First Impression I

Chapter Eighteen- Happy Valentine

Chapter Eighteen- Happy Valentine

I stared, my jaw dropping in a most unattractive manner. To say I was surprised was an understatement. It might be Valentine’s Day, wasn’t this amount of lavish decoration still way over the top? The foyer seemed to have turned into a Valentine wonderland straight off the pages of some Home and Design magazine.

Pots of spring green plants trimmed in the shape of Cupid and Venus stood at intervals along the wide hallway, wreaths of daisies on their head. A carpet in the shade of Venetian red covered the marble staircase. The chandelier above was festooned with pink and crimson balloons. Banners in differing hues of fuchsia and ruby hung from the ceiling. Roses of all colours, from ivory to white, pale peach to yellow, pale pink to the deepest red, tastefully adorned the balustrade of the sweeping staircase. I had to admit it was breathtakingly beautiful and awe striking.

But still extravagant and impractical. What if someone lost their footing and needed to grab onto the balustrade for support? The roses there would ensure the unfortunate person tumbled down right to the bottom of the stairs. Like how I did the first day I came here. I shuddered at the embarrassing memory. However, I was saved from dwelling on the matter as Alice burst through the double oak doors and enveloped me in a tight hug.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Lenaaa,” Alice sang before proceeding to waltz the length of the foyer, still hugging me. She sure was revelling in the pinkness of the whole school.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Alice,” I returned her greeting, cheerful too. It was hard not to get infected by her overflowing joy.

“The Designer Teams did a pretty good job, didn’t they?” Alice said as we left the foyer and headed to the classrooms. She had finally released me and instead opted to loop her hand around mine. “There are decorations everywhere!”

“They had the whole weekend to work on it,” I replied. “So they are very thorough.” Too thorough in fact, I added silently. I couldn’t turn anywhere without seeing the colour pink. Pink was a nice colour but I was feeling a little blue -it was still a Monday after all.

“So since you had the weekend to work on the presents, it will be good right?” Danielle chimed in as we approached our usual table.

“Of course!” Alice replied. “You are so going to love the presents I found for you!” She sat down and immediately began rummaging through the huge paper bag she had brought to school.

“So where’s Kat?” I asked, sitting down opposite them.

“Fulfilling her duty as Chairman of Dance Society,” Danielle motioned in the direction of a rather large crowd. I squinted. Kat’s brown head was barely visible as people surrounded her, rushing to get their Valentine presents. It was a tradition for each member in the Dance Society to make Valentine presents for another member so in the end, everyone got at least one present.

“She’ll be done soon so get ready your presents. The bell’s ringing in twenty minutes and I want this to be done by then,” Alice commanded in a business-like tone. Wow, she took Valentine’s Day seriously. Very seriously. I sighed quietly. I had nothing against Valentine’s Day but I wasn’t exactly in a mood to delight in it. Not when I was constantly worrying over my grades and scholarship. On top of avoiding certain people. All in all, life was pretty tiring. I was saved from turning into a depressing wench.

“Now, first off, Lena, since this is your first Valentine’s Day here, I made your present extra special,” Alice rattled on the moment Kat sat down. Alice handed me a baby blue box with a large bow and a card.

“Thanks,” I smiled as a warm fuzzy feeling bubbled in my heart, replacing the gloom.

“Open it,” she egged me and I complied. My jaw dropped as I gingerly took out the pair of earrings. They were in the shape of a pair of shoes, one pink and one blue, with little ribbons and flowers. I smiled, a real wide smile, not those half-hearted ones I had been doing lately. They were utterly adorable. I promptly squished Alice in a hug that rivalled her rib-crushing ones.