There was a knock on my door that made me get out of my reverie. I was thankful to whoever that person was. He sure knew when to arrive in a perfect time. I didn’t want to reminisce of him now. So, I stood up and went to open my door. But I regret it immediately as I saw Troy standing there with nothing but shorts.
“What do you want?” I asked him tiredly.
He scratched the back of his head. “There’s something I want to say to you,” he started. I just noticed that he had bright green eyes. His brown hair was tousled a little to the side. He had dimples on both cheeks as well. His lips was pink in a way that you would think that it belonged to a girl. And his body… well, I am a girl. I couldn’t help but check him out. “Are you done checking me out?” he asked.
I hastily looked up and furrowed my brows at him. Yeah, I knew that I was checking him out. Who wouldn’t? He wasn’t wearing any shirt. His body belonged to a Greek God. “I’m not checking you out,” I lied, even though I was really checking him out. “And put some clothes on,” I said before going back to my bed. I left the door open for him to enter.
“This is just for a minute,” he muttered, taking a seat beside me. I felt his arm brushed to mine. Electric shock? No, there’s none. I just didn’t like the feeling of when a guy’s arm brushed to you; they would ask you if you felt something.
“Then hurry up. I wanted to get some sleep now,” I retorted, crossing my arms over my chest.
“About what happened earlier—”
“What about it?” I asked, cutting him off.
“I’m sorry if I said something offensive,” he apologized. The sound of his voice was solemn so I could say that he was serious about it.
“Okay,” was all I said. “You can go now. Your business here in my room is done,” I muttered.
“It’s obvious that you hate Valentine’s day. So, I think I know what to do,” he said bluntly.
“What do you mean?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. I was starting to get intrigued of what did he supposed to say.
“I’m going to make you like Valentine’s day!” he chirped enthusiastically.
“And how exactly would you do that?”
He paused for a while before flashing me a bright smile with his twinkling eyes. “Date me,” he blurted. I felt myself choked on my own saliva. I did a double-take. He wanted me to date him? Seriously? Didn’t he know that I hate him so much?
“Excuse me?” I queried incredulously.
“What? It’s a perfect idea. You would surely—not just like—love Valentine’s day because of me,” he said proudly.
“Wow! Talk about self-confidence. I think you have too much of it,” I commented after.
“I’m serious.”
“And I’m serious too. Why would I even date you?” I asked.
“Because I’m hot?” he offered.
I rolled my eyes. “No, you’re not.”
“Yeah, right. That’s why you’re checking me out earlier… because I’m not hot,” he muttered sarcastically.
“Okay, you know what? Get out of my room.” I pushed him out of my room but he didn’t budge.
“But—” he tried to reason out but I didn’t let him finish.
“Get out!” I shouted. He did what he had told to do after I shouted at him. Make me like—even love—Valentine’s day. Preposterous! I wouldn’t fall for that trick again. I might have fall for that before but not again. I learned my lessons and I was not about to do the same mistakes again. One was enough and two was too much. I have had enough of everything around me. Believing that there could be a happy ending in the end was insane. With those words said by Troy, I remembered him again.
“Let’s date! What do you think?”
“Date?” With you? I don’t think so,” I responded, shaking my head.
“Why?”
“I…” I paused, thinking of the best possible way to make an excuse. Of course I wanted to be on a date with him. But there were too many girls that surrounded him. It always cross my mind of how many girlfriends did he have. He’s a heartthrob f Lord Smith High, and competing with other girls was not the best idea in town.
“So?” he peered in, his eyes twinkling in amusement.
“I would love too,” I said anyway, completely dismissing the thought in my head.
I shook that memory out of my head. Remembering him was too much to take. He’s not even worth remembering. I closed my eyes and dozed off to sleep. Hopefully, he wouldn’t cross my mind again.
* * *
“Poor Tori. You think he would really fall for you?”
I jerked up almost immediately when I heard those words again. There were mornings when I would wake up with that horrific nightmare, and one of it was today. That girl whose name was Penny was one of his girlfriends. Well, you could say that she was a self-proclaimed girlfriend of him. I couldn’t forget that moment. I was hoping that it would just leave me, but it’s been a year now and it still coming back.
“Good morning,” I heard Troy’s voice. He was poking his head to the slightly ajar door.
“Good morning,” I mumbled. I got out of my bed and went to the bathroom, which was located at Troy’s room (guest room before).
Troy followed me, saying, “Today’s Friday. Do you want to go out?”
“Out?” I asked, stopping by the bathroom’s doorframe. “I’ll stay here at the house.”
“No, you are not,” he muttered, shaking his head.
I eyed him warily. “Why you’re even asking me?” I retorted, shutting the door close. I opened the faucet but I stopped midway when I heard my brother’s voice.
“Hey,” he greeted Troy.
“Hey, Nathan. Good morning,” Troy greeted back.
I let the water ran and eavesdropped.
“Why you’re doing this?” I heard Nathan asked.
“Doing what?” Troy queried.
“You know, asking my sister on a date.”
“About that. She just sort of interest me,” Troy answered nonchalantly.
