 

Shrekismyfriend answers:

You’re in for a ride go find your lover!!!

Anonymous replies:

What do you mean? What should I do?

big-ole-pile-of-gay answers:

This is just the beginning. When you cross paths with your soul’s mate a portal is opened in your mirror. 

Wasteland_Warrior answers: 

Yep, like they said. The closer you get with your soulmate the bigger the portal gets. 

AssassinMasta201 answers:

My soulmate and I can pass through our mirrors to get to each other. It’s really cool. Best of luck dude. 

Anonymous replies:

Thanks guys!! I’ll try and find my soulmate if this is all true!

Jeremy closed the webpage, feeling his heartbeat pick up. Soulmate?

~~~~~

Michael slammed his locker the next day to see a familiar spike of caramel hair. His gaze shifted down to the tiny devil himself, a smirk gracing his features. 

“So how is my lovebird today?” he teased. 

“Thoroughly informed on my mother’s love life,” Michael answered, hearing Rich laugh in response. 

“Listen, Mikey,” Rich began. (“Still hate that nickname,” Michael reminded him.) “Love is hard as balls, so maybe what you need-“ he grinned widely, “is a wingman!”

“How’s that social anxiety going for you?” Michael countered. 

“Oh, now that’s just cold.”

Michael laughed a little. “Sorry, I’m just joking. Honestly, a little help might be nice, but... I think I want to try and talk to him myself, first.” 

Rich nodded slowly, holding his chin in thought before giving Michael another wide grin. “How gentlemanly. But I’ll still be here to back you up, big guy.”

“Thanks, Rich," he said sincerely. "We should probably head to class.”

“Right, right," he agreed. "Good luck, Mikey!”

Michael huffed, shaking his head as he waved and walked to his homeroom. 

~~~~~

Jeremy walked into his first class nervously, looking around cautiously as if waiting for someone to read his mind and announce themselves as his soulmate.

He was still struggling to wrap his brain around the concept. He had a soulmate. The future ahead of him that previously held only predictions of being single and rejected was suddenly open to the possibility of being loved. This both excited and frightened Jeremy deeply.

What are they like? Are they a girl? Would I mind if they're not a girl?

Questions swirled through Jeremy's head as he sat down at his seat.

"Hey!" someone exclaimed suddenly, tearing Jeremy from his thoughts. He turned to see the very same boy who had been staring at him yesterday pointing at him, his face turning a bright red upon realizing what he'd done.

"Uhh..." was all Jeremy managed, his anxiety kicking in strongly.

The hooded boy dropped his finger quickly, scratching his neck as he hurried to the spot next to Jeremy.

Jeremy stared all the while, his mind going wild at what this guy might want with him. He suddenly found himself trying to think of anything he might have done to offend anyone.

When the boy had sat himself down, he turned to Jeremy, his expression flustered. "I- um... oh, geez..."

Jeremy's worry was diminishing, being replaced by secondhand embarrassment for this guy who was struggling to form a coherent sentence.

"You're- uh... you're here early?" he tried.

Jeremy chuckled awkwardly. "It's two minutes till the bell," he pointed out.

"Oh, um, right."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh, shit," the boy started, pinching his nose. "Michael," he answered. "I'm Michael Mell... and you are?"

Jeremy snorted. "You approached me without even knowing who I was?" Michael's cheeks flushed, and Jeremy decided to spare him. "Jeremy, I'm Jeremy Heere," he copied.

"Jeremy..." Michael repeated to himself. He seemed lost in thought before coming back to himself to see Jeremy cocking his head to the side. "Sorry, sorry," he said. "Some crazy stuff happened last night, so I'm a bit tired, and I'm a bit amazed to be talking to you right now."

"Funny, I had a crazy night, too," Jeremy responded, laughing lightly. "And, uh, amazed? Why would you be amazed to talk to me?"

Pink crept back up to Michael's face as he scratched his neck again. "Well, um... you're uh... always surrounded by the 'cool kids,' and you're gorgeou-" Michael clamped his hand over his mouth.

