Dear Jackie by Jessixa Bagley, illustrated by Aaron Bagley. Simon & Schuster Books for Young People, 2025. 978-1534496576. 288pp.
Jackie and Milo are nervous about starting middle school, and they're so close that Jackie's mother calls Milo Jackie’s "replacement brother.” (Jackie's real brother, Jabari, has just moved away from home.) Milo is the kind of boy who cries while reading comic books, and Jackie is not at all a girly girl. They're perfect friends.
At school Milo immediately makes new friends while playing sports, and Jackie doesn't like them at all. Her locker is below Adelle's; Adelle wants to give Jackie fashion advice, and isn't nice about it at all.
As notes start to get passed and kids start pairing off, Jackie deals with her isolation by writing herself notes on a typewriter she finds in Jabari's room. At first they're the kind of things she wishes someone would say to her, to give her a boost. But soon, tired of more and more people telling her to act and dress more like a girl, Jackie types herself a note from a secret admirer and sticks it in Adelle's locker "by mistake." When Adelle finds it, people are shocked, but they also become nicer to Jackie. As everyone tries to figure out who likes Jackie, the whole situation becomes more and more precarious.
Worth noting: Early in the book, Jackie tries to dye her hair with disastrous results. (It's pretty funny, too.) And Jabari is the best older sibling ever.
This is the second tween graphic novel by the Bagleys, who also wrote/created/illustrated Duel, the fencing graphic novel with lots of sibling rivalry.
Di malam larut nan tenang. Terdengarkah bisikku yang lirih ini ke telinganya?
Aku, yang tak pernah letih menunggui balasan chat darinya.
Aku, yang tak pernah bosan menunggui centang abu berganti biru.
Aku, yang tak pernah bosan mencintainya. Mencintainya di kala inderanya tidak mencium bau asmara yang menguar melalui pori.
Aku memilih mencintainya dalam diam, karena di situ aku tidak mendapatkan penolakan. Sudah berkarat harap menunggu berani mengungkap apa yang lama terpendam.
Tapi, aku tidak berani. Bukan karena kata 'tidak' yang mungkin akan aku terima—memang mengetahui ia tidak mencintaiku kembali memang menyakitkan. Namun, ada yang lebih menyakitkan dari itu. Aku takut kau mengatur jarak denganku karena risih akan rasaku.
NCT Dream Chenle/Reader __ Highschool AU/Secret Admirer AU
(a/n: lmaO JUST ME HAVING A BIG FAT CRUSH ON ZHONG CHENLE)
Genre: fluff (notice?)
Word count: 1,894
"Oh, look. Another one."
Chenle showed his friend, Jisung, the love letter in his locker. Jisung laughed and made fun of Chenle's love letters even though he haven't read anything from the letters. Basically, Chenle and Jisung were the two athletic dorks that every girl crushed on in the campus.
They weren't as popular as the jocks because they weren't "muscular" and they were too "soft-looking" but every girl in the campus secretly loved them for their carefree attitudes. They also didn't have a lot of friends since most of the jocks don't like them and majority of the girls who crushed on them were too shy and nervous to ask them out.
"Bro, do you even read these letters?"
Jisung asked, still making fun of Chenle.
"Me? Reading these letters? Of course. It's rare for a girl to make the first move!"
"Bro, what if the girl's not your type?"
"Honestly... I don't care if she fits my type or not. If I like her then I like her. If I don't like her then I don't like her. As simple as that, big skull."
Chenle rolled his eyes at Jisung, opening the small pink envelope. Chenle smiled at the letter. He thought it was sweet for someone to always send him compliments, cute messages, and a pick-up line in the end.
You took a peak, hiding behind your locker.
"I hope he reads it."
You told yourself as someone patted your back. It was Mark Lee, your brother-like best friend that knows everything about your crush on Chenle.
"Honestly, when are you gonna tell him?"
"Come on, Mark. Chenle doesn't even know me."
"So? You made the first move! You should at least make him find you OR you show yourself to him!"
