Love Is a Losing Game // Joel Pimentel

40 | Bluffin'

Chapter Forty

Joel's POV

Walking into school the day after Winter Ball seemed surreal but it was also slightly twinged with a tension that plagued every part of my mind. Blu told me that if we wanted anything to continue that she had to let Yoandri know. Somehow I just seriously doubted that would end well.

As previously mentioned, there's always a rumor that spreads as a result of the infamous winter ball and this year it was that I had stolen Blu from Yoandri. I didn't really care but I also knew that Yoandri had probably already heard of our kiss.

"Bro, you've got to be fucking joking," Yoandri deadpans as he walks up to me. I stop in my footsteps and take a deep breath, knowing that what was to come would not be good.

He stands before me and I see the anger in his eyes as well as the utterly raw emotion of betrayal on his face. "Why would you take her?" he asks in a tone that is eerily calm while simultaneously taking a step closer to me and getting into my personal space.

My first reaction is to tell him that I didn't even take her away from him and my second is to make sure he knows that she's mine and always will be. But the words that leave my mouth are a combination of neither, "Why didn't you?"

I see him visibly fume and he looks at me up and down with a look of disgust, his eyes displaying the grotesque emotion. Then he turns on his heel and moves away from me, walking with his hands clenched.

***

"Hello, Blu," I murmur gently into her ear as she shoves different books into her locker. Her shoulders jump up at my sudden contact and she turns around revealing the distraught expression on her face.

I immediately lift my hands to help soothe whatever it was that made her look so troubled but she simply sighs and takes a step away from my touch. I watch as her posture slumps down for a split second, her body releasing all the tension it had built up.

She exhales and then takes a minute before mumbling, "He doesn't want anything to do with me." I watch as she leans into the opening of her locker and runs fingers through her curls before rubbing her eyes.

My heart tugs as a sign to do something and without thinking I slip my hands onto her waist, hugging her tightly in my arms as I press my lips against her cheek. She immediately relaxes into my embrace and turns herself around, her head meeting my chest.

Her eyes looking up at me gently but it
happens so quickly I'm afraid I imagined it. Her hand touches my waist and I shiver as her fingers trace swirls on the skin under my shirt. Our bodies press together and we stay intertwined, our eyes closed and our hearts pounding.

"I'm so sorry, Blu," I whisper as she melts once again into my arms. Just as I'm about to open my mouth to continue spewing the guilt that I felt in my chest, the bell rings and she jumps back slightly before slipping away from my reach.

It suddenly feels like day one all over again.

***

By the time it's time for english, I'm fairly emotionally depleted due to the drama now surrounding me. Everyone had something to say, everybody had a comment to make. Yet the only person I wouldn't mind hearing from hadn't been very talkative today.

Blu sits in her seat next to me with a tired expression on her face and when she notices my presence her eyes lighten up a little. She opens her arms for me and I tilt my lips up, speeding up a little to walk into her embrace.

Once our bodies make contact, every problem
diminishes in magnitude and we are okay for the time being. Her hands slip around my waist as I press her head against my chest lightly, massaging her head in the process. We stay like this until the bell rings and reality sets in once more, pulling us away from our little bubble.

I plop down in my seat just as Yoandri comes inside the classroom and silently sits down in his chair, not bothering to acknowledge anyone. There's a commotion that occurs amongst the people among us as they take in the tension around them and I look over to Blu. She looks back at me and I see that the composure she was displaying was very much strained. I give her a warm smile and it seems to encourage her a bit as she returns the favor.

"Okay class, how was everyone's winter ball festivities?" our teacher beams at us.

Silence takes over the classroom at his question and everyone looks between me, Blu, and Yoandri waiting to see if any one of us would say something.

He clears his throat awkwardly and looks at the time, "I have to grade some papers so you guys can just hang out. We will start our next unit tomorrow."

Everyone disperses amongst the room and I scoot my chair closer to Blu who was both tense and eerily calm. Her eyes tentatively find mine before she glances over at Yoandri and flinches. I look over to find him looking at us with a blank expression, emotion nowhere to be found on his face.

"Hey look at me," I say to Blu who gazed up at me. I kiss her forehead before saying the thoughts running through my mind, "He will come around if he truly loves you. People don't lose that tenderness for people they feel that for."

"But I broke his heart," she breathes out quietly.

I furrow my eyebrows and watch as she looks down at her feet and casts her attention downward. "Blu—" I start but am cut off by the voice I least expected to hear in that moment. "Look," he starts.

"I'm not saying I forgive you or anything but," Yoandri stops for a second and watches as Blu looks up at him with curious eyes, her gaze expectant. He seems to lose his breath when she situates her attention onto him and I shake my head trying to hide my smile.

This boy is still so whipped, I think to myself.

"But, I'm sorry for what I said about wanting nothing to do with you. It was dumb and I just wanted to hurt you like you hurt me. Honestly, I would really like to be friends if that's cool with you?"

Blu smiles widely and nods before getting up and giving him a hug. I smile softly at seeing my darling so happy but then give Yoandri a death glare as I see him enjoying the hug a little too much.

"Okay, okay, that's enough," I say only half jokingly. They separate and she smiles at both of us before sliding back into her chair. Yoandri pulls up next to us and we all talk about life, our future, as well as other things of the sort.

I look over to the person who completed my life and smile at her as she grins at me. Our fingers meet softly but when they do I hang on tightly; I was always gonna be there for her, whatever she needed.

Love is a losing game, but sometimes you win.

___________________________________

a/n

okay i'm done goodbye.

thanks for being so amazing and supportive even back when this book was not cute 🥺🥺

y'all really the best 🤧