2. Candy

The longer the day went on, the more tense Pidge got. She couldn't focus on anything except that stupid letter, no matter how much she swore she wouldn't let it get to her. She could feel Lance's worried gaze on her whenever they were in the same room together and knew he wanted to talk, but she couldn't.

Lance wouldn't understand.

No one did.

She never thought she'd find herself reliving her nightmares. She thought for sure that moving on to college meant not having to deal with juvenile pranks on a regular basis.

Pidge struggled through her classes, unable to focus, and found herself eager to reach the end of each one. She just needed to get away. She needed time to think. To be by herself. But as much as she wanted to flee the campus the moment she got out of her last class, there was one more thing she needed to do.

She hurried to the library, seeking out a particular table tucked away in the back corner near a window overlooking the campus arboretum. Sitting at the table, head bowed as he poured over a textbook, was her friend and favorite study-buddy, Keith. She slowed as she approached, taking a moment to appreciate the way the sunlight hit his black hair, which was pulled back into a stubby ponytail at the base of his neck. His mouth was twisted down into a frown as he tried to understand whatever it was he was reading.

He groaned and lifted his head up, taking a quick glance around. When he spotted her, his frown melted away, replaced by a sweet smile.

Pidge tried to ignore the way her heart seemed to skip a beat.

Maybe she would stay for a little while.

"Hey," he greeted as she walked closer.

Pidge swung her bag down from one shoulder, preparing to set it next to her usual chair. "Hi," she replied, offering him her own smile as she sat down.

From there, their study session proceeded as usual, with Keith asking her to explain a technical detail every now and then and Pidge requesting help with proofreading on her current essay. With him, it was easy to forget about the letter. They were immersed in their own world; nothing outside of their corner of the library existed to them so long as they were there together.

Until Keith bent down and took a small box of Valentines candy from his bag and put it on the table for them to share.

Pidge stared at it, feeling as though she'd been doused with freezing water. All of her stresses of the day came rushing back, the memory of the letter crushed at the bottom of her bag screaming for her attention. She clutched her pencil hard.

"Pidge?" Keith asked, concerned. He glanced from the candy on the table, to the pinched expression on her face and wondered if there was something he'd forgotten. Was she allergic? Had she expressed her hatred of the candies to him before and he'd somehow forgotten? Did-?

"I got a love letter today."

Keith went still, all of the air knocked from his lungs.

How did she find out it was me?

Pidge breathed in shakily, staring down at her clenched hands as she rested them on the tabletop. "You know in all of those stupid teenage movies, the ones where the so-called ugly nerd girl likes the pretty popular boy and gets a makeover for the school dance and is suddenly desirable? And he does everything he can, like leaving 'romantic' notes in her locker or whatever until she decides he isn't such a bad guy and then they date? That... was never my high school experience. I was the nerd girl who was teased for being too smart and I did get love letters left for me, but they were all part of a joke. A joke I stupidly believed for three months until I learned the truth."

Keith's gut twisted guiltily as he watched a single tear slide down her cheek. If he'd known the misery he'd cause her from his letter, he never would have written it. He never would have left it for her to find. (He never would have confessed his feelings, period, keeping them bottled up deep deep inside forever.)

"I'm sorry," Pidge apologized, standing up. Her hands trembled as she gathered her things. "I can't. I-"

Without realizing what he was doing, Keith reached out and gently grabbed her hand, steadying her and keeping her from running away. "Whoever did that to you, is an idiot. You're an incredible person, Katie. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend." He could feel his cheeks heating up as his brain caught up with his mouth, but the damage was done.

Pidge blinked back more tears, tugging her hand from his grasp.

And then she was gone.