Unrequited love

4»Friends?

"I'm sorry you had to see that," I said, apologizing for the upteenth time as we walked to the Dining Hall for lunch.

"I told you, it's okay," Michael reaffirmed.

"Does this mean we're... friends?" I asked.

"Of course 😉! I thought it was already decided."

"Just making sure."

When we walked into the bustling DH, we joined the not so long line with our lunch trays over by the buffet.

"What's your House?" Michael asked.

"Dragon. Yours?"

"Oh. I'm a Legend," he said with a pout.

I laughed at his misery.

"Are we allowed in each other's common rooms?" I asked.

"Yeah, my brother said we are. I can come over, and we can hang out," he offered.

"Yeah, that's wear I was going with the question, fugnut."

It was finally our turn in line, and I took chicken wings, beef patties and a carton of chocolate milk 🤤 🥛. Michael took three sloppy joes, fries, and a can of soda 😋 🥤.

"Where do we sit?" He asked me.

I looked around and spotted a table in the back. It was empty, it was under an AC, and it was perfect.

"Come on!" I told him. I didn't want anyone else to get there first.

I placed my tray down and slid into the booth, and Michael followed across from me. I raised a brow in question.

"Makes it easier to talk," he explained with a shrug.

"Michael?"

"Yeah?"

I exhaled.

"I can trust you, right?" I asked seriously.

"Of course you can," he said. "You have to realize that even though most people are going to hurt you, not everyone is. I'm not. Let me tell you something."

He lowered his voice and leaned closer, and so did I in order to catch his words.

"Reina...she was obsessed with my brother ever since we were little kids. At first, she...she used me to get closer to him. She would chase away any competition from other girls —even our guy friends. She was an angel before our parents and hers, and a saint before my brother, but to everyone else, she was batshit crazy. Our friends got scared of her and only hung out with me.

"Then...she started turning him against me. My own brother. He and I used to be inseparable, but by the time we reached seventh grade, we became complete strangers. Reina started manipulating him slowly but surely. She would run to him in tears acting like I said something to her, she would convince him to leave me out of his plans, and she would spread rumours about me that weren't true.

"Rumours like me hitting on his girlfriends, then she would tell him that I the one who had made our childhood friends stop playing with him and play with me. Then, towards the end of sixth grade, it got worse. She started hurting herself and crying to my brother about how I had done it, then begged him not to tell anyone else for fear that I might, get into trouble.

"My brother reached his limit and threatened me to stay away from her. I obviously plead my case, and he obviously didn't listen to me. I confronted her, and she denied not a thing. She gloated to me about how she would have him to herself. I told her that I would tell Mickey {A/N: that's pronounced My-key} and do you know what she did? The psychopath ran up the stairs and 'tripped' at the top of them. Scarlett, the nut job made herself fall down the stairs, screaming Mickey's name, and like the Prince Charming he was, he pushed me out of the way to save her.

"He saw my outstretched hand —a feeble attempt to save her —and assumed I'd done it. Reina, being the manipulating little shitstick she was, played damsel in distress and painted me the villain of the story. That was the day he broke all ties with me, his little brother, his flesh and blood, and chose her. I moved away to live with our godparents —whose relationship with Mickey she had also ruined —and attended high school there in Miami. That's how I met your brother, who was there for a soccer game against our football team— which I was apart of— and we became friends."

I placed my hand over his and gave it a squeeze.

"So...you're like me?" I asked him.

He gave me a sad smile, his sapphire eyes glassy.

"I guess I am... like you."

He had trusted me with his story, so I was ready to trust him with mine.

"Oh," he said as if suddenly recalling something. "You know Nicole Murray, right?"

I nodded in response.

"Ask her. Reina's done something to her too."

My hands flew to my mouth in shock and horror.

"What?! She's only eighteen! How in the..." my voice trailed off.

I couldn't trust myself to speak.

"Yeah, I know," he said sadly.

"What's your major?" I asked him.

He stared at me pointedly.

"Oh! Then, come with me after Drama 101, okay?" I said.

"Where to?" He asked.

"You'll see."

~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~'~

Oh my gosh, guys I cried as I wrote this.

Whose joining me in the Reina haters club?

#wehatereina in the comment section and please vote!

Vote if you want Michelangelo to escape her clutches. You can do it for poor Michael, or even our girl Scarlett.

In case it's not obvious, Mikey {pronounced My-key } is Michelangelo's nickname. Mike is Michael's.

So, that's chapter four, and I know it's short, but please bear with me here. I need that suspense in order to build up the next chapter.

I'm wondering how sad to make Nicole's story...and a way to make Scarlett's even sadder.

Teehee.

Valhala, out.

Peace! ✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻😁✌🏻