Strings of Fate: The First Loop

CHAPTER 28

-----Inez-----

"Ugggghhh," I groaned, dragging the sound like a villain’s dying monologue. "I love you, you know that, but you frustrate me sometimes!" I yelled at Tim, who was still frozen in place like someone just unplugged his brain. Seriously. I could hear the last notes of LOVER fading out behind us, leaving a trail of whispers and goosebumps in the air. Around us, people were still reeling, but not moving. A whole courtyard full of bystanders acting like background extras in a teleserye.

"Move on, people! Never seen a drama scene before?" I shouted, throwing my arms in the air. Some people jumped. Matt walked away, head down, as if he just stepped off the stage and didn’t get the role.

I didn’t wait for Tim. I bolted past the crowd, wind brushing against my cheeks like sharp little slaps. Cape-less but determined, I was on the move.

By the side of the church next to school, I saw them--- Betty and James--- standing face to face. The world quieted. The breeze softened. Even the birds seemed to hush up.

Betty was holding James’s hands. Her voice cracked when she spoke.
"Baby, listen to me. That meant nothing."
But even as she said it, I knew. I knew it meant everything.

See, I wasn’t close to James before. I only knew the myth of James Andrew Gray, the antihero, the enemy, the wild card. The Thanos of our campus comic book series. Matt was Clark Kent, Superman, the golden boy with the clean smile. James was the one parents warned you about. Teachers sighed about. Girls dared each other to text. But right now? He looked like a soldier after battle--- tired, bleeding in places no one could see. His eyes weren’t just sad. They were betrayed.

And Betty... Betty was still holding his hand. "Please don’t be angry at me." Her voice, so small. So honest.

And here’s the thing. Elizabeth--- Betty who used to be all polite nods and small smiles had become someone else lately. Someone fierce. Brave. She wasn’t perfect, no. But she stood up for what she wanted. And what she wanted right now was standing in front of her, arms limp, heart wide open.

James spoke next.
"No, no... babe. I’m not angry at you or Matt. I’m mad at myself. For feeling this way when I know you'd choose me."
He paused. His voice a whisper of thunder. "It’s just... the whole world doesn’t see how much I’m worthy of you."

My heart clenched. Because that right there? That’s the villain’s origin story--- but in reverse. This was someone trying to be a hero, but the script kept casting him as the monster. They didn’t see the way he saved her, again and again. The way he stayed. The way he fought his own shadows just to keep hers at bay.

"I don’t care what they say, babe. It’s you that I want. Always you."

And Betty--- God, Betty--- she nodded. And in that small gesture was a battle won. A part of me--- quiet, childlike, hopeful--- wanted to believe this was enough. That love could be a shield against public opinion. That their story, the one written in the margins of everyone else's, could finally step into the spotlight.

"Thank you, babe. And I'm sorry for acting that way..." James’s voice was softer now, like a breeze slipping through cracked stained glass. I could feel there were words he didn’t say. Buried ones. But the way they pulled each other into an embrace told me what I needed to know.

I felt Tim’s hand slip into mine. "They’ll figure it out," he said. His voice didn’t carry a single doubt.

I nodded. Not because I knew he was right. But because I wanted to believe it. And sometimes, that’s how heroes begin.

Tim sat me down on the edge of a raised plant box by the chapel--- one filled with pink forget-me-nots, bright and oblivious to the chaos that just unfolded. They looked too peaceful. Too untouched. Like the world hadn’t just split down the middle.