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The classroom was noisy with students excitedly chattering about the valentines they received and gave each other. Everyone seemed to get so many gifts. All except Anya.
"Beckyyyy,” Anya groaned, banging her head against her desk. “Why are you so popular?! Your side is overflowing with valentine gifts!”
With a smile, Becky gestures to the mountain of chocolates and whatnot. “Oh,
these?
The cost of all these mere offerings is less than what I bought for the two of us! Plus getting a custom candy heart from you is better than any gift they gave me…”
“Yeah, but I wanna get an epic gift too! Or even a mountain of chocolates like you do,” Anya whined. “And some of the candy hearts are smashed. Like my heart.”
Becky simply pats pouting Anya on the back, sighing. “ She’s lucky to have the bestest friend ever,” she thought. “You’ll be alright later. I can feel it.”
Even after being reassured by her best friend, Anya was so sad that the thoughts she heard were literally just passing through her head. “I just wanna live the novela life! Can’t you share your main character energy with me?”
“Totally would if I could, Anya.”
Anya glanced around the room and saw that all her classmates got at least more than one valentine. “I’m just sooooooooooo jealous! Even that George boy gets more than me- And he looks super gloomy!”
“I heard that!” George yelled across the room. “And I do not look gloomy! At least not anymore…”
Anya rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right, Mr.
Gloom
-man.”
-
The halls of Eden Academy were as noisy as ever as students flock to Damian to give their gifts to him. Except Damian didn't want any gift. He wanted Anya's.
"Emile, Ewen," Damian sighed, handing over some paper bags he physically could not hold anymore. "Hold these bags for me would 'ya?"
Plastering an annoyed expression on their faces, the two snatched the bags (totally not with jealousy) from their best friend's hands.
"With all the years we've been together, not even a sliver of his popularity rubbed on to us, huh?" Emile said, checking out the contents of the bags Damian has given them.
Ewen sneaked a piece of chocolate to his mouth. "These goodies make it up though," he replied. “Top-notch homemade, made with love for Damian,” Ewen added.
"Hey!" A girl from the crowd yelled, "don't eat the chocolates I made for Damian !"
"Friend privileges, we don't make the rules, y'know," Emile chuckled. "It tastes good though."
Suddenly, Damian walked through the crowd and looked back. "Just forward your gifts to my dorm, whatever… can't carry it all anymore… Emile, Ewen, you comin' or not?"
Damian walked quickly toward their classroom, with the two in tow with bags and bags of gifts in hand. "Valentine's is such a nuisance…" "You just want Anya to give you something, don’t ‘ya?”
His face turned beet red, shoulders stiffening at the thought of Anya giving him a gift. “Yeah I do… not! I do not! And If she wants to get my gift-”
“So you DO have something prepared?”
Damian snatched the bags he gave to his friends earlier. “...Yeah… and I’m getting these from you two…”
–
The door creaked open. “‘Sup losers,” Damian said as he walked in, Emile and Ewen in tow as they walked toward their designated seats, heads turning at every step they made.
“Ooh, boy look at all these gifts,” he says as he sets mountains of valentine’s on his table quite loudly, hoping to catch Anya’s attention. And boy did it get her attention.
"Becky." She deadpanned. "Damian has more main character energy than you have. I like you better than him, though," she added.
“Darn right, I’m better than him,” Becky commented.
Hearing his name, he motioned his friends to go on without him, and walked toward Anya's desk. Propping his arms on the table said, "you're just mad 'cause you didn't get one gift."
Suppressing an eyeroll, Anya turned to him, saying, "You're so wrong because I got something from Becky!"
"That doesn't count because she's literally your best friend! You're just jealous because I got lots and lots! "
Anya pouted once again. "So what if I am jealous?! George gets more than me and HE LOOKS GLOOMY!"
"WHY ARE YOU GUYS BRINGING ME UP AGAIN?? I'M NOT EVEN DOING ANYTHING????" George yelled across the room.
"Shut up!" Damian and Anya said in unison.
"Hmph. No need to rub it in, y'know?" Tears formed on Anya's eyes. "Just go away if you're not gonna give me something."
"Fine. Whatever. Wasn't gonna give you one anyway."
Damian walked away, and went towards his seat where Emile and Ewen were picking the goodies Damian was given.
"You don't deserve what I was gonna give you anyway." Anya sniffled. "Maybe I'll give it to your friends instead. Or maybe George."
Realizing what happened, Damian quickly turned back when he heard Anya crying. "Hey, hey," he said. "You're not really crying, aren't 'ya?"
It was a pretty rare sight to see the pink haired sad, much less crying.
"Don't look at me," Becky commented, gesturing to the sad pile beside her. "You're dealing with this."
"Yeah, yeah, w'tever." Damian walked toward Anya's side. " 'M sorry, okay? Didn't mean to make you cry," he said as he awkwardly patted her back.
Anya swatted his hand away. "Leave me alone," she said glumly. "Go enjoy those lots and lots of gifts you've got."
Becky became interested in the real-life drama rolling in front of her. Who cares about Berlint in Love when you have this?"
“I’m not leaving till you smile…” Damian sheepishly said as he scratched the back of his neck.. “I thought it was a funny joke, I’m sorry.”
“Look,” Anya replied, slouching down to hide her face.“If you want a gift from me, all I got left are broken candy hearts. Get them. Or don’t. I don’t care.”
Damian looked over at Becky for back up but was met with a judgy stare; he glanced towards his friends but they were busy talking to each other.
Hopeless was not enough to describe the sad Desmond. Does she really have no valentines besides Becky’s?!
“I- Uh, Anya…” He stammered, frantically reaching for the small box in his pocket. “I want to tell you something…”
Anya turned her back to him. “Then tell it, you jerk.”
“Can I tell you somewhere… private?” Damian muttered, red tinting his cheeks, heart beating fast with anticipation albeit heavy with sadness. “Don’t want anyo-”
“No. Go away.”
“See, your horns are-”
“...”
Anya choked a sob. “You just wanna make fun of me, don’t you?”
Damian was taken aback with her reply. “I- no! I just want to-”
“Want to what? ” Anya sniffled, sleeves seemingly wiping her tears. “Wanna tell how ugly they are, just like back in first grade!?”
“No! I want to tell you in private because I bought you hair clips I heard you said you wanted for valentine’s day!” Damian yelled.
…
The classroom was so quiet that the silence was deafening. Everyone stopped chattering and exchanging gifts to each other as Damian yelled out what basically seems to be a confession. Of love. To Anya.
“Heh.”
Damian could not believe his eyes.
Anya wiped her tears and showed Damian a bottle of fake tears. “Gotcha.”
Damian was pranked .
…
It took a few seconds for Damian to process everything. Soon enough, Damian’s face was so red, even the hands covering his face were tinted pink as well. He totally could feel his cheeks burning as he saw Anya with the smug smile he totally hated (loved) with a passion.
He removed Anya's horns (to her surprise) and clipped the well-crafted hairpiece on her hair. "...you look nice. Happy Valentine's day." he said sheepishly, as he walked away after.
“Huh… Eh… What…?”
Smug Anya was no more. "Maybe…maybe I don't need your main character energy anymore, Becky," pouting as cheeks and ears turn pink at the thought of what happened earlier.
Becky laughed. "Yeah. Maybe you don't"