Valentine's Day

Chapter Four

CHAPTER FOUR:

  "Excuse me-sorry," I muttered as i pushed through the crowd, wishing that i was smaller so that i could crawl beneath everyone, just to avoid being squashed like a hamburger.

  "What took you so long?" Lydia, my other boy-crazy hyperactive friend complained the moment i plopped down onto the seat.

  I waved my hand at the throng of people that still gushed about behind me, either desperately rushing for class or grabbing a quick bite along the way.

  "Self-explanatory." I said, shoving my food onto the table.

  Lydia sighed and went back to her chocolate brownie. That immediately got me curious. Lydia never ate anything with calories in it, unless she's distraught, or troubled. Obviously, there was a guy problem going on here. Sophie seemed to share her situation. She was stirring her melted ice cream moodily, and my other friend, Kyle, a usually talkative boy with the lamest sense of humor, was picking at his food. Girl trouble. They all seemed to alternate between desperate glances at their crushes, or glares at their food.

  I pitied the food. They were the innocent party here.

  After ten full minutes of no one talking at all, I gave up. 

  "Alright. Spit it out, what's going on here?" I demanded, resting my hear on my hand.

  Lydia shook her head and Kyle ignored me. Only Sophie looked up.

  "Nothing is going right." That was her reply.

  I rolled my eyes.

  "Obviously, if nothing is going right, you go left. That's where all the things are." I said sarcastically. 

  I glanced at all their gloomy faces and felt as if i was attending some funeral.

  "Come on guys," I complained. "You're making me feel as if I should be as sad as you. At least tell me what's going on, and i can try to help!"

  Kyle sighed and put his fork down.

  "Honestly, I think you're right. All this infatuation is only going to end up in heartbreak." He said morosely.

  I tried to hide my smile.

  "Of course. But its not for you three. Since I've stepped into high school, you three always have someone you're crushing on." I said.

  I let my words sink in for a moment. For a girl who doesn't believe in love, you can say that i have the most interesting group of friends. Lydia was this sweet girl with red hair and brown eyes so light, they were nearly yellow. Besides having her life revolve around guys, she was actually a good student who does her homework on time and manages to top the class year after year. She loves jokes, and her laughter was like the tinkling of wind chimes heard from afar. Kyle, as you know, was the jester of my class. He was always cracking the lamest jokes, and somehow, they'll always end up funny after a while.

  But despite them being all romantic and all, they still understand how i feel about love. They chose not to impose what they believed on me(unlike my dear Wes), and sought my help for their troubles and sadness. I tried to reciprocate their understanding into help for their love life.

  "Alright," Kyle relented. "I'll talk."

  His eyes darted to the far side of the canteen and I spotted Camille, a pretty girl with brown eyes. She was talking to her friends animatedly, using hand gestures to emphasize her points.

  "Kyle, you've been in love with her for ages! Isn't it time for you to do something. Like, talk?" I looked at him in disbelief.

  "I know!" He threw his hands up in the end. "But i always freak out when she's near. I don't know why!" 

  "That's because you like her. But she's in the library club," Sophie rolled her eyes. At least she seemed obliged to come out of her trance to help Kyle out. "How intimidating can she be?" 

  "Precisely." I agreed. I took a deep breath. "If you want to ask her out to the dance for Valentine's day, which is what the whole school is doing now, you have to at least let her know you exist."

  "But how?" He wailed. "Am i supposed to go up and go, 'hi my name is Kyle. I exist.'? That's plain ridiculous."

  "She goes home by the western gate." Lydia said suddenly. She had taken a big bite of her brownie and that seemed to get her talking.

  "What?" Sophie and Kyle looked at her, bemused.

  I clapped my hands together in delight.

  "Of course! All you need to do is to have an accidental bump with her there! Everything will flow smoothly afterwards!" I said excitedly. 

  I waited impatiently as i watched the plan sink in Kyle's impossibly thick head. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm doing this. I'm not suppose to even believe that this works, yet here i am giving advice to my dear lovesick friends. That is just twisted.

  "Are you sure that it'll work?" Kyle asked doubtfully.

  "Foolproof. I can tell." I said confidently.

  Kyle appraised me with new respect.

  "Sometimes, I don't get why you're not in love. Your advice always works." This wasn't the first time i helped him with some girl trouble.

  I shrugged.

  "My advice stems from me observing people. Not by believing that what i told you will work out because of the so called infatuation."

  Sophie rolled her eyes.

  "Please, you've told us this a hundred times. I don't think that all your advice about love can come through without any love on your part." She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. "Are you sure you're not hiding some secret boyfriend?" She said suspiciously.

  I groaned. Trust her to come up with something as ridiculous as that!

  "No way. You're just as bad as Wes!" I cried.

  "I think we make perfect sense," Kyle said, sharing a wink with Lydia and Sophie. "You have been giving us advice as if you're some love doctor."

  "You guys are impossible. There is no way I am ever, i repeat, ever fall in love." I said in exasperation.

  "Oh no," Lydia shook her head, a faint smile creeping onto a face like Sophie's weird perfume diffusing through the air. "The horoscope says that this year, your love luck is soaring. I'm betting that by Valentine's Day, you'll have a date."

  I rolled my eyes.

  "Believing in astrology is not my style, sweetheart." I told her. "And that won't come true."

  "Oh?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. Somehow, I don't think they were heartbroken in the first place. It was as if they were in some plan together. "I'm betting on the horoscope. There is this feeling, as if this year, you're going to be different."

  "HA. HA." I scoffed. "Very funny."

  "No, serious." Kyle continued. They were definitely in some plan. "Our goal," He glanced at both of the girls. "Is to get you to fall in love by Valentine's Day. And it'll work."

  I stared at all of them.

  "You've got to be kidding me."

  Lydia shook her head. 

  "Nope." She laughed her tinkly laugh. "We mean it. You've been alone for too long. We can't make you fall in love, but we'll try to make the circumstances as positive as we can."

  "It's not going to happen. No amount of awesome circumstances will work on me." I warned them. 

  "Oh you'll see." Sophie smiled. "We had lots of advice from you, dear Juliet. I think it's time we start giving back." She laughed. 

  And that was how the bet was made. According to them, I was going to fall in love within two weeks. I shook my head in disbelief and smiled. Let them try, I thought, nothing will work. But a small voice at the back of my head said something else. Be careful, it said. You never know if you might.