This isn't a very good picture but the girl above is my cousin Alessia, whose story is the inspiration for "Mine"

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Subject: Sorry!!

I'm so sorry that I haven't updated yet, but I assure everybody that's still interested that I'm working extremely hard on the next chapter. High school just started and I'm already exhausted from the work load and trying to join new clubs. And I'm only a freshman.

It's funny. I began working on this story with these characters since I was in 7th grade. It was originally supposed to be about a Hispanic foreign student from Mexico who wasn't fluent in English and an American girl trying to become his friend which could later on (possibly) progress into something more.

It seems pretty lame now that I think about it.

But at that time, because I had my first crush at 13 while everybody else had theirs at like 5, I was practically obsessed with this boy from El Salvador who couldn't speak a lick of English. He didn't have the ordinary things that girls would look for first. He wasn't cute. He wasn't smart. He wasn't strong. He wasn't all that funny. He was just this guy who texted me on Snapchat with the little amount of English he knew (speaking of which he's texting me right now). It was strange. He's the one that texted me first. And then it just turned into an everyday thing.

But he was just a boy. Who lived for soccer and blonde babes and whatever a pupusa was.

But I didn't like soccer. And I wasn't a blonde babe. And I sure as hell didn't know how to make a pupusa.

So I let him go. It wasn't easy but I did. I still see him around the halls sometimes in school. I still text him pretty often. Whenever I see he and his friends, they'll always punch him and be like "es tu novia" but it never really mattered. My cousin Alessia thinks he likes me. Eh. If he did, he wouldn't have been so love struck over that teachers pet who wore too much mascara.

A girl named Juli in my class didn't like her so much that she insulted literally everything about her that it was more ridiculous than anything else. Like, "I bet she's naked under her clothes. What a slut," or "look at all those pimples on her face. She looks like target practice." And a bunch of other stupid stuff like that. I never hated the girl (we shall call her molly), no matter how rude she was. But we were never friends.

Molly was part of what I like to call "the clique." And not just any clique. The clique of all cliques. The clique. If you ever even try to say hi or talk to them whatsoever, even if it's just manners or you're trying to be polite, they will not acknowledge your existence. At all. And believe me, I've known Molly since I was in 2nd grade, and she's always had that "I'm above you and nobody else tops me" kind of attitude. Even in elementary school.

"Hi molly!"
*rolls eyes*

"I like your top!"
*looks at me like I'm insane (which I am but that's not the point) and walks away*

"Bye molly!"
*ignores me*

When I was younger, I always wanted to be Molly's friend. She was so cool and pretty and I was the shy new girl with nobody to sit with a lunch. She didn't even have a babysitter. And you have no idea how cool that was to 6-7 year old me.

But even when we were little, she never wanted to play with me. And I was a sensitive kid so I cried a lot whenever she didn't. I mean, I eventually got over it. And learned a very valuable lesson.

Don't cross oceans for people who wouldn't jump puddles for you.

Like Molly.

Eventually, I realized that nobody would probably be interested in a story like that so I changed up their names, the plot, and made them the lovable characters that they are now. But their chemistry still stayed the same.

Unfortunately, the boy I was oh-so-in-love-with (I can expose his name. It's Kevin) had a major crush on Molly. He didn't even know her. He just told me he liked her because she was pretty which was extremely stupid and shallow. Not to mention a complete turn off. I still liked him anyway.

The book right now is starting to sound more like a cliche, which I didn't want to happen. I'm going to have to try and shove reality into the story. I hate cliches. They're so predictable. I don't want this to be predictable. I want tears and shock and happiness and anger and a bunch of other emotions that's you wouldn't expect. Like the ones I felt when I was watching Riverdale.

God, that show.

In the next chapter, you learn a little more about Rio and Jun talks about his opinion on her. He doesn't like her by the way, which is also another event that happened. Billy didn't like me at all at first. We're friends now, but he used to despise me. Said I talked to much. I don't really blame him. It's true after all.

But I'm getting of topic.
Bottom line? I apologize for not updating sooner. The next chapter should be chock-full of interesting turns and funny sayings and it is after all the first chapter that finally gets to the point of the whole story. When this dare starts, everything starts. At least to Jun.

And after all...

She was his.
And he was hers.

Sorry for those who thought this was a chapter!

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Sneak peek at a special moment!
Third person Point Of View
(It won't be told this way in the story)

"You know something, Jun?" She whispered, stuffing her hair under her hat more, lip trembling. "I hate you."

"Why?" He asked, smiling. "I'm lovely."

"Stop it. Seriously. I'm not playing." She muttered. "I hate you so much. I wish this stupid dare never even happened. I wish you never existed. I hate you." His smile fell.

"What did I do?"

"You make me feel things. You make think things. And want to do... things." Her face went scarlet as she averted her eyes from his. "And before you laugh or say anything, yeah, that sounds like the cheesiest thing in the world out of some kind of romantic novel. But it's true. And I like you but you don't like me and it makes me feel so freaking awful! Why'd you even do that to me? Why'd you make me like you?"

He was speechless. It was a cliche, no doubt. Standing in the rain with a soaking wet girl, shivering and confessing her feelings for him. She was right, of course. It was cheesy. No doubt about that.

