Write a short story with a reference to Valentine's Day in some significant manner. This could be in the form of a love story or an anti-love story, or it could recall any significant events that have taken place on this date, your choice. Due at the end of the period on Friday.
(Mr. Kupiec's Class, the length requirement for the piece is 500 words. It is due Friday.)
Ahmed
ReplyDeleteFebruary the 14th was the day she left me for another man. She didn’t tell me the reason she was leaving me or why she left me. I was upset and I wasn’t thinking right. The only thing I saw after she left me was darkness. Darkness was the only place where I could be calm and peaceful, if it wasn’t for the devil I wouldn’t ever be where I am today. I sold my soul to the devil and he started to whisper in my ear about good and evil. He never told me to kill the guy she left me for but he always got me mad to the limit my own mind told me to go and kill him. The devil gave me powers that I didn’t know I had but when I saw that guy who she left me for. I ran up to him as fast as I can but I was going 100 MPH. I didn’t know I had the power to run that face but I guess when your angry and darkness takes over your nothing but evil. I felt like I was stronger than the devil. As I got to the guy she left me with so I ran towards him and I stopped him and I looked in his eyes and took out all his soul. The sky turned black as the underground, I took his soul and I threw it with the rest of the souls who didn’t deserve to be on this earth. The love of my life was looking at me with shock and tearing. She told me she never ever thought I would be a killer and believe in the devil. As I saw my love one but at the same time the girl that hurt me I still felt a type of way that I felt bad. I gave the guy his soul back and I screamed and black colors came out my eyes and my mouth and I flew in the sky screaming. And I disappeared. Years past by and it the 14th again, every V-Day I go and look at the love of my life that broke my heart, and every time on V-Day she goes to my grave thinking I’m dead but she doesn’t know I that I’m the devil himself. (When I flew in the sky and disappeared I ended up underground going face to face with the devil. I had the power that he gave me but when I took the guy soul I knew how to control my powers and how to keep them. I went face to face with the devil and I finished him and I became the devil. No one can beat me or take my place, I’m dead but I’m the devil and I could do anything I want. Darkness became my only friend.)
“Oh! I can’t believe how many cards I got this year!” That’s what my best friend, Charla, was shrieking from across our lunch table. My other friends were lost in thought over their boyfriends. I was lost in thought too. But unlike everyone else at that table, I had no boyfriend. In fact, I had the worst love life you could ever imagine.
ReplyDelete“These boys just need to leave me alone! I don’t like any of them!” Charla continued with her love parade. That’s when my other best friend, Lucy, quieted the attention-loving Charla. Lucy saw my depressed expression and empty hands where love letters and chocolates were nonexistent. Everyone at the table hushed and turned to me. But I was still lost in my own world. Until Lucy finally nudged me and whispered my name.
I was so startled I nearly fell out of my chair. And when I recollected myself from the disturbance, I smiled at them all. All the popular girls. The ones the boys fell for. I smiled at them. Me. The girl that no boy wanted. The one who had never gotten a valentine except the childish ones that everyone passed out in elementary school.
“I’m fine. Really,” I told them all, still smiling.
“I don’t get it,” Hannah started. “You’re smart, pretty, talented, funny…why don’t you have a boyfriend? Or even a valentine?”
I shrugged and was about to say how I’m not those things. But Brenda stopped me by saying, “Because all the boys think they’re not good enough!”
“Well they’d be right! She’s way too pretty for any of them. She doesn’t even need makeup!” Charla added, trying to make up for her indirect mocking before.
I smiled again and quietly told them none of that was true. But before any of them could tell me I was wrong, I got up and walked away. I was still so deep in thought as I ascended the staircase that I tripped on the last step, my face smacked hard into the floor and my books skidded across the tiles. At least the bell hadn’t rung yet and I was the only one in the hall. I got up with no tears, wiped the blood that trickled from my nose, and collected my books once again.
“I’ll just dump these in my locker and cry in the bathroom like every year,” I thought to myself. But I never cried over my terrible love life. It was just something about that day. Valentine’s Day. Maybe it was just the thought of being left out as all my friends hung around their significant other. Or maybe it was just the thought that I would never find another like him. But whatever the case, I always went to the disgusting girls’ bathroom on the third floor. The one no one ever went to.
I looked forward to my crying session in the bathroom as I walked to my locker, blood still dripping from my nose. But I didn’t care about it at that point. I knew all the blood would be wiped away on the multitude of tissues that would soon decorate the bathroom floor. I felt the tears coming on and my vision grew blurry, making it hard to see the numbers on the lock. I managed to open it, with a few minutes in the period left to spare. I threw my books in my locker so fast without even looking that I nearly missed the slip of white paper. The locker door slammed before I could realize what I saw. I felt a lump in my throat as I slowly opened the creaking gate again. My hand trembled as it enclosed the pure white envelope. I flipped it around and saw a heart.
So, definitely not about valentines day.
ReplyDeleteWake up, Mordecai.
His eyelids rose slowly, as if his subconscious was begging him to shield his eyes from whatever had just spoken his name. He fought the urge however, and saw nothing but a trembling and ever changing field of many shades of darkness. He looked down at his feet and tried to make sense of what he saw. The ground beneath his feet matched the rhythmic look and feel of water from a lake, but constantly rippling at abnormally rapid speeds from where his feet were placed. He leaned over and stuck his hand into the liquid darkness. Scooping a bit up into his hand as he rose, his hand immediately went numb as the blackness dribbled off of his hand and seemingly defied time itself as it fell -or was pulled- in slow motion back towards its source.
Face me, boy.
As if pulled by an otherworldly power, he slowly turned around, struggling to keep his footing on the strange substitute for a floor. The liquid was perfectly stable; it was the world itself that threw him off. It was shaking, spinning, constantly inverting and reverting itself, as if it was a living thing that was trying to rid itself of an impurity.
He drowsily looked forward, searching for whatever called to him. At first nothing caught his eye, but something told him to follow the ripples. He looked back towards his feet, trying to make sense of it all, but to no avail. The sight of this purgatory sent his head reeling. He managed to lock his sight on to a single ripple as it emitted from below his feet. His gaze followed it to where the voice commanded him to look, but still he couldn’t spot anything, until he noticed a slight flickering a distance away from him.
Whatever it was, it moved closer and closer, flickering in and out of reality at a terribly fast pace. It was only feet away before he noticed that it was flickering exactly as the ripples in the ground passed over him, like they were disrupting its very existence.
This is a dream, it will never be reality. You’re not welcome in this world, nor does this world have any wish to welcome you. The beings here have no wish to accept you, as you would have no wish to accept them. Your very body rejects this place, as this very place rejects you.
He fought with every muscle in his body, but nothing would work, not even his eyes. He was locked into eye contact with whatever this thing was. It was so close now he couldn’t even strain his periphery to get a look at the being. All he could see was the thing’s petrifying stare, its dark violet eyes and ice blue irises void of emotion.
Its flickering form slowly raised its arm and placed it on his shoulder. At its touch, his ears began to swell with the screams of what sounded like thousands of people. His body begged him to cringe away, but the dark void held him in place. The entity’s eyes were mere inches from his own, taking hold of his very soul. He felt a hand close tightly around his neck.
