Tape

Chapter 1: When It All Started

I am James Charlie Myers Smith. Not much of a rich, handsome, important, even powerful person. Just a clever boy, and... an introvert. Not that tall, but I never cared. People tell that I'm a weird geek. Though I understand why they say it like that, I really want to make their faces bloody.
I have hated Valentine's Day. Thought that day was just the day of bi****s. Yeah, I hate it when they give flowers, cards, chocolates, and the phrase "I love you" to each other. Totally avoided that day. Cause if I can't, I do start punching innocent banana plants. Pity to those bananas. But then, here's the story behind it.

The first thing I heard was my very noisy alarm ringing with the blare of sirens. Never thought it was really effective in waking me up....

I crept on my mat, and looked at the open window, and saw the dark sky with the stars and some birds making their lovey-dovey flight past my sight.

And I remembered... I only set that alarm whenever it is a big day, or a messy one. Looking at my calendar, I groggily read the date. It says February 14, 2012.
"Oh. I see. It's just another messy day. It really is."

And looking at the time, it suddenly crashed through my brain.
"Charlie, it's 5:15 am! You gotta hurry, if you don't want to be late!"
I rushed downstairs to our living room, and reached the kitchen in response to our neighbor screaming even if it's still dark. Though I am still a Grade Six student, I really cook for myself, especially when my Mom's on work and my dad goes on to his job.

I fried 2 eggs, grabbed a piece of meat loaf, and cooked it, and also prepared rice. I ate very fast, and rushed to the bathroom. It always takes me a while to, since I wash the dishes after every bath.

I saw my dad outside, hitched into his ride, and he drove me to school for 15 minutes.

As an elementary student, I got used to the scent of flowers, chocolates, and the exchange of cards and the "I love you" words flying past my ear. Yet as a boy, I really wondered why people really express their affection on this day, and nothing else.
"If today's a special day, why is there classes? Shouldn't they cancel classes to give room for these lame couples?", whispering to myself.

You heard me right. I never liked this day. It just drives me sleepy. All those things about today seemed worthless to me.

And of course, Arts Class. The most hateable subject that never forgets crafting plain red cards with writings I never managed to integrate into my own dictionary.

When we were done, our teacher scanned the works, and I always hear him saying "too good, but it's an F, F again, F for you, and... oh Charlie. It's nice, yet it's definition's still an F!". He really looks like a villain on his own. With that glaring eyes, hidden under a tight-looking glass, and some wrinkles, he really is worth for a villain.

What makes this day my doom was that this was the day after the day that she told me that she will never, ever, like me. With all the letters, the stuff that I gave to that girl named *****, I never wondered why I hate this day. And I keep on saying to myself, "Why won't people like me? Why won't they when I act as myself?". I knew that youth is still by my side as an 11 year-old boy, yet thinking about these stuff makes me age threefold.

Yep, I really am a mature enough boy stuck in 4.68 feet high child that made me stand 3rd from the front of the line, height as basis. That fact doesn't bother me. I still hate Cupid, the hearts, letters, cards, chocolates, roses, everything about this day! Right. This day marked the start of my tradition: I will knock off 5 tall banana plants using my fists!

But that tradition really made people stay away from me as far as they could, and they say that it will be their death sentence if they approach me at this day.

I just shrugged it off, and let them. At least, Valentine's Day will be fun... for me, once in a while. And it will take me a while to recover from that breakup.

A/N: Comments and suggestions highly appreciated!
By the way, thanks for reading my first story, and another chapter is about to unfold, so wait for it!