seen from Sweden
seen from Sweden
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from Germany
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from Sweden
seen from United States
seen from Taiwan
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Singapore
seen from Switzerland
seen from China
seen from India
seen from Sweden
seen from Switzerland
Imagine Polo getting into a fight whilst trying to defend you.
“Was this really worth getting into a fight over?” you sighed, lightly brushing your fingertips against the bruise forming on his cheek.
He recoiled away from your hand, just staring at you for a moment, studying the clear concern on your face. “Yes, it was.”
You And I - Polo x Reader
A/N: Yet another drabble I’ve had in my documents for a while. This short one is based on a tiktok challenge that was going around for a while, and I thought it was too cute not to write about it. Polo was my chosen boy because he totally seems like the kind of boyfriend who’d put up with that stuff😉 Enjoy!
Word Count: Approx 500.
Warning: Fluff. Lots of fluff.
What’s the point of this again?” Polo asked, his arms snaking around your waist and pulling you back towards him.
You grinned, pushing his hands away and focusing on setting up the phone camera in front of the two of you. “It’s just a fun thing that Cayetana said we should do, it’ll only take a minute.”
Polo sighed dramatically, releasing you and stepping back a bit. You watched him on your phone screen as you shifted it back and forth, trying to centre it correctly so you would both be in frame. He was adorable. He was blinking tiredly, exhausted after a long day of school and then studies. You’d begged him to stay up a little bit later, and he’d relented rather quickly - you always got what you wanted. He was too sweet to ever say no to you, especially when it came to silly things like this.
That’s how it had always been. You’d been dating for a year now, and you swore, you’d never been happier. He lit up your entire world.
“Okay.” You said, setting the timer, and jumping back so you were by Polo’s side.
He glanced at you. “What am I meant to be doing?”
“Just... listen and watch.” You said after a moment, a smile flickering on your lips again.
The timer eventually ran down to zero and it started recording - a young girls voice sang from the speakers and Polo raised his eyebrows, surprised.
“If you like a guy, clap your hands.” The girl sang.
Pointedly, you clapped your hands together twice and watched on screen as beside you, Polo broke out into a boyish grin.
“If he doesn’t like you back, clap your hands.”
That grin faded and his eyes widened - you raised your hands in preparation to clap, grinning again and trying not to laugh. Sort of frantically, he dove forward and gripped your hands tight, holding them apart so you couldn’t clap. You tried again but he began laughing, pulling you close to his chest and talking into your ear.
“No, you can’t clap. I like you back.” He declared.
By now you were in a fit of giggles and could barely comprehend what the girl was singing -
“If you’re talking to a guy and he has a lot of sides, and he played you like a game, clap your hands.”
You tried again fruitlessly to clap your hands but it was useless - Polo had you tight in his arms and was peppering the top of your head with kisses, making your laughs ring out loudly through the room.
“Polito!” You choked out in between giggles.
“I would never play you.” He replied, feigning hurt and releasing your hands to wrap his arms around your waist and tug you closer to him. You leaned back into the sensation, then squirmed around until you were facing him and gave a wry smile.
“I love you, Polito.” You told him truthfully, tilting your head up to place a gentle kiss to his lips.
He smiled. “I love you too, Y/N.”
After Her.
Polo x Reader
Request by anon: HI!!! Your writing is so good i can’t stop reading 😩 big fan of elite and went through all your stories in a day! could you write one about polo!? maybe circus season one pre murder 😅 thank you for writing for us!!!!
Request by anon: can i request a polo imagine where even though he has reader besides him he still can’t forget about carla, so he says hurtful things to reader but then there is a happy ending
Gif is not my own
Requests are open 🤍
“Morning,” You yawn as you flutter your eyes open to find Polo laying beside you already awake, “What time is it?”
“Just after eight,” He comments, “I turned off your alarm, you looked too peaceful.”
You laugh and snuggle into his chest, “We’ll be late for school, you know?”
“I’m sure we won’t miss much,” He mumbles, brushing a hand through your hair and leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead, “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, clearly,” You chuckle, “Did you?”
“On and off,” He shrugs, “You still talk in your sleep so that kept me entertained when I was awake.”