He had many sayings but his one saying about relationships is “never fall in love”. His name was Drake, his first valentine broke his heart. He liked this girl since the second grade. He is now a junior in high school. He learned his lesson about love the day of Valentine’s Day. The girl that he liked since second grade, her name was Tania. Drake and Tania have been friends since the first grade than he just had a crush on her since then. Than it was the eighth grade dance and he asked her to be his date and she said yes. Ever since the eighth grade they have had a thing. Than the end of sophomore year they started dating.
ReplyDeleteThey had the best relationship that anyone could have. They didn’t keep secrets from each other, they never really had any fights with each other, and the main special thing they had was that they trusted each other. They told each other everything. Everyone including Drake thought that they were going to be that couple that stay together, get married and have kids. They could have been that one couple that last till the end, lovers since high school.
It was a week before Valentine’s Day and Drake already got everything for Tania. He got her a really big bear, her favorite candy, flowers, a bracelet that had the date they first met. He has been working and saving his money just to get her all that. But Drake realized that the week before Valentine’s Day she has been acting different. She hasn’t been talking to him a lot, she was acting as if he had done something wrong and didn’t want anything to do with him.
The reason she was acting different was because, she was getting bored with him, and she felt as if she found someone else she wants to be with. She has been talking to another guy for almost two weeks and she missed being single. But she didn’t know how she could tell him so she just kept it a secret from him. The worst part is that she is talking to Drakes best friend.
Drake doesn’t know about it because no one told him anything. They know that if they tell him than he would be heart broken and never talk to any of them again. He will officially block them from his life. Drake is the type of person that is sweet caring and he is always bringing up peoples mood. He never once did anything to hurt someone’s feelings. He would always put everyone before himself.
He always had family problems but never showed it. He made it seem as if he had a great family. He was the rock of the family; he never let anyone feel bad for themselves. Drake was just happy that he finally had a girlfriend that he can talk to about anything and not have to worry about her leaving him if things went bad with family.
No more valentines’ day, no more of these lovey actions in public. People like me don’t want to see it anymore. You disgust me when you shower your significant other with gifts in public. I’m not the only one who feels this way when you are seen surrounded by a sea of people. I walk the streets in disgust as I see men walking down the streets carrying the giant hearts filled with chocolates or the large stuffed animals. It sickens me to the point of almost throwing up when I see it. You spend all this time and money on someone, who in the end, may walk out on you, it happens to all of us. It happened to me the last Valentines’ day, from that I found my salvation in the bottle. That wasn’t even enough to dull the pain of my broken heart. So now when I see the loving couples it angers and sickens me so much that I just want to punch them. Each day my hatred grows more and more for those people. They do not know the true way of the world that I have seen, the immense heart break and hatred for those who are better off in their lives than I am. Valentines’ day is one of the days that brings out my hatred for the human race. It is just another day but because of certain reasons it has become a holiday where we must go out of our way to show that we love our significant other.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a day where people hate to see others be loved. Some people love it. They can have someone tell them why they love them. It’s the way they truly feel about them. Some people just sit in the corner and see others get card and candy from the people that say they love them. Abigail was that girl that was never lover by a girl. Also guys never were interested in them. They found her to be disgusting. Her friends always told her that she was pretty. She never believed it because if it was right she would at least have one Valentine in those eighteen years she had lived. Her friends always told her that guys were just shy and that they wanted to wait for time. She never believed them. She said why they couldn’t just go up to her and tell her how she truly felt. Well one day one of those guys who secretly loved her had a big surprise for her. Her friends helped him.
ReplyDeleteHis name was Connor. They had been kids since they were young kids. Connor was always shy to tell her how he truly felt about her. He asked Abigail’s friends to help him but he never told them what he wanted to do for Valentine’s for her. He always asked them to help him but he never went through with his words. This Valentine he was going to buy he a box of chocolates. Then he was going to send he flowers to her house and get her a giant teddy bear. On Valentine’s Day the card that was next to his bed was no longer there. He quickly got changed and ran downstairs. He looked for his dog. When he found his dog he saw that in his dogs bowl was a couple of shredded pieces of his card. That already happened to him about five times before. His dog always takes his things and either chews it up or eats it. He quickly took his dog out and thought about that he could make it to a store and buy her a card. So that’s what he did he went to the store bought her flowers and an even better card. He got to his car and reached in his back seat and saw that the chocolates he bought from the other day had a couple pieces missing. He knew that he should have never bought his little siblings into his car and especially with candy.
He went back inside and got her a couple of pieces of chocolate. When he arrived to school he had everything in his hands. He walked over to where her locker was and saw that she was talking to someone that was much cooler than he was. He went to his locker and got what he needed to get for his next classes. Then he went back to see if Abigail was still talking to the other guy. They both were gone but her locker wasn’t locked. So he left everything inside of her locker. Later on he saw her at lunch. He sat with his friends and she sat with hers. He knew that it was time to take out the biggest surprise ever. When he got up he saw that Abigail was eating the chocolates he left and smelling the flowers. Right when he was at the door and looked back Abigail was finally opening the card. He went to go get changed. When he came back he had a sweater on. He went up to her and smiled. He went on top of the table and screamed for everyone’s attention. He took of his jacket and looked right at Abigail.
“Will you be my Valentine?” He screamed to everyone.
On his shirt it said “Abigail be mine, please.” Abigail looked around and was speechless. Everyone waited for her to answer. She grabbed his hand and gave him a gentle smile.
“I’d love to be your Valentine!” She yelled.
Valentine’s Day was right around the corner and my boyfriend and I were on good terms, so I thought. This day is supposed to be about love and spending time with that one special person in your life right? Well, that wasn’t the case for me. What happened on that Valentine’s Day made me hate this “holiday” for the rest of my life. Maybe one day I’ll get over it, but not right now. This happened about three years ago, and I guess you can say I’m still not over it. On February 14, 2010 my heart was broken and left for dead. To start things off, my boyfriend and I were together for two years prior to that day. I thought everything was perfect, I thought he was perfect, and how we always got cute compliments, I guess I was the only one thinking that way. He called me the day before Valentine’s Day and asked if I wanted to go out for that “special day”. Of course I told him yes and he took me to some expensive restaurant in the city. I thought I was on cloud nine, I actually thought he was going to propose to me! By the way I was 20 at that time, still a Junior in college, and he was 22. Everything was going so smooth and he was smiling the entire night. We got to the restaurant and the hostess sat us at our table. He told me had to go to the bathroom after ten minutes into dinner, he excused himself and walked way. Now, here’s where the story gets really interesting. As I’m sitting at the table, looking all pretty and clueless, his phone decided to ring. I trusted him, but I was still curious because the number called about three times. By the third time, I just answered his phone and what I heard, shocked the hell out of me! I picked up and didn’t say anything, but the person on the other line spoke into the silence. It was a woman.
ReplyDelete“Hey babe, where are you? I thought we were going out tonight.” This is what the woman on the other end of the phone said.
I just needed to respond to her, I couldn’t believe what I just heard. “Excuse me? Who is this?”
“I’m sorry, I must have the wrong number. Isn’t this Aaron’s phone?”
“Sure is. You have the right number, just got the wrong person. Now who is this?” I checked around to make sure Aaron was nowhere in sight.
“Oh this is, Cami.” She responded.
“How do you know Aaron?”
“What do you mean how do I know him? I’ve been his girlfriend for the past year! Now who are you?”
