"I'm smart enough to know that life goes by
And it leaves a trail of broken hearts behind
If you feel I'm letting go, just give me time
I'll come running to your side."
-Human by Jon McLaughlin

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

| LANCE |

After hearing Mackenzie say those words, it seemed that the whole world stopped functioning.

Not wanting to believe what she'd told me, I asked calmly, "What was that again, Mackenzie?"

She turned her head to look at me, and I saw fear in her eyes for a second. "You heard me loud and clear, Lance. I'm not gonna say it again."

Taking a deep breath then exhaling, I asked in disbelief, "Is there a problem with my teaching method? Do you find it strenuous to follow? I could--"

"No, there's nothing wrong with the way you teach me," she said, standing up to face me.

"Then why?" I firmly prompted. "Please explain to me the reason why you want to quit, Mackenzie, and it must be a valid reason."

"Just because."

I blinked at her, and that's when I noticed my hands had curled into fists. "Mackenzie," I said, warning her.

"Lancelot."

And then I lost it.

"Do not play dumb with me, Mackenzie!" I bellowed, banging my hand on the piano keys again, causing her to recoil from me. Good thing we were in a soundproofed room. "What is your reason why you are backing out as my pianist?"

"I'm scared, okay?" Mackenzie shouted, furiously gesturing with her hands. "I can't do this!"

"But we still have a few weeks to--" Then I suddenly stopped myself when I just became aware of something. "Wait a minute," I said slowly. "You seemed distracted by something, but your mood drastically changed after I told you my announcement--that the 40th Annual Denver Music Competition's venue has been changed."

"That's not it. It's just that I'm also not feeling well," Mackenzie said, but her gaze was on the floor, looking at it like it was made of gold. I even detected a hint of anxiousness in her voice.

"I can tell you are lying, Mackenzie. Even when I was talking to you that time, I still noticed your reaction." I took a step toward her, and she backed away until I trapped her against the wall.

"What're you doing, Lance?" she asked, apprehensive.

"What're you keeping from me, Mackenzie?" I asked back, determined to know the real answer from her.

She looked up at me, her lips pursed. "I'm telling you the truth."

"No, you are clearly hiding something from me. It seems your acting skills are somewhat getting rusty, hmm?"

Mackenzie tried to move, but I moved closer so that she couldn't escape. I stared at her silently and went all Sherlock on her, reaching into my memory--those times when her behavior had been odd while we'd been together. Just by looking at her, I was seeing connections between things that I'd previously thought as being separate.

Then a bright light of understanding seemed to explode like a star in my head.

I see, I thought, starting to get furious with her. Now it all makes sense.

"The 'Bitter of the Year' award goes to Mackenzie Adams!" I began, giving her a fake round of applause. "Even now, you are still tied to your past relationship."

"Wh-what're you talking about?"

"You are still denying it, eh? Very well, then. Let me entertain you." I crossed my arms over my chest. "Tell me who Brandon is, Mackenzie."

I saw the recognition in her eyes, but she quickly recovered and said, "Um, who?" But thanks to my great observation skills, I'd caught her reaction.

"Brandon," I repeated patiently, but deep inside I wanted to punch something.

"I d-don't know a-any Brandon."

"Hooo." I smirked humorlessly. "Then answer this: While you were sleeping in my bed two weeks ago, why did you mumble 'Brandon'? Surely it is not a pet's name. And why did you stutter?"

"Fine. It's the name of my character's love interest in one of my films. There, happy?"

"Or it's the name of your boyfriend," I told her directly. "Ex-boyfriend, rather."

This resulted in a gasp from Mackenzie's mouth. "How on earth did you...?"

Her reaction had made me 100% sure that this Brandon guy indeed was her ex-boyfriend, but I was still not finished with my deduction show.

"I will answer your question later, Mackenzie. But first, do you remember the time when we made a bet on the first day of school?" I asked her, my eyebrows raised. "When I said that chocolate cake was my favorite? To tell you the truth, your reaction after I said that baffled me. But now I know why--it's because chocolate cake was also your ex's favorite and what I said reminded you of him, yes?"

