Chapter 12
Monday, Valentine' Day, morning, Gakuen Alice Academy
Mikan was down in the dumps.
It was Valentine's Day, and everywhere she turned at Gakuen Alice Academy, couples were celebrating the day. They were hugging and kissing and giving each other red-and-pink-wrapped gifts. Boxes of chocolate were being passed around and she kept hearing shout of "Happy Valentine's Day!"
Mikan maneuvered through the crowded hallway on the way to her locker. She tried to block out everything that was going on around her. She didn't want to be reminded that, once again, she had no valentine.
She hadn't cried herself to sleep the night before, but she'd come close. As she lay in bed, twisting and turning against the sheets, she kept thinking if Natsume and Kristy. What had they done that night? Even though they were only "friends", had their night together reignited things between them? Had Natsume taken Kristy home and walked her to her front door? Had he kissed her good night? Had they made plans to get together again? Because after tonight, Natsume could go out with whomever he wanted.
While she would be all alone.
Mikan had finally dozed off after midnight but she kept waking up throughout the night. She was restless that her cat, who usually slept at the foot of her bed, had jumped off and left her bedroom to find someplace else to sleep.
"What's with the sad face?" Hotaru asked as Mikan reached her locker. There locker were side by side and Hotaru's was already open.
"I'm not sad," Mikan said
"Yes, you are." Hotaru took a closer look at Mikan. "In fact, you look like you're depressed."
"I'm not depressed."
"You could have fooled me. Are you sure everything was okay?"
Mikan began fiddling with the combination of her lock. "I don't want to talk about it."
Even though Hotaru was her best friend and she wasn't' he type to say "I told you so," Mikan couldn't tell her what had happened with Natsume the night before or why it hurt so much. It was too embarrassing.
"That means there is something wrong."
"Just let it go, Hotaru, please?" Mikan's lock clicked open and she pulled it off. Seconds later, when she opened her locker door, a cascade of red, pink, peach, yellow, lilac and white rose petals flooded out.
"What the hell?" Hotaru said as the petals fall to her foot.
Mikan stepped away from her locker in disbelief as the petals kept pouring out. It was like a rainbow of colors!
"Who could have done this?" a stunned Mikan asked
"What a stupid question to ask. Only Natsume, your valentine, could have done this. Idiot." Hotaru said, pointing to the note taped to the inside if Mikan's locker door.
The note card was scrawled in Natsume's distinct handwriting was: Polka, Happy Valentine's Day. I wanted to give you roses, but I didn't want you pricking your fingers on any thorns so I figured I'd just give you the petals. I also couldn't make up my mind on what color to send, in case you hadn't noticed.
"This is romantic for Natsume to do." Hotaru said as she picked up a lilac rose petal.
By then, a bunch of girls had gathered around Mikan, oohing and aahing over Natsume's gift.
Even though Mikan was smiling on the outside, inside she wasn't. Natsume had left the rose petals because of the Most Romantic Couple contest. He was doing it because they were pretending. It wasn't like he cared about her.
"Hey!" a passing Chizuko Miyagi exclaimed. "Luna and London just pulled up in front of the school in a pink horse-drawn sleigh!"
The other girls left the pile of rose petals and hurried after Chizuko.
"Looks like Luna and London trumps me again," Mikan sighed.
"Temporarily," Hotaru said. "There's still tonight, when the Most Romantic Couple is going to be announced. That's the big prize."
But what does it matter? Mikan wondered. Even if she and Natsume did win, it wasn't like it was going to mean anything. They weren't a couple. They never were and they never would be.
Lunchtime
At lunchtime, the votes were being cast; Mikan had no idea who was going to win. From the conversations she'd overheard, it sounded like every couple had their supporters.
After voting for herself and Natsume, Mikan joined Hotaru at their table. She was squirting some ketchup over her fries when Luna came over, holding out a cell phone.
"The game's over," she triumphantly announced.
Mikan licked some ketchup off her fingers. "What are you talking about?"