My heart dropped right then and there. Did I just hear that? An entire year?! It took everything in me not to cry and lose my cool in that restaurant. There were so many happy couples around me, and I just found out that my boyfriend has been cheating on me for the past year.
“I’m Tammy. I’ve been Aaron’s girlfriend for the past two years.”
“What?! He better not ever talk to me again!” She hung up the phone.
Aaron made his way back to the table and I placed his phone back where I found it. I looked him dead in his eye, as he sat down with that stupid grin on his face. I asked him was he cheating on me. He told me he wasn’t and that he didn’t know what I was talking about. I asked him who Cami was and his face grew pale. I took my glass of water off of the table and threw it on him and I walked out of the restaurant. I cried and made my way to the train station and went home. That was the worst day of my life, I gave up on love.
Valentine’s day is the most pointless holiday that we could ever have, but it’s also the most stressful day for people everywhere. I remember when I was in elementary school that I would worry about who and what kinds of cards I would bring in and what flavor cookies I should buy. It was pretty simple back then, but then middle school rolled around and Valentine’s Day became more stressful. I didn’t bring in anything anymore; I wanted to have my own valentine. Middle school is an awkward time for everybody, especially the boys so they don’t have any idea of what to give a girl. Now high school rolls around and you expect big things from your significant other, but if you don’t have a significant other than every single girl hopes and dreams that Valentine’s Day will be the day they will no longer be single. But 95% of the time it doesn’t happen, but it’s good to dream.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I love Valentine’s Day. It’s a day where the guy actually thinks about you and cares about you and wants to treat you right. I mean everyday should be like this but Valentine’s Day is where you prove yourself worthy. My best Valentine’s Day experience was last year, I was in a relationship and we were going on our fourth month and it was going great. He got me a giraffe pillow pet because I just ADORE giraffes and he got me a Victoria Secret perfume with a beautiful makeup bag. He also took me out to a nice dinner. It was definitely one of the best dinners I have had, I never had anybody care for me and treat me like that before. It was definitely a change of pace and I absolutely loved it.
Valentine’s Day is also hyped up too much. I understand that it’s the national day of love and that every couple in the world will have a fantastic time but what about the single people out there? What happens to them? I’m single this year, unfortunately, and I’m not stressing out about it. Girls in my school think that this is the most important day of the year. They freak out if they don’t get a candy gram or flowers. I have bigger things to worry about, like my future and what I’m going to do with my life. But I guess I can’t blame them, when I was younger I would freak out if my crush didn’t give me a candy gram, or at least a hello. I remember one Valentine’s Day I cooked for this guy named Mark, I was really into him my sophomore year and I thought cooking for him would be great. The dinner was great and I thought him and I were going to end up together. Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out so well. He ended up breaking things off, sure I was sad for a while but I got over it.
Valentine’s Day is either a hit or miss, but either way it’s going to cost you a lot of money.
It was Valentine’s Day and Caleb had been acting very secretive lately. He had been sneaking around and was barely talking to me. In the hallways he would avoid talking to me by talking to his friends while walking out of class. He would always be busy and never really had time to spend with me. Even his texting was weird lately. I sat in my English class wondering what was going on with him. I had chances to see if everything was okay, but each time I would change my mind because I kept telling myself that it was fine.
ReplyDelete“Sarah, are you okay?” whispered Kara. “You’re starring off into space again.” I shook my head to shake the thoughts from my head.
“Yeah, I’m fine; I’m just worried about Caleb. He’s been acting so weird lately and I don’t know what to do.” I responded. She smiled at the thought of my distress and I knew that she knew something that I didn’t. “What do you know?” as soon as I finished that sentence Kara gathered her stuff and sprinted out of the classroom. I knew she knew something after that encounter. I left the classroom and went to find her, but Kara was nowhere in sight. On my expedition to find Kara I spotted Caleb in the hallway. Expecting him to avoid me I did not bother saying “hi” until he grabbed my waist.
“What, you don’t say hi to my anymore?” he said with a smirk on his face.
“Well, I mean, you’ve been avoiding me all week, so…” I said pushing his hand away. I started walking away and he came running up behind me.
“Sarah, I had to avoid you. I knew that if I talked to you I would give away your Valentine’s Day surprise.” He said, “By the way Happy Valentine’s Day, babe.” And he kissed my forehead.
“Happy Valentine’s Day to you too, what are you talking about. What surprise?” I began interrogating him.
“You’ll find out later tonight. I have to go to practice now, but I will pick you up at seven. Love you, see you tonight.” He said as he kissed me and turned to leave.
“Love you too.” I called after him. He reached the door going up to the gym, he turned and winked at me and smiled.
It was 7:36 and Caleb still was not at my house. Where was he? I called his phone three times already and every time it would ring for a little and then go to voicemail. He usually always answers his phone when I call. I began to get a feeling in my stomach. A feeling that something was wrong, it sat in the pit of my stomach. I sat there until eight o’clock and then my phone rang. “Hello?” I said, still with the same empty feeling in my stomach.
“Is this Sarah?” the voice questioned.
“Yes, this is Sarah. Who is this?” I questioned right back.
“Hello Sarah, this is Doctor Lawrence from Summit Oaks Hospital.” My throat began to tighten and I became short of breath. I knew what was coming. Caleb was dead, I could feel it. Somehow, I could feel that he was no longer on this Earth. “Caleb has been in an accident. He was T-boned by a drunk driver. I’m sorry Sarah, but he didn’t make it.” Doctor Lawrence’s voice trailed off as I dropped my phone to the floor. Tears began streaming down my face. I felt helpless, wishing I could just hold him one more time.
Valentine’s Day is the worst day out of the 365 days in the whole entire year. The one and only guy I ever dated in high school and now he has a hideous girlfriend who is also a horrible person, much like her boyfriend. It all started junior year. My ex I dated was named Gordon. He was the guy of my dreams. Gordon and I dated for exactly fourteen months. (Yes, one year and two months.) But having him be the way that he is, he cheated on me with girls who everybody calls “harlots;” to keep it classy. I might as well start at the beginning when he and I started dating, and then took the turn for the worst.
ReplyDeleteI’ve had my eyes on him since he held the door open for me while I was walking into the same classroom. Gordon looked into my eyes and smiled. He was nice to me and we’ve known each other since the fourth grade. Gordon kept his eyes on me since fourth grade. I always thought he was a good guy. But anyway, one day he asked me out while I was at our Championship lacrosse game for the school. Since I was lost in his beautiful blue/green eyes, I had to say yes. Gordon was the nicest guy to me. He would hold doors open for me, he would complement on all my outfits, and he even bought me lunch when I didn’t have enough money. We were perfect. But one day, he did something that I could never take him back no matter how many times he pleaded to.
After school on Valentine’s Day, Gordon left as soon as the bell rang, so I couldn’t catch up to him. When I finally made it down the steps and out of school, I tried to find Gordon, and then wish I hadn’t. He was in his car, giving the sluttiest girl in all of our high school a ride home from school. Gordon and I were still dating, and he ran right after school to give the worst girl that I know a ride home without his girlfriend? No, I didn’t want to be with them. On one of the most romantic days out of the whole year, and my boyfriend decided that he would be a wiener. Later that night Gordon tried to be all lovey-dovey with me, but I declined him. The next day I broke up with him. First of all, that is not ok, not on Valentine’s Day. Secondly, why Sandy Solomon, my enemy? She made fun of me every day since I got glasses. She did so many other things that I will not speak of because they are so vile and terrible. I hate her. And why my boyfriend, giving a ride to the girl I hate and Gordon knows about it? Anyway I broke up with him and won’t ever forgive him.
