Post by Louise on Feb 21, 2011 8:49:33 GMT -5
Okay, so this is my story... Hayden inspired me, finally. 
Warning: Not your typical love story. And it's not very well written.
My Sketchy Valentine
I didn’t exactly want to wake up this morning – in fact, I just wanted to stay in bed all day and just wait for this damn day to be over. No, I didn’t have a test this morning, or a double lesson of my least favourite class. Heck, it wasn’t even immunisation day. Today was a day I dreaded more than anything else; I would rather walk on burning coals or eat glass than get out of bed and tread to school.
Today was February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Ugh.
I must admit that once upon a time, I used to believe in all of this lovey-dovey crap… until when I was 14, when I discovered that my boyfriend at the time was a cheating little man whore. I’ve kind of come a long way since then, and now I only trust the realistic things in life, such as work, studying, and grades… you know, the stuff that is just straight to the point, and what will really get you far in life. What does love do for you during high school? Absolutely nothing, really, except for the satisfaction that someone cares about you.Heck, you don’t even need romance for that; that’s what family and friends are for.
Still, teenagers in my school still lap up the cliché fantasies and love stories, which is why I’m dreading today. The student council decided that it would be a good ‘fundraiser’ if they exploit these kids’ beliefs, and the whole place has been in pandemonium for the last week. People have been getting hyped up over this fake and unnecessary event and pouring in their cash for cheesy cards and phony flowers, because they are so blind to the reality of everything… and to make matters worse, the school had organized a dance for tonight, called the ‘Cupid’s Bash’. It’s a disgusting sight to watch. Yet, I am still showing up to school today. Joy.
The yellow bus slowed to a standstill and the doors opened, with every kid pushing their way out of the vehicle and through the school entrance. I slowly walked down the steps of the bus behind them, sighing as I followed everyone into school. I frowned at the sight of a pink heart overload – balloons, flowers, and banners for the Cupid’s Bash had swallowed the school’s usual scene – grey lockers, grey walls, grey atmosphere. I felt like puking at the sight, but I gulped and headed towards my locker.
After having an argument with the balloons hanging on my neighbour’s locker (damn things kept getting in my way), I opened my locker, swapped textbooks for the next lesson, then headed towards the courtyard. I still had time to kill, as class didn’t start for a good fifteen minutes. I smiled slightly when I saw my friends, Paul, Dom and Aaron, and made my way towards them. “Hey guys,” I said, sitting down beside Aaron on the garden edge.
“Good morning, Beverly,” Paul piped up, smirking slightly. “How are you on this lovely day?”
“Shit,” I replied, sighing heavily. “And you know that I hate my name; stop flaunting it.”
To be honest, I wasn’t exactly the typical girl here – they were usually tall, blonde, and tan. They were all the same mould, and it was hard to really tell them apart… and here I am, sticking out like a sore thumb. I was short, pale as a ghost, with an ebony mane. The other girls didn’t exactly like originality, so I spent most of my time hanging out with these three dorks. Despite the fact that no other girl would want to be hanging out with these three boys, as they spent most of their time watching anime and collecting old Star Wars stuff, I was glad they were my friends. They were a lot more real than any of the girls here were.
We spent the whole time laughing at all the obsessed teenagers, and before we knew it, it was time to go to class. I parted ways with Paul and Aaron, and walked with Dom to our Information Technology class. We took two seats in the back of the room and tried our best to get through the lesson alive.
There were only a few minutes of class left, when there was a knock at the door. A bubbly blonde clone walked in with a handful of fake roses, exclaiming that she was to give them out to people. Of course, they couldn’t handle a single hour without shoving Valentine’s Day into our faces. I sat there in annoyance as the girl handed roses to people, then quickly left. It felt as if I was in Mean Girls; all I was waiting for now was the “and none for Bev Mulcahy, bye.”
The bell rang and I shot out of my seat, not even bothering to say goodbye to Dom as I raced down the hallway and to my locker. I tried to prepare myself for this day, but every year it seemed to get worse. I mean, this whole giving roses thing was just a tool to make the popular kids thing they’re even more popular, and expand those huge heads of theirs. I needed to clear my head of all of this love stuff, but God, it wasn’t working… I was beginning to feel lonely and unloved.
