perspective. everyone in the world views things differently. if we all had the same mind, chaos would take over. no new opinions or ideas could be formed.
but what happens if you were to taint someone's perspective?
how much could it change?
✧༺ ༻∞ ∞༺ ༻✧
his phone sat loosely in his hands as he stared at the message that had just been sent out to the school.it had to be some hilarious joke, a prank even. for five years he made sure to control what people knew about him. yet in three days his history had been revealed.
his past defined him as a person. which was confusing since it was his parents' doing. it wasn't intentional but because of it people labeled him as weird. he was the elementary school outcast.
they were frightened that somehow, they'd be next.
it was stupid, but it all got to him. the states, whispers, and pointing. it all made him feel like shit. and usually, he would have his mother's kind words to help him, but she was gone. a simple image of her sat on his nightstand. and the only reason he got away from his mother's death and people asking questions about it, was zeke.
it was a lengthy story, and eren could confidently say he didn't have a normal life. he praised zeke for all of the things he had done for eren, including taking care of him and mikasa.
in summary, diana, zeke's mother, listened closely in grisha's complaints about carla. how he disliked her because she took custody of eren. but carla only brought herself to do that because grisha had been cheating on her for years.
diana killed eren's mother out of spite, or maybe she was trying to prove something to grisha? no one knew for sure. her motive was unknown, and people could only assume the worst. eren didn't look her way, and neither did zeke.
to aid the success of the case, zeke put all the money he had earned into the investigation. he wanted to make sure his mother was locked up for her actions.
and once that was taken care of, he took mikasa and eren under his wing. it was easy to understand his story. and it was one that people could give him sympathy for. but that didn't stop the male from stressing.
lifting his hand, he ran it through his hair, occasionally pulling at it. scoffing, the male tossed his phone, letting it fall on the passenger's seat. it bounced against the leather and fell to the rubber mats that were placed on the floor.
he didn't understand why they had to tell everyone his background. he had watched from the sidelines as jean and historia fell. and he was glad someone showcased what kind of shit they were pulling. that he could understand.
but telling everyone about his mother? that he couldn't understand, and it frustrated him.
there could be so many possibilities, so many things that could happen again. would his friends leave him? would they be scared that diana would take them next? it was a stupid question, but that's precisely what happened last time.
yet, the most important thing he could think of was, what would you think? would you walk away from him too?
his hands lifted and came back down, hitting the steering wheel, "fuck!"
the palm of his hand slammed down onto the middle of the wheel, causing the horn to blare. students who were walking to the school doors flinched and turned their heads to look at who just honked.
biting his lip, he raised his hand doing a small wave while mouthing 'sorry'.
scrunching his nose, he watched students turn back around and walk off. how embarrassing.
several rings emitted from his phone and he could only imagine what it was. did the list go on? how much shit did this person find out about him?
preparing himself, he took in a deep breath and reached over to grab his phone. his body hovered over the middle console as he had to lift himself off his seat. his hand went searching on the floor until he pulled up the device. a sigh of relief left his lips as he read over the text.
mikasa
are you okay?
text me when you see this.
me and armin are standing by the doors.
his thumbs hovered over the digital keyboard as he searched for the right words to say. he would have liked to let his mind go wild, telling mikasa how angry he was about the situation. how he was so confused on what someone would gain from bringing up his dead mother.
but he kept quiet.
shuffling in his seat, he reached over and grabbed his bag. looking around, he made sure he didn't forget anything and opened the driver's door. while stepping out, he slung on his bag and stuffed his phone in his pocket. maybe the material of his pants would block out whatever text would come next.
closing the car door, he touched the handle, making sure the car locked before stepping away.
turning on his heel he walked along the sidewalk. each step got him closer to the front doors, and he paid no mind to how humid it felt. his hair was taking in the moisture and frizzing up. multiple stray hairs stuck to the back of his neck.
yanking on the metal handle, he pulled open the door, stepping inside. some heads whipped over to him, trying to see who opened the door so harshly. and they were met with the brunette who kept his head down, not daring to look up from embarrassment. he didn't know why it felt embarrassing. i mean, was it appropriate to even feel this way?
students looked over at him, giving pitiful looks. everyone in the school knew it wasn't appropriate to send out that message. they recognized that showing someone cheating is right, but a family member who had passed away? that overstepped many boundaries.
it was clear there was a motive. whoever posted that article, filled with papers from court, did it out of spite. revenge even.
his two friends stood next to the wall of lockers, waiting for him to lift his eyes. mikasa got impatient and lifted her hand to wave him over. eren saw her and quickly walked over.
sighing, he stood in front of the two with furrowed eyebrows, "what the fuck is going on?"
mikasa's mouth loosened as she looked over at the blonde, not sure what to say. it was unknown who the person was, but she had her guesses.
shaking her head, she raised her hand, setting it on his shoulder. "i'm not too certain, i'll talk to some people and figure this out." her thumb rubbed back and forth trying to sooth him "but none of that matters right now. are you okay?"
the male shrugged and looked down at her, "i was going to have to face it eventually. i can't hide what happened to me forever."
