To Make a Confession

Every weekday began with the same old story. You woke up just after the sun rose. Then, you threw on whatever clothes were lying around before heading to the kitchen. No notes were left stuck on the fridge, so you proceeded to eat the two hard-boiled eggs your dad made for breakfast. Then you packed up your mustardy lunch sandwiches before walking to school. With the sun rising on your left, nothing really seemed out of the ordinary as you continued down the street.

Then you noticed it.

A few things were off as you got closer and closer to the school. There were a lot more pairs walking around: some at a distance, some quite close, and even some with their hands together, fingers interlaced. You soon arrived at the school building, seeing a lot more pairs strolling around. You even heard a few whispers here and there. However, as soon as you opened the door and stepped inside–

“Um, I l-like you! Please go out with me!”

“Will you accept these roses? I got them for you!”

“I-I made these chocolates for you…I hope you like them…”

“Happy Valentine's Day!”

Confessions like these filled the hallways of the school. Some were made by girls, but the majority were boys. I always thought confessions were romantic. Imagine receiving flowers, chocolates, or any gift from someone who liked you. It always got my heart racing. On the other hand, the large crowds surrounding the confessions made it quite difficult to get anywhere. There were also some confessions where the girl gave a strained smile while accepting. Peer pressure must’ve gotten to her, I always thought, giving a small prayer to the guy about to get his heart broken.

After pushing my way through the circles of confessions, I finally arrived in front of the sunlit stairwell, beginning my daily trek to the fourth floor. It might have been just me, but I thought the stairwell took on a slightly redder tint than usual. Walking upwards, two steps at a time, I quickly slid past all the students blocking the path. Most of them were trying to look cool: pinning a girl against the wall, slamming their hand against it, and confessing. Uuugug. I felt a shiver go down my spine every time I saw that.

Soon enough, I passed by the second floor. I heard many more confessions floating about, and it seemed most of the students were happy to receive them. It made sense since they had spent a year and a half with each other. It made me happy and slightly annoyed seeing those blissful smiles. Hmm? I was jealous? A feeling of deja vu passed over me. I have no idea what you’re talking about…

Hiding my reddening face, I continued upwards and passed by the third floor. This floor was relatively quiet compared to the other two. Though, that was because most of the students were already couples from the year prior. Many of them simply exchanged gifts or anniversary presents. A few even…locked lips…so openly. I could understand kissing someone on the cheek, but I didn’t need to see deep french kisses in the morning. It left a sour feeling in my gut. No, I wasn’t making a fuss because I had no one to do that with. Shush.

Finally, I arrived on the fourth floor. Besides a few stragglers going to their classrooms, the hall was completely empty. There were a few noises here and there in the empty art rooms, but I decided to keep my mind off it. Plausible deniability as they said. Soon, but not soon enough, I opened the door to my classroom and took a step inside.

The air inside the classroom was no different from the hallways. The couples were flirting, the single students were mingling, and some students remained suspiciously absent. I rolled my eyes in exasperation…maybe with a hint of jealousy too. I put my bag onto my desk, pulling out three miniature bags from inside. They each contained some of the chocolate I made with Lego, Mona, and Aito over the weekend. A warm smile slipped onto my face as I thought back on that day. It was kinda funny watching Aito and Lego learn how to bake. I quickly shook my head, snapping out of my thoughts, and looked around for them. They were standing by Aito’s desk, the furthest away from all the lovey-dovey couples and lovesick singles. Guess they’re not a fan of this air too. I walked towards them, trying to hide the bags behind my back inconspicuously.

“Hey Lucas! What’cha hiding behind your back?”

………….

My face contorted in shock and annoyance. Tch, of course he noticed. I really shouldn’t have been surprised. He definitely knew the best times to tease me. I threw one of the bags behind my back directly at his face. Without even looking, he caught the bag in his left hand.

“Thanks!” Lego smiled cheerfully. I started scowling. Could he at least be somewhat normal on Valentine’s day…

Whack! Whack!

“Oww! What was that for???” Lego was leaning downward, clutching his head. Mona and Aito had each hit him with a notebook.

“You should already know the answer to that,” Mona stated. Aito nodded alongside her. “I thought we agreed not to do this today.” Mona was glaring daggers just centimeters from Lego’s face. He immediately glanced away, pretending to hear nothing. I took a breath and recomposed myself.

“It’s fine. Should’ve expected it.” I put on a strained smile while waving off Lego’s prank. Lego tried to refute, but I shot him a quick glare before turning towards Aito and Mona. “Anyways, here are yours.” I handed them the remaining two bags. They both quickly took the bags out of my hand.

“Thanks!” Mona replied with a smirk. Aito gave a soft smile. A few moments later, Aito opened up her bag. She fished around for a bit before pulling out three tiny pink bags.

“Here,” Aito murmured, holding out the bags towards Mona and I. We both grabbed one of the bags out of her hands. There was only one bag left in her hand; I assumed it was for Lego. Lego reached out his hands for the last bag. Just before he grabbed it–

Wap! Aito threw the bag harshly into Lego’s face, scoring a direct hit. Hmph, I snorted. Serves him right.

Turning my attention back to the pink bag in my hand, I opened it up. There were a few circular pieces inside. I grabbed one of them, fiddling it around in my hand, before finally plopping it into my mouth. It quickly melted across my tongue leaving a bitter yet savory flavor, sort of like dark chocolate. For Aito’s first attempt at baking, it actually turned out really good.