“Interest you in what way?” Nathan asked, his voice was obvious with curiousity.
“She’s outspoken. She’s not afraid of what might others would tell about her. And she’s cool. I wonder why she’s making herself look like a nerd, when in reality she’s really not,” Troy exclaimed.
My brows furrowed at the things he said about me. He’s quite the observer. It’s just his second day here at our place and yet it felt like he had been here his entire life.
“Well, you’re right. She’s not really like that before. There’s this someone that made her change that way,” Nathan responded sadly. I took a sharp intake of breath.
“Someone? Who?” Troy asked.
“A guy.”
“A guy?”
I stepped out of the bathroom now. “Nathan,” I said warningly.
“Tori! I didn’t know that you’re in there,” he said, surprised filling his voice.
I just smiled at him and went out without another word. I felt my whole body was shaking. I leaned to the staircase to calm my beating heart.
“Tori?” I jumped out of my place as I heard Troy’s voice. I composed myself immediately. He shouldn’t be seeing me in my weak, fragile mood.
“I said do not—”
“Are you okay?” he asked, cutting me off. I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. I was about to speak when he continued. “About what Nathan said…”
“There’s nothing to tell,” I muttered, walking past him. I went to the backyard and sat on the hammock. At six in the morning, the air was sure relaxing. It’s the second day of February now. I had to make sure that I would be sticking to my plans.
“You know, escaping something is not good,” Troy blurted.
I scowled at him now. Couldn’t’ he sense that I wanted to be alone? He would always pop in the most unwanted situation. “You don’t know anything.”
“What I know is enough. You’re escaping something in the past. You c
an tell me about it.”
“And what? You’ll make fun of me? No, thank you. I’ve received enough laughter in the past,” I said sarcastically.
“No!” he blurted, catching me off guard. “That’s not it.”
What did he want anyway? I got off of the hammock and walked towards him, stopping a good ten inches away. “Stop, will you? Whatever you’re up to, I’m not participating in that. Just leave me alone.”
“I can’t!” he shouted.
“You can’t?” I asked in bewilderment. The way he looked at me was different from before. There’s something in it that I couldn’t pinpoint. My heart was beating irregularly as I waited for his answer.
“I can’t because I like you,” he mumbled. I blinked twice, surprise filling me in. I didn’t say anything and let him continue. “My mom didn’t just asked for your mom for me to stay here, I requested it.”
I took a step back now. I didn’t want to hear any of his confessions. “Stop” I mumbled.
“Tori,” he tried to reach for me but it only caused me to step back again.
“I said stop!” I shouted. “Stop it, please. I couldn’t take any of what you’re going to say,” this time, I just whispered it. There were tears in the corner of my eye. I didn’t want to hear any confession about liking or loving. I’ve had enough traumas in the past.
“I’m sorry, Tori.”
“I said it’s Victoria!” I grumbled in frustration.
“Just listen, please. I always see you… like everyday since I just live next door. But you never noticed me. I’m not a heartthrob like—”
“Please don’t say his name,” I begged. I couldn’t bear to hear his name. It would just bring back all the memories that I had forgotten, and I didn’t want it to be brought back again.
“Okay. I witnessed what he did to you last year, but I didn’t know that it was Valentine’s day.”
“It’s not. It’s the eve, February 13,” I mumbled. A stray tear rolled down my cheek. I couldn’t hold it back any longer as the memory rushed in my head. “They planned it and I couldn’t do anything about it,” I stated, tears falling endlessly.
“That’s why I’m here. To help you forget about him,” he took a step forward. He wiped my tears with his thumb as he continued saying, “Let me help you, Tori.”
I looked up at him. I searched for the sincerity in his eyes, which I found almost immediately. There’s a part of me that wanted to say yes, but I prevented it from coming out. “No,” I said. I wiped my tears, stepping back like nothing happened. “Don’t bother me about it again.” And with that, I walked back inside the house. I went to my room and tidied up myself for school. Even though I saw sincerity in his eyes, I wouldn’t still let him help me. A guy did that to me once so I presumed that he might do that as well.
Getting out of the house, someone blurted, “Tori.”
Chapter Three
“Tori,” he said in the calmest possible way. My voice caught in my throat and my knees started to become jiggly. Why did he have to show now?
“What do you want?” I asked him. After ignoring me and me avoiding him for a year, he still got the nerves to show his face to me.
“Tori, I—”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry,” I interjected, cutting him off. I was throwing him a sinister look. I couldn’t hold back the anger or even my tears. I didn’t want him to see me in a vulnerable state because he would surely think that I needed him.
“I know I made a mistake,” he started.
“You did make a huge mistake,” I answered back, emphasizing the word huge. I was angry, tears pouring down my face.
“And I was wrong. I’m really, really sorry,” he apologized, reaching for my hand. The touch of his hands brought back the memory of the past. It flashed all the memories—good and bad—that I had with him. I wanted to push him away but something in me made me stop. I wanted him to be as close as possible. “Tori,” he said softly. I looked up at him and once again, I was captivated by his blue shade of eyes that were the same as mine. I felt lost once again. He slowly leaned forward. That was when I noticed that he was about to kiss me but then, someone called out my name.
