This is for bloodyXfangs. You are, as I would say, awesome beans :)
Jenny tapped her pen impatiently on her desk. Maths class was really the last place that a girl wanted to be on a Friday afternoon. Her boyfriend Tom Locke was sat next to her, staring intently at the board as the teacher pointed to a particularly hard sum. Jenny, in all honesty, had never really liked Maths, although she couldn't deny that she was good at her. The same couldn't be said for Tom though. He found Maths quite hard. Jenny considered it a good thing that he sat next to her, because then she would be able to help him. Or sometimes even let him copy. But Jenny didn't mind. After all, Tom was her boyfriend, and had been for a while now. She loved him very much, which is why she smiled when he looked towards her and grinned his perfect grin.
"Hey, Thorny, what's the answer to number ten?" He whispered, as so not to attract unwanted attention to their conversation.
"Umm, I think it's 253." She replied.
"Oh cool: thanks." He said, reaching out with his free hand and squeezing Jenny's own one. She squeezed back, before letting go and getting on with her work. Because, even though Jenny didn't like Maths, she knew the importance of getting good grades. However, this didn't seem to be enough for Tom.
"Happy Valentine's Day." He said, for the ten millionth time that day. Despite herself, Jenny laughed.
"Happy Valentine's Day to you, as well." She replied, for what was also the ten millionth time that day. Tom laughed with her, and draped his arm across the back of her chair.
"Tom, take your arm off: we're in class!" Jenny exclaimed, feeling a tiny bit exasperated.
"I don't see how that matters. Come on Thorny, this is our day, a day for all the lovers. If I can't put my arm around you on today of all days, then I don't know what I can do." Tom insisted, albeit a tad dramatically. Jenny simply nodded mechanically. If Tom was happy, then she was happy, so she just let it go. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in, please." Mrs Lynne, Jenny's teacher, called. The door opened and in walked three students from the year above. The two girls dressed up as Cupid's, complete with the bow and arrow, and the boy carried a large box of flowers. Every Valentine's Day, the students from Jenny's school received a little card. On that card, they had to write how many flowers they wanted and who they wanted them to be given to. That part always stayed a secret, considering the whole point was to guess who had given you the flower. Then, at the end of the day, several people would go around the school delivering out the flowers to those who had been lucky enough to get them.
There were many different types of flower to choose from, and they all meant different things. For example, this year Jenny had gotten Tom a single red tulip, which meant a declaration of love. The students had to pay for all the flowers they brought, but it was definitely worth it.
"Hello, we're here to deliver the flowers." One of the girls said, stating the obvious.
"Alright then, please come in." Mrs Lynne instructed. The three children walked into the classroom, and sat the box down on a free table. As soon as they had done, they made their way to the door again.
"Wait, I thought you needed to hand them out?" Mrs Lynne asked, evidently puzzled.
"No miss; these are the last of them. Your class seem to be hugely popular." The boy smiled.
"Well, you may leave then. Thank you very much." The teacher said, as the three students departed the classroom. Mrs Lynne left her spot at the front of the class and walked towards the box of flowers. When she reached it, she leant forward and picked the first one up. It was a tradition that someone would read aloud who each flower was for, and then say what it meant. By now, all the students knew the meaning of the flowers, but they didn't mind listening anyway.
"An orchid for Dee, which means 'refined beauty'" Mrs Lynne said. Dee, who was one of Jenny's best friends, flashed a cat-like grin at Jenny, before sauntering up to collect her flower. Jenny would bet money on the fact that Dee would receive more than one flower. With her long limbs and pretty, dark eyes, she was most certainly refined. Dee reached Mrs Lynne and took her flower, gently stroking the purple petals.
"And Dee, it seems that you also have a light pink rose, which means 'youth' and a white carnation which means 'faithfulness.'" Dee thanked the teacher, and took her haul back to her desk.
"You got a fair few!" Jenny whispered to her friend as she passed her.
"You'll get more than me, Sunshine." Dee winked, as she took her place again. Jenny rolled her eyes, but she knew that there was some truth in her friend's words. Last year, even though she was going out with some, she had received nine flowers, much to her boyfriend's annoyance. The teacher carried on reading out people's names, when Tom leaned in to talk to Jenny again.
"I wonder how many you'll get this year, Thorny." He said, somewhat bitterly.
"It doesn't matter how many I get, Tom. The only one that matters is the one I get from you." Jenny said planting a kiss on his cheek. This seemed to cheer Tom up no end: he looked a lot happier.
"Yeah I guess you're right." He agreed, smiling at her. Jenny smiled back, and then Tom's name was called. As usual, he only got one. The girls knew better than to try and get Tom away from Jenny, even if the boys didn't.