She stiffened, not saying anything.

"Second, when I wanted to have a movie marathon with you at your house, you did not want to do it at first. It's because it reminded you so much of your moments together with your ex," I stated. "Third, when we played 'Real or Not Real' on that same day, I asked 'Cried yourself to sleep. Real or not real?' You said 'real' and ended up sobbing. The reason was your ex, was it not?

"Fourth, your dad is very protective of you, and I remember your mom told me he was just being careful because of a past event that happened to you. From what I gathered today, you and that Brandon guy had a bad breakup," I told her while looking intently into her scared green eyes.

Mackenzie was still not saying anything.

"Fifth, when we first met, you were looking at me weirdly, and you were keeping an invisible wall around you. And yes, I did notice that. I thought it was because you were a very famous person and you were just protecting yourself. That's why that was your reaction toward me." I paused. "Oh, wait. I believe that was your reaction to all the new guys you met. It was all because of Brandon. After you got your heart broken, you looked at things and people more carefully, like you were being paranoid."

Mackenzie firmly closed her eyes, her face contorted with memory of the pain. "Lance, please stop..."

I smiled sadistically. "Oh, but I am not yet done, Mackenzie. Lastly, after I said 'Eldreez Point High School,' you suddenly wanted to quit. I concluded that Brandon studies there. And that is why after saying my announcement, you suddenly wanted to back out, 'cause you were scared that there was a chance you would see him there. And that you still...love him." I paused. "Now that I think about it, I now know the real reason why you chose to study at Weyral rather than at E.P., too."

Mackenzie looked dumbfounded. "But still, what you all said...how...?"

"'When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.' That is one of my favorite quotes by Sherlock Holmes." I stared at her smugly, lifting my chin higher. "The science of deduction really is a wonderful thing, isn't it, Mackenzie? So, am I right, or am I right?"

She remained silent, then pushed me away with all her might and got her bag from the table, her back to me.

"So, that's it?" I mocked. "You are giving up and running away because of your ex-boyfriend? Good grief! Stop fooling around!" Laughing at her without humor, I said, "Thank God I'm an aromantic; I am not like you who is a fool for romantic love. I pity you, Mackenzie."

When Mackenzie turned to me, tears began to roll down her cheeks. Her expression could've cut through glass, but I didn't care that she was falling apart; I was infuriated at her. For her, the truth felt like a stab to the gut.

I shook my head, my lips twisting. Then taking a deep, angry breath, I told her, "If that is your only reason why you are backing out from the competition, then I cannot consider you a musician, Mackenzie Grace Adams."

Mackenzie froze, and the words hung between us for a long moment, vibrating like a gong. Then, in a flash, Mackenzie was right in front of me and slapped me in the face, its sound echoing in the room. I saw shock and hurt on her face briefly. It stung. But what stung me more were her words.

Mackenzie spouted some colorful words at me and said with her voice moving to a crescendo, "You crossed a line that shouldn't be crossed, Lance! You don't have the right to tell me that! You don't know me that well! And you don't even know why we broke up!" She angrily wiped her tears with her hand. "You know what? I wish we didn't become friends in the first place! I hate you, Prince Lancelot Dale Collins! I HATE YOU!"

After that, Mackenzie ran away from the room while sobbing, slamming the door shut behind her.

My head slowly turned to look at the door and I carefully touched my cheek--the one where she'd slapped me, hard. Guilt thickened across my features, but I shook it off. Then I cursed out loud and tried my best to suppress the urge to bang my hand on the table. Instead, I played Chopin's Etude No. 12 in C Minor, Op. 10 "Revolutionary" on the piano to let my frustration out.

I also wished that I hadn't become friends with her in the first place.

And that I hadn't made that promise to Mr. Adams.

https://youtu.be/TjmKsInL4cc

🎻 🎻 🎻

At school the next day, Mackenzie and I didn't acknowledge each other, even though we were seatmates in three classes. I treated her like she was James Moriarty, Sherlock's archenemy--but only invisible. Our friends didn't notice the tension between us (because we were actors, but I was better at acting than Mackenzie, heh) until we were at The Cafeteria to eat lunch.

