The Only Rule

Chapter 6a: The Ugly Truth

Without hesitation, you grabbed the mic right as the next line of the song hit—and took the lead! Startled for a moment, Dominic’s eyes quickly went ablaze as he mouthed: You’re dead after this.

In an instant, Dominic lunged to steal the mic back, but you were quicker. You shoved your-once-mic towards his face, making him nearly stumble back as he reached for it. He jumped back into the song, trying to sing his lines—but his voice barely carried, muffled through the backup mic. You smirked, feeling a twinge of satisfaction at the way he struggled to keep up, still trying to steal the mic back.

From the side of the stage, Talia had her face in her hands, clearly mortified by the display. Meanwhile, not far from her, the boy with slanted almond shaped eyes stood frozen, watching the chaotic scene in utter confusion.

In front of the crowd, stood two people with tired eyes, their heads drooping with fatigue. Liam sighed, casting a sideways glance at Tyler, “Is this like.. their thing or what?”

A once civil flash mob quickly became another diss battle. By the time the song ended, both you and Dominic were out of breath. For a moment there’s a still silent from the crowd—

Until you hear the crowd erupted into applause, louder than you’d ever heard! You looked around, dazed—as students rushed forward to scan the charity code. Val and Dan gathered around, beaming as they pulled both you and Dominic into a group hug, ecstatic with how the performance had turned out.

Val shouted, “Keep the diss tracks going, bro and sis! Yeah! I can’t believe this!”

As if just woken up from the utter confusion, still catching your breath, you and Dominic exchanged awkward glances—before you shouted, “No way—”

“Especially for the festival!” Dan added, wrapping an arm around both of you.

“What—what festival—”

Before Dom finally interrupted, “Oh, f**k no—!”

“No buts,” Dan grinned, gesturing toward the crowd that was still buzzing with excitement and scanning the charity barcode. He tightened his hold on you both, and whispered right in your ears, threatening, “You two are doing it. Or I swear, I’ll kill you for real this time for ruining our performance.”

He let go, leaving both of you standing there, speechless. Dominic gulped, glancing over at you. You met his gaze for a brief moment—before the two of you quickly looked away, turning on your heels—

When a soda was slammed before you! You stop dead in your tracks, hands up in a startle. For a moment.. you paused, until your curiosity took over and you looked up—to find a girl, standing there, face twisted in fury.

“What in the f*****g—”

“You b***h! You think you can steal my man?!” the girl shouted, her voice rose with every word, hand shook as she pointed directly at you.

You stood frozen, hands flopping to your sides as confusion quickly turned into disbelief. “What are you even talking about?”

Before the girl could fire back, someone pushed through the crowd. His cap was pulled so low that his face was barely visible—but you’d know him anywhere.

And your heart fell.

Now you know what. Now you know why.

He rushed over, clearly flustered, whispering in a hush, “Pop—stop!” His face was drained of color, the girl, however, wasn’t done. She yanked her arm out of the huge boy’s grip and glared at you. “You will never—” but before she could finish, he grabbed her again, this time more firmly, quickly dragging her away from the scene despite her protests.

Around you, the buzz of conversation filled the room as people whispered and stared. Val, who had been standing nearby, approached you cautiously. He gently touched your arm, face full of concern. “Hey, you okay?” When Talia popped up, her hand briskly clasped yours. She rubbed your arms, trying to calm you down while sighing a knowing sigh.

“Girl he’s messed up..”

The band had just finished rehearsing, and you sat silently in the backseat of whatever this car is. Hunt laughed giddily with the others—however, from the rearview mirror, he kept sneaking glances at you. He watched the way you stared out the window.. an elbow rested on the door, your chin cupped lazily on your hands.. eyes unfocused. But suddenly, you shifted in your seat.. and your eyes met his.

Awkwardly, he looked away, stumbling to shift his focus back on the wheel. Normally, you’d scoff at him—or maybe you’d.. chuckle bashfully.. But tonight, you couldn’t bring yourself to feel anything at all. You just feel.. numb.

Finally, the car pulled up to your stop. You and Val got out, saying your thank yous to Dom and waved your goodbyes. “Catch you later,” Val said before walking the opposite way—and you nod. But as you started walking away from the car—

“Ren!”

