Hi readers!!!

This is my first time writing a story, so I hope you won’t mind my grammar mistakes. This story is completely fictional, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it

— Pattu

“I love you, Bryan.”

“I love you too…”

Lia smiles in her sleep, her heart fluttering as she hears those words.

“Lia, get up! It’s time to get ready for school. Bryan is waiting for you downstairs!”

Her eyes snap open.

“Oh… it’s a dream,” she murmurs softly, disappointment washing over her face. But then a small smile forms. “Still, I’m going to make it my reality. Today is Valentine’s Day.”

She sits up excitedly.

“Yes! Today it’s finally happening. My one-sided love of the past ten years… I’m going to confess today. Oh my God, I can’t believe this is really happening.”

Bryan—her childhood friend, her neighbor, and her constant companion for the last ten years. From kindergarten to high school, he has walked with her to school every single day. Honestly, he was the one and only reason she never skipped school.

“Oh shit… he’s waiting for me!”

She rushes to get ready, her hands trembling with nervous excitement, and quickly runs downstairs.

“Sorry, Bryan. Did you wait for long?”

He smiles at her. “For you, I can wait a lifetime.”

She narrows her eyes at him. “What’s with this flirting? Bryan, what did you do this time?”

“Nothing! Just… calm down,” he replies quickly.

She continues staring at him suspiciously.

“Okay—okay! Don’t look at me like that. It’s just…” He hesitates. “I can’t eat dinner with you today.”

“Wh—??”

“But I promise I’ll make it up to you next time. I promise.”

“…Okay,” Lia says quietly, forcing a smile.

But this was the first time in ten years that he had rejected her.

Every Valentine’s Day, they had a tradition—going to a restaurant together. It was their thing. And now, suddenly, it was broken.

Help me… someone please help me!!!

“Bryan, look there,” Lia suddenly says. “It’s Raven.”

Raven had his hand wrapped around someone’s neck, slamming the boy against the wall. His eyes were filled with rage.

For a moment, Raven’s cold eyes met Lia’s.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Then he turned away and continued hitting the boy mercilessly.

“Lia, don’t look over there,” Bryan says urgently, quickly covering her eyes.

“What do you mean don’t look?” she snaps, pulling his hand away. “This needs to be addressed! I’m going to complain to the school. He has crossed the limit.”

“No, Lia. This is not our problem. And you know he’s a bully.”

“What?” She looks at him in disbelief. “Bryan, I didn’t expect this from you. And you know this is not the first time he’s doing something like this. I’m going to raise a complaint against him. That’s it!”

Without waiting for his response, she storms toward the principal’s office.

She enters the room, her heart pounding, and files a complaint against Raven.

And with that single decision, everything begins to change.

A person comes running from afar, breathless, heading straight toward Raven.

“U-h… u-h… uh… RAVEN!!!”

Raven turns slowly, clearly annoyed. “Why are you shouting, Tim?”

Tim, who was practically Raven’s shadow and acted like his personal bodyguard, bends forward, trying to catch his breath.

“You… you didn’t hear it yet???”

“Hear what?” Raven asks calmly.

“Your name… it’s on the noticeboard. You’ve been marked for investigation for bullying students in school.”

Raven raises an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.

“Mmm… interesting,” he mutters. “Do you know who complained about me?”

“T-that’s… Lia. It seems she filed it.”

“Oh.” Raven lets out a small chuckle. “I get it. She saw me while I was choking Liam.”

A cold smirk forms on his lips.

“I didn’t expect her to complain.”

Before Tim can say anything else, a teacher appears at the door and calls Raven inside.

At the principal’s office, everyone has already gathered.

Lia.

Bryan.

The school principal.

Two teachers.

The victim—Liam.

And Raven’s father.

The room feels far more tense than Lia had expected.

That’s when she realizes why.

Raven’s father is one of the board members of the school.

Her heart sinks.

“So,” Raven’s father begins, his voice firm and authoritative, “what happened, and why was a complaint raised against my son, Lia?”

Lia freezes for a moment.

She is a scholarship student. The last person she wants to go against is a board member. But she also dreams of becoming a lawyer—and injustice has never scared her for long.

“S-sir,” she begins, steadying her trembling voice, “Raven was choking Liam behind the school and threatening him to give his money.”

Raven’s father’s eyes turn cold as he slowly shifts his gaze toward Raven.

