Number 2 – Soon after Patch flirts with Nora in Biology

Secret Valentine

"So I'm sure you all know what a Secret Santa is," Coach said, placing two empty tennis ball buckets in front of us, each one having a different gender Sharpied onto the face of it. "The idea of this is similar, but instead it's for a valentine. It doesn't matter of you're single or not – you're all participating. We're trying to see if love will bloom while you try and find your chosen person a gift."

The class groaned and I could imagine all the gross guys rubbing their hands in anticipation. It was probably going to be the only time they would ever get anything off a girl that wasn't their mother.

"All of the girls have to put their names and three things about themselves in the girls box while the guys have to do the same but for their box. I will only read out the personalities of the person you got and you will have to find them a gift. You will find out who they in two weeks, when you have to give them your gift."

Coach ended his spiel and the class burst into chatter. I could hear wishful girls hoping for all of the hot guys in the class, and horny guys hoping for all the easy chicks. I was in the minority who just wanted to finish the project.

I turned to Patch. "Hoping for anyone in particular?" I asked him, pulling my hair out of its ponytail and letting it cascade down my shoulders, hiding my bra straps that were peeking out of the boatneck shirt.

He looked at me with a smirk. "What are the chances that Coach would pair us two together? I mean, we sure put a show on before." I stuck my tongue out and decided that I would rather talk to myself than him.

"If you really wanted to know," he said in a hushed whisper, "There is one girl I want. She has pretty blonde hair and the biggest tits." Not me. Definitely, definitely not me. Big boobs? No. Blonde hair? Try brunette.

I smiled. "I hope you get her. You know, I always imagined you hooking up with older women."

"I usually do."

"I meant around fifty. Or maybe sixty. Do you like saggy boobs, Patch?"

To my astonishment, he smirked. "Babe. We all know I could do better than that."

"Nobody likes a cocky asshole."

He shook his head just as Coach started to collect the sheets of paper with our personalities. He tsked as he came to me and Patch. I quickly wrote three points about myself.

-Likes the colour orange

-Watches lots of Sherlock

-Celebrity crush: Liam Hemsworth

Coach skimmed over the points, chuckling. I was pretty sure that my 'Secret Valentine' would get me something stupid, like a Liam Hemsworth mask or maybe some orange nail polish. Or maybe the Sherlock boxset. Damn, do I need the Sherlock boxset.

Coach picked Patch's sheet off the table, and my eyes watched him like a hawk as he did so, attempting to get a view of what Patch had written.

"You know," Patch said, "if you want to know more about me, just ask."

I turned to him. "What did you write on the sheet?" He rose an eyebrow as Coach began to assign pairs.

Leaning over to my table, he whispered,"Maybe next time, sweetheart," purposefully leaning far too close to my ear, purposefully letting his words wash over me, prusposefully making me blush. I had to conceal my shiver.

Saturday was shopping day for me and Vee, both of which had a valentines gift to buy.

"What do your points say?" Vee said, her shoes clicking obnoxiously loudly on the tiled floor of the mall.

I pulled the sheet out of my back pocket (because no, I had not learnt the points off by heart) and read, "Likes older women, is in your Biology class and likes fluffy socks."

"Fluffy socks?" Vee echoed. "Who is this guy? And what the hell did he mean by the second point?"

"Well," I started. "He sounds pretty smart, right? Like I wish I put that down rather than saying that my celebrity crush was Liam Hemsworth."

Vee turned to face me, grabbing my arm. "You wrote what?"

I rubbed my neck, embarrassed. "I had nothing else to write," I said.

"So you told a potentially hot guy that you drool over pictures of other hot guys. He'll probably think you're deperate and single. Just what you wanna tell a guy," Vee ended sarcastically.

I tried to change the topic. "What do I buy my guy, then?"

"Fluffy socks," Vee said offhandedly. "Or maybe a porn magazine filled with old women." I scrunced my nose up in disgust, thinking about how my 'Secret Valentine' must be one of those sex addicts sitting at the back of the class.

Vee ended up buying her valentine a vinyl and a box of love heart chocolate, while I bought mine a Biology textbook. She may have believed that fate chose her valentine, but I wasn't particularly interested in having a boyfriend. Plus, the guy had put down nothing for me to go on. And if he was a sex addict, at least I would help him pass Biology (pretty much all of the whore-y guys in my class sat at the back of the class and checked out the arses of the chicks that sat in front of them rather than listening to Coach. Anyway, how would a sex addict have the time to go buy a Biology book? It might ruin his cred if he got caught in WHSmiths or something).

But when the Biology lesson rolled around two weeks later, I felt quite embarrassed to be handing my Secret Valentine a textbook. I tried to bribe Vee into handing me her box of chocolates, but she wouldn't hear it.

"You should have listened to me about the socks," she said.

"As if that was a better idea than a textbook!" I groaned, frustrated.

Vee looked at me sympathetically. "No offense, but your guy sounds like a jerk anyway. Just give hime the texbook and leave."

"Maybe I should just not give him the book," I said, looking down at the very book-shaped gift in my hands. I had wrapped it in love heart wrapping paper, almost trying to mock my Secret Valentine. I mean, what kind of name was Secret Valentine? Surely your valentine was supposed to be secret, anyway?

Vee shook her head. "Be ballsy, girl, and I'll buy you a doughnut later. My treat." I rubbed the back of my neck in discomfort and nodded. I was a brave, independent woman. I could do this. The book had cost me fifteen dollars anyway, and it wouldn't be of use to me seeing as I already had one.