"And how do I do that?"
You sarcastically asked Mark, he glanced at the ceiling while he thought about what he can offer to help you confess to Chenle. After a few seconds, his eyes lit up.
"I know! You know "Donghyuck the fashion guy", right?"
"Yeah? He's literally dressed like an instagram model whenever he comes to school-"
"I haven't told you but he's the one who helped me with clothes before prom. I can ask for his help to dress you like a glamorous lady."
Mark boasted as you sighed, thinking if you should do this or just remain anonymous. You've been sending letters to Chenle for two months. Mark thought that it was time for you to show yourself to Chenle.
---
"I have a whole three days to prepare?"
"Yes, hun."
This was Donghyuck talking to you. Mark, Donghyuck, and you were staring at the school calendar for almost a minute. You snapped out of it and started to ask Donghyuck questions.
"What do I do, fashion god?"
"Thanks for the compliment but anyways... You have to purposely bump to Chenle on the first day and try to converse with him."
"... I thought you were just a fashion guy but you're also a matchmaker guy."
"Well, yeah. Anyways, the second day... you have to purposely not send any letter to Chenle. Don't even think of sending him a letter. You can approach him but don't send a damn letter or hint that you're the one who sends him those letters. The third day, that's your time to shine."
"This has nothing to do with fashion-"
"It has something to do with it. I picked out your clothes for the third day. Black body-fit dress, a brown blazer, and cute boots should do it."
Donghyuck proudly stated. His fashion sense never disappointed anyone at all. You suddenly thought if you even have those clothes.
"I don't have those clothes-"
"Don't worry, hun. We're shopping after school."
Donghyuck smirked, you were amazed at Donghyuck's perfectly planned strategy.
"I told you bringing Donghyuck in here wasn't difficult."
Mark insisted as you sighed in defeat.
---
"I'm sorry!"
You bumped to Chenle purposely, doing the first task Donghyuck gave yesterday. Well, you actually bumped and you're clumsy enough to drop all of the notebooks you were carrying for the next class. Guess what? Some of them are not even your notebooks. Some of them belonged to Mark because Mark is that guy who helps you review for upcoming tests.
Chenle quickly knew what was going on as he helped you pick up the notebooks. He's with his best friend, Jisung. You slightly disliked Jisung because he was always making fun of the letters you sent for Chenle... but he's really a talented athlete so you most likely didn't care.
"Mark Lee? You're friends with him?"
Chenle asked and you were just speechless. Your crush is talking to you for the first time and you didn't know how to act at all.
"Yeah, I'm friends with him. Why?"
"Nothing. I just noticed that you were always with him. Mark is with some of our teammates sometimes and I always see you alone when he's with them."
"Oh? You noticed that?"
You're physically okay but emotionally? Your heart is pounding ten times faster.
"Well, yeah! Jisung is my closest friend. If you're alone, you can always approach either me or Jisung. It's hard to be alone in highschool these days that's why if you need someone to talk to... you can approach me."
Chenle smiled and you were melting inside. You've had a crush on him since you transferred. It has been two months since you've been sending letters to Chenle. How many weeks in a month? About four. How many days in a week? Seven. Subtract two days in seven? Five. Technically, you've sent him over forty letters. All of those letters are handwritten and created with full effort.
"Sure. Thanks, Chenle."
You smiled and walked away, sweating. That's your first conversation with Chenle? Really awkward. You hid behind your locker again, taking quick glances from Chenle.
"Bro, did I really just see you talking to a girl? Don't tell me you wanna be one of the jocks, dude."
"She's the lonely girl we always wanted to talk to, you dumb prick. I haven't talked to her that long but I can tell that she's nervous."
"Bro, what if she's the one sending you letters?"
Chenle was startled but he quickly let it pass.
"Nah, that's impossible. I'm pretty sure the "love-letter girl" is much more extroverted."
"I'm betting on that. Ten bucks?"
Chenle sighed, clearly tired of Jisung's competitive attitude.
"Fine."
---
"Hey, Jisung!"
