Valentine's Day and Ib is certain to make today the day she asks out Garry without chickening out. With the help of her best friend Mary, things should be going according to plan...

Cookies & Crush

"Mary, I don't think I can do this." Ib whimpered nervously, as she turned around to face her best friend.

"He's right there. Go for it! He's walking away, he's going! Damn, we missed him. And there he goes with the other guys." Mary said with disappointment. As Ib's best friend, she made it her duty to help her ask out Garry for Valentine's Day. Ib has liked Garry for a year now, and she isn't sure if he likes her back.

"Maybe this was a bad idea after all, Mary."

"Then why did you go through the trouble of making him these delicious cookies? The guy loves sweets!" Mary held the little bag in front of Ib's face as proof.

"Just in case I had the courage... And he's a year older, what if he rejects me? I think I'd die of embarrassment and sadness."

"After the whole incident at the art gallery, I'm sure he has no other girl in mind but you. Now come on." Mary said, she held Ib by the arm and dragged her over to Garry and his group of friends. "Okay groupies, make way for us. Shoo! Not you Garry. Ib here has something to ask you."

Garry's friends dispersed and left the two girls with Garry. Mary gave Ib a pat on the back and whispered, "Good luck."

Ib was quaking in her own shoes and she could feel her face heating up. "Uh, Garry."

"Yes, Ib?" He said. He had this sincere look on his face that looked like he was trying to make Ib less nervous, only to have the opposite effect.

Ib took a deep breath and said, "Would you-"

RING RING RING! The bell for the end of break went, indicating the start of the next lessons. "I'm so sorry Ib, I have to get to class. See you later, okay?"

"Bye..." Ib said waving at him slowly. Mary had been watching from the edge of a row of lockers and she jumped out to approach Ib.

"Well that was a bummer. We'll just have to try again at lunch."

"Mary, I don't think I can handle that a second time."

"Sure you can, practise makes perfect!"

Ib sat through a whole lesson of science in anxiousness, simply thinking about how she could possibly talk to Garry in the state she was in. Once the lesson was over, things didn't get better. She was just as nervous as before.

Mary caught up to Ib as she went over to her locker to retrieve the cookies. "Ib, I just saw Garry. He's going to a chip shop outside of school with a few of his mates. We should get going before we lose him again."

"Maybe we should go after school. We can't interrupt him and his friends again."

"Wasn't he the one who said 'see you later'?"

"That's just something people say."

"Goodbye is also something people say. He said he wanted to see you again, so we are going." Just as Ib was being dragged away, a worrying thought hit her in the face.

"What if Garry already got gifts from other girls? He is quite popular around here."

"Oh yeah...Well if he has, he's rejected them all because he's still waiting for you."

The two girls left the school building and Mary suggested they stake out the chip shop so that Ib could get the right timing to talk to him. She felt stupid about it, but Ib felt awkward that there were other girls there too. Ib and Mary were sitting at a separate table and Mary was wearing sunglasses as a disguise and Ib wore a hat. Wearing them indoors though was only more suspicious, but Mary failed to see that.

"Ugh, Garry's little girl mates are still around him," Mary said with frustration, "What are we going to do now?"

"Leave, is what I've been saying for the past fifteen minutes. Besides," Ib said, "I can't ask him out in a chip shop. That's not how I want to remember it, whether it goes well or not."

"Ah, I get what you mean. Should I get Garry alone again?"

"How suspicious would that be? Ten out of ten for awkwardness."

"Why is romance so hard? This is why I'm going to be single forever."

"I'm sure you'll come around to a guy sometime."

"Let's forget my love life and concentrate on yours already." Mary said, blushing. She never liked the thought of herself being in a relationship, but herself helping others get into one. Namely Ib, who was like a younger sister to her. "Oh, I've got a plan Ib. Let's go outside so he doesn't hear us."

The two girls snuck outside in hopes not to be seen, and went by the dumpsters out back. "Why are we standing next to garbage?" Ib asked.

"Never mind that! I'm going to phone up Garry, and you're going to ask him to meet you behind the school's art department after our last lesson."

"What? No! T-That's a terrible idea."

"Why? Because it's perfect? You guys met at an art gallery. It'll be all romantic if you ask him out in an artsy place. And it'll be sunset by then, and Garry loves the sunset. And he loves you, and he loves cookies. I don't see how anything could go wrong."

"But-"

"Have faith in me Ib, and more importantly, have faith in yourself. Your an amazing girl, who any guy would be lucky to have. Take it from me, since I'm your best friend and your mine too! I want you to be happy with Garry instead of hiding away your feelings."

"O-Okay." Ib stuttered, summoning her courage. "I'll do it."

Ib and Mary sat through their English lesson, and Ib could only think about Garry the entire time. He was in her thoughts and wouldn't leave. She knew if she chickened out this last time, all she'd ever do is regret it and have Garry in her head day and night, reminding her how he doesn't know about her feelings for him.

Mary walked Ib to the waiting place and gave her some words of encouragement before she left to wait at a library just by the school. Mary was confident that it would all work out, but she didn't want to invade their privacy and listen in to see if it went okay.

"Bye then, Mary." Ib said with a smile. Mary smiled back and waved goodbye. Ib waited for only a few minutes in the shaded area, sitting on a bench unti lshe noticed Garry had come.

"H-Hi Garry. I've been meaning to talk to you, practically all day." Ib said.

"Me too. I was being dragged away my friends the whole day though. Sorry about that."

"It's alright."

"I just wanted to ask you something." They said simultaneously. The two laughed off the awkwardness and started rummaging through their school bags. As they turned around, they saw the other each holding a small bag, tied with ribbons.

"I-Ib..." Garry gulped, "W-Will you be my valentine?"

"Will you be mine?"

The two looked at each other, their eyes fixed together in a stare. Ib blushed and covered her face with one hand.

Garry smiled and said, "Yes, Ib. Happy Valentine's day."

"To the two of us."

Happy ending, yay! This idea was so cute that I couldn't resist. I know it's not Valentine's day now, but I loved the mere thought of this. Have a lovely week and thanks for reading! Review/favourite and follow for more!