***Valentine's Day Bonus Chapter***

Valentine's Day

Vanessa

Every year on Valentine's Day, the school played a Matchmaking game where the students filled out a questionnaire to be paired with their "perfect" love interest. The results always came back with two names in case the first choice didn't pan out but whoever was listed as the number one match, would be that day's lunch partner.

The school went all mushy on us by setting up tables in the gymnasium for the participants that were adorned with plastic red tablecloths and a vase containing a single pink rose. To further add to the cringe, balloons of purple and white were sprinkled around the room to give the atmosphere a festive touch. For a place of education, the staff sure were trying hard to encourage romance between their pupils.

Our trio had never participated in the game before mainly because I was too shy to spend meal time with a stranger, Matt found the whole thing to be dumb, and Addison claimed she didn't need a paper to tell her who her ideal boyfriend was as it was obviously Jeff Lewis.

However, this year was different. Addison rushed into the library that morning clutching a packet of papers to her chest. As she approached the table that Matt and I were sitting at, she slapped them down on the surface top with a triumphant smile on her face, her green eyes wide with excitement. "You two are boring. You both need to spice up your love life a bit. So that's why I've done the honor of signing us all up for the Matchmaking game."

I groaned as I picked up the paper she placed in front of me, scanning over the questions that asked things such as "What's your ideal date," or "What's your favorite hobby?" The whole thing had me feeling anxious as I had no interest in being rejected on Valentine's Day by a guy I most likely didn't even want to date in the first place. "Addie, do we have to?"

Matt shoved the paper away without even looking at it. "That's a hard pass for me. Knowing my luck I'll wind up with A...." He slid his gaze over to me before quickly returning his sights onto Addison. "Knowing my luck, I'll wind up with somebody who won't leave me alone for the next year and a half until we graduate."

Addison rolled her eyes as she sat down at the table. "Now see, this is why you are both still single. You two are boring and neither of you wants to take a gamble on love."

I bit my lip as I studied the paper some more. When she put it that way, what was the harm in having a little fun? I may not end up with Matt as my number one match but it could still be entertaining to meet someone that shared the same interests as me. I could do with expanding my friendship circle a little."

I sighed as I reached into my book bag, pulling out a pen and clicking the top. "Alright, Addie, count me in."

She squealed as I began filling out the answers. "What about you, Mattie," she asked focusing her sights on him.

He shifted in his seat, shaking his head. "Not my thing."

She nodded. "That's cool," she replied glancing down at the questionnaire. "I suppose I know you well enough to fill this form out for you myself. Let's see, 'How do you like to spend your Friday nights?'" She snapped her fingers. "That's easy. Curled up with a book."

Matt reached over yanking the sheet away from her. "I'm going to tear this thing in half if you don't stop right this instant."

The corners of Addison's mouth lifted as she grinned at him. "I'll make a deal with you. If you participate, I'll buy you Maroon Five's new album."

He let out a loud sigh before frowning. "Fine but if I wind up with a stalker because of this, I'm going to tell Joe Clark you have a big ol' crush on him."

Addison made a face as Joe Clark was a freshman that had recently become obsessed with her; sliding love notes into her locker and offering to carry her books in between classes. It was cute but the poor guy was only fourteen and didn't stand a chance with the prettiest and most popular girl in the junior class who could have her pick of anyone she wanted.

She clapped her hands in delight as she studied her own paper. "Alright you two, I think it's time to find our perfect match."

Matt

Question Two: What's your ideal trait in a partner? I didn't even have to think twice about it before scribbling down the word loyalty. After years of feeling like I wasn't good enough for anybody, I knew I wanted someone that would stand by my side no matter what.

Question Three: What's your idea of a perfect date? I moved to cover my paper with my arm so the girls wouldn't see that I was secretly a big romantic and thought the idea of a nice, home-cooked candlelit dinner sounded pretty amazing.

Question Four: What's your favorite food? Did French fries count or did they mean something more along the lines of pizza or chicken?

Question Five: What's your favorite place to visit? That one was easy. The beach.

Question Six: On a scale of 1-10, how important is humor in a partner? Uh, a ten? Why wouldn't I want to be with someone that could make me laugh?

On and on the questions went until I had them all filled out. When I was finished, I slid the paper back towards Addison before leaning back in my seat and folding my arms across my chest. "I can't believe you actually just made me do that."

She gave me a pat on the head. "Don't you fret little buttercup. I'm sure whichever girl winds up eating lunch with Matthew Reaper Jones will be stoked out of her mind." Visions of Aimee crying hysterically when she found out that we were destined to be together this whole time had me regretting every choice I ever made. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of," I mumbled.

Excitement was buzzing in the air right before lunchtime when the results of the love quiz came in. Addison pushed her way through the crowd to meet me and Vanessa by our lockers. She was holding three, small white envelopes in her hand as she approached us. "I have in my grasp the true loves of our lives," she breathed. She squealed, already ripping into hers like a wild animal. "I can't wait to find out who my future husband is."

I rolled my eyes. "You are taking this way too seriously, Addie. I bet the results aren't even accurate. They probably just threw together some random names."

"Don't ruin this for me, Matthew." She tossed aside the mauled envelope onto the floor, hurriedly unfolding the paper in her hands and scanning over her two listed matches. The smile that had been so broad on her face only moments before instantly dropped and she crumpled the sheet into a ball. "Yea, you're right," she muttered. "It's just some dumb game. It doesn't mean anything."

I smirked at her as she threw her results onto the floor beside the torn-up envelope and stomped on it. "That bad, huh? Who did you wind up with? Alex Banks?"

