#7 – Chocolate

Marco

I'd never had a reason to consider it, before, but now I was sure – I hate Valentine's Day.

I spent the whole day at school watching people trade little gifts, hugs, kisses…it was enough to make me sick. I probably wouldn't have cared, if it hadn't reminded me just how much of a damper this whole Yeerk invasion thing had put on my love life.

Toward the end of the day, before the last bell, I gave up the hope that some random girl with a crush on me was going to sneak me a card. Or a hug. Something. I resigned myself to an afternoon of harsh music, violent video games, and drawn shades. The bell rang, and I moped toward my bus. I didn't want to be bummed out by something as stupid as a pointless holiday…I just couldn't help it.

I had actually set my foot on the first step to board the bus when I felt a gentle tug on my backpack. I turned around, wondering how my day could get just a little bit worse before I escaped to my apartment. Cassie stood there, looking kind of sheepish. I was surprised – we normally made it a point to ignore each other as much as possible at school, so no one would ever get suspicious that we were a group. "Oh!" I looked around. Nobody was paying attention, but you can never be sure. "Cassie, right?" I said, and she rolled her eyes a little.

"Here," she said, handing me a little heart-shaped box. "Happy Valentine's Day, Marco."

I was stunned speechless, and I promise that doesn't happen very often. I stuttered for a minute, considering what it meant that Cassie had thought of me when she had her own boyfriend to worry about on Valentine's Day. "Well…thanks, Cassie. This means…well, you know…it means a lot…"

Cassie grinned. "Jeez, Marco, don't get so sentimental. It's just chocolate." She walked off toward her own bus. I got on mine and took the little seat at the back, so no one would sit with me. I fingered the box of chocolate, and slowly, a smile spread. Maybe I didn't have a girlfriend. Maybe my love life was non-existent. That didn't mean that people didn't care about me, though.

I grinned all the way home, my plans for going into depressing solitude forgotten.