You had been so foolish to believe him.

"I'm a gentleman." "I was just being nice." "I wasn't flirting with her, just being considerate."

All of his stories that made you fall for him.

"I one time had to swim laps in my jeans." "I was so scared for her." "And then the lights went out."

Even his confession.

"I like this girl. She has beautiful (h/l) (h/c) hair, (e/c) eyes, and is super nice."

It was all a lie.

"I tried calling you!"

You had been so foolish to believe her.

"Everything's innocent." "I'm so happy for you!" "I'm not doing anything."

All of her questions that made you feel suspicious.

"Hey, be honest, how do you feel about him?" "Would you be mad at me if I told you I liked him too?" "Do you still like him?"

And she played the victim.

"Obviously you're picking sides! If my crying at lunch wasn't enough evidence, do you want me to save the messages they sent me!?"

It was a lie, too.

"I tried texting you!"

It tore you up on the inside, too. You left them, all of them. Your practical sister, the guy who said he wanted to date you, and all of the friends who were involved. You went back to your old group of friends who never dated and never had any drama.

She had pulled this sort of thing before, too. And you'd defend her! You never let anyone say anything cruel about her! But this was the final straw.

Especially when the dates didn't line up.

Friday: "Be honest with me, because we kinda like each other."
Tuesday: "I haven't seen her all week." "He's acting strange around you."
Wednesday: "We saw them making out last Thursday. When we confronted her, she said she'd tried to get a hold of you, but you didn't pick up your phone."

The last time she texted you was two weeks ago. Then, she decided to make herself out to be the victim.

"Please don't hate me!"
"Everyone's mad at me!"
"You're picking sides!"
"I was crying at lunch!"
"They're sending me hate messages!"

Lies.

You checked their phones. She was the one sending the spiteful texts, not them.

You hadn't seen her since that last Friday, when she asked your permission to chase after him.

But today you saw her again. A week later, flirting with someone else while he talked up another girl. You had someone with you when you saw them, but you asked your friend to just go to class, telling her you'd be fine.

You weren't fine.

And you're science partner noticed it, too. He looked at you with those piercing red eyes of his while you wrote furiously on your worksheet, finishing it before anyone else. Taking a deep breath, you stood and handed it in to your teacher. Some quiet words were spoken, but Gilbert couldn't hear. He just saw you leave through the back door, into the walled garden of the science classroom. The teacher closed the door behind you.

Quickly, Gilbert finished his work and turned it in, asking if you were okay. The teacher's eyes were sad as he told his student to go back to his desk.

Gilbert didn't. Instead, he went through the back door, just in time to watch you break.

Your sobs couldn't be heard through the stucco walls of the classroom and the halls were empty, though you still tried to remain quiet. Gilbert stood by the door, unsure of what to do.

That is, until you looked up and noticed him.

Wiping away your tears, you glared at the albino, daring him to stay.

Sadness shone in his eyes and he stood next to you, wrapping strong arms around your frail shape. You tried pushing him off as he soothed quiet words to you, eventually making you break down into sobs again. The bell rang, but you stayed in his arms, face buried in his black shirt.

He gently rocked you, not even pausing when his two friends' head appeared in the doorway. They watched for a moment, panicking over your state, but he shooed them off before you could see them.

Eventually, you pulled away and told him you were fine. His eyes stared at you with longing and sympathy as you walked away. But he stopped you at the door, calling your name.

"Hey, uh," he rubbed the back of his head, "I know we don't really talk or anything, but, if you- If you ever need someone-"

His voice broke and he cleared it. His words made the first smile you'd felt in days take place on your lips. He told you, "I'm here for you. So you don't have to- You don't have to hide your pain!" Quieter, he tried again, "I don't want you to give up. Not without a fight."

The smile grew a bit and you nodded, tears in your eyes again as you ducked out of the garden, leaving Gilbert alone.

Slowly, a grin grew on his face and he chased after you, walking you home and making sure you couldn't help but smile.