"What...?" Jeremy prompted in confusion.

"Sorry, please forget what I just said," Michael begged, his face hidden under his hands.

Jeremy frowned. "Okay..."

"Alright, to your seats!" a voice called from the front.

Jeremy took one last glance at the flustered boy before taking out his notebook.

~~~~~

"Mikey...?"

"Mm."

"Can I ask why you're repeatedly hitting your head on your locker door?"

Michael groaned, sliding down the lockers.

"Didn't go well?" Rich guessed.

"I almost said he was gorgeous..."

"Ahh..." Rich affirmed. "Did he... not respond too fondly?"

"Class started right after..."

Rich pat Michael's head. "Nothing you can do about that," he admitted, smiling sadly. "I'll be here for you, bud."

~~~~~

Jeremy entered the drama room and sat down heavily on a chair. He hadn't waited for Christine this time, the thoughts swirling in his mind drowning everything else out.

"-arth to Jere." Jeremy looked up to see a hand waving in front of his face. "You look crazy right now, not enough sleep?"

Jeremy sighed deeply. "Sorry, Jake," he said. "Something happened this morning, and I haven't been able to think about anything else."

"Something?" Brooke's voice entered the room.

Jeremy laughed awkwardly and buried his face in his arms.

"Could that something have been a someone you were talking to?" Jake guessed.

Jeremy's ears turned pink. "Did you see..."

Jake laughed lightly. "I heard someone yell 'HEY' and turned around to check it out. Never thought they'd be talking to you. Who was that guy? He seemed... awkward?"

"What a pair," Brooke teased, causing Jeremy to hit her in protest.

"I had never talked to him before," Jeremy started to explain. "It was just as shocking to me. We were just... introducing ourselves, I guess? Then he said it was weird to be able to talk to me because I hang out with you guys, and because I'm-" Jeremy's cheeks flared.

"Because you're...?"

"Nothing!" Jeremy exclaimed, hiding his face once more.

"WHO IS READY FOR DRAMA?" Christine's voice rang throughout the room as she burst through the doors. "Hm? What's wrong with him?"

~~~~~

Michael sat out on the school's steps, opening a sandwich as he blasted music through the headphones hanging on his neck.

Before he took a bite, he heard a small commotion and looked down the steps to see a small group of people pushing...

"Jeremy?!" Michael hissed to himself.

He paused his music and strained to hear what they were saying. "Get over there and talk to him!" Jeremy seemed to be protesting strongly, but pretty soon they were close enough for him to hear them loud and clear.

"Go!" A girl with blonde hair gave him one final push before they ran away.

Jeremy scratched the back of his neck and sighed, turning his head to see Michael staring at him.

"Shit-! Um, hi?" Jeremy stuttered.

Michael knew how bad of a job he was doing to hide his laughter at that moment. "Hi there," he answered.

"My friends um... they wanted to know if you wanted to... come and get something to eat after school?"

"Only your friends want me to come?" Michael cocked his eyebrow teasingly.

"Um... I'd also... like it," Jeremy murmured.

Michael felt his cheeks heat up, not quite expecting him to admit it so easily. "Oh, uh, sure," he sputtered.

Jeremy's eyes lit up, his face still slightly red. "Great! Joe's? At 4, then?"

"Got it," Michael managed.

Jeremy grinned, his cheeks a bright pink as he waved.

Michael waved back, waiting for him to walk out of sight before he stood up and tore through the halls to look for Rich.

~~~~~

Jeremy was tapping the table nervously. Christine sat next to him, blowing bubbles in her chocolate milk and giggling to herself.

"Jeremy, it's going to be fine," Brooke laughed. "I didn't know you had it this bad for the kid."

"No, I- well I guess that's part of- WAIT NO!"

Jake burst into laughter.

"Nooo," Jeremy wailed. "It's not just that I'm nervous about him, though," he admitted.

