After All, I'm Your Secret Admirer~!!

Ch53 - Simply Sebastian

"You must forgive me!" Sebastian bursts out. "It was an honest mistake! I would never do such a criminal act such as reading one's mail on purpose!"

"Mistake?" Paige repeats, feeling a bit hazy.

"Yes!" Sebastian cries. "I thought it was trash sticking out of your locker, you see! So I retrieved it, and when I looked it over, it was actually a note addressed to you! But!" he barrels on, "But, but, but! I returned it! I couldn't bear the thought of disrupting young love!"

"I..." Paige blinks slowly. "I mean... I got it, so..." He wants to say it's okay, wants to push past this, wants to go home, wants to be in bed, wants—

The feeling of slipping out of the driver's seat is sudden. It happens and then Paige can't move his mouth or his body or anything.

So, Leaf does for him.

He clears his throat before saying in his best Paige voice, "That doesn't answer why you took those notes down."

"Isn't it obvious?" Sebastian wails, "Some horrible, horrible individual found out about your notes because of me!" He grabs their hand with both of his and squeezes it. "Those notes they left, they were awful! And it was all my fault!"

Leaf looks at Sebastian with a bland face. "I don't understand," he says simply. The other opens his mouth, probably to try and explain, but Leaf could honestly care less about how this added up in his mind. "Look," he says, cutting Sebastian off prematurely, "It's fine, okay? You're forgiven or whatever."

"Leaf..." Paige murmurs, causing Leaf to clear his throat.

"I mean, don't worry about it," he corrects. "Thanks for taking the notes down."

"Of course!" Sebastian nods fervently. "It was the least I could do! Those vile words and disgusting excuses for 'jokes'... Hmph!" He lifts up and crosses his arms. "Nothing of the sort will be tolerated in my school!"

Curiosity burns at Leaf. He had to know. "You know, I didn't ever actually get to see them," he says as smoothly as he can. "What was so... vile about them?"

Sebastian's face saddens to a degree that actually starts to make Leaf a little upset. "Oh, Paige..." he sighs. "I would never repeat such things. Let alone to the one they were meant to harm in the first place!"

Leaf huffs a bit. "I want to know," he insists.

Sebastian's frown grows deeper. "I... don't know if I'm allowed to even say some of those things."

Leaf groans. "Try me."

"Let's not push him..." Paige thinks, voice wispy. "He clearly doesn't wanna say anything."

"Tough shit for him. I've been dying to know what those notes."

"Well, I don't want to know," Paige frowns. "Can we just go home? I don't wanna be here anymore."

Leaf bites down a growl as he rolls his eyes. "Fine. Whatever. I don't even care." When he looks back up at Sebastian, the other has a curled finger between his teeth and he rocks in his chair back and forth a bit, expression beyond worried.

"Ugh," Leaf thinks before pushing himself up off the chair. "You know what?" he says aloud, "If it's so bad you can't say, don't worry about it."

"Oh thank goodness," Sebastian sighs, clearly extremely relieved. "It was truly awful. I really did not want to repeat it."

"Yeah, I'm sure it was," Leaf says with a sigh. "Look, I'm sorry we—I bothered you. But I gotta like, go now. Can you ask your guy to come take me home?"

"Collins, you mean?" Sebastian asks, pulling out his phone.

"Yeah, her."

"Of course." He taps at his phone and says, "And again, I am truly sorry for reading your mail and causing that mess to happen."

"It's whatever," Leaf shrugs.

A moment passes and then Sebastian nods. "There. I have texted Collins. She's on her way."

"Thanks." Leaf turns and walks towards the door with a backwards wave. "Bye."

"Wait!" Sebastian suddenly cries, causing Leaf to turn around with a raised eyebrow. "Erm..." he mumbles, shrinking in on himself. "You... aren't mad at me, correct?"

"You're good, man," Leaf assures, fighting back an eye roll. "Don't sweat it."

"O-okay!" Sebastian nods. "Thank you! Get home safe!"

"Bye," Leaf says again.

"Tata!" Sebastian waves.

Leaf leaves the room, closing the door behind him and leaning against it with a sigh. What an ordeal. He pulls out their phone and gets ready to distract himself as they wait for Collins.

...Who says tata in this day and age?