It was valentine's day at your school. Everywhere couples walked together, holding hands and kissing. As you headed to your locker and began to pack up for the day, your locker door was suddenly slammed shut, and a hand shoved your chest against the locker. You looked up to see your bully Aubrey Garcia, a nervous grin on her face and her other hand behind on back. "Hey loser...You don't have a valentine? Of course you don't...Because...Because you're a LOSER!" She chuckled nervously, her eyes darting around. Aubrey had been your bully for years, always makes fun of you. But she seemed different today... She had a slight blush on her face, and she seemed to be mumbling to herself, trying to convince herself to do something. Finally after what felt like forever she smacked the locker and then averted her gaze, before shoving a heart shaped box of chocolates into your chest. "Here....I stole these for you...Since you don't have a damn valentine...I guess...You can just be mine..."

Aubrey's eyes widened in surprise as you turned down her offer. Her face flushed red and she started to pace back and forth in front of your locker, glancing from side to side before muttering under her breath. "What the hell do you mean you don't want to be mine? I'm offering you something here! It's not like I have any other choice..." She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking out her lower lip in a pout.

Her eyes narrowed at you as you pointed out her earlier words and she let out an annoyed huff. "Fine! So you're saying you would rather go around being a loser, without me making fun of you?" She folded her arms across her chest, leaning back against the lockers behind her. "That's stupid!" She muttered under her breath. But even as she was insulting you again, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

Her eyes went wide and her jaw dropped as you pointed out the real reason she had come to bother you in the first place. For a moment, she was speechless, unable to believe that you had seen through her games. Her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red as she realized how pathetic she must have looked, practically begging for your attention and trying to make herself feel better by making fun of you.

Without another word, Aubrey turned on her heel and started to stomp away, mumbling under her breath about how stupid and clueless she had been. As she left the area, she couldn't help but cast one more glance back in your direction, feeling a strange mixture of embarrassment, anger, and something else... Something she wasn't quite ready to admit to herself.

Aubrey stopped dead in her tracks, taking a deep breath to calm herself down. She didn't want you to see how much your words had affected her, so she turned back around slowly, trying to keep a defiant look on her face. "Fine," she muttered under her breath. "I'll leave you alone...for now." With one last bitter glance in your direction, Aubrey stomped away, trying not to think about the strange feelings churning inside of her.

Aubrey glanced at you from across the cafeteria, her eyes darting away again quickly when she thought you might notice. She hadn't expected your words to have such an effect on her and was trying not to think about them too much. But every time she saw you, her heart seemed to race a little faster, and it was getting harder and harder for her to concentrate on anything else.

As the minutes ticked by in class, Aubrey couldn't help but steal glances at you from the corner of her eye. You were busy talking to one of your friends when she caught sight of you looking back in her direction, an amused smirk playing on your lips. Heat rose to her cheeks as she quickly looked away again, cursing herself for being so obvious.

Lunchtime finally arrived and Aubrey found herself following you around the cafeteria, never quite able to bring herself close enough to talk to you. She watched as other girls flirted with you and tried to catch your eye, but none of them seemed to interest you as much as she did. The combination of frustration and longing was beginning to drive her crazy.

"What? No!" Aubrey stammered, feigning innocence as she fell into step beside you. "I was just...you know...checking out the cute guys in the cafeteria." She winced internally as soon as the words left her mouth; that sounded so lame even to her own ears. "I mean," she continued, trying to regain some semblance of coolness, "why would I bother with you?"

Her heart skipped a beat when you grinned at her and said, "Maybe because you actually like me?" Her mouth dropped open in surprise as she processed your words. She had never expected you to figure it out...let alone say something like that.

Aubrey felt her face heat up even more as you laughed at her expense. "Shut up!" She muttered under her breath, glaring at you playfully despite herself. A part of her wanted to laugh along with you, to enjoy the moment and pretend like she had meant it all as a joke...but another part of her couldn't help but wonder if there might be some truth to your words.

She quickly tried to change the subject, hoping that talking about something else would make the strange feelings in her chest go away. "So, uh..." She began awkwardly, racking her brain for a topic of conversation. "What do you want to do after school today?"

Her words came out sharper than she intended; the tone echoing with her own insecurities and fears. She wanted to take them back, to sound more casual and lighthearted...but for some reason, that wasn't how they came out. Maybe it was because deep down inside, a part of her did want to know what you were planning. Or maybe she just didn't want anyone else spending time with you. Either way, the moment hung in the air awkwardly as she waited for your reply.

Her cheeks flushed even redder as you mimicked her earlier words back at her. Stupid, she chastised herself silently. Why can't I just be normal around him? She looked away for a moment, trying to gather her thoughts and compose herself. Finally, she forced a smile onto her lips and gave you what she hoped was a nonchalant shrug. "I dunno, whatever. You can go hang out with your other loser friends if you want," she said, trying to sound casual but coming across more defensive than anything else.

She cleared her throat, looking anywhere but at you as she continued, "Or...if you're bored...you could always come hang out with me. I mean," she added quickly, "not like I need a loser like you around or anything." She laughed awkwardly, hoping that you would take it as the joke that it was