Valentine’s Day has to be the worst day ever. On that day, I try to avoid everybody who is in a relationship, and don’t make eye contact with anybody either. They may think I’m insane, but it’s for the best.
Those times that we spent together will always be with me. The moments of laughter and moments of tears, none will be forgotten. Everyone is only given a certain amount of time to enjoy the gift of life. When were sent down to live our plan is made before we even were. You can’t fight fate because she will always win. Even though your time here wasn’t long you taught me something that I can carry on with myself throughout life.
ReplyDeleteThe special times that we spent together I didn’t take advantage of it while you were here. I thought you would always be here. But like I said time up above is already set. It was your turn. The way our family treated you was horrible they took advantage of their mother and they just didn’t see it. If I had known you were sick I would have been there. The way things between us ended in such bad terms, I never got to say sorry or goodbye.
In some ways I hold myself responsible. I like to think that you are ok now but the truth is you probably will never be. You are you and no one will change you, many people already tried. Though you are gone something will always be remember. You taught me what’s important and that the grass may seem brighter on the other side until you step to that side of the fence and see it may be just as worse. Something as simple as special family recipes and secrets were never passed down that’s what scares me the worst.
How am I going to feel fifteen years from now not knowing what the truth is behind this family? You were the last normal person left. I am all alone now stuck in this family that doesn’t get me. They never understood the way our minds work and that’s why they were always so angry towards us. My family is gone, the women that helped me through everything is gone but yet no one seems to notice now much it’s a pain that I carry with myself every day.
No one else got us when we were together we were best friends. I lost my best friend and no one seems to notice. My family doesn’t care they have become detached and unaware of each other. The stupid things that we did the endless nights of movies and food, no one understood why we loved each other so much.
Tinker was ready for her afternoon walk. She waited for her owner by the door with her leash hanging from her mouth. Every day at three in the afternoon, Tinker and her owner would walk down to the city park from their small apartment, play catch for about twenty minutes, then walk back home. It was the highlight of Tinkers day and she was especially looking forward to her walk today because there was a new golden retriever that had moved in down the street that would also spend their afternoons at the park. She had never introduced herself to the new dog, she was very shy, but she felt a strong connection with him. Today was the day that Tinker would grow the lady balls to talk to the dog. Tinker’s owner grabbed the leash out of her mouth and attached it to her collar. Together, they walked down the city streets a couple of blocks to the park. Tinker saw her prize standing at the other end of the large grass area. Her love was put on a leash, unable to escape to the other dog and confess her love to him. She pulled as hard as she could on the leash, slowly dragging her owner towards the golden retriever and his owner. When they were about half way across the field, Tinker’s owner let her off her leash and she bolted to where the golden retriever stood. She was running as fast as her little body would move. Her tongue was flopping out of her mouth as her eyes locked on her target. She jumped on him out of excitement and pure love. But his response was not what she expected. His owner pushed her off and started yelling while pulling away the beautiful dog. Tinker’s owner came running over and scooped up Tinker. She tried her hardest to escape the grips but was unsuccessful. Her small body could not match the strength that her owner had. The golden retriever walked away, his hair swaying with every step of his paws. Tinker gave up and let her body go limp. Her owner attached the leash back onto her and placed her back down onto the ground. This time, Tinker did not want to move. She was suffering from a broken heart. The golden retriever never loved her. She would never be able to live out her dream with him. Tinker was just a lonely dog in a vast city. She started to think that she would never be loved by another dog. She will only be loved by her owner, and to her, that was not enough. She wanted the fairy tale that she had seen in the movies. She returned to her apartment with her owner and settled down for the rest of her life. She remained alone every day after, and never saw the golden retriever again. She and her owner grew old together; they were old, lonely, and loveless. The only think Tinker looked forward to in life was her daily dog bone.
ReplyDeleteFor the ninth time, I fought back the urge to cry. But the thing is, when something’s wrong, it’s obvious. My stomach turned rapidly. My face began to feel warm. My legs wouldn’t stop shaking. I accidently backed into a chair, feeling its cushions try to engulf me, the way I felt like the world was trying to swallow me whole.
ReplyDeleteHe rested his head against his chair, closing his eyes. His face was calm. How could he be so calm? He was still.
I stared at him for several moments, unsure what to do. He couldn’t see me at least, staring blankly, so insecurely. I couldn’t read his mind, but mine was racing. I knew this was a bad idea.
I cleared my throat, and one of his eyes opened, looking up.
“I don’t know what to say,” I admitted coyly. “I’m sorry . . . I didn’t know.” He never even looked at me. “It wasn’t me—I mean, not all of it. My friends thought it would be funny, I guess—”
“—But why?” he exclaimed. The sudden agitation in his voice made me jump. “I don’t even know you! This is the creepiest thing that’s ever happened to me. I mean, stalking me . . . really? Breaking into my house . . . really?”
“Look, I didn’t think it would turn out like this . . . ”
“I was about to call the police!” He stood up for the first time. “I don’t even know who you are! How do you even know who I am?” His calm face had transformed into an enraged one, with his lip in a snarl and his eyes narrow and mean.
These words gnawed at my neck because they were the truth. He had no idea who I was, but I knew exactly who he was. His name was Jeremy Day. He was a senior. I was just a sophomore who had always been smitten by him. My friends knew this for years, and they wrote a fake letter—from me to him—and slipped it under his doorway this morning. It was Valentine’s Day, of course. I was always invisible to him, but now he would only know me as this crazy, young girl who tried to “break” into his house for no reason when he was there alone. But I was trying to retrieve the letter.
“I just said it was just a . . . prank, I’m sorry.” I stuffed the letter in my pocket, before he could ever notice. I thought maybe he would just forgive me, and we could be acquaintances and one day even friends, and we could laugh at all this.
“Just get out of my house, freak!” he shouted.
I darted out the living room, without looking back. I remembered the alarm on his face, then the confusion, then disgust. How could I ever live this down? I was nothing to him before, but now I was dead to him. By the time I was far enough away from his house, I took out the letter, now crumbled, and ripped it up, letting the pieces fall to the ground.
One day in the writing class the task to write about a super power was given and this sparked one of the greatest discussions that was ever had between the students of Dunellen high school. The task given was to write about if you had a super power what would you be a super hero? This started the conversation into the first stage of the conversation. Most of the students agreed that we would not be super heroes, but we would not be villains either. We would act like the main character from jumper did. He robbed a few banks so he always had money and then did whatever he wanted after that. Whether it was traveling the world or going to different places to pick up girls. Which then lead to the second stage of the conversation about which power would get you the most girls? Super powers such as teleportation, super speed, and flying were brought up as the best power to pick up girls with. All the different powers had their perks like teleportation to take the girl where ever they wanted, and super speed because you could run the girl to her favorite place. But overall the flying was the power that would get you the most girls. The fact that you could sweep the girl off her feet and slowly fly her to where ever she wanted to go was the decision maker. After that we had to decide on whether your body would be adapted to the stress that the super power would put on your body. If you had the ability to fly could you fly as fast as you want but would you able to keep your eyes open with the wind blowing in your eyes? And could your body be able to handle running at any speed, even faster than the speed of light. We came to the conclusion that your body would be perfectly adapted to use any power that you could choose. The body would have to be able to handle the super power. Then the choice of what super power you would have came up.
