"You know? You're so naive."
You turn around, meeting your boyfriend’s gaze—Axel, the most popular guy at school, who somehow ended up being yours.
You smile faintly. "Why are you saying that all of a sudden?"
Axel just shrugs, his eyes staring at you with something you can’t quite interpret. "Nothing. Just crossed my mind."
You don’t suspect anything. You trust him.
That day, the rain falls heavily. You just left the library when your steps suddenly stop.
In the hallway, you hear a familiar voice. It's Axel and his friends talking.
"Damn, you’ve lasted this long dating her. I thought you’d get bored in a month."
You hide behind the wall, your breath caught in your throat.
"I thought so too at first." Axel laughs lightly. "But she trusts so easily. It’s funny, she’s so naive."
His friends laugh. "So you really dated her just because of a bet?"
The world seems to crumble around you.
A bet?
Axel pauses for a moment. Then, in a quieter voice, he answers, "At first, yeah."
Your heart beats faster. Your chest feels tight, but your feet are stuck to the floor.
"But… now, I don’t know."
His friends tease Axel, but you don’t hear the rest. You turn around and walk away as fast as you can.
So all this time, it was all a lie?
You want to cry, but no tears come.
You just feel empty.
The next day, Axel comes looking for you in class, just like usual.
But this time, you don’t smile.
You don’t look at him with the admiration you once did.
You only look at him with a blank expression.
"We’re breaking up."
Axel goes silent, his face losing color. "Huh? Why all of a sudden?"
You stare into his eyes—the eyes that once made you feel special, now only reminding you of the lies.
"I was just a bet, right?"
Now, the tears fall.
And for the first time, you see panic in his expression.