“Um, will you go out with me Aurelie?” A timid looking teenage boy asked the girl in front of him. It was obvious that he was nervous and rather embarrassed.

Though she noticed all this, Aurelie wasted no time in shooting the boy down.

“I already have someone I like, sorry. And don’t you already have a girlfriend, Alex?” She asked, looking at the boy sideways.

Alex flushed a deep red. “About that…”

~~~~~~~

Aurelie pulled her hair into a bun, then slipped her throwing knives into place. She then leaned in closer to the morror and fussed with her hair until a few red ringlets framed her face. Satisfied, she applied lip gloss and mascara, then stepped back to observe herself. She wore a plum purple blouse with swirling crimson designs and black tights. Looking herself over with a critical eye, she deftly removed a bit of lip gloss that had been on her skin and walked out the door of her room.

Walking down the stairs, she heard voices from the general direction of the kitchen. She lived in this house with her ‘Uncle’ Chase and the love of her life, Zane (even though, technically, Zane had already rejected her. She still refused to give up though). Actually, Chase owned a mansion that they could all live in, but it was much to big for just the three of them.

Going to the kitchen, Aurelie smiled brightly and opened the door. The conversation (mostly Chase rambling and Zane nodding here and there) stopped. Chase seemed surprised to see her downstairs before ten a.m., while Zane just kind of froze.

“Going somewhere, Relle?” Chase asked, smiling warmly at her.

“Job?” Zane asked, frowning darkly. Probably because he disliked it when she agreed to an assassination without him knowing.

This time, that wasn’t the case. “I am going somewhere, actually. I have a date!”

Chase blinked. “With who?” He knew that Aurelie loved Zane and didn’t think that she would give up now, after so long.

“A senior. His name’s Alex. We’re going to an amusement park in about half an hour. I figured I should eat breakfast before going.” Aurelie grinned, obviously excited.

“Well, be careful, I guess.” Chase said, confused. But he knew that Aurelie would be able to take care of herself. He eyed the eight pins in her hair, knowing the brightly colored clips concealed throwing knives that she could use with deadly accuracy.

“I will.” She replied, rolling her eyes and grabbing a piece of toast smothered in jam that lay next to Chase’s elbow.

“A date. With a boy.” Zane said, sounding rather dazed at the idea.

“Yes.” Aurelie said slowly, a strange look on her face. Suddenly, she grew rather excited. “Z, are you…”

She was cut off by the sound of someone stomping down the stairs. The house only had the three of them living in it, she hadn’t brought anyone over, and Chase usually didn’t bring anyone home. That left Zane, and the only people he ever brought over were women he slept with. Biting her lip, Aurelie fell back in her seat and began to sullenly munch on the toast she’d stolen from Chase.

“Good morning!” A melodic voice sang cheerfully. Aurelie flinched. It was too early to be so peppy.

The woman who had just entered was, obviously, Zane’s type. She was curvy, tall and had short brown hair. She exuded confidence and maturity in spades, while still coming off as an optimist. She was pretty much Aurelie’s exact opposite. Aurelie’s hands went to her hair. More specifically, the knives. But she dropped her hands after a moment of conflict and continued to eat.

The other woman noticed her about then. “Hi! I’m Jacqueline. What’s your name?”

“Aurelie.” She responded quietly.

“You sure look dressed up.” Jacqueline smiled.

“Aurelie has a date.” Chase said, attempting to break the strange atmosphere.

“Oh, that’s great! It’s such a shame to be alone on Valentine’s Day!” Jacqueline said, turning to Aurelie. The single Chase studied the designs on the plate next to his elbow from which Aurelie had stolen her toast.

The kitchen descended into silence. Aurelie sulked as she ate, Zane brooded as he drank his coffee, Chase felt awkward seeing the two, and Jacqueline was eating, absolutely unaware of the atmosphere.

Luckily, the doorbell rang at that moment. Aurelie appeared to have regained her good mood as she bounced to the door and opened it, smiling widely at Alex, who wore jeans and a dark blue t-shirt.

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“Ready?” He asked nervously.

Aurelie nodded and took his arm, steering him away from the house and back towards his car. Alex sat in the driver’s seat while Aurelie slipped into the passenger’s seat, and they drove off.

~~~~~~~

Zane drummed his fingers against the table. A senior. Meaning he was about eighteen. Zane had been eighteen a few years ago, and was well aware of what the boy was likely thinking about doing. To Aurelie. Gritting his teeth, he stood up and walked to the garage, grabbing his jacket on the way.