"why don't you go to the library? take a small break and clear your mind." armin suggested as he pointed in the direction of the double doors.
eren slowly nodded his head at the idea. giving his friends a small smile, he began walking towards the library that was across the hall. he didn't pay attention to anyone, only focusing on where he should sit. the corner in the back sounded like a wonderful idea. it was well hidden from everyone, and he could look out the small window.
opening up the door, he instantly quickened his pace, heading to the back. his eyes traveled over the many shelves, seeing if any books stuck out. none did, so now he was left sitting silently at a table. and just like he said, he turned his head to the left, looking out the average-sized window.
the view was the main road that led into the school parking lot. nothing extraordinary, but he watched each car that passed. the clouds had gotten darker, and he was lucky he made it into the school so early.
yawning, he fought the urge to grab his phone and start re-reading the text message. if he did, that would only make him feel worse. but it was his story, so why was it getting told by someone else?
a chair in front of him slid out as it was dragged on the carpeted floor. the ruffling sound of a bag being placed down on the ground and someone sitting in the uncomfortable chair could be heard. there was a small green cushion on the chair, but it didn't help. it seemed as if the stuffing had been removed. which would explain why it's so flat. there was just no escape from the hard wooden seat.
a female spoke quietly in a whisper-like tone, "you must be wondering who it was."
his brows instantly creased, and his focus lost the motorcycle that had been weaving in between cars. his head looked over at the girl, and he was met with a brunette. the front two pieces of her hair were braided back while the rest was down. she smiled at him and her eyes slightly squinted. she wore a red sweater vest with a white collared shirt underneath. the first button was undone. to compliment it she paired it with a black pleated skirt that sat right at the middle of her thigh. to match with her shirt, she had on that same necklace. a red envelope.
lifting her hands, she set them on the table, "i don't think we've ever officially met. i'm cora!" she beamed.
slowly nodding his head, he gave her a quick smile, "eren."
holding up her finger, she gave him a 'hold on' signal as she pulled out her phone, "i'm glad we met, now we can move on!" unlocking her device, she scrolled through different apps before staying on one. placing it back down on her thigh, she sighed "now i bet you're curious."
"i'm not sure what you're referring to." eren replied with an unsure look.
her thumb grazed her phone as she went down to 'fix her shoe'. and as she did, she pressed a small blue button which caused erens phone to buzz. excusing himself, the male reached in his pocket, digging out his phone. this time he assumed it was mikasa, but he was proven wrong yet again.
his body lost movement and he stayed still. each word he read in his head made his heart sink lower and lower. It was like little knives had just pierced through him and they had no intention of stopping. he couldn't help but read the message over ten times.
maybe he read it wrong?
but he knew it was true as a picture was attached to it. he examined the photo, trying to justify it, but his mind wouldn't let him. he took in a deep breath and attempted to regain his thoughts.
to think he could've been so naive in trusting someone. was it all a joke? some type of cruel plan to allow him to let you in his house and hang out all the time. was that all it was? to be able to learn his mother got murdered and use it against him?
he should've hesitated the first time he worked up the courage to kiss you. but it was killing him. his mind had been going wild for weeks, and it was all he could think about. and when you kissed him back, he thought everything was going good. that he was second guessing and having those bad thoughts for nothing. but maybe they were a warning. because why didn't you just tell him?
his mind was fighting each thought as he tried to make the situation seem okay. he didn't want to think about it anymore, the betrayal. yet it kept going. he had so many questions, and you weren't there to answer any of them.
if you were here, was there any possibility to save it?
he wanted to save it.
you were everything he ever wanted.
therefore, he could still save it, right? but it was obvious you had everything planned out. you were a liar, a faker, and now after months he just found that out.
so, how could he save it if he didn't even know what was true and what wasn't?
was the kiss even something, was each hangout nothing? was comforting him in the field just a memory you could laugh at after this was all over?
so many questions yet only one stuck out,
why couldn't you be honest?
just tell him what was happening, what you were thinking.
you stuck around knowing what was to come. it definitely brought you some type of joy. to get close to him and his friends then go run off and ruin it.
cora watched as he was stuck in an endless cycle of thinking. bringing up death is something that would always work. sure it was crossing a line, but you did it first.
gazing over his concentrated face she cleared her throat trying to gain his attention "l/n."
his eyebrows creased even more as he looked up at the female. setting his device on the table he shook his head, "what?"
the palm of her hand sat on the wooden surface as she sheepishly smiled, "i think it's time someone is honest with you." looking away for a split second she began to explain "me and y/n went to school together in marley. i've known her for a long time."
