Your's, eventually

offence

He hadn't told Gabriella he liked her.

He hadn't even spoken to her that morning.

He was simply making sure she was okay.

That was all.

So why did he feel as though he had been caught doing something he couldn't explain?

He looked towards the windows again.

Gabriella was now concentrating on her notes, her tongue caught between her teeth as she wrote.

Ethan leaned over to inspect her work.

She immediately covered the page with her arm.

"Stop looking!"

"I'm checking for mistakes."

"You're checking for ways to insult my handwriting."

"Both things can be true."

She laughed again.

Xander looked away.

He didn't notice Marielle watching him from the other side of the room.

But she saw everything.

And for the first time, she stopped asking herself whether she was imagining things.

She wasn't.

Something was wrong.

Wednesday — The Question Marielle Was Afraid to Ask

Marielle found Xander behind the school building during lunch.

He was sitting on a low wall, scrolling through his phone.

She stood in front of him.

"We need to talk."

He looked up.

The moment he saw her expression, he sighed.

"Marielle, please tell me we're not doing this again."

She folded her arms.

"Doing what?"

"This whole thing about Gabriella."

Marielle let out a short laugh.

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk about."

"Of course it is."

She stared at him.

He seemed to realise how dismissive he sounded, because he slipped his phone into his pocket and straightened.

"Okay. Fine. Talk."

Marielle sat beside him, leaving a small space between them.

For several seconds, she said nothing.

She had imagined this conversation many times.

In some versions, she confronted him angrily.

In others, she asked him calmly.

In one particularly humiliating version, she cried before she even managed to finish the first sentence.

She had hoped that if she waited long enough, she would stop feeling so foolish for asking.

She hadn't.

But she was tired of wondering.

So she turned towards him.

"Do you have feelings for Gabriella?"

Xander blinked.

Then he laughed.

Not because he found the question particularly funny, but because he clearly thought the answer was so obvious that the question shouldn't have existed.

"What?"

"You heard me."

"Marielle, no."

She studied his face.

"Look at me when you say it."

His smile faded.

He turned towards her.

"I don't have feelings for Gabriella."

Marielle held his gaze.

She wanted to believe him.

She really did.

"Then why do you care so much about Ethan?"

Xander frowned.

"What does Ethan have to do with anything?"

"Everything, apparently."

"Oh, come on."

"No, Xander. Seriously. Every time Gabriella spends time with him, you become irritated. You watch them. You make comments about him. You act as though he's doing something wrong just because she's laughing with him."

"Because Ethan isn't exactly the most trustworthy person in the world!"

Marielle stared at him.

"Why?"

"Because I know him!"

"That doesn't answer my question."

Xander ran a hand through his hair.

"Marielle, he's just—he's Ethan."

She waited.

He looked at her.

Then away.

She almost laughed.

"That's your explanation?"

"What do you want from me?"

"The truth!"

"I AM telling you the truth!"

"Then why can't you explain why you're so bothered by them?"

He stood abruptly.

"Because I don't want Gabriella getting hurt!"

Marielle stood too.

"By Ethan?"

"Yes!"

"Why?"

Xander opened his mouth.

Closed it.

Marielle watched him struggle for an answer.

"Why?" she repeated, quieter this time.

He looked frustrated.

"Because Ethan gets close to people, and then he makes jokes about everything, and I don't know if he takes anything seriously!"

"That sounds like a problem between Ethan and Gabriella."

"It is!"

"Then why are you acting like it's a problem between you and Ethan?"

Xander stared at her.

She could see him searching for an answer.

Anything that would make sense.

Anything that would prove her wrong.

Finally, he said, "Because she's my friend."

Marielle nodded slowly.

"Your friend."

"Yes."

"Just your friend?"

"Yes, Marielle!"

She looked down.

For a second, she almost apologised.

The habit was so deeply ingrained that the words nearly escaped automatically.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you.