You hit at his chest and laugh, pushing yourself up so you’re leaning on your elbow as you look at him. His hair is astray after the night and he always manages to look so much younger in the mornings before he was ready for the day. The two of you had been dating for a couple of months now, after he’d split up with Carla. It wasn’t long after the new boy, Christian, started at school that things started going south for those two. She was quick to drop Polo and move onto Christian as though there was never anything between her and Polo anyway. He’d confided in you, one of his best friends, and things had eventually led to where they were now. Sure, people said that you had to be cautious - he’d loved Carla and those kind of feelings wouldn’t just be gone in a second. But you’d found someone truly good in Polo and he had promised you that you weren’t just a rebound. That was enough for you.
“Come on, handsome, let’s get ready,” You say, leaning in to press a quick kiss to his lips.
He holds you there for a moment longer and kisses you deeper, “Are you sure about that?”
You laugh and push at his chest, “Polo, you’re a terrible influence.”
“That’s not what you said last night,” He smirks and you hit at his bare chest again.
“Get your ass out of my bed.”
- - - - - -
“Good morning guys,” You smile as you walk into the classroom with Polo.
His hand is laced with yours and he’s carrying your books with his in his other hand.
“Morning darlings,” Lu returns from where she sat beside Guzmán, his arm over the back of her chair, “Nice of you to finally show up.”
“Yeah, we’re a little late this morning,” You laugh, “You can blame Polo for that one.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Guzmán smirks at his friend, greeting him fondly as the two of you sit in the seats in front of them.
“Are you guys coming to the club tonight? We’ve hired it out,” Guzmán mentions, “It’s been too long since we were all there.”
“Yeah, we’ll be there,” Polo nods, settling one hand on your thigh, “Right?”
“Definitely.”
They continue to chatter about the evening ahead as you watch Carla walk into class with Christian in tow. She looks at you and Polo with a smirk on her face but you try your best to ignore it, as you’d been told to do by all of your friends.
“I still can’t believe she seriously feels anything for that street rat,” Lu scoffs, leaning back in her chair as she watches them too.
“Come on, you know what she’s like,” Guzmán rolls his eyes, “She’ll have her fun and toss him aside in a few months.”
You turn to Polo who doesn’t respond, but is instead keeping his eyes focused on the pair of them - maybe more so focused on Carla than the boy who had taken his place. You try to swallow the lump in your throat and squeeze the hand that he had placed on your thigh like you were trying to reassure him you were there. He snaps back to reality and looks at you, a smile spreading onto his face as he leans in to kiss you. You return the gesture but can’t help but wonder whether he was doing it for you or for the girl that would’ve been sat in this exact seat only a matter of months ago.
- - - - - -
That night, you’re at Polo’s getting ready for the club. You’d asked Polo to choose what you’d wear and he’d decided on you wearing your simple marroon dress with a bunched neckline and thin straps, it fit you perfectly and you’d paired it with a simple pair of heels and a black bag.
“Does this look okay?” You ask, fixing your hair once again in the mirror before turning to Polo.
He glances up momentarily before looking back down to slip on his shoes, “Yeah, you look great.”
You deadpan as you look at him, evidently not getting the kind of reaction you’d hope to get from your boyfriend, “What’s with you?”
“What do you mean? I’m fine,” He shrugs, “I said you look great.”
“Not just that, you’ve been quiet ever since we left school,” You sigh, walking over to stand in front of him, “What is it?”
“Nothing, honestly, nothing,” He encourages, “I’m fine, you look beautiful.”
He reaches his hands out and squeezes your waist, nuzzling his nose into your neck.
“Maybe a little too beautiful for us to be going to the club.”
And just like that, he’s back to being the normal charming Polo that you’d learnt to adore. The one that managed to say the right things and kiss all the right places. And every worry seems to slip quickly away, maybe a little too quickly.
Eventually, the two of you make your way to the club and end up being the last two there. Guzmán laughs when he sees you and makes a comment about Polo once again to which Polo hits him on the arm. Lu makes a surprisingly genuine compliment about your dress and even asks where you got it. Polo buys you your first drink of the night and wraps an arm around your waist. You find yourself settling comfortably into the night until you realise you weren’t in fact the last two to show up for the night. Carla and Christian walk through the door, her managing to look even more effortlessly elegant than she did on any normal day.