Cindy, Spencer, Rachel and I were sitting at a round table. While I was silently eating my spaghetti, Chel cried, "Crap! I forgot to buy popcorn!"

Spencer looked at the long line of students buying food. "Well, you'd better hurry before you ran out of popcorn, Chel."

"Yeah. Guard my food, guys. Thanks!" She dashed to the long line before one of us could reply.

"She must really be craving for popcorn, huh?" Cindy said sheepishly.

"I know, right? You can't blame her, though; The Cafeteria makes great popcorn," said Spencer while slicing his sirloin steak with a knife.

"I wonder what their secret recipe is."

They continued talking to each other. I didn't feel like joining them, since I was thinking of who should be replacing Mackenzie. Marcus, perhaps? I could try asking him, even though he was busy with the Weyral Symphony Orchestra. But I had no other choice.

Suddenly, Cindy asked, "Lance, why're you so silent? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," I answered absentmindedly.

Spencer looked at me with disbelief on his face.

Just then, Eunice and Mackenzie arrived, holding their trays in their hands, and sat across from us.

"And Xavier finally chose a play we'll perform for Weyral's Foundation Week this March," Nis was saying to Mackenzie. "But he won't tell anyone what the title is--even the club officers! Can you believe that?"

My enemy shook her head, smiling like she didn't have any problems in the world. But if you look at her closely, you'd notice her eyes were a little puffy from crying. "Maybe he just wants to surprise all of us, Nis. 'Sides, it's still the first of November."

"Even so!" Eunice drank her iced tea. "By the way, something seems off today..."

Dee looked around. "Yeah. I don't see Hamilton anywhere, which is a good thing, if you ask me."

"I wasn't talking about Alice, Dee."

Mackenzie and I continued eating in silence. Unfortunately, Spencer noticed this and said, "Something's off with the musicians."

Mackenzie rubbed away her fake smile. "Well, according to someone, he can't consider me a musician," she said, not successfully hiding her contempt toward me.

I snorted disdainfully. "Hah! I do not want to associate with somebody who hasn't moved on from her past and is running away from her problems." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rachel sitting in-between Eunice and Cindy with a bucket of popcorn in her hands.

"Oh, I forgot that you were an aromantic. Gods, you're so blessed that you won't get your heart broken because of romantic love," she said sarcastically.

Rachel was eating her popcorn while watching us, engrossed with what was currently happening in front of her. Spencer asked for some, which she gladly did. Eunice and Cindy followed suit.

"Of course I am blessed!" I told Mackenzie in a condescending tone. "Goodness, millions of people are dying all over the world, like those people who died from the continuous terrorist attacks in Aleppo, but you are crying because you are brokenhearted? How pathetic!" I smirked mockingly. "Do you know why the heart is located in the middle of the chest and slightly toward the left of the breastbone? Because it is not always right!"

"Nice joke, Lance!" Spencer laughed really hard, and all of us could tell it was forced.

Mackenzie's eyes flashed and she slowly leaned in my direction while telling me, "Don't belittle my pain, you heartless musician. You don't know how it feels when the person you loved and trusted lied to you big time. You. Don't. Know. Anything." Then she stood up and went out of the cafeteria, looking like she was just shopping at a mall so as not to raise attention. She left her half-eaten double cheeseburger on the table.

The four blinked, stupefied. Rachel was the first to recover from the shock and said, "Gosh, we were eating popcorn like we were watching a movie that was reaching its climax. What were we thinking, guys?" She also stood up from her seat and followed Mackenzie while exclaiming, "Kenzie, wait! You forgot to bring your bag with you!"

Eunice was the second one to recover. She shared a look with Dee and Spence, and followed the two outside. But before going out of the cafeteria, Nis shot me a disappointed look, which made my chest tighten, just for a moment.

