monday
the hallways of de la salle university were buzzing with their usual frenzy—students darting between classes, laughter echoing off the walls, lockers slamming like they were auditioning for a role in a horror movie.
but in the midst of this delightful chaos, sophia laforteza was in her own world. her focus was laser-sharp, each step purposeful, her jaw set in a way that screamed "i'm too fabulous for this." yet, if you had a keen eye—if you really knew her—you'd catch the subtle tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers curled just enough to hint at a storm brewing inside her.
lara and megan were her trusty sidekicks, strutting through the halls like they owned the place. megan, the queen of mischief, was in the middle of spinning a tale about her latest escapade—something about a group project she was totally planning to ghost on—but sophia and lara were only half-listening. the topic had shifted to something much juicier: manon bannerman.
"i can't believe she skipped your play," megan said, shaking her head, a smirk playing on her lips as if she was savoring the drama like a fine wine. "does she really think she can just swoop in with some grand gesture at midnight and make it all better?"
sophia's eyes darkened, but her expression remained smooth. "apparently."
lara, always the level-headed one, glanced at sophia carefully. "you know she didn't do it on purpose, right?" she said gently. "she texted me—she was devastated when she realized she wouldn't make it in time."
sophia exhaled sharply, but it wasn't quite a sigh. "if she really wanted to be there, she would have been there, lar." her tone was clipped, but the slightest waver betrayed her.
megan raised an eyebrow, her grin widening. "sooo... you're saying she's over you? because, babe, i've seen that woman literally worship the ground you walk on. i don't think she even breathes without checking if you're okay first."
sophia shot her a glare. "that's not the point."
megan chuckled. "then what is? because from where i'm standing, it looks like you're throwing a fit because she had to work. and let's be honest, this isn't exactly her first rodeo with a busy schedule."
sophia's jaw tightened. megan wasn't wrong. manon's job as a model had always been a double-edged sword in their relationship. it was the reason she had to fly across the world for weeks at a time, the reason she sometimes missed important dates, the reason their schedules never seemed to align as perfectly as they wanted. but through all of that, they had always found a way.
still, last night had been different.
last night had mattered.
sophia had poured her heart and soul into that play for months. it was her time to shine, her moment to dazzle, her passion laid bare for all to see. and where was manon—her rock, her number one fan? she was supposed to be there, no ifs, ands, or buts about it. she had promised.
but when the final curtain dropped and the applause echoed through the auditorium, sophia's hopeful gaze swept the crowd, only to find manon's seat glaringly empty.
"i don't care about her job," sophia said, her voice low but resolute. "what matters is she said she'd be here, and she bailed."
lara let out a long sigh. "she's been sending you apologies like they're candy, hasn't she?"
sophia didn't bother to respond. they all knew the drill.
three years of this back-and-forth. manon would mess up, then come crawling back with a million apologies. sophia would stand her ground until she felt satisfied, and then, like clockwork, she'd forgive her because, let's face it, no matter how stubborn she was, she loved manon.
and deep down? yeah, she knew manon loved her too.
but right now? oh, right now, she was still fuming.
lara and megan exchanged glances, but before they could utter another word, the trio rounded a corner and came to a screeching halt.
there, in the middle of the hallway, completely unfazed by the bustling students around her.
stood manon bannerman.
she looked ridiculously good, which was unfair considering sophia was supposed to be mad at her. her long, toned frame was dressed in a black tank top that showed off her sculpted arms, her dark baggy jeans fitting perfectly around her legs. her braids were tied high in a ponytail, sharp jaw tight with tension. but what stood out most—what nearly made sophia falter—was the massive bouquet of pink and purple peonies in her hands.
her absolute favorite.
the hallway was thick with an unspoken tension as lara and megan instinctively slowed their steps.
sophia? not a chance.
she breezed right past manon, not even bothering to glance her way or acknowledge she existed. if her heart did a little twist at the sight of manon's hopeful face crumbling into disappointment, well, that was her own little secret.
manon's lips parted, her eyes following sophia with a silent, almost desperate wish.
megan stifled a laugh behind her hand, while lara just sighed, shooting manon a look that screamed sympathy.
but manon wasn't about to throw in the towel.
with a quick pivot, she fell into step beside sophia. "baby, please," she whispered, her voice low and sweet, like honey dripping from a spoon.
sophia didn't flinch. didn't break stride. didn't even spare her a glance.
manon pressed on. "i swear i didn't mean to miss your play. my casting event ran way over, and by the time i got out, i was practically running to the theater—"
sophia stayed cool as a cucumber, but manon caught the slightest twitch of her fingers.
megan noticed it.
