The Not-So-Bad Boy Next Door

Chapter 20

"Hey Claire!" I turn around and see a whole bunch of balloons and a small teddy bear blocking someone. Did I mention it is Valentine's Day? I push the balloons away and see a smiling Ella. I run around the balloons and hug her, "Ella I guess we never stray from tradition, now do we?" She laughs and shakes her head, "Never. I will never break a tradition, especially a valentines day one." I pull away and grab her the little teddy bear I got her and the box of chocolates from in my bag.

She squeals and I quickly cover my ears, getting a few looks from everyone around me, "Claire, you got me chocolate. I have never stopped loving chocolate. You know me so well. Did you give the boys their presents yet?" I shake my head, "No I haven't seen any of them yet."

"Well I haven't either so we can give it to them after we get our books from our lockers." I nod and then turn and open up my locker. Instantly I see a whole bunch of roses with a little card right in the middle. I grab the card and open it. I read it and I start crying, not from sadness, but from happiness. It read,

Dear Sweetheart,

Cause it's you who takes care of everyone else
You need to allow me to help you, are APPRECIATED
Cause it's you who somehow is always the first to, take care of me at my worst
You are APPRECIATED.

I don't know how you do it but you always make everything better. You always know just what to say.
You never judge me when I randomly show up on your door step and cry.
You never cease to surprise me with even with how perfect you already are.
You deserve more than these roses for everything you've done for me.

You'll always be Claire to everyone else, but you'll always be my Claire, my best friend, to me.
Happy Valentine's Day.
Love you shortcake ;)

I'm crying and I pick up a rose and smell it. I'm starting to fall hard for Aiden and I think that's what scares me the most. I hold the rose close to my heart and start to grab my books. I close my locker shut and I walk over to Ella. "Ella are you done yet?" She closes her locker and turns around to face me. "Yeah I'm done. Come on let's go. I want to give the boys their presents because for 1) I want to see their reactions 2) I don't want to carry it anymore." I laugh and shake my head and we start to walk over to where Spencer, Emmett, Trevor, and Dylan's lockers are.

We're about halfway there when I see one of my other friends, Sydney. I start jogging up to her, "SYDNEY!" She turns and pulls me into a hug. I pull out her box of chocolates from in my bag and hand it to her. She hands me a pack of sweethearts. I open it, of course thinking there is sweethearts in it, but of course there wasn't. I see a card in side. I pull it out and it's a starbucks card. I shriek, getting a few stares from the people around us.

We hugged and then Ella gave her present which pretty much consisted of food like mine. We started walking up the boys and I hold out my arm in front of Ella, stopping her. "Ella, sneak up on them?" She smirks and we start walking over to where they are. We creep up behind them and then go right next to their ears and shout, "HI GUYS!" They cringe and shriek like a girl before they turn around and glare at us. We laugh and then pull out their presents. I gave Spencer and Trevor some white Hershey's chocolate, Emmett and Dylan their special persian chocolates, and Aiden got a box with a card a teddy bear and some M&M's.

Aiden starts to pull off the ribbon on the box, so I whisper, "I wouldn't open it now. You might..." I drift off towards the end because I don't think everyone will be so light with the whole 'crying' thing. He looks at me really confused but then just nods his head and places it on the top of his bag. I kiss him on the cheek and whisper, "The card and roses were lovely." He smirks, "I don't know what you're talking about." I shake my head, "Okay then I guess I'll have to go find the person who gave it to me and treat them to CPK."