"Some people meet by chance. We met through ink"

The envelope appeared on a Tuesday. Jessica almost ignored it. Bills, advertisements, and the occasional flyer were all that ever found their way into her rusty mailbox. But this one was different. It was cream-colored, sealed with dark blue wax, and had her name written in elegant handwriting she had never seen before. No return address. She hesitated, thinking it was one of the multiple pranks played by her cousin. But curiosity won. She broke the seal and unfolded a single sheet of paper. "Dear Jessica, We've never met, yet I've known you for years. If you're reading this, then fate has finally decided it's time for us to become friends. Write back if you're brave enough." —Your Pen Pal Jessica frowned. It definitely had to be a prank. No one called her by her full name anymore. No one wrote letters in an age of instant messages and social media. And yet, something about the handwriting felt strangely...comforting. She read the letter again. Then a third time. Placing it on the night stand, she retired to bed. But that night, sleep refused to come. She thought of making a few calls to her cousins back in LA, but the questions circled endlessly through her mind. What if it wasn't someone she knew? Who was the sender? How did they know her? And why did the final sentence make her feel as though someone was watching? The next morning, against her better judgment, she bought a sheet of stationery and a matching envelope. She wrote only one sentence. "Who are you?" As she slipped the letter into the mailbox, a cold breeze swept past, carrying with it the unsettling feeling that she had just made the biggest mistake of her life. She picked up her bags, humming to the sound of Girls by Kid Laroi playing through her earbuds, and making her way out of the campus dorms. She passed by a few girls who were obviously giggling at a slightly open door. She was going to ignore it until she realized that it was her best friend's room, so she obviously had to check it out. Pushing through the girls, she finally made made her way to the front, only to find her best friend actively French kissing a junior. "Pheobe, what the hell?" She entered the room, pulling the boy, who looked like he was in heaven, away from her. "What the hell, Jess?" Pheobe sat up, tugging her shirt down as she hissed. "What was that for?" Jessica ignored her, kicking the junior out and shutting the door on the faces of the onlookers. "Hooking up already? It's 9 in the morning for god's sake.." She crossed her arms, glaring daggers at Pheobe. "Oh please, like you didn't..." "I didn't." Phoebe looked at her and sighed. "Look, you were the one who chose to get separate rooms..." "Separate rooms?! The only thing separating our room is a cardboard wall which YOU decided to build on a short notice!" She took a deep breath. "Look, the last thing I need is my best friend's frivolous lifestyle dampening my mood. Go shower, Pheebs, we have class in thirty minutes." "But.." "Twenty nine minutes, fifty nine seconds, fifty eight...fifty seven...fifty six....fif-" "Fine fine, jeez." She groaned, stomping into the bathroom. ~~~~~~~ "Any questions? Since that'll be all, you would be paired with two people from your class to form a group. When your group has been formed, come to my office for your topic. Good day class." Pheebs yawned dramatically as the teacher left the class. "Finally. I thought I was gonna die of boredom.." Jessica rolled her eyes, packing her books and laptop into her bag. "You weren't saying the same when you had a junior sticking his tongue down your thr.." "That's enough Jess, I already apologized. Besides, that's waaayyy more fun than this. Just saying." "Whatever."