“Nobody told me they’d be here,” You mumble to Ander who was stood beside you, “What’s she doing?”
Ander glances over and rolls his eyes, “I’m not surprised, you know what she’s like.”
You watch as she walks past and leaves Christian at the bar, heading straight to the toilet. It’s a weird sort of instinct when you follow her, taking a swig of your drink and wincing at the taste.
Carla is fixing her lipstick in one of the mirrors as you walk in, standing beside her and setting your glass down, appearing as nonchalant as possible.
“What are you doing here Carla?” You ask her as she smirks at your appearance.
“What are you talking about?” She scoffs, “Are you that threatened by me being around your little boyfriend?”
“Come on, don’t play dumb with me - you and I both know you have intentions that go far beyond you just being here to enjoy yourself. What are you playing?”
“Did Polo choose that for you to wear tonight?” She cocks a brow, “He has a thing for that colour, doesn’t he?”
You look down at your outfit and swallow the lump in your throat, unable to say anything more.
“Honey, you can flaunt around and try to replace me in whatever group you find yourself in. You can sit next to him, gossip with Lu, act just as fake as I had to - but you know you’ll never properly replace me. Deep down, beyond all of this facade you put up, you realise more and more that Polo will never truly be over me. And no matter how much you pretend, you’ll never be good enough for him. He still can’t stop thinking about me, honey.”
With that, she walks past you and you turn to follow her path. You want to not believe her, you want to completely disagree with everything she’d said. But it’s impossible. And when you watch her leave the restrooms and Polo is unable to tear his eyes away from her, that realisation sets in more and more and more.
You down the rest of your drink and force yourself to act once again, pretending like you’re fine for the rest of the night - for as long as everyone else’s prying eyes were still around.
- - - - - -
Eventually, having not remained tipsy enough in the night to have actually enjoyed yourself, you and Polo return back to his home. He’d been somewhat fine all night but you’d attempted to keep your distance as much as possible, too mind-numbingly aware of Carla’s comments to want to spend much time with him.
“What’s going on (Y/n)? You said I was off earlier, but you’ve not been yourself since we got to the club,” Polo comments as the two of you reach his room.
“Just something Carla said.”
“You’re listening to her?” Polo scoffs, “Come on (Y/n), you know she’s full of shit.”
“See, I did think that. I thought that every time you convinced me to think that. But I’m not blind anymore Polo. I see the way you look at her, how your jaw clenches when you see her with him, how you take a second to look at what she’s wearing like you’re looking to see for any change, how your eyes always flick to her when you think I don’t see you. I see it all. I’ve tried to convince myself every day that it’s not something I should be worried about - that you picked her over me, right? But that wasn’t what happened. She just picked him over you.”
“Babe where is this coming from?” He sighs, “I’ve told you, she’s in the past. I care about you, and I don’t want to be with Carla anymore.”
“I think you’re convincing your head of that, but somebody needs to tell your heart,” You push his chest, “Because you need to realise what you’ve got in front of you, rather than wanting somebody who doesn’t want you anymore.”
With that, you storm out of his room and head down the corridor to find your way out of his house. You vaguely hear him call your name behind you but you’re out of the front door before you can give in and turn back.
- - - - - -
The next morning, Polo has called you enough times and been left with enough voicemail beeps to be certain that you didn’t want to hear from him. He settles his phone back onto his desk and runs a hand through his hair, regretting everything he hadn’t said the night before.
He’s just about to reach to call you again when he notices a figure at his door. And to his complete surprise, it’s you.
“Your Mum let me in. I didn’t think this was a good conversation to have on the phone,” You explain quietly, puffy eyes suggesting you’d had as little sleep as he’d had.
“Thank you, thank you, I need to talk to you (Y/n),” He stands up abruptly, “Theres so much I need to tell you.”
You fold your arms over you and nod, “Go ahead.”
He shrugs his shoulders, “I don’t love her (Y/n), and I don’t think I ever did. We were together for ages, yeah, and I convinced myself in that time that I loved Carla. When we split up, it felt like an instinct to be heartbroken. But in amongst that, I found somebody I’d never expected to find. Somebody who cared for me more than anybody ever had, that made me laugh, that understood me, that was willing to wind me up and argue with me. And I had no idea that it was possible. People thought it was fast to move on but I couldn’t imagine giving up that chance to actually find somebody I could love.”