I got back to my locker and began to search around for my history textbook, as I had forgotten it earlier. I cringed when I heard a familiar voice down the hall. “Oh my god, this is so cute!” I heard her say, and I rolled my eyes. “I’ve gotten so many roses already, it’s so adorable.” I closed my locker and felt eyes on me, and I turned to see the girl with the roses glare at me.
Kelsey Kaye was the most popular girl in my school, and also the meanest. We used to be friends, back in primary school… until grade 7, when she got a bra over the summer and became immensely popular. She dumped me from her life soon after, and has been teasing me ever since. I didn’t like her, at least not anymore. I tried to avoid Kelsey and her two followers, Hayley and Jane, as much as possible. The trio were a force to be reckoned with… I swear, Kelsey was so horrible that she could make Chuck Norris cry.
I hugged my textbook close to me and walked past Kelsey at a fast pace. “Hey Bev,” she sneered, “I love your roses! You must be so popular.” I could hear her and Hayley laughing her head off, but Jane pursed her lips as I walked past. God, I could not stand them.
I was fuming by the time I got to history, and I tried my best to forget everything and focus on my studies. However, that was short lived, as the girl with the roses came in… again. She began to read out names once more, and I frowned and crossed my arms on the desk – that is, until she said my name. “What?” I said in shock, as she came towards me with a dozen or so roses. I opened the accompanying card, and read its contents. “’Meet me at the Cupid’s Bash, love, your secret admirer’?” It made no sense – how could I, the most unpopular girl in school, have a secret admirer? I groaned and hit my head on the desk, trying to cover the fact that I was starting to blush.
Throughout the day, I felt on top of the world – I think it was my inner feminism shining through, I wasn’t exactly sure.
When I got home, I walked up to my room and just sat there for a moment – should I go? It wasn’t really like me to go to a dance… however, I was curious to see who sent me the roses and card, so I eventually decided that I would show up. I walked over to my wardrobe and took out the only dress I owned (some stupid blue thing I wore to my cousin’s wedding) and chucked it on, brushed my hair, then walked to the garage. My father was working the late shift tonight, and wouldn’t be home until 3am tomorrow morning. So, I grabbed the keys to his spare car and got into the vehicle. I put the key into the ignition and drove off, towards school.
When I got to the Cupid’s Bash, I began to regret it – if school was bad, then this dance was definitely worse. Everything was putrid and pink, and I made a face in disgust as I made my way to the set of chairs against the wall. I sat down and began to twiddle my thumbs, waiting for my admirer to show.
I waited, and waited, and waited. After sitting there for about an hour, I began to become anxious. Where was this guy? I twiddled my thumbs nervously, and jumped in shock when someone sat beside me. I turned my head, hoping it was my admirer, and frowned when I realized it wasn’t. “Oh, hi Jane.”
“Hey Bev!” Jane exclaimed cheerily, waving at me. “You looked lonely, so I thought I’d sit with you.”
I looked at her suspiciously. “Did Kelsey set you up to this?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, this is all my doing. I want to talk to you; you seem cool!”
“Um…okay?”
So here I was, sitting here awkwardly and talking to Jane… to my surprise, she was actually quite cool. She was a lot nicer than a lot of the girls at school; it was a shock to think that she actually hung out with Kelsey Kaye. I ended up enjoying my conversation with her, which was weird.
However, that was short lived, as Kelsey and Hayley made their way towards us. “Eww,” Hayley commented, scrunching her nose at me.
“Oh my god, Jane! What are you doing talking to that freak?” Kelsey asked, glaring at both of us.
Jane looked down at the ground. “Nothing,” she answered quietly, avoiding eye contact with her friend.
Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Whatever, loser. C’mon.” She and Hayley began to walk away, and Jane sighed sadly before leaving to join them.
So, once again, I was alone. And once again, I was left wondering who my secret admirer was. It had been an hour and a half, where was he? Had I been stood up? Tired of waiting, I stood up and headed towards the bathroom. I decided that I would go to the toilet and then just leave, to save myself any further embarrassment.
I got into a stall and locked the door, then sat there in silence as…well, you know. I felt humiliated; and I knew there was a reason why I hated Valentine’s Day. It was stuff like this that brought me down.
I heard the main door swing open, and I heard the familiar laughs of Kelsey and Hayley. “Oh my god, I can’t believe she fell for it!” Hayley exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a retarded seal. “Priceless.”
“Wait, fall for what?” Jane asked.
