ANNIE'S POV:
During lunch break, I walked behind the school building toward the old ground. I hated crowded places, the noise, the chatter, the chaos. It always drained me. That's why I came here whenever I needed a moment alone. The place was abandoned most of the time, with broken chairs and shattered desks scattered around like forgotten memories. The air felt quieter here… calmer… almost peaceful.
I stepped over a cracked wooden plank and was about to sit on one of the less-damaged benches when I suddenly heard a soft sniffle.
I froze.
Someone was here.
I turned toward the sound and noticed a figure sitting in the far corner, half-hidden behind a pile of broken desks. Curiosity pulled me closer. As I approached, I recognized him.
"Theo?"
He quickly wiped his tears and straightened his posture, his expression shifting in seconds like he was putting on a mask.
"You're here?" he said, voice slightly hoarse.
"Were you crying?"
He immediately shook his head. "Nothing special… What about you? Why are you here?"
"I hate crowds, you know that," I shrugged. "I just wanted some peace. I usually hang out with Sevi or Kayla, but Sevi is busy with his 'new girlfriend,' and Kayla isn't here today. She had some emergency at her hotel."
"Oh… I see…" he nodded slowly. "Come… sit."
We both sat down in the corner, leaning back against the wall. The concrete felt cold through my uniform, but neither of us moved. A heavy silence settled between us, the kind that wasn't awkward, just… full.
After a moment, he spoke.
"Can I ask you something?"
I turned my head toward him. His expression was blank, almost empty, but his eyes looked tired.
"Yes…" I nodded.
"How do you unlove someone?"
My brows furrowed.
What kind of question was that?
"I don't know… I've never been in love."
He smiled faintly, but there was sadness behind it.
"Good for you…"
"But why are you asking that?" I studied his face carefully. "Are you in love?"
He nodded.
"What? Seriously? Did you confess to her?"
He shook his head.
"It's useless anyway…"
"Why? You're Theo. Theo Hayashi. You can get any girl you want."
He cut me off quietly.
"No… that's not completely true…"
He looked down at his hands, fingers tightening slightly.
"The truth is… I can get any girl… except for the one I truly want. She doesn't love me."
I saw tears gathering at the corners of his eyes, but he forced a smile like he was trying to hold himself together.
"She loves someone else… her first love… so she doesn't want me."
His voice cracked.
"And even after knowing the truth… I can't move on. Even if my heart is exhausted now… by this pain… I still can't get her out of my mind… or my heart. Even after knowing the whole situation… that it has no future… my heart still… still wants her…"
His breathing became uneven.
"It's not like I didn't try moving on… I tried so hard… so hard… to forget her. I even went to clubs and parties… tried being with other girls… but every time I looked at someone… I saw her. My mind kept replaying her… the memories… the moments I spent with her… and then I'd pull away… and run."
My chest tightened slightly.
"Even when I'm alone… or trying to sleep… I miss her so much. There's no going back… no exit… I hate suffering like this… but I have no choice but to love her. She's my life… my world… my everything. I could forget myself… but not her. Even after knowing that in the end… I'll probably be the one left alone…"
His tears finally slipped down his cheeks.
"She doesn't even know… how much I'm obsessed with her…and she will never gonna know either...."
He suddenly took my hand in his.
"You know… no matter how hard I try to reach her… I could never have her… because it's always someone else for her… not me."
His grip tightened slightly.
"And you want to know the worst part? She doesn't even feel one percent of what I feel for her…"
For someone like me, who people called cold and emotionless, hearing this somehow melted something inside my chest.
After a moment, he slowly let go of my hand, wiping his tears quickly and fixing his expression again, forcing that same fake smile.
"Sorry… I just… couldn't hold it back."
"Who is she?" I asked softly.
"I can't tell you…" he shook his head. "I don't want her to ever know."
"Okay… but at least tell me what she's like."
For the first time, his smile looked real.
"For me… she's the prettiest… and the most beautiful girl I've ever met. She has long hair… it always sways behind her when she walks… and she has this very bossy vibe…"
He chuckled quietly, even with tears still in his eyes, like just remembering her made him happy despite everything.
The bell rang suddenly, echoing across the empty ground.
We both stood up.
"Please don't tell anyone, okay?" he said. "Keep it a secret… for me."
"Okay, okay. I will. Don't worry."
He nodded, then walked back toward the building.
I stood there for a moment, watching his back as he disappeared inside.
Something about his words… stayed with me.
Then I turned and headed back too.