Legends of Mirandis Academy

Chapter 38: The Music Box

"So what happens next?" Iridia whispered.

Slowly, Brielle opened her eyes. It was the night of the Winter Formal, the moment after Iridia had kissed her. Their foreheads were pressed together; Iridia's arms encased her, safe and strong. Brielle's heart was still racing, her brain still reeling.

Iridia's voice was in her ear, soft but eager. "Where do we go from here? You and I?"

"I don't think I know what you mean."

"Are we... together? Are we dating?" Iridia chuckled. "Sorry, is that weird to ask? I've never done any of this before."

Brielle couldn't let her down. She had to do this perfectly. "Well... I'm not sure yet. There's still some things I need to work on with myself before I'm ready to commit, I know that, but—" the look in Iridia's eyes as she spoke tugged at her heart. Brielle laid her hand on Iridia's cheek. "No, Iri, it's not— This is me, I need to figure stuff out, you— It's nothing to do with you, I swear."

Iridia was only looking at the floor.

"Iri—"

"N-no, it's okay. I get it." She began to pull away but Brielle grabbed her arm before she could try and leave. She brushed her thumb over Iridia's cheek, doing her best to be comforting.

"It's not what it sounds like, I promise. I..." she tossed her head around, trying to decide how best to phrase it. "I have feelings for two people right now, two at the same time. You're one of them—I really, really like you—"

"Who's the other?" Iridia pulled her face away from Brielle's hand.

Brielle hesitated. "Kelam."

"Kelam?" Iridia gawked.

"Yes, I know it seems weird—trust me, it feels weird too—but he only has eyes for you. I know he would never be an option, but the feelings won't go away overnight. I don't want to start something right now because it wouldn't be fair to you."

Tears were blooming in Iridia's eyes, and Brielle could see that she was struggling to get breaths in as she weakly pulled out of Brielle's hold. There was once a time when Iridia confessed to witnessing that awful event at the party, when she had asked Brielle if she had feelings for Kelam, when Brielle had so confidently said no.

"No, that's fine. I-it's totally fine, really, I..." Iridia was looking anywhere but Brielle's face. Her face bore a nervous, pained smile that was trying to be reassuring. "It was a bad idea anyway, y-you know? If you don't want to be with me, then... then..." Her breath quavered. The smile slipped and shattered beneath them. She closed her eyes, and a few tears slid down her cheeks. "I think I'm gonna go home now."

"Iridia, please listen to me. This isn't your fault! I do want to—"

"I think it's better I just go home," she interrupted, this time more insistently. Iridia wiped under her eyes with her palm, sweeping away both tears and mascara. The pained smile fought to return with each trembling breath, but Iridia was too broken to keep it up for long. "Maybe, ha... maybe this was all a mistake anyway." She held her elbows tight, keeping her body as contained as possible as she took steps back, shaking her head. "You should go have fun. Kelam is still in there—" she nodded her head to the doors, "Go dance with him. D-don't let me ruin your night."

She began skirting past but stopped midway across the courtyard. Brielle watched her shoulders tremble. There was something else Iridia wanted to say, maybe it would be something angry or bitter—given how awfully Brielle's words had hit her, Brielle wouldn't be surprised, and she would have certainly earned it—but instead, it was masked by too much apathy to get the right reading. She was hurting, but she was doing her best not to let it show.

In a quiet, monotone voice: "I'm glad you liked the gift."

Brielle watched Iridia duck her head and walk inside, never looking back. A breeze from the open door swept the light curtains away from the windows, and Brielle got a glimpse of Luna trying to chase after the red beacon maneuvering through the crowd.

"Shit," she growled to herself. The pain in Iridia's eyes, pain she'd caused, tore at her insides like the scalpel of a drunk surgeon, all her most delicate and vulnerable pieces tattered to shreds, only her own words to blame. It all came out wrong! What had she done to Iridia?

It wasn't worth it to try and chase after her, and every second of hesitation that passed only furthered the distance and solidified that belief. Brielle sat down on the bench by the fountain, exhausted and defeated. After too many useless deep breaths, she opened her clouded eyes again and remembered the music box resting beside her. She stared at the contraption, a device made with such love and care all for her, a treasure she didn't deserve.

She cranked it a few times and let the notes hit the metal strips within. The song ended too soon. It didn't feel the same.