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Everyone knew how soulmates worked. Many looked forward to meeting the one they were destined to spend the rest of their life with. Some watched the timer on their arms tick until the day it hit zero. The ones who were lucky met their soulmate at a young age, giving them an entire lifetime with their loved one. Others met theirs when they were older, but the joy was still the same.
Beth Chapel couldn’t say the same thing, though.
For as long as she could remember, the timer on her arm read ‘0:00:00:00’. She recalled everyone in elementary school up until present day high school showing off their timers and getting giddy because they were a day closer to meeting their soulmate. When people found out that Beth’s timer hit zero, they bombarded her with questions about who her soulmate was. It was hard, being six years old and explaining that she never met her soulmate, and her timer was simply always like that. Her parents swore that she had an active timer when she was born, but Beth never believed them. She thought they were trying to make her feel better, even though she never did.
It wasn’t until middle school did the whispers start.
“Maybe Chapel’s timer is broken.”
“Maybe she doesn’t have a soulmate at all, and the universe is rubbing that in her face.”
“Be nice, it’s not Chapel’s fault that no one will be with her.”
“Maybe there’s something wrong with her.”
Beth hid her tears when she begged her mom to take her shopping to buy long sleeved cardigans and sweaters after that. When the weather got warmer, she simply wore a lot of bracelets to hide her timer.
Then she joined the JSA and became friends with Rick, Yolanda, Courtney, and Jennie. It was easy to forget about soulmates when she had her best friends to spend time with. Eventually, each time she caught a glimpse at Jennie’s timer that was still going, or when Courtney and Yolanda embraced and she caught a flash of their recently completed timers, she felt a little less heartbreak.
All of that pain came back on Valentine’s Day during their junior year, though.
The halls of Blue Valley were decorated with red and pink balloons (good to know that’s where the budget is going, instead of a security system the school desperately needed). Girls carried around giant teddy bears and artistically crafted rose bouquets. Beth spotted Courtney and Yolanda holding hands and whispering in each other’s ear at the latter’s locker, both lost in their own world. A small smile formed on her face when she saw her two best friends- Beth was genuinely happy for them. The JSA has been through a lot, and they deserved any ounce of happiness they could get.
That being said, if she saw one more timer being shown off, she may scream. Thankfully, she had a free period, so she dodged the big stuffed animals and tables selling Valentine’s Day gifts and headed outside to the bleachers. With a sigh, she settled down on a seat and looked out to the clear blue sky, finally feeling a sense of peace washing over her.
“Hey Chapel, what are you doing out here all by your lonesome?” A familiar snarky voice asked from behind her. The tone and the clicking of heels on the metal bleachers told her who was interrupting her thoughts.
“Cindy,” Beth greeted curtly. The brunette slid in next to Beth, flipping her long curls over her shoulder. She wore a black skirt with matching fishnets and paired it was a dark green top and a matching jacket. Beth herself donned a blue outfit consisting of light blue jeans and a dark blue sweater. They were possibly the only two people in school who didn’t wear a Valentine’s Day color.
“Shouldn’t you be hanging out with your boyfriend for this cringe holiday?” Cindy asked.
Beth frowned. Out of all the original four teenage members of the JSA, she thought she got along with Cindy the best, considering they never had any personal issues with each other. There really was no need for her to point out how single Beth is. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”
Cindy waved her off. “Oh please, I’m not an idiot like some of your friends. I can see you and Rick gazing at each other when the other isn’t looking. You’re not fooling anyone.”
Beth’s cheeks heated up. She hoped her crush on Rick wasn’t obvious. The last thing she wanted was to face Rick as he let her down easy. “I have a soulmate out there, Beth, I’m sorry” were words that haunted her nightmares. Now that she thought about it, she never saw Rick’s timer, as he usually wore a hoodie or his jacket to cover it. His watch also hid the timer on his wrist. Beth never asked him about it because she hated when others asked her about hers. Plus, she didn’t want to be reminded that her best friend would eventually find someone else and would not be a significant part of Beth’s life anymore when that happened.
“I’m serious, Rick and I are just friends,” Beth tried to ignore the crack in her heart.
Cindy blinked. It was the first time Beth has ever seen Cindy look dumfounded. Part of her wished Yolanda were here to see it. “Aren’t you two soulmates? You sure as hell act like it.”
“No, we’re not,” Beth said sharply. “I don’t have a soulmate.”
“What do you mean, you don’t have a soulmate? Everyone has a soulmate.”
Beth shook her head. “Not me. My timer’s been at zero for as long as I could remember.”
Realization dawned in Cindy’s dark eyes. “Oh, so those rumors back in middle school were true?”
“You mean you didn’t start a single one of them?” Beth raised an eyebrow.
“I never started any rumors about you, honest.” Cindy even placed a hand over her heart for good measure. “I just thought you of all people would have a soulmate. You act too cheerful not to have fun.”
“Yeah, act ,” Beth mumbled.
