Shattered Inside (Yandere!Cheater x Reader)

XLVII

It was a quiet afternoon as David and James sat in the now quiet hallway in front of their principal's office. Most students had already left, and those that remained were all cooped up in their respective classrooms, either attending lessons or club activities. The only sound the boys could hear was the clock on the wall opposite from them ticking annoyingly, telling them that they had been standing in this exact position for almost half an hour now.

"Ugh, what's taking Principal Perry so long?" James cried out as he threw his hands into the air, the folder with loose papers inside fluttering as they were raised. Groaning, he brought the folder down again, and it landed in his lap with a little smack. "I just need to hand in the assignment!"

David let out a little huff as he mumbled, "Patience, James."

With his elbows on his knees, James rested his face in his palms, the frown never really leaving. His eyes fluttered close, and he could feel the annoyance bubbling down again. "Hm... I'm sure Kayla has already left to go to the pizza place without us by now," he murmured, now much more calm yet still frustrated.

At the mentioning of said girl, David straightened his back to turn his head into James' direction. Smiling mischievously, David asked, "You and Kayla — you've been pretty close ever since you went on that weekend trip to Paradise Bay." His words caused James to tense up and avert his gaze from his friend's. Memories of meeting figures from your past filled his mind again, and the echoes of what he had learnt that day simply wouldn't leave his head. Luckily, David's continued rambling pulled him out of his trance. "I... I remember that place. My parents — when they were still married — took me to the carnival there once."

James raised an eyebrow, curious as to where this conversation was leading. "Oh? Hm... in all theses years, you never told me about what happened to your mother, David." Looking into his friend's green eyes, he found nothing but pain. James' eyes softened, and he quickly added, "Don't force yourself though... only if you want to."

David took a deep breath, stretching his tired limbs as he shook his head to assure his friend that he was alright. "Well, my dad started sulking hard when he got injured and was pretty much thrown out of his big leagues football team," he explained, scratching his head awkwardly, as if to cover up the tumultuous war inside of his heart. "He was at his lowest point, and couldn't pick himself up anymore. Whenever he was around, the mood was dreadful and sad. Well, my mother eventually had enough and wanted a divorce."

"Oh..." James titled his head to the side. "Have you seen her ever since?"

"No..." David took a deep breath while he raised his gaze towards the ceiling, trying to keep up a calm façade. His voice broke, yet he couldn't stop telling James about the things he had bottled up for so long. "I think she's probably busy with her new family. She tried to call me multiple times, but I never picked up because... because I can't forgive her for leaving me alone with my dad."

James bit his lip as he extended his hand to put it onto his friend's shoulder. "You and your dad — you aren't on good terms, are you?"

David shook his head with a pained frown. "Nah, he projects all his broken dreams onto me." Then, his eyes fluttered open while he turned his head to deeply gaze into James' eyes. A bitter laugh escaped his lips as David shook his head in a sarcastic way. "He doesn't care about my good grades... he doesn't care about me having gotten my driver's licence. He just cares for football."

"I'm so sorry, David," he replied as he scooted closer to his sulking friend. For a moment, the assignment, the hallway, and the need to see the principal all flew out of the window, only leaving the need to comfort his friend occupying James' mind. "You know, I'm always here for you if you need me. We're best friends, aren't we?"