Chapter Text
The just-barely-setting sunlight streams through Juniper's window, making her room glow. Juniper taps her pen against her desk, biting her lip. The blank page of carefully chosen stationary stares back at her, menacingly, as it has done for the past thirty minutes. Her schoolwork sits forgotten in her bag, her phone likewise silenced and discarded on her nightstand, all because of one small problem. One teensy tiny problem by the name of Athena Cykes. Well, not a problem, really, but more of an... unexpected reunion. And it's not really a reunion, either, because- Juniper sighs, spinning around in her chair, in more anguish than her actions give away. How is this even happening to her? How could such a simple action set her whole day in a spin like this?
That morning, between second and third period, Juniper had received an unexpected text. A picture of a letter, on the kitchen countertop at home, addressed to her. With the image, her mother wrote "Something came in the mail for you today. I'm not sure who it's from because the return address is in French." In the five minute passing period between her Intro to Law class and her PE class, Juniper studied every inch of that yellow envelope-- the loops in the handwriting, the extra flourish on the capital J of her name, even the floral stamp at the top. A letter? For her? Her imagination ran wild with what could possibly be in that letter, who the sender could be.
At lunch, Robin had to shout before Juniper heard what he asked. "Yo, are you doin' good, Juniper? You seem crazy distracted," he frowned, waving a fry around in the air.
"I concur," Hugh chimed in, pushing up his glasses. "As amusing as it was when Ms. Heard had to drop a textbook on your desk to get you to respond after she called on you this morning, it's getting a little worrying now. Are you sure you're well enough to be here today?"
Juniper nodded, trying to ignore the way her face heated up from embarrassment. "No, I'm okay, really. I've just been a little- preoccupied, today. Sorry to make you guys worry..."
Hugh raised his eyebrows. "A little preoccupied? I would hardly call being able to ignore Robin's volume level for so long a little preoccupied."
"MORE LIKE TOTALLY ON A DIFFERENT PLANEEEEEEET!!" Even despite eating outside, the trio managed to catch some stares nearly every day due to Robin's outbursts.
Juniper twirled a piece of hair around her finger. "I got a letter from France," she started, voice shaking from equal parts excitement and nervousness. "I don't really get mail, and I don't know anyone from France, so I've been really distracted wondering what could be in that letter." More like fantasizing, in all honesty. About that girl, from what felt like forever ago, maybe remembering her childhood friend, deciding to send her a letter. About that girl, with the orange side pony, twirling her hair and making that face she always used to, trying to settle on what to write to her Junie. Juniper suppressed a contended sigh. What she would give to hear Thena call her Junie again. Just the thought of it, the idea that maybe they could see each other again, made her head spin. If she really was reaching out again, then that meant there was a chance, didn't it? A chance they could watch the sunset together again, a chance Juniper could drag her along Main Street again, show her all the new shops and all their nostalgic old hangout spots, lay in the clover field outside the Space Center again, maybe even snuggle up next to each other while they look at the stars, closing the distance, feeling Thena's breath hot on her chest as-
"EARTH TO JUNIPERRRRRRR!!! ARE YOU STILL WITH US!!!!!!!!" Robin screamed, scaring some birds in a nearby tree with the sheer force of his voice. Juniper jumped, firmly knocked out of her fantasies. The trio of friends laughed at the sheer absurdity of the situation, and for a few more hours, Juniper almost didn't think about the letter or Thena at all.
When the final bell rang, Juniper rushed out of the classroom doors, as fast as she could go without getting in trouble for running. The entire walk home, she was back in the clouds, and almost ran into other people walking home more than once. She wondered what Thena might have written, how many pages it was, what kind of stationary it was written on, even how the paper smelled.
By the time she actually got home, Juniper had thoroughly psyched herself out, and the sight of that yellow envelope on the counter intimidated her more than a little bit. What if it actually wasn't a letter from Thena at all, and she'd gotten her hopes up for nothing? She crept towards it, like if she moved too suddenly it might attack her. She silently thanked her lucky stars that nobody else was in the house to laugh at whatever she was doing. When she got within arm's reach of the letter, she froze. Doubt flooded into her mind. No, there's no way Thena really wrote her a letter, it was silly to think so, she should manage her expectations- Juniper snatched up the letter forcefully and ran to her room before the fear could get the better of her. She slammed the door to her room behind her on accident because of her frenzy.
Unfortunately, this burst of courage did not last long, and Juniper spent the next fifteen or so minutes staring at the (slightly crumpled) letter at the foot of her bed while she cowered near the headboard. She stared at it, head in hands, through the gaps between her fingers, trying not to shake. Every time she reached out to try and get ahold of it, she would flinch away before she could touch it, like trying to put her hand on a hot stove.
"It's fine," Juniper reassured herself aloud, sounding much less than fine. "It's totally fine! I just have to open the letter, and then I'll find out if it's nothing, or maybe it really is from Thena-" her breath caught in her throat. She took maybe the world's shakiest deep breath in. "It's just- It's just paper," she swallowed hard, "I- I just have to open it!!" With a yelp, she lunged across the bed and grabbed the letter, peeling the sticker used as a seal off just slow enough to not rip it.
