Hange Zoe Short Story Collection

Line Without a Hook (Part 5)

"Oh, all my emotions feel like explosions when you are around. And I've found a way to kill the sounds."

"Leave it alone, Hange," (Y/N) murmured softly, her fingers curling around the fabric of Hange's jacket. They were currently glaring at the other girl in front of them, their normally kind and cheerful demeanor rigid and tense. The girl had just insulted (Y/N)'s appearance moments earlier—calling her outfit gross and ugly. (Y/N) had been fine, being insulted once and a while didn't hurt her ego that much. But Hange had been enraged.

"You should look at yourself before insulting others," Hange frowned. "(Y/N) looks perfectly fine, what's wrong with her?"

"She's just ugly," the girl shot back, getting riled up by Hange's retaliation.

"She's not as ugly as you," Hange stated determinedly. "In fact, your face is highly disproportionate and is nowhere near the golden ratio. If anyone here is ugly, it's you."

The girl's eyes widened, and she let out a little huff before stomping away. She probably had no idea what Hange had said—for an 11-year-old, they were extremely intelligent. (Y/N) was surprised too. Hange was never mean. She had never seen them insult anyone before. They were always kind and encouraging...where had this attitude come from?

"You didn't have to do that," (Y/N) whispered. She was hurt, yes. But she also was embarrassed that Hange had caused an entire scene. Being quiet and taking the insult would have been better than refuting.

"Of course, I did," Hange turned to her, their tone softening. "You can't just let people walk all over you! She insulted your face! You have an amazing face! Why were you silent?"

"Because people were looking," (Y/N) motioned towards the crowd. "I don't mind staying quiet..."

"(Y/N)," Hange reached out and placed a hand on either side of her face. "Don't you dare begin to think what she said was true. You're absolutely perfect. She's just dumb. You trust me, right?"

(Y/N) giggled a little at Hange's expression and they immediately smiled. They had gotten a little worried that (Y/N) would have been sad, but now they were relieved to see her eyes brighten. "I do trust you."

"Good. Now, do you want to go eat ice cream? They released a new flavor that I'm dying to try!" Hange gushed, their mind already moving on to the next topic.

(Y/N) nodded and let Hange tug her towards the direction of the ice cream shop. They were like that—fiercely protective of her. Normally, they were laid back and passionate about their hobbies, but whenever she needed help, Hange dropped everything to be by her side. They were devoted to her, their eyes seeking out hers during every happy moment in their life. 11-year-old Hange had not known what to call this emotion—devotion? Passion? Admiration? Or was it just friendship? But as they grew older, they realized that there was one other emotion that described why people were devoted to each other, why Hange always sought her out during moments of joy, why they would sacrifice anything just to see her bright smile. It was love.

The weather was getting colder and that meant it was time to bring out the chunky sweaters and hoodies. (Y/N) found herself in the bathroom of her school, staring at her reflection mindlessly. She could hear faint whispers and giggles from one of the stalls and assumed that some girls had decided to skip class again. As the weather got colder, the deadline for college applications grew near. (Y/N) was a wreck. She didn't know what she wanted to do. Well, of course, she wanted to do acting...but did she go to college for that? Was acting her lifelong career? Did she have another major she wanted to explore? And if she did go to college...which one? Finances weren't the problem but it was more about secrecy. Would she be able to get the normal college experience?