But she caught herself.

She had asked a question.

He had answered it.

And somehow, she still didn't feel reassured.

"Okay," she whispered.

Xander's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Good."

Marielle looked up sharply.

"Don't."

He frowned.

"Don't what?"

"Don't act like the conversation is over just because I stopped talking."

His expression tightened again.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

She looked at him, her eyes shining with frustration.

"I don't know, Xander! Maybe try to understand why I'm asking!"

"I have explained it!"

"No, you've explained why you think I'm wrong!"

He fell silent.

Marielle took a breath.

"Do you know what the worst part is?"

He didn't answer.

"I don't even dislike Gabriella. I have nothing against her. She's not running around trying to steal you from me. Half the time, she barely notices anything that's happening around her because she's too busy thinking about school."

Xander looked away.

Marielle noticed.

Of course she noticed.

"And somehow," she continued, "I feel like I'm competing with her anyway."

He turned back towards her.

"You're not competing with anyone."

"Then why does it feel like I am?"

He had no answer.

She waited.

The silence stretched.

Finally, Xander stepped closer.

"Marielle, I love you."

Her heart twisted.

Those were the words she had wanted to hear.

The words she had been waiting for him to say without being asked.

But hearing them now didn't make the doubts disappear.

Because the problem wasn't whether Xander could say he loved her.

The problem was whether she could believe him without having to fight for his attention first.

She looked at him.

"Then act like it."

His face changed.

"Excuse me?"

Marielle's voice trembled, but she continued.

"I'm not asking you to stop being Gabriella's friend. I'm not asking you to stop talking to other girls. I'm asking you to stop making me feel like there's someone else you'd rather be with."

Xander shook his head.

"I have never said that."

"You don't have to say it!"

Her voice rose.

She immediately lowered it again.

"You don't have to say it, Xander. Sometimes I can see it."

He stared at her.

She wiped quickly beneath one eye, annoyed that she was becoming emotional.

"I see it when she walks into a room. I see it when she laughs with Ethan. I see it when you suddenly have an opinion about every single thing Ethan does. And I see it when I try to talk to you and you barely hear me because you're watching them."

Xander looked genuinely taken aback.

"Marielle..."

"I don't want to be this girl."

"What girl?"

"The girl who has to keep asking her boyfriend whether he still likes her!"

He went quiet.

She swallowed.

"And I hate that I'm starting to feel jealous of someone who hasn't even done anything to me."

For the first time, Xander seemed to understand how serious the situation had become.

He reached for her hand.

She let him take it.

"Listen to me," he said. "I don't want you feeling like that. Okay? I don't."

She looked at him.

"Then tell me the truth."

"I am!"

"Xander."

He sighed.

She squeezed her eyes shut for a second.

Then she asked the question that had been haunting her for days.

"If Gabriella told you tomorrow that she liked you, what would you do?"

Xander froze.

It was a small change.

A momentary hesitation.

But Marielle felt it.

She felt it before he said a word.

Before he even looked away.

And suddenly, she wished she had never asked.

Because now she had her answer.

Not a complete answer.

Not an admission.

But enough.

Enough to make her realise that she had been waiting for reassurance from someone who might not even understand his own feelings.

Xander finally spoke.

"Nothing would happen."

Marielle stared at him.

"That's not what I asked."

"I know."

"Then answer me."

He ran a hand over his face.

"Marielle, she's not going to tell me that she likes me."

"You don't know that."

"She likes me as a friend."

"And if she didn't?"

He looked at her.

Then away.

Marielle slowly released his hand.

She had never felt so alone while sitting beside someone.

"Right," she whispered.

"Marielle—"

"It's okay."

"No, it's not."

She stood.

He rose immediately.

"Where are you going?"

"I need some time."

"To do what?"

"Think."

"About what?"

She gave him a tired look.

"About whether I can keep doing this."

His face went pale.

"What does that mean?"

Marielle didn't answer.

