38

There's no signature, and it was written on a computer, so I have no clue who this message is from. I don't even know if it's for me. Maybe someone slipped in the paper by mistake? That seems a little unlikely, but it could have happened.

Who am I kidding? This is obviously for me.

Making up my mind I walk to the gym, quickly. When I arrive I find the door open, so I step in. It's completely dark, which is weird since I didn't know you could darken the gym windows. A take a few steps forward, but then I stop. I don't want to trip on something and break my face accidentally.

"Hello?" I ask. "Is someone there?"

Suddenly the lights turn on, and I'm blinded by the brightness. I look away, and when I adjust to the light…

"Oh my god," I say.

"Hey, Nerd," Tom says. He's standing in the middle of the gym with a bunch of books in his hands. He changed his clothes: he's now wearing a simple t-shirt that says The book was better and some jeans.

As I see him standing there, I realize what this is, and my heart explodes from my love for him.

"I thought you would prefer books rather than flowers," Tom says, and steps towards me. Right now, I'm frozen on the spot, covering my mouth with my hands. My eyes are tearing up, but this time – finally – it's a happy cry.

"Oh my god," I repeat as Tom keeps advancing.

"I probably need to explain," Tom says, looking me straight in the eyes.

I make a strange noise, between a laugh and a sob. "Oh my god."

"After Karen broke up with me, she asked me if I still loved you," he says, and I wait in anticipation. "I told her I did."

"Oh my god," I say again. I think my mouth is broken.

"But instead of getting mad, she helped me. For the last few weeks we've been planning the perfect way to tell you how I feel," he explains. "I just hope you feel the same way. But I'll have to warn you," he pauses. "I'll probably have a heart attack if you say no."

I chuckle and wipe my eyes. "What do you think, dummy?"

"Uh…" he says.

"I love you!" I yell. "Of course I do."

Without asking for my permission, Tom leans is and brings his lips to mine. I respond immediately, and I start kissing him back. I instinctively wrap my arms around his neck while he holds my waist. When we break apart, Tom points at the corner, and I smile.

I run over to my friends and hug them all. When we pull away, I start asking questions. "I know about Karen," I nod towards her. "But you two? You were in this?" I ask Sarah and Suzy.

"Yep," Sarah says. "Our job was to find an excuse to go to the locker in the first place."

"Oh," I say. "So that's why you were being really weird."

"Correct," Suzy announces.

I smile at her, then I turn to Karen. "You did this?"

She nods. "Before breaking up with him, I realized that I'm not who Tom is supposed to be with. He's supposed to be with you," she explains. "And I also realized that you both love each other, but you're just too shy to admit it."

I look over to Tom to see him blush. Karen keeps talking. "I don't love Tom, and I know that you're still a little bit angry with me for dating him, so–"

"I'm not angry with you," I say, but Karen just looks at me. "Okay, maybe a little."

"So," Karen continues. "I figured that the best way to make you happy, but also make you forgive me is to help you two get together again," she finishes. "Did it work?"

"Yes! Oh my god, yes," I exclaim. I embrace Karen tightly. "Thank you."

Karen pulls away and grins. "You'll have to repay me with a new boyfriend, though."

I burst out laughing, and I actually can't stop. All the emotions that were crowded in my body – the anger, the pain, the hope, the happiness, the relief – all came out in that laugh. I laugh so hard that I actually fall to the floor.

Immediately Tom surges forward. "Emma, are you okay? Why are you laughing?" His words are worried, but a big smile is stamped on his face. He starts chuckling, then he laughs loudly.

Soon enough, we're all laughing hysterically, and we have no way to stop it.

My life is now perfect. If I could explain the feelings I have every time I see Tom… but I can't. There are no words for how I feel about him.

We spend the weekend together, but we still don't go all the way. I'm still not ready for that.

"It's okay," Tom says after I tell him. "I'll wait. Take all the time you need. I won't push."

With every day that passes, I fall in love with Tom a little more. Every day he shows me the love that he has for me. One day he got me a book. Another time he sent me a love letter. The time after that he gave me a bookmark. And the things I feel are exactly what I want: happiness, love, and absolute bliss.

But I have to say that the best gift he has given me is the one I got on the last day of school.

I had just walked out of the bus when I spotted him waiting for me. I ran towards him and jumped in his arms, crashing our lips together.

When we broke apart, I say. "Hi."

"Hey, Nerd."

"Last day! You excited?" I ask, and he frowns.

"Not at all, I won't see you during the summer," he says.

"That's not true," I say. "We'll see each other all the time. I'll just be gone for a month."

"I can't stay away from you that long," he says with his arms around my waist.

"We'll FaceTime every day," I say. "I promise."

"You're right," he says. "Besides, I made you something."

"Tom, you know you don't have to," I say. "I don't deserve all this."

Tom looks at me in the eyes and says sternly, "Don't you ever say that again."

I chuckle. "Sorry."

Tom opens his bag and pulls out a long, flat object. It's wrapped in paper, so I don't know what it is yet.

"Can I open it now?" I ask impatiently, and Tom nods. I rip the paper open and gasp.

"Tom…" I say dreamily. It's a bookmark, but it has pictures of Tom and me on it: when we went to the park and fed the geese, when we went to the beach together, while we're kissing on a roller coaster. "Tom, this is amazing." I gasp out. "I love you."

"I love you too," he says back. He leans in and gives me a sweet peck on the lips. "Come on, let's go to class."

"Okay, let's go," I say.

This is the story of how my life turned from being a mess to being a wonderful fairytale. It's about how I learned to respect what I have and just be grateful. I learned that sometimes the thing you've been wishing for your entire life is right in front of you. I learned to love.

This is my life now, and I couldn't be happier to be who I am.

Because I'm a nerd.