"so if you knew each other, why did you introduce yourself to her?" he inquired with a raised eyebrow. it was visible he was trying to stick up for you. he still had hope in this very moment, but it wouldn't last for long.
she ignored the question continuing on with her story "l/n is her last name. y/n l/n. I'm not too sure why she doesn't use her last name, so i can't give you a true answer on that."
she waved her hand around making a motion with each word that came out of her mouth "but i can help you with this so called situation."
eren sat quietly in his chair waiting for her to continue. It seemed like she had the answers, and he was ready to sit and listen.
"let's start from the beginning."
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
flashback: about 2 years ago.
"sina seems fun!" hange exclaimed as they swiped through pictures of the small city, looking for apartments. pon peered over their shoulder looking at the structured buildings. "are you looking for something specific?"
shaking their heads they clicked on a picture "no, as long as it's nice i'm fine." turning the phone around they showcased the small beautifully built apartment. their fingers ran across the screen and they continued to swipe. tile and wood flooring with nice marble countertops. it would be stupid not to pick it.
nodding your head you smiled "you should get that one."
smiling, they cheered "it looks nice right?!" placing the device onto the table they began searching through the website trying to find a phone number.
leaning back in her chair, yelena spoke up "you're going to trost, right pon?" nodding his head he pulled out the chair right by hange and took a seat "yeah i found a nice house by the river." lifting his head he gave the blonde a quick head nod "what about you? still gonna stay in marley?"
chuckling, she grinned "yes, someone has to watch miss little pieck." rolling your eyes you looked away from your phone, finally joining the conversation "why don't you just get her expelled?"
at the sound of your tone she shot her hands up, surrendering "calm down. I have plans for her, that's why." changing the topic she lowered her hands "are you still taking my suggestion?"
placing your phone in your pocket you lightly hummed "yeah i looked up paradis, seems like a good town."
pon scrunched his nose "paradis is anything but good."
yelena smiled looking over at the male "why do you think I told her to go there?"
raising a brow he looked around for a split second before answering the question "because you want her to have a death wish?"
"you guys are over dramatic!" hange expressed while tossing their phone to the side "but if anything maybe she can fix that fucking school."
squinting your eyes you faltered "didn't you say that you hated the town so much the other day?" their hands froze as they reached over to grab a hershey's kiss. not looking your way they grabbed onto the small chocolate while mumbling "i don't remember that."
yelena waved them off while turning her head to look at you. "I think you should go. not only would you get away from marley but you can 'fix that fucking school"
hange smiled brightly as they pointed at the blonde, "hell yeah!"
end of flashback.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
cora told the story in her own version. she let lies fall from her mouth giving him false information. but he didn't know that. he believed every single word she said. and that's what she wanted, she wanted him to only think about one thing.
"y/n moved here to tear your friend group apart. that's what yelena told her to do." she babbled on, disregarding the true story she knew. she was very aware that you had only come to paradise because it was something new. and the school would be a challenge, but she wasn't going to let eren know that.
the male scoffed, looking off to the side, taking everything in. her last sentence hurt the most.
his mouth parted and he softly spoke, barely above a whisper "i don't believe it."
raising a brow the brunette slid her phone across the table "the mind is a scary thing eren. it makes us try to believe things to make us feel better, but it's time for you to accept it. y/n was never here to make you feel loved. she was here to watch you fall."
he refused to take a glance at her phone. so he put his sights back onto the window and looked out onto the highway. cars rushed past and he tried to get his thoughts in line. it was so hard to believe that you would actually do that. but it was so easy to think you did. there were piles of evidence stacked against you to prove coras point.
tightly shutting his eyes he released a sigh looking back over at her "what does telling me do?"
stringing her words out like honey, she smirked "it shows you who she really is. it's an eye opener, so you don't get hurt anymore."
a liar is what you were, and that had him questioning everything you've ever said. she was right, it was an eye opener. and he was frustrated with himself for ever believing you. it hurt too much for his liking and sitting here talking about it wasn't going to help the new situation he found himself in.