"What?"
"It's been six hours and there is still no letter."
Jisung made a funny face before comforting Chenle.
"I don't know, bro. But maybe she gave up-"
"Chenle, don't even think of that. Maybe she didn't attend school today or something."
"I know but... I didn't even try to find her after like... two months? I'm so dumb."
"You are dumb to think that she gave up giving you those letters. She's probably just absent somehow."
Jisung comforted his best friend. Chenle thought about those nights where he kept reading the letters you've sent before it was time for him to sleep. Chenle even re-reads some of those letters. The letter you sent him yesterday? It made him feel happy and content. In those letters, you also wrote stuff about yourself. Chenle feels like he knows you as a person but at the same time... he doesn't even know what his "love-letter girl" looks like.
You walked through the halls, seeing Chenle and Jisung talking. You remembered that Donghyuck told you not to send him a single letter... but you can talk to him since Chenle told you that he is approachable. You just have to keep it cool and don't creep the two of them out.
You, being the anti-social soul that you are, walked passed them. Chenle, on the other hand, saw you. He thought that you were alone again.
"Uhh... Hey!"
Chenle grabbed your wrist gently as you felt time stopped in that moment. You turned around to see Chenle smiling at you.
"I kind of forgot to ask what your name is. What's your name?"
"My name is Y/N-"
"Y/N, I noticed that you weren't with Mark today... Do you want to grab some lunch with us?"
"Uhh... Sure."
You smiled as Chenle lets go of your wrist. You guessed that Donghyuck's strategy is working. One letter wasn't sent but in return, you had lunch with Jisung and Chenle. You discovered that Chenle liked reading poems and often blushed whenever he mentions that someone has been giving him letters anonymously.
You couldn't to tell him that it was you.
---
"Mark, I am such a genius."
Donghyuck praised himself once more as Mark rolled his eyes. You were wearing the outfit the three of you bought for this special day. Mark smiled at you, looking like a proud brother at the same time."
"You got this, Y/N. I believe in you."
Mark cheered you up as he hugged you. Mark was like a brother to you since you transferred here. He's really a nice senior and also a nice friend. You even got to meet Donghyuck, a new friend, because of him.
Without Mark, you'll probably never get that confidence you have until you meet someone like him in the future. But here you are, dressed to impress.
"Kill it, Y/N."
Donghyuck winked as he pushed you lightly and left you at the halls again. You were still anxious. If Chenle rejects you, find a new crush.
Instead of a letter, Chenle saw a simple pink piece of paper in his locker.
"Jisung, look. It says, 'Notebooks, lunch, and a black dress.'... Jisung, are you even paying attention?-"
"Bro... Look."
Jisung told Chenle as Chenle looked up, seeing you walking towards them despite the random people walking by. Chenle realized that it was you, the lonely girl he approached two days before.
"It's you?"
"Yep, sorry for the late reveal. I was very anxious about this day the moment I started writing and sending you letters... but I finally got the confidence and it's really not ideal for a girl to make the first move. I guess, you make your choice and I'll respect whatever your choice is."
Chenle sighed and smiled, you could tell that he was nervous.
"Just so you know, I always read your letters every night and I was upset yesterday because you didn't send me one. I never knew that the girl I've been waiting to approach was the one who approached me two months ago... I guess I could say that I liked you and your personality when I read those letters. You're actually just as awkward in letters as you are in real life... and I like that."
Chenle smiled and Jisung was still startled. You were still nervous, his response gave you mixed messages. Is it even a yes or a no?
"So, Y/N. Let's have lunch together. If you want a label? Sure, I'd love that."
"So... Are we dating right now?-"
"It depends on your choice, do you want to?"
Chenle asked, you smiled as you held his hand.
"Sure..."
"... Yes! I finally have a girlfriend!"
Chenle cheered, you found him cute. Jisung's eyes suddenly widened.
"And my guess was right! Ten bucks, please."
Chenle sighed at Jisung's response.
"No, sir. I'll be using that ten bucks for lunch."
