FELIX stared at Mal's baffled expression with teary eyes. For a moment, it seemed as if the whole world was against him. In fact, his whole world was falling apart. He allowed tears to stream down his face as he saw her scrolling to the comment section.

user1: I don't see why she had to be dating someone like that.
user2: Gross. What a nobody.
user3: He better stay away from them. I definitely ship Griffin and Mal instead.
user4: I knew there was something off about him.

He closed his eyes as a wave of pain washed over his heart. He wanted to disappear. He didn't want any more people staring at him as he passed by, they all hated him anyway. He just wanted to leave that place.

"M-Mal, I didn't do it, okay? I didn't s-start that f-fire..."

She didn't reply, which made him think that she was angry at him. She stared at the article for a few moments, not hearing anything around her as she tried to repeat the words in her head.

He didn't deserve any of that.

He didn't need any more hate directed towards him.

She only wanted some time alone with him so they could talk their hearts out, much like their previous conversations.

She knew that Griffin was the one who posted that article, just like he made Joshua post the previous article. She knew that he was the only one who knew about Felix's past apart from her, and presumably Diego.

Her train of thoughts was interrupted by the sight of Felix falling to the floor and resting his back against the red locker, putting his head between his legs, his body shaking with sobs.

"P-Please talk to me?" he whispered with a tone of desperation.

She hurried to his level almost immediately and sat down on the floor next to him, her eyes widening in shock.

"Felix, I'm right here, sunshine! Please don't cry. I'm going to fix this, I promise."

She wrapped her arms around him in a tight, reassuring hug and ran her hands through his soft hair. His body trembled with the sobs that escaped his mouth, making her heart ache.

"Felix, I'm here for you. Always. I will never leave you, you hear me? I love you so much..."

He repeated the same five words in a smaller, weaker tone.

"Come on, let's go somewhere." she offered as she stood up, then held her hand out to pull him up. He took it, and stood up as well, two streams of tears streaming his face.

She grabbed his hand gently and pulled him away from the corridor, glaring at the students who were watching them pass by.

☂︎

Soon enough, they were away from everyone else in an unfamiliar, empty corridor, which was located in an unwanted, darker area of the school.

"Where are we?" Felix asked, wiping some of his tears away.

"Don't worry. We'll be there soon."

He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but decided not to say anything more.

They reached into a deeper part of the corridor and were met by a dark, worn-out door. Mal reached for the doorknob and opened the door with ease, and Felix was surprised to see a bigger staircase.

"Woah, I've never been here before," he spoke as she led him up the stairs.

"I know, sunshine."

As soon as they reached their destination, Felix's eyes widened and he almost gasped in awestruck.

"Is that... The rooftop of the school?"

She nodded, then pulled him in the direction of the veranda. The rooftop was covered in slippery ceramic, a few chairs, a veranda that allowed the person standing by to see the campus, the yard, and the other school building. Felix could see the colorful flowers in the yard, which made him forget about his worries for only a few moments. The rooftop was also covered in a metal tent to prevent rain from falling on top of the school, so it gave a darker aesthetic to the scenery.

"Felix, I'm really sorry. This is all because of me."

He turned to her with a baffled, guilty expression. "Baby, it's not... Please don't say things like that."

"Yes, it is! If we weren't together Griffin would've never done this to you. I put your life in danger, Felix, and it's my fault."

A flash of hurt covered his handsome face, making her regret her phrase almost immediately.

"You don't regret us, do you? You don't regret being with me? R-Right, Mal?"

She shook her head, taken aback by his reaction.

"Of course not, sunshine! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that..."

A tear of pain streamed down his face.

"Mal, please don't break up with me! I promise I'll do everything I can to-"

She cut him off by leaning in and planting a soft, passionate kiss over his plump lips. He stopped talking and tried to match her pace as he kissed her back.

"Sorry, I..." she began, her face turning red with heat, "I didn't mean to do it so suddenly."

He shook his head, sending her a small smile.
"No. Thank you for that,"

She sighed. "Listen, Felix. I would never break up with you, okay? Unless you break up with me first. I love you too much to do something like that. However, I can promise you that I'll try to protect you from everything bad coming your way. You just have to say yes."

He thought for a moment. She turned her sight away from him to the scenery before them, staring at the driveway for a second.

"Yes, baby." he replied, "Please protect me. And, I love you too much to break up with you as well. You're literally the only thing that's keeping me from falling apart. I just... I feel as if you lost your friends because of me, you know?"

"If they wanted me to be happy they wouldn't have bullied you. Griffin doesn't want my happiness to be separated from his, and if Diego wanted me to be happy he would've known better than to encourage Griffin in his acts. They were never my friends to begin with."

She muttered the last sentence in a cracked, pained voice, as she knew she was happy with Griffin once.

When he asked her to be his girlfriend.

The memories from her previous relationship passed through her mind like a mixtape. A memory of her going shopping with Griffin. A memory of her laughing with Diego on the location of their movie together. A memory of her sitting at lunch with them and chatting about something she couldn't remember.

All these good memories... They would've stayed as a reality if Griffin realized his mistakes back then and tried to fix them, or if he tried to spend more time with her and understand her better.

But she couldn't stay with him. He was getting more violent. More aggressive. More nonchalant. Not to mention that she realized she was falling out of love, right after their first fight.

She realized that he wasn't the guy she wanted.

And now he was turning into a bully to try to make her boyfriend's life a living hell. The same boyfriend she loved more than anything.

He was going to pay.

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