"Now what's all this?" Everyone turned to see Chloe walking to their table, sporting a camera around her neck. (Christine glared at it as if it were her mortal enemy.)

"Chlo!" Brooke exclaimed happily, hopping down from her seat at the bar to give the girl a hug. "I hoped you might come, Jeremy invited a guy-" She wiggled her eyebrows.

"A guy, hmm?" Chloe hummed. Her hands creeped to her camera absent-mindedly.

Jeremy's eyes widened. "Wait, Chloe no. You are not allowed to write this stuff down for a school newspaper."

Chloe laughed loudly. "I hadn't even thought about that. I'm just down to get some gay couple pics, is all. Good idea though, twink." She winked at Jeremy playfully, and he groaned.

"So, where's Jenna at?" Jake asked. "Didn't she get invited?"

"Oh, trust me," Chloe replied. "She's so focused on gathering stuff for the paper that meeting up with friends is the last thing on her mind. I love the girl, but she's so high-strung. I mean she is kind of nerdy, but she's got her-" Chloe stopped. "Why am I talking about this?"

Brooke laughed, her arms still wrapped around one of Chloe's. "That's too bad, we'll have to snag her on a break or something."

"Shit!" Jeremy exclaimed suddenly, trying to hide behind his cup.

The group turned around once again to see that the very reason they were all there had walked into the restaurant.

Chloe whistled. "That's quite the catch, Jeremy."

Jeremy hit her in embarrassment, searching for something else to conceal himself.

"Michael!" Christine spoke for the first time in a while, waving to the boy in the hoodie.

Michael turned, his face brightening upon seeing her.

"Christine!" He waved back, making his way over to the table.

"Wait, you know him?" Jeremy asked quickly.

Christine nodded, sipping her milk. "He was in theater for a summer camp," she explained. "Sadly against his own volition... I couldn't convince him to stay, but he was nice, so we talked."

Jeremy gawked slightly.

"Uh, hey?" Michael's voice broke through his thoughts.

Chloe stepped in before Jeremy could answer. "You're Michael, right?"

"Um, yep," he replied.

She squinted at him for a second before- "How the hell did you get your hair to look so good?"

Michael stared momentarily and then burst into laughter. "Wow, sorry, I was just not expecting that." He cringed a little. "I actually use AXE gel," he admitted. "I hate the brand, but Jesus does it work wonders in my hair."

Chloe nodded, seemingly making mental notes to pass along. "Interesting... well, as long as it isn't the body spray."

Michael shook his head quickly. "Hell no."

"Hell no, indeed," she replied. "Okay, you've passed my test. Jeremy, I give you my blessing."

"I needed your blessing?" Jeremy sputtered, avoiding eye contact with Michael.

"Of course, you twink. You think my friends can date just anyone?"

"Wish y'all would stop calling me that," Jeremy muttered, ignoring the second half.

"Alright," Jake butted in. "My turn."

Michael turned to him, cocking his eyebrow.

"Favorite Disney Prince, go."

"Easy," Michael countered. "Prince Eric."

("Bleh, that's the safe answer," Chloe commented.)

"Hmm, permittable," Jake replied. "Favorite side character?"

"Genie from Aladdin, no questions."

"Fair response." Jake nodded. "Alright, I have no problems with him, Jerm."

"My turn!" Brooke entered happily. She put a finger to her lips as she thought. "What do you love best about Jeremy?"

Chloe burst into laughter, Jake grinned widely, and Jeremy stared at her, mortified.

Michael's face reddened. "Oh gee," he began. "I- uh... I don't know him all that well right now, if I'm honest but... The first time he walked into the classroom, I couldn't look away... and then we finally talked, and it was like... his personality, um, I don't even know if I can explain it..."

The group stared at him. Jake began clapping slowly, his grin returning. Chloe whistled again, and Brooke joined in the clapping.

Michael turned to Jeremy slowly, his ears dusted with pink. Jeremy was worse off, his bright red face hiding behind his hands.

