Disclaimer: I don't own Valentine's Day. Oh, or Victorious.
"Happy Valentine's Day!"
"No."
Cat tilted her head in confusion, smile fading. "Huh?"
Jade's face was stony. "No. I don't do Valentine's."
Cat's eyebrows knitted themselves together. "How can you not do Valentine's?"
"It's stupid." Jade said flatly, leaning back against her scissor-adorned locker, arms crossed.
Cat pouted, lower lip jutting out. "But I got you a card and everything." She waved a pink, heart-shaped card at Jade. She brought the card back to herself, a soft smile on her lips, fingers tracing over the shape of the heart. "It's got kitties on it, and it says, 'You're Purrrrfect. Will you be my Valentine?'" Cat giggled, hugging the card to her chest. "It's so cute!"
Jade bit back the acidic comment that threatened to spew out. Cat was just being Cat. But did Cat really have to wear a pink dress covered in tiny hearts? Jade hated the holiday enough as it was. She'd made sure to dress entirely in black today. Not a trace of pink, or red, or purple. Nothing that could be construed as romantic. Long-sleeved black shirt, black jeans. She'd gone with the blue extensions for her hair; she wanted to be a complete contrast to all the lovey-dovey couples swooning around the school. Beck knew how she felt about Valentine's. Last year he'd made the mistake of getting her flowers. Jade's eyes stroked over the scissors attached to her locker. She'd taken care of that, and Beck knew better now. She'd thought Cat had too, but she'd forgotten how ecstatic the red-velvet haired got over holidays that were based on adorable things. "Valentine's day is just another corporate holiday, Cat. It's not about love, it's about selling crap to idiots."
Cat's eyes widened, her eyebrows turning up pitifully. "But... it's my day."
Jade's green eyes narrowed. "What?"
Cat nodded, fingers still plucking at the edges of the card. "Valentine's day. 'Cause I'm Cat..." She held a hand out theatrically to Jade, motioning for her to finish, the brunette girl staring flatly, arms still crossed. "...Valentine!" Cat finished, smiling widely, lighting up her face.
"So how many... 'Valentine's' have you gotten today Cat?" Jade asked with a raised eyebrow, stud gleaming.
Cat's smile faded, her arm lowering. "N-none." She forced a smile again. "But the day's not over! It's Valentine's day. And Valentine's have a lot of love." She fluttered her thick, dark eyelashes at Jade, thrusting the card into Jade's hand. "You have to take it. Please?"
Jade sighed, turning the dial on her locker and shoving the card inside. "There? Happy?"
Cat nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm."
Jade watched Cat as she bounced away, shutting her locker with a loud metallic clang, eyebrows dragging down to meet over her nose. Cat didn't have any Valentine's? That had surprised Jade. She'd asked to make a point, she'd expected Cat to have a lot, so she could show how meaningless it was. But school was just starting. Sure enough at lunchtime, Cat would come skipping out, hands full of candy and cards and all the things that made Jade sick. She hated this whole stupid day. It was so fake. It wasn't about love, love was quiet and it didn't need to be said and bought. It just was.
Jade trudged off to class as the bell chimed, making sure to crush a few pink crepe hearts under her combat boots.
"So where's your card from Cat?" Jade said, sitting next to Tori in art class. Cat took make-up instead, since all her pieces ended up being of unicorns or kittens.
Tori glanced up from her sketchbook, confused. "Huh? What card?"
"Cat didn't get you a card?" Jade shrugged, dropping her bag on the floor.
Tori sat up, abandoning her sketchbook. "Why? Did... did Cat get you one?"
Jade just smiled blankly at Tori until she looked away uncomfortably, hunching back over her sketchbook and scribbling furiously. Jade rolled her eyes, pulling out her own sketchbook. Bowls of fruit, how original.
By lunchtime, Jade had determined that no one had gotten anything off Cat... except for her, as she was reminded when she opened her locker, the pink card standing out. Jade pulled it out, examining it. It was Cat through and through. Nauseatingly adorable and sugary sweet. Just like Cat would be when she bounced up with all her Valentine's. But why was she the only one to get anything off Cat? Cat seemed like the type to hand them out like candy.
When she went out to the lunch table, Beck had a salad waiting for her, the only kind of romantic gesture she liked. One that was actually useful. But something was missing... Cat wasn't there. "Hey, where's Cat?" Jade speared a leaf of lettuce aggressively, looking around.
Andre shrugged, "I don't know, she's your Valentine." He laughed, "Get it? Your 'Valentine'? And it's Valentine's Day-" His face straightened, smile disappearing when he looked up to meet Jade's glare.
Beck looked doubtfully at her. "Babe?"
