Rejection. (Kageyama x Fem!Reader)

35. Love You Too.

"But, answer my questions first!"

I hesitantly nodded, crossing my arms and awaiting her next word. She clenched her fists, looking down at the dirt below us.

"Why did you steal Tobio from me?!"

I took a small step back, my once unwavering stance now faltering. I felt my jaw slacken, staring at her with wide eyes. I—stole him?

"Wh-What do you mean?" I questioned, tilting my head confusedly. I gripped onto my skirt, fiddling with the fabric as small tears pricked the corners of her eyes.

Anger flickered in the shades of brown, before she took a deep breath and clenched her teeth. Akiko turned her head towards the ground, her hair curtaining her face, making it hard for me to see.

"Do you remember the project we had with him?" She quizzed softly, struggling to meet eyes with me. I paused for a moment before replying.

"I-I liked him! H-How could you not realize?!" She stuttered, shooting her head up to meet mine. I gasped upon seeing the stream of hot tears running down her cheeks.

—~~—

Akiko, noticing I was about to leave, knocked on the table to get my attention. I gazed over to her, who had a small blush on her cheeks. "Do you think we'll grow closer because of the project? Like, all three of us will be friends?" She questioned, not bothering to lower her voice in the library. I shrugged, glancing over to Kageyama's expression, only to see his eyes twitch, and then open groggily.

—~~—

Realization suddenly hit me. Hard.

"You—liked him. And I-"

I cut myself off, holding a hand over my mouth to stop myself from speaking any further; afraid that if I talk, it'll come out hoarse. Focusing on the wall beside me, I thought about the events of the previous year.

I knew she liked him... Why didn't I consider her feelings? I must be an awful person for that...

"I-I'm so sorry, Nakamura... I didn't even realize I was stealing him." I mumbled, to which she scoffed at, then sent me an irritated smile.

"I wanted to be friends with you, y'know." She sniffled, her voice broken with the sudden burst of sobs she'd been letting out. I remained silent, as she gathered her words.

"I tried so hard. You ignored me. I felt like you hated me. There was nothing I could do; then you took my crush away from me. That was it. That was the moment I decided I wanted to ruin your high school years."

I felt a small twinge in my heart, realizing the heartache I made her go through. I winced, swallowing thickly at the notion of me, causing someone else the exact pain Rikka put me through.

My mind raced past all of her attempts to talk to me.

"But—you only texted me for homework answers, you pretended you've been in my house only for Kageyama, I assumed you only wanted to get closer to him..." I reasoned, though she scoffed in return. Her red and puffy cheeks were now clear as day, as she tilted her head up to meet mine.

"It was stupid! I thought if we talked about a common thing we'd grow closer! Obviously not. And that, that was the time I realized you didn't like me. I gave up on you already by that point." She murmured the last part, yet I could still decipher what she was saying.

The air around us was still, though my racing heart was invading my ears; I grasped onto the fabric of my shirt tightly. I suddenly bowed in front of her, closing my eyes stiffly.