Chapter 7: Fractured Bonds.

Chapter 7: Fractured Bonds

Noir sat at his desk, chuckling every once in awhile at Jerry's words while chewing his lunch, the low hum of his classmates chatter filling the classroom. 

His eyes flitted around the room, noticing the occasional glances from the girls in class. Some whispered behind their hands, others simply stared before quickly turning away when he met their eyes. Being the Emperor grade shut in that he was, He furrowed his brows, feeling confused.

"Hey, Jerry," Noir leaned forward in his seat, whispering to the boy Infront of him. "Do you know why the girls keep looking at me like that?"

Jerry who was about to introduce him to a new game paused, his chopsticks hovering over his bento box. He sighed and pushed up his glasses, glancing at the girls before looking back at Noir with an envious smirk. "Dude, are you serious?, Isn't it obvious they're into you."

Noir blinked, processing the information. "Into me, what do you mean?, you mean like, they like me."

" Of course yes" Jerry replied almost instantly, his face looking helpless as he wondered why he himself wasn't blessed with such an appearance.

" Oh..., well then I like them as well." Noir replied innocently before taking another bite of his lunch.

" Huh?, Dude are you serious, you mean you like all of them??." Jerry who was stunned by his reply tried to keep his voice as low as possible yet still couldn't avoid gasping in surprise by his friends ambiguous reply.

" Huh?, did I say something wrong?." Noir raised a brow, staring at Jerry with genuine confusion.

" Dude I think you might've misunderstood what I meant, when I say they like you I meant they actually like like you, you know like like, not like~" 

" Oh.." Noir replied, he really didn't know what like like meant. Though he was curious as to why Jerry kept on emphasizing it he decided that enjoying his home-made meal was a better use of his time than asking.

Jerry stared at him expectantly, waiting for a bigger reaction. But instead, Noir just shrugged and went back to eating.

Jerry's eye twitched. "That's it? Just 'oh'?"

"Yeah," Noir replied, nonchalantly. "Is that wrong?, them like liking me I mean." He added with a raised brow as if he really wanted to know if he like like meant he'd offended anyone without knowing.

Jerry groaned, slapping his forehead. "You're really something else, man…"

Noir was about to respond when a movement outside the window caught his eye. 

' is that?.' His body tensed as he spotted a familiar figure below, walking toward the woods behind the school. 

' Chloe?.' 

From the way she was walking, it looked like she was planning on heading into the woods for some reason, her arms wrapped around herself as if while her eyes kept glancing left and right on occasion as if trying to spot someone.

' What's she doing heading into the woods...' His eyes squinted a little in worry. He hadn't spoken to her in so long and had barely been able to look at her without feeling the heavy weight of her hatred. 

' I think I should try talking to her again~' he thought. With that thought in mind, Noir stood up suddenly, his chair scraping against the floor.

Jerry blinked. "Where are you going?"

" To see someone!"

Noir replied as he walked away, before Jerry knew it, he was already out the doo

---

The Woods....

Noir had already followed Chloe into the woods, to avoid getting noticed and causing her to misunderstand, he decided to keep his distance for now, stepping lightly as he followed Chloe through the dense trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the forest floor. His heart pounded in his chest, unsure why he was even doing this.

' Why was she here?.'

'Could she be looking for someone?.' he wondered.

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Chloe stopped in a small clearing. She stood still, hands clenched into fists at her sides as she waited expectantly. 

A few moments later, another student, a tall boy with short dark hair emerged from the opposite direction. Noir who was watching from behind a tree, didn't recognize him, nor did he know his name yet to his surprise.

" Your here!" Chloe squealed with happiness, her face lit up when she saw the student and she hurried forward, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace.

" I missed you~" She nuzzled against his chest." Why haven't you been texting me.., you promised to text me during the holiday~" she added, her voice laced with hurt. 

Jason's face looked complicated as if he didn't know what to say.

Meanwhile, Noir who was watching, raised his brows in confusion, his eyes almost bulging in shock seeing Chloe of all people acting so warmly and affectionate to another.

' Just who is that guy?...' he wondered to himself as he kept watching in silence.

He couldn't help recalling some scenes about men and women hugging, he expected the boy to return her embrace but instead he sighed before pushing Chloe away.

"I'm sorry Chloe but I....I don't think I can continue this relationship anymore."

