Debra's Love Letters

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 5)

A few days later, Debra continued to receive love letters in her locker. She still didn't know who was the man behind the letters but she pretty much ignored that fact to enjoy getting her notes more. When she left her fourth period class for lunch, she walked down the hallway with Kyle, who just came back from his lunch period, for a chat.
"Do you pack a lunch?" asked Kyle.
"Nowadays," Debra answered.
"Did you pack one today?"
"I feel like I did."
"Good. I think. You will not believe what is being served in the cafeteria."
"What?"
"Cheese-fish."
"What is that?"
"A lot of sharp cheddar cheese smothering baked trout fish."
"I do not believe it."
"Told you."
"That sounds disgusting."
"It does sound disgusting but it's actually quite appetizing."
Debra smiled. "Ew."
"Yeah, I'm not proud of myself."
"Well, I'm glad that I can take food from home and eat it here instead of eating gross and unhealthy cafeteria food."
Kyle chuckled.
"Plus, I don't eat fish like that."
"I love fish. You're such a yogi."
"A proud, committed yogi. You wish you were me."
"Ha, I like you but I do not wish that."
"Good because I'm the only one in this school who can rock a pair of fringe boots. Actually, I'm lying. I am not the only one who can rock them. Some girls here wear them better than me.
"You are too nice."
"I'm just not cocky; that's all."
"Trust me, you would feel much better cocky."
"Oh! Didn't I tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
"For more than a week, I have been getting love letters in my locker, like, daily."
"Love letters?"
"Yeah, like four a day since last Thursday."
"And they're for you?"
"Yeah. Most of them are signed 'Dear Debra'."
"Are you sure that they're not for a different Debra?"
"Shut up! No, they're for me. The letters are written in a poetic form and they describe my characteristics and style."
"Um, ick! Who is writing you the letters anyway?"
"I don't know. They are all signed 'Anonymous'."
"So your boyfriend could be Casper the Ghost?"
"Uh, Casper is a friendly ghost. Anybody would be lucky to date him."
Kyle rolled his eyes playfully.
Just in time, Debra stopped by locker. "Anyway, I usually get them before lunch and before the end of school." She put in the combination on the lock of her locker and soon opened the door, with only one letter falling out from the top. "Aw, there's only one," she frowned. She kneeled down and picked up the thick white note from the floor. She stood up and unfolded it, revealing a new letter entry. She held it up to Kyle's face. "Look, read it and weep."
Kyle took the letter from Debra's hand and started skimming through it. "Wow, this is a big deal," he commented.
"Told ya!"
"And you have no idea who this could be?"
"No idea. My friend, Madeline, thought it was my friend, Darrell, who was sending the notes. But it is not him and that is why I had to apologize to him earlier because Madeline wanted to go all Bruce Willis on him. I hope Darrell can past this and give me direct eye contact like he used to do."
"Well, good luck with him."
"I wish this wasn't made a big deal out of. I might seem crazy but I believe that I'm infatuated with this guy. And I don't care who this guy is -- whether he is short, tall, skinny, fat, healthy, sick -- he makes me feel beautiful every day. So if I have to wait days or weeks or months or years to know who he is, then it would be worth the wait."
Kyle relaxed his shoulders along with his eyes. "Maybe you don't have to wait."
"Why?"
Kyle quickly grabbed Debra's shoulders and crushed his lips against hers. After a second, Debra pulled away and gagged.
"Uh, cheese-fish," she groaned, covering her mouth until she started retching. She put her hand on her chest and took deep breaths, thinking she was going to vomit. "Sorry about that," she sighed. "I can taste your-- yeah, sorry. Um, what was that?"
"It's me."
Debra broke eye contact. "Me?"
"I'm 'Anonymous'."
Debra's eyes widened. "You're 'Anonymous'?"
"Yeah, it was obvious from me kissing you and telling you that I'm Anonymous a second ago."
"I don't know what to say but... it makes so much sense!"
"What makes sense?"
"I don't know. I just say things to give me closure. On the other hand, I don't know what 'closure' is so I'm just weird."
"It's okay; I'm weird, too."
Debra giggled. "I just can't believe it's you. I could've sworn that you make it clear that you don't like me that way."
"It's called teasing. It's something you do when you like someone."
"It's also something you do when you don't like someone."
"Yeah, whatever. The point is I liked you forever and I can never stop thinking about you."
Debra slowly smiled.
"You're nice, funny, and pretty. I didn't know how to tell you so I kind of told you in letters. I've been reading poetry lately and been trying to write my own. I'm shy, what can I do? Do you like me... in that way?"
Debra lost her smile and bit her lip. "Kyle, I've always liked you... but as a friend. I just never thought about you in that way. I'm relieved that I know it's you but you're like my little brother. And I can't date my little brother, with the laws and stuff. I'm really sorry but I just don't feel the same."
Kyle looked down. "You just had to drop the 'B' bomb on me."
"I wanted to leave that part out but I wanted to be open. I'm really sorry."
"It's okay. I sort of saw it coming."
"At least we now have closure... whatever that is."
Kyle chuckled. "I hope nothing's going to be weird after everything."
"Oh, no. We can just forget that everything that happened ever happened."
"Yeah. But keep the letters, please. They're special to me."
Debra grinned. "Okay."
Soon the bell rung, barely startling the two.
"Oh, I'm going to be late," said Kyle.
"You're already late for class. And Kyle?" Debra took off her dream-catcher necklace and put it over Kyle's neck. "Have sweet dreams tonight."
Kyle lifted up the necklace and looked at it for a while. "I will. Thanks." He turned around and walked away to his next destination.
Debra sighed and relaxed her shoulders. "I kissed cheese-fish and booger lips," she said to herself calmly. "You just made a goal for yourself, Debbie."