Unfortunately for Jun, he was a sucker for cheesiness.

"What about you?" She asked, her light brown eyes boring into his. "How do I make you feel?"

To Jun, it was all a book. And his next move determined the outcome. The next sentence. What would happen between them. And there she was, standing in the rain waiting for his response. He could either enlighten her or crush her soul completely. It was up to him.

But, you know, no pressure.

It was a book. That's it. And he and Noelia were the protagonists. He needed to figure out his move. His reply. His smooth transition. The perfect thing to say to her. What would be the perfect thing to say? Oh come on, he was an author. He should know. Let's see...

To write a book, you have to know your characters. He knew Noelia. He knew himself. He knew what would break her completely and he knew what would make her the happiest girl alive. He knew that she lingered on hugs more than she should. He knew that she sang the lyrics to her favorite Spanish songs at the top of her lungs. He knew she had golden flecks in her eyes.

But what good would any of that do him now? What was he expected to say with that information? Your singing sucks? For the record though, her singing sounded like a cat being strangled under water.

He'd been staring too long. Jeez, this was starting to become awkward. Come on. THINK. What else did he know about her?

He knew she cared too much about things that she shouldn't. Like him, for instance.

He knew she tried to make everything right in the world.

He knew she wished to live in the world of a romcom anime. Which Jun thought was rather insane. A world where the guy plants a kiss on their partner just because they were overcome with emotion? Just seems unrealistic.

Wait...

Good lord, he was an idiot. That's exactly what she'd want.

Jun had seen enough anime episodes to know how the whole romance thing went. And the way Noelia freaked out about each episode she watched with those scenes, he didn't even have to second guess himself that what he was about to do would get her heart pumping.

Pulling himself together, he hung his head down low and gave a small laugh. "You gotta' stop doing that." He murmured, making sure his bangs covered his eyes.

Eeriness yet the ability to still manage and look dead sexy? Check.

"Doing what?" She asked quietly.

Theatrical soft question that gets everybody on the edge of their seats to wait for the reply? Check.

He jerked his head up and flipped his hair so he could look her dead in the eye, running a hand through his wet locks.

Oh. Dang. He was so nailing this. He swore he could hear the raindrops sizzle on her cheeks as she bit her lip in anticipation.

Side note: Because he oh-so-desperately wanted to use the hair flip that made girls go wild, he'd practiced in the mirror everyday after getting out of the shower. Just to make sure he got it just right. Does that sound ridiculous? Yes. But hey, it was working.

Smirking, Jun took a step closer to her, cupping her chin in his hands and tracing his thumb over her lips. Her breath hitched. Damn, he was on a roll. Mental self high five.

The best part about being an author? If you look at your life like it's book, sometimes you have the perfect things to say.

Leaning closer to her ear, he whispered as seductively as he was able. "Stop saying things that make me want to kiss you."

He internally smiled at her flustered face and wide eyes as he wrapped his arms around her waist, his breath fanning her face. If he could just get closer... and her lips looked so kissable right at that moment too...

"Jun." She said it so quietly the rain could've drowned her out. Pun not intended. "You didn't—" she gasped when he pecked her just behind the earlobe and clutched the back of his shirt. "You never answered my question..."

He kissed her again, this time on her cheek. "Does that really matter?"

Bad thing to say.

She furrowed her eyebrows and tried pushing him away from her. But Jun here was in the zone. He wasn't going to let this go any time soon. This wasn't for pleasing her. It was for him. "Focus, Jun."

"I am focusing." He muttered, capturing her lips with his. "You have my full attention."

"Yeah. Not my lips," she pushed him away again only to have him come back. "Me. On what I'm saying."

"That's what I said." Another kiss.

"No you didn't. You said— okay, stop it! Seriously!" He blinked lazily and stared at her. But at least he stopped. "Why... did you agree to do this with me Jun? Why'd you say yes?"

"Because I like you."

"Okay," she said irritatedly. "But as what?

"Well, we're friends. And you're a really good friend. We have a bond. Right? Shouldn't that be a good enough reason?"

You would think a smart kid like Jun would know when to shut up every once in awhile.

Almost all the life drained from her eyes. But he didn't notice. And if he did, at that moment, he might not have been all that worried. All that was on his mind? Kissing her again. He didn't know what was coming over him. But frankly he didn't care.

"That's all I am? Even after this? Just..." her face scrunched up and even through the haze of rain, he could make out tears in her eyes. "This is so stupid."

He blinked again, dazed. But it took him a few seconds before he snapped back to his senses. When he seemed to register her hurt expression and realized the damaged he'd done, he stared at the small girl trying to break free of his hold. "Noelia?" He asked warily.

"Get your hands off of me." The sudden force of her anger was uncalled for. And by the looks of it, even Noelia didn't expect it.

Confusion was written all over his face. "Wait, I didn't mean for—"

"Get off of me Jun! Get away from me!" She broke free of his grip and backed away from him. "Leave me alone!"

"Wait, but what'd I do?" He grabbed her wrist and she twisted it violently in his hand. "Tell me what I did wrong!"

She stopped moving and her hand fell limp in his grab and whispered. "You stole a heart. And you crushed it."

And that's when she punched him.
Right in the jaw.