Hearing him, Her entire body froze. "W-what?"

"I said I can't do this anymore," the boy said, not meeting her eyes. "I..I..I found someone else ok.., she's nice, sweet, caring and we'll she doesn't hold back on me, instead she actually lets me do all sorts of things to her."

Chloe's breath hitched. "You—you don't mean that."

"I do," he said firmly before turning away. "Unlike you she isn't some nervous little kid who isn't against me touching her!" He grumbled.

' Huh?..., What does he mean touching, didn't he touch her earlier...' Noir who was watching the dramatic scene stroked his chin in confusion.

" Jason..." Chloe stood there, motionless, as he walked off, disappearing into the trees. Then, slowly, she sank to her knees, tears soon streaming down her cheeks.

' Oh no...., Chloe..' 

Noir winced seeing her like this, he didn't really understand most of their conversation but from what he could tell, that guy clearly didn't want to be around her anymore. 

Noir let out a sigh feeling sorry for Chloe, right now he wanted to go towards her and console her but he knew it would only make things worse since he was sure he was probably the last person she wanted to see right now.

He turned around to leave yet as if fated, his feet accidentally stepped on a wooden twig.

CRACK!

"....." 

To his despair, Chloe suddenly turned around on hearing the sound only for her to spot Noir a distance away with his leg still on the broken twig, his body crouched as if in the midst of sneaking away.

"....Uhhh would you believe me if I said I was actually passing by?." He asked with a nervous chuckle as beads of sweat began forming on his forehead.

Chloe who saw him was first stunned before her expression quickly twisted into pure rage.

"You," she spat, rising to her feet. "You saw that, didn't you?"

Noir took a step back. "I-I—" his voice stuttering. " N-Now here me out, in my defense i was just worried when I saw you walking into the trees alone.

"Why is that whenever something terrible happens to me, for some reason your conveniently near by?!" Her voice shook with anger, but also something else she struggled to hide....,pain. "You love seeing me like this, don't you?. You love watching my life fall apart!"

"No, Chloe, I just—"

She didn't let him finish. "This is your fault!, This is all your fault!" 

" Your the one who threatened Jason didn't you!." She yelled in anger." You just couldn't stand the sight of seeing me happy for once so you scared him away from me!."

Her words hit him like a slap. His throat tightened. "I didn't—"

"I hate you, Noir!!!" 

"I will always hate you." she screamed, veins visible on her porcelain skin as if her words where the very essence of her being, though her voice was a bit hoarse. 

And then she turned, storming away with clenched fists, leaving him standing there, alone in the forest.

After several minutes of trying to understand what had just happened, 

Noir eventually clenched his fists. 

Not only did she still blame him for the past, No matter what he did now, no matter how much time passed… she would still never see him as anything but the monster who ruined her family.

Beneath the heavens and before the Earth, crystalline tear drops slowly dripped down his cheeks as he clenched his fists with a saddened look.

---

Back in Class

Noir walked into the classroom with his head down, his face unreadable. His footsteps were slow, weighed down by something others couldn't help but think was depression.

He moved straight to the front of the classroom, ignoring the usual murmurs from his classmates. When he reached his seat, Harley's former seat. he hesitated for only a second before just walking past it, heading toward an empty seat in the back.

Harley, who had just entered behind him, raised an eyebrow. "What are you—"

He didn't answer. He just moved to the seat she was assigned to this morning and took his seat.

Harley frowned. "Hey." Confused as to what he was doing but Noir ignored her. As if not in the mood to entertain any sort of conversations at the moment.

Harley who saw this, narrowed her eyes. It was obvious she didn't like being ignored. But instead of walking up to him and teaching him a lesson, she couldn't help but think that something seemed wrong with this transfer student Infront of her.

Recalling the way his shoulders had sagged slightly, made her pause. It didn't take much for her to tell that something must've happened.

Jerry, still seated at his usual spot, turned to Noir with concern who sat behind him. "Dude, you okay?"

Noir loudly groaned, tiredly waving his hands in dismissal "I'm fine.....Just leave me alone," he muttered, resting his forehead against his arms on the desk.

Jerry exchanged a glance with Harley, both equally confused.

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Noir sat through class in silence. The teacher's voice faded into the background, blending with the faint rustling of paper and the soft tapping of pens. His mind was elsewhere, trapped in the bitter echoes of Chloe's words.