"Cat gave me a Valentine's Day card."
Beck's eyes widened. "You didn't do anything to her, did you?"
Jade waved a hand, annoyed. "No, it's Cat."
Her eyebrows dove down, puzzled. Cat was acting so strange today. More so than usual, and that was saying something. Jade shook her head. It wasn't worth worrying about. She could overlook the fact that Cat had given her a Valentine's Day card, after all, Cat wasn't the type to remember how vehemently Jade opposed it. But that she was the only one Cat had given anything to... she couldn't figure that out. It had to be some kind of mix up.
"Oh, Jade, did you have my Math book?" Tori asked, toying with a candy heart she'd gotten from Andre.
"It's in my car." Jade pulled herself up, keys jingling as she dug them out of her bag. She'd borrowed the book off Tori to copy the homework. It was easier than doing it herself. She'd parked at the far end of the school parking lot, as close to the boundary as she could get. There was some privacy here at least. And no hearts. Hollywood Arts believed in going all out. It was like Cupid had gone on an all night bender and puked over the entire school. But that's what you get from a bunch of artists. People had been singing songs and hugging all day. It was sickening. That's why she'd parked so far away, so she could get some peace from all the... romance.
She paused as she unlocked her car, hearing a soft sound like a sniff. She shook her head, dismissing it. Probably just a couple of kids making out or something, trying to get away from the school. She stopped again when she heard a quiet whimper. That sound she knew. She closed the door to her car, walking past the last few cars that separated her from the sparse garden border. A flash of red caught her eye.
"Cat?"
The red-velvet haired girl looked up from where she was seated on the bench, quickly wiping her eyes. "Oh, hi Jade."
"Is... is something wrong?" Jade asked uncomfortably, fingers fidgeting with her keys. She cared about Cat, no question, but she wasn't suited for situations involving... compassion, or empathy. Something involving anger and revenge, now that she was a pro at.
"N-no." Cat sniffed again, kicking her legs back and forth on the bench.
Jade moved, sitting uncomfortably next to her. Now probably wasn't the best time to ask, but Jade couldn't think of anything else to say. "Cat... why'd you only give me a Valentine?"
Cat looked over at the brunette girl, her eyes red-rimmed, a soft smile playing at her lips. "Because you needed it more."
Jade raised a studded eyebrow doubtfully, fingers brushing through her blue extensions. "No, I don't. I have Beck."
Cat nodded, sniffing again. "I know, but you're always so angry and sad, and you never get any, and I wanted to make you smile. So you're my only Valentine. You should be loved."
Jade shifted uncomfortably on the bench. How could she tell Cat she was loved? That... that Valentine's meant nothing to her. But...maybe because it was from Cat, maybe because Cat had done it especially for her... maybe it did mean something. Maybe it wasn't some cheap gesture, maybe it would've been from anyone else, but Jade knew the red-velvet haired girl. Everything she did was sincere.
She picked at the splintered wood of the bench with a black-painted fingernail, glancing up at Cat. "So why are you upset? I took your Valentine." It was odd... she felt like she could relax around Cat, be a little more human, be a little more Jade. She could meet Cat's softness with a little of her own. And really, she just hated to see Cat upset, especially on a day when she was usually so happy.
"It's... it's Valentine's Day, it's... it's supposed to be my day. I was... it was supposed to be special. I'm Cat...!" Cat murmured sadly, raising her arm wearily.
"...Valentine." Jade finished softly. "No one got you anything?"
Cat shook her head with a quiet sigh, fingers crawling over themselves in her lap, tracing the shapes of the small hearts on her dress.
"Cat..." What good would it do to tell Cat how pointless it was, that just because she didn't get hundreds of Valentine's didn't mean that nobody loved her? Cat believed in that kind of junk, she thought Valentine's really was about love. Jade found herself surprised to realise that she didn't want Cat to be like her, she didn't want Cat to think Valentine's was stupid, and hate it like she did. Jade looked around the parking lot, making sure it was empty, before reaching down and snapping a white daisy off by her feet. "Cat, would you be my Valentine?" She said awkwardly, handing the flower to a stunned Cat. She wasn't at all comfortable doing this, but she was rewarded when Cat smiled, her face glowing.
Maybe Valentine's day could be about love, if you just ignored all the cheap sentiment. Maybe it could be about showing people you loved them. Maybe if you just ignored the hype, you could find something real, and sincere. Jade still hated Valentine's day, but she was starting to appreciate 'Valentine's' Day.
A/N: Dedicated to all my readers who, much like me, have no Valentine. Let's be lonely together!
As always, please review. This... well, this is my Valentine's Day present to everyone who doesn't have one. Even if you hate Valentine's Day, this is for you.