"Take a look at this photo," Luna said, handing over the phone. "It was taken last night."
Mikan stared at the photo. It was Natsume and another girl. He was wearing the suit he had bought at Deville's. That meant the girl had to be Kristy Jenkins. Mikan looked back up at Luna. "So?"
"I was checking out wedding halls with my sister, and while we were there, a party was going on in one of the ballrooms. Imagine how surprised I was when I peeked inside and saw Natsume with another girl, especially when she introduced Natsume as her date to her friends! Why would Natsume be with another girl if he's so into you? Unless he's not into you and the two of you have been pretending to be a couple this entire time!"
Mikan laughed. "That girl is Kristy Jenkins. She goes to Tokyo Arts High School. She and Natsume used to date. He took her out last night as a favor. I knew all about it."
Mikan was about to hand the cell phone back to Luna when she noticed something. How had she missed it? There was a necklace around Kristy's neck. It was the same necklace she saw Natsume buying at Bring the Bling. Now she knew whom he was buying it for.
Kristy.
Luna snatched her cell phone out of Mikan's hand and stormed back to her table.
"What's the matter?" Hotaru asked after Luna left. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Mikan shook her head. She couldn't talk. If she tried, she was going to lose it. All she kept seeing was that necklace. Natsume had bought it for Kristy and he'd given it to her last night. In her mind, she saw Natsume standing behind Kristy, placing the necklace around her neck. It had probably been a Valentine's Day gift. That's what a guy did when he cared about a girl: he gave her a gift to show her how she felt. To let her know how special she was to him.
She'd known the necklace wasn't for her. She'd figured that out last night.
So why did it hurt so much now that she knew for sure?
"I thought I had her time!" Luna exclaimed as she returned to her table and plopped back down in her seat between Natalie and Miyuki. Miyumi had extra lessons so she not in lunch.
"What are you complaining about now?" Natalie asked as she sipped a Diet Pepsi
"Mikan!" Luna scratched her arm. "I thought I had proof that she and Natsume had been scamming everybody, but they weren't."
"Can't you let it go?" Natalie asked. She was so over the Luna-Mikan feud, especially since she thought Mikan was nice. "Natsume and Mikan are couple whether you like it or not. A very cute couple, if you want my opinion."
"I don't want to let it go!" Luna snapped as she began furiously scratching her other arm.
"Did someone sprinkle you with itching powder?" Miyuki asked
"I've been scratching myself all morning!" Luna complained. "Maybe it's this new sweater I'm wearing." Luna turned to Miyuki, "Have you found a date or will you be going solo?"
Miyuki chewed on her lower lip. "Well, there is someone I'd like to go to the dance with, but I think another girl is interested in him. I don't know what to do."
"What are you waiting for? Make a move!" Natalie said.
"Who is it?" Luna asked as she began scratching again.
"Dexter." Miyuki said.
"Your nerdy tutor?" Luna exclaimed, eyes widening with horror. "I can't believe what I'm hearing! Why do you want to date that loser?"
Natalie pushed herself away from the table. She'd finally had enough of Luna. It was time to stand up to her.
"Who are you to judge him?" Miyuki asked, standing up as well.
"My friends don't date losers," Luna stated in a steely voice. "If they do, they're not my friends."
The warning was clear. But Natalie didn't care anymore. "Then I guess you're going to need to find some new friends," she said, tossing her backpack over one shoulder.
"Three of them, once Miyumi know how you changed, she will leave you too." Miyuki said
"You're both idiots!" Luna hissed. "You're are both losers and your boyfriends are too."
"I'd be careful of using the word 'loser', Luna." Natalie said. "You and London haven't won the contest yet. You might be finding out firsthand later tonight what that word means." She peered closely at Luna's face. "And in case you didn't know it, you're starting to break out. You've got a bunch of zits on your forehead."
Natalie then left the table with Miyuki behind her as a red-faced Luna, still scratching, scrambled through her shoulder bag to find a mirror so she could check her face.
