Jirachi's Twin

Memory Twenty-Five: Two Choices

She shook her head, "It's jus'... you realize ya' just threw away the girl of your dreams, right? I mean—a date with Hop can only mean one o' two things. Either she falls n' love with Hop and you lose, or the latter (which I think is far less likely): she realizes on their date that she actually likes you instead."

Bede shrugged.

"That's all I get from you? A shrug?"

"It's her choice, Marnie."

"But you're not goin' to fight?"

"This isn't a competition where you're supposed to fight."

"I disagree..."

They went silent again.

"It's just..." Marnie went on, "It makes me mad how high-and-mighty you are nowadays. It's as if you think you're some sort of saint now tha' Opal's gotten you straightened out. It's not normal for you, I—"

He glanced at her, an eyebrow raised. He was a little taken aback when he found her face a tiny bit flushed. It seemed as though rambling about him made her embarrassed.

"Geez!" she finally yelled, bending over towards the ground, fists clenched at her sides.

"'Geez' what?"

"I'm so mad at you! I—" she closed her eyes angrily, "I just can't believe after all I've done for you two, you're just gonna walk away."

Bede glanced at her curiously, All that you've done for us?

"It's not fair..." she went on, shaking her head, "there was a time, when... when I saw you as more than just a friend—but as soon as I realized she was into you, I started doin' everything I could to set you guys up! But now..." she sighed, "She might pick... Hop."

He raised an eyebrow at first, then suddenly realized what her behavior was about. Her flushed cheeks and the way she acted so offended about him not putting up a fight—it made sense.

"So wait... you used to have a crush on me? Did I hear that right?" Bede pressed, a sadistic grin stretching across his face.

She jumped, her face pink, and her eyebrows knitted in anger, "NO! I hated you—I think!? You confuse me!"

He laughed, "I get it, I get it. You're like a tsundere—is that what they call it?"

She glared at him.

"The answer's no, by the way."

The coldness of his answer suddenly made Marnie go stiff. Then, as if accepting her fate, she let her shoulders slump.

"Ah... I see." I shouldn't have bothered.

"You've always been a friend to me, I think," he went on, "Although sometimes it was hard to tell if you were even that."

Marnie looked away bashfully, "I suppose it was difficult for me to tell sometimes, too."

"However even if I get rejected, I'm afraid I could never picture the two of us together—if that's what you were trying to ask. You're just... too moody for my taste."

She punched him in the shoulder, making Bede both laugh and cringe at the same time.

Then she sighed, and went on, "Well, all of this is besides the point... you'd better be ready to have your heart dashed to pieces. Those two seem pretty set to me."

Bede blinked slowly, a painful surge of regret stinging at his heart upon hearing her words.

"Right..." he responded dully.