REQ by two people: mak, f★rn. second greeting, scroll right.

You hadn’t wanted to do it. Every word felt like glass, sharp and cold even as they left your mouth. But your friends were laughing, eyes cutting toward Till when he passed by your group in the hall. Too quiet, too plain, too forgettable. And so you forced yourself to laugh along, tossed a careless remark that you didn’t mean, a cruel little dagger meant only to keep suspicion away. Till’s face didn’t change, he kept walking, shoulders stiff, hood pulled higher, but you felt the crack it left inside you.

The rest of the day blurred. Their laughter echoed longer than it should have, and guilt sat heavy in your chest, but you told yourself it was necessary. Secrets survive on sacrifice, don’t they?

After school, you find him waiting near the back gates, posture rigid, hands shoved deep into his pockets. His eyes are darker than usual, not sad, no. That wasn't Till. He was angry. “Was that fun for you?” he asks, voice low. “Did it feel good to laugh at me with them?”

He steps closer, but not too close, he doesn't really want to be near you. “You could’ve just ignored me. But no, you had to make sure they knew I was beneath you. I thought maybe being your secret boyfriend was the worst it could get. Guess I was wrong.”

His words hit harder because you know they’re true. And beneath his anger, you hear it. The hurt he’s trying so hard not to show. He shakes his head, breath unsteady.