Ouchy

{Wenalin's POV}

I stopped dead in my tracks.

The hallway buzzed with noise laughter, footsteps, casual conversations but everything seemed to blur into a dull hum as I felt dozens of eyes slowly turn to me. Confused, I scanned the crowd. Why were they staring at me? Their expressions ranged from curious to shocked to downright amused.

Then I saw him ,some random guy I'd never met before, standing just a few meters away, pointing directly at me.

“She’s my girlfriend,” he declared boldly, his voice slicing through the noise like a blade.

My eyes widened.

Wait, what?

I instinctively glanced behind me, thinking maybe he meant someone else. But there was no one—just empty space.

Girlfriend? Who? Me?!

Before I could say anything or even process the weird situation, he was already walking toward me—fast. His steps were rushed, like he was desperate, and his eyes flicked nervously between me and the surrounding students.

Then, without warning, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the crowd.

“She’s my girlfriend!” he repeated, louder this time, with a fake smile plastered across his face.

I stumbled beside him, confused and shocked. His grip on me was tight too tight—like I might disappear if he loosened it even a little. I tried to wriggle free, but he held on, his hand clammy and trembling.

He leaned down.

“Please play along.” he whispered, his breath shaky.

My brows furrowed. Play along? With what, exactly?

Then I saw Ivory.

She stood not far from us, arms crossed, her brows raised, clearly caught off guard. Her sharp eyes locked onto the guy’s hand wrapped around mine, and for a second, the smug expression she always wore faltered.

What is going on? I thought, panic rising in my chest. Why is this guy using me? And why is Ivory even here?

A girl from the crowd scoffed and chimed in with a mocking tone.

Girl 1: “Stop joking, Yuno! You’ve been crushing on Ivory for ages, but she always rejects you!”

So, Yuno apparently, that was his name had a long standing crush on Ivory? And she kept turning him down?

Okay, but… what does that have to do with me?!

I glanced at Yuno. He was still holding my hand, but I could feel the tension in his fingers. His other hand had started to tremble too. His body wasn’t just acting he was actually nervous. No, not nervous… scared. His breathing was uneven, his jaw clenched. What was going through his head?

“That was before,” he said suddenly. “But now I have a girlfriend. This is my girlfriend.”

He looked directly at Ivory, trying to sound confident, but his voice wavered slightly. He tightened his hold on me like I was a shield his only line of defense.

There was a sudden hush among the students, their eyes flicking between me, Yuno, and Ivory. Then, Ivory laughed sharply, her voice cutting through the awkward silence.

Ivory: “Tsk, what nonsense. This girl? Your girlfriend? Since when?!”

Ouch. She didn’t even try to hide the disgust in her voice.

My jaw clenched.

Yuno straightened his back, forcing a smile, even though I could tell he was unraveling inside.

“Since a few days ago.” he said with forced calm.

Excuse me? My inner voice screamed. “A few days ago”?! I don’t even know this guy!

I blinked hard, trying to contain the swirl of emotions rising in my chest—confusion, embarrassment, anger. My heart was thudding against my ribcage like a drum, my cheeks burning as the crowd stared, eating up the drama like it was their lunch break entertainment.

And then… I couldn’t take it anymore.

“Let go of me!” I snapped, yanking my hand away from him with a sudden force.

The crowd gasped softly, the tension shifting.

Yuno’s eyes widened. He looked genuinely shocked, his lips slightly parted. For a second, he didn’t move, didn’t speak—just stood there frozen.

And me?

I was beyond done.

SLAP!

My palm connected with his cheek, loud and sharp, echoing through the hallway like a gunshot. The students let out a collective gasp. Yuno’s head jerked to the side, a bright red mark instantly blooming on his skin.

“Pervert!” I shouted, glaring at him with burning eyes.

Every eye was on us, but I didn’t care.

Without another word, I turned on my heel and stormed away, my footsteps echoing on the linoleum floor, my heart pounding like a war drum.

