I stared at him for three full seconds, and in that short stretch of silence, my anger began to burn, hot and long overdue. I couldn’t believe him. How far was he trying to take this? It was so painfully obvious what he was doing, yet he was still pretending otherwise. “You know what I mean!” I was extremely close to shoving him away from me. “Almost every day since our junior year of high school you’ve done this. I know I’m fat. I know you don’t consider me much more than that. And fine— you’re not the only one. But you don’t have to rub it in every goddamn time you see me. Flirting with me as if I could believe it, as if you consider me worth your time. I had zero self-confidence, and now that I do, you’re still intent on destroying it? If you really hate me that much, just leave me alone.”
(;-; I’m sorry, Violeta. ;-;)
Gray’s POV:
I flinched at her tone before staring at her with both shock and confusion. She thought I was making fun of her? She thought I was trying to kick her down?
Shit. I screwed up. I screwed up badly.
And she’s been told, made fun of, for being… fat? How could I never notice that? How could I have been so oblivious to constantly push her down without even trying to? How could I have not noticed how harsh my words were? Why didn’t I notice?
“Violeta…” I started before cutting myself off. What was I even doing? What was I even going to say? ‘I’m sorry’? ‘I didn’t mean it’? Was she even going to believe me? “I guess that explains why you hate me so much. But the thing is, I don’t hate you. Everything I’ve said to you, every compliment, every bits of flirting, I meant it. You’re beautiful whether you want to believe it or not. Every time I look at you, I don’t see what you see. I don’t see an overweight girl. I see someone precious—someone who deserves being told that she’s pretty. But… I’m sorry. For all that I’ve said to you. I didn’t have any ill intentions. This is the last time I’ll bother you, I promise.”
I paused, hoping she took in all the words I said to her. Hoping she realized I was being serious and not making fun of her.
“Well, I suppose I should head back to my class now. Have a nice day, Violeta.”
His words hurt me more than insults ever could. I took a tiny step back, struggling to wrap my mind around what he had said. It wasn’t possible— we’d been at this for years. Yet, he seemed to be… genuinely sorry? Confused, even? No one was that good of a liar…. But I didn’t have a good enough mental state to work this out at the moment. I just stared at the ground, still hugging myself. “I don’t hate you..” I said quietly, before turning around and doing the thing I most needed to do: I walked away.
(😭)
Gray’s POV:
I screwed up. I screwed up terribly. Why was I such an idiot? Why didn’t I realize it sooner? Not everyone likes such attention—and definitely not from someone like myself.
I sighed, running a hand through my hair in frustration. This is why I should stick to girls who are obsessed with themselves. This is why I shouldn’t bother girls who are too nice for their own good.
I was such an idiot.
My next class was a blur, am emdless stream of instructions and notes. I floated in a haze of nausea and self-doubt, unsure what to do, unsure what to think. Finally, the class was over and I had almost two hours until my next one. I couldn’t get to my dorm room fast enough.
Thankfully, Lillian wasn’t there, probably eating out. But I had no energy, not even to eat, so I drowned myself in studying and work. But in the end, I found myself back in front of my mirror, staring down at my stomach, my thighs. What on earth was I supposed to make of Gray? How could he have been telling the truth? It wasn’t possible.
Eden’s POV:
Sterling and I both had some spare time, so we decided to take a walk around. I still felt a little reserved—I straight up lied to his face and he didn’t even suspect it. What sort of a girlfriend was I? Why couldn’t I tell him what happened? What was I so afraid of?
I would have continued torturing myself had I not heard voices coming from the distance.
I frowned and pulled Sterling towards the direction to find a group of kids stepping on a young girl’s belongings.
The girl looked eerily familiar but I couldn’t remember. She was trying hard not to cry.
I couldn’t ignore her, so I stepped in.
Gray’s POV:
I didn’t run into Violeta again after that. Even if I did, what was I even going to say to her? It was better she didn’t see me again—or even talked to me.
I sighed, unable to focus on the task at hand. What was I even doing…?
I knew what it felt like to be talked about when people thought I wasn’t paying attention. To feel their whispers trickle into the back of my mind, further solidifying the image I had crafted for myself. I was ugly. I was fat. I was either a slob, or trying too hard. Eventually, I lost some weight, gained some confidence, realized that I shouldn’t have to put up with their bullshit. And now….