The third one was Cindy. "What. Did. You. Do?" she snarled, glaring at me and slamming her hands on the table.

The last one was Spencer; he glanced at me and made an execution motion across his neck with one finger.

I rolled my eyes at them, then told her, "Why don't you ask your favorite actress, Dee?"

"Spill!"

Glaring back at her, I said, "Yesterday, she backed out as my accompanist because the venue of the contest has been changed to Eldreez Point and her ex-boyfriend is studying there and she is afraid that maybe they will see each other there." I paused to catch my breath. "Her reason is not valid. She betrayed me! That is why I am pissed off at her. I mean, who wouldn't? Now I have to ask Marcus if he can be my accompanist for the com--"

"You idiot!" Cindy shouted, causing me to cover my ears with my hands.

"Why am I an idiot?" I couldn't help feeling offended. "Mackenzie was the one who quit because of that lame excuse!"

"Did she tell you that her ex studies at E.P.?" Spencer asked me.

"No. I simply deduced it."

"Who is it?"

"Brandon. I do not know his last name, though."

"Colfer," Dee said. "Brandon Colfer."

I furrowed my eyebrows at her. "How did you know that? I thought her love life was confidential to the core."

Looking at me with a smug smile, she said, "Well, if you're a diehard Adamster, you'd surely know who her past boyfriend is and why they broke up."

"Or perhaps you are just a top-notch stalker."

"Zip it."

Spencer gasped. "Wait, Brandon Colfer? I know that guy!" Then he mumbled to himself, but we still heard it. "So that's why Mackenzie..."

Cindy and I stared at him.

"I mean, not personally," he added. "I only know him because he's one of the best swimmers of E.P."

"I see," I said.

"So Nis and I were right all along," said Cindy. "That why she chose Weyral over E.P. was because her ex studies there."

"Unreasonable. Absurd. Pathetic. Silly. Ridiculous," I muttered.

"Oh, Lance," Cindy said with a frown. "You should say sorry to Mackenzie."

My eyes widened. "She is the one at fault, Dee. Why should I be the one to apologize to her?"

She exhaled venomously. "It's called being human, stupid. 'Sides, you don't know the reason why they broke up, right?"

"Third party, perhaps?"

She shook her head. "Far from that, actually. It was a dare all along, and Brandon was just using Mackenzie to boost his popularity at E.P., while she was loving him honestly. That's really heartbreaking, you know--for a girl to experience that in her first relationship."

I scowled at that. Had that guy really played with Mackenzie's feelings just to become popular in that school?

"And I'll bet you said some hurtful words to Mackenzie," Cindy continued.

"None that I can remember, no."

Cindy gave me her level-one-hundred evil glare that she only uses in special occasions, making me gulp and raise my hands in surrender. "All right! So I did tell her some hurtful words. I was just being frank, okay?"

"Well, I guess it was a good thing you were frank with her."

It was my turn to blink. "Wait, what?"

Spencer gaped at her like she'd lost her mind.

"The only problem was you were way out of line. Clearly, Mackenzie's still hurting and hasn't moved on yet. She wants to avoid Brandon at all cost," said Cindy, shrugging. "Maybe it was the perfect time for someone to open up her eyes again."

"Again?"

"Rachel's always frank with her in a nice way. Er, kind of," she pointed out. "She gave her bestie pieces of advice on how to move on from Brandon, surely. Maybe her parents, too. But, as Rachel always say: 'Kenzie's very hardheaded.' However, you should still apologize to her, Lance."

"I hope you are not being sexist here--that the guy should say sorry to the girl first."

She raised a slender eyebrow. "Okay, so let's say Mackenzie 'overreacted' to what you told her yesterday. But you didn't know the whole story, Lance. You judged her because of your anger and disappointment toward her."

"But you also judge Alice--"

"That's a different and smaller matter, Lancelot," she cut me off instantly.

I waved a dismissing hand. "I still believe this is all her fault."

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Cindy uttered sarcastically, "Fab-tastic! You're also hardheaded. Anyway, I'll give Mackenzie a pep talk tomorrow."