lara noticed it.
but sophia? she kept her eyes straight ahead, lips set in a line that said she was not impressed.
manon sighed, adjusting the bouquet in her arms. "you know i wanted to be there. i would never miss something that important to you on purpose."
and still, the silence lingered.
manon groaned dramatically, tilting her head closer. "baby, i haven't slept in days."
sophia's lips pressed slightly tighter.
manon shot her a cheeky grin. "you miss me, don't you?"
sophia picked up her pace.
manon, emboldened, softened her voice even more. "fifi?"
and finally, sophia came to an abrupt stop.
her heeled boots clicking against the polished floors as she halted mid-stride. the suddenness of it caught manon off guard, sending her stumbling slightly, the bouquet in her hands wobbling as she struggled to regain her balance.
for one agonizing second, hope sparked in manon's chest. maybe this was it. maybe sophia was finally acknowledging her existence, finally giving her a chance to grovel properly, to explain.
but then—
sophia turned her head, ever so slightly, and manon's breath caught, her heart hammering in anticipation.
only for sophia's gaze to completely bypass her, landing instead on lara and megan, as if they were the only ones worth speaking to.
"i feel like eating ramen," she mused, her voice smooth and unbothered, as if she hadn't just left her devoted girlfriend on her knees in the middle of the school hallway. "should we go?"
lara hesitated, clearly torn between loyalty to sophia and sympathy for manon, but she nodded nonetheless. "...yeah, sure."
megan, however, had zero such conflict. she was already grinning, the pure embodiment of chaos, practically vibrating with excitement, her eyes alight with glee.
sophia, satisfied, turned on her heel and walked away with the kind of regal elegance only she could manage.
manon's mouth fell open.
what.
what.
this was so much worse than yelling. this was so much worse than angry words or cold glares or even dramatic, tearful accusations.
oh, hell no.
with sheer, unshakable determination, manon took a deep breath and followed.
"baby, please," she groaned, quickening her steps to keep up with sophia's impossibly graceful stride. she extended the bouquet, holding it out like a peace offering, her expression the very picture of love-struck desperation. "i got your favorite flowers. your favorite."
nothing.
not a glance. not a flicker of recognition.
meanwhile, megan had fully embraced her role as the audience, elbowing lara as she struggled to stifle her giggles. "she's really in the trenches."
lara sighed, watching the scene unfold like someone observing an ancient tragedy. "well... she did miss the play."
manon barely heard them. she was too busy chasing after her girlfriend, throwing every ounce of charm, guilt, and devotion into her voice.
"sophia, baby," she pleaded, sidestepping around students who were now openly watching the spectacle. "i was working, okay? it ran longer than expected—i wanted to be there, you know i did.”
crickets.
sophia kept walking, her expression unreadable, her chin held high like a queen passing judgment upon an unworthy subject.
manon groaned dramatically, running a hand through her ponytail, feeling the weight of her sins crushing down on her. "sophia, for the love of god, at least throw me an insult. this silence is painful."
the tension was almost unbearable, but sophia carried herself like she didn't feel a thing. she walked through the hallway like she was gracing a runway—head high, hair cascading over her shoulder, expression as smooth as marble. the only indication of her true feelings was the way her nails lightly tapped against the strap of her designer bag, a rhythm only lara and megan would recognize.
manon trailed beside her like a lost puppy, bouquet still in hand, her desperation growing by the second. she wasn't used to this level of ice-cold treatment. sure, sophia could be dramatic, but she was also affectionate. even when she was mad, there was usually a hint of fire in her reactions—a scoff, an eye roll, a sharp-witted insult. but today? nothing. she was a fortress.
and manon was ready to climb those damn walls.
"baby." manon tried again, voice low and coaxing as she reached out, fingers gently tugging at the hem of sophia's crisp white blouse. she didn't yank, didn't pull too hard—just a light, pleading touch.
sophia, without so much as a glance, casually brushed manon's hand away like it was an annoying fly.
megan visibly shook with laughter, biting down on her knuckle to keep from making a scene. lara merely exhaled, but even she looked mildly amused now.
undeterred, manon tried again. another soft tug.
another brush away.
manon groaned dramatically, running a hand down her face. "okay, you're really committing to this."
sophia still didn't look at her. didn't even acknowledge her presence.
megan nudged lara. "oh, this is better than i expected."
lara, while trying to appear neutral, failed to suppress a quiet chuckle.
manon, now completely shameless in her pursuit, quickened her pace and cut directly in front of sophia, forcing her to halt in her tracks.
sophia blinked at the sudden obstacle in her path, her expression blank, as if she had only just noticed manon existed.
the hallway fell into a hush. students slowed in their steps, whispering as they witnessed what was about to unfold.
manon inhaled deeply, locking eyes with sophia, whose expression was as inscrutable as a closed book.