The two sat in silence for a few minutes until the former villainess spoke. “I don’t have a soulmat either.” Beth turned to Cindy, so she continued. “I don’t know if I ever had a timer. I don’t know if I was born with one and my father somehow took it away when I was a kid, or if I was just never destined to have one.”
Damn, that was tragic. It was rare that Cindy opened up about her awful childhood, especially to someone who wasn’t Courtney. “I’m sorry, Cindy, I can’t imagine-”
“Yes, you can. You’ve lived your whole life thinking that you don’t have a soulmate. You’re the only one on this god forsaken team that could imagine how I feel.” Cindy stood up and smoothed her skirt. “Anyways, I’m glad we had this chat, Chapel. I have something I need to take care of.”
~~~~~~~~
Rick was spending his Valentine’s Day catching up on a chemistry lab instead of having lunch with Courtney and Yolanda (he had no intention of being a third wheel, especially since Beth said she was planning on eating lunch outside since it was surprisingly warm). Ms. Moore, his chemistry teacher, stepped out for a couple of minutes, trusting him with everything in the classroom. It made Rick smile to himself, she was one of the few teachers who didn’t think that he was a lousy student with no future, and thus she was very lenient with students making up their work. Plus, it meant Rick didn’t have to deal with everyone acting sappy today. If he saw one more stuffed animal, he might scream.
Not to say he wasn’t happy for Courtney and Yolanda, he was, but he didn’t care much for everyone else. Seeing this many happy couples only reminded him of what he would never have. He glanced down at his sweatshirt-covered arm, where his timer was stuck at zero for as long as he could remember. It was a good thing Beth wasn’t here too - he couldn’t handle looking at her, knowing that she had a soulmate waiting for her somewhere. Rick settled for Beth’s friendship, which was far more than he deserved to begin with.
“Tyler!”
Rick’s thoughts of Beth’s wonderful smile and infinite warmth were interrupted by Cindy Burman waltzing into the room. He frowned and resisted the urge to close his fist.
“What do you want, Burman?” He demanded.
“I need to see your timer,” Cindy walked over to him and crossed her arms expectedly.
Rick felt an ache in his temple. “Why?”
“An experiment.”
“Dangerous choice of words coming from you.”
“Fine, curiosity, then.” The brunette sighed and rolled her own sleeve up, exposing her timer-free arm. Then she rolled the other sleeve up for good measure, her arms matching.
“I don’t even have a timer. Now you know. Your turn.”
Rick couldn’t help the twinge of sympathy for Cindy. He didn’t trust her, hell, he didn’t like her, but she did have a difficult childhood. And no timer at all? There was no chance for her to have a soulmate. Maybe that’s why she was so cold all the time.
Maybe that’s why he obliged her abrupt request, pushing his sleeve up to display the finished timer.
Cindy raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.”
Rick didn’t like how she said that in a very calculating tone. He wasn’t dumb, he knew Cindy was clever. Beth was practically a genius, but Cindy could hold her own when it came to figuring things out.
“What’s interesting? The fact that it’s been like this,” he waved his arm around, “for as long as I could remember? That it’s the reason why I hate this fucking holiday?”
“Yes to the first part, I don’t care to the last part.” Cindy replied. “Thanks, I gotta go.” With that, Cindy swept out of the room, leaving nothing but a headache in her wake.
~~~~~~
“Chapel, I have news.” Cindy plopped down next to Beth once again on the bleachers. Beth was eating a bag of sour cream chips, which she offered to Cindy. She looked surprised but took one out of the bag with a nod.
“What news?” Beth asked suspiciously.
“Rick has the same problem as you. His timer’s been stuck at zero for as long as he could remember.”
Beth’s heart sank. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was Rick. She wanted him to be happy, even if it was with someone else. Now what did this mean? Did Rick not have a soulmate? How could life be so cruel to him?
“Oh no, Rick…” She whispered.
“I have a theory,” Cindy said carefully. Beth looked at her, and was met with a genuine expression. “Did you and Rick ever meet each other when you were young?”
Beth blinked. “No. We officially met during freshman year.”
“Of course, if a finished timer is all you two have ever known, then you wouldn’t remember anything before age five or six, maybe. What do we know about Rick’s parents before they were murdered?”
“Cindy!”
“They lived in the outskirts of Blue Valley, right? Far enough from prying eyes but close enough to do stuff like go shopping and go to school, right?” Cindy pressed.
Beth nodded slowly. What was Cindy getting at? Why was there a flicker of hope in the air? “Yeah, so?”
“What if you and Rick met as toddlers or something? While you were both out with your parents? A sickenly adorable meet cute?” Cindy shuddered at her last words.
Beth didn’t know which was more shocking - the possibility of her and Rick meeting when they were little, or the fact that resident mean girl Cindy Burman just uttered the words ‘ meet cute. ’ Nonetheless, she had an idea. It was a long shot, but it was worth it. Not only for Rick, but for herself. She deserved to be happy, too.
Beth took off her glasses and put on her goggles while Cindy watched. “Hey, Chuck, can you pull up photos of Rick’s parents and send them to my phone?”