She turned and walked away.

This time, Xander didn't call after her.

He stood behind the school building, watching her disappear around the corner.

And for the first time, he began to wonder whether his insistence that he had done nothing wrong was enough to save his relationship.

Thursday — The Last Straw

Marielle didn't break up with Xander that afternoon.

She didn't break up with him that evening either.

She went home and thought about everything.

She thought about their first date.

About the way Xander had made her laugh until her stomach hurt.

About the little notes he'd left in her books.

About the afternoons they had spent together when neither of them had anything important to do.

She remembered how happy she had been when he first asked her to be his girlfriend.

She remembered telling her friends that she had finally found someone who made her feel special.

And she remembered how much she had wanted that feeling to last.

That was the difficult part.

She still cared about him.

If she had stopped caring, leaving would have been easy.

She could have packed up their memories and walked away without looking back.

But she hadn't stopped caring.

She simply didn't know whether caring was enough anymore.

The following afternoon, she decided to meet Xander after school.

They had planned to spend some time together.

She arrived at their usual spot near the courtyard and waited.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

She checked her phone.

No message.

She sent him one.

Marielle: Are you coming?

His reply arrived a minute later.

Xander: Sorry. Something came up. Give me a few minutes.

She stared at the screen.

She could have waited.

She had waited before.

But something about the message made her feel exhausted.

She typed:

Marielle: What came up?

His reply took longer this time.

Xander: Gabriella needs help with something for the project. I'll be there soon.

Marielle read the message.

Then she read it again.

She looked up.

Across the courtyard, Gabriella stood beside a table covered in project materials. Ethan was there too, holding a stack of papers.

Xander was walking towards them.

He reached Gabriella and said something.

She turned towards him, looking surprised.

He smiled.

Then he picked up a folder from the table and began helping her organise the materials.

Marielle stood perfectly still.

She didn't know what Gabriella had asked him.

She didn't know whether it was important.

She didn't know whether Xander had genuinely needed to help.

But she knew one thing.

He had made plans with her.

And when Gabriella needed something, he had forgotten those plans without even telling her first.

Again.

It wasn't the project.

It wasn't even Gabriella.

It was the way Xander had made her feel as though she could always be postponed.

As though she would always be waiting when he finally remembered her.

Marielle looked down at her phone.

She typed a message.

Marielle: Don't bother coming.

She sent it.

Then she turned and walked away.

Across the courtyard, Xander's phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen.

His smile disappeared.

He looked up, searching the courtyard.

But Marielle was already gone.

He stared at her message.

Then he looked towards Gabriella.

"Everything okay?" Gabriella asked.

Xander hesitated.

"Yeah. It's fine."

He slipped his phone into his pocket.

But it wasn't fine.

And he knew it.

***

Xander found Marielle near the school gates the following afternoon.

She was standing beneath a tree, looking at her phone.

The moment she saw him approaching, she put it away.

"Marielle."

She looked at him.

"Hi."

He stopped in front of her.

"Can we talk?"

She nodded.

"Sure."

He looked slightly relieved.

"About yesterday—"

"You don't have to explain."

He frowned.

"What?"

"I said you don't have to explain."

"Marielle, I was helping Gabriella with the project."

"I know."

"Then why are you acting like I did something wrong?"

She looked at him for a long moment.

Then she laughed softly.

It wasn't a happy laugh.

It was the kind of laugh that escaped when something hurt too much to explain properly.

"Do you hear yourself?"

Xander frowned.

"What?"

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Explaining why you did something instead of listening to how it made me feel."

He looked frustrated.

"I can't keep apologising for helping someone!"

"I'm not asking you to apologise for helping Gabriella!"

"Then what are you asking for?"

Marielle's eyes filled with tears.

She hated that.

She had promised herself she wouldn't cry.

Not because crying was embarrassing, but because she knew that if she started, she might lose the courage to say what she had come here to say.

