I kept my eyes fixated on the smooth pavements below me. Several bright colours flashed in the corner of my eye, loud noises filling my ears. But I still concentrated on the tiles below as we continued to walk down the mall.

The sounds of waves crashing down echoed throughout the air, as if it was calling me to escape to the ocean. I wish I could. Instead, I was stuck here with Chanel and her little boyfriends when we should be at school. Normally I would ignore Chanel and go on my phone.

Yes, my old, shit phone that I didn't dare take out. I wasn't going to ruin my chances for a date by a silly phone. Digging my hands deeper into my blazer, I ignored the whispers and looks everyone in the party was giving me. How humiliating that I thought Chanel was being attacked. The boys from Amare are probably all offended, now that their leader was mistaken for a wild attacker. Sighing, I desperately wished that the ground would swallow me up whole.

'Hey.'

A male voice cut through my thoughts, coming from right next to me. Shock jolted through my body as I realized who it was. A tall boy with a fine built, the salty wind messing up his jet black hair. Black frames obscured his blue eyes, or was it green? One of the two, or maybe even both, but either way he was gorgeous.

His school uniform consisted of a sharp, red blazer. A red-and-black striped tie was worn loosely over his white undershirt, and crisp black pants finished the prestige uniform.I inhaled sharply as I realized who this was. Jack Darring. One of Chanel's first picks. 

'Come here to tease me?' I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Usually I would have been taken away by his looks, but I wasn't really myself today. I wasn't in the mood for dealing with taunts, even if it came from a handsome youth. 

He seemed taken aback, his mouth flying open as his forehead crinkled. I couldn't help but huff before walking a little ahead, leaving him behind. Footsteps were heard, and in no time he had caught up to me. 'Woah, who said I was going to tease you?'

'Why wouldn't you tease me?' I stopped, crossing my arms over my chest, turning to face Jack. 'I basically made a fool of myself.'

'I think it was kinda cute,' he said bashfully, rubbing the back of his neck and looking down to conceal his pink-streaked face. But I had already seen. 'No offense to Chanel and Ashley, but it's nice to meet a girl who actually values her friends more than boys.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' I asked, curiosity bubbling as I arched an eyebrow. He gulped and look down at his feet. 

'Nothing.'

'Okay,' I hummed, unconvinced. Silence filled in the gap where words should be. I didn't dare look at those eyes, those striking eyes. A brisk wind picked up, whipping my hair everywhere. The distant laughter of the others were the only sound I could hear as I kept my eyes concentrated on the ground, just like before.

In effort to stop heating up by the awkwardness and his captivating looks, I bit the inside of my cheek harshly until the taste of metal started seeping out. 'So.'

'So...' he trailed off, embarrassed by the lack of words. I glanced up and a warm feeling exploded in my body as I took in his appearance once again. Somehow he managed to look even more enchanting than before. The breeze had messed up his hair even more, giving it a beachy, tousled vibe.

In the sunlight his jawline looked more chiseled than some male model's were. Now a pinky colour was painted across his high cheekbones as his attractive eyes took in my features. 'How's your day been?'

'Terrible,' I replied blandly. He gave a light chuckle at those words. 

'Same. Extremely terrible. Except for the part where I was with you,' he smiled without a hint of embarrassment. I, on the other hand, couldn't help but heat up. Soon enough my face was tinted a beautiful tomato-red. 'That's my favorite part.'

'T-Thanks,' I stuttered, digging my hands deeper in my blazer as I avoided eye contact. Two pale fingers came into view before making contact with my chin, pushing it up. Soon I was looking straight into Jack's hues as he withdrew his hand. I gasped as his eyes mesmerized me.

They were a mix of blue and green, reaching a beautiful colour that reminded me so much of the swirling sea. It seemed like his eye colour was constantly shifting, still around the same ocean colour, but the shade changed every time I looked at them.

Now that I was up close I could see golden flecks in his irises, something that complimented his face shape somehow. His black frames gave a somewhat glossy appearance to his pools, enhancing them even more.  

'You can close your mouth,' he winked at me, leaning back. I flushed in embarrassment, closing my bone-dry mouth. My eyes wandered their way to the floor, like always. 

'Stop.'

Jack's sudden change of tone stopped me. It was no longer warm and friendly, but more menacing and sharp. I quickly whipped my eyes up again to meet his. 'Sorry.'

