Beep-beep-beep! Beep-beep-beep! Gwen groaned as she shut off her alarm clock. She dragged herself out of her bed and walked towards her closet. She looked through her outfits until she pulled out a teal shirt with black angel wings decorated on it and a black skirt. "Morning, Gwen!" a voice shouted.
"Shut it, Evan!" Gwen snapped back. "You know I'm not a morning person! And save a cup of coffee for me!" She got her clothes on and laced her black boots up when she heard her cell phone ringing. "Hello?" she groggily asked as she picked it up.
"Good morning, beautiful," Trent's voice answered. "You up for today?"
"Trent, I just got up twenty minutes ago."
"Sorry. I guess I'm just excited. Can you call back when you're more awake?"
"Sure thing. Talk to you later." Gwen hung the phone up before heading to the kitchen. "Hi, sweetie," Gwen's mom greeted as she waved her spatula. "Pancakes are almost finished, and we've got some strawberries to put over them if you want."
"What happened to the syrup?" Gwen wondered as she poured a cup of coffee.
"A...science experiment," Evan explained, making the goth roll her eyes. "Hey, any plans today, Gwennie? Anything with...romance?" He mimicked some kissing noises. "Knock it off!" Gwen scolded. "Why are you acting six years old instead of thirteen?" She put her dishes in the sink and headed outside. She gave a sigh as she punched a phone number in her cell. "Hey, Trent," she began after the call picked up. "Sorry about earlier. You know I can get grouchy without any coffee."
"No hard feelings," Trent casually replied. "So, up for our date? I've got the picnic basket ready."
"Really? What's in it?"
"Just some sandwiches and some colas to drink. Nothing too fancy."
"Sounds good. I'll be by your house."
"Are you sure you don't want me to come pick you up?"
"It's only a short bike ride away. I can manage." Gwen heard her brother making some kissing noises in the background. "Butt out, Evan!" she scolded. "Ugh, little brothers."
"Yeesh," Trent answered. "Well, I'll see you soon, Gwen. Bye."
"Bye, Trent." Gwen hung up her phone and went to the garage, where a dark-blue bike and a blue helmet with black stars were laying by the door. She put her helmet on and started pedaling her bike. "Hey, Mom!" she shouted before she went far. "I'm heading over to Trent's!"
"Be back before dark," Gwen's mom replied as she poked her head out the door. "And mind the traffic laws!" Gwen pedalled off until she reached two houses. "Why can't I remember which one is Trent's?" she grumbled as she parked her bike. She gave a sigh as she walked up to one of the houses. "Might as well give it a guess." She knocked on the door and immediately heard a yapping noise. "Easy, Jokester!" a voice shouted. The door opened, and a boy with curly brown hair, brown shorts and a red shirt that said 'Laugh Is Medicine' on it was holding a brown Pomeranian. "Hey, Gwen," the boy said. "Sorry about Jokester. He can get excited around new people. Put her there."
"No thanks, Elias" Gwen told him as she eyed his hand. "Last time I did that, I ended up getting zapped."
"Hey, Gwen!" Trent shouted from the window of the house next door. "Get the houses mixed up again?"
"Yeah. I don't know why, but I do." Jokester started to growl and bark at Trent. "Don't mind the dog," Trent told Gwen. "I've gotten used to it. I'll be down in a sec." A few moments later, Trent was outside and holding a picnic basket. "You ready?" he asked Gwen. Jokester wiggled out of Elias's hand and ran after Trent. "Easy, boy!" Elias scolded. "Down! Bad doggie!" Trent managed to hover out of the dog's range. "Sorry about him," Elias apologized as he scooped the Pomeranian up. "He still hasn't gotten used to you after...you know."
"It's just a dog thing," Trent shrugged. "Anyway, Gwen?"
"I've got my bike ready," Gwen told him as she got on her bike. "You wanna ride or you okay with flying?"
"Meh, I need to stretch my wings a bit." The duo headed off. "See ya, man!" Elias shouted.
Meanwhile in another town, Mike was busy snoozing in his room when he noticed the sunlight peeking through the window. "Ugh, what time is it?" he groaned as he stood up.
"A quarter past eight," a voice shouted from downstairs.
"What?! I'm coming down, Uncle Manny!" Mike rushed downstairs to see his uncle dicing up some apples. "Morning," Mike said with a yawn. "The basket for Zoey ready?"
"Just the apples left," Manitoba replied. "Basket's chopped full of blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and I managed to find a few pears and kiwis."
"Careful not to overdue it."
"Well, you're underdoing it with that attire." Mike looked at his ragged shirt and scuffed-up pants. "Go change clothes before you head out," Manitoba told him. Mike went back up to his room and looked through his dresser. "Too torn," he grumbled as he tossed a shirt away, "Torn, torn, come on...AHA!" He pulled out a teal shirt that was tear-free. He grabbed a pair of blue pants and quickly got dressed.
Outside, Zoey was carrying a basket with her when she knocked on the door of Mike's house. "Hi, Mister Smith," she announced as Manitoba answered the door. "Is Mike here?"
"I'll get him for you," Manitoba assured her. He turned to the stairs. "Wolfie, your girlfriend's here!" he shouted. Mike stumbled down the stairs in his hurry to meet Zoey. "Zoey," he nervously greeted as he got to his feet. "I thought we were gonna meet halfway for our date. Hey, what's with the basket?"