"thank you for telling me, this makes my choices easier.'' he lamented. getting up from his seat he grabbed onto his bag tossing it over one shoulder. his hands sat on top of the wooden chair as he had just pushed it back in. giving cora a nod he smiled "i'll see you around." turning on his heel he walked through the shelves of books making his way over to the library doors.
the female let out a sigh of relief. it was honestly easier than she thought, he was naive. the lies slipped out of her mouth so effortlessly, it almost felt as if she was you.
but that was it.
you had stood on a pedestal for so long. until finally the wind blew harder than before and knocked you down on your back. she gave it to you, on how long you fought to stay up there. balancing on one foot as you tried to fight back. but there was no use, your so called 'fight' was done the second you grew attached to eren. It was your fault. you had let your guard down and decided to put his friends before yourself.
that right there was your downfall.
you got distracted and lost.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
walking through different hallways, eren had decided to head over to his first class. not many people showed up early and if they did it would be closer to when class started. he would have approximately ten minutes to sit and rest. he didn't want to think about it anymore.
of course it hurt, how could it not? you had come to this school acting as if you cared for him and ruined it in less than a second.
arriving at the classroom door he swung it open and walked into the room. he let the door close on its own as he walked through the aisle of desks to take his seat. not bothering to take off his bag, he plopped down into the plastic chair. his hands went up to either side of his face as he closed his eyes. taking in deep breaths he tried to remember the breathing techniques zeke had taught him when he was younger. although they never worked, eren made sure to always do them in case one day they did.
but it was no different this time.
he didn't have your fingers intertwining in his hair as your hands ran up his back to soothe him to sleep. your arms weren't wrapped around him as your thumb wiped away the tears that ran down his cheek. he was now stuck, desperately trying to stop his rapid heartbeat and the way his face contorted in hatred.
It took everything out of him to not pick up his phone and call you. he wanted to ask why you would do such a thing, with no remorse shown. he wanted to question if you even cared, but he already knew the answer. there was no use, and as a result his head sunk further and his arms circled around his head as a cushion.
his eyes went to shut close as he finally put himself to sleep but a voice interrupted as they dropped their bag onto the floor. footsteps echoed in the room along with shuffling as the person's clothes ruffled with each step. "I thought I would give you a heads up. y/n is heading over here to talk to you." he voiced.
lifting up his head, eren was met with jean standing in front of him. a frown sat on the males face as his hands were stuffed in his pocket. the brunette didn't say anything except give him a simple nod and get up. it didn't even cross his mind to ask how he knew and why he was telling him.
he just wanted to get out of the room before you walked in. but he hesitated as his hand hovered over the door handle. would it be bad to hear you out? or to just hug you and say it was completely okay even though it wasn't?
jean noticed the hesitant actions and shook his head. taking a single step forward he offered a small smile, "trust me you don't want to talk to her. it's not worth it."
"thank you." eren uttered as he quickly opened the door and walked out. his hands grabbed onto his phone as he scrolled through, looking for a specific group chat. he let his fingers type away as his thumb pressed onto the blue arrow.
he wasn't the only one devastated about the news. y/n had also made friends with everyone in his group. some bonds were closer than others and you were welcomed with open arms.
he decided to text his friends for a small meet up. they could always cheer each other up, no matter what they went through. and they agreed, telling him that they would be there.
and like always they would meet at the same spot. an oak tree that stood tall in the sky as its limbs and leaves branched out. it waved back and forth from the wind as loose leaves fell and landed onto the bench that sat under it.
It was a metal bench that had dents in it, most likely from connie and sasha.
small white flowers and freshly cut bushes were spread around the courtyard and planted right next to the tall tree. the spot was towards the back of the school. you would have to really look to even notice that there was a table there.
eren sat his bag against the tree stump and plopped down on the ground. the grass hit his clothed legs as it rippled in one direction. it flowed gracefully and his eyes were trained on the movement.
"are you good?" a female voice questioned as she walked up the small hill to take a seat next to eren. it was every man for themselves. or first come first serve. the faster you got here meant you could choose your own spot.
getting comfortable on the rocky ground filled with rocks and sticks, she lifted her legs to sit criss cross. as she waited for erens response she kept tucking her hair behind her ears trying to keep it out of her face.
lifting his head he looked over at her, "I'll be fine, what about you?"
not everyone was going to take the news the same way, and because of that he wanted to know her thought process, "me and y/n weren't as close as you guys. but it sucks, I still trusted her."
ymir was careful on what to say.
she didn't believe you would release something like that. there was no motive and she didn't see what you would gain from it. there was something sloppy about it, it didn't seem to be well thought out.
when she got the text message there were gaps and inconsistencies. most of all she knew you didn't go to the front office to dig around in his files. but she wasn't going to say that to the male. there were still many questions she couldn't put together, and one was why you hadn't reached out to talk. and that made it seem like you actually did it. you were one to prove your point so why weren't you trying to prove your innocence now?