She took a breath.

"I'm asking you to stop making me feel like I don't matter."

Xander's expression changed.

"Marielle, you do matter."

"Then why do I always feel like I'm waiting for you to remember that?"

He went quiet.

She continued.

"I waited for you yesterday. You said you'd meet me after school. Then Gabriella needed help, and suddenly I was the thing you could do later."

"That's not fair."

"Isn't it?"

"No! I didn't know it would take that long!"

"You could have told me!"

"I was busy!"

"And I was waiting!"

Her voice broke on the final word.

Both of them fell silent.

Marielle looked away, blinking rapidly.

Xander took a step towards her.

"Hey. Don't cry."

She let out a small, bitter laugh.

"Don't tell me what to do with my feelings, Xander."

He stopped.

"I'm not trying to—"

"I know."

She wiped her cheek.

"I know you're not trying to hurt me. That's what makes this so difficult."

He stared at her.

For a moment, she saw the boy she had fallen for.

The one who made her laugh.

The one who used to notice when she was upset before she even said anything.

The one who had once walked across the school just to bring her the snack she'd mentioned liking.

She still remembered all those things.

She still cared about them.

But she couldn't keep living on memories of how he used to make her feel.

"I need to ask you something," she said.

Xander nodded slowly.

"Okay."

"Do you want to be with me?"

He looked genuinely shocked.

"Of course I do."

"Why?"

He blinked.

"What do you mean, why?"

"Why do you want to be with me?"

"Because I like you! Because you're my girlfriend!"

Marielle shook her head.

"That's not what I'm asking."

"Then what are you asking?"

She took a trembling breath.

"I want to know whether you actually want to be with me, or whether you just don't want to lose me."

Xander stared at her.

The question seemed to catch him completely off guard.

He opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Marielle watched his face.

She wanted him to answer immediately.

She wanted him to tell her that she was the only girl he wanted.

She wanted him to take her hands and say that he had been stupid, that he had been distracted, that he hadn't realised how much he was hurting her.

She wanted him to give her a reason to stay.

Instead, he said, "I don't understand why you're doing this."

Her heart sank.

"Doing what?"

"Acting like our relationship means nothing!"

She stared at him.

"That's not what I'm doing."

"Then why are you talking about breaking up every time we have an argument?"

"Because I'm tired, Xander!"

The words came out louder than she intended.

She took a step back.

"I'm tired of asking you to listen to me. I'm tired of feeling guilty for being upset. I'm tired of wondering whether you still want me when I should be able to trust that you do."

He looked at her, his expression hardening.

"I have told you that I want you."

"And I've tried to believe you!"

"Then believe me!"

"I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS!"

The words echoed between them.

For a moment, neither moved.

Marielle had never shouted at him like that before.

She had never wanted to.

But she couldn't keep swallowing every feeling until there was nothing left of her except the girl who smiled whenever he finally paid attention.

Xander ran a hand through his hair.

"Fine. What do you want me to do? Stop talking to Gabriella? Stop helping her? Pretend she doesn't exist?"

Marielle looked at him in disbelief.

"That's what you think this is about?"

"What else could it be?"

She shook her head.

"I don't want you to stop talking to her."

"Then what do you want?"

"I want you to stop acting like there's something you need to protect between you and her while I'm standing right here!"

He went silent.

Marielle swallowed hard.

"Do you know what I think, Xander?"

He didn't answer.

"I think you care about Gabriella more than you're willing to admit."

His expression changed immediately.

"That's not true."

"Maybe you don't even realise it yet."

"Marielle—"

"Maybe you genuinely believe she's just your friend. Maybe you don't know why you get jealous when she's with Ethan. Maybe you haven't even thought about what you'd do if she told you she liked you."

He looked away.

And she knew.

She knew that whatever answer he gave her now, something had changed.

Because she had finally said the thing neither of them wanted to discuss.

She wiped her cheeks.