"Just something for our date," Zoey admitted. "It's some deli meats and such, considering how much you like that kind of food."
"Thanks, but I was kinda thinking how much you liked fruit, so I...I could've sworn I had a basket of fruit ready."
"You left it on the table, squirt," Manitoba told him as he passed him the basket. "You'd forget your own head if it wasn't screwed on, and you don't wanna do that with that beauty, do you?"
"Manny!" Mike cried out as his cheeks heated up from embarrassment.
"Don't get too worked up," Zoey assured him. "My dad did the same thing before I left the house. Come on; let's go." The duo headed off with their baskets. "So," Mike spoke up, "Where should we head to?"
"I was thinking somewhere peaceful and quiet," Zoey replied. "Like maybe by a calm stream or something."
"Peaceful and quiet is a rare comonity with my wolf ears, but I have an idea. It's a bit...out there, but I've heard it's actually a beautiful place."
"Let's try it. It's not too far, is it?"
"About an hour on foot. That's not a problem, is it?"
"Then let's get going, then."
Back with Gwen and Trent, the duo arrived at the gates of a cemetery. "Here we are," Gwen announced as she parked her bike and removed her helmet. "Heison Cemetery, one of the prettiest spots for picnicking."
"I usually think of cemeteries whenever someone mentions the word 'creepy'," Trent admitted as he hovered near her.
"Once you get a glimpse around this place, you'll end up liking it. Come on." The duo walked inside, and Trent could only gape at the sight. Along with the usual sight of tombstones, there was a weeping willow tree that glimmered in the sunshine. "You should see this spot in the evening with all the fireflies around it," Gwen told a stunned Trent.
"You're right," Trent admitted as he laid a blanket down near the willow tree. "This place has some hidden beauty to it." He opened a can of soda. "Here."
"Thanks," Gwen replied as she took it. She was about to take a sip when she suddenly heard a loud SPLASH. "What was that?" she wondered.
"Don't know," Trent told her. "I'd better go see what it is." He turned into a leopard and followed the noise. "Hmm," Gwen murmured, "I'd better stay close to make sure he's okay." She walked after him.
A few minutes earlier, Mike and Zoey had arrived at a black fence. "Man, I completely forgot about the fence," Mike muttered.
"Should we turn around?" Zoey asked.
"Nope." Mike started going over the fence. "Mike, what are you doing?!" Zoey gasped in disbelief.
"Come on," Mike encouraged after getting to the other side. "It's okay." Zoey shook her head before she started to climb over the fence. "This is seriously leaning towards crazy," she commented.
"It'll be fine," Mike assured her. "I'll catch you." Zoey hopped down, landing on top of Mike. "I told you," he groaned. "Now, let me show you the spot." A moment later, the duo were at a little stream near a tombstone. "This place is a cemetery, Mike," Zoey told him. "Why did you choose our date spot here?"
"It's the only quiet spot I could come up with on short notice," Mike admitted. "And you can't get more quiet than a place like this. A bit eerie, but still peaceful."
"Just hope the dead here don't mind us," Zoey joked. She nudged Mike, but she accidentally pushed him into the stream. "Oops!" she gasped. "Sorry about that!" Mike just shook himself off. "Not the worst bath I've had," he laughed. He suddenly stopped and looked around. "Something wrong?" Zoey asked.
"I thought I heard footsteps," Mike told her.
"Could it just be your sensitive hearing?"
"The sound's nearby. I'd better go scout to see what's up." Mike changed into a wolf and headed towards the noise. "Wait up!" Zoey warned as she ran after him. "It could be a false alarm!" She came to a hill, where she noticed a faint sight of teal hair. "Wait," she thought, "Is that-?" Mike leapt after it just as a leopard jumped up. Zoey closed her eyes just before the duo crashed in a heap. She gave a peak and saw Gwen coming over the hill. "Zoey?" she wondered as she saw her.
"Gwen?" Zoey replied. "Is that you?"
"Yeah. What are you doing here?"
"Mike brought me for a date, though we weren't expecting company." The duo looked at Trent and Mike, who were both lying on the ground and dazed. "You boys alright?" Gwen asked them.
"Just a nasty bump to the head," Trent groaned after they changed back. "So, what now?"
"Why don't we make this a double date?" Zoey suggested. "I'm sure we have enough food for the four of us."
"No point fighting over this spot," Gwen shrugged.
"It could work," Trent agreed.
"Then, what are we waiting for?" Mike put in as he got to his feet. The group gathered their stuff and pooled it together. Soon, they were chatting underneath the afternoon sun, laughing and smiling at their memories and experiences. Later, Mike and Zoey were asleep underneath the willow tree as the sun started to set and the stars popped out. "Sunset's pretty this evening, huh?" Gwen asked Trent as the two of them sat on the hill nearby.
"Not as pretty as you," Trent replied.
"I'll probably be in hot water when I get home."
"And I'll be like a boiled lobster with all the sunlight." The two gasped as the weeping willow tree lit up with hundreds of twinking fireflies. "It was so worth it, though," Gwen sighed as she curled up next to Trent. "I love you, Trent."
"I love you, too," Trent replied as they looked at the enchanting sights before them.
Just a little one-shot I thought up for today. I imagined it taking place after my Island story, in case you're curious. Until next time, this is Dunsparce519 saying enjoy and happy Valentine's Day!