Spencer grew horrified. "But your pep talks always result in ruin and devastation!"

Cindy got her favorite yellow paintbrush from her bag and hit him with it on his head. "No, they don't." Then she finished eating her club sandwich and chips, then stood up. "Well, I still have some stuff to do for the Art Club. Toodles!" She patted my shoulder and gave Spence a pointed look before going her way.

"So..." Spencer started in a hesitant voice, scratching the back of his head with one hand.

"Not you, too," I told him, scowling.

"Sorry, Lance, but I gotta agree with Dee on this one."

"You are siding with Mackenzie over me?" I asked him incredulously. "What is wrong with the world? Why are my trusted confidants betraying me today?"

"I'm not siding with anyone for now," Spence clarified, "since I haven't heard Mackenzie's story yet."

"Spence, Mackenzie dumped me in the dark! I was hurt because of what she did to me--wasting all my efforts to teach her in music and piano, and then suddenly leaving me all alone--"

"Because of the probability of meeting Colfer, her ex-boyfriend, at E.P.," he finished. "Maybe she reacted that way 'cause she still loves him--"

"That is what I also thought."

"--which, I think, isn't unreasonable at all."

I was about to argue, but Spence held up a hand.

"But, yeah, I agree that she must move on," he continued. "That guy hurt her--emotionally. What's the use of still loving him? So now, we must help Mackenzie to move on and forget her feelings for him. Or something like that." Spencer shrugged. "Who knows, maybe Mackenzie will be back for the challenge as your accompanist for the competition." Then he sighed while shaking his head. "Dang, I didn't think for Colfer to be a jerk."

I finished eating my spaghetti while his words sank in, then I replied, "Hmm..."

"By the way, I haven't told you guys this, but Mackenzie and I hung out last Sunday at Royal Crown," Spencer said all of a sudden. "Not sure if Mackenzie told Rachel of our adventure, though. Anyhow, I was at Target to buy some ingredients. When I was done, I saw Colfer before I headed out of the store. And when I was outside, I saw Mackenzie and approached her. I was surprised to find her all jittery and pale, man. No wonder she was in that kind of state--she also saw Colfer that time. Next thing I knew, I wanted to make her happy and treated her at Royal Crown. As a friend, of course."

"I know," I deadpanned. "You only love Cindy, anyway."

He blushed. "S-shut up! So yeah, to make the long story short, at the end of the day..." Spencer told me how he'd encouraged Mackenzie but that she still had seemed troubled over something.

"Perhaps Mackenzie had a premonition," I guessed when Spence was done.

"See? You should blame Colfer and not Mackenzie," he said.

"Or the organizers of the 40th Annual Denver Music Competition," I sighed. "Fine, I will contemplate everything before I apologize to her."

"Think about it for three days," Spencer recommended.

I was bewildered. "Three days?"

Ferocious Eater grinned. "I heard that you should wait three days after a quarrel before making a move. Maybe it's effective in your case."

"Very well," I said, abruptly feeling tired.

"Be sincere about it, yeah?"

I gave a stiff nod.

Spencer was thoughtful. "But telling Mackenzie that she hasn't moved on...doesn't that make you a hypocrite?"

I scowled at him. "I do not follow you."

"Your grandfather." Pushing his chair back while standing up, Spencer managed a crooked smile. I didn't notice he'd already finished eating his lunch. What he said next made me reconsider my actions.

"And remember, Violinist Freak: Forgiveness is actively showing acceptance and not grudging or passive."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heeyyyy, friends! In case I can't update on Christmas day, I just wanna greet you an "Advance Merry Christmas!!! 🎄⛄"

What? This chapter isn't a great Christmas gift? Haha sorry about that! 😂 And yeah, no chapter banners for now 'cause I don't have a laptop with me at where I'm currently living. *cries in a corner*

I think I'll update Klein Powers Saga next. Or continue writing chapter 24 of LLL. Hmmm. Whatever floats my boat, I guess. 😂