Winning My Ex-Crush

Fenella’s POV

“A very touching confession. Congratulations, Fenella. You’ve just admitted to everyone that you’re a traitor,” Amy hissed.

“I’m not a traitor, Amy.” I stepped forward in front of Skye and bravely confronted Amy.

“For years, I held myself to give you the chance you asked for. But what is the truth? You’re the one playing with your own feelings and selling yourself cheap to many boys in school,” I said, squinting at the bitch.

“Then why didn’t you hold yourself this time? Why did you have to ruin my last moment in high school? Why do you always, always, again, and again, disturb me and Laird from being together?”

Amy’s voice grew louder with each emphasized word. Her teeth chattered, and I knew she was trying to control herself to maintain her image in front of people.

Oh, damn! She’s so angry, but I don’t give a fuck!

“I’m done lying to myself, Amy. I won’t apologize if Laird chooses me later,” I said.

I am still firm in my stance against her.

“What? So you still think Laird will be touched by your words? Do you still believe Laird will choose you?”

Amy laughed with her shrill laugh. She clapped her hands as she laughed. Skye and I frowned as we watched her antics.

“I didn’t know you could be this funny. You’re fit for a career as a stand-up comedian.” Amy’s fake laughter was clearly exaggerated.

“Wake up, Fenella. A girl like you is not worthy of him.” Amy glanced at Skye, smirked crookedly, and then walked away, leaving me behind.

“I don’t know why, but I feel like she’s planning something bad,” Skye whispered, and I could only stare at Amy’s back.

Before long, I saw Laird walking onto the stage, accompanied by Leo, the stage committee.

“Laird.” I called out to him, but Leo resisted by raising his hand.

“Stay away from her, Baxter. I don’t want to lose my show’s contestant again.”

“But-” I looked at Laird, but his face was serious, without a smile at all. I began to feel suspicious, but I didn’t know what was wrong.

Ten minutes felt like a very long time for me. Leo and the host kept Laird tightly in the backstage corner, so I didn’t have a chance to speak to him first. Amy also kept watching me from her seat at the auditorium’s edge.

What made me even more anxious was the fact that Laird didn’t want to look me in the eye at all.

***

“Here it is, the moment of truth! Ten minutes have passed! Once again, whoever is chosen by Laird will be the one to take your voting money! Maybe for a date?” The host returned to the stage.

Amy and I stepped onto the stage from opposite sides at the same time.

“I will announce the voting results now. Amy received a total of 120 votes, while Fenella,” he paused his speech. “The voting for Fenella is as follows.” Once again, he paused his speech to increase the tension.

“Fenella received votes from all of you, in total of 710 votes! Fantastic!”

The audience cheered and roared. I covered my mouth with both hands. Did I win the vote? These students support me more than Amy. My hands became cold, and I trembled with nervousness.

“But, of course, that’s not all we want to hear, is it? Who has won Laird’s heart with their confession? Who spoke honestly? That’s what makes us excited and curious!” The host roared again to ignite the audience’s excitement.

“Let’s hear the testimony. Let’s welcome Laird Evans!”

The host stretched out one hand towards Laird. Laird stepped onto the stage, slowly walking to the center as directed by the host.

“Please, Mr. Evans. This microphone is yours.” The host handed his microphone to Laird with a mysterious smile.

I could see Laird’s back in close range. My heart was beating fast. I realized something was very wrong. Laird didn’t look at me; he was unwilling to talk to me, and now he didn’t even show his usual mischievous smile.

“Thank you,” Laird said calmly.

“I’m actually in a dilemma right now. I can’t decide which is true, which is honest, and which is a lie. I might not even care anymore about who is telling the truth.” He paused and then continued his sentence.

“One thing I know. Trust is like a thin piece of paper. Once you crumple it, it’ll be broken. And for me, I don’t know how long or how much effort it takes to make it smooth again.”

Laird laughed bitterly, then took a deep breath.

“I know this might sound ridiculous, but I choose honesty. I value it more than anything else. I know what it feels like to be lied to and betrayed, and I don’t want that to happen to me again.”

Why did Laird say that? I became more restless because of his words. The drum beats sounded like background music.

Suddenly, Laird stepped forward.Content rights belong to NôvelDrama.Org.

No, he didn’t step closer. He moved away from me.

He walked until he stopped, right next to Amy. His hand embraced Amy’s shoulder and then squeezed it.

“I choose honesty,” Laird said.

Everyone fell silent, except for a few of Amy’s friends. I could see all of my housemates, along with their dance partners, cheering and applauding. Chris, Amy’s secret boyfriend, muttered. Amy displayed a wide smile. Skye covered her mouth with a horrified look.

A sense of shock spread throughout my body. I covered my mouth with both hands. My body felt weak, and I felt like I was about to collapse. With all my strength, I stood up straight. I waited for Laird to say that it was all just a lie, that he was just joking, and that he actually chose me.

But, no. He truly showed a serious face while his hand embraced Amy’s shoulder.

“What? This is ridiculous!” some of the audience grumbled.

They couldn’t believe Laird, and they protested here and there. When Laird didn’t respond to them, they immediately believed that I had lied.

“You tricked us!” They looked very angry, and they shouted at me.