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 4)

The week after, lunch began again, and the girls had already started their conversation at their table. Debra had received four more letters earlier that day so she was ready to talk about who was sending those notes to her locker.
"Did you go to the party, Maddie?" asked Debra.
"Oh, yes, I did," Maddie replied.
"What did you do over there?"
"Oh, you know, the thing I do at every party."
"Nothing?" responded Lizzie.
"No, I did something."
"So did you talk to Darrell?" Debra asked.
"Yeah, I talked him."
"So... is it him?"
"Well, before I answer that, I asked him a series of questions to, you know, get the truth out of him. But I did it in a cool and collected way so he can open up more confidently."
"But I thought you said you were more fierce towards him," said Lizzie.
"What? No, I didn't. You must've misunderstood me."
"No, I heard you loud and clear. You said you were really aggressive when asking him questions."
Debra gave Madeline a funny expression.
Madeline chuckled in a nervous way. "No, Lizzie. When I asked him questions, I was very nice and I asked him in a very hinting way. You know, with innuendo."
"No," said Lizzie, "you said you were aggressive towards him and you were very blatant."
"What? No, Lizzie."
"And didn't you say you pinned him against a wall?"
"Of course not."
"I think you did."
"Oh..."
"Maddie!" Debra exclaimed.
"Lizzie, when I say I'm telling you something in confidence," whispered Madeline with clenched teeth, "you can't tell anybody the thing I said."
"Oh, I forgot what 'in confidence' meant," admitted Lizzie. "I'm sorry."
"Yeah, sorry doesn't make me richer. Debra, I can explain."
"Then explain," said Debra.
Madeline paused. "You know what? I can't really explain it."
"I can't believe you pinned Darrell to a wall and interrogated him. Now he's going to act all funny towards me."
"No, he's not. I told him not to tell you what I said to him."
"That doesn't make him not act weird."
"Yeah, I know. I was just trying to make you feel better."
"Well, it didn't. Does he even like me?"
"No. It turns out it's not him."
"Then your interrogation was unnecessary. Darrell can never be my friend again."
"Please, you don't need all these friends," said Andrea quietly.
"I just want to know who is 'Anonymous'. But this is getting way out of hand."
"What are you trying to say?" asked Madeline.
"I'm saying that I should forget about it. We should all forget about it."
"Debra, you can't just go through the rest of the school year without knowing who is giving you love letters," said Skye.
"But I will never know if the sender is not going to give up his identity. Who could be putting these love letters in my locker?"
"It could be your dad," Lizzie responded.
Debra gave out a blank expression. "Why would it be my dad?"
"Don't parents put little letters in their kids' lunch sometimes?"
"The letters I receive are always in my locker. Plus, why would my dad write things like, 'Your eyes sparkle like a river of spring water' or 'Your hair is like a thousand flames burning away at my chance of getting closer to you'?"
"Maybe your dad has a crush on you?"
"That's pedophilia."
"Then call the police," said Andrea.
"Guys, my dad is not a pedophile! It's some dude who likes to write poetry and stashes his poems in my locker while I'm in class or at lunch."
"Maybe the letters are meant for someone else," said Lizzie.
"He signs them 'Dear Debra'."
"Maybe they're for a different Debra."
"How many Debra's can there be in the school with brown eyes and red hair and laced clothing?"
"I'm just trying to help you."
"Debbie, I hope I'm not mistaken," Madeline started, "but I think you're starting to fall for this 'Anonymous'."
"Ah, dios mios," uttered Andrea. "It makes so much sense now."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Debra chuckled nervously.
"Proof we know!" shouted Madeline.
"Proof you know what?"
"That you like this boy. I can tell by your nervous laugh."
"How come you're always making conclusions from my use of language?"
"It's a genius thing. You wouldn't understand."
"Okay, you want to know something. Yes, yes, I do like this mystery person."
Lizzie squealed.
"But I don't even know who he is so I feel like I'm crushing over nothing."
"Sweetie, a crush is a crush," said Andrea. "You shouldn't be ashamed of who you like."
"Like how you weren't ashamed when you had a crush on that standee from the mall?" said Madeline.
"Hey, that standee is a hard photograph of a person, who is real by the way."
"Whatever. Debra, whatever you find out, we'll have your back. Even if it takes years and years and years..."
"Okay!" said Debra. "I know; it might take a while. Thanks though."
"At least seven," Lizzie blurted out.
"At least seven what?" questioned Madeline.
"There are at least seven people in the world who look like you. So there is a seven in a billion chance that another Debra is around you."
"Have you been watching the National Geographic channel again?" asked Andrea.

