What Love Can Do to You

Past

There was this eerie feeling...in his chest, every time he was around her...it became more acute recently. It's always been there, really...nothing has bothered him so much until now. It really made every day just a bit harder.

He wanted to face the music. But what they had was too perfect- they had just made reconciliation, and here he goes falling in love. He desperately hammers his head into his cold, metal locker. He didn't really care how stupid he looked at the moment.

I'll have a nice, long cry when I get back home.

A sudden gasp escaped his lips and a slight panic began to settle in. The girl who had caused them so much trouble throughout the years. The girl who had been his secret admirer all this time. The girl who had so much to show for, but she just didn't know how...

"Naoka..." his eyes opened to the sight of her, shuddering when her name uncontrollably rolls off of his tongue. (He didn't really plan to say anything at first.) but his eyes widened when he realized the harsh reality of what he was about to ask such a young girl. He had no control over himself, he didn't put any thought into anything he was saying. He tried his best to be mindful enough to process what she was going to say so that he could go back and tell the others. (Specifically Yuzuru.)

"Did you.. rape Nishimiya...?"

It was more like a lust-driven kind of thing, she thought. Shoko was the perfect target for her that day. Considering the outfit she wore, she kind of asked for it...

It didn't make any sense in the first place, so how was she supposed to make a valid excuse for this?

Ueno was ready for all of his questions. She had prepared herself prior to this; she had all of her points pre-written and ready to copy and paste...

"Of course I didn't!"

He suddenly became suspicious of Yuzuru's extreme accusations, and for a little bit, he felt bad for her. (though it wasn't quite far fetched for her...she would do anything for attention. He'd learned that the hard way.)

"But..."

Her detached gaze suddenly met his in a mournful way, her pools of misery that had also cried a million tears; but deep down she just really wanted peace, and to resonate with him- yet in the end she couldn't find a way to take control of her emotions and actions, and her anger and fear and regret, and jealousy decided that she wanted to make him feel bad for all of the pain that he's caused her- all of the sadness and quiet breakdowns she had on late nights all by herself in her room, the fear that he would fall in love with someone else.. and yet for just a moment her eyes softened, and she spoke gently.

Her love for him never really left her...

"You know...I did all of this in spite of you."

"All of what?"

"You know what I'm talking about," she glared even harder than before. "I only bullied her because of you."

She stopped to examine his expression before starting up again.

"I bullied her because I wanted to impress you, and be in your favor. I bullied her because of jealousy. I knew that you loved her and- I hated that."

She waited anxiously for his reply.

"Say something!"

Tears began to sting her eyes and she tried so desperately to blink them away- fearing that she'd already made a big fool of herself as it is. Nevertheless, they got the best of her and her quiet sobs filled the air in the locker room.