A/N: Hey look, I'm consistently posting. Small accomplishment. The chapter's pretty short, but I think it does what it's supoosed to do. I'm still dusting off the characters, so I'm sorry for the quality. Or maybe I'm too hard on myself, but that's what is going to get you guys a good story. Enjoy!

Chapter 25

Tuesday, 11th February

Wally eyed Kuki carefully during their study period. He'd already decided he was going to ask her to be his Valentine. He just had to get around to actually doing it. He'd decided a suave Wallabee Beetles would do nothing but make her laugh. But he still had to ask.

"So…" he started, tapping his pen against his textbook, "what are your plans for Thursday?"

I don't have anything planned. Why? "Huh?"

Wally blinked, his brain resetting. "Your plans. For Thursday. What are they?"

Kuki merely furrowed her brows.

"Do- do you have plans?" he sputtered out as his brain grabbed at his plans again.

Kuki shook her head. "Do I have plans for what?"

"For Thursday?" he repeated, slowly putting the pieces together in his head. See. This is what happens when you don't have a plan. Worse, when the other party isn't cooperating!

Kuki tilted her head in confusion. "Why?"

"You know…" Wally blushed and pushed his mouth into a line. "For Valentine's Day."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Yuh dipstick," Wally muttered, trying to recover. He looked down at his textbook, resting his chin in his palm. As he had feared, he would have to spoon it out of her. "So, who asked you to be their Valentine?"

Nobody. "Oh. Daniel did actually," Kuki answered innocently.

"What?" Wally screeched. "Loverboy?!"

Wally looked across the library, past all of the suddenly alarmed faces, and found Daniel's face looking back at him inquisitively. Wally had never paid the guy much mind. Why would he? The guy was just some nerd who would never get in Wally's way. But that nerd actually had the nerve to ask Kuki to be his Valentine. Before Wally.

"Sh!" Kuki hissed, grabbing Wally's hand and pulling it back to their desk. "What's your problem?"

Wally grit his teeth as Daniel's expression changed from curious to concerned. Wally looked away first and dropped his head into the palm of his hand. "Nuthin'. I just didn't think he had it in 'im…" He really hadn't. It hadn't even crossed Wally's mind that he was racing against another bloke.

Kuki smiled shyly and brushed her hair behind her ear. "I didn't think so either. It was a surprise."

Wally gruffly turned back to his homework. "Well I hope you have fun," he taunted venomously. His disappointment quickly ate away at his composure. Worse, he could tell Kuki noticed. With her soft sympathetic eyes peeking over at him from time to time as he worked. Not that he expected her to ask. Not that he wanted her to.

So what if she was someone else's Valentine? It's not like it actually meant anything.

He put his pencil down and turned his attention back to her. "So does Loverboy have something special planned?" Wally asked with feigned interest.

"Honestly, I don't know," Kuki answered, either purposefully ignoring or oblivious to Wally's tone. "He wouldn't tell me anything. He seemed pretty nervous after asking me on Saturday, but he texted me earlier today. He asked to make sure I didn't have plans for Thursday after school."

"Oh yeeah? Where's he gonna take yuh? Have a little picnic in his front yard?" Wally teased.

"I mean, maybe. That seems... kind of nice actually," Kuki commented thoughtfully.

Wally mentally recoiled. "Nice? A picnic in the front yard seems nice? That's what you'd wanna do on Valentine's Day?"

Kuki blinked at him innocently. "Well, yeah. We're kids. It was sweet enough of him to ask. I guess… I guess I'm just kind of happy he did…"

A picnic on someone's front lawn. That would have cut it for her. She's just happy he asked. Was it that he asked, or that someone asked? Or maybe that he mustered enough courage for her to ask at all… before Wally.

She had a little more color in her cheeks for the rest of the hour. She seemed a little more scatterbrained than usual. Now when he glanced over at her, she wasn't engrossed in her work. She was smiling faintly. Wally was fairly familiar with those symptoms. Now that he had some context, he kicked himself for not noticing earlier.

He tried to act casual when Kuki left the library with Daniel, but there was a growing gray cloud above his head as he trudged home.

"Gah you bloody, nancy moron!" Wally shouted in frustration, scaring some innocent bystanders walking home.

All he had to do was ask her! All he had to do was gather enough courage to ask her before anyone else! And he couldn't even manage to do that! A picnic in the yard… he could have managed that. He had no idea what he would do, but he'd figure out some way to make her smile.

But now he couldn't. All because he couldn't even get the question out of his mouth.

"Forget something?" a soft voice asked behind him. Wally looked behind him and found Lisa smiling innocently with her hands clasped in front of her.

It wasn't a lightbulb that went off in Wally's head. It wasn't a scheme that planted itself in his head. Just a way to get rid of the cloud over his head. If only temporarily.

It's high school drama. There's gotta be a love triangle. Plus, Wally has some growing up to do before he's good enough for Kuki. And honestly, Kuki needs to learn earnestly good social skills.

Next chapter is probably going to develop the other members of Sector V. And I'll try to get Joey back in this because I really like his story arc. See you all soon!