𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞 - 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭

it wasn't like you had meant to eavesdrop.

the locker room door had been cracked open, voices carrying easily into the empty hallway. you had only been on your way to surprise ness after practice, waiting outside with his favorite drink in hand, smiling to yourself as you imagined the way his eyes would light up when he saw you.

but then you heard it.

"yeah, i don't know, man. i guess i just got tired of her."

your feet froze.

that voice—it was ness.

a quiet chuckle followed, one of his teammates snickering. "seriously? you always acted like she was your entire world."

"well, maybe i was just pretending." ness let out an exaggerated sigh. "she's clingy. and annoying. i don't have time to keep dealing with that."

the world tilted.

your breath caught in your throat, fingers going numb as his words slammed into you like a freight train.

clingy. annoying. pretending.

you couldn't breathe.

the drink in your hands felt heavy. your limbs felt heavy. the weight of every soft moment you had shared with him—every whispered promise, every time he had pulled you close and told you he adored you—suddenly felt like a cruel joke.

had he been lying?

had it all just been an act?

your vision blurred, the edges of your world crumbling as the laughter inside the locker room continued, as if the person you loved most hadn't just ripped your heart out.

you didn't stay to hear the rest.

by the time ness walked out of practice, expecting to see you waiting there like you always did, you were already gone.

and for the first time since you had met him—since you had fallen in love with him—you didn't answer when he called.

──────────── ⋆☆⋆ ────────────

at first, ness didn't understand.

you weren't answering his texts. his calls went straight to voicemail. when he tried to see you, you brushed him off with excuses that felt too sharp, too distant. and then you stopped answering altogether.

days passed. then a week.

the silence stretched between you, and with every ignored message, every missed glance in the hallways, dread curled tighter in his stomach.

something was wrong.

and then, when he finally managed to get you alone, he realized just how wrong it was.

you were different.

gone was the warmth in your eyes when you looked at him, replaced by something cold. something distant.

"i don't get it," ness said, frustration creeping into his voice. "what's going on with you? why are you—"

"why don't you tell me?" you cut him off, your voice eerily calm.

ness blinked. "what?"

you let out a quiet, bitter laugh. "you don't have to pretend anymore, ness."

his stomach twisted. "what are you talking about?"

your fingers curled into fists at your sides. "i heard you."

he frowned. "heard me what?"

your jaw clenched, as if saying the words would make it real all over again. "i heard what you said after practice. about me. about how i was just some clingy, annoying girl you got tired of dealing with."

ness felt his heart stop.

no. no, no, no.

"that's not—" he took a step closer, but you stepped back.

"save it." your voice cracked, but your resolve didn't. "i don't need an explanation. i don't need you to sugarcoat it. i get it now, ness. i was just someone to pass the time with, wasn't i?"

panic clawed at his chest, his mind racing a mile a minute. "that's not true," he rushed out. "that's not what i meant—i wasn't talking about you like that."

you only shook your head. "i don't care anymore."

that hurt more than anything.

because the you, he knew would have let him explain. would have given him the benefit of the doubt. but now, looking at you, standing there with all that heartbreak in your eyes, he realized—he had already lost you.

and the worst part? it wasn't even his words that had destroyed you.

it was the fact that you had believed them.

"ness," you whispered, and it sounded like a goodbye. "just... let me go."

and this time, when you walked away, he knew better than to chase you.

because some things, no matter how badly you wanted them back, could never be undone.

ill make it up in the next ness one I swear :c

𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