I didn’t look back. Not once.

Let them talk. Let them whisper.

I had just been dragged into someone else’s drama without warning, and I wasn’t about to let it slide like some pathetic

(Author's POV)

Yuno stood frozen, his eyes wide and his face pale as chalk. He could still hear the voice of the girl echoing in his ears, each word slicing into him like a blade. His hands were clenched into trembling fists at his sides, trying to keep himself from falling apart in front of everyone., laughter erupted loud, mocking, unforgiving.

Ivory leaned, one arm crossed while the other covered her mouth as she laughed without restraint.

Ivory: "Hahaha! You actually got rejected by someone other than me? That's a new level of pathetic!" she said between fits of laughter. "Seriously, Yuno, what made you think about having a girlfriend like pathetic like you ?"

Her words were loud enough for everyone nearby to hear, and several students turned to look.

Yuno didn't respond. His throat felt dry, like something heavy was pressing against his chest. He tried to look away, but Ivory wasn’t done yet.

She stepped forward, her voice dripping with venomous amusement.

Ivory: "Come on! Look at her, Yuno! She’s not even stunning—not even smart, popular, basically not perfect like me . You? You're just... you. You really thought you had a shot with her?well suit for you "

Her eyes scanned him up and down like she was looking at something pitiful. Her lips curled into a smug smile.

Ivory: "You're just a loser—awkward, weird, invisible. It’s almost cute how clueless you are."

The group of students nearby started whispering, some laughing, others just staring. The air was thick with humiliation. A few phones were even pulled out, quietly recording the scene like it was some kind of twisted entertainment.

Student 1: "Seriously, man, you gotta stop being so delusional," one guy said with a shake of his head. "She would never date a guy like you. It’s sad, really."

Yuno's vision blurred, not from tears but from sheer shame. His heart was hammering so loud in his ears that he couldn’t hear anything else anymore. His face burned, and his shoulders started to shake.

He couldn’t breathe not properly. Not here.

A few more students snickered.

Someone muttered, "Man, this is just embarrassing."

Someone else whispered, "He actually thought he had a chance? Hah!"

The noise felt like it was closing in on him, like walls of voices pressing down until he couldn’t stand it anymore.

Without saying a word, Yuno turned and bolted.

His legs carried him faster than he thought they could. Past the courtyard, past the lockers, past the classrooms. His footsteps echoed against the hallway tiles as he ran, his vision still cloudy. He didn’t know where he was going. He just knew he had to get away.

His lungs burned.

His chest ached.

But nothing compared to the sting in his heart.

The weight of everyone's laughter. The cruelty in Ivory's voice. The judgment in the students' eyes. It all replayed in his mind like a broken record.

How could he have been so stupid?

{Yuno's POV}

I slam the door behind me like I was escaping a fire. My lungs burned, my heart pounded, and my face oh my god, my face was still stinging like I just took a frying pan to the cheek.

The student council office was blissfully empty. Thank God.

I dragged myself to the far corner of the room and collapsed to the floor like a soggy tissue. I buried my face in my hands, and for a moment, I just sat there frozen, drowning in a hot stew of humiliation and regret.

What was I thinking?

No. Really.

What. The. Hell. Was I thinking?!

I didn’t even know the girl.

I saw her standing there I’d never even saw to her before. But in my panic, surrounded by people watching, eyes burning into me after thinking another failed moment with Ivory I panicked.And my dumb brain thought it was a good idea to point to a complete stranger and say, “She’s my girlfriend.”

She looked at me like I’d just grown a third eye… then promptly slapped me across the face.

In front of everyone.

And not just a light slap. Oh no. This was the kind of slap that echoed. The kind of slap you feel in your soul. The kind of slap that made birds fly out of the trees nearby.

And to make it worse?

Ivory laughed. So did the others. People cheered. Some guy literally said, “Bro deserved that.” I think someone recorded it. I might be a meme by tomorrow.

