Runaway Valentine

If Looks Could Kill, I Would've Slaughtered The Newspaper Boy

This is it. This is really it.

I glanced at my AniCop.

00y 000d 07m 12s

I closed my eyes. Deep breaths, Val. Deep breaths.

Sally had already met hers 3 years ago*, some guy named Keith Rivers, and now they're in a relationship built of rainbows and butterflies in a land where everything is consisted of sugar and spice and everything nice.

Okay, maybe I exaggerated it a little. But really, the way she talks about her boyfriend is just so...mushy. She keeps on blabbering on and on about how romantic their wedding is gonna be, how beautiful their babies are gonna be, how perfect their family is going to be, and so on and so forth. And though I think they look absolutely adorable and sweet together, their mushiness sickens me.

Seriously.

Nataniela and I had to put cotton balls in our ears to block out their late night conversations. And we were already two rooms away. Imagine that.

And since I was only a few years shy from Sally, she vowed that she would make me look beautiful on the day I met my soul mate. "First impressions last, after all." she had said. She promised the same to Nataniela, who, being the tomboy that she was, threw everything within a 3 meter radius at our older sister.

So today, I was dressed in skinny light blue denim jeans paired with a sleeveless white top and a sparkly gold blazer over it. Sally made me wear gold heels too, just to match the blazer. The outfit was completed with two necklaces. One was my mom's precious ruby necklace; the other was a gold necklace Sally bought for my 18th birthday, which happened only 2 months ago. I was so happy when she bought me the said jewelry, since Sally had worked so hard to buy it for me.**

I tied my blonde hair up in a messy high bun, much to Sally's dismay. But in the end, she approved of my messy 'do.

Sally did my makeup, too. Nataniela kept on snickering behind us as I flinched at the various makeup Sally applied on my face. I could only shoot the dirty finger at her.

Thankfully, Sally didn't overdo my makeup. I looked natural enough--she managed to cover the dark circles under my eyes--with only the hint of some mascara and eyeliner to bring out my big blue eyes. After adding some finishing touches, Sally sent me out to follow my gut feeling and meet my soul mate.

As I walked out our front door, I remembered that I needed to get a copy of the local newspaper to search for an available part-time job. Usually I would babysit my neighbors' children for some extra cash to contribute, but business has been slow recently, so I figured that getting an official part-time job would help.

See, our family isn't exactly what you would call...complete.

6 years ago, our parents died in a car crash. They had been driving home from the grocery store with newly bought party poppers and noise makers to celebrate the new year with. And due to unfortunate events, a.k.a. heavy rainfall, their car slipped and crashed into an approaching truck.

So I guess you could say the start of the new year was dreadful to the three of us.

For the first few years after our parents died, we stayed at a relative's house, whom treated us more like slaves rather than family. So when Sally reached 18, we moved out. Fortunately, due to the law carried out in our area, our relatives would send us some money monthly, since they were still technically responsible for us.

So here we are, broken yet somehow surviving in the nasty cruel world.

I headed to the park, since there was a convenient newspaper stand stationed there.

And now here I am, sitting on a bench, unable to find the newspaper stand and just bought a frappucino and decided to stay for reasons unknown.

I looked at my AniCop.

00y 000d 01m 31s

I took a deep breath and started walking around the park. A lot of people were there, but mostly couples snuggling and cuddling with each other. I almost wanted to go visit someplace else, but then I caught sight of the most romantic couple I've ever seen.

Sitting beneath the shade of a huge oak tree was an elderly couple, about 80 years old, holding each other's hand and feeding crackers to one another. If it were an ordinary teen or married couple, I would've looked away in disgust. But for some reason, seeing the elderly be sweet to one another was different. It made me smile, knowing that something as fragile and unpredictable as love can last for more than a decade.

I stole another glance at my AniCop.

00y 000d 00m 23s

I drew a sharp breath. My feet led me to the center of the park, where the fountain was located, and I received multiple looks from couples around me. They smiled knowingly at me, aware that it was my time. I smiled back at them, hoping that it would take the anxiety away.

But, of course, it didn't.

10s..

I closed my eyes, my hands shaking.

8s..

I gulped. What would he be like? Would he like me? What if he doesn't? Is he going to be tall? Short? Average? Tan? Pale? Lanky? Athletic? Musically inclined? What?

4s..

What if no one shows up? What would that mean? That I would be forever alone? What if a cat shows up instead? Does that mean I'm going to die alone with 72 cats or marry the cat and have cat babies and---

I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned around and opened my eyes. My blue orbs met bright hazel ones, and due to a brief moment of panic, I looked away. I'm in front of the guy I'm destined to be with! This is too much to take in! Look away, look away! Gah!

My eyes met a pair of blue ones, which belonged to a guy selling newspapers nearby.

Oh, great. Now you show up.

He smiled at me, as if saying his congratulations. I smiled back politely, even though I was genuinely annoyed that I found him at this moment of my life.

"So," the guy in front said, which made me look back at him, embarrassed. "I'm guessing I'm your soul mate and you're mine, huh?" he grinned boyishly, and I practically melted then and there.

He held out his hand. "I'm Drake. Drake Heatherson."

I shook it and smiled at him. "I'm Val Blanchefleur."

And since fate loved me so much, the moment we shook hands, a boy playing tag with his pals bumped into me by accident, causing me to spill my frappucino over Drake's v-neck shirt. The boy mumbled his apologies and ran away, continuing the game of tag with his friends, and left me there, red-faced with embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to---"

Drake put his hands up. "It's ok, no harm done. I have an extra shirt in the trunk. No worries." He smiled at me, and I smiled back apologetically.

I caught sight of the guy selling newspapers again, and saw that he was smirking at me. He gave me a thumbs up, mocking me and I gave my best death glare. Stupid newspaper boy.

So much for a good first impression.

--- --- ---

*Fun fact: Sally is 22 years old.

**Here's the picture of Val on the meeting:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GF3C4TfwtDc/UTNVbSEz4mI/AAAAAAACWow/eXup0Q12HOc/s1600/AnnaSophia+Robb+H&M+2013+Denim+Days+Campaign+Launch.jpg

Picture on the side is Val, by the way.

So, what did you guys think of the first chapter? I hope you guys liked it, it took me hours to write it. :)

Drake isn't described in this chapter that much, but I promise I'll be descriptive enough in the next chapter. ;)

Fan, Vote, Share and Comment! :)