“I sent Bev Mulcahy a dozen roses from a ‘secret admirer’ and told her to meet him here. And she totally came, that idiot,” Kelsey replied, and I narrowed my eyes as I realized the truth. Kelsey Kaye pulled a prank on me! I knew that this was all too good to be true – she raised my hopes and crushed them again. This is why I hated this kind of stuff.
“Wow, you’re mean.”
“What, are you sticking up for her now?” I heard Kelsey accuse.
“I just thought it was mean, that’s all,” Jane said softly.
“Well, I think it was hilarious.”
I flushed the toilet and opened the stall, quickly walking to the sink that the three girls were surrounding. “Jee Kelsey,” I said bitterly, “I don’t know what your problem is.”
Kelsey scoffed. “You want to know what my problem is?” she began, before listing a whole list about how I was pathetic and what not. Normally, I would have made a funny retort about how she lacked a brain, but I didn’t think that she was even worth it.
“Kelsey, stop.”
We both turned to see Jane, who was standing there with her hands on her hips. “You can’t just go around and be a bitch to everyone,” she stated, “You’re not going to get anywhere in life with that attitude.”
“Jane, what’s your problem?” Kelsey snapped. “Why are you defending her? You can’t be friends with both of us.” She crossed her arms and death glared her. “You’re going to have to choose between us.”
Jane looked between us, then eventually turned to Kelsey. “I’m going to miss you,” she said bluntly, smiling sweetly at her former friend. Kelsey looked at her in shock, but then returned to her normal self.
“Whatever,” she retorted, “go be friends with the freak. You’ll never be popular again, I can guarantee it.” She stormed out of the bathroom, Hayley faithfully following her.
I stood there in shock for a moment, then turned to Jane and gave her a high five. “You go, Glenn Coco!” I exclaimed, my lips curling into a wide grin. “Someone needed to stand up to her, seriously.”
“I don’t want to be friends with someone like that anymore,” Jane replied, smiling slightly.
~~~~
The next day was February 15th, just another day. The hallways were back to normal, and everything was grey once more. However, there was one thing that was different – I had a new friend. Jane ditched the popular crowd for my dorks and I, and she was a happier person as a result. It was nice to have a girl friend too, for a change.
I guess Valentine’s Day isn’t as bad as what I thought it was.
Warning: Not your typical love story. And it's not very well written.
My Sketchy Valentine
I didn’t exactly want to wake up this morning – in fact, I just wanted to stay in bed all day and just wait for this damn day to be over. No, I didn’t have a test this morning, or a double lesson of my least favourite class. Heck, it wasn’t even immunisation day. Today was a day I dreaded more than anything else; I would rather walk on burning coals or eat glass than get out of bed and tread to school.
Today was February 14th, Valentine’s Day. Ugh.
I must admit that once upon a time, I used to believe in all of this lovey-dovey crap… until when I was 14, when I discovered that my boyfriend at the time was a cheating little man whore. I’ve kind of come a long way since then, and now I only trust the realistic things in life, such as work, studying, and grades… you know, the stuff that is just straight to the point, and what will really get you far in life. What does love do for you during high school? Absolutely nothing, really, except for the satisfaction that someone cares about you.Heck, you don’t even need romance for that; that’s what family and friends are for.
Still, teenagers in my school still lap up the cliché fantasies and love stories, which is why I’m dreading today. The student council decided that it would be a good ‘fundraiser’ if they exploit these kids’ beliefs, and the whole place has been in pandemonium for the last week. People have been getting hyped up over this fake and unnecessary event and pouring in their cash for cheesy cards and phony flowers, because they are so blind to the reality of everything… and to make matters worse, the school had organized a dance for tonight, called the ‘Cupid’s Bash’. It’s a disgusting sight to watch. Yet, I am still showing up to school today. Joy.
The yellow bus slowed to a standstill and the doors opened, with every kid pushing their way out of the vehicle and through the school entrance. I slowly walked down the steps of the bus behind them, sighing as I followed everyone into school. I frowned at the sight of a pink heart overload – balloons, flowers, and banners for the Cupid’s Bash had swallowed the school’s usual scene – grey lockers, grey walls, grey atmosphere. I felt like puking at the sight, but I gulped and headed towards my locker.
