This is my contribution to the Valentine's Day contest on MCBC. It's short and kind of drippy. Oh well.

For me, Valentine's Day has always been a sucky holiday-if you can call it that-full of flowers, candy, and making out…for other girls. Valentine's Day, in the past, had always left me feeling a little blue…and jealous of my friend Gina, who always told me about the Valentine gifts she'd received from various boys of her acquaintance. I'd never expected Valentine's Day to mean a thing to me because, oh yeah, the guy I liked, he was dead.

But he's not anymore.

But I still didn't expect anything for Valentine's Day from him. I mean, how could a guy born in 1830 know about Valentine's Day? But then again, he knew how to drive. If he knew how to drive, he'd probably known something about the Greeting Card Industry Heyday, known to most as Valentine's Day.

And that's why I nearly jumped out of my skin when Jesse asked me if I'd like to go on a date-somewhere special, he said-with him for Valentine's Day instead of the school dance. The Junipero Serra Mission Academy was indeed having a Valentine's dance, but I hadn't really expected him to want to go. I mean, he hadn't seemed very fond of his tuxedo, unfortunately-he'd looked so hot in it, and I'd probably never see him in one again.

Seriously. He wouldn't tell me where we were going or what we were doing, only that it was a surprise, and I was not to worry about a thing.

My mom, when I told her about his plans, was thoroughly excited. Well, excited is an understatement-a big one-my mom was absolutely ecstatic with joy.

"My Susie is growing up so fast! He's such a wonderful young man," she'd said. "I was wrong to think he was too old for you-he's a complete gentleman!"

Embarrassing.

Oh, it got way more embarrassing when he came to pick me up on the night of Valentine's day. Way more embarrassing. My mother had found out how to work her digital camera, and she had a terrible habit of snapping pictures of Jesse and me every time he came over for the least little thing, whether it be for dinner, to take me out, or even to tutor Brad in Spanish (which Jesse had-rather bravely, I'd thought, considering Brad's blackmail against me where Jesse was concerned-agreed to do). I'd repeatedly told him that he could just wait for me in the car and honk the horn or something when he was ready for me to come out, but he'd said that it wasn't polite to do so.

Well.

Jesse bravely rang the front doorbell-although he could have just walked in, but he'd said that walking into a person's house without them knowing is improper-and my mother immediately flogged him with the camera, which thankfully, didn't have a flash. "Bye, Mom," I said, hoping she wouldn't try to take any more pictures. I don't like having my picture taken because I usually end up looking stoned, and Jesse doesn't like having his picture taken much, either.

"Bye, Susie. Bye, Jesse. Have a nice time, kids," she called.

"Susannah," Jesse said.

"Jesse." Things were always awkward between us when my mom was anywhere nearby.

"Let's go," he said, leading me to the car and opening the door for me.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"If I told you now, it wouldn't be a surprise," was all he said.

He drove the car to a fairly deserted place near the beach, and he pulled over, and walked around to open the door for me.

I got our, and he led me through a grove of palm trees to this one really secluded place on the beach.

I gasped. It was beautiful. The Pacific Ocean gleamed brightly in the light of the full moon, the waves sparkling like diamonds as they made their way to the shore.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? Just like you," Jesse said.

I was speechless.

"I love you, Susannah," he said.

"I love you, too, Jesse," I said, and then he kissed me, placing a ring on my finger.

"I don't want to ask now, because you are young…but when we're older, will you marry me?" he asked.

"Yes. Of course," I said, my heart beating with joy. I kissed him.

Let's just say that St. Valentine's Day actually means something to me now, something that it never meant before.

Valentine's Day means something more beautiful than love itself-to me, it means that I will spend my life with the man I love: Jesse.