ReplyDeleteI yawned and stretched a little while walking. Man I hate overtime, but I needed the money. I sighed as I continued walking. My feet were getting a bit sore, making wish that I hadn’t missed that last bus. Too late now. After what seemed like forever, I finally made it to my front porch, when I noticed a box lying on it.
ReplyDeleteIt was a light shade of pink, with red hearts surrounding it. I grinned at its cheesy appearance. My boyfriend always liked to send me things when Valentine’s Day was near. He was pretty corny like that. As I picked up the box I sighed, wishing that he’d be taken off of active duty soon. Suddenly, my smile faded as a jolt of terror went down my spine.
What was the chilling feeling that I felt? I felt like something was watching me, so naturally I whirled around. A pair of eyes glistened in the dark and I almost screamed. That’s when the creature that the eyes were attached to let out a meow. The black cat casually stared at me from atop the fence across the street and I chastised myself.
Geez, at this rate I was going to give myself paranoia. I unlocked my door and brought the box inside. As I closed the door with my foot, I flipped on the lights. Everything was how I left it, which was good since I didn’t enjoy home burglaries. I plopped my work bag on the table and set my attention on the Valentines box in front of me.
Sure it was a bit early for the holiday, but who cares? I eagerly ripped apart the paper and tore open the box. I couldn’t help but laugh at the cute little brown bear. It held a plush heart with the question, “\Be Mine?” It was too cute, but I set it aside to make sure there wasn’t anything else. There wasn’t which left me a bit puzzled. Why didn’t my boyfriend send me a card?
That’s when it hit me. He’s coming home for Valentine’s Day! It made perfect sense. He was expecting me to open it on Valentine’s Day, when he got back. However, the gift was early, so he wasn’t here to surprise me. I bit my lip. He’ll be a little disappointed that the surprise was ruined, but I knew that seeing me again would make up for it.
Cradling the little bear, I headed for my room. It was late and frankly I was beat. Thank goodness I had the weekend off. Kicking off my shoes, I flopped onto my bed and held my boyfriend’s gift close. I couldn’t wait to see him again.
The next day I wake up a bit groggy and unsure if I slept through the weekend or not. Checking my phone, I realized that it was Saturday. A whole day full of me doing nothing but sitting on the couch and eating potentially fattening foods. I paused the TV about halfway through my show. Did I just hear the phone ring? Another ring confirmed my suspicions and I raced to grab the phone.
“Hello?” I asked.
“Guess who?” A familiar voice teased. I drew in a sharp breath.
“Could this be my boyfriend who is supposed to be here for Valentine’s Day?” I heard a chuckle from the other side.
“It’s good to see that I haven’t been forgotten,” my boyfriend replied.
DeleteI smiled. “Well it’s kind of hard to forget when I get a Valentines present from you.” There was a pause, so I decided to clarify. “I think the present you sent me was sent early, so I got it last night. It’s really cute.”
Again, there was a long pause. Then, my boyfriend spoke in a cautious voice, “I didn’t send you anything.” I tensed. “I was planning on taking you out to that new restaurant you’ve been wanting to visit.” For the third time, there was a pause.
This one lasted longer, until I broke the silence. “Well, maybe the person left it at the wrong address, or it’s from a friend.”
I could practically hear my boyfriend’s suspiciousness as he stated, “What friend sends another friend Valentines gifts?”
“I did that in high school,” I replied. Before the conversation could go any farther, I changed the subject to my boyfriend’s return. He would be back in one week, just in time for Valentine’s Day. We chatted some more before exchanging good-byes and hanging up. I sighed as I hung up the phone. As soon as I did, the doorbell rang. I jumped a little, but hurried over to the door.
When I opened it, there was nobody there. The only thing I found was a box that looked exactly identical to the one I received yesterday. I twitched nervously, but brought the package in anyways. I set it one the kitchen table and ripped it open to reveal a heart shaped box. A delicious and familiar aroma came from the box, and my suspicion was confirmed when I opened it. Chocolate.
I decided to not eat them, out of paranoia that they were dirty or something so I threw them out instead. The day passed by quickly after that, and the next day was normal until the doorbell rang again. This time there was a boutique of flowers with some balloons. The next day was a plush heart shaped pillow, and the next day was some Valentine make-up set. The day when I got a Valentine bathrobe was when I began to really freak out.
What kind of weirdo sends this stuff? That goodness my boyfriend was going to come this afternoon. As I walked into the airport, I was swept up in a pair of strong arms and spun around. My boyfriend and I shared a quick kiss before piling everything into my car. As we drove back home, I nervously told him of the creepy gifts I had been receiving. He listened with a stone face, making no comment.
While I parked the car into the driveway, I finished my story by saying, “Well at least you’re here now. I feel ten times safer.” He nodded thoughtfully as He exited the car. It was awkwardly quiet as we unpacked the van. No doubt we were both thinking about who was sending the gifts, and what I would receive today.
It wasn’t long after my boyfriend got settled in that the doorbell rang again. I stiffened, and glanced hesitantly at my man. He nodded and threw open the door. He flew outside, but after a few minutes came back in with a little note. He passed it to me wordlessly, and I read it.
DeleteMy Dearest,
I would hope that would accompany me for dinner. 7 o’clock at the new restaurant on Charles Boulevard. I cannot wait until then
I scrunched up my nose in disgust. Was this guy for real? He wants me to go on a date with someone I don’t know? This was practically a kidnapping or something waiting to happen. No way was I going! My boyfriend seemed to have other plans though…
“That little punk! I’m gonna give him a piece of my mind!” I tried to calm him down, but it was in vain. “Nobody hits on my girlfriend!” As six thirty rolled around, my boyfriend gave me a peck on the cheek before storming away. I shudder to think of the damage he would cause the poor soul that was sending me love letters. They were creepy, but harmless right? I sighed and put it out of my mind.
My boyfriend would probably be back soon to take me on our actual Valentines dinner date. I travelled upstairs and hurriedly got ready. Although I was ‘hurrying’ in my mind, it took me about an hour in reality to get ready. So when I saw the time, that concerned me. A whole hour? Shouldn’t my boyfriend be back yet? I decided that he was still giving the poor love-struck man hell, so I waited. And waited. And waited.
Another hour ticked by, and I was practically ready to bolt out the door. Where was taking him so long? Thoughts of horrible fates that could have befell my beloved swirled around in my head, until they were all cut off by the doorbell. Relief flooded through me. I chuckled, that block head must have forgotten his keys again...
I unlocked the door and opened it, to find another box on the porch. I froze as my heart skipped a beat. What? What was going on? Wasn’t my boyfriend with the man that’s been sending me presents right now? Cautiously, I picked up the box and brought it into my living room. I slowly tore it open and gazed inside. A chain with some dog tags lay in the box, along with a note.
The note read, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day my love. May nothing ever stand in our way again.’ I lifted up the dog tags into the light and my eyes widened. They were my boyfriend's…
Improper grammar, improper grammar everywhere.
