Modern Day AU- November 2017

I walked around the bustling yard sale. It was strange to see a normally small sale be so populated, but to be fair, it did have a whole lot of stuff to choose from.

Approaching a rack of shirts and dresses of various styles and sizes, I spotted a raven-haired girl- looking around my age, although a bit shorter than me- timidly looking through the decent selection.

"Uh, hey." I didn't normally like to talk to people I didn't know, but this girl felt special. She felt right. "What're you looking for?"

She glanced at me, seeming surprised I had spoken to her. "Um... just normal stuff. I just wanted to get some clothes... you know?" The girl was obviously nervous, not telling the whole truth.

I hesitated. She seemed introverted, secretive even. But something inside told me I had to talk to her more. "Who- I mean, what's your name?" I played with the zipper on my jacket.

If she looked surprised earlier, she looked even more astonished now that I had expressed interest. "D-Danielle," she mumbled. "I used to go by Dani... you know, until I learned I had a half-brother by the same name." She covered her mouth in panic. I could hear her whispering, "ohhh, whydidisaythatwhydidisaythat..."

I rested a hand on Danielle's shoulder. "What are you getting all panicked about?It's just a name."

She then pulled her arm away, frustrated. "Why are you even talking to me, anyway?" A sudden rush of the cold November wind made her words bite even more. For a half second I thought I saw her eyes flash bright green, instead of the clear sky blue she really had. "You're a stranger. You don't even know anything about me." Dani put her head down. "I was just a mistake in the cl..." she mumbled. I couldn't really make out the second part.

"Well, let's not be strangers anymore, huh? My name is Andrea. I'm 13. I'm visiting my friend who moved to Amity Park last summer."

Danielle only responded with a dull "I'm 12, I think..."

This girl. Mysterious, strange, enigmatic even. I dug into my small purse and pulled out a sticky note pad and a green pen.

"Here's my number, and some social media, if you ever want to get in contact again. I'd really like to get to know you better. This weird feeling in my gut said I had to talk to you..." I trailed off. Handing her the sticky note I had written my info on, I turned away, not even bothering to see whether Danielle had pocketed or discarded it. I had a feeling she had dine the latter. She seemed distant, she would never want to get to know me.

I decided that I'd stop believing in odd hunches.

Danielle seems so distant... she tried to push me away. I really wish I could be friends with her. She just seems interesting. And I feel sorta like there's a squish going on here. (A squish is basically a platonic crush.)

I sighed and trudged away, avoiding the look of the girl. I put my hood up.

"Andrea?" she called. "Can I tell you something?"

I jumped. Wait, so she did want to speak to me.

"Danielle?"

I turned to her. She looked friendlier now. Her hostile glare was pretty much gone. Instead, the subtle smile on her face lifted me.

"I will be contacting you. As soon as I can use a library computer," she chuckled.

I grinned. "Talk to you later."

Danielle's insane mood-swing-y behavior had finally worked out for me.

~4 hours later~

Ding. My phone recieved a notification.

'New email from phantomgirl74[at]hmail[dot]com. Subject - Hi Andrea :)'

I tapped at the notification, eager to see what I had been sent.

'This is Danielle. Sorry for the awkward encounter earlier. I was upset because I couldn't afford a nice pair of winter boots I liked. Thanks for cheering me up :D So what's been happening in your life? How is it?'

I highly doubted that she was upset solely because of the boots, but I wasn't about to interrogate her about every single thing she did when we stumbled upon one another.

I hit the reply button. My response was:

'Hey Danielle! Life has been treating me decently lately. I'm currently at my friend Katelyn's house. She and I are both artists. She's actually wearing the same shirt as you! Also, you are of similar height. She's a bit shorter though, ironic, because she's 14. She kinda reminds me of my little sister, who has the same name except spelled 'Caitlyn' instead. Speaking of, what's your family like? Do you have any siblings? Other than your half-brother Danny, of course. Also, how are your parents like? Mine are kinda normal. My dad works at an auto parts store, and my mom is a parapro for special needs kids. Sorry for the long ramble. I just talk a lot when I'm speaking to someone new over the internet.'

Before I gave myself the chance to nitpick over my hastily written email, I hit send.

I exited the email app, opening a game, because I was bored. As I watched my character run to collect coins, leaning my phone and swiping on the screen to dodge obstacles, I awaited Danielle's response.