Please watch the video to know what Rush and Sky were playing during their music performance scene. They played the same music as the one on the video. Really recommend watching it because it's so hauntingly beautiful.

***

"We're not broken just and we can learn to love again."

-Pink, Just give me a reason

**

I wasn't sure what other people do after having an intense make out session with the boy they were in love with, but if that boy was Hunter Cole, you really didn't have any other choice.

"So beautiful." Hunter murmured as he gazed lovingly upon his Nutella-Banana crepe.

I fought not to roll my eyes.

"Your obsession with food verges towards disturbing level." I commented as I took a sip off my can of Sprite.

He gave me a meaningful smirk.

"It's nothing compared to my obsession with other things." He winked and I felt my cheeks blazed. Flashback of what we did earlier flooded my mind and I felt like flinging myself onto the ravine below. This boy really knew how to shut me up using his mouth.

We were back at his secret place. This was where we made the bet. Like before, he refused to eat inside Crispy Crepes because he didn't think it was worthy enough to be the venue of our first date. So here we were, sitting on the ground, eating crepes while the world continued doing its business below us.

I felt a strong sense of deja vu as I gazed upon the view. It was a clear night. The stars were shining brightly above us while the lights from houses and cars glistened below. It was almost exactly like the first time we went here. Hunter gave me his jacket earlier so I wouldn't freeze to death. Now I felt warm and fuzzy and I smelt just like him.

I guessed it was a good thing he took me here where there was nothing that could distract us. It was the perfect venue to ask him the questions that had been bugging me ever since.

I munched on my strawberry and cream crepe, looking for the perfect opportunity to open up the conversation. Hunter was busy making love to his extra large crepe to notice my anxiety.

I prepared my speech but before I could open my mouth to speak, I noticed Hunter already finished eating his third crepe and was now staring at me thoughtfully.

"What?" I asked.

"Spill it out." He said.

I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Spill what?"

"Whatever it is that you want to tell me."

I gaped at him.

"How did you know?"

He smirked.

"You're too obvious."

I eyed him suspiciously.

"No, I'm not."

Hunter tossed his trash to the garbage can near us before flashing me his signature mischievous smile.

"Oh, so you mean all that tension between us is nothing but sexual tension?"

My cheeks instantly turned tomato red.

"There's no sexual tension between us, pervert!" I hissed, throwing my crepe's paper wrapper at him.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night, Skylar." He said while laughing at my reaction.

I glared at him. "Stop stealing my lines!"

Hunter took a swig off his Coke in can in a way that if there were cameras around here, it would have passed for a Coca Cola commercial.

"Just admit that you want me." He continued teasing.

"I want to kick you off the cliff."

"I love how passionate you are about me."

I shot him a patronizing smile.

"You know what's passionate? Murder. The ultimate crime of passion."

That only made him laugh harder.

"I can think of other physical activities we can do to express that passion." The spark in his eyes were mischievous, his smile deliciously inviting.

I wouldn't let myself be seduced this time though. I had questions and I needed answer.

"Why didn't you tell me it was you who saved me from drowning back in seventh grade?"

Hunter stopped laughing in an instant, all of the amusement gone from his face. My question obviously took him off guard.

He ran his fingers through his hair, agitated.

"I have a proposition." He said after a while.

"What is it?"

"How about we forget about the past and enjoy the here and now for the rest of the night? And then tomorrow, I will tell you everything you want to know?" There was a silent plea in his eyes now.

To be honest, I didn't know what was so hard about my question. I wasn't sure why he felt the need to always keep me in the dark. He even let me hate him for years just because of a simple misunderstanding! His mind was like the biggest puzzle piece I just didn't have the brains to solve.

As if reading my mind, Hunter sighed and whispered, "It's not that simple, Sky."

We stared at each other for a long time before I gave up. I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine." I said. "I can wait."

He gave me a bright smile then he reached inside his hoodie's pocket and brought out a small, velvet jewelry box.

"For you." He said, handing me the box.

My eyes widened, surprised at the sudden turn of events.

"Hunter, you shouldn't have." I said firmly.

"I know, but I want to." Although he was smiling, there was something sorrowful about the glint in his purple eyes. "Tomorrow's your music performance, right? Consider that a good luck charm."

I didn't know what to do. My gaze flew between him and the box. He gave me a cheeky smile.

"You sure there aren't any spiders inside this box? Because if there are, I will burn your house into ashes, Cole." I warned him.

"Don't worry, Davies, I wouldn't touch a spider even to save my life. I'm a badass like that."

I let out a laugh. I looked at the box once again and opened it slowly, preparing myself for a prank.

My jaw dropped when I saw what was inside: it was a stunning gold bracelet with intricately carved charms dangling on it.

I ran my fingers on each of the tiny charms: a computer keyboard, a cookie, a pen, a violin, a bar of chocolate, and the formula for energy: E=MC2.