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 3)

Three days later, the girls' lunch period had started and Madeline arrived to the cafeteria last just like always and were greeted by her girlfriends as she sat down in her spot.
"Can't wait to eat," she said, laying down her lunch bag. "I'm so hungry, I could eat a light-bulb."
"Do you mean a horse?" said Lizzie.
"No, I'm trying to emphasize how hungry I am, which is really hungry."
"So you would like to eat a light-bulb?" asked Andrea.
"No! I'm just really hungry."
"Hungry enough to eat a light-bulb?" questioned Skye.
"Yes."
"So you do want to eat a light-bulb?" Lizzie asked.
"No! I'm just hungry! I don't want to eat any light-bulbs. It was just a figure-of-speech."
"We were just making sure," said Andrea.
"I wouldn't eat a horse, either."
"Of course you wouldn't," said Lizzie.
Madeline unzipped her bag open, exposing her lunch for the day. "So... what's new?"
"Remember when I got that love letter a few days ago?" inquired Debra.
The girls nodded.
"I've been getting more of those."
"You've gotten more?" asked Madeline.
"Yeah, ever since that day. Plus, they've increased in a certain pattern so it's not like a few. It's more like a lot."
"Please, Debbie," said Lizzie. "You're probably exaggerating."
"Oh, yeah?" She picked up her tan, fringe tote bag from the floor behind her and dropped it on the lunch table. She unzipped it open and stuck her hand into it. It took her a couple of seconds to dig into the bag, leading to her pulling out dozens of pale-colored envelopes and Post-It-sized notes. "Guess how many I've gotten?" she asked, holding the notes up and widening her eyes.
Lizzie hesitated. "Three?"
"More like twenty."
"Do you know who they're from?" asked Andrea.
"I have no clue. They are all signed 'Anonymous'. I don't know anybody in the school named 'Anonymous'!"
"'Anonymous' is not a name," corrected Madeline.
"You don't think I know that, Smart Aleck?"
"You should be happy that you're getting love letters," said Skye. "Somebody in the school likes you."
"I know, but I don't know who would send these to me. For all I know, this could be a practical joke."
"Come on, Debra," said Madeline. "I don't think anybody in the school would try to prank you."
"Unless it's the Cow Belles," Andrea added. "If it's them, I would beat the crap out of them for you."
"You don't have to do that," said Debra. "I don't condone violence anyway."
"Can you read one of your letters real quick?" asked Skye.
"Sure." She put most of her love notes away in her purse, holding one note. She opened it up and started reading:

Dear Debra,

I cannot stop thinking about you
I cannot get you out of my head
The way you walk and the way you talk
Makes my face turn a scarlet red