“Tori!” Both of our eyes turned to the direction of the voice.
“Is that Troy?” he asked in surprise. I was about to say something when I felt that someone grabbed me forcefully. When I looked up, it was Troy who did it.
“What are you doing here, Eliot?” Troy asked roughly, narrowing his eyes at the aforementioned guy.
“What are you doing here, Troy?” Eliot asked back, glaring.
I came in between them because they were starting to create an invisible friction. If they had some issues with each other, they shouldn’t be bothering me. “I have to go. Bye,” I said to both of them before starting my way to school.
“Let me give you a ride,” Eliot offered, coming to my side.
I stopped walking, sighing. “What for, Eliot? And besides, the school bus is much more comfortable to me than being with you in a car,” I said. I felt that tears were about to settle in my eyes again so I blinked it away. I was a little thankful that Troy had bothered us earlier. It was a perfect timing. Because if he didn’t show up, I might have regretted again my action.
“Tori, I made a huge mistake for doing that to you and I’m really sorry about that,” he apologized once again.
I smiled sadly at him. “If you were really sorry about that, why haven’t you apologized before? Why wait for a year?” I asked, there were now tears falling down my cheeks. But through all that tears, I was still smiling at him. This would definitely make him feel guiltier. When I noticed that he was not about to say something—probably because he was shocked by my response—I continued on my way. Exactly, the bus had arrived as well. I happily got in but deep inside of me, I was breaking.
He wasn’t able to respond to my question earlier. Did that mean he was not really sorry about what happened last year? I was supposedly letting it go now. I should be over it by now. But why was it that I was still so affected by it? I was still breaking inside.
The irritating part right now was that, there were banners and posters anywhere at Lord Smith High about the Valentine’s ball. I couldn’t bear to look at any of it. I just wanted to rip it all up and throw it all in the trash. Why would someone celebrate being in love in just one day? It just sort of annoying to know that someone had invented a day just so they could celebrate being in love. Couldn’t they do it everyday?
I was about to enter in my homeroom when someone pulled me, causing me to lose my balance. But with all cautiousness, I was still able to get my balance immediately.
I narrowed my eyes at Maureen, who was smiling at me. She was one of my friends. Actually, she was all that was left with all of my friends. I used to have a lot of friends. But Penny influenced them all. I didn’t know what that girl told them, but it sure did make them believe her.
“Hi, Tori,” she greeted brightly, her dimple on her right cheek showing up.
“Hi,” was all I said. I entered the room and took my usual seat, which was in the front row. When this school year had started, I started sitting in the front because no one really liked sitting in front where the teacher could easily see whatever you were doing. And this was a good spot for me.
Maureen—we’re in the same homeroom—took a seat beside me. “Are you going to the ball?” she asked.
I eyed her warily. “Do you know what you’re asking?” I asked back.
“Well…”
“No. I’m not going,” I answered.
“What about the prom?”
“Prom?”
“Yes, the prom. Some said that Valentine’s ball is not yet the prom. I think it’s true,” she exclaimed. She checked her perfectly polished nail before continuing, “So, you’re going?”
“No. And if you’re going to ask me with another ball, it still a no,” I said, putting an air of finality to the conversation. I grabbed my notebook a
nd pen out of my bag. Exactly that moment, where Maureen was about to retort back, our teacher arrived.
“Good morning, class. Today is a big day,” Mr. John said cheerfully. I heard cheering and laughs around me. “We have two upcoming balls this month and I know you all seniors are excited for that,” he added.
I turned off myself. I did not want to hear any news about the ball. Mr. John kept on telling us this and that. He went on and on until I finally lose it. I stood up from my seat which caused a major effect to the class discussion.
“I’m going to the restroom,” I said. I went out immediately without even waiting for Mr. John’s pass. I knew that students were not allowed to roam the hallways during class hours, but its homeroom. And besides, I was really going to the restroom… until homeroom was over.
I went inside in one of the cubicles, locked the door and sat on the bowl. I just sat there and waited for the time to cross. Homeroom was only for one hour. I looked at my phone and saw that I had to wait for thirty minutes. Great. I was stuck here.
I heard a heel clicking on the floor, and a laugh that was oddly too familiar to me.
“Who’s your date for Valentine’s ball?” someone asked. I didn’t know who she was.
“You know who. Of course I’m going out with Eliot.” Penny. It was Penny’s voice.
I wanted to get out and yanked her hair out of his head but I prevented myself from doing so. I wouldn’t stoop so low just to get my revenge to her. She could have Eliot for herself.
“I heard that he’s up to something again,” the girl she with said.
“Yeah. She was planning on getting Victoria again. Asked her on a date and do it all over again. It just sort of entertained him seeing her that way,” Penny answered.
I froze on my place. I couldn’t let the information sink in my head. Did that mean he was really not sorry? But the way I see it, he was sincere. I guessed I was fooled by his looks again. Good thing that I overheard about his plans. They could laugh at me all they want but I was going to make sure that it would be my year. And they would definitely regret playing me.
My Valentine Ending Page 2