The Love Hunt

CHAPTER 1 

I sat looking at the couples surrounding me, holding hands or looking deeply into each others eyes and i couldnt help but wonder what it is they were looking for. It was Valentines day and i was alone. Again. 'I'm such a freak' i thought as i once again found myself staring at all the loved-up people in the cafeteria. They were everywhere. It seemed everyone had managed to find a special someone to spend the day with and make the rest of us i.e. me, feel terrible about themselves. Even my best friends, who all said teenage boys were a waste of time, had boyfriends. Impossible. I looked down at my lunch and realised my appetite had gone. I dumped the rest of my lunch into the bin as i walked out. I headed for my locker, keeping my head down and walking briskly to avoid anyone talking to me. I was not in the mood for conversation. As i approached my locker i realised the hallway was crammed with people. I stopped to take in the scene. 'There was a group of girls and guys hanging around by a classroom door and the rest of the hallway was taken up with a long table selling flowers for Valentines day.' Of course anyone who was anyone was going to be seen buying or receiving a flower. And everyone in this school thought they were someone special. 'Figures' i thought,'they just had to be selling them next to MY locker.' I walked carefully to my locker praying no-one noticed me flowerless when something caught my eye. My heart started to speed up a little and hope replaced any negative feelings. There was a flower stuck to my locker. I walked over quickly to make sure it was in fact mine. Third locker from the right, and sure enough it was. I felt like jumping up and down, but i obviously didn't, what with a hallway full of people to witness it and everything. Slowly i took the flower from my locker. Tied around the stem was a piece of paper. 'Of course, the flower had to come from someone, right?!' i thought. I unfolded the piece of paper and all hope for romance crashed and burned and locked itself up faster than it had arrived. It was a love note--- from Herald. I shuddered just thinking about him. Herald was my chemistry partner and believe me, that's where the chemistry ended. He looked like a garden rake with limbs and spoke with this slow drawl, dragging out his words. He never helped me with any of the experiments and he smelled like onions. And not the sweet smelling fried kind you put in your hotdog in the summer, no I'm talking about the onions that smell up an entire house long after they're gone. I hate those kind. I'm also pretty sure he sniffs my hair when he thinks no-one's looking. I might not see him, but i sure can HEAR him. Herald's as subtle as a chainsaw. I once asked him about it but he just stared at me blankly.  

Honestly, could this day get any worse. I half contemplated just throwing both the flower and the note into the nearby bin but i figured reading Herald's love letter was the least i could do. 

To my lovely Ellen, I.... 'Wait, who's Ellen?' i said out loud. This note wasn't for me i realised. Definately my locker though. Herald must have mixed up mine and this Ellen chick's locker. Then it hit me, not even HERALD would send me a flower on Valentines day or go to the bother of writing me a love letter and stick it to the wrong girl's locker. Herald! I never felt more unloved than i did in those few minutes.  

"Um, hey, Beth....," a voice said behind me. The smell of onions overwhelmed me. I turned around to find a red-faced Herald huffing and puffing in embarrassment. He looked at the letter and flower in my hands and it suddenly dawned on me why he was here. "Oh, hey Herald, you can have these back!" i said hurriedly while shoving his love letter to Ellen and the now crumpled flower into his hands. "Um, thanks, a, Beth, um, wrong locker", he said dragging out his words. I figured this was the only kind of apology i was going to get from him and turned back to my locker. He stood there for a few more seconds before walking lazily away. I let go of a breath i didn't know i had been holding. 'I'm so pathetic!' i said under my breath as i opened my locker to get my books. Once i was done, i shoved myself through the crowd of happy people with their stupid flowers and spent the rest of my lunch time in the school library.

Later

I couldn't focus on my homework that night. The idea that even Herald had someone on Valentines day made me feel sick. With his beanpole body and boring personality, i just couldn't understand. 'What does he have that i don't?' i wondered. Looking back at my text book, i sighed, 'sorry, looks like i'm not doing french verbs tonight' i said while closing it. I crashed onto my bed and decided sleep would protect me from the harsh world i was living in. 

