When I came back to school there was no welcome party. There was no banners saying 'Welcome back!" I was glad. It's one thing to be a scholarship kid among the richest heirs and heiresses in America, but it's another thing to be an orphan in a rich school. February fourteenth started off like any other day for me. But of course the moment I opened my locker the cliched love letters in a locker greeted me. Sighing I picked up all the letters that had fallen along with the ones still inside and stuffed them in my bag, mentally reminding myself to read them all.
Our school council had decided to exploit, just like everyone else, this worldwide festivity by allowing students to buy red roses for their lovers or love interests. I was sitting in history, doing my work like everyone else in my class, when there was a knock on the door. One of the members of the school council was holding bunch of roses in his hand. "Hi, sorry to interrupt but I have roses to hand out." He said sheepishly to the teacher.
"Go ahead." She smiled.
"Well someone is getting laid tonight." Felicity muttered in my ear. We snickered.
"A rose for Rori Greensmith?" The boy announced. Felicity gave me a massive grin and a wink. I just rolled my eye.
"Yeah she's here." Felicity called out when I didn't bother replying.
"Why would you do that?" I muttered angrily.
"Because Miss Greensmith has a secret admirer." She giggled. I huffed before accepting the rose from the boy. Jut below the flower was a message, attached to the stem.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You're so pretty,
I'm in love with you.
If that wasn't clichéd, I don't know what is. I sighed and placed the flower on my desk without another thought. I had received so many roses with similar messages throughout the lesson, that I cringed each time the door opened. I could feel everyone staring at me when I scurried out the door, dumping all the flowers in the trash can. I opened my bag and dumped all the letters in the trash too. I was sick of Valentines day, and the day had just begun.
When I sat down at our table for lunch I was tired. "You alright there?" Felicity smirked.
"I'm just tired of all the girlfriend proposals and love letters and stupid flowers." I cried, letting all my frustrations out.
"You should be happy you've got so many admirers." Jess said, jealousy flooding her voice.
"Hasn't Lucas said anything yet?" I asked.
"Lucas? What does this have to do with Lucas?" She asked, innocently.
"Oh come on Jess. It's so obvious you guys are into each other. I thought you guys would be dating already." Felicity said.
"I don't like him." She protested. I just rolled my eyes at her denial. I glanced over to Lucas, who was standing in the line staring at Jess. I groaned as I got up. I strode over to Lucas and punched him in the arm.
"Ow, what was that for?" He groaned, rubbing the sore spot.
"That was for not asking Jess out already."
"I don't like Jess." I punched him again. "What was that for?" he frowned.
"THAT was for denying it. This is for not going over there and asking her to be your girlfriend." I added as I punched him again.
"Would you stop?" He glared at me.
"Then go over there and make Jess yours before someone else does. I hear she's received loads of roses." I glanced over to the table and saw that Jess was holding the roses I had received just before lunch. I hadn't had time to throw them away so I just left them on our table. "I think Jefferson is going to ask her out." I noticed Jefferson walking over to Jess and Felicity, his eyes fixed on Jess.
"Okay. I'm going." He said. I punched him again "What the heck? What was that for?"
"Because I felt like it." I grinned at him. He quickly strode over to the table, just before Jefferson did, grabbing Jess by the hand. He gave me a small smile before taking her outside. I grinned before joining Felicity on the table.
"I see what you did there." She grinned knowingly.
"Did what?" I winked. The boys all joined us with their trays of food. I noticed Ben looking uneasy as he squirmed in his seat. He cleared his throat.
"Hey guys?" He said quietly.
"Guys?" Everyone continued to talk among themselves.
"Peeps!" I said loudly. Our half of the cafeteria quietened down. "Not you." I rolled my eyes at them before turning back to the people on our table. "Ben has something to say to you." I nodded at Ben giving him an encouraging smile. Under the table, he squeezed my hand.
"Since it's Valentines day, I thought today would be a great day to tell you." He began.
"Tell us what?" Christian asked.
"I'd tell you if you would shut up." Ben glared at him.
"Sorry." He muttered sheepishly.
"I'm gay." Ben announced. Our table didn't utter a word.
Three.
Two.
One.
"That's great!" Felicity cried, giving Ben a huge hug. "I've always wanted a gay best friend."
"Hey man, takes a lot of guts to come out. Congrats." Oliver gave him a fist bump. "So who's the lucky guy?" He winked.
"He doesn't go to this school. His name is Duke." Ben smiled happily. Christian still hadn't said anything, and I could tell Ben was getting a bit restless. I kicked his leg and waited for his reaction.
"You're gay?" Christian asked.
"Uh... yeah?"
"I had no idea. You hid it pretty well." He made it sound accusatory.
"I was gay. I didn't want people to know." Ben replied defensively.
"Does that mean you'll drag us to malls instead of the arcade?" Christian asked.
"I'm gay not transgender." Ben glared at him.
"I'm sorry." Christian laughed. "That's cool man. Who's going to be my wing man now? We all know Lucas can't flirt at all. I can't have Lucas as my wing-man."
"Hey! That's a blow to my ego." Lucas protested as he joined the table with Jess holding his hand. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at my friend. She blushed and looked away. "What did we miss?"
"Ben is gay." Oliver said as he chewed on his sandwich.
"Really?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. "That's awesome. Never thought I'd meet a gay person, let alone have a gay best friend."
