Battle Of Love

Prologue

On his way to school, Ryan hummed, “Move On”  lyrics by Lil Tjay. He did that to block out the loud thoughts that were harbored at the back of his mind. His girlfriend neither picked his calls nor replied to his text messages over the weekend. His heart raced whenever he imagined that his girlfriend had decided to wrap up their love journey and leave him lonely, all by himself. His vision was blurry and his mind wandered into a place devoid of substance, total oblivion.

He met eyes with a stranger girl that he often met with in the mornings while going to school and for some reason, he had never said anything to her. She walked while whining her waist and bit her bottom lip which was as red as cherry. She was a lady with perfect curves, light in complex, the perfect height and calling eyes,  you know what I’m talking about. Ryan tried to gather the courage to saying hi to the lady but he couldn't. His chest heaved and puffed and he couldn't risk approaching the lady with his tensed, shaky voice. He let her pass, walked a few steps ahead and then turned his neck to examine the lady again. She also turned back and caught Ryan staring at her round butt.

...

Ryan reached school early hoping to meet with his girlfriend and know the reason behind her silence. When he reached at the class corridor, his heart pounded hard. Before he entered the class, he heard his girlfriend's voice. She was talking to a guy who was in a different class. “Aren’t you done with that broke punk? I’m madly in love with you Mariana. You are too beautiful to be loved by that poser”. The boy told Mariana. Ryan’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets and his mouth was left wide agape. His legs got weak and couldn't hold him anymore. He slid down against the wall and sat on the floor helplessly as he waited to hear his girlfriend's response. He was a bit optimistic that Mariana would tell the guy that she had a boyfriend but his hopes were dashed when he heard her say, "I love you more than anyone on this earth Josh. About that broke dude, don't worry darling, he can't prevent our love from growing stronger every day. I don't love him, it’s you that I love."

Ryan exhaled heavily and clenched a fist on his right hand. He hit the floor bitterly as tears formed on his eyelids. He couldn't help but let them stream down his cheeks to the floor. He couldn't believe that Mariana  betrayed him. He thought of the endless summers they spent together playing in the meadows, chasing butterflies, the parties they attended together and all the wonderful moments they shared. Mariana had clearly show him that he had to erase all those moments from his mind.
A task that Ryan felt was as impossible as counting the numerous stars at the cloudless sky during the summer season. Students started arriving, the school bell went and Ryan walked up from the floor. He wiped his tears with his thumbs and walked into the class. He had a collision with Josh who hit his shoulder as he was walking out of their class. Ryan turned back and watched Josh walking away as he swallowed bitter gulps of. Students walked into the class and left him standing at the door. He seemed to be stuck there and could barely blink his eyes. The joyful laughter of students and the banging of lockers and dragging of seats filled the air, creating a good fantasy platform for Ryan as he stood at the door gazing outside, staring at nothing specific. He heard Mariana talking from the back of the class and that's when he came back to his senses. Ryan walked sluggishly to his seat, placed his shoulder bag on top of it and went to where Mariana was. He walked towards her and stopped right in front of her. He placed his hands on top of her locker, leaned forward and looked straight to her eyes. “Did you mean what you said to that boy my love?" Ryan asked Mariana. "I'm not your love, just call me by my name. It’s over between us. I can't  continue being in a relationship with such a church mouse like you. You are too broke to be mine." Mariana responded rudely. She ignored Ryan's presence ,took her phone, opened her Instagram app and started scrolling. She  searched for nothing because she just wanted Ryan out of her sight. Ryan sighed and stared at Mariana with disbelief. He felt like a sudden jolt of electricity had coursed through his veins leaving him momentarily stunned.