AN: Hello again! Just finished writing this so I thought I'd post it. Also, if you hadn't noticed, I did completely change chapter one, which is why there is also a different cover for this story as well. So make sure you go back and read chapter one if you haven't seen the updated version before you read this. If you have read the updated chapter one, then enjoy and please leave a review to let me know what you think!

After school, I ended up in the computer lab. I took out my laptop just as my phone rang.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Hey, honey," my mom's voice said through the phone.

"Hey, mom. W-what's up?"

"So, I know I told you I would be taking you to your appointment, but I'm stuck at work. They just announced budget cuts this morning, and so I volunteered to work an extra shift. You know, so that I can show that I'm, you know, a team player."

"Yeah, no, I get it. I'll, um, I'll just take the bus."

"Perfect. That's perfect. Oh, and I'm going straight from here to class, so I won't be home until late, so please eat something. I think we have a frozen pizza in the freezer..."

"Maybe," I replied noncommittally.

"Did you write one of those letters yet? Dr. Sherman's expecting you to have one. 'Dear Sophie Miller. This is going to be a good day and here's why'?"

"Yeah, no, I already finished it. I'm in the computer lab right now, printing it out."

"I hope it was a good day, sweetheart."

"It was... yeah, it was really great," I lied.

"Great. That's great. I hope it's the beginning of a great year. I think we could both use one of those, huh? Shit. I have to run. Bye. I love you."

The line had already gone dead as I said "bye" and put my phone back in my pocket. I took a few slow, deep breaths before opening my laptop and starting to compose my letter, dictating it out loud as I typed.

Dear Sophie Miller:

It turns out, this wasn't an amazing day after all. This isn't going to be and amazing week or an amazing year. Because...why would it be?

Oh I know. Because there's Connor. And all my hope is pinned on Connor. Who I don't even know and who doesn't know me. I mean, of course he doesn't. He's too busy smoking pot and skipping school to notice me. Maybe if I could just talk to him, then maybe...maybe nothing would be different at all.

I wish that everything was different. I wish that I was a part of...something. I wish that anything I said...mattered to anyone. I mean, face it: would anybody even notice if I disappeared tomorrow?

Sincerely, your best and most dearest friend,

Me.

I read back over the letter again. After erasing the part about Connor, I sent it to the printer. Shutting my laptop, I stuck it in my bag and prepared to grab the letter and leave.

"So. What happened to your arm?"

I looked up at the sound of Connor's voice.

"Oh, I um, I fell out of a tree actually."

"You fell out of a tree? That is just the saddest fucking thing I've ever heard. Oh my God," he laughed.

I tried to laugh along, then stopped when I remembered what had happened earlier.

"I know," I said instead.

"No one's signed your cast," he noticed.

"No, I know," I said quietly, wishing I could just disappear into the floor.

"I'll sign it."

"Oh. Um...you don't have to," I said quickly, hoping he would drop it like blue polo boy.

"Do you have a Sharpie?" he inquired.

There was a pause as he waited before I pulled the marker from my pocket and handed it over to him. He pulled my arm toward him and I said ow quietly. He paused, looking at me, before taking the cap off and signing his name in large capital letters across a whole side of the otherwise blank cast.

"Oh. Great. Thanks," I said, not sure if my tone sounded sarcastic or not.

"Now we can both pretend that we have friends," he stated.

"Um, yeah. Of course."

I made to leave when he held out a piece of paper.

"Is this yours? I found it on the printer. 'Dear Sophie Miller.' That's your name right?"

I felt a surge of fear, but also relief that I had deleted the section that had mentioned his name.

"Oh that's just a stupid, it's a paper I had to write for a, um, for an assignment," I tried to grab the paper from him, but he pulled it back reading from it.

"'I wish everything was different'...Do you really think like this?"

"N-no. Could you just, please, give it to me?"

"'I mean, face it: would anybody even notice if I disappeared tomorrow?' You didn't really fall did you?"

"What? Yes, yes I did. Can I p-please have my letter?"

"Did you let go?"

"P-please. I really n-need that back. Can you just, can you please give it back?"

I grabbed at the paper and pulled at the same time he did, resulting in the page ripping in half.

"I...I'm s-sorry. I-"

Before Connor could stutter out anything else I had ran from the room, heading to the bus stop so I could get to my therapy session before it got too late.

"Did you bring the letter I asked for, Sophie?"

I was staring across the room dejectedly, not really listening to Dr. Sherman's words.

"Sophie!"

I jumped, turning my gaze to look at the doctor sitting in the chair across from me.

"The letter?"

"Letter?"

"That I asked you to bring me?"

"Oh. That letter. Yeah...um. I, uh, I have it."

"Great. Can I see it, please."

"Um...n-no."

"Why not?"

I swallowed hard, playing with the hem of my shirt.

"I-I don't f-feel like t-that's a good idea."

"You don't? Care to explain."

"Well, it's just that, er, I didn't actually p-print it out."

"That's fine. Can you pull it up on your laptop?"

I bit my lip, slipping my laptop out of my bag. I didn't actually want Dr. Sherman to know what I had written in my letter. I supposed I could just pull up one of my unfinished ones and read from that. Yeah, I'd do that. Read the beginning of an unfinished letter and make up the rest of it. That wouldn't be too hard...

"S-so. Do you j-just want me to read it out loud, or..."

"That would be perfect."

Swallowing hard, I began to read off the screen.

"Dear Sophie Miller:

Today is going to be an amazing day, and here's why. Because today, all you have to do is just be yourself.d

But also confident. That's important. And interesting. Easy to talk to. Approachable. But mostly be yourself. That's the big, that's number one. Be yourself. Be true to yourself.

Also, though, don't worry about whether or not you'll have another panic attack, because that...that's not really...I don't know why I'm bringing that up. Because, really, you can't really control whether they happen or not, so..."

I went quiet as I got to the end of the unfinished letter.

"Sophie?"

I glanced up from the screen, picking at my nails.

"You didn't actually finish a letter for me, did you?"

"I...well, um, not...not exactly..."

Dr. Sherman sighed and put his notepad down.

"I think that will be enough for today. We'll try again next week and hopefully by then you will have completed your assignment."

I put my laptop away, standing and making my way toward the door. I pulled out my phone to see I had a text from my mom. Unlocking the screen, I glanced through the text. She was just letting me know that an emergency came up at work and she had to get back as soon as her class finished. She wouldn't be home at all that night and I shouldn't expect to see her until late tomorrow evening. I sighed and put the phone back in my pocket. I walked to the bus stop, not at all surprised by my mom's news. Something like this always came up.

I got home after dark. I didn't even bother eating like my mom asked. I just headed straight to my room and got ready for bed, praying that tomorrow would be better than today had gone.