Episode 13
1032 Words
The evening air was thick with tension as Marilyn stormed across the campus courtyard, her breath coming in short bursts. Lights from the main building spilled across the cobblestones, casting long shadows behind her. Every step she took toward Xavier’s fraternity house felt heavier, like her body was struggling under the weight of betrayal, humiliation, and heartbreak.
She wasn’t sure what she expected from this confrontation—maybe an apology, maybe closure. But she needed him to see her face. To understand the pain he caused. To know that she wasn’t just some name to pass around in drunken party stories.
As she approached the steps, she heard laughter—Xavier’s laugh. That smug, lazy sound that used to make her smile. Now it only fueled her rage.
He was leaning against the porch rail, beer in hand, flanked by his ever-present wingman, Theo. A few others lingered nearby, but it was Xavier she locked eyes with.
His smile faltered when he saw her, but then twisted into something bitter.
“Well, well,” he said, standing upright. “Look who decided to show up.”
Marilyn stopped a few feet away, her arms rigid at her sides. “We need to talk.”
Xavier crossed his arms, eyes narrowing. “Sure. Want to explain why you’ve been playing house with my brother?”
She blinked. “What?”
“Oh, come on,” he scoffed. “Don’t act like it’s not all over campus. You and Lucas—at the café, walking back from his car, sitting together at the library like you’re starring in some tragic romance. Did you run to him the second I called you out?”
Her voice trembled, but not with weakness—this was anger, molten and ready to burn. “You think I’m sleeping with Lucas?”
“I don’t think,” he said coldly. “I know how girls like you work. Sweet act to get the brother, then you move on to the upgrade.”
Theo laughed under his breath. “Yeah, you really fooled us all.”
Marilyn’s stomach twisted. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Oh really?” Xavier stepped closer, his voice growing sharper. “So what is it, then? Lucas feel sorry for you? You cried a little and spread your legs for pity points?”
The slap rang through the night like a thunderclap. His head snapped to the side.
Everyone nearby froze.
Marilyn stood there, her hand still raised, chest heaving, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that again.”
Xavier’s jaw clenched as he turned back to her, stunned silent.
She took a trembling breath. “You made a bet about me. You laughed with your friends about it. You humiliated me.”
Theo rolled his eyes. “It was just a joke—”
“Shut up!” Marilyn shouted, her voice raw and furious. “Do you even understand what you did? I trusted you. I thought you cared. You kissed me, held me like I meant something. And the whole time, you were treating me like some trophy for your ego.”
Xavier’s face darkened, guilt flickering behind his bravado.
She took a step forward, voice lower now, but laced with venom. “You think I’m the slut? You think I’m pathetic for spending time with Lucas after what you did? He’s the only person who didn’t treat me like a game. He listened. He saw the damage you caused.”
Xavier’s expression cracked for just a moment—but then he scoffed, trying to rebuild his mask. “Don’t pretend like you’re innocent in all this. Lucas always wanted you. You probably loved the attention.”
Marilyn laughed bitterly. “You’re unbelievable. You don’t get to shame me for the way you imagined I reacted to your betrayal.”
She turned toward Theo. “And you—you stood by and said nothing. Watched him lie to me, humiliate me, and cheered him on. You’re just as disgusting.”
Theo raised his hands. “It wasn’t my idea.”
“But you didn’t stop it either,” she snapped. “You let it happen. Because none of you see women as people. Just targets. Bets. Laughingstock.”
Silence fell around them. Even the background chatter from nearby students had dimmed.
Marilyn’s voice cracked as she said, “I hope one day, you look in the mirror and realize the kind of man you’ve become. I hope it haunts you.”
She turned back to Xavier, eyes filled with pain. “You didn’t just break my heart. You killed the part of me that believed in the good in people. That’s on you. All of it.”
She took a step back, visibly shaking now, but she refused to let her tears fall until she was out of their sight.
“You don’t deserve forgiveness,” she whispered. “And you’ll never deserve me.”
Then she turned and walked away, leaving Xavier standing in stunned silence as the truth he’d buried was laid bare in front of everyone.
She didn’t know how far she walked. The night blurred around her—shadows, streetlights, snippets of music from open windows. Her legs moved on autopilot, but inside, she was unraveling.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. A message from Lucas:
“Where are you? Are you okay?”
She stared at the screen, hands trembling.
No, she wasn’t okay. She was shattered—inside out. But she was still standing. Somehow, she had found the strength to face the boy who broke her and spit the truth back into his face. That had to count for something.
She typed a reply with shaking fingers:
“I just need some time. But thank you… for being the only one who didn’t lie to me.”
Then she slipped the phone into her coat and kept walking. Her heart was torn open. Her trust was scarred. But tonight, she hadn’t been weak.
She had been real. She had been honest.
And maybe that was the beginning of healing.
- Writer
