A/N: Geeks need love too! Props to Zainab for inspiring this.
Disclaimer: I'm Asha, not Ally C
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Are you ready for this, world? You may want to sit down, I can't promise that you won't faint. This mind-boggling news may just cause heart failure, or even death. Can I get a drum roll?
I hated Valentine's Day.
Its not the day itself, usually the weather on February 14th was beautiful. It was the idea and effects. Valentine's Day at Gallagher usually represented friendship, but ever since the Blackthorn boys took over our school, it was a pathetic excuse for girls running around like starved romantics.
Look at my friends, for example. I'm so surprised that Cammie hasn't floated off into the sunset with the, get this, twenty balloons that someone anonymously. How anonymous could someone be? Almost everyone knew Zach got busted when he went into town to buy balloons. What a shocker.
Macey had a slew of younger admirers. When she woke up, there was about a hundred roses spread out around her, with at least sixteen cards in all. I didn't know which was more unnerving: the fact that my best friend was the object of someone's lust or somebody was able to get in our room while we were sleeping.
Bex was the most shocking of all. She and Grant had been going off and on for a while now, but Bex told him that they were either dating or not. He had chosen "not". But, Bex did find a special little stack of valentines this morning, all from a mysterious "G".
When all three of your friends are so dynamic, its hard to stand out. Each one of them had a special someone (or in Macey's case, someones) in their life. Cammie was the best friend you could have, Bex just had the x-factor, and Macey was gorgeous. I swear, I'm surprised they haven't ditched me to be the newest Charlie's Angels.
Where did that leave me? I'm just Liz. Too smart for my own good and too plain to catch anyone's attention. The only boy who had been mildly interested in what I had to say was Jonas.
Jonas.
Don't think we have something special, because we don't. Don't think I blush or bat my eyes around him, because I don't. And don't think I'm in love with him, because I'm not. Not now, not ever. The word "Jonas" is only in my mind in the biblical sense. He was simply a blip on my radar, and nothing more.
Lie. Lie. Lie.
Jonas and I were the perfect match, but total opposites. While I was quiet, reserved, and shy, he was loud, eccentric, and daring. I guess we clicked when the boys first came to our school, we were both in the same boat. Most girls hardly gave Jonas one look when he was next to Zach and Grant. In my opinion, I don't see the appeal in those two.
Almost everything about Jonas was wrong. He was too tall and gangly, and he had the ability to fall over nothing. His curly hair often expanded like a mad scientist (which he is) and he had this loud laugh, like his voice just could make anything hilarious. Jonas also wowed me with his vast knowledge on any random subject. He could tell you the square root of 45465 and then the history of-
Fine, say what you want. I was not in love with Jonas. I was head over heels, over the moon, and I wasn't coming down anytime soon.
***
I was a right monster on Valentine's morning. At breakfast, someone had decided to decorate the tables with nauseating red and pink accents. Not even my Cheerios could cheer me up; talk about false advertising.
"Good morning!" Macey chirped, taking the empty seat next to me. Even though the four of us stayed up the whole night to study for our languages exam, Macey looked as bright as ever.
"Morning." Thank goodness for Bex. Her raspy British accent sounded like music to my ears.
"Hey." Cammie greeted, struggling to hold back her grin. I focused on her a bit more, only to catch her doing some major eye-flirting with Zach, who was sitting at the Blackthorn table. Bex gave me her signature Look, silently telling me to cut them a break. It wasn't as I was suddenly brash enough to tell Cammie to knock it off. Please.
"Okay, I'll bite. How's Valentine's Day going for you all?" Bex asked, nonchalantly.
"Well-" Macey and Cammie spoke at the exact same time, before Macey made it clear she got first word. "Those little boogers left a mess of rose petal on my bed? How did they even get in there?" She frowned, glancing at the table with her admirers, who started blushing immediately.
"Boogers? Come on, Mace." I added in, playfully rolling my eyes.
"Oh, you know what I mean." Macey crossed her arms in mock frustration, before pulling out her newest copy of Vogue.
Shifting in my seat, I turned Cammie, who had to practically tear her eyes off Zach to start telling us about her own gift today. Bex and I shared a current discontent about relationships, but when she found the notes Grant had left for her, tomorrow morning she'd be eagerly discussing proper flirting methods. Kill me now, please.
While Cammie started going into her story, I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I whipped my head behind me, seeing Jonas with a wicked smile on his face. I could feel my face turning red, matching my own ginger locks. Cammie, Bex, and Macey started giggling like wild hyenas.