I bent over to retrieve her results off of the tile but she stepped on my fingers. "It's worse. Do you think the school will let me eat lunch with my number two if I riot because I got Jeff Lewis and that's much preferred?"

Chuckling, I shook my head. "Wow, I feel bad for your number one. Lunch with you is going to be so much fun with you complaining about how it should have been Jeff the whole time. I hope the guy doesn't have low self-esteem or it might be a real hit to his ego."

I glanced down at the envelope in my hands, knowing that I was procrastinating because I was dreading seeing my own results. Unless it was Vanessa, I had no interest in being paired with anybody else. Before I could even get the flap open, Addison ripped the paper from my hands, causing me yet another cut. She really had to stop doing that. "Don't bother, Matt. Let's just ditch and all eat together instead. My treat."

I grabbed it back from her. "As appealing as that sounds, it's too late now. I'm not going to abandon some girl on Valentine's Day." Years of being made fun of and faked out into thinking somebody actually cared about me left me with zero desire to make an innocent bystander feel just as rejected. I knew how much that stung.

Addison began biting her nails as I opened the envelope and slid out the paper. "I mean I'm sure they just pulled names out of a hat, really," she said fidgeting from foot to foot.

My eyes widened as I read the two names on the paper and my gaze instantly flew to Addison's. "You've actually got to be shitting me. Did you do this as some kind of a joke?"

"Surprise," she said weakly, forcing a smile onto her made-up face. "Looks like it's your lucky day, Matthew. Told you we should have just ditched."

I balled the paper up into a bunch and tossed it at Addison's head. "I may not know a lot of things but I can say for certain that you, Addison Miller, are most definitely not my ideal match."

She placed her hands on her hips as she narrowed her eyes. "Oh, and like you are mine, Matt? There's no way you want candlelit dinners and enjoy being at the beach over anywhere else." Actually... Well, ok so maybe I could see how this might have happened but that didn't mean I had to be pleased about it.

I leaned against the locker giving her white glittering shirt and pink skirt a once-over. "Well, consider this your get-out-of-jail-free card. I am not eating a Valentine's Day lunch with you."

She crossed her arms. "That's fine by me. I would rather be dragged off into a den by your pack of wild wolves than subject myself to a romantic meal with somebody whose idea of candlelit is the flickering flames of their home in Hell."

I scoffed. "And I would rather be doused in a bucketful of your sparkles than forcing down a cold meal with somebody that uses the glow of said candle to work on their tan since it's too cold to go to the beach and do it. FYI, Addie, the beach shouldn't be your favorite place if you never actually step foot in the ocean."

"I like the sound of the waves," she yelled jabbing me in the chest.

I jabbed her right back. "And maybe I like the idea of a sweet, cozy dinner."

Addison glared at me, holding her gaze steady until she suddenly shook her head and glanced over at Vanessa, smiling at her apologetically. "I'm sorry, V. Matt has me so worked up I completely forgot that you haven't even opened yours yet. Who did you get?"

Vanessa

My stomach churned as I watched Matt and Addie go at. I knew it! I knew Matt was fated to end up with a beautiful knockout such as Addison instead of a generic girl such as myself. I had been preparing myself all morning for the idea of him eating a romantic lunch with another female and potentially striking up a love match, but what I hadn't considered was that it would be with my best friend.

I supposed there was some consolation in the fact that I knew Addison would never pursue a relationship with him and judging by Matt's reaction, he didn't seem too tickled by the pairing either. But even still, had there been some undercurrent of romance brewing between them this whole time that I hadn't picked up on?

Taking a deep breath, I slid my finger underneath the seal of the envelope and pulled out the sheet of paper. My eyes instantly flew to the name Matt Jones written in the number two slot and my heart skipped a beat. If he was my number two then surely that had to mean I was his as well. Why hadn't he mentioned that? Unless he knew I had a giant crush on him and I was the one he had been referring to when he stated that he had fears about being pestered for the next year and a half?

Don't be ridiculous, V. He said he cares about you. If he really abhorred the idea of you being his girlfriend that much, he would have made it known as he did with Addison. Maybe I did have a chance with him after all. I clutched the results to my chest as images of rice being thrown at us as we exited a church in our finest attire to the sound of bells chiming played through my mind.

I realized I was being silly about Addison being his ideal partner. Clearly, it was some kind of a mistake and I was really supposed to be in the number one spot. The Matchmaking game didn't have to tell me what I already knew; we were soul mates. I sighed dreamily, the sigh coming to a strangling end when I caught sight of the number one name.

"Oh my god, no," I whispered, my hands flying up to my mouth. "It can't be," I groaned.

Addison glanced over my shoulder, her jaw dropping when she focused in on my "perfect match."

My body immediately stiffened when I felt a tap on my back from somebody approaching me from behind. "Happy Valentine's Day, Sugar. Are you ready to share a romantic meal with the man of your dreams? I knew our hearts were always beating as one."

Matt stifled a laugh and suddenly it felt like I was back in Freshman Year playing Spin the Bottle all over again. How was it that Addison always seemed to snag the guy I actually wanted while I got stuck kissing or in this case, choking down a meal and being thoroughly grossed out the entire time by a set of unbrushed teeth with Alex Banks?

A/N As this chapter was never intended to be a part of the story, I wrote it up real quickly today but I see possible room for expansion here.

Are we interested in seeing how the luncheon goes between the two pairs? Should I get Aimee involved? Do we want Matt and Vanessa to acknowledge they are each other's number twos?