After having an argument with the balloons hanging on my neighbour’s locker (damn things kept getting in my way), I opened my locker, swapped textbooks for the next lesson, then headed towards the courtyard. I still had time to kill, as class didn’t start for a good fifteen minutes. I smiled slightly when I saw my friends, Paul, Dom and Aaron, and made my way towards them. “Hey guys,” I said, sitting down beside Aaron on the garden edge.
“Good morning, Beverly,” Paul piped up, smirking slightly. “How are you on this lovely day?”
“Shit,” I replied, sighing heavily. “And you know that I hate my name; stop flaunting it.”
To be honest, I wasn’t exactly the typical girl here – they were usually tall, blonde, and tan. They were all the same mould, and it was hard to really tell them apart… and here I am, sticking out like a sore thumb. I was short, pale as a ghost, with an ebony mane. The other girls didn’t exactly like originality, so I spent most of my time hanging out with these three dorks. Despite the fact that no other girl would want to be hanging out with these three boys, as they spent most of their time watching anime and collecting old Star Wars stuff, I was glad they were my friends. They were a lot more real than any of the girls here were.
We spent the whole time laughing at all the obsessed teenagers, and before we knew it, it was time to go to class. I parted ways with Paul and Aaron, and walked with Dom to our Information Technology class. We took two seats in the back of the room and tried our best to get through the lesson alive.
There were only a few minutes of class left, when there was a knock at the door. A bubbly blonde clone walked in with a handful of fake roses, exclaiming that she was to give them out to people. Of course, they couldn’t handle a single hour without shoving Valentine’s Day into our faces. I sat there in annoyance as the girl handed roses to people, then quickly left. It felt as if I was in Mean Girls; all I was waiting for now was the “and none for Bev Mulcahy, bye.”
The bell rang and I shot out of my seat, not even bothering to say goodbye to Dom as I raced down the hallway and to my locker. I tried to prepare myself for this day, but every year it seemed to get worse. I mean, this whole giving roses thing was just a tool to make the popular kids thing they’re even more popular, and expand those huge heads of theirs. I needed to clear my head of all of this love stuff, but God, it wasn’t working… I was beginning to feel lonely and unloved.
I got back to my locker and began to search around for my history textbook, as I had forgotten it earlier. I cringed when I heard a familiar voice down the hall. “Oh my god, this is so cute!” I heard her say, and I rolled my eyes. “I’ve gotten so many roses already, it’s so adorable.” I closed my locker and felt eyes on me, and I turned to see the girl with the roses glare at me.
Kelsey Kaye was the most popular girl in my school, and also the meanest. We used to be friends, back in primary school… until grade 7, when she got a bra over the summer and became immensely popular. She dumped me from her life soon after, and has been teasing me ever since. I didn’t like her, at least not anymore. I tried to avoid Kelsey and her two followers, Hayley and Jane, as much as possible. The trio were a force to be reckoned with… I swear, Kelsey was so horrible that she could make Chuck Norris cry.
I hugged my textbook close to me and walked past Kelsey at a fast pace. “Hey Bev,” she sneered, “I love your roses! You must be so popular.” I could hear her and Hayley laughing her head off, but Jane pursed her lips as I walked past. God, I could not stand them.
I was fuming by the time I got to history, and I tried my best to forget everything and focus on my studies. However, that was short lived, as the girl with the roses came in… again. She began to read out names once more, and I frowned and crossed my arms on the desk – that is, until she said my name. “What?” I said in shock, as she came towards me with a dozen or so roses. I opened the accompanying card, and read its contents. “’Meet me at the Cupid’s Bash, love, your secret admirer’?” It made no sense – how could I, the most unpopular girl in school, have a secret admirer? I groaned and hit my head on the desk, trying to cover the fact that I was starting to blush.
Throughout the day, I felt on top of the world – I think it was my inner feminism shining through, I wasn’t exactly sure.
When I got home, I walked up to my room and just sat there for a moment – should I go? It wasn’t really like me to go to a dance… however, I was curious to see who sent me the roses and card, so I eventually decided that I would show up. I walked over to my wardrobe and took out the only dress I owned (some stupid blue thing I wore to my cousin’s wedding) and chucked it on, brushed my hair, then walked to the garage. My father was working the late shift tonight, and wouldn’t be home until 3am tomorrow morning. So, I grabbed the keys to his spare car and got into the vehicle. I put the key into the ignition and drove off, towards school.
When I got to the Cupid’s Bash, I began to regret it – if school was bad, then this dance was definitely worse. Everything was putrid and pink, and I made a face in disgust as I made my way to the set of chairs against the wall. I sat down and began to twiddle my thumbs, waiting for my admirer to show.
