The Valentine Card
Chloe checked the front and back of the envelope, but it only said "Chloe." She slowly tore open the white paper. Inside was a white card with a shiny red heart on it. She smiled and opened it.
Chloe,
Happy Valentine's Day! Did you know that "St. Valentine's Day" was created by the Hallmark Card
Company for a reason for people to buy more cards? Just thought you'd like to know that, if you didn't already.
Love,
Clark
"Who's it from?" Lana asked, coming out of nowhere.
For some reason, she hesitated in answering. Possibly because she knew that Lana had a card waiting, too. She finally answered, though. "It's from Clark. The little goofball slipped it into my locker," she grinned.
"How sweet," Lana said, opening her own locker, which was only a ways down the row. To Chloe's dismay, the exact same envelope fluttered to the floor when the door opened. She felt her heart drop about three inches. Why should she care? She and Lana were supposed to be over Clark.
"I'd better get to history," Chloe said, walking by Lana. As she did, she glanced at Lana's card. The writing inside took up one side of the card. Chloe's message was nowhere near that long. She shook her head, knowing she shouldn't have looked.
"Bye," Lana said as Chloe passed. Chloe glanced back at Lana. She was still reading the wording, a smile on her face. She looked away and hurried to her first hour history class.
* * * * *
"Chloe!" Chloe turned at the sound of her voice.
"Oh, hey Pete," she said.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"Of course. Why?"
"I've been calling your name," he said.
"Were you really? Sorry," Chloe said. She wasn't acting like herself, Pete noticed. She was usually enthusiastic and attentive.
"You're not really okay, are you?" Pete asked.
"Yes, I am," Chloe said.
"Chloe…" he replied.
"Is it that obvious?" she finally gave in.
"Well, let's just say people that don't even know you that well have been asking me, Clark, and Lana what's up with you. It's like everyone realizes that the cheeriness of Smallville High have diminished from the hallways," he said, shooting her a sideways glance of concern. "So what's wrong?"
She sighed. "I don't want to bother you my problems."
"I don't mind. After all, what are friends for?" He grinned.
She scratched her lower lip and pulled the card from her bag. She handed it to him. She watched as he scanned over the words. He handed it back to her. "What's wrong with that?"
She pulled another card from her bag, one from Pete. "Look at the length of his compared to yours. Yours is three times as long. And the one he wrote to Lana is about five times as long."
"I thought you of all people would realize that it's the thought that counts," Pete blurted.
"I do realize that, but you'd think that Clark of all people would realize that I still have feelings for him," Chloe said, stalking off.
Pete hurried after her. He grabbed her arm and handed her a folded piece of paper. "By the way, Clark wanted me to give this to you." He turned without another word and left her standing there.
* * * * *
Chloe looked at the paper in her hands. It was the note from Clark. She hadn't opened it since Pete gave it to her fifteen minutes ago. She looked up to make sure her teacher wasn't looking and slowly unfolded it.
Dear Chloe,
Happy Valentine's Day! I know that my card to you was brief, but there's a reason for
that. Meet me at the swings in the park
after school.
Love,
Clark
She really hoped that there was a reason. She refolded the sheet and slipped it into her pocket. She spent the rest of the class staring at the clock. When the bell finally rang, she was the first out of the class. She stopped at her locker to quickly grab the books she needed and was soon back on track to the park.
* * * * *
She knew it; Clark wasn't going to show up. She glanced at her watch. School had only let out five minutes ago. She was so tense that she was losing track of time. She sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day, and let herself fall into one of the snow-powdered swings. She rocked back and forth slowly, waiting.
She felt a tap on her shoulder. Her breath caught. Was it Clark? If it was, why was she so hyped up? She turned. It was.
He smiled and handed her a small box about the size of a keyboard key. She removed the miniscule top to reveal a candy heart. It read: "Be mine."
She looked up at Clark, who had moved to her front. She stood up, a tear forming in her eye. She nodded softly, and Clark pulled her into a hug. When they parted, she carefully replaced the lid and tucked the box into her pocket. Clark grabbed her hand and squeezed. Maybe her day wasn't so bad after all.
END
