Hearts ✓

Thirty - One 💕

Brace yourselves

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I make it a must to be dressed at my best today. With my self-confidence and heart to be shattered in less than an hour, I had to make sure I still looked decent after everything.

Today's makeup was going to be none other than waterproof, for obvious reasons. I also packed multiple packets of tissues. Although I could pretend to hold back the tears until I was securely locked into the toilet, that probably wasn't going happen.

Out of my closest friends, only Ally wouldn't be able to make it, the incident with her grandma had gotten worse, so she had to stay, although she had checked in with me last night and I reassured her that I was fine.

I was anything but fine.

"You sure you're ready for this?" A voice belonging to Lauren asked me from my dresser.

"No."

"Hey, Callie, It's going to be okay." Aubrey gave me a reassuring smile. "We'll happily beat Jake up for you."

I glanced sideways at her to make sure that she was only joking, but her the look on her face was dead serious, "Aubrey, don't actually."

"Cals, you'll get through this. We all do." Lauren pokes her head to face me. "You just have to stop those tears."

"Lauren, you fool! There is no 'holding back tears'," Aubrey laughs.

Promptly, we leave my house and head over to our school. The duration of the drive just unwillingly grows the tension that has completely knotted in my stomach. I wasn't anxious, I already knew what was going to happen, and there was nothing peculiar either about someone's heart shattering, it happens all the time. But a part of me didn't want it to happen. I sighed, naivety had always been my weakness.

"Can you believe that just a month ago, I was part of the audience." I murmur quietly into the air.

To avoid the mass amount of students that we were anticipating, we take Aubrey's car. As we approach the building, the crowd seems to be forming outside, awaiting my arrival and ready to follow me until my heart breaks. Anything after that is irrelevant to them, as soon as I'm dumped, I become yesterday's news.

The entire Narven High lives for drama.

Every school has that one whole big bash that everyone looks forward to, or at least wants to see, some schools have a prom, others have alumni events, some even have multiple, but at Narven High, you were cordially invited to the monthly traditional heart-breaking ceremony.

I put on a brave face as I confidently stepped out of Lauren's car and strutted inwards linking my arms with Lauren and Aubrey, keeping them closeby. The crowd closes in behind me as people fight to have a frontline seat. I silently pace my breathing as I head towards my locker.

Today is Valentine's Day.

It doesn't matter anyway, the only celebration on Valentine's day at Narven High is the traditional heart-breaking ceremony. Strangely, it was just me getting my heart broken today, it was another girl in a few days, and so forth.

Jake is talking to Darren when he sees me. Darren makes a gesture towards Jake and states how proud he is of his little boy growing up, I frown.

I approach my locker, and he meets me halfway, the entire student body and staff watching. The whole world seems to go silent at the sight of both of us. Jake appears to be nervous. I really think he'd be a good actor.

"Jake," I whisper quietly. "Let's get this over with, alright."

He still seems to be pacing.

"Jake, you can laugh at my heartbreak later, just stop faking being nervous, it's really bugging the hell out of me."

With one final breath, he decides to finally speak.

Brace yourself, my brain tells my heart.

"Callie." He starts.

"Jake."

"I just wanted to say-" We're cut off by someone chewing popcorn obnoxiously loudly, Will. The whole school is staring at him now, Darren quickly nudges Will before motioning Jake to continue.

"I wanted to tell you something."

Good luck heart.

"Go on." I'm wincing at my own words.

"No." His voice rises like a crescendo. "No!"

Most of the crowd seems confused, as am I. People are shifting against their awaited position shooting confused glances to each other, and especially to me. Time seems to stop while everyone is amidst chaos. My hands are wrapped around myself, unsure of what to do next, so I refuse to respond and let Jake continue.

"Screw the dare, screw the 'legend'," He inches closer to me, people stop once more, eagerly awaiting the next part of their reality TV show. "Callie, I love you, and I won't let some dumb dare stop me from the one thing I love most."

"Jake," My voice sounds cracked.

"Narven High says love is dead, but it's not. It's still living, and flaring in our hearts." This time, Jake seems to be giving an unplanned, or so I thought, speech to the entire Narven High. "I-I've never felt it, honestly. I just thought it was some sick joke, but no, this is the one chance I have with the person who can make me smile, who I can make smile, a-and, I love her. I love you, Callie."

"Callie, will you be my girlfriend?" He breathes looking at me, my jaw has literally reached the floor. Someone drops their pen, but the rest is silent, including Will.

"W-What?" I stutter. "Jake, please just break my heart and stop playing me even more," I whisper the end of it making sure that no one heard anything beyond the first word that I had spoken.

"I'm not kidding, Callie." He holds out a bouquet, identical to the one he gave me at my house, made of dashing roses. "You really struck me out yesterday, I never had the nerve, but you were right. I was a coward, a wimp, but you mean everything to me, hanging out with you, it's one of the few things I look forward to, spending time with you makes all my days. I don't care if I've broken some player legacy, I'm in love with you. So, will you be my girlfriend?"

The entire school is silent.

"I-I don't know what to say." Somehow, I don't seem to comprehend anything, was this really happening, "Yes, I don't know, I love you too!" The tears are in fact, streaming down my face but not for the reason I had thought of this morning. Smiling, Jake hands me the bouquet and envelops me in a hug.

From the far end, a person begins to clap, the rest is silent. Suddenly, as if we were hit by the ripple effect, the people in his vicinity begin clapping, and slowly, the chanting and clapping, hooting, and all that begin to plague the staff and the student body. People from every direction are clapping, some on the balcony, others on the ground, and suddenly, I feel happy, I feel loved.

"My Jake has grown up, fighting for what you believe in, and those you love." Darren smiles, an action I happen to have seen a lot of recently, "I applaud you for feeling something we thought was gone, and well, having love, something we ache for in our hearts."

"Cheers!" The student body echoes.

Jake swoops me in and kisses me, causing several people to continue hooting and cheering. "Callie Langley, I love you."

To sophomore year with Jake, Jake Arden.

THE END