Golden Melody

Chapter 7.5

Miexha Verra

Her Pov

We walked away from the clinic, the sound of our footsteps echoing in the quiet hallway.

Marie stopped abruptly, her gaze fixed on me, her eyes filled with a mixture of concern and a sharp, almost predatory intensity.

"Exy," she said, her voice low and serious
"What's really going on with you and Thyron?"

I looked away, my cheeks burning with shame.
"Nothing, Marie. It's just... complicated."

"Complicated?" Marie scoffed, her voice laced with disbelief.

"That's an understatement. You've been acting strange ever since that first day.
You're always avoiding Zat, you're always looking so sad, and now this..." She gestured towards the clinic, her eyes filled with a mixture of anger and sadness.

I sighed, my heart heavy with the weight of my secrets.

"I don't know if it's just... me? Or maybe..." I whispered, my voice barely audible.

I couldn't shake the feeling that Thyron was playing a game.

What if he had a plan, a hidden agenda, and I'm a pawn in his game.
He had a way of making you feel like you were the only one, that he saw something special in you, but it was all a facade.

He was always watching, always calculating, always in control.

I knew he was behind the public announcement of our relationship, a move that had put me in a vulnerable position.

He needed me to be his puppet, his tool.
But for what?
What was he ultimately trying to achieve?

"Ron?" Marie's voice was a low growl.
"What about Thyron?"

I hesitated, my words catching in my throat.
"He's... he's my boyfriend. We're officially a couple. But..."

"But?" Marie pressed, her eyes unwavering.

"But I don't love him," I whispered, the words escaping my lips like a sigh of relief.

"You don't love him?" Marie's voice was a mixture of surprise and understanding.
"Then why are you with him?"

I looked down, my fingers twisting in my skirt.
"I don't know. I was scared. I was confused. And I didn't want to hurt Ron. He's been so kind, so persistent..."

"But you're not happy," Marie said, her voice soft but firm.

"No," I admitted, my voice a mere whisper.
"I'm not."

"Then why are you staying with him?" Marie asked, her voice with a hint of frustration.
"Why are you making yourself miserable?"

I looked at her, my eyes filled with tears.
"I don't know," I whispered.
"I'm so lost, Marie. I don't know what to do."

Marie reached out and took my hand, her touch of comforting warmth.
"It's okay, Exy," she said, her voice gentle.
"We'll figure this out together. But first, you need to tell me the truth. What do you really feel for Zat?"

I looked at her, my heart pounding in my chest.

The truth hung between us, a heavy weight that I had been carrying for far too long.
I knew I had to tell her, to let her know how I truly felt.

"I love him," I whispered, the words a confession that had been building inside me for months.
"I love him more than anything. I'm sorry Marie"

Marie's eyes widened, her expression a mixture of surprise and understanding.
She squeezed my hand, and touched a silent promise of support.

"I know," she said, her voice soft but firm.
"I know."

She paused, her gaze fixed on me, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Exy," she said, her voice a low whisper,
"About me and Zat. the thing between us We've been just acting like we're in love, you know, the campus sweethearts thing. It was all an act."

My eyes widened in disbelief. "What?"

"I wanted you to see how happy he could be with someone else," Marie explained, her voice laced with a hint of sadness.
" Exy, I wanted you to understand how much he means to you, and he loves you so much."

"But why?" I asked, my voice filled with confusion.
"Why would you help him do that?"

She looked away and bit her lower lip.

"Because I like you, Exy, I am into girls not guys" Marie said, her voice a soft confession.
"I already like you, even before we met at the academy, and I knew you liked Zat, and that's why I proposed this ridiculous plan to him."

I stared at her, my mind reeling.

I had never considered the possibility that Marie might have feelings for me.
She was my best friend.
But now, what now?

"But... but I thought you liked him," I stammered, my voice barely whispering.

Marie chuckled softly.
"Oh, Exy, you're so naive. I was just playing along. I knew you really loved him, and still staying in a toxic relationship with Thyron and you know Zat, he really loves you, I just don't know why the two of you couldn't talk about your feelings."

I felt tears welling up in my eyes. "But... but why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you seem confused," Marie said, her voice filled with a hint of regret.
"And I want you to realize it on your own."

I reached out and took her hand, my heart filled with a mixture of gratitude and confusion.

"Marie," I said, my voice choked with emotion,
"I don't know what to say."

I was exhausted, craving nothing more than the rest.

Riel.
Ron.
Marie...
Did they truly like me?
Why?
I should be happy, but everything felt so complicated, so tangled, so confusing.