The week went on as usual, except for the fact everyone was in a Valentine spirit. And sooner then you would know it, it was Friday, the day of the Valentines Party.
Chris and Martin sat at the door, waiting for their sisters to finish up on the new batch of Valentine cards.
By this time, Martin felt as if he had seen enough Valentine stuff to last him a life time. And Chris felt exactly the same way.
"Ugh... at this rate, I can't wait for Valentines Day to be over..." groaned Chris, adjusting his backpack.
"I totally agree... anyway, by the time Christine and Susan are done, Valentine's day will be over..." said Martin, going through his notebook, looking for a blank page to start drawing on.
"You know," Christine called over, "You two could help, and we could all get to school faster..."
"Um... no thank you..." said Chris, looking away.
"Actually, how about me and Chris go now, and you two can catch up later, okay?" said Martin, standing up and opening the door.
"Alright, see you guys later..." said Susan, gluing a few things on the card she was working on.
Martin and Chris were already out the door, and walking down the front porch stairs. They passed all their neighbors houses, and soon turned to their short cut through the woods.
"You know..." said Chris picking up a stick as they walked along through the trees, "We could always skip school and the party, and just hang out here..."
"We could..." said Martin, looking pass a few trees, where he and Chris had made a tire swing with their dad, "But, it would mean getting in trouble afterwards."
"You're probably right..." said Chris, "But, it would also mean, we wouldn't have to go through all the mushy stuff..."
They both nodded in agreement, but they kept walking through the woods towards school though. Suddenly a voice came from behind them, "Whoa, I thought I was the only one that went this way..."
Chris and Martin both stopped and turned around to see it was Laura, coming down the path behind them.
"Oh, hi Laura." said Chris with a little wave.
"Hey guys! So, you thinking about skipping school too?" Laura said, apparently over hearing the conversation from before.
"Well... we were..." Martin started, "But, it probably wouldn't be the best thing to do-... wait, are you saying you wanted to skip, also?"
"Well, yeah... Everything at school had gone crazy. And not all girls enjoy romantic and gushy things..." Laura said, as she started to walk beside the brothers.
"Oh..." said Chris and Martin at the same time.
Laura smiled a little as she jumped on a fallen log, "So, do you guys like climbing trees?"
"Do I!" said Chris with a smile.
"Shouldn't we be getting to school?" asked Martin.
"We have 20 minutes... anyway, I thought you were saying you didn't want to go to school today, so, what's the rush?" said Laura as she crossed the log, then went over to an oak and started climbing.
Chris immediately ran over to a tree and started climbing, "Hey Martin! I bet I can climb to the top of the tallest tree before you can!"
Martin smiled and put down his backpack running over to a tree, "Not if I find the tallest tree first!"
For 16 minutes they all raced around the tree tops, looking for the tree that could be named the tallest, but, all the trees seemed about the same size.
Finally, they all just sat in one tree, at the very top, pointing out places they knew and the places they lived. It had a pretty good view from up there honestly.
Finally, after a few more minutes, the school bell could be heard in the distance.
"Gah! We're going to be late!" said Chris, starting down the tree.
"Let's hurry!" said Martin going down after. Laura followed, and soon they were all on the ground, running with their back packs.
Luckily they all got to school just in time, and didn't have to get a tardy slip.
And once they all reached their class rooms, all the Valentine mess began. People were passing out candy and cards like crazy, and you could barely walk through your class room without tripping. And people were decorating, and singing, and quoting poems.
Zach actually was into the Valentine spirit too, or at least, was trying too. He was showering Laura with gifts and valentines beyond compare.
Laura was confused none the less, and still a bit grossed out, "Um... thank you Zach..."
"Hey, don't thank me, thank my money. You know that I'm really rich? Right?" said Zach leaning on her desk.
"It's kinda hard to miss Zach..." groaned Martin from his desk, which was right beside Laura's. Martin really didn't have any Valentines stuff given to him yet, but, he didn't really care, he was just drawing again.
"Stay out of this blue boy!" said Zach standing up straight, going over to Martin, "It's none of your business!"
"Well it's hard to stay out of it, when your shouting a declaration across the room about how much money you have!" Martin growled as he started drawing a bit faster.
Zach glared, "You're just jealous you don't have a Valentine!"
"You don't either!" shouted Martin.
"Well I'm going too!" Zach whispered meanly, jabbing his thumb back at Laura who was trying to find her desk under all the valentines.
"She doesn't like you Zach, can't you tell?" Martin whispered back.
"Of course she likes me! I'm Zach Varmitech!" Zach said crossing his arms.
Martin rolled his eyes, "Whatever..." and got back to his picture.