"But I can't keep being your girlfriend while you figure that out."

Xander turned back towards her.

"You're breaking up with me because you think I like Gabriella?"

"No."

He stared at her.

Marielle's voice softened.

"I'm breaking up with you because I don't want to spend the rest of this relationship wondering whether you wish I were someone else."

His face fell.

She had never seen him look quite like that.

For a moment, he seemed younger.

Not the confident boy who always had something clever to say.

Not the boy who could make people laugh with a single grin.

Just Xander.

A boy who had finally realised that something he had taken for granted might actually be leaving.

"Marielle, please."

The word stopped her.

He stepped closer.

"I don't want to break up."

She closed her eyes briefly.

"Neither did I."

"Then don't."

She opened her eyes.

He reached for her hands.

She let him take them.

"I care about you," he said. "You know I do."

"I know."

"Then why can't we fix this?"

Her lips trembled.

"Because I don't know how to fix something when I'm the only one admitting it's broken."

He looked at her.

She squeezed his hands once before gently letting go.

"I don't hate you, Xander."

"Then stay."

She shook her head.

"I can't."

"Marielle—"

"I can't keep doing this to myself."

He stood motionless.

She had imagined this moment before.

She had imagined herself walking away with her head held high, leaving him to realise what he had lost.

She had imagined feeling powerful.

Satisfied.

Free.

Instead, she felt as though she had left a piece of herself standing beside him.

Because she hadn't wanted to stop loving him.

She had simply reached the point where loving him was making her unhappy.

And she couldn't ignore that anymore.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Xander shook his head.

"Don't."

She looked at him one last time.

Then she said the words that made everything real.

"We're done, Xander."

He stared at her.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved.

Then Marielle turned and walked away.

Xander didn't follow.

He couldn't.

He stood beneath the tree, watching the girl who had been his girlfriend only minutes earlier disappear through the school gates.

His hands felt strangely empty.

His phone buzzed in his pocket.

He didn't look at it.

For once, he had nothing clever to say.

After the Breakup

Marielle made it all the way to the corner before she stopped walking.

She leaned against a wall and closed her eyes.

She had done it.

She had actually broken up with Xander.

The boy she had laughed with.

The boy she had kissed.

The boy whose messages could brighten her entire day.

She had ended their relationship because she couldn't keep pretending that everything was fine.

A tear slipped down her cheek.

She wiped it away quickly.

Then another followed.

"Oh, come on," she whispered to herself. "Don't do this."

But she couldn't help it.

She had loved him.

And even though she knew why she'd walked away, knowing the reason didn't make it hurt any less.

She pulled out her phone and opened her messages.

Xander's name sat near the top of the screen.

For a moment, she considered sending him something.

Anything.

I'm sorry.

I didn't mean for it to end like this.

I still care about you.

She typed the first two words.

Then deleted them.

She couldn't be the one to comfort him about a breakup she had initiated because he hadn't understood how much he was hurting her.

Not this time.

She put her phone away and continued walking.

Behind her, Xander was still standing beneath the tree.

He eventually sat down on the low wall nearby.

He stared at the ground, replaying their conversation in his head.

I think you care about Gabriella more than you're willing to admit.

He shook his head.

"No."

The word sounded unconvincing even to him.

He didn't like Gabriella.

He didn't.

He was simply worried about her.

He wanted to make sure Ethan wasn't messing with her feelings.

He wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt.

And he didn't like the way Ethan looked at her.

That was all.

That had to be all.

Then why had he struggled to answer Marielle's question?

If Gabriella told you tomorrow that she liked you, what would you do?

He had told Marielle that nothing would happen.

But the truth was that he hadn't known what he would do.

And that uncertainty was beginning to bother him more than he wanted to admit.

He pulled out his phone.

Opened Gabriella's conversation.

Stared at her name.

Then locked the screen without sending anything.

He couldn't talk to her right now.

