The next day, Holo walked into Scarlet's room with a newfound determination. The weight of her words and the torment she had inflicted on him over the past three weeks still lingered, but this time, he refused to let it break him. He wasn't going to crumble under her sharp tongue or manipulative games. Not today.
Scarlet sat in her usual spot, her legs crossed and her ever-present smirk already plastered on her face. The moment she saw him, her eyes lit up with amusement, like a predator sizing up its prey. "Back again?" she said, her voice dripping with mockery. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"
Holo didn't respond right away. Instead, he calmly sat down across from her, his expression unreadable.
Scarlet raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by his silence. "What's the matter, Holo? Finally run out of things to say?"
"No," he said simply, his tone steady. "I've just had enough."
Her smirk faltered for a split second before returning with a sharper edge. "Oh? Had enough of what?"
"Your games," he said firmly. "Your insults, your manipulation, all of it. I'm done letting you walk all over me."
Scarlet leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms as she studied him with a mixture of amusement and curiosity. "Big words for someone so small," she said. "But let's be honest, Holo—you're not fooling anyone. You're still the same pathetic, broken little boy you've always been."
"Maybe I am," he admitted, his voice unwavering. "Maybe I am pathetic. But so are you."
The smirk vanished from her face, replaced by a flicker of something else—anger, surprise, or maybe even doubt. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Holo said, leaning forward slightly. "You mock me because I tried to end my life, but what about you? You're so afraid of letting anyone see the real you that you hide behind insults and games. You think tearing me down makes you stronger, but it doesn't. It just makes you as pathetic as I am."
Scarlet's eyes narrowed, and her hands clenched into fists. "You don't know anything about me."
"No," Holo said calmly. "Because you won't let anyone in. You act like you're untouchable, but you're not. You're just as scared and broken as I am. Maybe even more."
She opened her mouth to retort, but the words seemed to catch in her throat. For the first time, she looked genuinely shaken. "You're projecting," she said weakly, though her voice lacked its usual venom.
"Maybe," he said, shrugging. "But so are you."
Her eyes widened, and she leaned forward, her tone growing more desperate. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" he asked, meeting her gaze head-on. "I've seen the way you avoid answering questions, the way you deflect everything back onto me. You're terrified of letting anyone get close to you because you think they'll see how broken you really are."
Scarlet's breath hitched, and for a moment, she looked like she might lash out. But then her shoulders slumped, and the fire in her eyes dimmed. She tried to muster another insult, but the words came out hollow. "You're… pathetic," she said weakly.
Holo gave her a small, almost sad smile. "I know. But so are you."
The words seemed to shatter something inside her. Scarlet's legs buckled, and she fell to her knees, her hands trembling as she stared at the floor. The confident, untouchable persona she had worn like armor was gone, replaced by a vulnerable, broken girl who could no longer keep up the facade.
Holo watched her for a moment, his heart aching despite everything she had put him through. "Scarlet," he said softly, "you don't have to do this. You don't have to keep pushing people away. I'm not here to hurt you—I just want to understand you."
She didn't respond, her shoulders shaking slightly as she hugged herself. Holo hesitated before kneeling in front of her, careful not to get too close. "It's okay," he said gently. "You don't have to be strong all the time."
Scarlet finally looked up at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. For a moment, she seemed on the verge of saying something, but she quickly looked away, her voice barely above a whisper. "Why won't you just hate me?"
"Because I don't," Holo said simply. "And I never will."
Her lip quivered, and she looked down again, her hands clenching into fists. "You're an idiot."
"Maybe," he said with a small smile. "But I'm not giving up on you."
Scarlet didn't respond, but the tension in the room seemed to shift. For the first time, Holo felt like he had made a crack in her armor. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Scarlet sat silently on the floor, her knees drawn up to her chest, staring at the ground as if it held answers to questions only she knew. Holo knelt a few feet away, watching her with a mix of concern and patience. For the first time, Scarlet's sharp tongue and mocking demeanor were nowhere to be found. She looked small, vulnerable—completely different from the confident, untouchable girl she always pretended to be.
"What's wrong, Scarlet?" Holo asked softly, breaking the silence.
She didn't respond at first, her fingers curling tightly around the fabric of her dress. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and he could see the conflict in her eyes as they darted between the floor and him. Finally, she spoke, her voice low and trembling. "You wouldn't understand."
"Try me," Holo said gently.
Scarlet's eyes narrowed, and some of her usual venom returned. "Why do you even care? Just hate me and leave. It'd be easier for both of us."
"I'm not going to hate you," Holo said firmly. "And I'm not going to leave. No matter what you say or how hard you push me away, I'm staying right here."
