When Sophomores Collide (BoyxBoy) ✓

Chapter 28: The Truth

"You don't know me at all!" She didn't even let me finish as her jaw clenched. "Where's your evidence then?" Her shocked expression dropped, raising a brow at me, waiting for me to continue.

I opened my mouth to snap back but realized that she was right. I had no evidence. "I..."

She stepped forward, our heights leveled. "Listen here you simpleton. Going against me is something you should already regret, but accuse me of something? You've done it Willshire." She hissed before walking away, powerfully slamming me into a locker on the process.

"Ow..." I rubbed my back, watching her walk away. 

The moment the crowd dispersed, concerned faces of my friends including Rhea came into view. 

"Theo! What happened and are you okay?" Masha asked as she and the others ran up to me.

"I... I had to confront Shane..." I paused to wince, rubbing my throbbing back. "As you can tell... she denied it."

"You're an idiot. Of course she'd deny it! Now people are gonna think you're accusing her, which you are! We don't even know if she was the one who did it." Mal reprimanded.

I was about to defend myself when her words sunk into me. I frowned and looked at the floor in shame.

"Reign. Go easy on him. He just went through that." I heard Hunter softly said before approaching me and rubbing my shoulders reassuringly. 

"No. She's right. I'm dumb, I didn't think about that thoroughly..." 

I walked away silently, proceeding to my class without sparing any glance to anyone.

...

Friday

After the intense debate. I sat alone at one of the snowed benches behind the school, my head buried in my bag. As the sound of the cold wind and the birds chirping entered my ears, a pair of footsteps approached me.

"Just beat me up and do it quick. I don't care." I said, my voice muffled by the bag.

The bench I'm sitting on creaked as warmth covered the right side of my body, I turned my head to face the person who sat beside me. Cielo sat there, looking at the table in front of him with a small, contented smile.

"Hi." He greeted shyly as he noticed me looking at him. 

I looked across the table to see Mal sitting there with a slight frown. "Hey Theo. I know that I've been hard on you these past few days but just know that I don't regret it." 

I laughed, the first genuine laugh in a long time, my shoulder shaking. "I should've figured that's what you would say." 

She offered me a genuine smile. "Since we're visiting grandma later, you'll finally understand why I've been so into this election." She said softly. 

I nodded silently. "It's not you that's frustrating me recently anyway." 

She raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued. 

"It's the fact that this is just the election and someone would go to an extent to... beat me up. And I guess... the election's been bothering me too." I said quietly, burying my head in my bag again.

"Would it help if... he's here?" Cielo said suddenly. I lifted my head to look at what he was talking about to see Hunter approaching, looking fine as ever.

I smacked Cielo's arm to prevent him from talking further which made him wince as he rubbed his arm.

"Hey, Theo... You good? You seem down recently." He asked as he sat in front of me, beside Mal.