Ongoing Cycle

41

A week passed by and walking into the school building on Monday morning, [Y/N] sensed that something was drastically different. Usually, no one really ever acknowledged her presence when she walked through the hallways, but there were eyes on her today. Biting her lip nervously, she glanced around uneasily. What the hell was this? Not wanting to assume that the worse had happened already, she increased her walking speed. Heading towards her morning spot at school, she halted when a girl she didn't know approached her. This couldn't be good.

     The girl curiously scanned her up and down, causing [Y/N] to frown. It was as if this stranger was judging her; she hated feeling being judged. "You're [Y/N], right?" the random girl finally spoke to her.

    Giving this blonde haired girl a suspicious look, she eventually nodded slowly. "Yes... that's me."

     "Then... are you truly dating Kuro?"

     [Y/N] instantly paled and her eyes darted around the area. Luckily, no one was too near them to listen in on their conversation, but there were still eyes on her. So, her worst assumption had come true, which would explain why everyone's attention was on her. Her hands grew sweaty and she was slightly shaking. Their secret barely lasted a fucking week. How did this happen?!

     Rubbing her tired eyes in exasperation, she returned her gaze to the girl. The blonde raised her eyebrows, as if waiting for a response.

     "I have the right to keep my life private," she retorted stiffly.

     "So you are."

     [Y/N] gritted her teeth. "Who spread this rumor?" she demanded quietly.

     Blondie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. I came to school and everyone was talking about it."

     Slightly feeling suffocated, [Y/N] knew she needed to leave these hallways. Sidestepping the girl and making her way around the school, she finally reached her destination. Sagging into the couch and appreciating the silence that this spot offered, she sullenly stared at the ground. Really? She couldn't even live in bliss for a little longer? Why were there always so many ways to ruin her happiness?

     She wanted to know who exposed their relationship.

     The only person she told was Miku. But... it couldn't be her. Not when they've been through the things they went through; not when she told her about her parents – otherwise the school would know about her parents, too. So for now, [Y/N] would refuse to believe that it was her best friend that did this.

     Maybe it was Kuro who accidentally told someone that decided to share the news around? That could be a possibility; she had to confide in him later on.

      [Y/N] glumly stared at the empty spot beside her. Miku wasn't here at their usual spot. Where was she? When the bell rang for class, she walked to class alone while feeling the eyes of everyone on her.

     She forgot that Aoi was in her homeroom class. When she slumped down onto her desk, the girl came up to her with eyes that radiated of disappointment. Dammit. Aoi was supposed to be a problem saved for later. But now, because this came too soon, she didn't know what to do. The guilt quickly sprung back up on her chest as she awkwardly stared at Aoi.

     "You know [Y/N]...? You could've been honest with me at the senior trip. I'm not even mad that you're dating Kuro... it's just that... I thought we were friends," Aoi whispered softly.

     Before [Y/N] could even open her mouth to form any sort of explanation, the girl left for her own desk. Hopelessly watching the girl walk away from her, she then buried her face into her arms. This was a disaster. She wished this day would be over soon.

     Ignoring the curious eyes on her all day, lunch finally came. Knowing that going to the lunchroom would be a terrible idea – instead – she made her way to the library. Pushing against the large doors, she hoped that Kuro also decided to go there.

     Relief washed over her when she saw Kuro sitting at a table, studying something. Because it was lunchtime, no one was there besides the librarian, so she went to sit down next to him. He lifted his head and smiled at her. "Hey there, pretty lady."

     She smiled back, though it did not reach her glum [e/c] eyes. "Hey."

     His eyebrows scrunched, he worriedly touched her hand. "Are you doing alright? Rumors were spreading like wildfire this morning."

    "No," [Y/N] sighed. "I want to go home. I don't want to hear people talking shit about me anymore."

    His grasp tightened around her hand and his eyes were blazing. "We'll get through this together, I promise. Rumors are uncomfortable at first, but over time people will get bored of it and will move on to something new."

     Grateful for his words, she nodded and took a deep breath. He was right. She couldn't quit now, not when she was this close to feeling truly happy.

     Remembering the question she wanted to ask him, she asked, "Did you accidentally tell someone about our relationship?"

     To this, he shook his head. "No, I didn't. I think people may have found out because they saw us together somewhere." That was true. They haven't really gone anywhere public together, but someone could've seen them in the same car.

     When the bell rang, she hugged Kuro and breathed in his scent to remind herself that no matter what, he was still on her side. They headed for their own classes and the rest of the day went by slightly easier for [Y/N].

     Another person she was appreciative of was Shou. Unlike their classmates, he didn't care about the rumors. He was too much in his head to even notice that people were gossiping about her. Instead of shooting questions at her like everyone else, he talked to her about other topics. It was sort of grounding to her and for the first time today, she felt normal.

     "Thank you," [Y/N] blurted out.

    He peered at her in confusion as he mixed the chemical substances together. "For what?"

    Growing a little red, she scratched her head and chuckled. Not wanting to bring up the rumAors at all in this sweet conversation, she said, "Oh... I don't know. I forgot what I was thanking you for."

     He giggled and waggled his finger at her. "You silly goose. You need to stop being so forgetful!"