My eyes watered as I realized the significance of each of the charms. Every single one of them was associated to some of the most memorable moments Hunter and I shared. I could perfectly remember every scenes associated to each of the charms. I felt a lump settled in my throat as all of the memories came crashing down on me.

"Do you like it?" Hunter asked. He looked nervous, like he was worried I wouldn't like the gift. I wanted to laugh at how absurd his worries were. His gift was perfect! It was so much more than I could ask for.

"I love it." I sniffed. "Thank you."

Hunter smiled and took the bracelet off the box. "My brother, Archer, is a sculptor. He made the charms and I helped." There was fondness laced in his words.

"They're beautiful." I breathed. I felt like my heart would burst from too much feels. I wasn't really the type to expect gifts from men but it was just so touching to know that he put so much effort and thought in his gift.

Hunter reached between us and slid the bracelet over my hand. Lifting my arm, he pressed his lips against the inside of my wrist. I was utterly still. His lips felt warm and soft on my skin. I felt my pulse tapped several times against his lips. Then, he held my hand, and our fingers intertwined.

"Promise me one thing, Sky." Hunter said seriously.

"What is it?" I breathed, overwhelmed by the influx of emotions I was feeling for him.

"Promise me you'll keep this no matter what happens."

There was something ominous about the way he said those words that sent chills up my spine.

"Why are you saying that?" I asked. Call it woman's intuition but a bad feeling suddenly took over me.

Hunter's expression instantly changed when he saw my anxiety. He pinched my nose and grinned.

"Humor me." He said.

I took a deep breath and tried to clear my thoughts off bad things. I convinced myself that there was nothing to be scared of and that I was just being paranoid. There was no use fussing over it. It was a promise I could keep.

"Okay, I promise."

Hunter exhaled. He pulled me towards him and hugged me tight. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"Thank you, Sky. For everything."

We spent the rest of the night talking, teasing and fighting.

It was only later when I was already lying in bed, preparing to go to sleep, when I realized that Hunter sounded like he was saying good bye when he said his thanks.

***

We only had morning classes today because the latter half of the day was reserved for our music performance. Just my luck, all of the students were required to attend the event because our ever-loving principal made attendance compulsory.

I was distracted the whole morning. I couldn't concentrate on my lessons, worried that I would make a fool of myself on stage. I was confident about my skills as a violinist but my social anxiety was getting the better of me.

Thankfully, it seemed like the heavens took a pity on me because I hadn't had a single encounter with Cain and his friends the whole morning and Hunter probably understood how nervous I was so he didn't attempt to poke me with his evil pen during our Physics class.

I was walking towards the cafeteria to have a quick lunch when the sound system blared. At first, only static could be heard from the speakers. I shrugged and continued walking, thinking that maybe someone from the radio booth just accidentally hit a button or something. But then, my steps halted when I heard voices.

"Leave her out of it, Cain." Came Hunter's lazy drawl.

I frowned. What the hell was happening? Were those two imbeciles actually broadcasting their argument?

"You have no right to tell me what to do." Cain's voice was cold and sharp as a knife.

I looked around saw that all of the students around me also stopped what they were doing to listen to the unexpected broadcast.

Uh, oh. This isn't good.

My mind started working. Knowing Hunter, he surely wouldn't want people to hear about his conversation with Cain. He wasn't the type to spill his unfiltered thoughts for everyone to hear. I could only think of one reason why it was now being broadcasted in the entire school: He was being set up by Cain.

I started running. The controls and the microphones were at the radio booth located on the third floor so they must be in there.

An amused chuckle echoed throughout the school.

"It's just an advice." Hunter said. I could almost picture him shrugging when he said that. "I just think you're overestimating her importance to me."

It was like someone poured a drum of cold water on top my head. My steps slowed but I continued running up the stairs.

"Stop lying to yourself, Dean." Cain's voice sounded bored. "You wouldn't treat her that way if she's nothing to you."

"I'll do whatever it takes to win our bet."

My heart went to a complete still. I didn't need to hear them mention my name to know that they were talking about me. Tears started pooling at the corners of my eyes, but still, I ran.

Hunter laughed. It was nothing like his normal laugh. It was cruel and cold and meant to break hearts.

"Didn't your spies tell you? Sky and I made a bet. I'll have to make her fall in love with me in a month. That's all there is to us."

His words were like knives being hurled with accuracy at my heart. It hurts so much. I heard myself let out a sob. I was still running up the stairs. I couldn't stop. I didn't even know why I still felt the need to go to the radio booth.

"I don't believe you." Cain hissed. He sounded genuinely upset.

"Believe whatever you want to believe but Skylar is nothing to me." Hunter said in a mocking tone. "She's just a girl I play around with."

I could feel salty tears running down my cheeks. It blurred my vision that I felt my foot slipped. I stopped myself from falling at the last second and continued running.

"You're an asshole." Cain growled.

