February 14th. Ugh! For some it's the day of love in the month of love. For you, it's the longest and loneliest day of the shortest month of the year that somehow feels the longest.
You roll out of bed and get ready for school. Looking in the mirror, you take in your messy locks. Reaching for a brush, you mentally debate you ask yourself 'Why bother?'
You've never been particularly lucky in the romance department.
Finishing getting ready for school, you make your way to the kitchen and sit down to have breakfast. Your parents are talking about something, but you've tuned them out. You've tuned everything else and are simply trying to coast through the day, so their words are simply background noise. This day can't be over soon enough.
You look up from your toast, cereal and juice, noticing your parents looking at you. They just asked you something, but you didn't hear it. What do I do?
You raised your shoulders in a slight shrug. "Uh-ah-uh." Your nonchalant, noncommittal, non-answer earns a scowl of disappointment from your father.
Your mother places her hand on your forearm. "Dear, we asked what are you doing for Valentine's?"
"Ah-uh-oh." This day can't be over soon enough.
Your response that is entirely vowel sounds causes a look of concern on your mother's face.
"Let it go for now." Your father's response is gruff, but understanding.
Once breakfast is finished, you rinse off your dishes in the kitchen sink and stack them in the dishwasher. You never understood why you had to wash dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. Shouldn't it really be called the dish-rinser or the dish-sanitizer? Normally you don't think about things like this. This day can't be over soon enough.
Walking out the door and down the walkway to the sidewalk, you get ready for your trek to school. Fortunately it isn't that far of a walk. Pulling out the earbud case and phone from your pocket, you unlock the screen. Putting on some music while on your walk will help you to drown out today.
Just as you tap the screen to open the music app, you father pulls up to the curb and opens the passenger side door.
"Get in, kiddo. I'll drive ya to school this mornin'."
"Uh, won't that make you late?"
"What's Jenkins gonna do? Fire me? I'm the only one who knows how to keep everything running. Let him fire me 'cause I decided to give my kid a lift to school, he'll come crawling back in a week begging for me to come back."
Letting out a long, slow sigh, you climb in the front seat of your dad's car.
The two of you sit in awkward silence for several minutes. You tap your foot awkwardly and you dad drums his fingers nervously on the steering wheel.
Today can't be over soon enough.
Your dad finally speaks up. "I know today is rough, what with everywhere you look, they're shoving romance this, lovey-dovey that. It can make you feel like you're 2 inches tall when seeing all of that. I know you aren't the luckiest when it comes to the love dep--"
"Can we just not?", you interrupt. You place two fingers to your head. "I'm sorry. It's just...I...I don't wanna talk about it, that's all."
Your father purses his lips. For a moment a look of hurt is on his face and in the next it's gone. Today can't be over soon enough.
Slipping your earbud in, you start scrolling through the music app. You scroll past all the cheesy love song playlists and select a playlist labeled non-love songs for lonely people. It's all emo and pop-punk. Normally you don't listen to people being whiny about their problems, but today, you're in a whiny mood.
Your dad pulls up to the front of the school. You take a long look at the plinth that used to hold the statue that was the school's mascot. Then the Friendship Games and Midnight Sparkle happened. Looking around, you zero in on what you didn't want to see today, people holding hands, holding one another in intimate embraces, being overall lovey-dovey. Blech!
Today can't be over soon enough.
Grabbing the door handle, you pull it and swing your legs out. When your right leg hits the ground, your father nudges your shoulder. You pause your music and look over. "Yeah?"
He shoves a small wad of bills into your palm. "When school is over, go see a movie or get yourself a milkshake or whatever it is you crazy kids do."
You quickly count the money. It's 28 dollars, mostly in 5's and 1's. Not a lot of money, but you can do something with it. "Uh, thanks." You get out of the car, close the door behind you and make your way to the front door of the school.
Entering the school, you look around. Hanging all around are red hearts and Cupids made from crepe paper and construction paper. On the bulletin boards, announcements and fliers are surrounded by construction paper hearts and Cupids. Blech! Today can't be over soon enough.
*brrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnng*
The ringing of the bell snaps you out of your stupor. You blink your eyes as your fellow classmates gather up their belongings and make their way to the classroom door quickly. You follow suit.
"Remember to turn in your book reports on Watership..."
The teacher's words become staticy background noise as you slip back into your stupor. Today can't be over soon enough.
As you walk through the hallway, you notice various students holding hands or hugging or kissing. You also notice the vice-principal interjecting and scolding those students whose public displays of affection are just a little too...affectionate.
Your drift back into your own stupor, mindlessly making your way to the next class...algebra. Ugh! Algebra! Doing math where to figure out the value of X, first you have to figure out the value and Y and Z. Why can't they just tell you the value of Y and Z first? The only thing worse than algebra is Valentine's day, which is today and today can't be over soon enough.
Mentally you pause, though your body continues its methodical plodding onto algebra. you could have sworn that out of the corner of your eye you saw a pretty amber-skinned girl trying to get your attention. However since you are lost in your stupor and own little world, she is soon enough lost in the background static that is the student body milling through the hallway.
Today can't be over soon enough.
You coast through algebra as the teacher drones on about finding the value of X by determining the value of A-squared and B-squared divided by D. You really don't know as it's all just background noise.
The bell rings and you get up to join the blur of student bodies and faces that makes up the background static. The teacher stops you and starts talking. However you don't hear their words, it's all just background noise and static. Have I mentioned that today can't be over soon enough?
Once the teacher stops talking, you nod absentmindedly. You have no idea what they were just talking about and simply join the mash of student bodies in the hallway. You swear as you make your way to civics that the amber girl is trying to get your attention again, but she's quickly lost in the background static made up of the student body.
In the cafeteria you mindlessly make your way to where the lunchroom ladies are standing behind the aluminum and glass holding big metal spoons, ice cream scoops and ladles. You grab a tray that has segments for the different foods and slip into line.
Sitting at the table surrounded by the background static of your fellow students, you poke at your food with a fork debating whether you should eat it or toss it out and use some of the money in your pocket to buy something from the snack machines.
You poke at the bright red-colored gelatin dessert that has a trio of baby carrots suspended within and take some small amusement at how though the gelatin wobbles and jiggles, the carrots seem not to.
That's when an amber hand waves in front of your face, breaking you from your simple, stupor-fueled amusement. Looking up, you stare into the face of Sunset Shimmer. "Hmm?"
"I've been trying to get your attention all day."
"Hmm?"
She extends a hand out to you that's holding a white, handmade envelope. Reaching up, you take the envelope. On the front of it in red lettering that looks like it belongs in a period piece about ancient nobles reads, Happy Valentine's Day. Flipping the envelope over, you take note of the little red heart sticker holding the flap shut.
You slide your thumb under the flap and lift the sticker up from its place. Inside it is a white and pink handmade card. Pulling the card out, you look over the front of the card. It's a red heart surrounded by little white lace made from crepe paper. It's not the childish, gleefully drawn style of Pinkie Pie or the messy, quickly-drawn style that screams Rainbow "20% Cooler" Dash, but something that had a lot of time and care put into it.
You open the card and read the message inside.
Dear Anon, I know today isn't the greatest day for you. Just know that I care about you and hope this card finds you happy and healthy, Happy Valentine's Day, Sunset Shimmer
You let your eyes linger on the card for a moment. This is a small, bright spot on a normally dull day. "Uh, thanks. Sorry, I don't have anything to give you."
A warm smile spreads across Sunset's face. "That's okay. I know how things can be, what with everywhere you look, they're pushing lovey-dovey and romance crap."
You nod.
Sunset turns to walk away, pauses, and turns back. "After school, you wanna hang out?"
You blink. You hadn't planned on anything after school except for walking around town, then going home and playing some sort of ultraviolent video game. "Uh, sure."
Sunset miles once again. "I'mm meet ya at the mall at 3:30, okay?"
You nod.
Sunset smiles again as she turns to go back to her table.
3:30 can't get here soon enough.