I spent an entire month questioning and doubting my own mind, backtracking on everything I knew; or everything I thought I knew. It got so bad that I was even questioning every intention of those around me, falling into a weird state not quite of distrust, but a severe curiosity in the lives of my friends – close or not. 

I needed to figure out who the note was from. I needed to know what they meant by it's only autumn. They ran out of space but it was only autumn. The answer seemed so obvious at the time: that was only the first note. Of how many, I hadn't a darn clue. 

But then days passed. And a week. Then a month and I got nothing. 

Not until I entered English, gathered my table's folders and took a seat next to Jacie. She smiled as I passed her folder, then frowned when she pulled her book out. 

"Someone looks chipper this morning." I commented, nudging her with my elbow. 

"Who the fuck says chipper?" She shook her head in disapproval, a small smile worming its way onto her face. 

"Me, when I'm being sarcastic."

She glanced at me, blue eyes barely meeting my own before she shook her head again. "You should keep trying, boo."

"If you keep calling me that, Dan'll get jealous again." I pointed out, opening my folder with a beaten sigh. Studying for exams every lesson got painful quick, and that's exactly what this class had in store. Revision and pain. 

"Well he can get jealous. Honestly, getting sick of his funny attitude. To quote Lucy, I deserve way more! Honestly." Jacie rambled on, presumably running on fumes funded by whatever cheap reality telly she watched. Not that I ever enjoyed watching them with her. But currently, my attention was stolen by a thin slip of paper tucked into my work folder. 

Not daring to pull it out and expose this drama-esk situation to Jacie, I flattened the note out under the folder flap, blocking anyone's view with my hands.

On the paper was a continuation of the plant drawing, but only one leaf was annotated. 

My pulse thrummed in my ears and butterflies broke free from their cocoons in my chest. It felt nice and nauseating all at once. 

Elvis

It said in the top corner. 

Reason 4, I know you like to joke that you don't care about school, that you're too dumb for college. But you're beyond amazing in maths and science. I can't explain why I love that so much.

I guess a man who knows his periodic table is pretty hot. We should mix our chemicals sometime. Come explore my pH scale. Let's create our own compound. Get hot and heavy under Hercules. Explore each other's moons. Ay? ;]

…

"Elvis, you okay?" Jacie waved her hand over my face and I jumped in my seat, scrambling to hide the note from her view. "Uh–" 

"Yeah, I'm good! Why? There's nothing wrong!" Smooth. 

She tilted her head, a perplexed look creasing her brows. "You're just a little red in the face." She said. 

Great. I was blushing and Jacie saw, which only made my cheeks flush even darker! Well, how else was I supposed to react to a note like that?! Reading those in public was starting to seem like a terrible idea. 

"Just a little warm." I forced out, my voice a little too gravelly to sound natural. I refused to look Jacie’s way and let out a breath of relief when the teacher began the lesson. 

Jacie kept giving me concerned looks throughout the hour, but I ignored them.