Unwritten Desires

Eleanor 

Fortunately for me, I had somehow found a way to put a few things in my head before the test and if I were to rate how good I did, I would give myself a three and that's why I ended up choosing to copy off my supposed friend's work, since we sat together. 

Of course I didn't let her know though, I wasn't sure if Thea was an average or straight A student and if she eventually was a straight A, it would be weird to see me copying her answers. 

However, when we eventually finished with the tests and other classes, we went out to what looked like the courtyards to have our lunch. The cafeteria was already full and from the way the brunette with me behaved, I could tell that this was our regular spot. 

I couldn't help but smile as this whole switch up reminded me of my own college days. I didn't exactly go to a private one, but it was pretty much the same. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask…" The brunette began before sinking her teeth into her burger. 

I still didn't know her name which was weird because we were in a school, there had to be someone else who knew….us. Someone had to call out her name eventually, I just had to wait. I just had to be patient. "When did you start letting your hair down?" 

"What?" I blinked as my hands instinctively reached for my hair. It still had a foreign feeling in my hands. To be honest, I felt like I was wearing a wig. One day I was a black girl with curly hair, huge brown eyes and no eye problems, but now….

Now I was a white girl. 

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't racist but it was just so weird looking at my pale skin, I mean where was the glowing, brown skin? the melanin?! 

"You know…thisss." She gestured around my face before letting out a soft gasp just like Brianna did in the car earlier this morning. "Is this about Jake?" 

Oh my God, not this again. Who was this Jake everyone kept mentioning? But of course if everyone kept talking about him, then I was supposed to know him right? So I couldn't even ask questions. 

"No." I said matter-of-factly before taking a bite of the long french fry in my hand hoping she would give more detail about this Jake. 

Her lips parted and I could've sworn she was about to say something but she paused, looking over my shoulder and I eventually followed her gaze. "Speak of the devil." She purred. 

I wasn't exactly sure who I was looking at because they were a lot of guys heading our way but then my eyes locked onto a brown haired guy with brown eyes and from the way he smiled at me, I was certain it was him. I mean, it couldn't be any other person right? 

"Hey Jake." I heard the brunette say from behind me. "Dori and I were just talking about you." She giggled, giving me a small nudge on the shoulder and then suddenly it clicked. 

"You don't say." I could hear Jake's grin as I searched through my backpack for my phone. I wasn't exactly sure if what I was thinking was the truth as it was incredibly ridiculous but I needed to confirm. 

"What's wrong?" The brunette asked as I looked through my phone. I quickly searched for the contacts app so I could check for my contact information. When I finally found it, my eyes sprung open as I stared at the name of the screen. 

No, it couldn't be. 

"Thea…what's wrong?" Jake asked in a soft tone as he settled beside me. 

"So…Sofia?" I muttered, almost scared to say the name. 

"Yes?" The brunette cocked her head with a worried look in her eyes, her gaze darting between my phone screen and my face. 

When I heard Liam's name earlier, I had suspected I had heard it somewhere but I couldn't quite remember but now after hearing Jake's name and Sofia addressing me as Dori…

I closed my eyes, shaking my head like it was going to help clear my head or something. "Dori? Are you okay?" 

"What year is it?" I blurted out, my voice trembling slightly despite my effort to sound casual. 

Both Sofia and Jake froze, exchanging glances as if silently confirming if they'd heard me correctly or not and that was when I realized that I screwed up. 

The tension hung thick in the air, and I felt my pulse quicken. I needed to cover this up fast.

"Uh…are you messing with us?" Sofia asked, her brows furrowing. "It's 2025, Dori. Why would you even ask that?"

Jake leaned in slightly, his warm brown eyes scanning my face with concern. "Yeah, are you alright? You're acting a little…off." His gaze flicked to the phone in my hand but I immediately slid it back into my backpack, forcing out a laugh. 

"Oh my gosh, what was I thinking?" I smiled weirdly as I waved my hand dismissively. "I…I'm fine, really. I was just thinking about this stupid thing from class earlier." I rubbed the back of my neck, my smile strained. 

"You know how Mr. Dalton kept going on about history and years and stuff? It must've gotten stuck in my head." I said, secretly praying they wouldn't ask more questions. 

Sofia gave me a skeptical look, her lips pursing. "You're seriously weirding me out, Dori. First, the hair thing, now this? What's going on with you today?"

I fumbled for another excuse, my words tumbling out in a rush. "It's nothing, I swear! I didn't sleep well last night, and I've just been in this…weird headspace all day. Probably stress or something."

Jake reached out, his hand brushing mine in a comforting gesture. 

I could see why everyone was saying I dressed up for him now. It was obvious that Thea and Jake had a thing for each other, but of course I already knew that. 

"Hey, if you're stressed about anything, you can talk to us, okay? We're your friends." He said and I felt my chest tighten at the sincerity in his voice. 

Friends. Thea's friends. Not mine. I nodded quickly, plastering on another fake smile. "Thanks, Jake. I appreciate it. But I'm fine, I promise."

Sofia's expression softened, though her sharp gaze lingered on me for a moment longer. "Alright, but if you start asking what planet we're on next, I'm taking you to the nurse's office."

I then let out a small laugh, hoping it would put an end to the scrutiny. "Noted. No more weird questions, I swear." I pushed back my glasses. 

Sofia rolled her eyes but seemed to accept the explanation, turning her attention back to her burger. Jake hesitated for a moment before leaning back, though the crease in his brow didn't disappear.

As the two of them started talking again—something about an upcoming party that I obviously had no recollection of—I allowed myself to exhale quietly. I had somehow managed to dodge their questions…well just barely.

However, the shock of my discovery, and the revelation that Jake and Sofia were real, living people sitting beside me was completely astonishing. My hands shook slightly as I reached for my drink, taking a sip to steady myself as I let my mind replay the moment over and over again, the bold name flashing in the back of my mind. 

There was no doubt about it. I was here, in the world of a book I'd been reading in my past life. 

I was…Theodora Roberts.