Another letter fluttered out of Beverly's locker and onto the ground. Richie followed the letter and smiled. "Another love letter?" he asked in a teasing tone. "I've already told you, they're not 'letters' they're poems." Beverly corrected. She bent down and picked up the neatly folded notebook paper. Beverly carefully opened it and read the words neatly written on the center of the page.

It hurts to know just how lovely you are

Right outside my window, but can't ride inside my car

And it hurts to know just how lovely you are

To be too far to hold, but close enough to break my heart.

Six feet apart.

Beverly smiled softly at the note before it was ripped out of his hands by Richie. "What the fuck dude!" Richie ignored Bev's exclamation and read the poem. "This is so cute Bevvie. You should find out who this is."Richie said after folding the paper back and giving it back to her. "You have no idea how bad I want to find this person. They have such a way with words and these poems make my day." Beverley fawned. Richie laughed and started walking down the hall and into the cafeteria. Beverley followed her friend and found the table everyone else was sitting at.

Richie and Beverley sat in their seats, Bev next to Stan and Richie next to Ben. "Hey Beverley, get another note from your secret admirer?" Bill asked from across the table. "She did. This time it seemed like they're close to us. I think it's one of us." Richie answered for Bev. At this the rest of their friends listened to the louder one talk. "What are you talking about Rich?" Stan asked looking at Eddie with a skeptical look. "Bevvie, give me the letters." Richie demanded. Beverley opened his backpack and pulled out 4 letters including the one from today.

"Okay so in this first on the Bev got it says, 'Build a boy, pick my pieces. Overjoyed, never leave your heart destroyed.'"

"Okay, but this doesn't prove anything." Mike said after Richie finished. "It does because Beverley was given this note the day after she talked about how she wished she could build the perfect boy." Richie pointed out. The others around him nodded and kept listening to his proof.

"Then in the second poem it says, 'I've been hiding for so long. These feelings, they're not gone. You're so pretty it hurts you and your button up shirts.' This poem was in her locker after the week that she wore my button ups for a week straight. The third one, 'I'm a sunflower a little funny. If I were a rose maybe you'd pick me. But I know you don't have a clue, this sunflower's wait for you.' was written a few days after Beverley talked about how people can be compared to roses and sunflowers. And finally the one from today was written and she was just talking about how he feels the person he's looking for is so close, but she can't find them." Richie finished his explanation and looked around the table.

"Okay, but anyone could have been listening to these conversations. You know how loud we can be." Eddie pointed out. Richie pushed him with his shoulder and looked back at the others. "True, but 3 out of 4 of these conversations were had in the clubhouse." Everyone looked around the table. "Hey where's Ben?" Mike asked. The group turned from the poems to the empty seat beside Richie.

"Do you think it's Ben?" Richie asked. "Yes, it can most certainly be Ben. That's the only reasonable answer." Stan pointed out. After this Beverley quickly grabbed the notes and her backpack before getting up from the table and out of the cafeteria. The red head teen walked down the halls and into the library. If Ben was gonna be anywhere, it would be the library. Bev opened the doors that gave a loud creek, making the librarian, Mrs. Keene, shoot her head up and give her a scowl.

Beverley walked down a few aisles before spotting Ben sitting at a table. The boy had thinned out over the years. He joined the track team along with Eddie their freshman year and turned out to be pretty good. He lost all of his baby fat and got toned legs, arms, and a slim stomach. He still loved poems, art, and New Kids On The Block. Bev pulled the chair out that was in front of him. Ben looked up from the table and to her.

"Hey Beverley." Ben said nervously. "I have a question, Ben. Are you the one that's been writing the poems and putting them in my locker?" Ben blushed a light shade of red and nodded slowly. Beverly gave a wide smile that Ben didn't see and stood up out of the seat to walk over to Ben. Ben thought for sure that she was gonna slap him or cuss him out and tell him to leave, but he never expected his friend to lean down and kiss him.

Ben's eyes widened for a second, before he closed them and melted into the kiss. Beverley pulled away and grabbed Ben's hand to pull him up. At the beginning of the year Ben had a growth spurt that put Ben 6 inches taller. Bev smiled up at Ben before speaking, "I wouldn't mind getting more poems while we're dating."

Ben smiled and leaned in for another kiss, which Beverley gladly returned.