"what do i have to do?" she demanded, her voice laced with frustration. "should i buy you a whole theater and put on a one-woman show? or maybe i should just quit my job and become your full-time fan club president?"
sophia didn't answer. she barely even blinked.
manon sighed heavily. "fine," she muttered. "you leave me no choice."
and then—she dropped to her damn knees.
right there.
in the middle of the hallway.
with zero shame.
gasps rippled through the crowd. megan choked on her own laughter. lara's eyes widened.
sophia, meanwhile, remained completely, utterly unfazed.
manon stretched her arms out, palms up, bouquet still in one hand, head tilted back dramatically as she spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"sophia elizabeth laforteza," she declared, voice dripping with sincerity (and maybe a little bit of theatrical flair), "my love, my heart, my entire reason for breathing—"
megan let out a strangled noise, barely holding it together.
manon continued. "i have failed you. i am a fool. a clown. a mere mortal unworthy of your divine presence."
more students gathered, the whispers growing louder.
manon was unbothered. she leaned forward on her knees, hands clasped in desperation. "tell me what i must do, my queen. must i suffer in eternal regret? or will you grant me mercy, so i may bask once more in your unparalleled beauty and grace?"
sophia, the picture of composure, looked down at her kneeling girlfriend with all the emotion of someone watching paint dry.
a slow blink. a perfectly sculpted brow lifting.
and then—
without a single word, without a flicker of amusement, sophia took one graceful sidestep and walked right past manon.
the crowd exploded.
megan collapsed against a locker, wheezing. lara covered her mouth, shaking with silent laughter.
manon?
still on her knees.
still processing the utter lack of reaction.
megan gasped between laughs. "she—she just walked away—"
lara, wiping tears from her eyes. "seriously, get up, manon.
manon, stunned, turned slowly, watching as sophia's figure disappeared down the hallway, her rejection as casual as if she had stepped over a puddle.
she swallowed.
then, with a dramatic sigh, she muttered under her breath—
"...god, i love that woman."
manon scrambled to her feet so fast she nearly tripped over her own toes. the bouquet wobbled precariously in her grip as she lurched forward, practically tripping over thin air in her rush to catch up. she was a model, sure—graceful on the runway, elegant in photoshoots—but right now? right now, she looked like an absolute loser. a desperate, lovesick loser with nothing but a big-ass bouquet and a dream.
and she didn't care.
not about the students laughing, not about the whispers echoing through the hallways, not about megan outright wheezing behind her. the only thing that mattered was sophia, and the fact that she was still mad. her queen was furious, and it was manon's sacred duty to fix it.
she kept following, dodging people left and right, her long legs making it easy to keep pace. she called out, "sophia—baby—can we please—" but her girlfriend was already stepping outside.
megan and lara, meanwhile, were having the time of their lives.
megan was still filming, barely holding the phone steady as she muttered between laughter, "this is going to blow up."
lara, calmer but still amused, hummed. "let's never let her live this down, okay."
by the time manon reached the outside, sophia was already standing at the bus stop, her arms crossed, her expression still unreadable.
the air was crisp, the afternoon sun casting a golden glow over the city. it would have been a romantic setting if not for the very public humiliation manon was enduring.
she skidded to a stop in front of sophia, barely out of breath but looking thoroughly wrecked—her high ponytail slightly messy now, the bouquet clutched against her chest, her expression an open book of love and regret.
"sophia." she tried again, voice softer now, but still filled with determination.
sophia didn't even look at her.
manon sighed, adjusting her stance, trying to block her view without being too intrusive. "baby," she coaxed, her voice dipping lower, gentler. "i'll drive you home."
silence.
manon stepped closer, closing the space between them, her height making it easier to hover over sophia. she tilted her head, studying her girlfriend's beautiful, stubborn profile—the way her lips were slightly pursed, the way her lashes fluttered but still refused to meet manon's gaze.
the bus hadn't arrived yet. that meant she still had time.
manon exhaled slowly, then made her move.
her hand found sophia's waist.
soft, warm. familiar.
she didn't tug, didn't pull—just rested her palm against the curve of sophia's waist, fingers pressing lightly against the fabric of her blouse. it wasn't forceful, wasn't demanding. it was a plea.
she leaned in, her lips brushing just near sophia's ear, her voice dropping into that lower, more intimate register she knew sophia couldn't ignore.