"Hey Liz, come with me for a sec?" He asked, though my first instinct was to chastise him for not just saying "sec". Bex started whistling under her breath, and Cammie and Macey started to go "aww". If this moment was any cheesier, I think I would die.
"Sure." I managed to mumble, clumsily getting our of my chair. Lightly, he grabbed by elbow and raced me outside, as if he had a massive secret to tell. The bright light nearly blinded me and a shock of cold air rushed through my body. Immediately, I started shivering. Jonas though, paid me or the sub-arctic weather no attention. Instead, he was fumbling for something the pockets of his coat, before pulling out a crumpled, yellow piece of paper.
"Sorry for, you know, rushing you outside like this." Jonas murmured, desperately trying to smooth out the piece of paper. "But, I wanted to be the first to catch you this morning. I swear I saw that Louis Parker with a bucket of rose petals headed for your room. I really can't stand him."
"Oh, no worries. Louis Parker just has it bad for Macey." I tried joke, but I felt secretly disappointed. What if he only wanted to give me a gift because he got jealous of other boys? The closest Jonas and I have ever gotten is when I had to show him around the school, and we'd both agreed that the school should have a pool for aquatic training. Not my idea of romantic.
But instead of walking away or doing that cute eyebrow raise he was noted for, he just had a tiny grin on his face. Like he was suddenly too shy to even look at me.
"Yeah, I know Louis likes Macey." He admitted, patting his thick curly hair.
"Then why did you think he'd get to me first?" If it was possible, I was blushing even more than usual.
"Because, I can't stand him and he can't stand me."
I decided to just drop the subject, I was more interested in that note he was nervously thumbing than his loathe for Louis Parker.
"What's that?" I raised my eyebrow in the direction of the note, to which Jonas tinged a little crimson. In one swift motion, he pressed the note into my hand. It was still very crinkly, but legible. His neat, all-caps script was just like him: the more you looked at it, the more faults you saw.
"Read it." He nudged my elbow, making me feel dumb for a second. I can't believe I was analyzing his handwriting instead of finally getting to know his big secret.
"Liz--
Sorry that I couldn't get you anything you'd like. So, consider this an IOU. Like, if you ever need someone to go to the movies with, or go out to eat with, or anything else that can qualify as a date. I'm good for my word.
--Jonas"
I couldn't believe the letter. I couldn't believe that I had expected anything else. More importantly, I couldn't believe that had technically asked me out!
"What?" That was all I choked out, somewhere between my voice going a tone too high and a giggle. Jonas started snickering with me, smoothly taking the note out of my hand again.
"So, what do you think?" He asked, eyes twinkling as he folded the paper. He handed me the note, holding onto my hand for much longer than he had to.
"I think I want to see a movie Friday." The words just rushed out of my mouth, without a second thought. "Oh, but I don't have anyone to go with. Darn." I added sarcastically, feigning ignorance. This must be how my friends felt when they were with their respective boys: light, airy, but the feeling of being liked just made me feel all the more powerful.
"That's tough, Liz." Jonas agreed, somberly nodding his head, but with a tinge of smile. "I know, maybe you should consult that note you've got in your pretty little hands. I'm sure someone owes you a date."
Pretending to read the note over again, I looked back at him with a surprised expression. "Oh, would you look at that? It says that you owe me a date."
"Really, now? I've got a better idea. Why don't we go to the movies together for free, and you can use your IOU for something else. Maybe a kiss?"
A kiss?
Suave, Jonas, very suave. Despite what power I felt now, I was still shy at heart and went on to turn red once more. I could honestly think of nothing to say, but silence was enough for him. He slipped his hand in with mine and walked me back inside to the cafeteria.
The moment we got in and the students got a glimpse of us holding hands, a wave of gasps and chattering went around. I wasn't aware of how soft Jonas' hands were, or the fact that we would be the gossip subject for the next few weeks. I didn't care that the second I broke my happy little trance, I would blush and not be able to make eye contact with everyone. I didn't think of how his little IOU was infinitely better than any rose petal or balloons. No, none of that.
The only thing on my mind was how excited I was for Valentine's Day next year.
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a/n: So, what did you think? I was upset with the lack of Liz/Jonas, I love that nerdy little pair.
Hate it? Love it? Want to make it a Valentine's Day IOU? Tell me about it =)