"you look like you've calmed down. I brought you water." armin verbalized as he stood in front of eren. his arm was outstretched holding onto a water bottle dripping in condensation. slightly waving it around the male nervously smiled as he could feel his fingers turning white. "take the fucking water, it's cold!" the male whisper yelled.
eren chuckled and snatched the drink out of his hands "it's not even that cold, crybaby."
mikasa shook her head and walked over to take a seat next to ymir "now we're just waiting on the two idiots."
a scoff was soon heard as someone dramatically threw their bag on the ground "i heard that you fucker!" having a pout cast over his lips he fell to the ground laying on his back. "sasha will be here soon, she went to the bathroom." adding onto his sentence the male smiled brightly "we should go visit marco this weekend!"
armin squinted his eyes with a dumbfounded look, "we went to go see him last week."
dropping open his mouth connie looked over at the blonde in disbelief "and you didn't bring me!?''
mikasa rolled her eyes, getting ready to remind connie that he passed up the offer. but ymir raised her hand pushing mikasa's head away "marco is the one with the fat ass right?"
snorting connie rolled over on his stomach in pure laughter "what?!"
eren joined, throwing his head back and letting the laughs leave his mouth. trying to breath he let out words in between fits of laughter "you've never met marco? I thought you did."
mikasa shook her head "no she was busy the day we asked."
crossing her arms she slouched down against the tree. letting a huff leave her nose she groaned "but he has a fat ass right?!"
connie began kicking his legs we his feet went crashing into the ground. bits of grass and dirt got thrown up from the harsh action, "what the actual fuck are you talking about?!"
lifting up her hands she began to wave them around expressing how confused yet how humorous she found the situation "i literally have a picture!"
armin scrunched up his face, "you took a picture of his ass?" giving her a questioning look he slowly turned his head away.
eren leaned over and stuck his hand in the pocket of her jacket. feeling around for a quick second he grabbed onto her device and placed it on her lap "i gotta see this shit."
grabbing onto the phone she unlocked it with the face id and went straight to her photos. her thumb dragged along the glass screen as her eyes slightly squinted looking for the familiar picture. averting her eyes for less than a second she took a glance at armin. "I was at a basketball game with sasha and we saw this guy walking down the stairs. his ass was fucking huge so we took a picture."
connie pointed at her and stated the obvious "but sasha knows marco. she would have recognized him."
shrugging, the girl scrolled back down to the middle of her camera roll "she was too focused getting one of our phones to take the picture. we only saw his back side but i overheard his friends call him marco, so i assumed he was the marco you guys knew." sighing she turned off her phone setting it on the ground "i think sasha has the photo."
eren looked up towards the courtyard doors searching for his food loving friend. she was walking along the row of white flowers and had her phone in her left hand. a small smile sat on her face as she looked at the bunnies that hopped in between the bushes. tilting his head up he let out a shout "sasha find the photo of that guys ass!"
connie started to kick the ground again with a cackle "that sounds a little suspicious!"
the brunette blinked realizing what he had said and looked back down at the bald male. raising his hand he gave him the finger before sasha screamed back "what guys ass!?"
ymir was the next to let out a shout "when we were at the basketball game!" Sasha's lips formed into an 'o' shape and she lifted her phone to her face, getting ready to search for the masterpiece she took. bobbing her head she scrolled through her camera roll going to the exact date.
ymir looked away and turned to her friends "wait what does marco look like?"
mikasa hummed as she looked around and patted the ground for her phone. "hold on, I'll show you."
the auburn-haired female sat down in the middle of everyone as her tongue poked through her lips. She was looking at each picture trying to find a certain one. with a short cheer she shoved the phone in ymir's chest "ah this picture right?"
picking up the phone ymir smiled and turned the device around to show everyone "yes thank you sasha."
the photo showed a male walking down the bleaches. he wore a white pair of shorts with a green hoodie. connie's jaw dropped "his ass is fat! no way that's marco."
