The Valentine's Syndrome

Chapter 1 : Sushi Ball

Chapter 1 : Sushi Ball - 1 week before Valentine's

According to society and mass media's standards, teenagers who spent their Valentine's day alone were sad, boring, and lifeless. Billboards and television encouraged consumers to buy roses, jewelry, and god forbid, ridiculously expensive chocolates to their significant other. This, of course, was a successful marketing attempt to lure hormonal teenagers to shop for gifts and go on dates with people they barely know for the sake of Valentine's Day.

Sadly enough, it works.

I, Sofia Warren have managed to survive the 16th attack of Valentine's with nothing but sheer will. It isn't long before the next wave of hormones and peer-pressure manages to brainwash me into one of them. Deadly, aware, and thirsty for attention, the SIVS's ( Single In Valentine's Syndrome ) population has increased lately. I wish myself the best of luck.

Opposed to the majority of my peers, I chose to kick back and enjoy my remaining days of sanity before the 14th of February hits. I had the whole day planned, and it all started with ruining the morrow of everyone who wronged me.

Yes, I was jealous of all the couples in school, and yet I managed to befriend all of them. This in turn, made me more pissed off. Imagine being the only single person eating half a chicken salad in a table full of puppy-eyed couples. Alas, I have decided to take revenge on those who have done me direct harm.

It was about high-time I started to enjoy my Valentine's Day.

Bright emerald trees swayed as soft winds blew past the campus while the clouds were merciful enough to bless us with protection from the sun. The whole demeanor the sky gave was surprising considering summer was around the corner. Clouds of different shade and sizes brushed pass one another, reminding me of the morning traffic I had to endure while walking to school. And like the aforementioned clouds, the traffic was slow as a turtle on a wheelchair. Turning my attention to the land that surrounded me, I saw several students were enjoying what seemed to be a game of volleyball.

Players of 8 or more equally divided by a tall, run-down, badminton net spiked balls at one another while yelling profanities in the process. Their spirits were kindled by a roaring flame, controlled by the human nature to dominate and compete for glory.

Typical.

My attention then focused to the girl munching convenient-store sushi while talking in front of me. That was, if you can consider making gurgling sounds talking.

"Argh ryu shured absd aout dis?" She half-chewed, half-spoke. This person right here was what the kindest of people would call a friend while the most brutal would consider an annoyance. Annoyance or not, she was a blast to be with.

She was Agatha.

The sushi-munching monster stared at me as if I were able to telepathically understand her Sushi Japanese - a term I coined for people who eat sushi while speaking any other language but Japanese. I stared at her at confusion as she gulped her food.

"Are you sure about this?" She repeated, referring to my plan to giving deserving people gifts of soil in place of chocolates, of course, using the name of their lovers, that is. Grinning, I took a sip of my water before replying with "Of course! They wouldn't know who switched it! Why not capitalize this opportunity?"

This was partially true. Nobody would exactly hold a box of chocolates during the entire 14th. They had to keep it somewhere like a bag or a locker. The only tribulation that mocked me was how to get those open without getting caught.

Luckily, I had a plan. All of the students had to switch to gym clothes in the junction between the showers and lockers, but only in between. Yes, most of them probably won't be showering at the same time, but the majority would probably be in the showers.

All of the clothes were inside the locker, and nobody ever brought bags in fear of it getting wet by water or at worst, sweat. This forced the students to stack their bags outside the locke-

My train of thought broke off from its railings when a volleyball landed on Agatha's sushi, allowing a colorful explosion of rice and crab meat to pleasantly ruin our table. Little managed to actually hit me, but Agatha had to take most of it.

Her face was filled with sticky rice, soy sauce, and what seemed to be wasabi. (Not that it wasn't while she was eating) A part of me wanted to laugh, but since some wasabi got into her eye, I held back. Before I could ask her if she were okay, she grabbed the surprisingly abundant remains of her lunch and walked towards the volleyball court. I soon took pursuit, wondering what she would do.

"Hey, look. It was an accident okay? There's no need to be careless" One of the players, Jamie called out, trying to stop both me and Agatha from getting closer to the court.

"Accident?" I asked, malice dripping from my voice " There's no way that ball could've hit us. We were far off the area where your the "ball" should land. It was intentional, and who do you think you guys are lecturing us about being carele-" I stopped, only because Agatha started to yell.

"Which one of you thr-pleeh!" The sushi coated girl paused to spit out the remaining rice that hindered her from talking. Out in the distance I could hear a distinct laughter coming from one of the players.

Nicholo Frolin.

I didn't even have to ask whether or not he threw the ball. He did this sort of shit every day.

He was easily the most annoying, audacious, and intolerable student in this forsaken school, and the girls loved him for that! He ruined anyone in his way and got away with little to no retributions, because his father was the running principle. He had everything served to him on a silver-platter, yet he didn't take anything for granted.

Screw subtlety. I didn't have to play dirty to show my hatred towards someone. I felt rage building up inside of me as I grabbed Agatha's lunch and marched towards the bastard. He stood there with a cocky grin in his face as he mouthed the words "Hit me with your best shot" None of his lackeys bothered to stop me from getting close. Maybe it was the account of the fact that they hated him too. This almost, almost made me feel bad for him.

We had an estimated twelve meters between us, nine if I took a few more steps. Deciding to see his embarrassment up close, I ran towards him with a 7-Eleven takeout at hand with all the force I could gather. Of course he would be able to dodge it if I threw it straight, boring manner. Just like shooting a bird, one must not shoot where the bird currently is, but where it is heading to.

With a sly grin adorning my face, I feigned to throw the lunch at his right, but actually threw it at where his feet were heading to. The sushi lunchbox flew mid-air in all its glory. It spun like a frisbee while letting bits of rice take off it like Grade-A missiles. Soon enough, its edge connected with his shoes causing him to trip and face plant on a patch of soft grass.

Christ, even his accidents are handed to him on a silver-platter.

(A/N I hope you enjoyed it! I'm not sure if I eliminated all the typos and grammar mistakes entirely ! Thanks for reading!)