"I hate you. I will always hate you....."

He swallowed, staring at his desk. His fingers tightened around his pen, but he didn't write anything. He barely registered the movement of students shifting in their seats, nor the occasional side-glance thrown his way. Even Jerry, who usually tried to get his attention, had gone quiet, likely sensing that something was wrong.

Time dragged. The lessons passed, but Noir didn't absorb any of them.

Then—

Riiiiiing!

The school bell's shrill cry signaled the end of the day.

Before anyone could react, Noir was already moving. He grabbed his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and strode toward the door without a backward glance.

"Noir!, hold up a second." Jerry called after him, but Noir didn't stop, walking out of the class with his head held down, staring listlessly at the floor.

The chatter in the classroom picked up the instant he left.

"What's up with him?" someone asked.

"I dunno, but he looked kinda out of it after the lunch break"

"Maybe he had a breakup or something?" a girl chimed in.

 "Now that you mentioned it, I did see him following after a girl during break" a random girl added.

" Really?!"

" OMG!" 

Gasps rippled through the students.

" Could she have been his childhood sweetheart?"

"No way!"

"I can't believe she would dump him though?" A girl said with bewilderment.

"Yeah, Noir looks so cool!, If I were dating him, I obviously wouldn't let him go."

"Wait, wait, I think we're forgetting the most important part" a girl with glasses cut in, smirking. "Doesn't this means he's single now."

Some girls quickly exchanged excited looks, while others whispered among themselves, suddenly seeing an opportunity.

But not everyone was pleased.

Harley scoffed, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Seriously?" she muttered under her breath. "He's acting like the world ended just because some girl snapped at him? What a fool."

Despite her annoyed expression, she found herself tapping her fingers against the desk impatiently, still fixed on Noirs sudden change earlier.

---

Outside the School

Noir walked through the school gates, exhaling slowly as the cool evening air brushed against his skin. His body felt heavy, but his mind was strangely empty.

His plan was simple, find Molly and go home. Maybe if he got enough sleep, today would fade away like a bad dream.

But as he approached the familiar parking spot, his steps faltered.

Molly was already in the car. And she wasn't alone.

Madison and Miles were seated beside her, laughing about something as the driver waited for him.

For a brief moment, seeing his sister made something ease in his chest. But before he could take another step—

"Oh great. Look who's here."

Noir stiffened. He turned slightly, already recognizing the voice.

Chloe.

She walked past him and stood a few feet away, Infront of the side of the car, arms crossed, her expression sharp with lingering resentment. The sight of her still hurt.

Molly's brows furrowed. "Chloe, what's your problem now?"

Chloe scoffed. "He's not getting in."

Noir blinked. "What?" 

Meanwhile Molly's expression was taking a turn for the worse.

"I'm not riding home with you," she said coldly while glaring at Noir. "And I won't let you ride with us."

Molly's expression darkened. "That's enough, Chloe."

Madison and Miles looked at each other uncomfortably. "Chloe, you're being mean again." Madison said with a resentful face, even Miles looked unhappy.

But Chloe didn't budge. She stood firm, as if blocking Noir's path was the most important thing in the world.

Molly clenched her fists, a rare anger flashing in her eyes. "Chloe get in this car and get out of Noirs way so that we can all go home...."

Noir reached out, gently waving at Molly to ease her anger. "It's fine."

She turned to him, frowning. "No, it's not—"

"Please sis, it's ok, I can get home on my own," Noir assured here. "I could use the exercise."

Molly narrowed her eyes. "You're obviously lying~!." 

Noir grinned, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Maybe a little. But really, I'll be fine."

" Don't even think about it Noi–"

Before she could argue, he took a step back. Then another.

Then—he was gone.

In a blur of unnatural speed, Noir disappeared down the street, vanishing before Molly could protest.

" Arrghh!!!" She groaned in frustration but recalled that her kids where still here so she soon calmed down.

She let out a sharp breath, glaring at Chloe who had gotten into the front seat. "I hope your happy now!"

" Yes I am, I'm glad he's gone, at least now he won't mess up my life!!!" Chloe protested raising her voi to ce a little.

Molly who heard her was beyond enraged yet even then she still managed to hold back her frustration.

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[AN: For those who don't know, OMG means Oh my God, it's a type of exclamation or slang teens use when trying to express shock or surprise.]