Not when he didn't even understand what he was feeling.

Not when Marielle had just walked away because of it.

He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

For the first time in a long time, Xander wished someone would tell him what to do.

Unfortunately, the one person who might have helped him understand the situation was the very person he was beginning to suspect had something to do with it.

And the other person—

The other person had just broken his heart.

The Following Morning

Gabriella arrived at school the next day, completely unaware that anything had changed.

She was halfway through telling Ethan about a mistake she'd made on the project when she noticed the strange atmosphere around them.

Two girls near the classroom door were whispering.

One of them glanced towards Marielle's usual seat.

Then towards Xander.

Then back at her friend.

Gabriella frowned.

"What are they talking about?"

Ethan followed her gaze.

"Probably something important. Or someone's shoes. Hard to tell with this school."

She nudged his arm.

"I'm serious."

"So am I. Fashion-related scandals can be devastating."

"Ethan!"

He grinned.

Then he noticed Xander entering the classroom.

His smile faded slightly.

Xander looked tired.

Not physically exhausted, exactly, but distracted in a way Gabriella had never seen before.

He dropped his bag beside his desk and sat down without greeting anyone.

Gabriella watched him.

"That's weird."

Ethan glanced at her.

"What is?"

"Xander. He hasn't even said hello."

"Maybe he's finally realised the world doesn't revolve around him."

She gave Ethan a warning look.

"Be nice."

"I'm always nice."

"You told our mathematics teacher that her lesson was a hostage situation."

"It was a hostage situation."

Gabriella rolled her eyes.

Then she looked towards Xander again.

Something was wrong.

She could feel it.

Before she could decide whether to approach him, Marielle walked into the classroom.

The whispers stopped almost immediately.

Marielle looked composed.

Her uniform was neat, her hair was in place, and she carried herself with the same confidence she always had.

But she didn't walk towards Xander.

She didn't even look at him.

She simply went to her seat and took out her books.

Gabriella's eyebrows drew together.

She glanced at Ethan.

He had noticed too.

"Okay," he murmured. "That's new."

Gabriella lowered her voice.

"Do you think they had a fight?"

Ethan shrugged.

"Wouldn't be the first time two people in a relationship argued."

"But they were fine yesterday."

"People can argue in less than twenty-four hours. It's practically an Olympic sport."

She ignored him.

Her eyes moved between Xander and Marielle.

Neither looked at the other.

Not once.

Then the classroom door opened, and their teacher walked in.

Everyone hurried to their seats.

Gabriella opened her notebook, but she couldn't concentrate.

Something had happened.

She just didn't know what.

Halfway through the lesson, Xander glanced towards her.

Their eyes met.

He looked away almost immediately.

Gabriella stared at him, confused.

Then she looked down at her notes.

Beside her, Ethan quietly slid a piece of paper onto her desk.

She unfolded it.

In his handwriting were the words:

You look like you're about to investigate a crime.

Gabriella picked up her pen and wrote underneath:

Something is wrong with Xander.

Ethan read her reply.

Then wrote:

Something is always wrong with Xander.

She fought a smile.

Then added:

I'm serious.

Ethan looked at her for a moment.

His expression softened slightly.

He wrote one final sentence.

Then ask him when class ends.

Gabriella stared at the words.

She nodded almost imperceptibly.

Across the classroom, Xander sat with his eyes fixed on the board, pretending to listen to a lesson he would later struggle to remember.

Marielle stared out of the window.

And Gabriella, caught between them without even knowing it, had no idea that the breakup she would eventually see as an opportunity had left both of them with questions they weren't ready to answer.

Because Marielle had walked away from Xander for a reason.

Xander was beginning to question his own feelings for a reason.

And Gabriella?

Gabriella still believed that if she could find the right words, she might finally make Xander fall in love with her.

She had no idea that the boy who would help her prepare that confession was already falling for her.

And he was running out of ways to pretend otherwise.