The Valentine

By Melanie E.

This is a short piece I wrote in honor of the time of year.

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It had to have been the wrong locker.

There was no way anyone would know. There was no way anyone COULD know. Was there?

I looked down at the package in my hand again.

It might not have been a large box of chocolates, but the size was not what mattered. It was what the chocolates, as well as the attached envelope, represented that mattered.

I opened the card and read it for the fifth time in the last two minutes.

"To Emily, the most beautiful girl I know."

There was no signature.

A shove from behind reminded me that the halls were full of other students making their way to their own classes, and how little time I had before first period. I reached to put the box of chocolates back into my locker, but something inside would not let me. Instead, I slid them into my bag with my book and made my way to class.

Luckily for me, Valentine's Day meant that most of the other students were just as distracted by various Valentines as I, and the teachers, seeing the futility of trying to do any actual work, had universally agreed to keeping the day light. That gave me plenty of time to stew over the problem.

There were at least six other Emilies... Emilys?... in the school, and one other in my grade. Not only that, but nobody knew about me being Emily either. At least, I had thought not. So, it was probably just a mix-up. Yeah. That was it.

Nevertheless, when lunch time rolled around I found myself in an out of the way corner of the quad staring at the box of chocolates until at last, the urge was irresistible. Using my nail, I broke the plastic seal on the box and opened it. Inside were eight perfect chocolates, individually wrapped. Checking the key, I picked out a praline and bit into it. Even the taste was perfect. Unfortunately, hearing footsteps nearby broke the spell, and as quickly as I could I closed the box and hid it away again, still no wiser as to its origin.

The rest of the afternoon was hell, and when class finally let out I rushed home as quickly as possible. I would only have a couple of hours to myself before my parents came home from work.

The instant the door was locked behind me, I dashed to my room and changed into my own clothes. Not the clothes I had to wear to school, but the ones for the real me. Much more comfortable, I settled onto my bed and pulled the box and envelope out again.

"To Emily, the most beautiful girl I know."

Mistake or not, I no longer cared. The chocolates lasted a week, and I held onto the box for another three months before fear of discovery led to its discard, but the envelope and the Valentine within were two items I would never let go of. I never found out who wrote it, but I like to think it was intended for me all along.