Even though Ellie told herself she didn't care, the truth was impossible to ignore.
Ever since she had overheard Cloud admitting that he liked Astrid, she couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how much she tried. Although she had spent months convincing herself that she was moving on, hearing someone else especially Cloud say they wanted Astrid made her realize how deeply her feelings still ran.
Although she attempted to act normal the next day at school, she found herself stealing glances at Cloud across the cafeteria. Since he was laughing and talking as if nothing had changed, she couldn't understand how he could be so unaffected while she felt like her whole world had been shaken.
"You're staring," Tisha muttered as she sipped her drink, clearly noticing Ellie's distraction.
"I am not," Ellie said, though she knew she was lying.
"You are," Tisha insisted, raising an eyebrow. "And I know why."
"You don't know,"
"Yess I do little one,"
Even though Ellie didn't want to admit it, she sighed in frustration. "I heard him yesterday," she said quietly. "Cloud. At the café. He said he likes Astrid."
Tisha studied her, her expression unreadable. "And why does that bother you so much?"
Although Ellie wanted to deny it, she couldn't. Instead, she exhaled sharply. "Because it's Cloud," she said. "He was my friend. He knew how I felt about her."
"But," Tisha said carefully, "does he know you still feel that way?"
The question made Ellie freeze. Although she wanted to argue, she realized she had never actually told Cloud or anyone else that she was still in love with Astrid. Since she had spent so much time pretending she had moved on, she couldn't blame Cloud for believing it was true.
Even though Tisha was right, it didn't make the situation hurt any less.
"I need to talk to him," Ellie muttered, already standing.
"Ellie—"
But before Tisha could stop her, Ellie was already walking toward Cloud's table. Since Cloud noticed her almost immediately, his relaxed smile faded as he saw the look on her face.
"Hey," he greeted cautiously.
"We need to talk," Ellie said, keeping her voice steady.
Cloud hesitated, clearly uncertain, though he eventually nodded. "Uh… okay?"
"Outside," she added.
Something in her tone must have convinced him, because he sighed before standing up. Although he looked confused, he followed her out of the cafeteria.
Once they were alone in the hallway, Cloud leaned against the lockers while shoving his hands into his pockets. "Alright," he said. "What's going on?"
Even though Ellie had been determined to confront him, she suddenly found it difficult to form the right words.
"I heard you," she said at last.
Cloud blinked. "What?"
"Yesterday," she clarified, crossing her arms. "At the café. I heard you talking about Astrid."
Cloud's shoulders tensed slightly, though he didn't deny it. "Yeah," he admitted. "I like her."
Although she had already known, hearing him confirm it made something inside her twist painfully.
"But why Astrid?" she asked, her voice quieter this time.
Cloud frowned, as if he didn't understand the question. "Because she's great, Ellie. She's funny, smart, kind and—" He hesitated. "I don't know. There's just something about her."
"Something about her," Erica repeated bitterly, feeling her chest tighten.
Since Cloud gave her a confused look, he clearly hadn't expected her to react this way. "Why are you acting like this?" he asked.
"Because it's Astrid," Erica snapped, unable to hold back the frustration in her voice. "And because you were my friend, Cloud!"
Although Cloud sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, he didn't back down. "Ellie, come on. You and Astrid broke up a long time ago."
"So?" she shot back, her heart pounding. "That doesn't mean—"
But she stopped herself before she could say the words aloud.
Since Cloud was watching her carefully, she could tell he had already figured it out.
"Ellie," he said slowly, "are you still in love with her?"
Even though she wanted to lie, she couldn't force herself to say no.
When she remained silent, Cloud exhaled. "I didn't mean to hurt you," he said, his voice softer now.
Although she wanted to believe him, she couldn't.
Because it still hurt.
And she didn't know how to make it stop.
"Claude," she started to spoke up again. "It's not your fault. You didn't mean to fall for her right?"
"Ellie you can just ask me to leave Astrid. No need for you to get mad, your my friend Ellie."
That words hit her. Claude was once been a good friend.
As soon as Cloud walked back into the cafeteria, Ellie bolted. She didn't even know where her legs were taking her until she was already pushing open the heavy rooftop door. The sudden gust of wind hit her like a slap, and she stepped out into the open space with the sky looming above like it was ready to swallow her whole.
Then, without warning, she screamed.
Not just once—but a raw, frustrated, ugly yell that echoed through the rooftop like thunder.
She screamed until her throat hurt, until her chest began to shake, and until everything inside her that had been knotted for months started to unravel. She kicked a chair. She paced. She screamed again.
Then...**bonk**.
Something hit her on the head.