"A red tulip for you, Tom, which I'm sure you know, means 'declaration of love.'"Mrs Lynne chuckled. Tom took the flower from her with a polite word of thanks, and went to join Jenny again.
"Well, I wonder who that could be from." Jenny innocently mused, as Tom looked at her in amusement.
"I'm hoping it's from you. Because if it ain't, then it looks you have some competition." Tom laughed, kissing Jenny slyly on the lips and then reaching to hold her hand. More people's names got called out, and Jenny still remained without any flowers. The strange thing was that, by the time Jenny was the only one left to receive a flower, there were still plenty left in the box.
"Surely these can't all be for…?" Mrs Lynne wondered aloud, as she rooted through the box, which was still at least half full. She looked over towards Jenny, who caught her gaze. The whole class quietened.
"Jenny, I think you had better come to collect your flowers." Mrs Lynne said gently. All heads turned to Jenny. All of those can't be mine; Jenny thought to herself, there are loads! She felt Tom's hold on her hand tighten, but then he let her go.
"Go on, Thorny." He encouraged, his voice sounding strained. Jenny slowly rose to her feet, feeling self conscious due to the heavy stares she was receiving. She smiled hopefully down and at Tom, but he didn't return hers with his own. He was really upset. Once Jenny had made her way up to the flower box, Mrs Lynne picked up the first flower. It was a red tulip, which Jenny knew was from Tom, because there was a piece of ribbon tied around the stem, which read 'T xxx'. Mrs Lynne handed it to her, and picked up the second flower.
"A white rose, which means eternal love, Jenny." Mrs Lynne handed the second flower to Jenny. "An orange lily: untamed passion. A magnolia bloom: love of nature. A morning glory: love in vain. A lavender rose: love at first sight. A peony: prosperity." And so it went on like this, until there was only one flower left in this box. Jenny's hands were now free, as all the other flowers were sitting atop her desk, next to a very disgruntled Tom. Jenny saw a frown appear on her teacher's face.
"What's the matter, miss?" Jenny asked.
"The florist must have screwed up." She muttered to herself, before answering Jenny's question. "Jenny, you seem to have received a flower that is not on the list." Mrs Lynne said, reaching into the box and pulling out the last flower. It was a yellow rose. Its bloom of petals was large and graceful. Around the jade green stem twirled a red ribbon, which had a piece of paper stuck to it. Jenny reached out for her last flower, but Mrs Lynne kept a hold of it.
"Do you know what a yellow rose means?" She asked Jenny, carefully. It was a rhetorical question, but Jenny shook her head anyway.
"It means infidelity, or unfaithfulness." She explained, just as the bell signalling the end of the day rang. Students leapt from their desks and made their exit from the classroom, eager to escape any homework that might have been set. Tom was the last person to leave.
"Do you want me to wait for you?" He asked.
"No, it's OK; my mum is taking me home anyway. But we're still on for later?" Jenny checked. Tom nodded in conformation and gave Jenny only a small peck on the cheek, as Mrs Lynne was still. After he had left the classroom, she turned to Jenny.
"Shall I get rid of this for you?" Mrs Lynne questioned. Jenny stared at the rose: it was beautiful. And even she desperately wanted to find out what the bit of paper said.
"I…I think I'll keep it, if that's Ok. I suspect it's from Tom. He probably just hijacked the delivery man." Jenny smiled tightly. Mrs Lynne didn't seem too convinced, but she smiled back.
"Well, if you're sure. Do you need help carrying the flowers?"
"No, I think I'll manage." Jenny replied, as she walked to her table and scooped up her hoard. "Goodbye, Mrs Lynne." She said, as she exited the room.
"Take care, Jenny." Her teacher replied. Once Jenny was outside the classroom, she quickly made her way out of the Maths block, down the corridor and out the main entrance. Breathing heavily, she sat down on one of the steps, with all her flowers strew out around her. With shaking fingers, she picked up the yellow rose and opened the piece of paper. The person who wrote it had gorgeous handwriting. So it definitely wasn't Tom. Filled with anticipation at the prospect of a true secret admirer, she read the words that would send her running home.
"We're meant to be together, Jenny, it's our destiny. Give in, Jenny. Let me love you."
Oh my Lord, I got seven more reviews for the last chapter. We went past the targer of fifteen and onto the people that reviewed: thank you very much! And to the people that didn't: come on, you lazy lot, it only takes a minute! So, do you think that this time we can make it over twenty? Here's hoping! :D
Anyway, I hoped you liked the chapter. I love flowers, so I thought I should add them in in some way. All of the meanings are real: I didn't just make them up.
Bribe alert: if you review, I'll give you a shout it in the next chap. If you review and say very nice things, the next chap will be dedicated to you ;)
And you guys know the rules: the more reviews I get, the quicker I will update.
Love you all,
mysticrox123 xxx