'Don't be,' his soft voice had returned. 'But seriously, you need to stop concealing your beautiful face. And why so nervous?'

I don't know, maybe because I'm actually talking to hot guy for my first time, who's actually giving me compliments, I thought.

'Who doesn't give you compliments?' he threw his head back and laughed. The blush grew even more intense. Did I say that out loud?

'And why wouldn't I give my date compliments?' he continued. I stopped fidgeting. I stopped moving. I stopped thinking. I nearly stopped breathing. My whole body just froze, going numb even though my brain was screaming at me to do the opposite. His date? 

My face contorted into one of those surprised, are-you-fucking-serious faces. I guess that face made him nervous since all of a sudden he returned to rubbing the back of his neck while looking down. 'I-I mean, if you want to be my date for the social...'

'Yes,' I said simply, even though inside I felt like screaming and partying with joy. He stopped rubbing his neck and glanced up, all of his confidence returning. I grinned and launched towards his middle, wrapping my arms around him. 'Yes!'

----------------------

The rest of the day was a blur of happiness. Ashley wasn't there, Jack was going to be my date for socials, and Chanel had even helped me to pick out some outfits. I had even forgotten about skipping class. This must be what Chanel does everyday. We finished our trip to the mall at 3:30, the time we usually get dismissed, agreeing to pay our teachers tomorrow. 

By the time I had gotten home, I went straight to my room being in a fog of giddiness and love. Sighing, I collapsed on my bed only to hear a ping. A grin spread across my face. This truly was the best day ever. Now the forty-ninth episode of Beyblade Burst had just come out.

Sitting up, the laptop whirred to life and flashes of colours appeared on the screen as I plugged in my earphones. The familiar theme song came on, then the title of the episode. I mentally banged my head. The trip to the mall must've made me forgotten about the episode coming out today. Shu vs Lui. Personally, I thought Shu would win, keeping his promise to Valt. 

But as the episode went on I became less sure. Lui had just revealed Nightmare Boost, which was strong enough to counter Crux Boost. Soon enough it was time for the third battle. I swallowed nervously as I watched the red and blue blurs hit each other head on, creating powerful gushes of wind and light to explode. The sound was getting terribly loud, so I quickly got up and locked my door. Crack.

The sound of a bey cracking echoed throughout the room. Not the soon of a bey bursting, but the sound of a bey breaking. My forehead creased instantly. I got back on my laptop lightning fast, only to see a horrendous sight. 

Luinor was still spinning.

While, 

Spryzen laid broken on the stadium floor,

Cracked in half. 

I wanted to turn away. But I couldn't. My eyes were glued to the screen, waiting for the reaction. But I was still in shock, my whole body gone numb. I was briefly aware that my breathing had sped up, and my mouth seemed dry beyond anything. The trip to the mall seemed so distant now. I could only register a few things in the show. Valt, Honcho, Toko and Nika all bursting into tears. Lui cackling maniacally. And Shu...

His white bangs fell in front of his face, concealing his expression as he registered the unpleasant events. I knew he didn't want to give Lui satisfaction. No one did. He slowly picked the pieces of Spryzen, hovering slowly above the two pieces of the energy layer before picking it up.

I watched his face with horror and sadness for a couple of seconds, before I finally turned away, not being able to handle the sadness. I just couldn't. Pausing the show, I leapt up and scurried towards my bathroom, locking the door behind me. 

Slowly, I raised two fingers up to my cheek and traced the tears slowly. They must've fell when I was in complete shock. I could feel more tears dance in my eyes, threatening to fall any minute. Red began to streak my face as my eyes grew more and more watery, and my breathing pattern became irregular. I didn't dare return and watch the rest of the episode.

Why do I care so much?

The thought suddenly occurred to me. Why did I care so much about the albino that I was actually reduced to tears when his bey broke? It's not like he's even real. And beyblade is only a silly game. 

But still...

My heart broke just watching Spryzen break, and it was as if Shu was broken as well. 

Shu...

I glanced up in the mirror at my distraught reflection who was a hot mess, hair sticking to the wet tears. 

And then I realized...

I love him.

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Sorry for the cringe ending, I couldn't find a way to end it uncringy. B

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Word count: 1806