“Raven,” he calls out.

“Dad… we were just playing, isn’t it, Liam?” Raven says sharply.

“W-we… w-we were…” Liam stutters, nervously glancing at Raven.

Raven’s eyes narrow, silently threatening him.

“J-just p-playing,” Liam finally says, though the tremble in his voice is impossible to miss.

Raven places his hand casually over Liam’s shoulder.

“See, Father? We were just playing. It may have looked like I was bullying him.”

He then turns his cold gaze toward Lia.

“Isn’t that right, Lia?”

Before she can speak, Raven’s eyes flick toward Bryan—

A silent command.

Bryan understands instantly.

“N-no!” Lia protests as Bryan quickly covers her mouth and drags her out of the room.

He bows his head apologetically before closing the door behind them.

“What are you doing, Bryan?” Lia cries, pushing him away.

“Stop it, Lia,” he snaps, gripping her shoulder tightly.

“Why?! You clearly saw him choking Liam! You saw how scared he was!” Her voice cracks with anger.

Bryan sighs heavily. “We can’t do anything. He’s the only son of a board member. And Liam isn’t even complaining against him.”

“That’s because he’s threatening him, Bryan!”

“So you want to go against them?” Bryan asks. “Don’t forget—you’re in this school on a scholarship. At least think of your parents.”

Before Lia can respond, the door opens.

Raven walks out, his arm casually around Liam’s shoulders, a lollipop between his lips. He throws Lia a sarcastic smile and walks away confidently, as if he owns the entire corridor.

Lia exhales sharply, frustration boiling inside her.

“I hope I don’t see this jerk again…”

Thank you for being there throughout my life. From kindergarten to high school, you have been the reason I came to school, and I wish we could continue this for the rest of our lives.

That’s it.

By reading this, he would know it was from Lia.

This was the day Lia had been waiting for all these years. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the love letter close to her chest, her heart pounding with hope and fear tangled together.

Her phone vibrated.

A message from Bryan.

— Hey Lia, I’m at the rooftop. Come fast, I have a surprise for you.

“Surprise!!” she whispered, her eyes lighting up.

I think he’s also going to confess his love to me.

I’m so excited…

Without wasting another second, she grabs the letter and runs toward the rooftop, her footsteps echoing with anticipation.

From a distance, Tim notices her.

“Raven, isn’t that Lia? Where is she running now?” Tim asks.

Raven smirks. “Why don’t we look for ourselves?”

He opens a chocolate wrapper and pops it into his mouth.

“Ray, why does Raven like to eat chocolate?” Tim whispers. “I thought he stopped eating sweets after his mother’s death.”

“I don’t know,” Ray replies. “But he started this recently.”

At the rooftop.

The entire place is decorated with balloons and warm glowing lights. In the center, letters made of lights shine brightly, spelling out:

WILL YOU BE MY VALENTINE

Almost the entire school is present, standing around and whispering excitedly.

Lia steps onto the rooftop and freezes.

She is completely flabbergasted.

Her eyes search instinctively—and then she sees Bryan.

Hope surges through her.

She takes a step forward.

Their eyes meet.

Before she can say anything, a voice echoes from behind Bryan.

“Lia, move!!”

She turns around, confused.

And then she sees her.

Yale.

Shock washes over her face.

Bryan suddenly steps forward and goes down on one knee—not in front of Lia, but in front of Yale.

He asks Yale to be his Valentine.

The rooftop erupts with cheers.

Students clap their hands, whistle, and encourage them loudly.

Yale smiles, nods, and accepts his invitation.

They become a couple.

From the side, Tim mutters quietly, “Raven, did we come here to see this?”

Lia stands frozen.

Her eyes are in a state that cannot be explained by words.

She cannot cry—it would make her look weak.

She cannot smile—it would crush her heart even more.

Bryan rushes toward her, excitement written all over his face.

“Lia, finally I did it,” he says happily. “I’ve been liking her for years. I feel complete today.”

He suddenly notices the paper in her hand.

“Lia… why do you have a letter with you?”

She freezes.

“I-I-it…”

His eyes widen slightly. “Is it for me?” Bryan asks.

“N-N-No way!” she shouts.

“Then for whom?”

Lia closes her eyes.

Her fingers tighten as she crushes the letter in her hand.

Without looking, she turns and forcefully pushes the crumpled letter against the chest of the person standing behind her.

“For him.”