Jerome stood in his room, sorting out his uniform for the day, getting his hair and tie to sit just so. He knew he would be on stage this afternoon for the history presentations. So, he needed to look his most handsome.
A soft, gentle tap came from his door, without him even speaking it slowly whined open and revealed Y/n stood in the doorway dressed for the day in her uniform with her red bow in her curls
"Oh Morning Y/n..." He smiled,
"Hey... Are uhh are you busy?" Y/n said, her eyes flicking around the room and shuffling her little feet nervously.
He chuckled, shaking his head slightly."Nope." He said, "What's up with you? You seem... nervous."
"I .. I need to talk to you. About something..." Y/n said, softly closing the door behind her.
He frowned ever so slightly, walking towards her. "Is Everything okay?"
"I- it- Jerome... It's about joy." Y/n forced out,
His face dropped completely at the mention of her name, his breath catching in his throat as he slowly put the pieces together in his head. "...What about her?" He asked, his voice soft and strained.
"...I... I..." She trembled, unable to meet his eyes. "I... I know you're happy, and I'm so happy for you, but I... I- I need to tell you something and... I know you won't believe me or... Just think I'm -"
He reached out, gently taking her hand. "Y/n...It's okay... Just....say it," he said, looking at her intently and trying to keep a straight face despite how his stomach was churning and his heart was thumping wildly in his chest.
Y/n let out a long breath, gathering all her courage. "I know you don't want to hear it. And I know you won't believe me. But... I can't not tell you." She said. "Joy.... Joy is working with Mara and Willow. They ... They've conspired together, and joy was ... Just dating you so that she could break up with you publicly and humiliate you. As... As revenge."
As she spoke, each word felt like a knife in his gut. He stared at her, almost expecting her to crack and tell him it was all a joke, that it was just some horrible prank, but he knew, deep down, he knew she wouldn't be saying something like that without a reason. He just couldn't bring himself to believe it. He'd trusted Joy, really trusted her. He thought they had something but it was all just a lie?
"I... I'm so sorry..." Y/n said, tears in her eyes.
He shook his head, unable to meet her eyes. "No... She wouldn't- I mean- how-? Why-" He ran a hand through his hair, taking in a shaky breath as he paced the floor. "Are you sure? There's no way, no bloody way it's true, she wouldn't do that, I trusted her, we- I... There's no- no way."
"I'm sure." She nodded. "I... I heard them talking."
He looked at her then, and she could see the hurt and confusion on his face. The hurt made her gut sink, but he was also angry. "When... When did you hear them?" He asked, his voice soft, almost pleading.
"This morning, in her girl's bathroom." She answered, "If I'd have known any earlier, you know I'd have told you..."
He shook his head, taking in another shaky breath as he slowly walked over to his bed and sinking down on the edge. "I-....I just thought, I thought we were different." He said, almost to himself. "So how... How do they plan to humiliate me?"
"During the presentations today... going back stage and breaking up with you. With her mic on."
It was like a knife straight into his heart. "Of- Of course." He said with a bitter laugh, "Guess I really am just the school's fool."
