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Susan had recounted again and again to make sure, even rechecking that she didn’t accidentally give herself one. Yet, the result came out the same:
Somebody had given her an extra Valentine.
The obvious explanation would be that a classmate unintentionally dropped two of their presents into her Valentine's box. After all, none of them were really paying attention to who got what. They all just wanted a full box of sweets to scarf down and rot their teeth.
But that reason wasn’t viable because all the cards were unique.
Susan sat on her bed and eyed all the colorful treats and honey-worded notes laid out in front of her. She tapped a finger to her cheek.
“I’ll just look at each one,” Susan said to herself.
Going through each Valentine was about what she expected. Pretty much everyone’s had generic compliments that could apply to any person who received it. Some didn't have any message at all, simply displaying a name attached to a lolly or a piece of chocolate.
It wasn’t until she had about three left that her eye caught a particularly extravagant one.
She gently picked it up and turned it around in her hands, taking note of the extra care put into this one. She didn't recall anyone passing around anything that looked like this.
Glitter stickers of red hearts and pink shoes danced across the card, paired with a golden ribbon tied in a bow glued to the front. Around the ribbon were written the words “To My Valentine.”
It was almost as if it was made specifically for her.
Curiosity peaked now more than ever, Susan opened the card and to see what was inside.
Two small pieces of heart sweets were in a small plastic bag, taped on the left side. On the right side, there was a message in sparkling purple.
“Dear Susan,” Susan read aloud. “You have very nice hair, I know you take care, and you’re not actually smelly. Will you be my Valentine?”
Raising an eyebrow, Susan turned the card over again to see if she missed something.
Nope. That was it.
On one hand, it wasn’t the most flattering note, but it’s not like it was insulting her or anything. Susan supposed it was the thought that counted.
But, Susan realized as her cheeks turned a light pink, this person was still thinking of her personally when writing this confession. Did they make a personal letter to everyone?
No, that would be impossible. Nobody in her class would spend that much time or effort on other classmates. Most of them could barely stand each other. Honestly, Susan was surprised everyone brought each other a Valentine at all. It wasn't hard to imagine her peers sitting with an empty box because nobody wanted to share.
But if that was the case, then who could it be?
The card had no name signed on it anywhere. In fact, it was the only one not to.
Well, actually there was another that was also left unnamed. However, it was plainly obvious it was Henry’s, considering it was merely a drawing of a sweet with a scribbled “Happy Valentine’s Day” on a crumpled piece of notebook paper. It was not a very good one at that. Not to mention he also had the worst handwriting out of everyone.
Something suddenly sparked in Susan’s head as her eyes widened at the thought. Of course! She could compare the handwriting in the card to the other presents!
Well, Susan didn’t even need to double-check to know that Henry didn’t write that card for her. The writing in it was neater.
Susan hummed while shuffling through some other notes. The handwriting wasn’t too nice like Ralph’s either (not that he would be this thoughtful anyway).
After some time of looking through each card one last time, Susan’s lips turned upward at the revelation.
It should’ve been obvious from the start.
—
Margaret stared at the blonde girl standing on her doorstep, who was holding an all-too-familiar card in her hands while beaming up at her.
The taller girl scoffed as she felt her face get warm. “Took you long enough to figure it out.”
Susan tilted her head in confusion. “It’s only been a few hours.”
“Too long if you ask me!” Margaret insisted. “If you were smarter you would’ve figured it out as soon as you saw it!”
“How would I do that?” Susan whined with a pout while crossing her arms. “You didn’t leave anything to hint that it was you!”
“That’s why it’s a secret Valentine, Susan! It’s supposed to be anonymous.”
Susan huffed. “Do you want me to be your Valentine or not?”
Margaret thinned her lips, irises darting to the sky to the side and then back to Susan.
“I take that you accept my offer then?” Margaret stated instead, pointing to the note.
Susan knew the other girl would be too stubborn to answer with a simple ‘yes,’ but that was alright with her for now.
“That’s what I meant, but yes,” Susan confirmed in a lighter tone.
“Of course you do!” Margaret affirmed. “Anyone would be lucky to have me as her Valentine.”
“Yeah,” Susan confirmed, a smile growing. “Lucky.”