Sincerely,
Anonymous

"Are all of the words correctly spelled?" asked Skye.
"Yes," answered Debra.
"Then it's not the Cow Belles. You should see their grammar quizzes."
"Do you know any boys who could've written those letters?" asked Madeline.
"No," Debra replied, "every boy I know I'm friends with."
"Do they want to be friends with you?" asked Lizzie.
Debra paused. "I don't know."
Madeline gasped. "You don't know?"
"Debra, your niceness can get confused as flirting sometimes," said Andrea. "And your guy friends might think you got a 'going-on' for them."
"There is no way," said Debra. "Just because I don't know doesn't mean there isn't a chance that they're not that into me."
"There has to be one guy that likes you," said Madeline. "What about your friend, Kyle?"
"I've seen Kyle eat a booger before. Anybody who thinks it's okay to do that cannot write a love poem."
"What about your friend, Billy?" Lizzie threw out there.
"Billy can't even spell his own name," responded Madeline.
"Maddie, harsh," commented Debra.
"Oh, so what do you think?"
"To be honest, I don't think it's him."
"What about Darrell?" said Skye.
"I-- Uh--"
"Proof it's possibly him!" Madeline called out. "Suspect Number One."
"Wait a minute. That is not proof."
"Uh, you stuttered, making it proof enough."
"But I don't know."
"Exactly. That means it is my job to figure that out. But how?"
"Well, I was thinking about going to Darrell's party tonight but--"
"That is perfect! I will go to Darrell's party instead of you and look for answers."
"Isn't his house the one with red paint and the lights?" asked Lizzie.
"Yes, yes, it is," said Debra.
"Debra, you might be facing the one person who set you and your future husband up together," said Madeline, confidently. "You can thank me later."
"Maddie, we don't even know it's him." Debra put back her previous note and picked up a different one from her bag. She opened it and continued, "Plus I don't think that Darrell would write that my eyes are 'like chocolate bon-bons from a heart-shaped box for Valentine's Day'."
"Ugh," uttered Lizzie, "I hope your guy isn't like that man from the video where he said, 'Your eyes are like blueberries. Can I have some?'"  

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 2)

Later in the day, after the bell rung for the next period, Debra left her last class and started walking down the hallway with one of her friends, Billy, who she happened to run into.
"I am so prepared for my English test," said Debra, waving her arm full of books.
"You're prepared?" responded Billy.
"So prepared. I feel like I'm going to pass it."
"Did you study?"
"Pretty much. I remember everything."
"Okay. Do you know who Edgar Allen Poe was?"
"Of course. He was a poet that married his teenage cousin. Right?"
"I don't know; I just heard that name today."
"I don't even think Edgar Allen Poe will be on my test. So there is no way I'll answer questions about him."
"I feel like you would pass. You're very smart."
"Not when I'm tired or wearing foggy goggles."
"Oh, then make sure you get plenty of sleep and wear clean goggles."
Debra giggled. "I'll make sure."
"But I'm serious. I guarantee you will get an A."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Like, first prediction: A. Second prediction: A."
Debra giggled again.
"But if you don't get an A, then I don't even know what I'm talking about."
"Okay."
"But I'm confident that you'll pass. If you pass, I will give you money."
"Oh, you don't have to do that."
"No, it's okay. I have a bunch of money in my piggy bank that I need to get rid of."
"There's money in your piggy bank?"
"Yeah."
"And you're trying to get rid of it?"
"Yeah, I don't use it."
Debra's face froze. "You-- You don't-- don't have to give me money," she stuttered.
"No, I want to."
"It's fine, it's fine."
"Okay, if you insist."
"Thank you."
"When is the test?"
"Tomorrow."
"Oh, then I'll probably forget."
Debra smiled.
"But I wish you good luck."
"Thanks."
"I don't know what to do with my money now."
"Well, you can donate it... or save it."
"I thought you had to be eighteen to donate."
"Silly Billy, that's not true."
"You going to lunch?"
"Oh, yeah."
"That was a guess."
"You never knew?"
"I don't go to lunch this period."
"Well, that's okay." She finally stopped by her locker.
"Well, see you, Debbie." Billy started walking past her.
"See you, Bills," she set the combination on the lock of her locker.
After putting in her combination, she opened her locker. Instantly, a folded piece of paper fell from the bottom of her locker door. Debra scrunched her eyebrows at the mysterious piece of paper. She bent over and quickly picked it up with her free hand. Unhesitant, she opened the piece of paper, which exposed a small letter written in thick, black pen. It read:

Dear love,

I am too shy to speak this to your face
So I thought it would be okay to write it down instead
I adore how you are almost always draped in lace
I can't get your purple smiles out of my head
Your eyes shine like a strip of moonlight
And it drives me crazy just looking into them
Your laughter puts me to sleep at night
I just want to buy you all the most precious gems

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Debra turned her head behind herself to see if anybody was staring at her. She looked back to the letter; her face frozen with confusion.
"Alright, who's messing with me?" she said loudly.

