I'm Supposed To Hate You

Arlo

I throw a punch at Loreley. She blocks it, and begins to run out of the building. The crowd cheers, but something doesn't settle with me. I run after her, worried. I follow her all the way to an abandoned building. She climbs all the way up to the roof, and I climb up there to see what's up. She sits down on the ledge and throws her mask off. She pulls her red hair out of its ponytail. I walk up behind her, waiting for my chance to say something.

"It's madness to love him," she says.

"There's always a reason behind madness," I tell her. She spins around, and I see the face of Lyra Lord staring back at me. Her deep brown eyes are tinged with red, and brimmed with tears threatening to spill.

"What are you doing here?" she asks weakly, wiping away the unshed tears from her eyes. I sit down beside her.

"I was worried about you," I admit. She raises her eyebrow.

"Why would you be worried about me?" she asks.

"Because I love you," I tell her. She shakes her head.

"You're not in love with me. You're in love with Loreley. You don't even know who I am," she tells me.

"How do you know that?" I ask her.

"Because, I've done some terrible things these past few years. I abandoned my best friend, and he can't even look me in the eye anymore. I destroyed Merryweather's pool. I'm a terrible mess," she says, and begins to cry. I try wrap my arm around her, and she throws it off. She places her head in her palms.

"Please don't cry," I say to her. "You're not a terrible person." She shakes her head, but her tears begin to stop.

"You don't even know me," she says.

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't."

"I do."

"You don't."

"What's it going to take for you to believe me?"

"Take off your mask."

"What?"

"You heard me. Take off your mask."

"I don't know if I can do that."

"Why not. You know who I am. It's only fair."

"Look, I didn't tell you to take off your mask. Can't I prove my love for you in some other way?"

"No."

"Fine," I relent. I pull off my mask.

"Arlo?" she asks in surprise.