I waited, and waited, and waited. After sitting there for about an hour, I began to become anxious. Where was this guy? I twiddled my thumbs nervously, and jumped in shock when someone sat beside me. I turned my head, hoping it was my admirer, and frowned when I realized it wasn’t. “Oh, hi Jane.”
“Hey Bev!” Jane exclaimed cheerily, waving at me. “You looked lonely, so I thought I’d sit with you.”
I looked at her suspiciously. “Did Kelsey set you up to this?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No, this is all my doing. I want to talk to you; you seem cool!”
“Um…okay?”
So here I was, sitting here awkwardly and talking to Jane… to my surprise, she was actually quite cool. She was a lot nicer than a lot of the girls at school; it was a shock to think that she actually hung out with Kelsey Kaye. I ended up enjoying my conversation with her, which was weird.
However, that was short lived, as Kelsey and Hayley made their way towards us. “Eww,” Hayley commented, scrunching her nose at me.
“Oh my god, Jane! What are you doing talking to that freak?” Kelsey asked, glaring at both of us.
Jane looked down at the ground. “Nothing,” she answered quietly, avoiding eye contact with her friend.
Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Whatever, loser. C’mon.” She and Hayley began to walk away, and Jane sighed sadly before leaving to join them.
So, once again, I was alone. And once again, I was left wondering who my secret admirer was. It had been an hour and a half, where was he? Had I been stood up? Tired of waiting, I stood up and headed towards the bathroom. I decided that I would go to the toilet and then just leave, to save myself any further embarrassment.
I got into a stall and locked the door, then sat there in silence as…well, you know. I felt humiliated; and I knew there was a reason why I hated Valentine’s Day. It was stuff like this that brought me down.
I heard the main door swing open, and I heard the familiar laughs of Kelsey and Hayley. “Oh my god, I can’t believe she fell for it!” Hayley exclaimed, clapping her hands together like a retarded seal. “Priceless.”
“Wait, fall for what?” Jane asked.
“I sent Bev Mulcahy a dozen roses from a ‘secret admirer’ and told her to meet him here. And she totally came, that idiot,” Kelsey replied, and I narrowed my eyes as I realized the truth. Kelsey Kaye pulled a prank on me! I knew that this was all too good to be true – she raised my hopes and crushed them again. This is why I hated this kind of stuff.
“Wow, you’re mean.”
“What, are you sticking up for her now?” I heard Kelsey accuse.
“I just thought it was mean, that’s all,” Jane said softly.
“Well, I think it was hilarious.”
I flushed the toilet and opened the stall, quickly walking to the sink that the three girls were surrounding. “Jee Kelsey,” I said bitterly, “I don’t know what your problem is.”
Kelsey scoffed. “You want to know what my problem is?” she began, before listing a whole list about how I was pathetic and what not. Normally, I would have made a funny retort about how she lacked a brain, but I didn’t think that she was even worth it.
“Kelsey, stop.”
We both turned to see Jane, who was standing there with her hands on her hips. “You can’t just go around and be a bitch to everyone,” she stated, “You’re not going to get anywhere in life with that attitude.”
“Jane, what’s your problem?” Kelsey snapped. “Why are you defending her? You can’t be friends with both of us.” She crossed her arms and death glared her. “You’re going to have to choose between us.”
Jane looked between us, then eventually turned to Kelsey. “I’m going to miss you,” she said bluntly, smiling sweetly at her former friend. Kelsey looked at her in shock, but then returned to her normal self.
“Whatever,” she retorted, “go be friends with the freak. You’ll never be popular again, I can guarantee it.” She stormed out of the bathroom, Hayley faithfully following her.
I stood there in shock for a moment, then turned to Jane and gave her a high five. “You go, Glenn Coco!” I exclaimed, my lips curling into a wide grin. “Someone needed to stand up to her, seriously.”
“I don’t want to be friends with someone like that anymore,” Jane replied, smiling slightly.
~~~~
The next day was February 15th, just another day. The hallways were back to normal, and everything was grey once more. However, there was one thing that was different – I had a new friend. Jane ditched the popular crowd for my dorks and I, and she was a happier person as a result. It was nice to have a girl friend too, for a change.
I guess Valentine’s Day isn’t as bad as what I thought it was.