the group chuckled at the photo, surprised at the fact their two friends took a picture of some guy's ass. they were suspicious if it even was their black-haired friend. but Mikasa came to rescue as she nudged ymir to look at her phone "this is marco."
ymir's eyes went back and forth. she looked at both phone screens with creased brows. puckering her lips she shook her head "i have never seen that man in my life."
the small chuckles went into fits of laughter as everyone dropped their heads. connie and sasha cackled loudly and they soon started to suck in which made pig-like noises.
that caused the rest of them to go into silent laughter as they tried to catch their breath. looking at each other they shook their heads with a bright smile. tears filled erens eyes as he swallowed, "holy fuck."
armin smiled brightly looking at ymir and sasha. "that was a good laugh."
connie pushed himself off the ground, rolling onto his knees, "there's no way i'm going to miss ackermans class."
sasha clasped her hands together and started shaking them "I'll pray that you'll make it out alive."
the male lifted his finger wiping away a fake tear, "anyways are we meeting back here for lunch?"
a female popped up from her spot and nodded "yeah, me and armin will be able to save the table."
mikasa looked over at ymir with a raised eyebrow, "but you two have class on the other side of the school. I can get it." ymir shook her head letting her low ponytail brush against her shirt. "me and armin are going to stay out here to study."
nodding, the remainder of the group got up from their spots and gathered their things. they had one last conversation about who was going to sit where next time. but no one ever addressed the elephant in the room.
they knew it was there.
it stood taller than the famous oak tree. but not a single person dared to bring it up, scared that it might ruin the moment. what they failed to realize is that the moment was already ruined. eren knew that it had fallen and crashed to the floor.
maybe it would have been smarter to sit down and talk about it. to get everyone's opinions on the matter. but nothing is better in certain situations.
sometimes it's better to keep quiet.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
eren sat patiently in his seat waiting for the bell to ring. only one more hour before he could relish in the comfort of his bed. maybe he could even treat himself to a nice dinner.
his phone began to vibrate on his desk. it slowly started to move to the right with each buzzing sensation. the sound made various students turn around to decipher the noise.
picking it up off the desks surface he hoped it was zeke texting him back. and as a small grin painted his face ready to see his brother agreeing to him coming over, his smile dropped. the bell rang loudly and students got up shuffling around the class before heading out the door.
he was frozen in place with creased brows as he looked at the text you sent him. the day was almost over and now you text him? why not sooner? you had all the time in the world now, especially since your plan worked.
so why were you trying to get him to listen now.
either way he wasn't going to comply.
cora had already told him everything he wanted to know. there was no point in listening to your half ass story.
letting his fingers click away, he opened the message up out of spite. he hoped leaving you on read would do some type of damage. swiping out of the conversation he deleted it from his recents. there was no need to associate himself with you anymore.
and after that, his day went on. he made himself forget about everything that happened by distracting himself. he pulled out different worksheets, making a small pile. his eyes were trained on the multiple choice questions and the pain in his hand was starting to get worse. he refused to lift his head, scared that his mind would get carried around by his overthinking.
class had been dismissed two minutes before the bell. eren took this chance to get to his car before the crowd of seniors walked out. he dug through his pocket searching for his keys. bringing out the metal mess he pushed open the door. only a few of his classmates accompanied him on the short walk.
his eyes traveled up to look at the sky. the sunlight hid behind the mountain of clouds. not a single ray of light peeked through. it smelled very humid with a mix of mud and grass. any second and the clouds would drop the arm full of water it held.
looking down at his keys he unlocked his car watching his tail lights join the strikes of lighting being thrown down. its strands scattered off in all different directions and he felt drops of water hit his skin. they rolled down his arm and collected onto his pants. just slightly after opening his car door he could tell the raindrops were getting bigger. It was a small difference, but visible.
resting his hand on the car door he let out a small yawn. luckily zeke had agreed to let him come over. he didn't feel like being in that two story house alone. although his blonde brother could be annoying at times, he still loved him.
"eren."
clenching his hand around the car rim he whipped his head around. he prayed that you wouldn't be standing in front of him. that he was just hearing things. but there you stood. hair scattered around, most likely from the wind. mouth hanging open trying to get words out. he braced himself to hear a story filled with lies. if only you were capable of being honest, maybe you both wouldn't be in this predicament.
