 Just Missed You
by fip
--------
"Oh, Masila, I'm so excited!" "What is it, Vira?" "Guess what day it is tomorrow?" The young green Acara thought for a moment. "Tomorrow is... is..."
"February 14th!" Vira filled in excitedly. "Valentine's Day!"
"Oh, just that," Masila grumbled. "I thought it was something important."
"Don't pretend not to care, Sila," the Faerie Acara scoffed. "Did you forget that I know about you and Kanrik-" "Shut up!" the green Acara hissed, and looked around to make sure they weren't overheard. "You swore not to tell anyone..."
Vira raised an eyebrow at her best friend's sudden change in attitude, but quickly shook it off. "Are you going to send him a Valentine?" Masila shrugged. "Dunno. If I do, though, I'm definitely not signing my name..."
"Why not? It's your perfect chance!" the other Acara squealed. "I think I'll send mine to..." Vira looked around, and hoping none of the other Neopets streaming past them could hear their quiet conversation, whispered, "Jeran."
Masila dropped her cool, calm, and collected face for a moment as she gaped at her friend. "Jeran? Are you out of your mind?!"
"You don't have to remind me that he doesn't even know that I exist," the Faerie Acara said gloomily. "No - I mean - that's not what I meant!" her friend said, abashed. "I just mean... well... isn't he sort of-" "Yeah," Vira mumbled, looking sadly at the broad blue Lupe, walking down the hallway with Kayla, the red Zafara. As the two passed them, though, she could swear that Jeran winked at her... The faerie Acara gasped. "Sila! Did you see that?" she hissed urgently to her friend. Masila looked up (she had been picking at her purple outfit), and whispered, "What is it?" "I swear Jeran just winked at me!"
The green Acara snorted. "Yeah, right."
Vira looked hurt. "It's true!" Masila thought for a moment, and then whispered, "Well then, if it's true... I dare you to send him a Valentine tomorrow!" The faerie Acara hesitated for a moment. "Well, fine." "And you have to sign it!" "Okay." "With your name." "What? Well... fine." "No pretending to be someone else." "Okay! Let's just go already, the bell rang ten minutes ago!" "Oh, okay."
-----------------------------------------
Dear Jeran, I saw you wink at me today. Was it really to me? Were you looking at me? I wish I knew. I wish I knew what you are thinking. About me, I mean. Well, this isn't coming out as much of a Valentine in the meantime, but... I guess I was never really good at writing Valentines. So, uh... I kind of, well, like you. And I know you don't care, but, hey - It's Valentine's Day, after all. So, if you... well... want to be my Valentine, Please meet me by the fountain outside school, today, at 15:30. I really hope you'll show up. Happy Valentine's Day, Vira
-----------------------------------------
Dear Vira,
I saw you today again. You're so pretty, did you ever notice?
Did you ever notice me?
It's impossible to think that someone as beautiful as you, ever really...
Well, I really wish I knew what you're thinking right now.
About me. Not about school or something, I mean.
Anyway, this is coming out a pretty bad Valentine in the meantime.
But that's probably because I never wrote a Valentine before.
And if any of my friends would hear that I wrote this, I'd be the joke of...
Probably the century.
Well, I really should start finishing this.
So... if you, well... I know this sounds silly, but if you want to be my Valentine,
Is there a chance you can meet me by the fountain today?
You know, the one outside school.
Around 16:00 is good, because I have to stay in school till then.
I sort of got detention for not listening to the teacher. (Hey, it's not my fault I was staring at you...)
Anyway, I hope you'll show up.
Happy Valentine's Day,
Jeran
-----------------------------------------
"What are you doing?" The blue Lupe spun around and automatically put the Valentine behind his back. "Uhh... nothing, why?" he said, as innocently as possible. "Well, because you're standing by my friend's cabinet, holding something behind your back... what are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be with your perfect little friends?" Masila snapped. Jeran opened his mouth with an intention of replying, but just then, he saw her - Vira. With the green Acara's attention on her friend, he stuck the letter into the cabinet, muttered something about detention and fled. Vira caught up with her friend, and panted, "Hey... Masila..."
"Where were you?" the latter asked curiously. "Other... side of school," the faerie Acara answered, still gasping for breath. "Where all the other cabinets are? Why?" Vira blushed crimson. "No- no reason... anyway... were you just talking to Jeran?" she asked casually. "Yeah," said Masila, picking at her nails and looking bored. "He was standing by your cabinet, for some reason..."
The faerie Acara's eyes widened, and she quickly opened her cabinet. In her excitement, though, she didn't notice the envelope that fell to the bottom of the cabinet.
"Nothing," she murmured sadly. "I thought..."
Masila seemed to take no notice of her glum face. "Are you coming? I was planning to the Pizzaroo with--"
"Sorry, Sila," Vira said quickly. "I- I have to go home..."
Masila shrugged, and trudged down the hallway, leaving Vira alone, looking down at her feet sadly. "Excuse me, do you know where Mrs. Green is?" The faerie Acara looked up, and saw a timid looking blue Aisha standing in front of her. "No, sorry," she answered. "But - do you know what time it is?"
The Aisha looked down at his watch, and said, "15:25."
"Thanks!" Vira called, sprinting off. -----------------------------------------
"Neopia to Jeran?" "What?" Jeran snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, sorry, Lish," "What are you looking for?" his sister asked. "Oh, I was just going to take out of my cabinet, my... uhh..."
"The History Of Meridell?" Lisha suggested. "Yeah! That's it..." Jeran turned around to open his cabinet, grateful for the excuse, when he was stopped by his sister, who slipped between him and the cabinet, holding up the brown book.
"I knew you had detention and needed the book, so I got it for you earlier," she beamed. "Oh... thanks, sis..." the blue Lupe said weakly, cursing silently. Getting a book out of his cabinet was his only excuse to look in there - and see if maybe he got a letter from--
"No problem," the yellow Aisha grinned, then added, "Well, go on! You have detention!" Jeran sighed, and forcing a smile, walked off. He'd just have to be by the fountain at 16:00 and hope he wasn't alone... -----------------------------------------
Vira looked around hopefully. The stream of Neopets was thinning, soon he'd show up... surely... "Excuse me, what time is it?" she asked a Pink Kacheek walking by. "15:45," the Kacheek answered brightly, and continued walking.
The faerie Acara sighed sadly. "Where is he?" she murmured. "He has to come... he's just late..."
So she waited. She kept on waiting, looking around, less hopeful each time... still jumping up in excitement every time she saw a blue Lupe, only to be disappointed again when she discovered it wasn't him... Finally, at two minutes to 16:00, Vira gave up. "I guess he doesn't like me," she whispered to herself. She slowly walked home, tears falling silently from her eyes... -----------------------------------------
"You are dismissed," the detention teacher on duty said at last. Jeran jumped up from his place, grabbed his bag and tore outside, squinting from the blast of sun until he finally saw the fountain. With one paw over his eyes to block the sunlight, Jeran ran to the fountain, not letting his hopes drop even when he saw no one was there. "She has to come," he murmured. "She's just late..."
So he waited... There weren't many pets still coming out of the school, but every time one would, Jeran would leap up hopefully, only to be disappointed again when he discovered it wasn't her... After a while, Jeran asked a lone Grarrl the time. "16:29," he replied cheerfully. "Oh... thanks..."
The blue Lupe felt like crying, something he hadn't done in a long time. He stood up, and after looking around one more time, he slowly trudged home. "I guess she doesn't like me..."
The End
| 