"What the....?!" she snapped, spinning around, one hand going to the spot that had just been assaulted.
Behind a stack of chairs, a girl lazily sat up from her fortress of plastic seats, hoodie half over her face and a crumpled piece of paper in her hand.
"Would you mind turning down the dramatic monologue? Some of us are trying to have a peaceful nap up here." The girl yawned.
"Kyla?" Ellie blinked. "You sleep up here?!"
"Only when I'm avoiding responsibilities," Kyla muttered, sitting up straighter and stretching like a cat. "Or people. Or exams. Or life."
"You threw a paper ball at me?"
"I was trying to aim for your mouth. You were already wide open." Kyla grinned.
Ellie glared, but a reluctant laugh bubbled in her throat. She walked over and sat beside Kyla on the chairs.
Kyla glanced sideways. "You good?"
"No," Ellie admitted. "Not even close."
"Well," Kyla said thoughtfully, "at least you screamed. That's progress. Most people just bottle it up until they cry into their spaghetti."
Ellie chuckled. "You sound like someone who's cried into spaghetti."
"I won't confirm or deny that."
They sat in silence for a bit, just the wind brushing past them like a soft exhale.
Then Kyla stood. "C'mon. I'm kidnapping you."
Ellie blinked. "What?"
"You look like you need an emotional support road trip. Or at least a scream session that doesn't involve assaulting my nap schedule."
Without really knowing how or why, Ellie followed her. They climbed into Kyla's beat-up silver car that smelled like mint gum and old fries.
As Kyla drove, she kept glancing at Ellie with a mischievous smile. "So… did it hurt?"
Ellie raised an eyebrow. "Did what hurt?"
"When Astrid walked out of your life like a Disney villain with better eyebrows?"
Ellie rolled her eyes and nudged her. "You're terrible."
"Hey, I'm just trying to measure the emotional wound so I can apply the right sarcastic band-aid."
Ellie looked out the window. "Yeah. It hurt. A lot."
Kyla didn't respond, just nodded slowly.
Eventually, they reached the edge of a cliff just outside town. The view stretched out for miles sky, mountains, and the kind of horizon that made your chest ache.
Kyla stepped out and gestured dramatically. "Behold! Nature's therapy room."
Ellie looked at her.
"Go on," Kyla said, arms spread. "Yell. Scream. Yodel. Whatever floats your emotional boat. I won't judge."
Ellie hesitated. "Someone might hear."
Kyla raised her brow. "Ellie, the nearest soul is probably a bird halfway to Baguio. And unlike me, birds don't throw paper balls."
Ellie laughed, stepping closer to the edge, heart pounding.
Then she yelled.
A deep, guttural scream that cracked in the middle. Followed by another. And another. Until she was laughing and crying all at once.
Kyla clapped from behind. "Ten out of ten. That scream had character development."
"You're insane," Ellie said between breaths, grinning despite herself.
"True. But effective."
As the sun began to dip lower, painting the sky in soft golds and pinks, Kyla nudged her toward the car again.
"Now, we café."
Later that afternoon, they found themselves back at the little café they used to hang out in back when things were simple and love didn't feel like a curse.
Kyla was unusually quiet, sipping her drink with narrowed eyes fixed on Ellie.
"What?" Ellie asked, raising an eyebrow as she took a sip of her coffee.
Kyla leaned forward. "Why?"
"Huh?"
"Why," Kyla repeated, "do you keep pushing yourself toward someone who doesn't even see you?"
Ellie blinked. The question hit her harder than she expected. She lowered her coffee cup, fingers tightening around the handle.
"I… I don't know," she said quietly.
Kyla didn't say anything, just waited.
Ellie looked down. "Because I loved her. Still do, I guess. And part of me kept hoping that… if I held on long enough, she'd come back. That maybe she'd remember how we used to be."
"But she didn't," Kyla said gently.
"No," Ellie whispered. "She didn't."
There was silence between them. Not awkward just soft. Understanding.
Ellie looked up, and Kyla was still watching her, not with pity, but with something gentler.
"I'm tired, Ky," Ellie admitted. "I feel like I've been holding my breath for months."
"Then breathe," Kyla said. "Breathe and let the idiots fall where they may."
That night, Ellie didn't go home.
She stayed with Kyla sitting on her bed, laughing over dumb memes, eating chips straight from the bag. There were no grand declarations or deep confessions. Just the quiet comfort of not being alone.
And for the first time in a long time, Ellie let herself feel something close to peace.
Because after everything, she realized something important:
Sometimes, the person you need the most isn't the one who broke your heart.
It's the one who stayed to help you pick up the pieces.