My eyes were starting to get heavy and I could feel my conscious thought slowly ebbing away when I was startled awake. Quickly I sat up and tried to untangle myself from my bed sheets. Buzz Buzz . My phone! I scrambled around looking around for it before i found it on my floor where it had fallen. I grabbed it and I was about to turn it off when I saw the messages were from Tom. Sighing, i opened the texts. I wasn't in the mood for other people but Tom wasn't like other people; he was one of my best friends. We had grown up together and he only lived a few houses away from me. He knew me better than anyone else. 'Wanna go for a run? :) ' it said. The next one said 'Wakey wakey bethy, time to get your skinny ass down here!'  . I couldn't help but crack a smile. I messaged him back that I'd be down in five minutes before jumping up and grabbing my nearest pair of sweats off the floor.

We ran together nearly everyday. To be honest it was probably my favourite part of the day. Running gave me a freedom like nothing else could. The sound of air whipping past my ears and through my hair, the slight burn of my muscles and racing Tom up kilgaddy hill before collapsing on the grass. All of those things made it worthwhile.

I told my parents where I was going and headed outside. Tom was leaning on my front wall with his arms folded. He was wearing a pair of grey sweats and a well-fitting black t-shirt. His brown hair was getting long at the front and it hung down over his eyebrows. I guess Tom would be considered 'hot' but to me he was just Tom! The boy I'd spent my childhood with. Plain and simple. He glanced up and took note of my bed-head ponytail before smirking at me. I narrowed my eyes at him daring him to say something about it. "Good of you to finally show your face---sleepy", he couldn't help but add. I scowled at him while fixing my ponytail. "Just so you know", I said,"I wasn't asleep!". i couldn't give him the satisfaction of being right. Tom reaches up and gently smoothes the end of my hair. "Sure", he says simply with a smile like a cat who caught their mouse. Ugh I hate cats!  We start walking to the wooded park near our houses. 

We run like we always do; fast and in competition with each other. While running up kilgaddy hill, Tom grabs my ankle and pulls me down so he can get ahead. I crash to the ground with my arms flailing, smushing my face in the grass. 'Oh, it's on' i think to myself. I race on with a sudden burst of energy and before I know what's happening, I leap onto his back and floor him.Tom lets out a yell of surprise. I quickly get up and attempt to send him rolling down the hill. "Just returning the favour" i say before i set off running again, laughing. It's not long before he's back at my side and when we reach the top, we both collapse on the ground huffing and puffing, gasping for air. We lie there for a while,in silence, looking at the sky. The sun is finally setting and the street lights are turning on. There's a cool breeze rustling through the leaves.

"I almost forgot to say",Tom starts off, "but happy forever alone day Beth",he bursts out laughing. I give him a hard punch in the arm and he rolls away half laughing and half groaning in pain. "So worth it" He says while rubbing his arm. "Hmmmf" I reply "Is it worth a second punch?" i ask him sweetly. He just smiles at me. I tell him about Herald. My mistake, he doesn't shut up laughing about it. "It's not funny you know! Seriously embarrassing more like. How would you like it if it happened to you?" i ask him. Tom just shrugs at me. "Beth.." I look at him and I'm surprised to see a more serious look on his face. I raise my eyebrows at him and he continues, "You will find somebody. You're not as unloveable as you think. I love you don't I?" he bumps his shoulder off mine, " You do make it impossible sometimes but.." I lightly punch him before he finishes. "See? This is what I'm talking about! Abuse!", he screams jokingly. "You'll see. I mean, you're not that unattractive. I'm sure someone could love this face" he says as he grabs my face with one hand and smushes my cheeks together. I stick my tongue out at him. "Classy girl", he remarks. I don't know what to say, something he said makes me feel kind of funny inside. I shake it off and stand up. "C'mon, let's go home", i say holding out my hand to help him up. He takes it and he's half standing when I shove him backwards and take off running down the hill. "You'll regret that" I hear him yell from behind me. i just laugh.