Are you happy? (GxG)

Breathe

Mel's POV

We held hands as we walked down the corridor. I felt... free. I felt like I was no longer chained back by this secret- if you could even call it that. I mean, yeah, people looked and judged; they glanced at our entwined hands and happy faces and whispered things to their friends. But at that moment, I couldn't have cared less. As as we walked over to my locker, Thalia placed her hand centimetres above my head and leant towards me as I opened the small metal door. The second I had shut it, I turned to see her face incredibly close to mine, her eyes full of question.

Shall I...?

I smiled, taking a breath and burying my insecurities as far down as they would go, and leant towards her, pressing my lips softly against hers. Butterflies fluttered around inside me, creating a beautiful pattern of colours as they flew. We parted slowly and watched the corridor stir around us. Anything they may have assumed had now been proved correct. Thalia tried to comfort me with a warming smile and although it had lit up my heart a little, I could still feel the claw of insecurities clenching its grasp around my stomach. I took another deep breath as the bell rang and we were forced to part to go to class.

No one had spoken to me during class except May and Brie who were sat behind me. It seemed a universal breath was being held. As if the raw truths that had been revealed that morning had shocked the school beyond speech- even the teachers had avoided speaking to me personally that morning.

"Hey, It's going to be okay..." May said as she reached over to place a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I tried to smile at her but my attempts must have failed because her eyes began to fill with pity and she squeezed my shoulder lightly. The time had ticked slower that day- every second drawing on longer than it should- as if someone were dragging an anvil across the concrete floor; incredibly slow and agonising. I think it was more anticipation than anything else. Waiting and waiting for the hate to come. And when it finally did- I still wasn't ready.

We were sat together at the lunch table, Thalia, May and I.

"So he raises an eyebrow, winks, then throws up all over me!" She cried, recounting her experience of the party we had gone to a few days ago. We both laughed and Thalia wrapped her arm around me. Brie and Taylor began to walk over, both caught up in conversation until they stopped abruptly and Taylor turned to walk in the other direction. I heard Brie call out his name before the whole canteen went completely silent. Our friend sighed softly and continued her walk over to us. The second she sat down, I asked her what was wrong but she hadn't seemed to be in a talking mood so I let her off on that one.

When the bell rang to signify the end of lunch, my girlfriend and I walked to our next class together: Music.

"How are you holding up?" She asked softly and everything in me just wanted to jump up and kiss her in order to forget everything that had occurred today, but, I knew that I was never going to get past this if I didn't face it. Instead, I wrapped her in a tight embrace, losing myself in the steady pattern of her breathing.

"I'm holding..." I whispered and she took my hand in hers, leading me to the music room.

"I've got you." She whispered in my ear, "I've always got you..."

Music was the only lesson I didn't feel out if place. Mr Woods just smiled as we walked in, hands entwined. And I had lost myself within Thalia's forest eyes as she played the rhythm of our song. It was the only part of the day when I didn't feel as if the stares were eating me alive. Music... just the pure intricate rhythm of each ring of the guitar had always been able to comfort me- to calm my warring thoughts.

***

I thought it was over the minute that the last bell had rung, however, I couldn't have been more wrong. I went to place my books back into my locker, Thalia trailing behind, and as I opened the door for only the second time that day, a voice invades my thoughts.

"Hey!" Taylor was stood behind me and as I turned to face him he let out a bitter retort, "Do you know what you've done? I defended you! I thought he was drunk, making stupid assumptions... He was in love with you!" He yelled, catching the attention of many students around us.

"I know..." I murmured, "And I'll forever be sorry..."

"And this is how you apologise?! Did you know? Did you use him to hide your dirty secret?" His words punctured a hole inside my chest.

"No... I wouldn't use him like that! Taylor!" I cried, the tears teetering on the edge of my eyes. Every word he said is every word I've said to myself- over and over. The words that had haunted me at night, spoken aloud. Thalia pulled me towards her, softly tugging on my wrist. My heart clenched in my chest, my lungs finding it harder and harder to contract. My breathing then became quicker and quicker, each breath thick and heavy with the weight of my conscience.

"But you did! You've only known her, what... a month? It took you a whole month to move on! He's still broken to pieces!" Taylor shouted, oblivious to the war currently erupting in my head. Thalia seemed to notice that something was off and turned my head to face her, her hand on my neck.

"Babe... are you okay?" She said slowly, searching my soul for the emotion which was making my chest heave faster and faster. I shook my head frantically, my hand fumbling to clutch onto hers. She grabbed my flailing hand in hers and I gripped tight onto her. She was my anchor.

"I'm so sorry..." I sobbed, glancing toward Taylor, "I never wanted to hurt him..." Taylor, having finally noticed that something was wrong, stopped and studied me carefully. Then Brie approached, and they started to argue. I didn't hear a word of what she was saying, each word having bounced off of my eardrums and turned into a low pitched buzz. I was sure Thalia was talking to me as well but I couldn't hear anything but that antagonising buzz. Then a quiet bell rang, almost like a Christmas bell, and everything went silent.

It was like the world had stopped and I was left in this isolated silence, unmoving and still. I closed my eyes and welcomed the veil of darkness. I took a breath, willing my heart to slow. Slowly, every organ in my body calmed, the blood moving in a steady flow. I regulated my breathing as I began to peel my eyes open and the earth began to turn once again.

"Stop," I said, my voice steady. Taylor and Brie stopped arguing and both turned towards me, "I messed up okay? But I wasn't happy, I didn't love him like I should've- I didn't know why then but I do now... Now... I'm finally, actually happy- for once. And I'm sorry that Kye couldn't share that happiness with me but all of the happiness he had with me wasn't fake. We had fun- he was... is one of my best friends. I love him. I do. I'm just not... in love with him and I never will be. So we broke up not just for my happiness but for his too. We broke up because I love him. Not because I didn't." Once I finished my speech, I spotted Kye in my periphery, tears in his eyes.

"I love you too," He said and ran towards me before enveloping me in a hug. It felt good to feel his arms around me again, and not because we were a couple, just because we were friends and he was there for me, "I've missed you, Melody..." He whispered into my ear and as we parted yelled at all of the spectators that had gathered around us.

"These two are together now and I'm happy for them. Now... stop sticking your nose into things that aren't your own and clear off." Murmurs had spread down the corridor as he said this then, a couple of seconds later, people began to part from the crowds they had formed around the four of them. I smiled at the boy and took a breath filled with relief.

A/N

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed and are all staying safe! I haven't read through this so feel free to leave any grammar/spelling corrections. Have a lovely day xx