"let's go home."
sophia still refused to look at her.
but she didn't push manon away.
didn't step back.
didn't shake off her touch.
the bus pulled up with a hiss of the brakes, the doors creaking open as the driver barely spared a glance at the scene unfolding in front of him. manon tightened her grip on sophia's waist, her fingers pressing into the fabric of her blouse as if the warmth of her touch alone could tether her in place. she wasn't above begging, not when it came to sophia. not when she was the one who had messed up. her voice softened into something tender, something meant only for sophia despite their growing audience.
"come on, baby," she murmured, her breath warm against sophia's ear. "let's go home."
for the briefest moment, manon thought she felt sophia hesitate, her body almost leaning into her touch, as if she might finally break her act of cold indifference. but just as quickly as the moment appeared, it was gone.
with effortless grace, sophia reached down and delicately pried manon's fingers from her waist, her touch featherlight but firm. she didn't spare manon a single glance, not even a parting look of disdain. instead, she simply turned away and stepped onto the bus with the same fluidity and poise she always carried, leaving manon standing there like a fool.
megan let out a long, low whistle. "damn. sorry man."
lara sighed, her expression somewhere between sympathy and exasperation. "give her some time."
megan grinned, slipping her phone into her pocket as she trailed after sophia. "yeah, but will manon?"
manon barely heard them. she was still staring at the bus doors, still processing the quiet, gut-wrenching finality of that graceful dismissal. sophia hadn't pushed her away with force, hadn't yelled at her or thrown a fit. no, she had done something far worse. she had dismissed her. as if she were nothing more than a minor inconvenience, a fleeting presence unworthy of her attention.
and manon, heart aching, could not accept that.
the bus doors closed, and in that instant, something snapped inside her. she wasn't letting this end here.
"wait—wait—" she blurted, suddenly jolting forward as the bus began to roll away from the curb. without thinking, without caring how ridiculous she looked, she took off in a sprint, bouquet still clutched in her arms, determination burning in her chest.
inside the bus, megan gasped in sheer delight, fumbling to grab her phone again. "oh, this is going in the archives."
lara, who had barely taken her seat, turned in alarm as she caught sight of manon through the window. her jaw dropped slightly, eyes widening. "oh my god."
sophia, perfectly composed, barely acknowledged the chaos unraveling outside. she slid into a seat by the window, crossed her legs with practiced elegance, and pulled out her phone as if her girlfriend wasn't currently running after public transportation in broad daylight. she scrolled idly, her expression unreadable, the very picture of a woman unbothered.
manon, meanwhile, was not unbothered.
dodging pedestrians and weaving through groups of students, she pushed herself forward, her long legs making it easy to keep pace—for now. the bus wasn't going that fast yet, and she clung to that small advantage, her voice rising over the sound of the engine.
"sophia! baby, please—"
sophia didn't look up. didn't turn her head. didn't even flick her eyes toward the window.
megan, now filming at an almost cinematic angle, was nearly in tears from laughter.
lara, still watching in mild horror, muttered, "soph, do something?"
outside, manon was determined. her breath was coming faster, but she refused to slow down. she was willing to throw away every ounce of her dignity if it meant sophia would at least acknowledge her.
"sophia, i love you," she called, voice laced with both desperation and devotion. "i missed you. baby please, just look at me—just once."
inside the bus, sophia languidly lifted a hand to cover a yawn, her expression completely indifferent. it was an act, of course, because her heart was practically pounding at the sheer ridiculousness of manon chasing after her. but she wasn't going to let manon know that. she wasn't going to reward her girlfriend for being an idiot.
manon was beginning to struggle. the bus was picking up speed, and though she was athletic, running at full speed while clutching a massive bouquet of peonies wasn't exactly ideal. but she pushed herself forward, willing her legs to move faster, willing sophia to turn around.
"SOPHIAAAA—" manon groaned, her voice breaking slightly, her breath hitching.
sophia scrolled through her phone, appearing completely unbothered. she wasn't, of course. she was very much enjoying this, but she refused to give in just yet.
and then—just to humiliate manon further—she did the most devastating thing yet.
she tilted her head ever so slightly, just enough for her face to be caught in manon's desperate gaze. and then, in the most casual display of heartless perfection, she smirked.
not wide. not obvious.
just enough.
just barely there.
but manon saw it.
and her knees almost buckled.
as the bus finally picked up too much speed, leaving manon behind, she skidded to a stop, panting, bouquet still clutched in her arms, eyes locked onto the window where she had just caught the tiniest glimpse of sophia's amusement before it disappeared.
