I don't know anymore. I wanted to practice writing pointless, silly stuff.

"'Sup teach?"

Mr. Asenov looks up from his desk, look at Amelia and at the clock. "You're early."

"I need to leave a surprise for Anya."

He lets out a sigh through his nose and rubs his temples. Watching his student crash and burn every time had stopped being entertaining a long time ago, and was now just pitiful to watch. "If you must." His coffee is not strong enough.

Amelia hums as she strides over to Anya's empty desk, and sets her backpack on top of the desk and unzips it. She pulls out a bundle of fake sunflowers, and sets them across the orange plastic chair, and opens up the small pouch on the front of her bag and pulls out a little letter.

"Why don't you just give those to her in person?"

"Because that's too easy."

Mr. Asenov shakes his head and takes a sip of his coffee. "If you say so."

"Do you think it'll work? These are her favorite flowers."

"Maybe."

"Do you like anyone?"

"No."

"What's their name?"

"Miss Jones, you are my student. I am not talking about my love life with you."

"You're no fun." Amelia says, pouting. She huffs as she finishes arranging the flowers and the letter so they are organized in a neat fashion and the first bell rings, a few students now slowly flowing in and Amelia takes her seat. It doesn't take too much time until Anya comes in, footsteps as quiet as ever and Amelia grins at her.

"Morning!"

"Good morning," Anya pauses and picks up the flowers. "These are cute."

"What? Oh, those. I didn't even notice those!"

Anya doesn't say anything as she gently sets the flowers next to her desk. "I'm sure someone from the last class forgot them. This has been happening frequently now."

She doesn't even read the notes. "O-or maybe they were left for you! Like, you could have a secret admirer!" Mr. Asenov stares at Amelia from his desk, and Gilbert gives Amelia a sharp kick as he walks by. "Damn it, Gilbert!"

"Why would they do that?"

"I don't know. Um, maybe they think you're really pretty? And that they like the fact you're also interested in science? O-or they think you're also really smart?"

As Matthew takes his seat, Gilbert leans over. "She's trying so hard, it's too funny."

"Strange," Anya says, voice light. The second bell rings before Amelia could say anything else, and as Mr. Asenov starts class, Amelia slouches down in her desk. At the end of class, Amelia slowly packs up her stuff for the day as Anya inspects the fake sunflowers. "So you think I might have a secret admirer?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hm," Anya gingerly picks the flowers up and places them in her bag. "Say, Amelia?"

"Yo."

"Could you help me with a bit of homework after school?"

"Uh, sure? What d'ya need help with?"

Anya gives a little shrug. "Meet me at that restaurant you and your brother always go to after school." Amelia gives a little nod, blushing somewhat. Anya gives her a little pat on the head and leaves. Amelia stumbles out afterwards, blushing heavily.

"What was that about?" Matthew asks as she joins him, Mihai and Gilbert at his locker.

"Well, I think I have a study date or something."

"You were trying too hard, it's pretty obvious." Mihai elbows his boyfriend, hard, in the side.

"Ugh shut up, Gilbert." Amelia half snaps, scowling.

"Are you going to go?" Matthew asks, pointedly ignoring Gilbert.

Amelia shrugs. "Probably."

"You should," Mihai says. "It'll spare us your complaining later."

Amelia sticks her tongue out at him. "I don't complain that much!" The warning bell goes off. "Whatever. I gotta get across the school. Later you guys." The rest of the day goes by too slowly for Amelia's taste, and as soon as the last bell went off, she was the first out the door. Without so much a word to her brother or her friends, she leaves the school as quickly as possible.

Upon arriving at the small restaurant, Amelia looks around, hoping that she isn't too early and spots her crush sitting in an off corner with a small cup of water in front of her. Mr. Vargas, a tall and energetic man who had moved to their little city from Rome with his grandchildren and the owner of the restaurant, saunters up to Amelia and slings his arm over her shoulders.

"You finally did it, huh?"

"Uh, well, she asked me to come here-"

"So it is a date!"

Amelia ducks out from under his arm. "Just a study date, I guess."

"Date with a pretty girl is still a date!"

"Yeah, yeah." Amelia grumbles as she makes her way over to Anya, fixing up her clothes as she does so. "Uh, hey." Anya looks up at that and gives her a sweet smile. As casually as she could, Amelia sits down in the booth across from her but falls hard as she does so.

"Hey."

"You said you needed help with homework?"

"I do not need help with homework," Anya says, after a moment. "But we can study together."

"But after class you-"

"I know." Anya says as she opens her backpack and pulls out a few of her text books. "Let us study together, yeah? I needed an excuse to not go home tonight."

"Everything okay there?"

"Yes. I just do not like my grandfather much. He hovers over me all the time, and is quite controlling and my brothers are very annoying. What's your home like?"

"Chaotic," Amelia says, chuckling a little bit. "Artie and Francis bicker a lot. They uh, adopted me an' my bro a long time ago."

"Do you remember who your biological parents are?"

She shakes her head. "Nah, and I don't care to. What about you?"

"They died in a car crash a few years ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," The duo goes quiet as Anya starts on her homework and Amelia plays with the straw wrapper. She isn't sure what to say, but eventually, starts on her own math homework. They study in silence for the remainder of the time until it was time for Anya to go home. "We should do this again tomorrow."

"That sounds good to me," Amelia says, a little too enthusiastically. She coughs. "I-I mean, sure." They exchange phone numbers, and that was it. Amelia sits there, stunned and unsure of what to do. Matthew texts her, asking her where she's at and when she's coming home and finally, she forces herself to leave and gives a small wave to Feliciano.

Later that night, she lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Downstairs, she can hear Arthur and Francis talking but she's not quite sure what they're saying. Matthew is already asleep, she's sure but she can't sleep.

Her phone lights up, illuminating her blue walls and the poster that sits above her bed and she rolls over and picks it up.

Thank you for the flowers :)

Amelia reads the text over and over again, dropping her face and buries her face into her pillows.