Electric Love ⇒ Heartstopper [ON HOLD]

13 → Anything But This

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'Anything But This'
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"Where is she?" Tao rhetorically asked, searching the crowd for Elle.

"You're the tall one, you tell me," Gabriel replied, craning his neck to try and spot the girl. "Wait! I think I see her," the boy announced, pointing through the crowd, Tao immediately peeking up.

"Elle!" He called out, waving his hands until he was spotted.

"Hi!" The girl replied, giving Tao and Gabriel hugs.

"Oh my god, it's literally like old times."

"Don't say that. I thought I'd never have to come back to this hell-hole," Elle commented, Gabriel squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"I don't want to be here either, honestly. I haven't signed up for an event. If Mrs Singh catches me, she's gonna force me to do the high jump or something," Tao groaned at the idea.

"I'd pay to see that," Gabriel smirked, receiving a playful slap from the boy.

"Your highness," Jasmine announced, appearing out of nowhere, mocking a bow.

"Well, well, well, look at you in your PE kit," Gabriel teased, giving the girl a hug.

Jasmine turned to Elle. "Hey," she began, nervously. "I'm sorry about being rude to you earlier and ignoring you," she apologised, taking Elle by surprise.

"Thanks Jasmine," she returned the smile.

"Oh god, I see Mrs Singh," Tao interrupted, jumping off the bench, grabbing Elle by the hand and running.

"Tao Xu!"

Jasmine and Gabriel laughed as the teacher called after Tao. "So... have you seen Imogen yet?" Jasmine asked her best friend.

"Nope," Gabriel sighed, leaning into the girl. "Do you think the rumours are true?"

"Not gonna comment because you're gonna overthink it anyway," she replied, grabbing his hand in support.

"Why do the people I like never like me back?"

"Maybe you're just too great for them," Jasmine suggested, chuckling to herself as Gabriel playfully shoved her. "Okay then, maybe you're cursed, doomed to suffer," she dramatised, the smile wide on her face.

"Gabriel!" The boy heard his name called out from a distance. He lifted his head up from Jasmine's shoulder to be met with Imogen waving at him excitedly.

"Speak of the devil," Jasmine muttered. "Go, I'll wait here," the girl prompted. Gabriel waved her a goodbye as he approached Imogen.

"Hi!" Imogen smiled, giving the boy a hug.

"You alright?" Gabriel asked, returning the smile as best he could while a bad feeling began to bubble in his stomach.

"Yes, I've got some news," she continued, excitement in her voice. "Can we go inside so I can tell you?"

"Sure," Gabriel kept up the smile. Imogen took his hand as the pair made their way into the school, Gabriel leading them to an empty English classroom.

"Sooo..." Gabriel dragged out as he hopped into the desk, eye level with Imogen who stood in front of him. "You've got news?"

"Yes, right," Imogen blinked out of a trance and dropped his hand. Something inside made him immediately miss the warmth of her hand. "I have a boyfriend," she revealed with jazz hands. Gabriel's stomach dropped, disappointed sat heavy on his chest.

"O-oh really," she stumbled out, Imogen's smile dropping slightly at his reaction. "So the rumour was true then," he mused to himself, earning a confused look from Imogen.

"Rumour?"

"That you got a boyfriend," Gabriel cleared up, rubbing the nape of his neck, attempting to sooth the oncoming the feeling of guilt for not being happy for his friend. "So... who is it?"

Imogen fiddled nervously with her fingers for a moment as she didn't expect such a quiet reaction from Gabriel. "It's Ben."

Gabriel's face ran through a few expressions: going from confusion to anger to surprise in a second. "Ben?"

"Yes," Imogen confirmed. "Is everything..." she dragged out, not finishing her sentence.

No, it wasn't, he wanted to tell her, the disappointment growing stronger by the second as he tried to reason her decision. Ben? Maybe he just misread all the moments when he thought Imogen liked him back.

"Just surprised," he reasoned, feigning a smile. "So... did he ask you or..."

"I asked him out," Imogen informed her friend, a dulled feeling taking over her gut. She brushed it off, chalking it up to the excitement of her new relationship.

"Ah," Gabriel's voice wobbled slightly, feeling his heart break. Quickly, he plastered a smile on his face and gave the girl a hug. "I'm happy for you," he said, the words tasting sour on his tongue.

"Thank you," Imogen smiled. "The rugby game's starting in a few minutes and I promised Harry I'd watch him play, do you want to come with me?" She asked, offering her hand to help him off the table.

"I'll find you in a bit, just need to find Elle and Tao," Gabriel lied, seeing Imogen's smile falter a little.

"Okay," she replied, leaving the classroom before suddenly jumping as she was about to leave. "Oh, Jasmine, hi... I was just..." Gabriel heard Imogen say just before she left the classroom.

"No good new for you I'm guessing?" Asked Imogen as she jumped on the table next to Gabriel.

"I think I'm cursed," he sighed, resting his head on her shoulder. Jasmine rubbed his back in support, attempting to sooth her friend of the heart break.

"How about we ditch the game and get ice cream?" Jasmine suggested. "We can invite the St Mary gang and have a picnic or a water fight or... well, anything that isn't watching rugby."

Gabriel chuckled despite blinking back tears. "Yeah, I'd like that."

THE END

OF SEASON ONE

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Hello pretty people!

Surprise! Second chapter this week but sadly the final of season one.

I changed some things around for ✨plot convenience✨like Imogen getting with Ben earlier.

Hope to see you for the next season! Thanks for reading :)

- Bubbles