how ironic that angelina was just thinking about how she'd feel if she'd ever see ranboo again. at that moment, she hadn't known. but now, angelina phan felt nothing but anger, and possibly love? it was complicated.
they're still together.
and thriving, from the looks of their linked hands.
she didn't know who she was mad at. olive, for hiding this for so long. tommy, for backing the lie up and not telling her. ranboo, just because he was ranboo. toby took another bite of his muffin.
and hayden fucking lamrow.
"angelina!" the blonde was the first to say anything. "i knew you were at nyu, but i didn't know you knew olive, tommy, and toby! i haven't heard from you in ages! especially after that . . . video."
angelina's ego flattened.
"uh - yeah, hey hayden . . . hey ranboo," angelina did not make eye contact, her eyes set on her converse. "i'm gonna - yeah." she turned around to where the bathroom was, nearly running into the wall at how fast she was going.
"angelina!" olive took off her way, tommy and toby sticking by ranboo, who was just as confused. so many emotions were going on at once. hayden frowned, though smiling on the inside.
closing the bathroom door behind her, angelina sat on the toilet seat and breathed heavily. not a panic attack, but more out of confusion and her mind being all over the place. her eyes went to the door when olive entered.
"i know you're pissed, but-"
"please. explain."
olive nodded, sitting on the floor in front of the toilet. she seemed confused where to start.
"we've known ranboo since we were sixteen. we being tommy, toby, and i. we've been streaming ever since you guys were still even friends, and he just hid it from you because he wasn't sure how you'd take the popularity. tommy, toby, and him are the best of friends and they all moved in together here.
"the reason they moved to new york was 'cause of me. i wanted to go to university and tommy had the idea of all four of us going together, because me and him were going to get our own place at some point. it was going to be up to ranboo and toby what they wanted to do with the house.
"but then when i found out we were roommates, i recognized your name immediately. not because we were friends when we were younger, but because of ranboo. he spoke about you all the time, and when he graduated, he just - stopped. i mean, maybe it had something to do with hayden —"
angelina held her hand up in a way for olive to stop speaking.
"are they happy?" her voice cracked a bit.
olive made no gesture. "they're kind of behind closed doors. sometimes, i'll catch them on the phone with each other — you know, long distance and all. she goes to berkeley all the way in california, but her birthday is coming up so he insisted on flying her out . . ."
angelina gulped, nodding her head slowly. after all this time? after all these months, where he reached out every stupid holiday? christmas, birthdays — they were understandable. but valentine's day? memorial day?
she thought she was getting him back.
she loved him, for fuck's sake.
she loves him.
ranboo watched angelina walk away again. he had let it happen once, and he just let it happen again. a sense of deja vu hit him. tommy itched the back of his neck, standing awkwardly. toby stared at his shoes. hayden kept her grip on his hand, though he was itching to let go.
"what just happened?" ranboo asked, plopping back on the couch in confusion and despair.
"ollie is roommates with ann," tommy sat on the right side of ranboo, toby repeating his actions but on the left. "need i say more?"
ranboo laughed softly. "need you say more? yes, tommy. i would like for you to elaborate on everything that has happened in the past two minutes, and why i just saw my old best friend standing in the middle of our living room."
"you knew ann was going to nyu, yet you moved with us anyway. you had to know that there was the possibility that olive could run into her. you knew that they were going in the same program."
the taller boy itched his neck with his available hand. not cool, tommy — he's right in front of his girlfriend, who absolutely hates his best friend. well, old best friend.
ranboo sat uncomfortably. of course he knew. he's been thinking every day that there's the possibility that he's really been in love with her since the day he met her. when he watched her walk through his fifth grade class and raised her hand for every question. when he found out they were next door neighbors, and he finally asked if they wanted to ride bikes together.
"yeah. i did know," ranboo shrugged. "and i didn't think it would happen. but here we are, and i have no idea what to do, because i . . . miss her, tommy. and, i'm here with hayden. after everything that happened?" he whispered the last bit.
and now all he can think about is if he's in love with his old best friend. who he absolutely betrayed.
he saw the video. he saw how he made her feel. and though, he was oblivious — he didn't know that he shattered her heart that bad.
all three remained silent for a moment.
he loved her, for fuck's sake.
does he love her?
☽˚⁀➷ AUTHOR NOTE . . . ⚘ this chapter used to end in the line "he loves her", now it ends in "does he love her?" and it makes me wanna break down into tears
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