“Certainly, Beth. May I ask why?” Chuck’s modulated voice asked.
“Just a theory.” With that, Beth’s phone beeped to notify her that the photos were delivered. “Thanks, Chuck.”
She unlocked her phone and clicked on the photos. There they were- Rex and Wendi Tyler. The former Hourman was handsome, and Wendi was beautiful. Rick looked a lot like his father, but there was an undeniable hint of Wendy in him too.
“It’s a shame they died young,” Cindy commented. “They were in their thirties, right?”
“Yeah, they were.” Beth hoped the current JSA survived longer than that. Pushing that tragic thought aside, she clicked on her mom’s contact in her text messages and sent her the photos, along with: hey, do these two look familiar to you?
Her mom texted back after a minute, which Beth was not expecting.
Mom: Oh my god, I do remember them
Beth watched the message bubble appear at the bottom, showing that her mom was typing.
Mom: I met them when you were around three. We had gone grocery shopping and that couple was at the store with their adorable son, who was about four. You two hit it off immediately, it was the cutest thing ever. Our car wouldn’t start, and the guy thankfully jumpstarted it for us.
Mom:The entire time you were with his son, you smiled nonstop. That’s why I remember
Beth gasped. She did meet Rick when she was little. No wonder she didn’t remember - she was only three. Same for Rick, who was four.
“Oh my god,” Cindy’s eyes widened at the texts. “Ask her about your timer,” she tugged on Beth’s sleeve.
Beth: Did my timer hit zero that day?
Another minute went by.
Mom: Oh my, it did. I can’t believe I didn’t make the connection!
Mom: I’m so sorry sweetie, I never noticed your timer in the store, otherwise I would’ve gotten their contact info. You didn’t talk to anyone else that day.
Beth: It’s okay, Mom. Those are Rick’s parents. Rick is my soulmate.
Mom: That little boy was Rick? Life works in mysterious ways. I hope you tell him soon, sweetie. I’ll see you at home!
All this time, her soulmate was right in front of her, sitting at that lunch table every day. It was the sad boy who sat in the corner of the classroom, vandalizing desks. It was the superhero who became her best friend, who would do anything for her. It was the guy who she already had feelings for. She couldn’t stop the smile that grew on her face.
“I was right,” Cindy said smugly.
Beth turned to Cindy and squeezed her hand. “Thank you, Cindy. Truly.”
“Oh… You’re welcome.”
“I had accepted that I didn’t have a soulmate, and I was okay with it, because I had good friends,” Beth smiled at Cindy. “That includes you. I’m sorry you don’t have a timer, but that doesn’t mean you’re destined to be alone. You have us- you have me .”
Cindy returned Beth’s smile with a small one of her own. It took away some of the constant tension she carried around. “I appreciate that, Chapel. Now go get your man. He’s in chem lab.”
With that, Beth got up and sprinted toward the lab.
~~~~~~~~
Rick was sitting at a desk writing in his lab notebook when Beth arrived. She took a moment to appreciate the concentrated look on his face, in which he slightly bit his lip while his eyes held an intense look. When Beth called out “Hey,” Rick looked up and his gaze softened. It sent butterflies fluttering in her stomach.
“Hey, did you finish lunch?” He stood up to pull out the chair next to his. Beth gratefully sat down, placing her bag on the floor.
“Yeah, I did.” She took a deep breath. Here goes nothing. “I have to tell you something.”
“What’s up?”
“We’re soulmates.”
Rick’s breath hitched. “Beth…”
“Just look at this,” Beth handed him her phone with her text chain with her mom on the screen. Rick read through it, his eyes widening while going through it. He finally let out a shaky breath, as if he couldn't believe this was true. Like he was in a dream that would fade away. So, Beth gently placed her hand on his arm to remind him that this was reality.
“We met when we were so little,” Rick said. “I wish I could remember.”
“Me too,” Beth said softly, accepting her phone back. “But we were so little, no wonder we forgot.”
“I thought I would be alone for the rest of my life. I thought you would move on with your soulmate when you met them, and that you would forget about me,” Rick confessed.
“Hey,” Beth grabbed his hands this time. “I could never forget about you. Now , at least.” Rick let out a chuckle at that. “Besides, I thought the same thing about you.”
Rick was affronted. “I could never move on and forget about you, Beth. You’re… you’re everything .”
Beth was speechless. That was the single sweetest thing anyone had ever said to her. It was the best thing anyone could ever say to her.
“Can I kiss you?” Rick asked shyly.
“Of course you can.”
Rick’s hand cupped Beth’s face while the other one held on to the chair she was sitting in, as if to stop it from falling away. Their lips met, and it was everything Beth had imagined and more. He tasted like coffee and felt like home. The air around them electrified while her heart pounded in her chest. The kiss felt like forever and too short simultaneously. When they finally pulled away, neither of them could fight the smiles that formed.
“I love you,” Risk whispered, resting his head on Beth’s.
Beth was wrong. That was the best thing anyone ever said to her.
“I love you, too.”