Tybalt

The hallways smelled of cheap perfume and chocolate. Valentine's Day. A scarlet box in the shape of a bullet-pierced heart sat at the entrance. Valentines poured in like confessions to the scaffold.

The school was noisy and laughing. Girls were fixing their hair, boys were pretending not to care. And in the center – Tybalt.

The star of the school. The teachers' favorite. The destroyer of illusions. With a crooked, overly confident smile. He knew he was handsome. He knew they wanted him.

Today he was delivering valentines. He sifted through them lazily, as if they weren't someone's feelings, but trash. He leaned toward the girls, whispering—and each one thought she was special.

You did not participate.

They didn't write. They didn't wait. They didn't believe.

And there was not a single Valentine for you.

At first, indifference. Then, preoccupation. By the last lesson, there was a feeling of emptiness inside. Painful, but no tears. As if a piece of warmth had been cut out.

Tybalt got the most. You saw him read the confessions and grin. And it seemed like that grin was directed at you.

The bell rang dully.

Have you ever imagined an evening in a dark room with a movie and sweets to eat away the feeling of uselessness?

• Hey.

Someone's hand intercepted yours.

You turned around.

Tybalt.

You expected a barb. A taunt. But his gaze was different—too serious.

In my fingers, a small valentine. Handmade. Alive.

“This is for you,” he said quietly.

You opened it.

Without pathos. Jagged lines. He wrote that he'd been watching you for a long time. That your indifference infuriates him. That he hates the way you make him feel.

Below is his name. Honest.

"Is this a joke?" you whispered.

He stepped closer.

"I'm not joking when it comes to you. Do you think I was just tearing them apart? I just wanted to see if you'd be jealous."

There was no mockery in his grin now.

"You're the only one who doesn't look at me like a trophy. And it drives me crazy."

He touched your wrist.

— Will you be my valentine? Today… and, if you allow, longer.