School. The word itself made him nauseous. Teresa. Her name made him shake. He felt like complete, utter shit.
He lost his best friend, merely because she had a plan, it didn't go how either of them had wanted, and they'd screwed up. They'd screwed up everything. Best friends since grade school no more. Possibly now nothing more than a face you'd see in the hallway, and not give so much as a smile.
His breath catching in his throat, he walked onto the schoolyard. A Monday, that made it so much better. The brunet caught sight of Minho. One of the two people he had now. Only him and.. Newt. He didn't even know what Newt was to him anymore. A friend? More? He didn't want to think about it.
Pushing all thoughts of the blond aside, he smiled tiredly at Minho as he made his way over. "Hey," he said softly. He hoped Teresa hadn't said anything to the Asian boy.
But all hope faltered as the taller one faced him, his face telling infinitely otherwise. "What the hell, Thomas?!" He raised his voice, placing a firm hand on Thomas's shoulder.
The brunette turned red. He wasn't sure if it was anger, or embarrassment, or just a reaction. He contemplated playing dumb but knew it wouldn't slide with Minho. So he'd come clean. Just not here. Without a word, he grabbed Minho by the shirt collar and tugged him behind the school, where no one ever went. To his surprise, and gratitude, the Asian didn't put up any fuss.
Minho, listen—" he tried to begin, but was cut short when he was jabbed in the chest.
Minho was furious now. "No Thomas, for once, you listen. Teresa's heartbroken. And it's your fault. I don't care what she did, she sure as hell didn't deserve what you did. You're supposed to be her best friend, remember?" The boy had gone from raging to sobbing, in a matter of moments. He was choking back tears.
And that made Thomas feel absolutely, indescribably, horrible. He'd never seen Minho cry. Ever. It just wasn't in his nature. He was supposed to be tough. These airplanes had brought out the worst in everyone, it seemed.
Now, the brunette was holding back tears of his own. He knew he should've waited— and because of that, he'd be lucky if either of his friends didn't hate him. "I'm sorry. Genuinely. I was going to wait, but I was pissed, and I didn't think, and I'm sorry. Teresa is my best friend, and she means the world to me..." he failed to continue, choking on sobs and wiping tears with his oversized sleeve.
As he closed his eyes, the brunette felt two masculine arms wrap around him in a tight hug. His favourite kind. Minho was so good at comforting him, he knew exactly what Thomas needed at the right time. Thank god for him.
The pair stood like this for a few minutes. Just standing, Thomas's face covered by huge sleeves, and Minho's arms around him comfortably. Until the bell rang, and the two had to disconnect. Minho piped up before either had a chance to leave.
"I'll excuse you from class, go find Newt."
"Wouldn't he be in a class—"
"No, he's got a free period, conveniently. You know where he'll be. Now get your ass out there."
Thomas silently thanked every god he could fathom in his head for Minho. He nodded quickly, before rushing off to the place Newt spent nearly all his time— The library.
The library held memories for the brunette. That was where the boys had shared their first kiss. And they're second. Where they'd argued, and joked. Basically, where the pair had spent all their time together.
"Yes, it would."
With that, the boy took his final step forward and kissed the blond. A feeling he'd felt multiple times now, but knew he'd never get sick of. The most lovely feeling he'd ever felt. The butterflies in his stomach sparked to life, but he barely noticed. He was so infatuated with Newt, and every little thing about him. He couldn't imagine this with anyone else.
Finally, they had to pull away to breathe. Thomas stared into Newt's eyes for a few moments, gaining the ability to ask the question he'd been dying to. "Newt. Will you please be my boyfriend?" His voice cracked on the final word.
The Brit rolled his eyes, but a huge smile appeared on his face. "Did we ever break up since last time?" He joked.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Thomas was on his next search now. A mission to make things right with his best friend. Teresa was possibly his closest friend— as she's been around since the mere minute he was born. They grew up together, had been best friends for as long as anyone could remember, and never argued once.
Until now.
He hated the feeling of arguing with Teresa. Of even thinking about it. And there was the dire need to fix it because he couldn't stand much more of this. He wanted his bestie back.
Sliding around the corner, Newt's hand in his, the brunet made a beeline for Teresa's locker, where their group of friends always hang out during breaks. Though.. the dark-haired girl was nowhere to be found. Damnit.
He tried to think. Maybe she skipped school. Maybe she couldn't even bear to see his face. Maybe it hurt too bad to be here and be reminded of everything that happ—. Thomas got too deep in his mind and had to clear himself. Afterwards, he looked to Newt with an apologetic smile, which was thankfully returned.
After more searching, he spotted the Asian boy, talking to— thank god— Teresa. "Newtie, stay here, yeah?" He received a nod before speed walking over to the small group
There was a weird energy between the two people. It was sad but peaceful. It felt light, but as if it were slowly pulling you away from everything else on earth. As if that energy was all there is. He tried not to think about that. Minho seemed to clue in as to what his plan was, and he gave a small thumbs up, making sure Teresa wasn't able to see.
"Hey, Uhh. Resa.. look, I'm so sorry. I screwed up. I was just— I was so mad. I didn't give myself time to unwind, and I just went off on you. Which was totally unfair and I'm sorry it happened but I was being a doofus and I promise it won't happen again." He began to babble, feeling incredibly awkward when she said nothing.
Instead, a wide smile crossed her face, and a couple tears fell down her cheeks, the water infested with mascara. In moments, her arms were around his waist, and her face was pressed into his neck in the tightest hug he's ever felt. "Tom, I'm sorry too." He heard her mumble. "I should've told you, I shouldn't have taken it so far." She went into his neck.
He was so glad that she took it so well, and was, admittedly, disappointed when she let go of him. The brunet smiled fondly at her, before patting her twice on the back. "Friends forever?" He asked.
Teresa nodded, a hint of a fresh smile gracing her lips.
"Friends forever."
•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Chapter by @bxbblegxms_
Sksksksks, hello! This is the last chapter of Paper Hearts. I'm so glad that you liked this fic, it means the world to me, and the rest of the team! The only reason that we've ended this fanfic so soon, is because as I've said, it's kind of turned to a train wreck 😅 either way! I hope this end chapter was alright, and the epilogue should be up soon! Much love! 💓❤️💕