Two or three pages of stationary with a cute clover-covered border came tumbling out. "My dear Junie," the first three words read, and Juniper felt her heart beat so fast she was sure it was going to explode. This was just too much! This could not possibly be happening! She buried her face in her mattress, kicking her feet with more force than she even knew she had in her. It really was a letter from Thena! She was finally reaching out! And she called her Junie! Juniper rolled around in her bed, messing up her hair so bad she nearly knocked the sunflower out of it. The sunflower she started wearing after Thena's departure, because the yellow reminded her of someone special. Someone she was sure she'd never hear from again, someone she thought had forgotten her until this morning.
After a few more minutes of Juniper cosplaying an overheated laptop, she dared to take another peek at the letter, and quickly found herself totally taken in by Thena's words. It read:
My dear Junie,
Hi there! It's been a while, hasn't it? Really, I've wanted to write a letter to you for a long time, but at first I couldn't think of what to say, and then I was worried you'd be upset because I took so long. Hopefully, you can find it in your heart to forgive me! >‿<
How have you been? I'd love to hear all about it, if you want to write me a letter back. No pressure, ofc, but it would be super awesome to hear from you again! (◠‿◕)
I've spent the last four years in Europe, in a bunch of different countries. I've learned a bunch of different phrases in a bunch of different languages! Right now, I'm living in France, and I've been living here for about six months. It's a lot of fun! I've seen a ton of interesting stuff across all the places I've lived. I wish I could show you all of it, but I always forget to take pictures whenever I'm doing something cool. Maybe when we're older, I'll drag you out here and show you around in person!
I've skipped a few grades since we were in school, so I'm taking senior classes right now. They're not very hard, all things considered. Maybe I get that from my mom. I heard she was a regular prodigy when she was in school, too. What are you doing for school? Are you able to go to school more often than when we were kids? I wanna hear everything about your life now, even stuff you might think is boring. Spare no detail!
Anyways, I'm finally writing this letter to you because I walked by a store yesterday and they had this stationary on sale in the window. Isn't it cute?! I thought it was just so you, Junie! Remember when you found a four-leaf clover outside the Space Center and you gave it to me? I still have that framed, actually. Every time I look at it, it makes me smile. When I get back to the States, I'd love to go hunting for four-leaf clovers again with you, if you're up for it. Those are some of my favorite memories of back then. You were always soooooo cute when you would lie down in the field and the little flowers would gather around your hair!
If you're wondering when I'll be back in the States, I'm not really sure. I'm gonna finish my education first, but as soon as I'm done with that, I promise I'll be on the first flight to Cali! If I had to guesstimate a time period, I think probably when we're both 18. That should give me enough time to go to college, I think, if I speedrun it, I mean! (◠‿・)—☆
I've had so much fun writing this letter to you! If you wanna write back, we could make this a regular thing maybe? We can be cross-country pen pals, just like in the movies!!
Much love,
Athena Cykes
P.S.: I found this pin at the same store that sold the stationary! Hopefully it can bring you some luck <3
At the bottom of the envelope, caught on one of the side folds, was a small enamel pin of a four-leaf clover. Juniper spun it around in her fingers, trying really hard not to cry on it (or worse, the letter paper). All this time, Thena really had remembered her, thought about her, missed her. It was like all of her dreams were coming true. Thena was okay, and even thriving from the sound of it! Not only that, but she still cared about Juniper! And she signed off with "much love"!!! Juniper hugged the letter close to her chest while she stared at the ceiling, trying to process it. She resolved right then and there to write Thena a reply letter as fast as she could, totally unaware of how complicated that process would turn out to be.
The overjoyed glow from when she first read the letter gave way to a looming anxiety as she realized she didn't have the first idea what to write in response. So here she is, sitting at her desk, drawing a total blank on what to write back to Thena for what is quickly nearing a full hour. She slumps over, lying her face on the desk, staring out her window. The orange sky, dotted with a few clouds, behind the sunflowers in her garden. She first planted those sunflowers back after Thena left, as a reminder of her. A few months ago, they'd started to wilt, and no matter what Juniper did, they wouldn't perk back up- that is, until a few days ago, when they magically got better. Maybe they reacted to Thena's letter, somehow. The sight of her garden, of those sunflowers against the orange sky, it's so reminiscent of Thena that it's almost not fair. Juniper wants, more than anything in the world, to be with her, to see her again, to see her smile brighter than the sun like she used to. That's not exactly the sort of sentiment you can put in the first contact you've had with a friend in four years, though. She sighs, tapping her head against the desk lightly, trying to stir up some sort of thought.
Suddenly, an idea strikes her-- Thena talked about wanting to send pictures, and Juniper has a sight she wants to share with Thena right in front of her. She digs through her desk for her camera, opens her window, and snaps a picture. The sweet floral scent of her garden drifts through the window, on warm evening air. The entire moment is just so... perfect, like someone else Juniper knows. 18 is a long ways off, but maybe if she keeps finding Thena in the little things, it won't be so long after all. Juniper takes the back off the pin Thena got for her and attaches it to her sunhat, humming a tune. Now, every time she wears it, it'll be like she has a little piece of Thena with her. She hangs the hat on her bed post at a mild slant, so she can see it out of the corner of her eye while she's facing her desk and the window. Maybe the pin does give her luck, or maybe it's something about the scent of sunflowers, or maybe it's just coincidence, but just like that, Juniper knows what she wants to write back to Thena. She clicks her pen out, takes a deep breath in, and at the top of the page, in cursive, starts the letter off with three simple words.
"My dear Thena,"