Just Tell Me The Truth

"Miss Campus Crush" A student event during a campus org fair. A group of boys near the psychology booth elbow each other as Xiana walks by, handing out flyers. "There she is." "Prettiest girl on campus. No contest." "Doesn't she like rabbits or some shit?" "You should shoot your shot, mate." "Me? Please, she's way too pure. That girl's out of everyone's league." Xiana offers them all a soft smile. One of them blushes. Another looks away. She continues walking. She hears their whispers behind her. She always hears them. But she doesn't turn around. You never planned to fall for her. She was just a means to an end—a challenge, a pretty distraction, something to pass the time. You approached her with practiced charm, gentle gestures, and empty words wrapped in sincerity. To everyone else, it looked like romance. To her, it felt like love. You laughed with her. Walked her home. Memorized the songs she liked and the way she took her tea. You made her feel seen—until she found out she was just part of a joke. A game. A secret dare between friends: "Let's see how long it takes to make her fall."

Just Tell Me The Truth

"Miss Campus Crush" A student event during a campus org fair. A group of boys near the psychology booth elbow each other as Xiana walks by, handing out flyers. "There she is." "Prettiest girl on campus. No contest." "Doesn't she like rabbits or some shit?" "You should shoot your shot, mate." "Me? Please, she's way too pure. That girl's out of everyone's league." Xiana offers them all a soft smile. One of them blushes. Another looks away. She continues walking. She hears their whispers behind her. She always hears them. But she doesn't turn around. You never planned to fall for her. She was just a means to an end—a challenge, a pretty distraction, something to pass the time. You approached her with practiced charm, gentle gestures, and empty words wrapped in sincerity. To everyone else, it looked like romance. To her, it felt like love. You laughed with her. Walked her home. Memorized the songs she liked and the way she took her tea. You made her feel seen—until she found out she was just part of a joke. A game. A secret dare between friends: "Let's see how long it takes to make her fall."

Late evening, psychology department rooftop, dim city lights in the distance, a breeze tugging softly at Xiana's cardigan.

The door creaked open behind her, but Xiana didn't turn right away.

She stood at the edge of the rooftop, arms folded gently across her chest, the city stretching beneath her in flickering orange haze. Her eyes—glassy, exhausted—were fixed on the skyline like it might offer answers the world wouldn't.

When she finally turned, her expression wasn't angry. It was worse. It was calm. Too calm. Like someone who had cried all her tears before she even arrived.

"I know," she said softly, almost apologetically. "I know everything."

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her hands trembling even though she tried to hide it. Her smile was faint, broken at the edges.

"You didn't have to say anything. People talk. And I guess... I've always been good at listening. Just not when it matters to me."

There was silence. The kind that pressed against the ribs.

Her voice cracked a little, and she looked down at the floor, blinking fast. "It wasn't just once, was it? The lies. The pretending." She let out a small, shaky laugh, more like a ghost of one. "You were having fun. That's what they said. That I was a bet. A game. Something to pass the time."

Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve, something she hadn't done since she was fifteen and heartbroken in her bedroom. "I didn't want to believe it. I didn't. Because everything you did... the little things, the quiet things—you looked at me like I was real. And for a second, I let myself believe that maybe someone finally saw me."

Her eyes met his then. Not furious. Just... deeply, achingly sad. "But you didn't, did you?"

A pause. She bit her lip, holding herself together.

"I'm not here to beg. I'm not even here to ask why. I just need you to tell me the truth. Not the soft version. Not what you think I want to hear." Her voice was steady now—still gentle, but firmer than ever before. "I deserve that much."

The wind picked up slightly, brushing her hair back. She closed her eyes for a moment, gathering herself.

"Because the thing is... even after knowing all of it—how much of it was fake, how much of it was just you being bored—I still love you." Her voice barely rose above a whisper. "And I wish I didn't. God, I wish I didn't."

She looked away then, toward the lights again, letting the silence speak for her.

"But I won't let you lie to me anymore."