"We're not rare animals. God, why am I friends why such stupid people?" Ben sighed.
"What did WE miss?" Felicity asked, looking specifically as Jess as she squirmed in her seat. Suddenly Lucas became very shy.
"Nothing..." Jess said before Lucas jumped in.
"We're going out." He said quickly, blushing.
"Finally!" Felicity squealed. Christian smirked, while Ben and Oliver just smiled knowingly.
"Yeah, well..." Lucas muttered. Just before he could say anything more the bell rang, signalling te start of the last block of lessons.
"Saved by the bell," I muttered, shaking my head at Jess.
"Yeah." She said sheepishly. The new couple got up quickly and left the table before we could say 'couple'. I sighed and made my way to my next class. I was walking down the hallway when someone grabbed my hand and pulled me into a dark closest.
"Do you have a valentine?" Someone whispered, pressing against me.
"Who are you?" I asked.
"Do you have a valentine?" The guy whispered as he leaned down, closer to my ear..
"Christian." I sighed, closing my eyes.
"Dammit! How did you know?" He asked, stepping back slightly.
"Your voice." I smirked.
"An-nyways. You haven't answered my question. Do you have a valentine?" He asked.
"No." I answered hesitantly.
"Will you be my valentine?" He asked, whipping out a red rose from his back pocket.
"Why didn't you want to send it anonymously?"
"Because I wanted to ask you face to face. And I wanted to do this." He kissed me. It wasn't like the on we shared on New Year's day. This one was more desperate, more pleading.
"What was that?" I asked when he pulled away.
"Be my Valentine." He pleaded.
"Christian..."
"Please." He said.
"Why is the important to you?" I asked.
"I like you. I want to be with you. And I want to be able to call you mine." He said.
"I hate Valentines day. It's just a commercialized holiday for romance. And I don't have time for romance." I told him. He looked taken aback by my words, but I didn't regret it.
"Why are you being like this?" He asked.
"Being what? Realistic?" I snorted.
"Rori..."
"No Christian. I'm not a romantic type of girl. I like yellow roses not red or pink. I like gummy worms instead of chocolates. I love mint choco chip instead of Ben and Jerry's. I hate clichés and I love mystery. I say I hate surprises, but in actual fact I love them. So Christian, I'm not the girl you're looking for. You don't have to pretend to like me, or that you have to do everything for me."
"Did the kiss one New Year's day mean nothing to you?" He asked.
"It meant nothing." I said coldly, before pushing him away and walking out the closet. I may have sounded like a bitter teenage girl who didn't have a boyfriend and didn't enjoy Valentines day like every other couple out there, but I've never liked the day. Not since my parents died anyways. Valentine's day didn't just remind me that I was unattached, it also meant I didn't have love. My parents were gone, my siblings were dead and buried.. Everyone who I had ever loved, left or died. I couldn't let my heart succumb to another break.
I couldn't take anymore lovey dovey crap so I left. I just walked out the front door without looking back. I wandered aimlessly through the streets of New York, the fresh air doing some good to my throbbing head. Without thinking I bought a pack of cigarettes at a small tobacco shop. It was a mindless thing to do, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind to think rationally. I ripped open the packet and placed the white stick between my teeth.
"You have a light?" I asked a man who was standing outside the shop with a cigarette in his hand.
"Yeah," he flicked the flame on and I allowed my tobacco stick to alight before I took a long drag of the carcinogenic substances. Exhaling deeply, I watched as the smoke diffused with the air and disappear. A bit like my life. A fragment of my soul chips off and disappears in the wave of lies and deception. I had only finished half the cigarette when I smashed it against the wall.
"You want the rest of the packet?" I asked a homeless guy I walked past. I didn't bother to wait for his reply when I tossed the whole, minus one, pack of Marlboro's over my shoulder. I lost track of time as I walked through Central Park just observing everyone's lives. New York was such a busy city, no one stopped to think about their fellow citizens. We were selfish beings, thinking of ourselves before anything else. But I realised no one cared about you. If you wanted to survive you could only rely on yourself.
I relied on social services to find me a home. I relied on my foster families to fill the gaping hole in my chest. I relied on Jess and Felicity to make up for the happiness I missed out on. I relied on Christian to make me feel again. I put my trust in the wrong people and it always cae round to bite me in the ass. I was sick and tired of feeling that way, so I distanced myself from everyone. It was better that way.
I finally started to make my way back to my flat since it was dark and I couldn't avoid clearing out the apartment any longer. When I reached the end of the street all I could see was a massive plume of smoke above the apartment blocks. My heart jumped into my throat as I ran towards the flaming building. My apartment was being burned in front of my eyes as the firemen attempted to clear the burning block of people. The fire was picking up its pace as it had already burned half the building and was making its way to the other. I saw Anya poke her head out, frantically calling for help.
"Hey! My friend is up there! You have to go and get her!" I said to a fireman.
"Miss the fire is getting hotter. It'll endanger my men if I send people in there." He explained. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Are you kidding me? You're going to let them die in there? She has a five year kid with her!" I screamed at him.
"I'm sorry miss. Our main priority is getting the fire under control and rescuing as many people before it gets too bad."
"Then why aren't you going to rescue her?" I shouted.
"The stairs are unstable and can't withstand the weight of our men." He gave me some bullshit explanation.
"Fuck this."I muttered.