“It tastes great,” I exclaimed, smiling. I grabbed another piece and plopped it into my mouth.

“Yeah, this is delicious!” Mona also stated.

“Not a big fan of dark chocolate, but I like it,” Lego responded with an impish grin. He was definitely trying to get back at Aito. However, she simply continued smiling. She looked genuinely happy that we liked it. That seemed to unnerve Lego a bit.

“Anyways…” Lego said, a bit of panic seeping into his voice, “...I’ll give out my chocolate at lunch. Can’t have it all disappear before the morning ends.” Mona grabbed her chin, thinking for a few moments before responding.

“Hmmm…I believe I’ll do the same.” The bell rang as Mona completed her statement. Lego let out a sigh of relief as he returned to his seat. I followed suit, once again sitting through the monotony of lectures.

“So when are you planning to confess?”

We had just sat down for lunch. Mona handed her red chocolate bags to all of us, urging us each to try a piece. Lego let out a single word of thanks. He had just popped a piece in his mouth when Mona casually asked the question. Needless to say, Lego was currently coughing because of the piece caught in his throat. Aito gave Lego some of her water to help wash it down. A small smirk appeared across Mona’s face. She definitely planned that, I thought, diverting my gaze from Mona. It took a few minutes before Lego recovered enough to speak.

“And why do I need to tell you that?” Lego rasped, still pounding on his chest.

“Because I asked.” Mona responded with an evil grin. A subtle wave of pressure rolled off her. Lego’s eyes glanced in different directions, seemingly trying to think of a way to get out of it. Mona didn’t seem like she was going to be letting up anytime soon.

After a few minutes of holding out, Lego’s face lit up. He quickly reached into his bag and pulled out three yellow bags. He then held one up to each of us.

“Here, have some chocolate.” Aito and I grabbed a bag and opened it. There were a few square pieces lying inside. I grabbed one and ate it. The chocolate itself tasted a bit bland, but there were a few splashes of bitterness and sweetness every so often. It wasn't like it wasn’t enjoyable; it was just…okay. I would’ve told him that, but with all the pressure raiding off of Mona, I just put on a strained smile instead. Lego briefly sighed with relief when he saw my reaction. However, when he looked back at Mona, Lego’s face went pale once again. Mona was gracefully chewing his piece of chocolate, still looking directly at him with a smile. A few moments later, she finished chewing with a large crack!

“Thank you for the chocolate,” she began. “So…” Mona got right up into Lego’s face–the closest she had ever been. “...when are you going to confess?” Lego desperately flung his eyes around once again, but it wasn’t long before he hung his head in defeat.

“....after football club,” he murmured. Mona clapped her hands together, causing Lego to jump and look up.

“Awesome! Good luck!” Aito and I both nodded our heads as well, half in encouragement and half in fear of Mona’s emanating pressure. Lego seemed oddly conflicted as well as smiled while scratching his cheek.

“Thanks.”

“Okay, that’s all for today! Make sure to review your drawing with each other before heading out for the day.” I put down the drawing pencil I was holding and looked over my drawing. I then glanced past the drawing, examining the objects I was trying to capture: a wine glass, a pocket mirror, and a single rose. I thought it wasn’t terrible for only being in the Art Club for three days. Sure, the wine glass had been smashed a few times, the mirror didn’t reflect anything, and the rose looked like it was drawn by an elementary schooler, but it still came out pretty decent…probably. I turned around and saw Aito examining my work with a huge frown. When she noticed I was looking at her, she quickly plastered on a smile and averted her gaze.

“It’s…good…” Geez, you don’t need to make it so obvious.

“Yeah, I’m probably the next Picasso with my shards of glass and misshapen dandelion,” I joked with a small chuckle. Aito let out a soft laugh as well. I glanced over at Aito’s drawing.

…………….

Yep, she was definitely the best drawer here.

After a few minutes, we cleaned up the art supplies, waved to the club president, and walked out of the classroom. Most of the Art Club members weren’t here today due to prior ‘engagements’, so Aito and I were the last ones to leave. As soon as we stepped into the hallway, I noticed something out of the corner of my right eye. I turned and saw Mona; she was peering down the left stairwell. I nudged Aito and pointed at where Mona was sneaking. Mona then proceeded to quietly walk down the stairwell. Aito and I turned to each other and gave a silent nod before following behind Mona. We quickly rushed over to the stairwell and looked over, seeing if we could spot where Mona went. We didn’t see her after a few moments, so we decided to check each floor one by one.

We made our way to the third floor and peaked down the hallway. Fortunately, we quickly saw Mona standing by the nearest door on the right. I was initially relieved that we hadn’t lost her; however, that was quickly replaced with concern. Mona was looking into class 1. We silently walked over to her. Once we were close enough to touch her, I tapped her shoulder. Mona almost immediately noticed who we were. She put a finger to her lips and motioned us to look inside the classroom. Not understanding what was going on, I blindly followed her instructions and took a look inside. My face contorted in horror.

Lego was standing inside the empty classroom holding a bag of chocolate to the person in front of him. If that was all, this would look like your standard love confession. However, I knew who Lego was confessing to, and I knew all too well what kind of a person he was. A person who always looked down on others. A person who believed the world belonged to him and him alone. A person who cheated to get what they want.

A smile crept across murder man’s face.