Rachel let out an irritated sigh. “Why would I send her a letter? I’m writing this to my pen pal who lives overseas.”
“Pen pal?” Deisha stared at Rachel in confusion.
Rachel nodded as she placed the paper back on her desk and continued writing where she had left off because of Deisha’s arrival.
Deisha laughed. Rachel, puzzled, stopped writing again and looked at her. “Why are you laughing?”
“Come on, Rachel. What era are you living in? The world we live in is already so modern. With so many ways to exchange messages, why did you choose to communicate by sending letters? You’re so funny.”
“What’s wrong with it? I love writing. That’s why I asked my pen pal to keep in touch through letters instead of using a phone or social media.”
“Nothing’s wrong with it. It just looks funny to me,” Deisha replied, still laughing. “Is your pen pal a guy? How did you two meet?” she continued.
As she resumed writing, Rachel shook her head. “No, she’s a girl. When she first contacted me on social media, she randomly chatted with several girls.”
“Why?” Deisha asked, her curiosity returning.
“She said she wasn’t good at socializing. On top of that, she’s currently attending school overseas, which makes her even lonelier because it’s hard for her to make friends. She deliberately searched for several accounts through a location not far from her home, so that after returning from overseas, she could meet her pen pal without having to travel too far,” Rachel explained.
“Wow, you two sound like you’re perfect for becoming friends. I’m jealous knowing you have a friend who’s much closer to you than I am,” Deisha said with a pleading expression.
Rachel looked at Deisha’s face and laughed. “Hey, don’t talk like that. You’re still the best, you know that, right?”
Deisha nodded with a smile. “By the way, what’s her name?”
“I don’t know. She hasn’t told me her real name yet.”
“Why? Is it not a good name?”
Rachel raised both shoulders helplessly. “I have no idea. But she said she’d tell me her name in her next letter. She’s also coming back to Korea soon.”
“Wow, really? You must have been looking forward to meeting for a long time,” Deisha said.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to meet her. Do you want to come with me? I’ll introduce you to her.”
“Is that okay?” Deisha asked hesitantly.
Rachel smiled and nudged Deisha’s shoulder with her arm. “Hey, come on. My friend is your friend too, you know.”
Deisha nodded with a smile. Not long afterward, a teacher finally arrived and walked into the classroom, quieting the room. Deisha immediately slid her chair back to her original seat as well.
The dismissal bell rang. Rachel and Deisha had parted ways at the school gate because their homes were in opposite directions.
As Rachel walked alone, she stopped when a man riding a motorcycle pulled up beside her.
“Do you need a ride?” the man asked as he lifted the visor of his helmet.
Rachel turned toward him. “Oh, it’s you. No, thank you for the offer.”
The man named Darco smiled. “All right. If you ever need a ride, don’t hesitate to let me know,” Darco said before riding off again.