"what y/n?" he seethed.
you stood still letting your eyes fall onto the paved road. swallowing you took a couple steps back creating a friendly distance "can we talk?"
raising a brow he dropped his hand to his side. and turned his body to face you. now you want to talk? five hours after the message had been released? It was unbelievable to him. his veins coursed with anger and frustration. he had every reason to be upset and angry, not you. so why did you look so upset? "aren't you talking right now?"
your hand raised and you waved it around while talking "i just want to explain."
opening his mouth he was ready to say the first thing that came to mind, but he pursed his lips. he didn't want to yell at you because that would only make the interaction worse. but with your new found purpose to talk to him, it was making it extremely difficult, "there is nothing to explain. you did what you did, there's no taking that back."
dropping the last word from his sentence you instantly shook your head. and before he could continue you cut him off "that's what i'm trying to say i-"
scoffing, he looked towards his car. raising his left hand he tossed his keys letting them fall onto the driver's seat. cora had explained the whole story to him, even explained who you really were. "trying to say? y/n you made me believe something was going on between us and then released personal information about me. what is possible to say in this situation!"
you took a step toward him while raising your right hand to reach out for him "if you would just let me talk, eren i can-"
he shot his hands up in a surrendering motion. you had so many chances to talk to him, but he gave up. and now he answered his own question. there was no saving this. that was a long lost thing now. "no, I'm not going to stand here and listen to whatever shit you're going to tell me. i liked you y/n, i did! you were beautiful, listened to me when i talked, comforted me, you were nice, kind. everything a person could hope for!" he squinted his eyes trying to prevent the tears from streaming out. It hurt more to say it out loud. especially when he was so close to getting you "but you had different plans."
a strand of lighting struck down right behind him. two more came down right next to it, expanding the small flash of light. the medium sized drops of water got bigger. it scattered against eren's windshield but all he could hear was the wind whistling in his ears. it gushed out, swirling a pile of leaves with it.
you were begging for his attention. just for him to put his sights back on you "eren i didn't do it."
he refused to give you hope and look at you. Instead he dropped his head down to look at the streams of water running through the cracks in the road. right at the end each stand of water formed a puddle. it killed him to know the truth and then have you lie right in front of him. but it took every ounce of hope to fix this relationship out of him. his body slowly started to shiver. "I wish you could be honest."
"can you just let me explain!" you yelled out.
he let out a small chuckle, disregarding your yell of plea. looking up towards the sky he watched the raindrops fall, all at the same pace. they fell onto his skin and the cold feeling felt refreshing against his hot cheeks. he let out a whisper talking to the sky "I regret it."
smiling he nodded his head at his own words.
his head dropped back down and his sights finally fell onto you. his eyes went back and forth scanning each of your features. just one last time he thought. the last time he could stand here and adore you.
and then it was over.
he began to scratch out your most recognizable features hoping his mind would forget what you looked like. he hoped that after time everything would become a blur. your pretty face and kind words being ripped away from his memories. and he let go of how your lips and hands felt.
It was time.
his throat felt dry and it tightened harshly. it begged him not to say a word. to just relax and welcome you into a kiss or maybe a hug. his teeth caught his tongue, biting on the muscle. this was going to hurt, and it was going to be hard to let this sentence fall from his mouth. "It was my mistake to trust you and follow you blindly." right after he finished he felt the words come back and hit him. his voice cracked towards the end. in his head it seemed like the perfect thing to say but now after hearing it, it hurt. because he knew it wasn't completely true.
he watched your face drop and your brows crease with it. your mouth was open and you stared blankly at him. he couldn't watch it, not when he saw the tears form in your eyes. he was scared if he stood here any longer he would fall into your trap. he looked away not wanting to see what kind of affect his words had on you. he turned on his heel looking back at his car. rain was scattered around his seats as he was also drenched in it.
"eren?" you questioned watching him get closer to the vehicle.
He leaned his body down and sat on the driver's seat. his left leg was still planted outside of the car letting all the rain in. it fell onto his body but he couldn't even feel how cold it was making him. He took in a deep breath listening to the calming sounds of the rain. it's beads of water falling down onto his windshield. but your figure sat in his rear view mirror, and his eyes were attached to it. he hoped you would make this easy, that you would stand there and watch him leave.
so he took the next step and lifted his hand grabbing onto the door handle to shut the door closed. taking a quick step forward you raised your voice "eren don't you dare, you didn't even let me speak!"
He stopped pulling the door and held it in place. slipping his foot in he placed it on the floor mat.
