"Psst, wake up!" An elbow nudged me on my side.

I jumped awake. "Huh? Oh right…" I adjusted my yellow-rimmed glasses (don't ask), and tried to pay attention to our government teacher. Grace grinned at our professor glancing over our way, giving us his trademark smirk. How I loathed that smirk…I shook my head from the sleep, determined to fight the drowsiness. However, his talk of fiscal policy and interest groups were just too much drabble…his words echoed in my ears as darkness once again covered my eyes…

The door creaked open; I woke up at the sound, and a heavenly sight appeared before my eyes. A girl walked in; her strides spoke of confidence, and her heels clipped the floor with each step. Her dark, radiant hair flowed behind her in a tail. Her clothes were formal and elegant, an odd sight in this day, but they appealed to my tastes. She exchanged words with the teacher, and approached my direction...my heartbeat increased its tempo as she took a seat right behind me.

Another nudge on my side snapped me out of my stupor. "You're drooling. Don't tell me you're dreaming with your eyes open…" Grace muttered; she was eyeing the new girl with a slight scowl on her face. When I asked her why, she simply shrugged and wouldn't say. I turned away, unable to meet her eyes. I desperately hoped that she didn't see me staring at the new girl, but for some reason, my stomach twisted uncomfortably during the thought.

After class, Grace shoved me gently from behind. She ran off waving with a grin before I could respond. I smiled softly, watching her go…before the new girl passed by me. She was walking alone, and judging by the direction, she was heading to my next class. Although my conscience bothered me for doing so, I ran up to her and introduced myself. "I'm Alice." She replied shortly. Her name rang in my ears. My heart rate increased once again, but my mind fluttered back to Grace even as my eyes locked onto Alice. I sighed softly as we lapsed onto silence. However, as I opened the door for her at our classroom, I brought up another topic, and we began getting acquainted.

We became friends quickly, and grew closer in the next months. And the thing is…Grace never knew of our friendship. During government, we hardly had time to talk with each other, and even Alice could sense the dislike Grace had for her. However, Grace didn't have any other classes with me…and Alice did. All of them. We often had calculus study sessions at each other's houses. I discovered that she lived as far as Grace's home to mine, except in the opposite direction. Although we wasted a lot of time during those sessions, I could sense that she loved those two hours we spend together…and I guiltily enjoyed them too.

One night, I simply lay down on my bed, running my hands through my hair. I sighed deeply and stared up at the stucco-filled ceiling. Images of Grace appeared in my head; I recalled all the love poems I wrote for her and all the symbolism inside my stories that allude to her. Slowly, those images began being replaced by my times with Alice; the times lying on her bed with her, pouring over our calculus texts and notebooks. The times I walked her home when Grace attended club meetings. The feeling I had when I first saw her.

Ironically, I think fate enjoyed toying with my predicament. During one chemistry class, Alice and I had bumped into each other, literally, while I was carrying a beaker of weak acid. Being taller than Alice, my lips brushed against her forehead as we crashed. The beaker tipped and spilled the solution onto my hand. Alice instantly apologized and rushed forward with a wet cloth. The acid had itched, but I soon ignored it, being more aware of the gentle and soft touch of her hands. "Thank you," I said sincerely, and she blushed slightly as she cleansed the acid from my hand.

"What happened?" Grace grabbed my hand, later that day, when she saw the pink tinges from the acid. I told her the story, but could not avoid mentioning Alice. "Oh…I suppose it's a good thing she was there for you then," she said in a low voice. I could sense coldness in her voice, yet it contained…a sad tone as well.

That day, I walked home with a close friend. I decided that I needed someone to confide in, before my conscience ripped me from the inside out. "Look, Gary," he clapped his hand to my right shoulder. "It's your feelings. You can't control them."

"I know that, Jake…" I sighed. "But I'm in love with Grace. I have been for the last three or four years that I've known her. And I know that she's well-aware of my feelings for her. But…Alice…is it truly right for one person to have feelings for two people at the same time?" My heart thumped once again at the thought of Alice.

Jake sighed as well. "Well, bro, it's up to you. Of course it can happen, but whether it's right or not, you can't control it. You gotta deal with this yourself."

We arrived at my house already. "Alright, thanks, I suppose." I bid my companion farewell, and went up to my room. I checked the calendar; a red heart was plastered on the upcoming Saturday. "Great." I groaned, and fell onto my bed. I needed to make a decision. And I needed to make it now.

I sat, looking out the window, all night. My mind raced. Thoughts spilled over and over in my head. However, the scene before me calmed myself. The stars sparkled in the cloudless night. Moonlight streamed downwards, creating a tranquil air of peace in the still darkness. My eyes stared at the bright moon; the golden orb seemed a prophet to me. I knew what to do.

Jumping ahead on Valentine's Day, I scribbled on a piece of paper all day. Grace tried to aggressively force me to reveal its contents, but I refused to with a smile. She eventually scowled and gave me a "Hmph." I felt a pang inside me for doing that, but I couldn't show it to her. Not her.

Alice, however, was easier to shake off. Being more polite, she simply smiled softly and accepted my refusal to show her. After school ended, I ran back home, not looking back at either Grace or Alice.

---

Alice

I walked home, a small frown on my face. Gary definitely is up to something; I know how imaginative that guy can be. Still…I wonder…

I knew it. A small card and a rose lay in front of my doorstep. I smiled, and sat down on the steps to read the card.

My hands started to shake as I read. My mind went blank. I should've known. I closed my eyes. I didn't know how long I sat there. But, after what felt like an eternity, I opened them again. I looked up to the sky, filled with sad, gray clouds, and smiled softly as a raindrop fell on my forehead.

---

Grace didn't get home until night. She ran in the rain under her umbrella, enjoying the cold drops splashing on her hands. She finally arrived at her doorstep and shook the umbrella when my voice called out to her. "About time you got home…"

She turned around. I stood next to the trees that loomed on her lawn. "How long were you waiting there?!" She demanded in shock, seeing my soaked, shivering form. I walked up to her with long, confident strides.

"It doesn't matter." I handed her a small card. Inside was a pressed flower with white petals. A soliloquy poem accompanied the flower next to her. I waited patiently for her as her eyes roved over the words. Before she finished…

"I love you." She raised her head, and I put my lips to hers. She dropped her umbrella, and there we stood, kissing in the rain on Valentine's Day.