Pro Guardian - (B.M.)

Alternative Ending

Ever After

Elianne opened the door leading to the terrace with a cheeky smile pasted on her face. She adored the crisp spring breeze; it was always soothing to her. It was enough for her to step outside and feel the wind in her hair.

Billy considered going outside as well and decided with it. Approaching the girl, he slid his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder slowly but steadily. Elianne stiffened for a moment before relaxing again.

"Do you know what I was thinking today up there?" He answered his own question before she could respond. "I wasn't concerned with how well I was performing or how badly I wanted to win. I was thinking about how, despite your best efforts last night, I could tell you were upset. And I had figured out how to make you happy."

"Billy?"

"Then I lied to you, saying I liked this girl, and you made me feel compelled to leave for reasons I don't understand. The truth is that you were completely oblivious to my feelings. You were upset once more, and I knew how to cheer you up."

"Hold on, what are you⸺"

"I was relatively straight till a week ago. Isn't it the case with the medication? Look at what I'm saying . . ." Billy released her and spun her around to face him. "Eli, I'm expressing my sadness as well. However, the medicine I take to keep me from being unhappy makes me feel nothing. That's the case. Those are my options. Sadness or numbness. So I stopped taking them altogether and kept quiet about it. Nobody knows a thing."

She let him continue.

"I've felt alive for the first time in years. I see you and wonder why I ever felt the urge to act. I didn't tell anyone except you, Elianne, because I fucking adore you. I adore you to death. You don't have to wonder because we're still in high school, but I've been struggling to figure out how I feel for so long, and now that I do, it feels incredible."

It would be an understatement to say Elianne felt different. Her emotions were all over the place, ranging from joy to grief. She instantly averted her gaze because his intense stare was too much for her. When was the last time someone made her feel how he made her feel? Probably never. Elianne finally felt certain of something under the cold night sky. She couldn't tell if it was good or bad. "Billy, I don't know what to say."

"Eli, I didn't say it for the sake of hearing it back. I just needed you to be aware of something." He wasn't sure if that was his objective, but it couldn't hurt to hear something along those lines.

"I have to say something, Billy," Elianne adds, interrupting his reaction with a mixture of rage and shame on her face. "I don't feel the same way."

Billy's pale face was tinged with surprise, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. Elianne covered his mouth with her hand just as he was ready to utter anything.

Elianne was distressed to see Billy in this state, despondent and helpless. She simply wanted to reverse what she had said. She realised it was a lie, but there were a lot of obstacles in the way of her pursuing a relationship with him. At the tender age of seventeen, no less? No, it wasn't the case. What was she expected to do in this situation? It was clear that a long-distance relationship would not work out. That was the difficult reality.

It was preferable to forget about Billy once she had gone. It would only be beneficial to both of them.

She lied gently but firmly, "I don't like you, Billy. I'm moving to Canada with my mother to care for my ill grandmother. That is all there is to it."

Billy almost lost his balance with both legs due to the shocking news, but he immediately recovered, his stance returning to that of when he barely knew Elianne. When he barely even knew himself.