By Kristen Reyes
It’s Valentine’s Day and you are entire second-grade class has made boxes to fill up with all of your love notes. Chocolate kisses, pink heart-shaped lollipops, and little cards that have the words “Be Mine” all over them are typical.
However, this year you find something different. Between all the candy and cards, someone dropped a rock in your Valentine’s Day box. A perplexing gift to some, but to another it could be the most unique gift they’ve ever received. For Alyssa Santana, Div. 385, receiving a rock has remained on the top on her list of “most original gifts.”
Tom Kryca, Div. 263, tried giving a unique gift on Valentine’s Day of his freshman year, but it did not go over as well as he had hoped.
“I once carved wood into a heart and wrote ‘Tom + Renay’ on it and gave it to her,” Kryca said.
A group of kids found out about his efforts and bullied him about how “uncool” his gift was. Kryca regretted making the gift and the torment went on for days. As the Valentine’s day candy slowly disappeared so did the teasing.
“Dumbest idea ever…I wonder if she still has it though…” Kryca asked.
Another Valentine’s Day disaster occurred in eighth grade for Andre Garcia, Div. 276. Garcia received a bright pink “I (heart) my girlfriend” t-shirt from his girlfriend at the time.
“Oh…it’s cute…I’ll wear it next week,” was all that Garcia could say in response to the gift.
“It was so embarrassing…we ended up breaking up a week later,” Garcia said.
Though Garcia claims the “embarrassing” gift was not completely the reason for the break-up, it did add fuel to the fire.
It wasn’t until Antonio Abreu, Div. 378, found women’s underwear placed in his locker that he experienced the curse of bad gifts.
“It was probably one of the most unexpected gifts I’ve ever gotten,” Abreu said.
The gift was from Abreu’s close friend at the time. Once word spread about his “unique” gift, Abreu decided it was not the best idea.
“Now that I think about it, it was a pretty weird gift,” Abreu said. “I don’t even know how to describe it.”
Ari Harris, Div. 256, has also received unexpected message from an admirer. Earlier this school year as he was walking through the Lane hallways Harris was approached by a girl who handed him a small note. It was from an admirer he had heard about earlier in the year.
“It said I was her ‘dream guy’ and that I was ‘gorgeous’…but I still don’t know who sent it,” Harris said.
Will his secret admirer ever reveal herself? Perhaps this Valentine’s Day she will step forward and talk to him person.
Whether attempts at love work or fail miserably, one can be sure that new and intereting methods will be used by creative Lane students once again this Valentine’s Day.