"Why?" she snapped, her voice rising as she glared at him. "Why won't you just give up? I don't need you."
"Because I know what it feels like," Holo said, his voice steady despite the pain in his chest. "To feel like you don't matter. Like no one cares. I've been there, Scarlet. And I'm not going to let you go through that alone."
Her glare faltered, and for a moment, she looked almost afraid. "You don't know anything about me," she said weakly.
"Then tell me," Holo said, his tone soft but insistent. "Help me understand."
Scarlet stared at him, her jaw tightening as she wrestled with herself. He could see the walls she had built around herself, the barriers she had carefully crafted to keep people out. But he refused to back down, meeting her gaze with unwavering determination.
Finally, she let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "Fine," she said, her voice laced with both anger and resignation. "You want to know so badly? I'll tell you."
She took a deep breath, her hands trembling slightly as she began to speak. "I grew up in the slums. A filthy, miserable place where people would sell their souls for a scrap of bread. My parents were drug addicts—pathetic excuses for human beings who spent every penny they had on their next fix. They didn't care about me. I was just… there."
Her voice cracked, and she hugged her knees tighter. "They were abusive, of course. Yelling, hitting, blaming me for their problems. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was thinking, just for a second, that maybe they'd change. That maybe, if I was good enough, they'd love me."
Holo's chest tightened, but he stayed silent, letting her continue at her own pace.
"And school?" she said, her laugh hollow and bitter. "It wasn't any better. My teachers didn't care about a kid from the slums. They'd look the other way when the other kids bullied me, and if I ever spoke up, they'd just tell me to 'be stronger.' I was honest, you know? I tried to do the right thing. I told the truth every time, even when it got me in trouble. But you know what that got me? Nothing. If anything, it just made things worse."
Her fists clenched, and her voice grew colder. "So I stopped telling the truth. I stopped being 'good.' When I lied, people believed me. When I manipulated them, I was the one in control. No one could hurt me if they didn't know the real me. And if I made them my puppets, they couldn't pull the strings on me."
Holo's heart ached as he listened to her story. He could see the pain behind her words, the way she had been forced to adapt to a cruel, uncaring world just to survive. She wasn't just some manipulative girl—she was someone who had been hurt so deeply that she had built a fortress around herself to keep everyone out.
"Scarlet…" he began, his voice soft. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that."
"Don't pity me," she snapped, though her voice lacked its usual bite. "I don't need your sympathy."
"I'm not pitying you," Holo said firmly. "I'm just… I understand. I know what it's like to feel like you're all alone, like the world is against you. I've been there."
She scoffed, turning her head away. "You don't know anything about me."
"Maybe not everything," he admitted. "But I know enough to see that you've been hurt. And I know how much that pain can weigh on you."
Scarlet was silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the floor. Then she let out a shaky breath, her shoulders slumping. "Why are you saying all this?" she asked quietly. "Why do you even care?"
"Because I don't want you to feel like you're alone anymore," Holo said. "You don't have to hide who you are, Scarlet. Not with me. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be here. Always."
Her eyes widened slightly, and for the first time, he saw a hint of vulnerability in her expression. "You're lying," she said, though her voice trembled. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."
"I'm not lying," Holo said, his tone resolute. "I mean it. I'll always be here for you."
Scarlet's cheeks flushed, and she quickly turned her head away, her hands flying up to cover her face. "You're so stupid," she muttered, her voice muffled. "Saying things like that…"
Holo smiled faintly, his heart feeling lighter than it had in weeks. "Maybe I am," he said. "But it's the truth."
She peeked at him from between her fingers, her face red as a tomato. "Stop looking at me," she said, her tone somewhere between embarrassed and indignant. "You're so annoying."
"I'm sorry," he said, chuckling softly. "I didn't mean to embarrass you."
"You didn't embarrass me!" she shot back, though her voice betrayed her flustered state. "I just… I'm tired, okay? Leave me alone."
Despite her words, she didn't seem angry—just overwhelmed. She shuffled to the other side of the room, turning her back to him as she hugged her knees. "You're not supposed to say stuff like that," she muttered. "It's weird."
Holo stood up, his expression soft as he looked at her. "It's not weird to care about someone, Scarlet. And I do care about you. No matter what."
She didn't respond, but he thought he saw her shoulders relax ever so slightly. Taking that as a good sign, he turned to leave, giving her the space she clearly needed.
"See you tomorrow," he said quietly as he stepped out of the room.
As the door closed behind him, Scarlet remained where she was, her face buried in her hands. Her heart was racing, and her mind was a whirlwind of confusion and unfamiliar emotions. For the first time in years, someone had seen past her defenses—someone had cared enough to break through the walls she had spent her whole life building.
And it terrified her.