Jacqueline called for him, but he ignored her and took off after the two high schoolers.

~~~~~~~

The amusement park, as a Valentine’s Day special, was open only to couples. Aurelie could easily get in if she wanted to, but for now she had no need. Alex bought passes and they entered.

There were paper hearts strung all over the place, and everything was in red, pink, and white. Aurelie got sick of it, and the happy couples, pretty quickly. She was a romantic, but she was tired of the colors, and the lovebirds reminded her of stupid Jacqueline and Zane’s stupid tastes, and…

“Are you okay? You had this really weird look on your face.” Alex’s face suddenly popped up in her field of view. She smiled. “No, I’m fine. When does the drama start?”

Alex flushed again. “Sorry I had to ask you to do this.”

Aurelie laughed. “It’s fine! It sounds interesting!”

Alex looked down, scuffing his shoe against a stone on the path. Aurelie smiled, thinking about the problem he’d come to her with.

“About that… people are saying she’s cheating on me, and I want to confirm it.” Alex looked serious. It was as though he were about to cry, but holding back the tears.

“And why do you need me?” She asked.

“To gain entrance to an amusement park I heard her talking about. She told someone she was planning on going on Valentine’s Day. It’s only open for couples on that day. And she hasn’t brought it up to me, so... “ He trailed off, looking depressed.

“So what’s the plan if she is there?” Aurelie asked.

“If we do see her, then she’ll probably think that I’m cheating too, and it’ll be easier for us to…” He trailed off again. Aurelie hid her smile. She doubted that it was going to be as easy as he made it sound. This would be fun.

“Well, while we wait, we might as well go on a few rides.” She remarked, and pulled him over to the line for a rollercoaster.

~~~~~~~

They ended up going on more than just ‘a few’ rides. By the time they sat down for lunch at a small restaurant in the park, Alex been on more rides than he could count. Surprisingly, he and Aurelie had also become rather good friends. All that waiting in line was good for interpersonal relationships.

So, when, he noticed a leaf stuck in Aurelie’s hair, he didn’t really think. He just reached over and began to pluck it out. Aurelie, surprised to feel his hand, turned and looked at him questioningly.

Because he was leaning over, their faces were incredibly close. Seeing Aurelie’s pretty face up close, Alex froze. Suddenly, to him, the moment felt intimate, as though the two of them were actually a couple. His breathing sped up a bit.

A loud bang sounded out of nowhere, breaking the atmosphere. Alex jerked back, taking the leaf with him.

“T-there was a leaf in your hair.” He stammered, holding it up and looking at everything but her. Aurelie giggled, then patted his shoulder.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Be back in a bit.” She told him, getting up. He nodded, still too embarrassed to meet her eyes.

~~~~~~~

“We were having a moment. It was rude of you to interrupt, Z. Why are you even here? I thought you would be having a date with Jacqueline.” Aurelie said, peeking around a tree. Zane was leaning against said tree, looking at her.

“I’m making sure nothing happens.” Zane replied.

Aurelie rolled her eyes. “Z, I have two guns, two combat knives, two daggers, and eight throwing knives on me, all of which I can proficiently use. If Alex tries to do something I don’t want him to, I can deal with it myself.”

Zane just stared at her stonily.

Aurelie sighed. “Fine. But no more interfering.” She told him, before turning around and walking back to Alex.

~~~~~~~

Aurelie had never really liked Hannah, Alex’s girlfriend. She was a self serving person who was as shallow as they came. That dislike only grew when she saw Alex’s face as the two of them watched Hannah and another boy from their school kissing.

Aurelie gently shook Alex, who looked at her, then nodded and went up to his cheating girlfriend. He touched her shoulder, and she broke the kiss, turning to him. The look on her face when she saw who it was was priceless. And then there was an heated argument about fidelity. Garrett, Hannah’s other boyfriend, looked suitably offended that she had cheated on him and broke things off, walking away.

After that, the argument turned into Hannah yelling at Alex for ‘ruining everything’ and being such a ‘loser’. It pissed Aurelie off, so she walked into the fray as well.

“Oh, there you are, Alex! I’ve been looking for you.” She said, smiling.

“A-Aurelie.” He said, his voice shaking.

“Who are you? Don’t tell me…,” Hannah seemed to have calculated something, and her entire demeanor changed as she gasped and turned to Alex with faked hurt in her eyes, “Alex, are you cheating on me?”

Alex opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, completely astonished. Aurelie decided to answer for him.

“Of course not! He would never stoop to something as low and cowardly as that. I’m Aurelie, Alex’s friend.” Aurelie said, laughing. Hannah’s eyes widened. Aurelie had a reputation in their school for being friendly, but unattainable outside of school. She was one of the school’s biggest mysteries, as well as the most beautiful girl. Looking at her more closely, Hannah could see that the rumors hadn’t been over exaggerated.

“Um, I feel awkward asking this to his girlfriend on Valentine’s Day, but since Alex and I came together, do you mind if I borrow him?” Aurelie asked.

“No need to ask her. She isn’t my girlfriend anymore. We just broke up.” Alex said. Aurelie smiled at the determination in both his tone and in his gaze.

“Well then. We’ll be on our way then.”

~~~~~~~

“Are you sure you don’t need a ride?” Alex asked Aurelie as they stood in the parking lot of the park.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. You go ahead.” Aurelie said. Alex nodded and drove off.

Aurelie turned around and skipped to behind one of the cars, latching onto Zane’s arm.

“I want ice cream. It’s supposed to be the best cure for a broken heart.” She declared cheerfully.

“Right.” He said, deadpan, but  as she steered him towards his car, he asked, “What flavor?”