Chapter 1
"PSYCHE! Your loving boyfriend is waiting for you!" One of her classmates said while she was packing her things up. The bell just rang, so it means classes are over.
"Okay, thanks for informing! I'll get going," she said, and smiled.
She walked outside their class room, and there she saw Hacov Fuego, her boyfriend, standing against the wall while waiting for her to come out. He has a bouquet of sunflowers and a box of chocolates.
"Hi, love." He said, and smiled. She smiled back at him and kissed his cheeks.
"Aww love, this is so sweet! I love you!" She said, and hugged him. The students around them were screaming and cheering for them, but they got used to it.
Psyche Cosella and Hacov Fuego are both popular in the entire school. Psyche is the only daughter of a politician in their city, while Hacov is the only son of two exclusive doctors for the richest and most influential people.
Psyche is a cheerleading captain, while Hacov is the captain of the school's basketball team. Everyone sees them as the most perfect couple to have existed on earth. Aside from the fact that they are both known as the most popular, they always show sweet gestures in public that indicate how much they love each other.
"Give me your bag, I'll carry it for you," he said and winked. Psyche didn't mind and handed her bag to him.
They walked through the corridor, passing the students watching their live love story show. They went straight to the school's parking lot, and Hacov opened the door of the passenger's seat for Psyche. She hops in the car and is followed by Hacov.
When they are alone, their sweet gestures become the polar opposite of what they are in public.
"Hacov, enough of these flowers and chocolates! What I want is your real time. I miss you. Do you know that?" Psyche said and put the box and flowers in the back seat.
"What's wrong with that? I just said sorry lately, love. Sorry, I just got busy practicing for the league. Our team needs to win the game. It is for next week! Understand me for once," he said and Psyche got pissed.
"You always care about that freaking basketball, Hacov! I am almost begging for your time! It was our anniversary yesterday, and you just posted our pictures without even visiting me! Ugh!" She said loudly, buckling her seatbelt. She is somewhat glad that the car is tinted and soundproof, so students wandering outside their car won't see or hear anything.
"Aren't you glad that I still remembered our anniversary, love?" Hacov defended, and Psyche went ballistic again.
"Remembered? Should I say thank you now, jerk? I put an alarm on your freaking phone, so you won't miss it! You're really impossible!" She yelled, and Hacov just sighed so badly and drove off.
Psyche feels that Hacov is really not paying attention to her right now, and she knows he is just making these dramas for the reputation of both of them. They are both popular public figures, and Hacov treasures that.
Psyche really doesn't care about popularity. She is always surrounded by her fake friends, but she really doesn't have even a single true friend. She knows she was only loved because her parents were politicians and they were rich.
"I'm sorry, love. Please talk to me. Stop that silence. It makes me feel so deaf," he said, and Psyche just rolled her eyes.
"Do you really love me?" She asked, seemingly out of nowhere, while glancing outside the car window.
"Are you asking that, really? Of course I do! Why are you still asking that stupid question?" He said and shook his head.
"You do? Then make me feel it. Hacov, I don't feel any love. I feel like you are just keeping me to maintain your popularity and grace as the sweetest heartthrob that existed on earth and to keep everyone praising you," she said without even thinking twice, and she instantly regretted it.
HACOV STOPPED the car after hearing those words from his own girlfriend. Did I hear it right? He looked at Psyche with disbelief and a pain in his chest was felt.
"W-what made you say that?" He asked while his voice was almost trembling. He saw the eyes of his girlfriend beginning to burst into tears, and he unbuckled his seatbelt so he could bend and reach her. He wiped her tears using his bare hands, worriedly.
"I'm s-sorry..." She expressed regret in her voice. She can't look straight at him now.
"Are all my efforts not enough for you?" He asked, and she looked away.
"You don't get me! Hacov, I am not a materialistic girl. I don't need these damn flowers and chocolates! I need your time. How hard is that for you?" She said.
"If you really love me, you'll support me and be happy for me," he said.
"Now you're the one questioning my feelings, huh?" Psyche said this in disbelief.
What again? Girls are really suspicious! He snapped out what his mind said and tried to just bare with it.
"What? Of course not! You're getting it wrong, love." He said.
"Ugh! Enough! My head is aching because of you! Just drop me off at my house. I'm tired," she said, and he let out a deep sigh.
There's never a day that they didn't fight like this. He is aware that Psyche wants his time, but she really can't see that he is making ways to do it for her.
They went quiet in the car until Psyche finally hopped out without even saying goodbye or looking at him. He let it pass and drove away. As usual, he felt something heavy in his heart.
Can I still handle her? He said at the back of his mind. He also wants to feel the happiness that a normal couple feels. He doesn't feel it with Psyche anymore, but that doesn't mean that he needs to find another girl. He knew he still loved her.
"Get yourself together, jerk. It is just a small fight," he said to himself, convincing himself that everything is just normal and fine.
While driving, his phone rang and it was their coach. He pressed the button and turned it into speaker mode.
"Where are you?! You're fifteen minutes late, Fuego!" He yelled at the other end of the line, and it echoed around every corner of his Porsche.
"I'm sorry, sir. I just dropped my girl off at her home," he said in his bored tone, and as expected, their coach is already angry.
"God damn it, Fuego! You are always like that! What kind of captain ball do you think you are?! So irresponsible!" Their coach shouted and ended the call angrily.
He heaved a sigh and drove as fast as he could to the school court. Okay, self, here we go again.