I feel like a walking punchline.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Chelsea: “OHHH YAAHH!! " And she turn her gaze iny direction "Oh, Yuno! You’re here!”

No. Not now. Not her.

“Don’t talk to me,” I mumbled without lifting my head.

I could feel her bouncing over like some over-caffeinated squirrel. Chelsea is our student council secretary. She’s sweet, yeah, but she talks like she’s in a constant sugar rush, and subtlety isn’t exactly her specialty.

She crouched beside me, peeking into my self-pity bubble.

Chelsea: “Whoa, whoa, why the grouchy attitude? You look like someone punch in the guts"

I didn’t answer.

And then because the universe likes to make sure I suffer thoroughly the door opened again.

In walked Mairo, our student council president. Calm. Cold. The human equivalent of a raised eyebrow. He strolled in like he owned the building, sat down at the big desk, and looked straight at me.

Mairo: “You look terrible.”

“Always,” I replied flatly, not moving.

Mairo: “Whatever. Can you stop sulking and be useful for once? We need to finalize the student council activities for next week.”

Chelsea: “OH YEAH! I forgot about that! But wait ” she squinted at my face, “what happened to your cheek, Yuno?! Did you get hit by a volleyball? Or a truck?”

I scowled, touching my cheek gently. It was still red. I winced.

“None of your business.”

Chelsea and Mairo exchanged one of those “here we go” glances.

Mairo: smirking “Don’t tell me you got rejected again.”

Chelsea: grinning “Did Ivory do that?”

“I said, none of your business.” I looked away. My voice cracked at the end.

Mairo: “Dude. Seriously. You need to let her go. She's not interested. And clearly, she’s not afraid to laugh when you crash and burn.”

Chelsea: “Yeah, you gotta move on. There are, like, tons of other girls in this school. Ones that won’t slap you in public.”

I rubbed my temples and groaned.

“Ivory didn’t slap me.”

That shut them both up for a second.

Chelsea: “Wait… someone else slapped you?”

Mairo: raising an eyebrow “Who the heck was it?”

I let out a long sigh. My hand was shaking slightly, and I could feel the heat still radiating from my cheek.

“I don’t know,” I muttered.

Chelsea: “You don’t… know her?”

Mairo: “Hold on. You got slapped by a stranger?”

My face turned bright red.

I paused. Then admitted, in the lowest voice possible:

“I kind of… randomly pointed to her and said she was my girlfriend. In front of everyone. To avoid another rejection.”

Silence.

Then chaos.

Chelsea howled, clapping her hands and nearly doubling over with laughter.

Chelsea: “YUNO! You what?! You pulled a fake girlfriend move? On a stranger? In public?!”

Mairo: blinking slowly, trying not to laugh “You mean to tell me... you tried to use a completely random girl to save face… and she slapped you?”

“YES,” I snapped, mortified. “Okay? YES. That’s what happened. I panicked. I blacked out. I thought it’d work for, like, two seconds—she’d smile, pretend, walk away. I didn’t think she’d turn into Mike Tyson!”

Chelsea was laughing so hard she was gasping for air.

Chelsea: “I wish I was there. I really do.”

Mairo: “Man, that’s rough. But also... kind of deserved.”

Yuno: groaning again “Can guys shut up and focus on the student council agenda now? I don’t want to relive this anymore.”

They both wiped tears from their eyes, still giggling.

Chelsea: “Okay, okay. Back to business.”

She looked around.

Chelsea: “Wait, why isn’t Kately here yet?”

Mairo: irritated “Who knows? Probably out doing something illegal again.”

Chelsea: teasing grin “You two are still fighting, huh? Can't you guys stop arguing each other in a few hours?"

Mairo: “When she stops being a chaotic gremlin, maybe.”

I leaned my head against the wall, silently praying for this day to end. But knowing my luck?