Lexis was walking from the Ellis wing to the conference room. His mom had come to visit him, disappointed that he hadn't tried contacting her after Anthony's passing. She was worried about him. She was anxious to know how he was holding up. She cared for his health and his strength to see beyond the tornado that shook his life apart.
And he was now making his way to the conference room, anxious to see her once more, contemplating the same questions concerning her.
Knowing well he'll never ask them out loud, but simply try to read her enough to know she was okay.
He stopped mid-step, looking at a person standing behind door 'C', shaking, terrified. He recognized her immediately, and wondered what she was doing out of bed at a time like this.
Don't love Jessie anymore.
Don't love Jessie anymore.
Don't love Jessie anymore...
I... I understand now...
Fayth turned around. She finally understood. She understood why those words had been ringing in her head for him.
She felt her world crashing. Her heart shredding to pieces. She can almost see the shocked tears escape her eyes in a storm, so silent, yet so violent. Her body felt like it weighed a ton. She could barely lift a foot up. She could barely walk.
She gasped.
And quickly covered her mouth to hide the sound.
She turned around and came face to face with Lexis, who stood there, his eyes looking over her head, outside the glass behind her...seeing what she had seen.
Then his gaze turned down to look at her, a sigh on his lips.
"You...you knew." Fayth said, her entire insides twisting in pain. Charles was wrong. "It's not because–"
This is why he had been coming between her and Jessie. Lexis knew her feelings for Jessie. He knew...
Charles didn't understand anything. Lexis didn't like Fayth. As everything unfolded tonight, she knew exactly what had been happening.
He knew...Jessie will never hold romantic feelings for her.
She fell to the ground, her body drowning in disappointment and loss of faith. She bowed her forehead to the ground as the memory of what unfolded on the lawn struck her in the heart, crashing like a car hitting a deer caught in headlights.
"You knew...Jessie will never love me."
Lexis stared at the breaking Fayth, and could only stand there doing nothing. He wished he could embrace her, and assure her that Jessie will be there for her nonetheless. Maybe not in the way she wanted, but definitely as a close friend. He saw that much in their relationship. Instead he only stood there, his loss and desperation devouring his heart.
He couldn't be anymore involved with her. He had to learn how to dislike her now. For the sake of Anthony's wish, he needed to move on from a person he felt so immersed by for the first time in his life, and think about someone else.
And as she broke down on the floor, his heart wrenched, wishing he could take the few steps towards her, to hold her in his arms, to take her away and not let anyone see her, not let a man lay eyes on her, but knew it was a wish out of reach now.
His fingers curled into fists, and he could only turn away before the urge became stronger, before his temptations won over. And walked away, a angry growl making its way through his chest and out of his lips.
A few minutes later, Charles was making his way from his dorm, planning to smoke outside door 'C' for a minute.
"Fayth?" Charles asked. He walked closer, wondering if the girl on the floor was her. And surely, as he walked up to her, there she was, her silent weeping making her body shake violently.
Charles looked up, and around, wondering what had happened.
He looked out of the door, and squinted his eyes. His eyes widened at what he was seeing.
Jessie and Joshua, they were kissing.
Charles looked down at Fayth, cursing under his breath.
Why does this always happen to you?
Fayth must be the most unlucky person to ever walk this Earth. Life treated her with pure selfishness, refusing to give her one bite of what it gave everyone else. Charles knew this won't be easy on her either. It wasn't enough that she had a close friend passing away two months ago, but now, she had to grieve the loss of her first love. In a way that she could never be able to mend to her advantage.
"Come on. Let's sneak into my dorm. You can sleep with me tonight."
With great effort, Charles had Fayth on her feet. Her body was refusing to react to anything, it just laid dead, exhausted from all her sobbing, her emotional distress. He slid his arms under her and picked her up, cradling her like a baby against his chest.
After carefully sneaking into the boys' dormitory, Charles made his way into his dorm. It used to be Joshua's who had been sharing it with Zachary, but after a few disturbing fights, Zach ran out of the Academy, swearing he'd never set a foot back.
And Joshua, after leaving months ago, was now back. He was quiet, kept to himself on his side of the dorm, so Charles didn't mind him.
With Joshua and Jessie being together out in the dark night, the room was now empty. Charles placed Fayth on his bed, then helped her out of her shoes and socks. She looked exhausted, her face red and her body limp. She had stopped crying, and every few second, a few gasps of breath would leave her lips. Charles moved to the mini fridge and fetched her a bottle of water, the only drink other than beer in there.
After helping her take a few sips of it, he slid next to her on the bed and hugged her upper half to his chest.
"I wish you'd be with me already." He quietly said in the dark room. "I've been next to you your whole life and you haven't come to me once."
"I'll never stop loving him." Fayth said, her tears threatening to fall again. "I don't care what his preferences are but I'll never stop loving him. I love him even more now that I can't have him." And she began to cry again. "Is there something wrong with me?"
Charles body fired at the closeness between them. She had never let him hold her this long. "Fayth. I found you after you disappeared for months, I found you and for the first time in your life, you told me that you were in love with someone. To me, it was as if you had literally said you were taken, no longer available. Right now, to me you're single. I'm not going to sit still and wait till you fall in love with someone else. I'm going to do everything. Even if I have to play dirty, I will absolutely do everything Fayth to make you like me."
"Charles–"
"I know you're hurting. I know you, so I know how much you're hurting. But I can love you. I can do it right. I can love you every single second. Whether it be today, in a week or after a year, just find the love you want in me."
Fayth stayed quiet, her eyes closed shut.
"I'm going to threaten you right now, okay? If you don't love me back. If you don't come to me, I'm going to let the entire Academy know contestant 87 in the Winter Pageant brochure is Rihanna Gessner, who's actual identity is Fayth Armstrong, the only heir to Armstrong Next. If that's the only way to pull you away from the Academy, to have you to myself again, then I'll do it."
Fayth looked up at him, letting out a breath of disbelief.
"Don't underestimate me anymore Fayth. I never underestimated you, so don't underestimate me or the things I'll do to get you closer to me."
"You're insane. You don't know what you're talking about."
"Why should I be? I've been there for you even when Vincent wasn't. Why can't you like me back? I have everything you need. Do you remember how you told me that I was your special Santa? That I send good things to you even when you're naughty? Why can't you let me in?"
Fayth bit her lip, her heart pounding for him. She knew she could love him, easily too, but he knew too much about her. He knew too much about the life she wasn't proud of. She was afraid that one day he might confront her with it. She too knew him well. He was that kind of person. A person who, when angry, can use anything he knows about you against you. Even if it was her. She knew Charles well.
"Answer me." He said.
She swallowed. She knew she could love him, but right now she couldn't think of anyone else but Jessie.
"I have to go to sleep."