DeleteI was the type of person who went all out for holidays. I essentially lived for celebrations and always went over the top with various elements that compose certain festivities, like decorations and special adornments to be applied throughout my home. On Christmas, I always made sure that I had at least three Christmas trees and on the Fourth of July, I spent days constructing immense banners and streamers to be bejeweled on the façade of my humble home. Valentine’s Day was no exception. It was a few weeks prior to the big day and I was already busy with purchasing new decorations and dusting off the old ones. I was planning on having an elaborate party celebrating the event, and I was filled with great anticipation at how wonderful the adornments and various trinkets would appear.
ReplyDeleteWhen I called my best friend, Annabelle, to inform her of her invitation to my party, she answered with a glum and depressing tone in her voice.
“Thanks for inviting me, but I don’t think I will be able to come.”
A little confused by her response, I pushed her for more information, “Why not? You love going to parties.”
“I’m just not up for it. Eric still isn’t back yet from his trip and I’m not in the mood to celebrate anything without him.”
Realization dawned on me as I processed her words. Eris was her husband and he had been away for the last two months studying ancient Incan ruins in Peru for his doctorate. I had quickly noticed the alteration in my friend’s behavior when he had left, as they had become inseparable for the past two years and his leaving greatly compromised her standard manner. When we terminated our conversation, an idea was triggered in my mind. I knew that Eric was due to come home shortly from his expedition in about three weeks. My party was scheduled to occur in two weeks. Picking back up the phone from its hinge, I swiftly dialed the number that he could be reached at and disregarded the probable expensive fee that I was going to be billed for the international call. After a few minutes, Eric was put on the phone and I explained to him the predicament. I told him of Annabelle’s apparent form of mild depression due to his prolonged absence in her life. He admitted that he had also been experiencing bouts of loneliness throughout his extensive stay in Peru. We discussed this and came to the solution that he would return home early on Valentine’s Day. After a time-consuming conversation of hammering out the details, I was satisfied that my plan was about to commence.
Over the next few days, I informed the other people attending my party of my proposal to fix the dilemma concerning Annabelle and her husband. As soon as everyone was properly up to date with the plans, I busied myself with the rest of the arrangements that needed to be made additionally to the other preparations I had already made for the party that was originally planned. I was to rush Eric to my house a few hours before the party and then have to convince Annabelle to attend. It was essentially going to become a Valentine’s Day surprise party.
When the day finally came, I whirled around my house to ensure that everything was meticulous and perfect. I retrieved Eric from the airport and hurried him back to my place. With great resistance on Annabelle’s part, I was forced to endure a difficult attempt at persuasion and was eventually successful. As the rest of the guests and Eric compiled in the foyer and waited anxiously for her arrival, I watched fretfully at the window for her car to pull into the driveway. When I saw this occur, I made the signal for everyone to get in their position, with Eric front and center.
We all listened intently for the turn of the doorknob and as the door slowly opened, we all yelled simultaneously, “Surprise! Happy Valentine’s Day!!!”
My cell phone was ringing loud and clear on my bedside table. Thinking it was my alarm, I looked for the snooz button, but it wasn’t there. Instead it was showing an incoming call from a number I didn’t recognize. What would someone want from me at 5:50 in the morning before I woke up? Sighing, I pressed answer and gave a tired “MMM?”
ReplyDelete“Hello, Clare?” a girl’s voice said on the other line. I didn’t recognize the voice, but she sounded like she could be about my age or older. She didn’t sound very happy to be talking to me; in fact, she sounded rather angry.
“Speaking,” I muttered. “Who is this, and why are you calling me at 5:50 in the morning?”
“What is your relationship with Julio Valdez?” the girl asked. That woke me up a little more. Julio Valdez was my boyfriend who I have been with for about six months. That was the longest time I had ever dated someone, and I was getting more and more convinced that we would eventually get married. There were several nights where I made mental wedding plans and fanticizing what would happen that particular day. He was my soul mate, everything I’d ever wanted; he was just, everything. Words just couldn’t describe my feelings for him.
“Yeah,” I replied, more alert now. “He’s my boyfriend. Is something going on with him?”
“Actually,” the girl answered, more furious now. “He’s my boyfriend. We’ve been dating for two years now, and I am currently pregnant with his baby. So you better back off sweetie, or there’ll be problems!”
“What?” I said, fully awake now. It was difficult for me to take in what I have just heard. If this girl was telling the truth, if I was just the girl that he was cheating with...
“Ok, how did you get my number,” I stammered. “How-----how did.... who are you, and where are you from? I dont...”
“He was over my house last night and I happened to see one of your text messages. “Still on for tomorrow night, love you” that sound familiar to you at all?”
That was indeed part of the text message I had sent him last night. Since it was Valentines day, he’d said he would be taking me somewhere, but it would be a surprise. All I knew was it would be the most romantic night I would ever have. I would have never guessed he would be with the mother of his child that night, and now my shock was turning into anger. How could he have lied so much to me? He obviously didn’t realize how I really felt about him.
“Ok,” I said. “Just give me your name so I can mention him to you.” My voice was already trembling with rage and emotion.
“It’s Selena,” she said flatly, and then the line went dead. I’ve never felt so pathetic and stupid in my life. How could I have ever fell for Julio’s lies? When he was “hanging out with the guys at night, was he really spending the night with Selena and that unborn baby? And what lies did he tell Selena? I didn’t know any of that;all I knew was that Julio was in for some confruntation today, and I was going to let him have it.
It was impossible for me to look at the road this morning, as I tearfully drove to school. My road rage was much worse than it normally was, and it was impossible to concentrate.When I saw Julios black ford, I wanted to do nothing but slam my car into it. Instead, I found the parking spot farthest away from his car, took a deep breath and got out, sticking my nose in the air, ready for a fight
“I can’t believe it,” my friend, Cynthia gasped. “You two were so perfect together!” We were sitting at our usual spot in the cafateria for lunch, and I had told all my friends everything that had happened this morning.
ReplyDelete“So what happened when you confrunted him?” Alicia asked.
“Ok, so I find him in band, and he has all these flowers and crap,” I started. “Before he gives them to me I’m like, “So how’s Selena doing?” Of course, he acts like he doesn’t know what the hell I’m talking about, but I can see the shock on his face; I’m not stupid. I keep on pressing him until he finally admits he spent the night with the mother of his baby last night, an he’s telling me that they were over, like I would ever believ that. So we’re done now I guess. I just can’t believe...” I trailed off as my troat swelled and my eyes welled up.
“Clare,” Jennifer said sympatheticly. “It’s going to be ok.” She sighed then said, “ I have to admit, I was suspicious that there was something up with him. I let it go and tried to tell myself I was being paranoied, but now that you say it, I’m not the least bit surprised.”
“Why didn’t you tell me then,” I snapped, suddenly growing cross. “I would have steered clear of him months ago!”
“Let’s get real Clare,” Jennifer said. “Would you have believed me if I told you?”
“No, but I would of...” I let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know, ok? I just want to be left alone right now! I can’t stand anyone anymore!” I rose from my chair, letting it clatter and stormed out of the Cafateria.
“Clare, wait,” I heard Alicia calling from the table.
“Clare,” Cynthia was saying at the same time. “Can you just calm down and come back a minute?”
“Clare,” Jenifer wass calling, but I didn’t want to here. It was “Clare” this, and “Clare” that, I was just done with it.
