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It was Valentine’s Day in Peace Valley, and the fourth-grade classroom at Glinda Elementary was covered in pink-and-white cutout hearts. The nine-year-olds were busy giving each other store-bought valentines.
Two girls sat in the corner, not joining in. Felicity Masters and her best friend, Danika Duquesne, quietly enjoyed their pink forested sugar cookies.
“I don’t get this holiday at all,” Danika said, sipping pink lemonade and glancing at the other kids.
“Me neither. I mean, why does it still feel so…” Felicity trailed off.
“It’s so stupid?” Danika finished. “We’re NINE! And all those crummy shows and dumb cards? Ugh.”
Felicity laughed, smoothing her pink cat-themed T-shirt. “Well, thanks to your sister and mine, we both know love isn’t like a storybook.”
“Nope. And if adults think we don’t get that, they’re wrong! You should’ve heard Denise last night going over her matchmaking list!”
“Can’t be any weirder than what Ceci and Charlie were gossiping about,” Felicity said. “I mean, we know how weird things get around here and…” She let it hang.
“Don’t tell me your sister knows Cupid or something!” Danika teased.
“No, I don’t think Cupid would be a ghost!” Both girls laughed.
Felicity sighed. “I still wish this holiday had some real meaning—not just these silly parties.”
“Like I said. We’re nine! And if people think we don’t know the real world, they haven’t been paying attention.”
They talked a little longer, waiting for their sisters to pick them up. When the party ended, they went to the edge of the playground.
That’s when they saw her—a small second-grader sitting alone beneath an old apple tree.
“She looks lonely,” Danika said.
“Yeah. I don’t think I’ve seen her here before. Let’s keep her company—no one should be left alone,” Felicity said.
The girls walked over. The little one was tiny, even for second grade, with short, thin, light-brown hair in a bob. Her eyes were red, making it hard to tell the color.
“Hi! Mind if we sit with you?” Felicity asked. The girl looked up, then scooted slightly away. The older girls stayed, patient and gentle.
“I’m Felicity, and this is my best friend, Danika. We’re waiting for our sisters. Are you waiting for someone?”
The girl’s face paled, then she nodded. “I’m waiting for someone too.”
“Okay, we’ll wait with you. What’s your name?” Danika asked.
“My name is Gale. Gale Valentine.”
They offered her some leftover cookies. She devoured them hungrily.
“Did you just start here? We know almost everyone on the playground,” Felicity asked.
“I’m not exactly a student here,” Gale admitted between bites.
The girls exchanged nervous glances. Felicity asked, “If you’re not a student, why are you on the playground?”
“Can you keep a secret?” Gale whispered.
“Sure,” Danika said.
“My mommy and I live in the school’s basement. We kind of live wherever we can, ever since we lost our home to the mean man,” Gale said, scarfing another cookie.
“You’re homeless?” the girls asked.
“I guess so. Mommy says it won’t be forever. Just until the bad man doesn’t come back.”
“Where’s your mommy now?” Felicity asked.
“She’s inside the school. Told me to stay out here till everyone’s gone home. But I was so hungry! And it’s my birthday! I really wanted some cookies!”
Felicity and Danika made up their minds. They gestured for Gale to follow them, and she did, trusting them. Soon, they found her mother, who looked like she’d seen better days, with dried blood in her hair.
It wasn’t long before Gale and her mother were placed in protective custody. The “bad man” was her stepfather, and people could piece together what had happened.
What had started as a cheesy, dull Valentine’s Day ended up being something far better. Felicity and Danika had given real love, care, kindness, and comfort to someone who truly needed it.