"I know. Didn't I tell you? There's nothing left in me to destroy." Hunter's voice dropped. "Now leave everyone out of this mess and fight me one on one."

And then there was only static. I found myself standing in front of the radio club's door. Before I could open it, the door knob turned, revealing Hunter.

His mouth opened in shock upon seeing me.

"Sky..."

"Is it true?" I asked, my tears falling non-stop. Deep in my heart, I was hoping that he was just acting. I was hoping he only said what he said so Cain would leave me alone. He said he wouldn't do anything to hurt me unless he had to, to protect me. I was holding on to that fact.

"What do you mean?" He said, looking so confused.

"I heard everything." I sobbed. "Tell me you're lying."

A look of shock crossed Hunter's face.

The door opened once again, revealing a smiling Cain.

"Sorry, Dean, I might have accidentally hit the play button while we were talking." He shrugged. There was an evil glint in his eyes as he stared at Hunter's dumbfounded expression. Then his eyes flew on me and his smile vanished completely upon seeing my face.

"Skylar..." He said. I saw him move as if he wanted to close the distance between us but changed his mind mid-step.

I ignored him and focused my attention to Hunter. I wiped the tears from my face but to my annoyance, fresh tears just kept falling.

"Please Hunter, say something." I begged. I wanted him to tell me that all he said to Cain were lies. That I meant more to him than just a new play thing. And I knew I would believe him.

To my surprise, Hunter laughed.

"Come on, Sky. Don't tell me everything I said are news to you? We made the bet, remember?" He grinned at me. "Do you honestly think there's more to us than being buddies?"

It almost like he physically slapped me in the face. It hurts. It so fucking hurts. There was no hint of deception in his tone and I knew there were no secret plans here. No grand schemes. He was telling the truth. I was nothing to him.

I nodded, trying to stop myself from crying. I knew I looked pathetic right now and I hated myself for being weak, for being so gullible. I brought it upon myself when I let myself fall in love with Hunter Cole.

I took a deep breath, wiped my tears and held my chin high.

"Thank you for your honesty." I said, looking at him straight in the eyes. I pulled out a wad of cash inside my pocket, reached for his hand and put the money on his palm. "Congratulations." I let out a teary smile. "You won the bet."

I turned my back on him and started walking away.

***

All eyes were on me when I stepped on the stage. I expected whispers and jeers but the whole auditorium was surprisingly silent.

I walked towards the middle of the stage, Rush a step behind me. We hadn't said a single word to each other the whole time we were at the back stage. I was thankful for his silence.

I stopped in the middle as I gripped the neck of my Stradivarius violin a little bit tighter. I looked down on my red ballet flats and saw the hem of my white dress swaying from the light breeze coming from the large ceiling fan hanging directly above me.

The whole place was eerily silent, it was almost like no one was watching even though I knew the auditorium was jam-packed. Still, I refused to look at the audience. Everyone sitting there were witnesses to my humiliation and I didn't want to see the mockery nor the pity in their faces.

I took a deep breath as I lifted my violin. The spotlight burned my eyes and I felt my skin tingled from its heat.

I didn't know where I got the courage to stand here. All I knew was everything in me hurts so much and I needed an outlet or else I would lose my mind.

I closed my eyes and put my chin on the violin's chin rest. I raised my bow and let the fingers on my other hand slowly caress the strings.

Rush started strumming and I waited for my cue.

I felt like everyone and everything disappeared when I started playing. My pain didn't seem to matter anymore as my fingers pressed on the strings while my bow moved back and forth across the strings.

My ears were ringing as I rapidly moved my left hand back and forth to add vibrato to the note.

All I could hear was the sound of Rush's guitar and my violin, colliding, coming together to create one haunting and wonderful piece. I let my heart direct my fingers and bow, my pain laced upon every pizzicato and tremolo.

In my mind, I could see his face. I hoped he was watching this. His fingers were made for keyboards while mine were made for strings. So I would play a song for him to wish him well, because no matter how much his words destroyed me, I still couldn't bring myself to hate him.

I felt tears fell as I hit the last note. Playing had always been therapeutic for me, but this time, it meant so much more.

This music was a testament of my strength. It was a proof that I could still stand tall even though I was hurting, that I could still face the world even when I felt like everything was falling apart.

Thunderous applause filled the whole auditorium. I opened my eyes and for the first time, looked at the audience in front. They were all on their feet, clapping.

I felt a sense of pride. I did it. I so fucking did it. I felt Rush staring at me. I wasn't mad at him. He wasn't the one who hurt me after all. I gave him a sad smile.

Then, I turned around, stepping out of the spot light. I felt so much better as I walked farther from the center stage.

Just like the song lyrics, maybe I wasn't broken. Maybe I was just a little bent, and maybe I could love again someday. But tonight, I would be on my bed, crying for the boy I loved while listening to the imaginary sound of the words he would never say.

***

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