“I hear the train ‘a comin, it’s roling round the bend, and I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when,” my iPod was playing on full blast. It was the day, and I was driving to 7-11, ready to binge on some junk food. Just me, a slurpie, chips and candy and some good old Johnny Cash. Not necessarily the Valentines day I’d planned on having this year, but there was no choice right now.
When I arrived d at the store and stepped inside, my eyes fell on the counter and I felt instant dis comfort. Working behind the counter was the creepy Indian guy who was frequently there at this time. Sometimes, he wouldn’t be in, but he had to be working here. I am not being judgemental when I say he is a creep. Whenever I go to the counter, he always would call me names like “sweetheart” and “babe,” and he was constantly checking up on my life, that is, my love life. I try to be let him know I’m not interested, and still be nice at the same time, but sometimes it gets very difficult.
ReplyDelete“Hey, sweetheart,” he said rather flirtatiously as I dropped my armful of snacks onto the counter along with my slurpy. “That is a lot you are buying today. Did you break up with your boyfriend?”
“No,” I lied, trying to smile. “I’m just really hungry, that’s all.”
“I don’t know who would want to break up with a beautiful girl like you,” he said he rang up the items. “I’ll tell you what, why dont we have a little party in the back of the store? No one has to know.”
“No,” I protested. “I have to be home by four. Besides, I don’t really know you that well and...”
“But it is Valentines day,” the casheer interupted. “If you break up with somebody, you should start a new relationship today. Maybe I would be a good person to start...”
“Ok listen to me,” I snapped. I was completely finished with being nice now. “You look like you’re forty, you’re ugly and you’re a creep. You’re married, I can see your wedding band on your finger! I’m not going to be the mistress again, so back off, ok?”
I slammed the money on the counter, grabbed my items, and started walking off. Before I could make it though, bags of chips went cascading onto the floor. When I bent down to retrieve everything, everything else came tumbling. My slurpy spilled all over all over the place, getting everything wet. Sighing, I started to pick everything up when I was interupted. “Do you need any help?” It was the creepy casheer.
“Just give me a bag, and leave me alone. I have a feeling this might be your last day of work.” And it was. As soon as I exited, I reported him to the police, which was something I should have done a long time ago. I didn’t know how big of a case I would be involved in, but I just knew that hopefully there would be less victoms.
Today is Valentine’s Day, and I hate today. Why? Because I was born on February 14th. Some people might think that it is cool to be born on a holiday, but it’s not. When you are born on a world known holiday, everyone forgets about your birthday. They only care about the saintly day, where love is all you need. In reality, it’s not. I choose bread over rose. Bread can ease your hunger while rose can decorate your room.
ReplyDeleteThat’s the reason why I am sitting here, in the obnoxiously loud cafeteria, eating a dried up bread roll. Call me bitter if you want to, but that’s what happens when I have never had a single boyfriend in the past sixteen years of my life and have my birthday forgotten each year. That’s why I don’t even bother telling anyone my birthday anymore, unless they ask for it.
Well, at least I am not the only one with a boy-less life. Meet my friends, Cynthia, Sarah, Erin, and Melvry. We are not the typical kind of girl who does not get a boyfriend because we spend a lot of time studying. It is the opposite. We are quite intelligent, but the reason we do not have a boyfriend is because we are too friendly with the guys in our grade. Our town is a small one and everyone knows each other since birth. We grew up developing every kind of emotion for each other, except for romantic love. Sure, we hang out and talk, but there is never a spark… at least, that’s how it is for me. Maybe one of my friends will end up with a boy in town. Who knows?
In my whole entire life, I have only had one crush, my neighbor when I was five years old. He moved in second grade, without even telling me. Actually, I barely remember his name or his appearance. The only thing I remember is that he had the most dazzling smile I have ever seen in my life. Also, his bright blonde hair would always shine under the sun, like glass sparking under the light. We use to be like twins, always sticking to each other twenty- four seven. Our houses are right next to each other. After he moved, I always waited on the front porch of house next door, hoping one day he would come back. That lasted until a new family move in, Cynthia’s family. As time pass, I forgot about him, and his face starts to blur in my memory.
Melvry, who is sitting next to me, pinch my arm to pull me to reality. “Ow, what was that for?” I exclaimed.
“Stop daydreaming. We are having an important conversation about life right now,” said Sarah.
ReplyDelete“What’s so important that you guys have to physically harass me for? Gosh.”
“Yeah yeah. Okay.”
I return to listen to their complaints on how miserable their life is without a boyfriend, or even someone to daydream about. I always wonder how bad it can be. Life goes on despite the people dying in your life, so why does a guy matter? It is sweet to know that someone loves you other than your family and friends, but it’s not half bad without that special guy. Today pass like any other day, but I feel especially depressed because no one wished me a happy birthday or any presents. This is pathetically sad.
After school, I and my group of friends walk home together, since we live right next to each other, except for Erin, who lives across from me. My house is by the corner, so when I arrive home, the girls are still with me. When we arrive in front of my house, a guy is standing in front of my mailbox. He has the brightest blonde hair I have ever seen and the most piercing, crystal, sterling blue eyes. When he saw me standing there, he greets me.
“Hey Aishia. Long time no see. Happy birthday!”
“Um… Thanks. Who are you?” I question him.
He’s about to answer me, when someone in the red Jeep, park in front of my house call out to him to hurry up. He just said, “Um, I have to go. I’ll see you around. Bye.” With that, he left, leaving my friend and I astounded.
“Hey, who was that? He was gorgeous!” Cynthia shouts at me.
I just shrug my shoulders, shaking the question off. I open my mailbox and saw a bundle of rose, with a card below it. I opened it and it said:
Dear Aishia,
Happy Birthday and Happy Valentine’s Day too. I missed my chance back then. This time I’m back, I’m not leaving until I have your hand in mine.
Love,
Regan.
I sat there among a thousand of my peers with whom I grew up with. Some crying, some cheering, but all excited for the rest of their lives.
ReplyDelete“Here’s to the future,” our valedictorian declared. Hats flew and my high school career was officially over. In the depths of the crowd I saw the love of my life, Paula. She scurried over to me.
“Hey Sage, do you want to go to my graduation party tonight,” she asked flirtatiously.
“S-s-s-ure,” I stuttered. She nodded and walked away. Thoughts rushed into my head like a train. “What am I going to wear, say, do?” All these questions had to be answered by tonight. I suited up in my usual attire.
“I’m leaving now,” I yelled.
“Have fun Sage,” she replied. My friend Brian drove me there. I felt like my world was collapsing around me. She would finally know. I knocked on the door, walked in the house, and sat down. I took the whole scene in.
“Want a beer?” A random stranger asked. I took it from his hand, stared at it, and started drinking. One turned into three, and three turned into even more.
“What have I become?” I muttered to myself.
I turned to my left to see Paula socializing with the other graduates. I stumbled over, not just objects, but my thoughts and memories.
“Having a good time Sage?” She asked.
I studied her for a second and blurted out the truth.
“I came here for one reason and one reason only. I love you, and nothing’s going to change that. Before I met you I never knew what it was like; to look at someone and smile for no reason.” I confessed. She gave me a blank star with no comprehendible meaning. All of a sudden, she ran into my arms.
“I love you too, Sage,” she admitted.
