Bittersweet Valentine’s

I wrote this during the Valentine's week this year.Got inspiration from various places.I happened to be listening to Within Temptation's "Memories" so I sort of incorporated the chorus part in here somewhere.I also got inspired from some book I read.Can't remember the title though.since that week was Valentine's week so just wanted to have a love theme..but since you know I don't particularly like mushy love stories so I kinda made this story a darker one.

“Love is all that I can give to you. Love is more than just a game for two…”

The lyrics of the song were resounding in his ears. He heard it everywhere he went, in school, at the malls, even on television commercials.

“Argh! Gee, can’t they have better songs to play?” he muttered to himself.
It was the 14th of February and he entered the school building, hoping to find her, to give her that beautiful bouquet of red roses that blew a hole in his wallet. Everywhere he looked; his schoolmates all around him were exchanging cards, chocolates, candies and whatever else. There were squeals of delight from the girls who received flowers from ‘secret admirers’. Even the teachers were suddenly acting like teenagers, especially the trainee teachers who were trying to flirt with that hot young PE teacher.

He stood in the foyer and gazed at the decorations hanging from the ceilings and the walls. “Man, they’ve really gone all out this year,” he thought. He went and stood by the bulletin board where all the messages were put up.

“That’s funny. It’s the first time they’re doing this. Must’ve been a change in the wind,” he laughed. He skimmed through some of the messages. One of them said “Moii darlinx worhx, ii lubbx euu worhx.Euuu r moii onne n onii worhx.4eva ii will be by ur side worhx.lubbx euuu moii boii.xoxoxo” That message sent chills all over his being. “There’s no mistakening it’s written by Kellyn. Trying to poke fun at twits again,” he chuckled.

He continued skimming through them. Many of them were anonymous but he could roughly recognize the handwritings. He saw an anonymous pink one whose handwriting was none other than his best bud Caleb. He read through it and smiled. So, Caleb finally confessed his feelings to Germaine after so long.

He remembered the other time when they were having a council meeting. They had to pair up to come up with a good proposal for the fund-raiser. They were all trying to pair Caleb and Germaine up. Caleb caused such a commotion. He got so nervous that he would have escaped from the room if not for Desmond and Wilfred holding him back.

Thinking back, he laughed again. That bastard, always acting like he was some cool dude and constantly flirting with all the hot girls. However, when it came to cool and pretty Germaine, he was downright hopeless and embarrassment-prone.

He walked to the canteen. The canteen was even more elaborately decorated than the foyer. Gee, Valentine’s Day is getting more and more overrated. There was this booth at one corner selling chocolate-coated strawberries and marshmallows and other heart-shaped lollipops and candies. There was a long queue there as everyone flocked there to get last minute gifts. He shook his head and walked on. He could not find his friends in the canteen. They must have gone to the usual spot.

He climbed the stairs to the top floor and headed to the library. Outside, there were the study tables where the whole gang would always hang around. It was where they met up during breaks, when they skipped lessons, rushing assignments or studying.

When he reached that spot, they were nowhere in sight. “Where the bloody hell are they?” he wondered. That area, which usually has students moving in and out of the library chattering and laughing and whacking each other, was devoid of all that.

Then he heard it, a clear smooth and distinct voice. The tone was melodious and lovely, yet it sounded sad and forlorn. Could it be…could it be..no,it couldn’t be, could it? He walked in the direction of the voice.

“All of my memories keep you near. It’s all about us, imagine you’ll be here. All of my memories keep you near. The silent whispers, the silent tears….”

He knew that song. He knew that voice, those oddly familiar strains. He increased his pace and came to the bend in the corridor. He stopped in his tracks and drew in a sharp breath. “I found her!” he whispered in excitement.

Right there at the railings, there she stood. Her hair was let down and the wind was running through it. Her slender arms were resting on the railings and her chin was cupped in one of her palms. Her eyes held a faraway gaze. “A true portraiture of serenity,” he thought, the voice, that sweet voice, was hers. Carmen.

She seemed not to notice him standing a few feet behind and continued singing. He contemplated whether to go up behind her and cover her eyes and ask her to guess who it was or to just whisper “Boo!” in her eyes and give her a tiny shock. He decided on the latter and when he took a step towards her, she turned around to face him. Her eyes lit up and her lips turned upwards into a small smile. He spread his arms, waiting for her to run to him so he could embrace her and never let her go. Then, he felt a funny sensation. The next thing he knew, his senior James was by Carmen’s side.

“Baby, I hate seeing you so sad. Cheer up. It’s Valentine’s Day man!” James said to her.

“What the hell’s going on? Why is he calling her Baby? Only I can call her that! What is this fucking business?” he thought, anger flaring up inside him.

“Come on. Let’s go to the canteen. The rest are there. And it’s bloody chilly up here,” James said as he took Carmen’s hand and led her away.

He was stumped and rooted to the ground. His insides tightened. His hands were clammy and he was shaking. His heart sank heavily and crumbled up. “This can’t be happening! My eyes are deceiving me! Goddammit!” he cried out.

Suddenly, reality crashed down upon him. He saw flashes of light around him. He heard metal crashing into metal, the shattering of glass, screeching tyres, wailing sirens. His head was spinning, it was absolute chaos. Everything was a huge blur around him. People were shouting orders at each other but he could not make out what they were saying. There were beeping sounds around him. He was falling faster and faster. He cried out weakly, “Tell her…tell Carmen…I…I love her…and I…am…sorry.” And then, darkness closed in on him.