Firsts

First Valentine's Date

"It's Valentine's' Day!" Annabelle screams in my face.

"It's also too early for loud," I moan.

"But don't you want to see what James got you?"

I shoot up like a rocket. James. James the Romantic on Valentine's Day. This is either going to turn out amazing or amazingly horrible. There is no inbetween. Annabelle mistakes my anxiousness for pure excitement and lets out a squeal.

Annabelle and her boyfriend of five days are going out to dinner tonight. She invited James and I to come along, and before even I could object, James shut her down. He knows me so well. I get up hobble sleepily towards the bathroom to shower.

After a shower and a change of clothes, I feel so much better. I hop down the stairs to find a bouquet of red roses sitting on the table. There are sixteen, the number of days since my first date with James. I can't help but smile at the memory and know they're for me.

Annabelle spots the roses at the same time I do and rushes forward excitedly, only to have her parade rained on when she reads the card. She violently pushes the flowers toward me, resenting the fact that my boyfriend's more romantic than her precious Adam who, by the way, is probably the most boring person in the universe.

Just then, Mrs. Barnes enters the kitchen. She picks up a plate covered in tinfoil.

"That James boy told me to give you this." She eyes the flowers, smiling. "I see you've found his roses, too."

I try to hide my flattered smile to spare Annabelle's feelings, but it's nearly impossible. I separate the tinfoil from the red plate underneath to find waffles covered in strawberries and whipped cream. Annabelle storms from the kitchen with a granola bar in her hand. That's fine by me. I don't have to hide my excitement.

I dig into the most delicious waffles I have ever eaten. The strawberries are sweet, yet a little tart, and complement the whipped cream nicely. It's almost hard to eat, though, because the arrangement is so pretty. How do people ruthlessly eat such pretty food. I savor each delicious bite.

Halfway through breakfast, there's a knock on the door.

"That's my ride," I call, heading towards the door.

I yank it open and find myself face to face with Sam and a few guys from drama. I blush as they begin to serenade me with 'As Long As You're Mine.' I'm pulled outside to join them. I laugh and James and I take over the male and female leads. We've been working on this song for weeks so that we can try out for the school play today, and I have to admit, we sound pretty dang good.

We hop into his sleek, silver car, slightly out of breath from a full-on Broadway routine. James pulls out another rose and pins the flower to my hair, planting a kiss on me before sitting back in his seat and starting the car.

When we get to school, my locker is surrounded by lights with a big pink heart in the middle that says 'Love, James.' I frown when I notice a bunch of other guys have added their names around his, but James only laughs.

"I told you yesterday, didn't I?"

I sigh, but give in, and we walk arm in arm to Mrs. Wolfsbane's class. I'm pleased to find that my desk looks perfectly normal. James sees my sigh of relief and smiles cockily.

"I know when enough is enough," he reminds me.

"Thanks," I reply, grinning. "For everything. For all the effort you put into this morning, and for the best sixteen days of my life."

James kisses my forehead, prompting a mix of aws, ews, and the occasional jealous look. I only grin and turn to face the front of the room, the bell ringing a few seconds later. Mrs. Wolfsbane wastes no time, as usual, and begins to write on the board.