Benny sat in his office trying to decide whether or not to cancel Maureen's protest. He knew his father-in-law was expecting him to because it was his job and he was supposed to do everything Mr. Grey told him to. Part of him wanted to listen to that side so he could keep his luxurious life with a beautiful, rich wife and a secured job at Grey Corporations. There was another part of him though. That part of him wanted to let Maureen continue her protest though. Before his job and Alison interfered with his life he and Maureen were actually very good friends. They could talk to each other about absolutely everything.

And way before that he even had a crush on her. It was in junior high. Benny remembered the day very clearly. It was the first time he seriously asked someone to be his girlfriend. It was the Valentines Day of his seventh grade year and he came to school carrying a huge box that was shaped like a heart and it was filled with different kinds of chocolates. He also had a bouquet of a dozen roses and a sweet note that he scribbled on a sheet of notebook paper.

It read: Maureen,

I've liked you ever since the first day of school when we met at lunch. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and I want nothing more than to be your boyfriend.

Will you go out with me? (Circle one)

Yes or No

Love,

Benny

He had been planning this for weeks. He had spent nearly all of his time thinking about the perfect way to ask her to be his girlfriend. He asked a few of his girl friends what the best way to ask a girl out would be. They all told him different things but they did agree on one thing. It should happen on Valentines Day, the most romantic day of the year. So he just took all of their suggestions and combined them, hoping Maureen would think it was cute.

He walked through the halls at school and smiled when he saw Maureen at her locker, talking with a few friends. She looked like she was in a good mood but from what Benny could see she hadn't received any flowers or candy yet. He imagined she would receive lots of things today because a lot of guys liked her but it was still early in the day. He really hoped he would be the first person to give her something. It would be more memorable for her that way.

He walked up to her and then smiled at her. He could feel his heart start racing just being near her.

"Hey, Maureen," he said as he looked up into her gorgeous bright green eyes. Those eyes were what he loved most about her.

"Oh, hi, Benny!" She greeted him with a charming smile, noticing the flowers and chocolates in his hands. "Who are those for?"

"They're for you actually," he said rather shyly, handing the box and the bouquet to her. "Happy Valentines Day. I hope you like roses and chocolate," he told her before walking away.

He didn't want to be there when she found the note just in case she was disgusted by the idea of dating him or something like that. He just went to his first period class and tried to go through the day without thinking too much about how Maureen felt about him and whether or not she wanted to be his girlfriend.

Finally it was his lunch period. It was the first time he and Maureen usually saw each other during the day other than in the hallways. He was excited to see her and hopefully find out how she felt about him.

He sat down at his usual lunch table with his friends but his mind was far from the conversation they were having about video games.

"Benny… are you okay?" One of his friends asked him when they noticed he was sort of in his own head space.

He broke out of his trance and just nodded although he was starting to feel a little nervous. Maureen still hadn't given him a note back and he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. His palms were starting to sweat and his stomach was starting to knot up. He looked up at the clock and realized there was only ten minutes of the lunch period left. Just as he made that realization he saw a folded piece of notebook paper in front of him. It had his name on it. He looked behind him and saw Maureen walking away so he knew it was the note he had been waiting for. He opened it up and a smile instantly spread across his face when he saw the word yes circled.

Then the bell rang in his flashback and the phone rang in his office, causing him to come back from his little stroll down memory lane.

"Hello?" He answered.

"Benny? It's Maureen. Mark just told me that you're planning on cancelling my protest and I think that is completely unfair! I know we're not friends anymore but that doesn't mean you have to be an asshole!"

"Maureen, calm down. I'm not going to cancel your protest. Protest away. You have the right to. I guess I've had a sudden change of heart," he told her, the memory of his seventh grade Valentines Day still fresh in his mind.