"Well said," Brooke cheered in approval. "You've passed."

~~~~~

Heere Yee: I cannot believe you guys

Panoramic: oh c'mon heere I think it went great

Froyo Princess: I like him

Heere Yee: he looked so embarrassed

Beauty and the Jake: I'm surprised you could notice that past the palms of your hands.

Heere Yee: nooooo

Jeremy placed his phone face-down on his nightstand, sighing deeply as he stared at the ceiling.

They had eaten their food, Chloe carrying the conversations as if she'd practiced for it. It wasn't as if Jeremy hadn't enjoyed it. In fact, he almost thought he had enjoyed it too much. It had been a while since his group had gone out, and he had learned more about Michael in the process. His cheeks burned as he recounted each new piece of information, and how his feelings had only grown at each one.

A buzz pulled him out of his thoughts. He groaned, thinking it was from the group chat. But when he unlocked his phone, he instead found a text from his mom.

Mama, Heere: Hello again, son! Did you read the link I sent?

Jeremy gasped. He had forgotten about the webpage when Michael walked to their table.

Me: yeah i did. That's... crazy.

Mama, Heere: Well, sure. It is quite the story. Any reason you asked for it out of the blue?

Me: um... mom... I think I might have a soulmate

Mama, Heere: YES! Excuse me, I need to go collect some money from my husband.

Jeremy stared at her text, shaking his head in disbelief. His mother knew him better than he sometimes wanted her to.

Me: but I'm kind of nervous

Mama, Heere: Oh? What's wrong?

Me: I think I have a crush

Mama, Heere: Hmm, interesting.

Me: mom!

Mama, Heere: No, no, I'm sorry, sweetie. I'm not trying to brush that off. Have you asked your soulmate for their name?

Jeremy blinked. They hadn't even exchanged their names, and yet they were planning on meeting up at some point.

Me: .... gonna have to get back to you on that

Mama, Heere: *sigh* I thought so. What will I do with these boys of mine? So forgetful. ;) I love you, honey.

Me: thanks mom. I love you too.

Jeremy locked his phone, his heart thudding in his chest as he looked over to his mirror.

~~~~~

The last thing Michael could recall was passing out as soon as he got home.

His mouth felt dry as he sat up groggily, reaching for his phone. He let out a silent laugh as he scrolled through the plethora of missed messages from Rich.

Bich: Have you met up with them?
Bich: How did it go??
Bich: Did you impress them???
Bich: You are telling me everything on Monday bitch

Michael gave a small smile, feeling bad for not responding.

Michelle Obama: Hey dude, I completely passed out when I got home
Michelle Obama: I think it went okay it was actually pretty fun
Michelle Obama: I'll fill you in later aight?

He placed his phone back down, getting out of bed to stretch before sitting back down as blood rushed to his head. When he blinked away his headrush, he looked over to his mirror to see... a note.

He scrambled back out of bed and grabbed the piece of paper, opening it quickly.

This seems... kinda strange to ask now, but what's your name?

Michael stared at the words on the page. The question was so short, but it had him tongue-tied.

I should tell them, shouldn't I? he deliberated. Why am I feeling so... nervous?

Who would this person be to me? If I introduce myself, would that change anything about how we see each other? It's just a name, but it seems like a whole hurdle I have to jump. How do they feel....?

___________________

And that... is all I have. I'm so sorry. Honestly while I was writing this I had a lot of fun, but I think my motivation kinda ran dry. It was a long run! And I thought I could handle it. But all good things come to an end, I suppose.

If anyone wants to continue this, by all means, I'd love to see where you take this idea. I won't put down what I had planned because at this point, I don't think I could do it justice. Just credit back to here if you do use the idea, I suppose haha.

I love all of you! And I'm so glad you were on this journey with us! We've loved every second of it, and while we do miss you all, we're moving on to bigger things. Senior year, for a start.

I hope you enjoyed this last little thing for this fandom that I loved so much. Keep reading! Keep writing! Your creations are wonderful things! ♡♡♡

Signing off,
May ♡