Someone called you from behind. In startled confusion, you turned around.. to see Dominic, leaning out of his glossy red Mustang with 2 black stripes. Resting his elbow on the window, his eyes locked on yours. He almost closed his mouth back shut—but after a moment of reluctance, he shouted,

“There’re far better things ahead than what we’ve left behind!”

You blinked, confusion washed over you as a few thoughts came into mind. But as you tilted your head, he muttered, “Some people don’t change. Some people cannot be fixed.” And without another word, he bounced his eyebrows nonchalantly.. ducked back into the car.. and drove away, leaving you there in the coldness of the night.

The dim light from the setting sun barely illuminated the room, casting long shadows across the space. You sat on the edge of the bed, your hands fumbling with the buttons of your shirt, each one feeling heavier than the last. The air in the room felt thick, suffocating. Your chest tightened with every breath, mind swirling with emotions. Stumbled into this hell hole again. Back to this routine.

At the far end of the room, a guy stood with his back to you, head bowed, buckling his belt with slow.. deliberate movements. His bare back was slick with sweat, the tension evident in the way his muscles clenched and released. His shoulders were hunched, defeated, as though the weight of their situation was crushing him too. He hadn’t even turned around yet, but you could feel his reluctance.

You knew he’d walk over eventually—he always did.

The oriental features painted on his beautiful face as he moved towards you slowly, as though trying to drag out the inevitable. His steps were soft—but it felt loud in the heavy silence of the room. When he finally stopped, you kept your gaze firmly on the floor, not wanting to see the look in his slanted eyes—the look that would undo you completely.

“I told you I don’t want this anymore,”

You whispered, voice trembling, barely above a breath. Your hands gripped the edge of the sheets, knuckles turning white as you tried to steady yourself, as if holding on to the bed would keep you from falling apart. “I told you I don’t want to hurt anyone anymore, Ray—”

“Ren—”

“I told you—” you repeated, louder this time, the pain in your voice unmistakable. “How do I move on if you—” The words caught in your throat as tears welled up, blurring your vision. You blinked rapidly, but it didn’t help. The quiver in your lips betrayed you, and the burning in your throat became unbearable.

His hand reached out, trying to cup your tear-streaked cheek—but you slapped it away, body trembling with hurt and anger.

“You’re so mean.”

Voice breaking, you pushed him away.

“You’re so mean.”

Your fists pounded weakly against his big chest, each hit more desperate than the last, your screams barely holding back the sobs that threatened to take over. He didn’t fight back, didn’t even try to stop you. He simply kneeled in front of you, letting your rage and sorrow crash over him like waves.

”Ray why are you—“

You pushed.

“Why are you so mean to me!”

And pushed—

He caught your wrists firmly this time, his grip strong but gentle, holding your hands still. You tried to shake him off, to hit him again, but he wouldn’t let you.

“Ren—stop.” he muttered, voice strained, but you couldn’t stop. You didn’t know how to.

“Why are you so mean to me, Ray?”

Suddenly—Ray pushed you back onto the bed, capturing your lips in a desperate kiss. Your hands flew up, trying to push him away, but he was too strong. Unexpectedly, his kiss wasn’t rough—it was soft, tender, as though he was trying to communicate all the words he couldn’t say. When he finally pulled back, you stared at each other, both breathless, both teetering on the edge of something too big to name.

Your face crumpled, fresh tears spilling over as you sobbed openly, the weight of everything too much to bear. Ray’s arms wrapped around you, pulling you into a tight embrace as he knelt before you. His voice broke as he murmured against you, “I’m sorry—I’m sorry—“

For a long moment, the two of you stayed like that, locked in your shared grief. When Ray finally pulled back, the silence between you felt suffocating. He stared down at you, eyes full of regret, as if the words he was about to say would destroy you both. And it did.

“They forced me to marry her.”

His voice barely a whisper, yet it sounded like a sledgehammer to the chest. “This.. this would be our last time, Ren, I promise.”

You froze, unable to process whatever s**t he had just said. “What?” you whispered, your voice trembling, barely there.

“I know,” Ray’s voice was thick with guilt as he said, “we’ve said goodbye so many times, but—”

“AGAIN?!”