Don't Worry About It.

Just a short thing.

Valentine's day was always such a hard concept for Connor to grasp. He remembered back in his bleak kindergarden days when all of the kids would construct tiny boxes in which they would hang on the back of their chairs. They would decorate them with primarily the colors red and pink and white, and add frilly hearts which would be flimsily held together with tape and that horrible, barley adhesive glue from glue-sticks. Once that was done, the kids that actually had money would bring in 'pretty' mass-produced cards and candy. One by one, in a refined and civilized line, they would march around and drop their precious gifts into the slots on top of the boxes. Once this annual ritual was completed, everyone in class would open their containers and reap the benefits of 'Valentines Day'. However, as time went on, the definition shifted. When was it that Valentines Day had stopped being about tiny insignificant cards and chocolate? Connor remembered in his apathetic days of high school, when his psychopathy ran at an all time high, he would watch people suck each others faces in the hall, and that trend ran only more rampant on this hallmark holiday. He could recall all of those times he flicked through TV channels absent-mindedly and spotted specials for this occasion. He didn't understand then. He still didn't. However, he now understood what love was, since he was entangled in the emotion. People said that psychopathy was incurable. However, he had learned that if he thought about it hard enough, he could feel something. Emotions were a strange thing to grasp, but they did exist somewhere within him. Especially when he was with Clarisse. Ah... Clarisse. The most beautiful woman in the entire world. And that was not only physically, but her personality as well. The mere mention of her name caused Connor's heart to skip a beat. And thus, bringing us to the current situation. It was valentines day, and Connor was never one to follow the holiday well. He opened the front door to his apartment, sighing as he thrust his bag into a corner. Even on such an important holiday such as this, medical school insisted that you attend classes all day. And honestly, Connor wouldn't have minded his freshman year. At that time in his life, he didn't have a… girlfriend. Even now, it was a strange thing to think about. Connor himself was never interested in getting hitched with someone. However, at that time he didn't know Clarisse. "Connor?" His thoughts were interrupted by the most wonderful voice. He practically melted every time he heard it. There was something about it… he couldn't exactly pinpoint what he appreciated most about her voice, but there was a certain clarity to it that was unlike anything else he had heard. The pattering of bare feet shook him out of his once-again wandering of his mind. He couldn't help but feel a small smile travel across his face. It was an automatic gesture when Clarisse was around. However, the rest of his body language became more submissive. He couldn't help but avert his gaze to the floor. His shoulders hunched in a bit and he thrust his hands into the pockets of his jeans. She turned the corner with an expected grace, since Clarisse was always graceful. Perhaps it was because of her long and flowing auburn hair, and the fact she always wore fluttering white dresses. Regardless, she always managed to look angelic. His heart rate only spiked with her smile, and the fact that she had started towards him with such a warm expression. Her inquisitive green eyes had become fixated on him as her bare feet slapped against the hard wood floors, moving towards him with anticipation. As they finally met, Clarisse lifted a hand and gently tussled his bangs, a giddy expression on her face. With this action, Connor quivered a little, a gentle blush as he subconsciously batted her hand away with his own. A tiny laugh even managed to escape his lips. It was so strange. So.. unlike him. But that's what Clarisse did to him. "Welcome back, Connor." She said, pulling him into a tight embrace, which he readily returned. His hands gently traveled across her back, finally setting on the sharp blades of her shoulders. His head gently rested upon her shoulder, his eyes darting towards a corner of the room. That damn blush wouldn't go away. "H.. Hey, Clarisse." The words were weak and almost inaudible, but Clarisse always seemed to manage with him. To his surprise, she pulled away away from him. Her hand gently ran down his arm, wrapping around two of his fingers and squeezing them tight. She then proceeded to walk off, letting Connor forcefully tag behind. "Clarisse?" His complexion became pale as his eyebrows dipped in confusion, "What are you up to?" Suddenly, she laughed, spinning around and releasing his hand. She pushed her forehead against his, snuggling into his body and she once again pulled him into a hug. His eyes widened a bit with shock, but the moment her hand wrapped against the back of his neck that wasn't an issue. "Happy Valentines Day, Connor." The words were like a knife to his heart. What did you do on Valentines day, he wondered. How was that celebrated in a relationship? He shifted uncomfortably in her arms, his shoulders folding in as he tired to make himself as tiny as possible. A tiny, saddened sigh escaped his lips. Of course, Clarisse noticed. She pulled away, lowering her head a little in order to observe his sullen expression. His vision averts from hers as he shrinks back a little more. "Ummm..." He just let himself lean against the body of Clarisse, her hand rubbing the back of his neck in a manner that was unwillingly soothing to him. "I… I don't know how this whole thing works..." Connor chuckled a little bit at his own ignorance, his vision still evading hers, "This whole Valentines Day thing, I mean." Clarisse watched him for a moment, lifting his chin and forcing him to make fleeting eye contact. Her expression was momentarily very serious, which put Connor at more of an unease. However, her expression shifted, something more amused lit her features. She pushed her forehead back onto his, causing him to jump a little. "Don't worry about it. I'll explain it later." She said, and much to his confusion, she laughed a little, "It's a rather silly holiday, if you really think about it." "Oh..." was the only sound he could produce. Her actions and words perplexed him. But that was why Clarisse was so interesting. She wasn't like anyone he had ever known. "Well... Happy Valentines day..." He said, closing his eyes. Though he didn't understand it, it just sounded right. A soft chuckle escaped Clarisse's lips. "You too, Connor."

Author's Note

Unedited. Oh my.

Reviews

[Mason]

Fabulous. The way you described young love was brilliant. It was even more intriguing to find you doing it from the point-of-view of some with psychopathy. I had the images of these two running through my head like a movie the entire time. It was a perfect description. "Short enough to make things interesting, but long enough to cover the important parts," as one of the history teachers at my school would say. Of course, that is regarding a thesis statement, but I think the concept can be applied here as well. Anyway, I loved it. My favorite part was at the paragraph that started off with, "Suddenly, she laughed..." through to "...a knife to his heart."

[lil be me]

i realy like your style i thought it was funny in a sense.
You write vary well.