"are you serious?" you yelped.
he could hear it. the break in your voice and that caused him to hesitate. throwing his head back he let it hit the headrest. his vision got blurry and all he wanted to do was have you crawl into his car so you could go home with him. just so he could hold you after.
letting you go was much easier in his head.
opening his mouth he squeezed his eyes shut. "I hope you can become a better person y/n." his hand yanked the car door, slamming it in the process. as soon as he closed it, his foot pressed down on the pedal letting his car take off quickly. a couple tears ran down his cheek as he watched you get further in his rear view mirror.
a goodbye was always hard. it was never easy for him. but you made it so much harder. it took a great amount of energy not to stay, and tell you it was okay. just so he could still spend time with you.
but time is something that is given. which means it can also be taken away.
If only he knew what that meant, maybe he would've chose another way.
𓆝 𓆟 𓆞
he was parked in his brother's driveway for about ten minutes. he sat there in silence looking out the window and staring at the black garage door. there was something about running back home that made him feel alive in a way.
growing up he would often get in trouble at school because of his hot headed nature. it's not like he meant anything he said, but that didn't stop the brunette from going to the principal's office. on days like that, he would drag his feet in the house and be welcomed by a warm vanilla smell.
but this time it was different. he didn't just break a rule in a teacher's classroom, or start a food fight with connie. this problem was more serious. something that couldn't be fixed with an apology letter.
sighing eren turned off the ignition and pushed the car door open. he couldn't sit out here forever. it was starting to get cold, and the rain only made his skin crawl in goosebumps.
stuffing his keys in his pocket he looked down at his phone. it lit up simultaneously with new messages and missed calls. it vibrated obnoxiously, to the point where it was starting to get annoying.
his thumb traveled up the black case and held down the two horizontal buttons. a couple buzzes emitted before a notification popped up asking if he wanted to power off his phone. of course he complied and swiped his finger to the right watching his phone shut off to a black screen.
walking forward he stepped up onto the porch while lifting his hand. pulling down on the door handle he pushed the front door open being welcomed by a small beep. each time the alarm system detected an open window or door it would output a sound. the only reason there was an alarm was because zeke was paranoid.
using his foot to push the door closed he turned around and locked the deadbolt. stuffing his hands into his pocket he walked down the dim lit hall. eren could hear his brother moving around in the kitchen. water boiled over causing the stovetop to react in a sizzling noise. pots and pans were tossed in the sink while wooden spoons mixed different foods together.
turning to the left he slowly walked down a more spacious hall. at the end of the hall stood a tall white door.
the silver door knob had many tiny engravings on it. throughout erens childhood he always tried to figure out what the small symbols meant. but he was never able to come up with a solid guess.
the bottom of the door was stained with different colored markers. which was from mikasa and eren thinking it was a good idea to color on the door. the memory was remarkable as eren could remember his brother's face drop.
pushing open the door eren stepped into the room. football trophies and posters hung on his wall while each piece of furniture was a different shade of white and gray.
the brunette never found joy in decorating his room, so he let mikasa hang up some tic tacs. it didn't look bad but he would never let his sister know that. especially when he had already told her that it looked awful.
he walked more into the room constantly turning his head to look at everything. the out of place books, brown boxes piled up in the corner, and legos scattered all around the floor. it was a dangerous game he liked to play when roaming around at night. even though the plastic blocks hurt to step on, he refused to pick it up.
his bed was placed in the corner of the room. to the right there were two windows looking out on the backyard. under the first window sat a white nightstand. looking down at it eren plopped down onto the floor. he was thankful he didn't get a lego piece stuck in his leg this time.
lifting up his arm he opened the bottom drawer and looked in. it was second nature for him to reach in and grab onto the black box that was placed at the very back.
pushing it out from the hiding place he picked it up and sat it on the floor right beside him. his pointer finger pushed the small metal lock to the right and he swung the lid open. three stacks of pictures were neatly organized in the small box. the photographs were an array of old friends, and family members. but the majority was his mother.
smiling eren picked up the third stack and began flipping through the photos. each time he flipped to the next photo his smile got bigger. but there was always one picture that stood out to him. and he searched through the stack before finding it hidden in the middle. grabbing onto it he threw all the other photos back into the box.
in the picture was his mother laying on a hospital bed. a white itchy blanket was placed over her body and an oversized white and green gown was her clothing. on her wrist sat three medical wristbands. her black hair was tied into her signature side ponytail. but cuddled up in her arms sat eren. he was just born and wrapped up in the same white blanket along with a small green hat. the biggest smile painted his mothers face as she looked down at him.
it was his favorite photo. the one that reminded him although she was gone, she was still here. his eyes went back and forth examining every detail. even though he knew it by heart he still tried to find things he didn't catch the first time. tears formed in his eyes and they slowly started to run down his cheek.
shaking his head he let out a small sob,
"I couldn't save it mom."