We would have matching textbooks. How romantic.

Biology started on a bad note. Everyone was curiously chatting about who Coach had assigned them to, but I just sat in my seat, eating an apple, bored, nervous, frustrated. At least it was last period.

Patch waltzed in on the bell and slid into his seat, but Coach was yet to arrive, so his lateness didn't matter.

"Why aren't you excited?" Patch asked me, rocking back in his seat.

My eyes flitted in his direction and I took another big bite of my apple. "I'm not that materialistic and I don't give a crap. This was just a waste of money."

Patch rose an eyebrow. "How much did you spend?"

"Fifteen dollars," I said, throwing my half-eaten apple in the direction of the bin. I missed.

Patch smirked. "You know, some guy back there spent fifty dollars buying his girl a gift."

"He must be desperate," I said, my finger tracing the line of the wood on the table, mind elsewhere.

"You would think that, but he's already got a girlfriend."

"Then he's a slut," I said. "And I get that you think I'm a cheapskate, but please stop. I have a headache." Then, after a moment, I reached into my bag and took out an iron tablet, swallowing it dry.

A moment later, Coach walked in, and the class' chatter ceased.

"All ready to find out who you're paired with?" Coach said, chuckling. He dumped his files on the desk, scattering the owner's pens everywhere. He ignored the mess.

One guy at the back shouted, "I wanna get laid!" and the rest of the class responded with whoops and cheers. I stifled a yawn.

"Unfortunately," Coach said, ignoring the comment, "You guys will not be getting the name of your valentine until you all finish this quiz." He started handing out a pop quiz.

The class groaned, but I was happy not to find out the name of my valentine. I had a feeling I wouldn't like him.

The first question was something to do with the human heart. I flicked through the paper, realising that quiz was about the heart and reproduction and pregnancies. I found myself scrunching it into a ball and throwing it at Patch's head. Why? I didn't know.

He turned his head in my direction, but I ignored him, trying to act innocent. I saw him shake his head in my periphery before continuing the quiz.

A small shred of paper landed on my table. I opened it, and it read, 'No need to hit on me,' in his stupid curly writing. I dropped the note on the floor, pressing it under my foot.

At the end of the quiz, Coach came to collect our papers. When he reached my table, he raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Where's your paper?" he asked. I could tell that he was about to rage.

"You didn't give me one," I lied, resting my cheek on my palm, blinking to keep my eyes open.

He looked between my elbows. "Well then, what's this?" And there sat a completed quiz paper with the name 'Nora Grey' scrawled on the top of it. I picked it off the table, confused.

Coach reached over to take it from my hands as I mumbled, "That isn't mine." But he was too busy moving onto Patch to hear me.

"Patch," he said. "Where's your quiz?" I turned to my left to watch the conversation. Patch shrugged and leaned back in his chair, and Coach sighed, moving onto the next table, almost as if he didn't expect anything otherwise.

Patch had just been completing a quiz. And then I realised. He must have slid it on my table when I was too busy attempting to stay awake to notice. But why would he give it to me?

"Once I've read the names of you and your partner, you can leave the class to exchange your gifts in private and maybe to even go on a date," Coach said. "After all, it is Valentine's Day!"

Nobody else shared his enthusiasm.

"Okay," Coach started. "Aiden and Hannah." The pair looked at each other before standing up and leaving the class. Hannah was a loud bitch and Aiden was a nerd. That was not the best combanation.

Wolf-whistles were left in their wake.

Coach continued to say names. You could tell that he had done the matchmaking, because the pairing was horrible.

"Vee and Nathan." Nathan was okay. He was a quiet dude with dyed black hair, but I didn't think that he would be able to keep up with Vee.

As Vee left the classroom, she squeezed my shoulder, mouthing 'Good luck' when she reached the door.

About two-thirds of the class had gone by the time that my name was called out.

"Nora and Patch."

I looked at Patch, who was sitting to my left, and laughed. Freaking hell. Life just loved playing a cosmic joke on me.

So I leant down and retreaved my bag, walking out of the classroom. I didn't wait for Patch, deciding that I would take the bus home. Vee would probably still be talking to Nathan.

"Nora," Patch said from somewhere behind me. I could hear him coming closer and I maintained my pace, determined not to show anyone that he annoyed me.

He grabbed my forearm and I shook it out of his grasp. I stopped walking.

"Yes, dearest Patch?" I asked, crossing my arms over my body.

"Don't you want to see what I got you?"

"Not particulary," I said dryly. I really, really didn't want him. I felt like he was winning by somehow becoming my partner.

I turned to leave again, but this time he said, "Why won't you give me a chance?"

The thing – the thing that I was pretty sure he realised – was the effect he had on me. He made me annoyed and pissed and my heart flutter all at the same time, and I couldn't control my emotions around him. That was why I didn't want to stay near him.

I sighed, looking at him, saying, "Let's go to Enzo's, okay?" Today was half price milkshake day, anyway. And I felt more comfortable in Enzo's than in a school corridor. "It's a date."

Patch looked at me with a discerning gaze. "Just so I pay for all the food?" he asked.

I looked up at him from beneath my lashes. "Maybe." I had spent my last fifteen dollars on his gift.

He threw his head back in laughter and I had to hide an embarrassed blush. Damn, I looked like a gold digger.

But as I watched him, I realised that it was the first time I had seen him laugh properly. This wasn't a smirk or half-smile. And I liked his laugh. A lot.

A/N I would just like to thank you for reading and for my lovely review, follow and fave! (Hence the longer chapter;))