Somebody Likes Debra (Chapter 1)

On a Tuesday morning, Debra was preparing for a class experiment with a group of classmates along with several other groups of classmates in chemistry class. She tied on her cloudy, red apron before putting on her safety goggles. She then glanced upon an Asian boy, with purple streaks in his short, black hair, walking while carrying a tray of beakers and containers.
"Too heavy for you?" Debra joked.
The boy placed the tray on the laboratory table. "Very funny," he chuckled.
"I try."
"Do you understand what we're doing?"
"Yeah, we're putting the thing in the thing with the thing."
"That's very clear."
Debra giggled. "Let me read the instructions."
She picked up a pink piece of paper from the table before being approached by a fair-haired girl with bright pink lipstick.
"Debra," the girl called.
"Oh, what's up, Sally?" she looked up.
"Darrell is throwing a party on Friday night," the girl replied. "Are you coming?"
"Uh, I don't know. I don't know where he lives."
"Oh, it's that red house."
"There are a bunch of red houses."
"Yeah, but it's that red house where all of the lights are always on."
"Oh, yeah, that red house."
"So you think you can come?"
"We'll see."
"'We'll see' means yes." Sally turned around and shouted, "Darrell, Debra is going to your party!"
"That's awesome, Debbie!" said a blond, tall boy.
"I said I would see," Debra responded.
"See my house? It's the one with the lights."
"Yeah, I know. I meant I might come."
"'Might' means yes."
Debra turned, facing her other male friend. "What doesn't mean 'yes'?"
"'No! Stop! I got mace!'" replied her friend.
Debra giggled. "That's a little too over-the-top, Kyle."
Kyle slowly poured a beaker of water into a test tube. "What does Step 4 say on the paper?"
Debra looked through the pink paper, searching for Step 4. "It says, 'Add three drops of 'brother blue'."
"What?"
"'Brother-myth-theel blue'."
"Bromothymol blue?"
"I know how to read."
"Then why didn't you say it right?"
"Hey, Debbie," called a brunet boy, standing behind the table behind Debra and Kyle.
Debra turned around instantly.
"What does Step 7 mean?" the boy asked.
Debra looked at her paper. "Well, Step 7 is saying you write down what you see. What do you see?"
"I see glass cups, I see containers, I see--"
"No, Billy. What do you see when you mix the sodium hydroxide with the 'promo-menthol' blue?"
"Bromothymol blue," Kyle corrected.
"I'm not a miracle worker."
"Oh, I see that the water turned into a purple color," said Billy.
"There you go. Write it on your chart."
"Thanks, Debbie."
"No problem." She turned around, gazing at her and Kyle's progress in the experiment.
"You're always helping people," said Kyle.
"Am not."
"Are to."
"R2-D2."
"I think you're too nice."
"Too nice? Sweetie, I can be as mean as a bee if I wanted to."
"But you're not."
"I know. I guess I'm too chill."
"Yeah, too chill."
"Hey, chill is good. See this necklace?" She lifted up the loose, yarn-crafted ornament around her neck.
"Make it in kindergarten?"
"Screw you. It's a dream catcher. I wear it to sleep and get nothing but sweet dreams."
"Are you one of those people who believe in superstitions and luck?"
"Don't assume! But yes, I am one of those people."
"You know, there's no such thing as good or bad luck. So your necklace is practically a hack."
"Hey, this necklace works. I've been having good dreams ever since I put this on."
"So you had nightmares every night you slept?"
"No. But I don't anymore and it's all thanks to this baby. It's one of the reasons why I'm so chill."
"Yeah, right."
"Plus, my grandmother made this for me before she passed away a while ago."
"Whoa, I'm sorry about it."
"Just kidding! My grandmother's not dead; she's healthy. Made you sympathetic. Ha! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that. I'm sorry."
"No, it's okay. Well played. For, like, a second."
"The best second of my life."
Kyle chuckled.
"I just realized something."
"What?"
"I can barely read this paper. It's because of these dirty glasses."
"You mean goggles?"
"Stop talking to me like I'm a fifth grader."