Who's to say how old we are when we fall in love?
Zeke is twelve, but he's in love with Clio, who is eleven. He's known her since they were in kindergarten, and he thinks she's brave, smart, funny, and beautiful, with amazing eyes, dimples, and a gorgeous smile, all of which are perfect reasons to fall in love with someone. He doesn't think he'll be able to give her the letter, and he's probably right, but he deserves some points for being able to write this stuff down in the first place, probably, and it's kind of fun to know that this wonderful letter was in his pocket the whole time...

✨🦋💜🦋💜🦋💜🦋💜🦋💜🦋✨

Hi, Clio,

This is Zeke, from class. I mean, I guess I don't have to put that last part. I'm probably the only person you know named "Zeke," right? Unless it's maybe a dog or something. It's a pretty weird name.

So maybe you know who I am. I hope. We've been classmates since we were five, I think? I was five, anyway. You might only have been four, I'm not sure. You're, like, crazy smart, everyone knows that. You're for sure the youngest person in our class, and in the whole sixth grade, probably. I know you and all your sisters skipped, like a whole grade of school, which I can't even believe sometimes, because you win the Spelling Bee every year, and you went to County with your science project and everything? So cool.

Anyway, I think you're the neatest girl I know. And for sure the very, very prettiest. Even after you had to have all your hair cut off, no matter what Jade Thorwald says. She's just jealous that she wasn't brave enough to climb all the way up to the top of the tree to try to rescue that bird, or even clever enough to think to do it, you know? Did you notice that she used to wear her stupid hair up all the time? Yeah, she only started wearing it down and stuff after you got stuck up in the tree and the fire department had to shave all yours off to get you down? Yeah, Marissa told me Jade told her she was just trying to make you jealous or something. Which is so, so, dumb, because, like I said, you with no hair are still so much more beautiful than she is with all of her hair. You know?

You have the prettiest eyes, cause they can smile. Most people can only smile with their mouths. Don't get me wrong, you smile with your mouth, too, and it's so nice. You have the best dimples, Clio, the nicest dimples. In case you can't tell, I want to tell you that I love you, Clio Santangelo.

So now that I've written this, I really don't think I can give it to you. It's your birthday, and my mom's taking me over to your apartment in a little while so I can give you the present I picked out for you. It's a bracelet that reminds me of you. It has butterflies on it, and it's perfect, because when you walk, or run, you remind me of a butterfly, and sometimes I even feel like I have butterflies in my stomach when we have to hold hands during phys ed or something.

I'll take this letter in my pocket, just in case I'm brave, but I don't think I will be. I mean, if I can't even say I think you're pretty, how can I tell you I love you?

But I do, okay?

Love, Zeke 🦋