Sterling’s POV:
“Hey, what are you guys doing?” I called to the group of kids, joining Eden as she stepped in to help the girl.
Eden’s POV:
Upon seeing us, the kids immediately scattered. I immediately went over to help pick up the girl’s things.
“Are you all right?” I asked her softly, handing her the books. She took them silently, nodding as she stood up.
“Thank you…” she whispered.
“Why are you here alone?” I questioned, narrowing my eyes. She flinched, taking a step back. I should have been polite, but this was a kid all alone. What if something bad happened? What if they hurt her more than they already had?
“I was at school, but they brought me here…” her voice was so soft, I could barely hear it. “I was going to call my big brother but they took my phone…”
I sighed softly, rubbing her head.
“It’s all right. You can use mine,” I handed her my phone so she could call her brother before looking at Sterling.
Sterling’s POV:
I nodded, giving them both a soft, encouraging smile as I took Eden’s hand. “We’ll wait with you until your brother gets here, all right?”
Gray’s POV:
I nearly had a heart attack when I received a call from Aria through an unknown number. I immediately grabbed my back and excused myself from college before I ran over to where Aria said she was.
I was so grateful to whoever saved her. People usually turned a blind eye, but whoever stepped up for her was an amazing person.
Finally, I saw her in the distance. I increased my pace, worry spread across my face.
“Aria!” I called out her name, watching as she turned around, the smile on her face widening.
Eden’s POV:
To keep her company, we began talking to the girl, who we learned was called Aria.
She told us small stories about herself, but strangely enough, she never mentioned her parents. Only her brother. When I asked, her face fell. I regretted it immediately.
“I’m an orphan,” although her gaze was sad, her voice was indifferent. “I do have parents. My big brother, who has practically raised me, is both a mother and a father for me, so I've never felt the difference between other kids and myself.”
She grinned at us and then we heard a very familiar face call out to the little girl.
And then it clicked—the reason why she was so familiar clicked.
Sterling's POV:
I had listened intently as the girl talked, smiling softly at how Eden was interacting with her. When I heard someone call to her, I glanced in the direction the voice had come from. My eyebrows shot up in shock.
Gray was the caretaker of this sweet girl? Now that was something I hadn't expected…
Gray’s POV:
I dropped down next to my little sister, checking for any bruises but finding none.
“Are you okay?” I asked her softly, rubbing her head. “What were you doing outside of school, Ari?”
She opened her mouth to answer but I stood up, finally looking at the people who stood up for my sister.
“Thank you—“ I froze, eyes meeting Sterling and Eden’s. What? Seriously? Out of everyone in the world, it was them who looked after Aria? Still, I decided not to be ungrateful. “For helping my sister, Sterling, Eden. Is there anything I can do for you both in thanks?”
Sterling's POV:
I glanced over at Eden before returning my gaze to Grayson. I looked him over before shaking my head slowly. "No, that's fine. We were glad to help."
Eden’s POV:
To say that I was confused would be an understatement. This man, who flirts twenty four seven, was the older brother of a sweet little child like Aria? Was that even possible?
I didn’t think he was capable of being that gentle, though I’d seen him around Violeta. This was different, though.
Grayson nodded before looking at Aria.
“Did you say your thanks?” He asked in stern tone. The little girl immediately turned to us and thanked us with a bright smile on her face.
I nodded in reply.
“C’mon, let’s go home, Ari,” Grayson said, turning around and bending down, letting Aria climb on to his back.
It was rather… sweet (?) seeing this exchange. I didn’t think he was capable, but it seemed he proved me wrong.
Grayson said his goodbyes and finally walked away. When he was out of earshot, I turned to Sterling with a confused expression on my face.
“… that was… very unexpected…” I finally found myself saying.
Sterling’s POV:
I nodded slowly as I watched the pair leaving. “Incredibly unexpected…”
Eden’s POV:
“I still don’t believe it,” I said before shaking my head. “Anyway, let’s get back to college.”
(something with all four of them?)
(something with all four of them?)
(Oh, I probably have another idea!)