Our love flourished from then on. My formerly secret love, an undying crush with no hope was completely turned around. We attended the same university with the same major, physical therapy. With our degrees in hand, we then started our own business together in central Jersey. The money piled up, which led to the move from our dusty apartment to a house, and then kids. Looking back, I regret nothing and that is most important.
On February 14th, every year, thousands of people buy flowers, chocolates and cards for one another. All of them will have the hope that someone will be their Valentine. Some will be accepted with open arms and some of them will be thrown in the trash because their intended owners turn out to really be their deniers.
ReplyDeleteMost of the people hoping for what they’re thinking about will get it and some won’t. It is just the way that the world works. You can put everything into something and not get it, or you could put barely any effort into something and get it all. There are no guarantees in life and nothing better represents this than Valentine’s Day. Everything could be going right and it could all stop, or everything could be going wrong and it is suddenly turned on its head.
Some people may not look forward to Valentine’s Day because it makes them think about what they don’t have. Some people look forward to it because it makes them realize what they do have. But one thing stays constant, there is much redder than anyone really wants to see. That’s where I think the whole holiday goes a little overboard and border’s on the annoying, for the simple fact that everyone is happy on this day. It’s not a holiday like that of Thanksgiving or Christmas where you spend it with the entire family, this holiday is one person being involved with another. The entire day is for the one person you care about most and it should be dedicated to them.
However, in 1929, it was not about any of this stuff and it was more about violence than it was anything else. In Chicago it was all about violence between members of the North Side Gang and they were killed by unknown men dressed as police officers. It would become one of the most infamous killings in the history of the United States. Not only because it was on Valentine’s Day but because of the manner that it was done. The men that were killed were backed up against a wall and mowed down by machine gun fire. They were deceived by the people that would end up killing them because they supposedly dressed as police officers. But, most people now think that they were part of a rival gang in Chicago and that they were looking to kill Bugs Moran. The killing would become infamous and it is a black spot on the history of Valentine’s Day.
He used to love to watch her sleep. She curled tightly into a little ball and her pink lips stayed in a smile. She looked so peaceful, he could watch her all night. Sometimes her brow would crease and her lips would open for silent words and he would pull her closer to him.
ReplyDeleteShe did not look peaceful now. She looked stiff and uncomfortable. Her slim body was tucked into the sheets, her long hair splayed across the white pillow. She looked like a corpse on display. Her face was pale and colorless. He reached out and touched her sunken cheek and her eyes flickered open.
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” He said with a smile. The lobby and the halls had all been decorated with hearts and Cupids, an explosion of red and pink. Yet, in her room there was no indication of the holiday. She did not respond to his greeting, but he pulled up a chair by her bedside.
“I brought you flowers,” he pointed to the bouquet of pink and white carnations on the window sill. Still, she said nothing, she simply stared at him. He leaned down to kiss her forehead. She used to smile when he did that. Instead, she closed her eyes and she turned away.
Her eyes. He used to love the way her eyes sparkled. Now they were so dead and dark. She angled her whole body away from him. He looked down, he felt tears burning in the back of his eyes. The overwhelming urge to cry was there, but instead he counted the flecks in the gray tiles.
“Is that it, then? You’re going to ignore me? Are you just going to keep pretending that I’m not here?” He could feel the words battling to spill out his mouth. He wanted so badly to yell at her, he wanted so badly to cause some sort of emotion to stir in her. He wanted a reaction. It could be negative, positive, as long as she said something. But he said nothing.
He looked back up and he tried not to stare at the clean white bandages tightly wrapped around both of her wrists. He ran his hands over his chin. He kept thinking that he used to love things about her. That was not necessarily true. He still loved her. He loved her more than he knew how to say.
He reached out and touched her tiny, wounded wrist as gently as he could. It made him sick to imagine her tearing through her skin with a razor. It made him sick to imagine she could be that lost that she would rather bleed to death on her bathroom floor than ask for help. It made him sick to imagine that she would abandon him. She was willing to end her life and leave him behind without a single thought. She had done it time and time again and every time she refused to accept his help. There was nothing more difficult than wanting to spend the rest of his life with someone who wanted nothing more than to end her’s.
“Don’t be surprised if I disappear this Valentine’s Day. I’m just uncomfortable with doing anything that day.”
ReplyDeleteShe was sitting in class, face glued to her desk, playing these sentences over and over again in her head.
She just couldn’t understand why he’d suddenly changed his mind about doing something on Valentine’s Day. She wouldn’t have cared if he had just agreed to do nothing that day like she’d originally planned, but he’d said he wanted to do something special for her. This was the first time she would have someone to be with on Valentine’s Day and she was kind of excited when he said he wanted to do something. She didn’t want to be disappointed about it, but she couldn’t help it. She was miserable.
She went about her day like a ghost. Avoiding everyone as best she could.
When she went home she went directly to her bed. She pulled the covers up over her head. Curled up in a ball under her blankets she checked her phone. No messages. She frowned at the blank screen and rolled over. She just wanted to disappear for a while.
After three hours she woke up and checked her phone again. There was a message from him. She opened it frantically.
“How ya holdin’ up?” It said.
“Better now that you finally answered. I’ve been so worried. Are you ok?” She answered.
She rubbed her eyes and as her phone buzz she noticed that it was Ronnie. When she opened the message it was the answer to the message she had sent to Ralph. Confused she looked through the rest of her messages. She suddenly realized she’d been texting Ronnie the whole time. Ralph had never texted her, she’d just mixed them up.
She through her phone down on her bed.“Don’t let it get to you. Don’t let it get to you,” she repeated to herself.
The rest of the night seemed to drag on. She went out with her friends, but they didn’t do anything too interesting. She’d hoped that when she went out she’d be distracted from Ralph not talking to her, but she wasn’t. All she could think about was him.
She finally got home around midnight. As she walked into her room she decided to text him. She hoped he would answer her.
“Hey, I feel really weird that we haven’t talked all day. If you want you could call me when you get home.”
About a minute after she sent the message her phone began to buzz. He was calling her!
“Hello?” She said, answering the phone.
“Hey,” he said. “You ready to talk?”
“Yeah, sure.” She was confused by his tone.
“So do you want to know why I haven’t been talking to you?”
She could tell this was more serious than she’d thought. She paused before answering. “Yes.”
“Well when I was about to pick you up on Valentine’s Day I uh… heard that,” he was dragging it out unnecessarily . “you slept with Ronnie at Chris’s house.”
She froze. “And you believe it?” She asked, feeling her heart drop because she knew he wouldn’t have said it if he didn’t believe it.
“Well yeah,” he said. His voice had no emotion in it. “Girls lie. Everybody lies to me. So why should you be any different?”
Her mouth was actually hanging open. She’d never had a lie made up about her before, or at least not one that mattered. “It’s not true.” Was all she could manage.
“Well I’m giving you your time to talk now. I figure that’s fair.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” Her voice was beginning to break.
“There’s nothing you can say,” he said. “Everybody lies to me and that’s that. You’ve given me no reason to trust you and now I know I can’t. It’s over.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she said again, too stunned to say anything else.
“Just forget about me. It’s easier if you just forget about me.”
“I can’t,” she said.
“You have to.”
“No,” she said suddenly angry. “I can’t.
“Well you have,”
“I CAN’T! I can’t.” She burst into tears. “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t.” She hung up the phone.