she stood there, panting, hands on her knees, watching the bus pull further and further away. her heart was pounding—not just from the sprint, not just from the humiliation, but from the sheer audacity of sophia laforteza. that smirk. that tiny, barely-there smirk that had flickered across her lips for just a second before she turned away like manon was nothing. like she hadn't just chased after her like a love-drunk idiot in front of the whole school. like she wasn't still standing here, clutching a bouquet of flowers that were beginning to look as desperate as she did.
and that was when manon realized—she wasn't done.
her sharp eyes darted across the street, scanning, searching, hunting for any possible solution. and then—like the answer to all her prayers—she saw it.
a guy.
and his bike.
the poor, unsuspecting man was kneeling on the sidewalk, fiddling with the chain of his bicycle, completely unaware that he was about to become collateral damage in manon's mission for love. she took off before she could second-guess herself, sprinting toward him with single-minded determination.
"hey, bro—" was all the guy managed to get out before manon leapt onto the bike, yanking it upright with a speed and strength that left him blinking in shock. she barely heard his startled yelp as she thrust the bouquet into his hands, the flowers practically smacking him in the chest.
"i'm so sorry, man, true love calls!" manon shouted over her shoulder as she kicked off the pavement, her long legs working fast to get the bike moving.
"hey—wait—" the guy's voice grew distant as she sped off, his baffled cries of "MY BIKE?!?" echoing behind her.
manon didn't look back.
she couldn't.
not when the bus was already half a block away, gaining distance with every passing second. her hands gripped the handlebars tight, her feet pounding against the pedals, her body leaning forward in a desperate attempt to push herself faster.
wind rushed past her ears, whipping at her high ponytail as she weaved through traffic with reckless abandon. the city blurred around her, pedestrians jumping out of the way as she cut through sidewalks, barely missing a parked car by inches. horns blared. people cursed. someone even clapped.
but none of it mattered.
all that mattered was her.
and there—through the large windows of the bus—manon finally caught sight of sophia again.
her breath hitched, legs burning from the relentless speed, but she didn't slow down. she couldn't. she kept pedaling, pushing past the ache in her thighs, moving faster, faster, until she was riding parallel to the bus, just near enough to see inside.
inside, lara and megan had turned toward the window, their faces reacting in real time to the sheer absurdity of what was happening. lara's eyes widened in something close to disbelief, her mouth slightly parted as if she couldn't process the fact that manon had somehow escalated from chasing on foot to literal grand theft bicycle.
megan, on the other hand, had completely lost it, her head thrown back in full-bodied laughter, one hand clutching her stomach as she shook with amusement.
manon didn't care.
she lifted one hand from the handlebars, cupping it around her mouth as she called out, voice straining from both exertion and sheer desperation.
"sophia!"
and this time—finally—sophia turned her head.
manon felt the moment their eyes met.
the flicker of surprise in sophia's usually unreadable expression, the way her brows lifted just slightly, the way her lips parted—just a little—as she took in the sight of her girlfriend literally chasing a moving vehicle like some deranged romantic hero in an old-school movie.
manon beamed, her face breaking into a lovesick, desperate grin.
sophia, however, simply shook her head.
and looked away.
just like that.
manon nearly crashed the bike.
her heart dropped, stomach flipping with sheer devastation.
"sophia—!" she called again, voice cracking slightly, her hand gripping the handlebars again as she pedaled even harder, trying—praying—to keep up.
but sophia did not look again.
she simply settled back into her seat, her phone sliding into her lap as she gazed forward, her expression poised, calm—unbothered.
inside the bus, lara was staring at her as if she had personally lost her mind. "uhm, soph..?" her eyes seemed to ask. megan, meanwhile, was too busy filming the greatest love-tragedy of their generation.
manon, however, was in shambles.
she kept pedaling, legs screaming, lungs burning, her mind racing with desperate plans—she could beat the bus to the next stop, she could cut through an alley, she could—
and then, just like that—the bus accelerated.
it happened in a single breath.
one moment, manon was keeping up, her heart thundering, hope still clinging to her ribs. and then—just like that—the bus pulled ahead, moving just fast enough to leave her behind.
manon let out an actual whimper, her hands gripping the handlebars as she tried—tried—to push forward, to keep going.
but the distance widened.
her legs gave out.
and eventually—finally—manon had to slow, then stop, her breath heaving, her chest rising and falling with exhaustion and sheer, absolute heartbreak.
the bus disappeared down the road.
sophia disappeared with it.
and manon, left alone in the middle of the street, slumped over the handlebars, defeated, panting, completely and utterly ruined.
from inside the bus, megan dramatically zoomed in on manon's devastated figure.
"this," she whispered in absolute awe, "is the funniest thing i have ever witnessed."