Keanu Reeves x reader

Winston Connelly - Dunce

     I sat in the lab room with my head buried in my hands. My elbows were resting against the cool blacktop of the table. My stomach rumbled, yet I ignored it. Lunch just didn't seem worth it today so I skipped.

        Worth what? Facing some dork, no not a dork anymore, some guy who doesn't seem to care about me? Prom night was a night that changed Winston into a completely different person. I mean, I hardly recognized him when we got back to school that following Monday. He had Tara Mitchell practically clinging to his arm when just a few weeks ago she wouldn't even look at him without pretending to gag. I had to rub my eyes to make sure that I didn't belong in some psych ward.

       Tara wasn't even the worst part. It was when he seemed to completely ignore me and the other club members that day at lunch. The embarrassment on my face when I raised my arm to signal to him where we were, and then he didn't even bother to glance at me for it. 

         A sudden sob escaped me and I felt my hands grow wet. I was crying. I was crying! A pitiful laugh between sobs led me to nearly choking. Was I really crying because I was being ignored by some guy? No, I was crying because I was getting ignored by Winston Connelly. Former vice-president of the astronomy club, the guy I used to compete with on tests to see who got the better scores, the guy I followed like a little puppy ever since he saw me eating lunch alone in one of the teacher's classrooms freshman year. 

       Speaking of the astronomy club, the meeting was about to start soon. It wouldn't be a good look if the president was late or even absent from a meeting. Who am I actually kidding? Me being late isn't going to actually change how people view us. I can't really blame Winston for changing into what he did, maybe I would've done the same given the opportunity. 

       The door to the lab suddenly opened and I quickly pushed back the next sob, turning away from the door in my chair in a rush to clean my face up a little bit. I hate crying in front of others. 

      I cleared my throat, "I'm leaving in a second. I didn't know anyone was going to come into the lab after school today." My voice definitely sounded like I had been crying.

        "Hey." Oh no. Not him. Not now. 

       There was a pause. It wasn't very uncomfortable, but it was obvious that neither one of us knew what to say. It had been two weeks since prom, nearly three since he had told me Tara had asked him to take her out to prom. I cried that day too, silently in my room. I went to prom instead with one of my guy friends from book club who couldn't find a date either. We didn't talk again after that night.

       I got tired of the silence and turned around, quickly power walking to the door. My eyes were glued straight to the ground because I wouldn't be able to face him, I knew I couldn't. 

        "Wait," one of his hands wrapped around my wrist. It felt different. Maybe it was because my perception of him had changed, but it didn't feel like the old Winston. 

       I reluctantly turned around, my head still turned down to the ground. I counted the little black speckles in the white tiles of the floor. There were so many. 

       "You weren't in club today... I came to look for y-"

         "I wasn't in club? I'm the one missing club?" I felt angry. I snapped my head up, looking into his vibrant brown eyes for the first time in weeks. Everything was pouring out now, "Oh so you finally decided to show up to tell us you were quitting? God, it must've been so damn hard to sneak away from your precious group of friends. Oh, what would they think if they found out?" I jerked my arm out of his grasp, letting my arms hang at my sides. I snorted, "No, I'm actually surprised you didn't show up with them to come and mock the rest of us like some kind of zoo." 

        "Can you please stop?" He was walking towards me with a sort of pained look on his face. 

        "Why didn't you bring them? Are you scared they'd confuse you with one of the space nerds? Oh nooooo." I spoke sarcastically towards him, my words pushing past my lips without a second thought. 

        "Please, just listen to me," he was getting closer, but I just backed up. I didn't want him to be near me.

         "No, because for nearly three weeks you haven't bothered to listen to anyone else. No one can touch Winston Connelly now. He stabbed all of his former friends in the back so he could be worthy of a little school-clout. How pathetic. How pathetic can one poor boy really be?" I let out a laugh, rolling my eyes as an aggravated smile appeared and my teeth clenched together almost painfully. 

         "It's not like that. I mean I... I didn't mean to do-"

       "Oh, you didn't mean to? Let me just tell everyone that you just got too absorbed in getting your first girlfriend that your little virgin brain got a bit too excited." The virgin part wasn't meant to be an insult, I was one myself and there wasn't anything wrong with it. I was just getting so angry at him that it felt like I had to attack anything I could about him.

        He seemed to finally get tired of my insults, grabbing my arms and proceeding to push me up against the door. I was taken aback by the sudden action. No matter what happened to Winston, he had never reacted in this type of way before. His face was mere inches away from mine. 

        "If only you were smart enough to learn some social cues. When someone tells you to listen, listen to them." His eyes were latched onto mine, and I felt the urge to turn away from him. I didn't. "Now, are you finally going to be quiet and listen to what I have to say?" 

       I just nodded to show that I would. 

       "Good." He let out a sigh, seemingly gathering his thoughts together before speaking again. "I know. I know that I've not been the best person these past few weeks. I know I've hurt you guys by abandoning you. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I just... It was like you said, a popular girl took interest in me and I couldn't hold back. I jumped into everything without a second look." He let go of my arms and stood up straight, running his hands through his hair in a stressed manner. He let out a sigh and rubbed his face with one hand, "And I was miserable through it all. I mean, none of that was me. I ignored all of those who were there for me because those who hated me before... didn't hate me anymore. I'm really sorry for it too. I really am." 

        My eyes found their way back to the floor, tears threatening to pour out if I didn't focus on holding them back like two teens in a fight. "You're an idiot." 

       He let out a chuckle, "Yeah, I am."

     "I should make you wear a hat that says something like 'Dunce'." My cheeks began to grow wet again. 

        Winston pulled me in close, my face quickly buried in his chest. "I'll wear it if you make it. I think it would be against the dress code though."

        A genuine laugh made its way through sobs while I tightly wrapped my arms around him. We didn't say anything for a long time. Club was probably a majority of the way done by now, but I didn't bother to move.