Oh, that man. THAT MAN! He’s late again for our meeting!
Those were my thoughts when I waited for that idiot I know as my best friend.
Alfred F. Jones was his full name but everyone calls him America. I don’t know why and we all just call him that. You could call him cute but I call him a moron who is always late for our meetings!
Today, it was Valentine’s Day, 14th February at 1 o’clock in the afternoon. I was at the park, minding my own business, sitting on a bench. I was angry but I was…well…shy at the same time. It was the first ever time that Alfred has asked me to meet him on Valentine’s Day. The butterflies in my stomach could not stop and I was having a headache from it.
I even made a box of chocolates for him.
They aren’t perfect. It was my first time making chocolates and I didn’t know what they even taste like.
I could still remember the moment he asked me to meet him for the first time.
It was a Sunday and I was playing all by myself at the sandbox. I was only six at the time and playing with the sand was fun. I remembered the soft color it had and the happiness I felt when I made a successful castle out of it.
Then, he came. He walks up to me and crouches over to me. With a big smile that was warm and bright, he said, “That looks like fun. Can I play with you too?”
That time, I was really shy around him but after playing together with him, we became friends. Then, he asked to meet up again at the same place and ever since then, he has ALWAYS been late.
I sighed at the memory. “Jeez, that America…” I whispered to myself.
“Ah, sorry, I’m late!”
I looked up. There he was. Alfred was smiling as usual and scratching the back of his head. “Sorry, did you wait long?”
I narrowed my eyes at him and puffed up my cheeks. He sweat dropped slightly. “That long?” he asked.
“Pretty much” I huffed out. He laughed weakly. “Sorry,” he sat down beside me. I leaned back against the bench and sighed.
“So, what did you want to ask me, Alfred?”
Alfred eyes widen slightly. His cheeks were turning bright red. He fiddled his fingers. He was nervous which was very rare for him. “Well, I…” he started. “There is this girl I like and she’s been my friend for a long time…”
My heart skipped a beat. Could he be talking about me? I mean, I’ve had a crush on him for a while but…could he have the same feelings for me?
“I’m meeting her and I want to bring her out. So where do you think I should bring her?”
I licked my lips and gulped. “I think…if it were me, I would like to go to the amusement park”
He looks up to me with a sparkle in his eyes. “Really?!” he sounded almost surprise but absolutely happy. “Thank you so much!” he stands up happily. My heart was fleeting. Was he going to ask me out on a date? Was he going to ask me to go to the amusement park? Maybe…Alfred and I…could be…something special.
But it all shattered when a girl came up to him and hugged him. “Alfred~” she cooed his name. She was pretty, in fact, she was gorgeous.
“A-ah, Vivian!” he exclaimed in surprise and his cheeks beating red. My heart was breaking in two. Vivian…She was one of the popular girls. She was gorgeous, smart…she was the one.
It was just hurting me so much!! I stood up and ran, throwing the box of chocolates to the ground. I just ran. It was so painful. Why would Alfred ever want to be with me? I was his idiot of a best friend. I wasn’t pretty or smart or popular. Of course, he would like Vivian. She was everything a man wanted.
“It’s just not fair!” I yelled at myself when I stopped at a cherry blossom tree from exhaustion. I panted and clung against the tree. The warm tears wouldn’t stop flowing. It was just so painful. I slumped to the ground and held myself. “It’s just not fair…it’s unfair…” I mumbled to myself. Why couldn’t it be me? Why?
“Ah, there you are!”
I knew it was him. I turned away from him. “Go away, Alfred!” I yelled at him. I couldn’t see him. He would just remind me of the pain.
“But…I wanted to ask you to go to the amusement park with me”
My eyes widen and my crying stopped. I looked up to him. He held out two tickets to the amusement park nearby. He smiled a gently and crouch down over to me. He held my chin and wiped away the tears from my face.
“I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend and…possibly marry me someday”
The tears returned. This time, they were not tears of pain or sadness but pure happiness. I wrapped my arms around him as they continued to flow.
“Idiot, why do you always have to be late?”
