Candy Gram || Brendon Urie

"Oh my god, did you just see that?" I whispered. "He totally did it again."
My friend rolled his eyes. "No, Stephanie. I did not see him looking in your general direction."
Boys just don't get things.
"Kyle! This is a big deal. Brendon Urie, the boy I've been in love with for two years, just looked at me. He must like me," I gushed.
"Miss McGovern, is there something you would like to share with the class?"
My cheeks went up about ten degrees as forty-something eyes fell onto me. Yep--even Brendon's. When he saw me looking, the right side of his mouth lifted into a I'm-so-sorry look.
"No, Mr. Young," I mumbled, sinking into my seat. Some people started snickering.
"Well then, Miss McGovern--"
"It's Stephanie." I couldn't stop the words before they poured out of my mouth. My hands shot up to cover my rapidly dropping jaw.
"Alright, Stephanie. How about a pop quiz? And that goes for all of you. You can thank your precious classmate Miss... Oops, I mean Stephanie."
"Steph!" Kyle groaned. Biology was his worst subject, and I know that he probably spent last night on Myspace, and not doing the homework Mr. Young unfairly assigned us.
I could feel the glares on me, which made me slide further down my seat. Some girls started whispering behind their hands, then pointedly looked at me to roll their eyes.
My eyes habitually fell on Brendon to see his reaction. His hands were over his beautiful lips, and his body was violently shaking.
The stupid bastard was laughing at me!
Tears stung at my eyes. It's one thing to have everyone else hate me, but now my crush thinks it's funny? What is wrong with him?
Before I could do anything about the stream ready to break loose from my tear ducts, someone knocked on the door.
"Candy grams!" a cheery voice called.
Mr. Young squinted at me in annoyance.
"I guess you all are off the hook for now... but I'm watching you." He then pointed to his eyes with two fingers on his right hand, then pointed them to me. A shiver crawled up my spine. Creepy.
Obviously too impatient to wait any longer, a girl I recognized as a student council member let herself in. In her hands was a boxed marked "Young", and it rattled faintly with each bouncy step she took. One giant candy cane hung from her arm.
The candy grams have arrived.
Oh, great. Just another way to remind singles of just how lonely they really are. Sure, girls would pay for the 50 cent candy canes to be sent to their "besties." But there was one candy cane that topped that: The Hook.
The Hook is basically a monster candy cane. It's about the length of my arm, and just as wide. Nobody in the history of Palo Verde High School has ever finished one. Usually, it gets thrown away or kept as a remembrance. But there's meaning behind The Hook. It's kind of a legend in this part of Vegas.
Twenty years ago, a boy named Kenny Hook and his neighbor, Holly Turner, went to Palo Verde. These two were your basic popular kids: he had hair that was cut just before his shoulders and tinted with summer highlights. He played football and ran track, and his body showed that. She had chestnut brown curls, the perfect figure, and grades that were just good enough to bypass nerd status. Everyone knew they were perfect for each other.
Anyways, Kenny decided that he was finally going to tell Holly how he felt about her. Christmas was coming up, and he knew that the school would offer to send candy canes to anyone you wanted with a little message. But Kenny really loved this girl; he wanted to show her that.
The night before Christmas break begun, he got to work in the kitchen. He pulled out his grandmother's old cookbooks; she had been a chef a long time ago, and her specialty was candy canes. By the end of the night, his creation was finished: the biggest candy cane ever made.
By the next day, they were officially a couple. Five years later, they were happily married.
When the school heard about this, they asked Kenny for the recipe. He gave in because he wanted the same happiness that he had to be experienced throughout the generation. Next year, the giant candy canes were an option for candy grams. Hearts and Christmas trees decorated it, and it was selling for three dollars. It was marketed as The Hook., not only because it's the surname of the boy, but also for the assumption that the candy "hooked the girls in."
So when the girl walked in with only one on her arm, the room was buzzing with chatter.
"Who do you think...?"
"I bet Chad got one for Rebecca. You know he's had a thing for her."
"Maybe Brian sent it to Penny as a joke. Everyone knows that she follows him around like a little puppy dog."
"Would he really do that though?"
"Probably. He's so mean."
"Nah, it's not from Brian. He doesn't have one emotional bone in his body. Plus, he wouldn't even think to waste his money on a girl."
"True."
And so on.
For the next ten minutes, the girl handing out the candy grams (I remembered her name halfway through: Lisa) would call a name. The person, most likely a girl, would walk up and wait as Lisa shuffled through the big box for the girl's candy. When the box was emptied, the candy canes had been distributed just as I thought they would be. Jill, the most preppy popular girl in the school, got twelve candy canes, her friends each got eight, and the rest of the girls either got a few or none. What really didn't surprise me was that I got none.
Lisa lifted The Hook from the crook of her arm and showed the class. The room started getting louder with predictions and hopes. It was pretty pathetic.
"And The Hook is for a... Stephanie McGovern?"
Oh wow, for a second there I thought...
For the third time in the last hour, all eyes were on me. Most people were surprised. I mean, c'mon, why would I get a candy gram?
But more importantly, from who?
"Read the card!" Jill screeched like she was my best friend. Soon the whole class was chanting it.
I silently read the little square of paper that hung from the top of the cane:
Steph,
I really like you, and I wanted to show you. Call me cliche, but I thought maybe this could work. Meet me outside your locker after school... I'll be waiting.
Anonymous
"It says 'Anonymous'," I mumbled.
"Ooh! How interesting," Katie, a girl I don't even know, wiggled her eyebrows.
I was never so happy in my life until the bell rang just then.
rest in results.

STD Layouts

"You're seriously going to meet him?"

"Duh, Kyle. I need to go to my locker anyways. Besides... I'm curious."

"Alright," he shrugged as he walked off towards the doors.

I went in the opposite direction. Once I finally reached my locker, nobody was there. Instantly my heart sank. I guess I never should have gotten my hopes up.

Ok, so maybe I was hoping my Prince Charming would show up. Especially since Brendon has a locker right next to mine; I could brag a little.

"Hey, Steph."

Speaking of Brendon...

Of course, I was still a little hurt mad at him for laughing at me, so I chose to ignore him by rearranging the books in my locker.

But he was just standing there.

"Aren't you going to open your locker?" I asked stupidly.

"That's not why I'm here," he smiled... nervously?

"Then why...?"

He raised an eyebrow and instantly it clicked in my head.

Oh.

No. Way.

"It was you?" I sputtered. "But... You were laughing at me earlier and I don't know, why would you like me? Me, of all people. You could have anyone, I--"

"Shh. First of all, I was laughing at how cute you were."

He called me cute!!!

"And why wouldn't I like you? You're gorgeous, and smart, and funny, and gorgeous, and friendly, and perfect... Did I mention gorgeous?"

I blushed. "Y-yeah. But I can't believe it."

"Stephanie McGovern, I've liked you for a long time now, and I just need you to know that."

I looked up into his warm, chocolate eyes.

And before I knew what I was doing, my lips crashed onto his.