“That doesn’t explain the way you’ve been looking at her, the way you haven’t been yourself, everything,” You shake your head, “I can’t let myself believe that you don’t feel anything for her.”
“No, you’re right, maybe I do still feel some sort of way for Carla. But it’s not love and it’s nowhere near what I feel for you. But she hurt me, and it’s going to take time to get past that,” He admits, “But, if you’ll let me, I don’t want to lose this - I want to keep what we have, and work through all of this together.”
His eyes express such an emotion that it’s almost impossible to think of saying no. You’re reluctant of course. But everybody deserved a second chance, and giving up on him now would likely one of the biggest mistakes of your life.
“Okay, but Polo you need to promise me to communicate. Tell me how you’re feeling, admit if you feel anything for her - because I don’t want to be some sort of pawn in your game to get over her.”
“I promise you, okay? I promise you with every bit of me,” He smiles, reaching out his hands to grab yours, “I promise.”
“Okay,” You smile, “But I swear to god Polo if yo-“
He silences you with a kiss that seals the deal enough, that tells you everything his words couldn’t. Sure, this wasn’t exactly perfect. And it was confusing and people would say it wouldn’t work. But you had to convince yourself that it would work, your heart had already fallen too deep for you to just give up on him. And hopefully you could be the one to prove exactly what it meant to love someone.
Imagine:
Finding out what your brother, Polo, did to Marina.
Request: Yes or No
You stared with furrowed brows as the police escorted your brother, Polo, out of school. You turned your head, looking at Guzman and Ander. Guzman had a blank face while Ander had tears in his eyes. Realization set in.
"No, no, no..." Your knees buckled and Nadia quickly rushed to your side along with Valerio, quickly catching you and slowly lowering you onto the floor. Nadia whispered comforting words while Valerio rubbed your back. Your brain tried to process everything.
Polo had murdered your best friend, lied to your face, and comforted you the following days.
Gifs aren't mine.
they don’t suspect a thing | p
Pairing: Polo x Reader
Requested: @lafleurverte & Anonymous
Summary: You find out the truth about what he did
GIF Not Mine
"Polo, what did you do?" You asked. You were in the locker room trying to get out the punch that was spilled on you when your boyfriend, Polo, came in spaced out and covered in blood, holding Marina's trophy. "Polo?" You tried again. He looked up, his bottom lip wobbling as he is on the verge of crying. You went over to him, cupping his cheek to give him some comfort.
"I-i didn’t mean to. She- she kept saying things."
"Who?" You interrupted Polo's ramblings.
"Marina." You retracted your hands, taking a step away from him when he told you that. "Sh-She kept saying things. Shit about us."
"So you killed her?!" You hissed, still in shock.
"I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to." Polo cried.
Voices and footsteps down the corridor reminded you that you were still in public. You grabbed Polo's hand and brought him over to the sink where you started cleaning off the blood on his hands and face. You had to get him out of here without anyone suspecting anything. You left for a second before returning with a shirt. You handed it to Polo, taking his bloody one and putting it in your bag. "You need to get out of here and get rid of the trophy." You told him.
"Y/N-" Polo started.
"Just go." He nodded and slipped out of the door. You cursed under your breath, wondering how the hell you got to this point, before grabbing the watch you took from Polo and leaving the locker room to go back to the party.
You couldn’t look Guzmán in the eye, you couldn’t look anyone in the eye. You knew you had to make it seem nothing happened but the thing is something did happen and now you had to live with that. It was your turn to be questioned by the police. Polo was worried that you would cave and tell them everything. You hadn’t spoken to him properly since that night. He was afraid he lost you.
You were convinced that the police would know what you had done. That’s why you were distancing yourself from Polo because you were going to take the blame. That was your intention walking into the interrogation room but as they started asking questions about everyone but Polo, about the new kid's brother you nipped that idea in the bud.
Walking out of the dark room you went straight to Polo, wrapping your arms around him. "We’re going to be okay. They don’t suspect anything." You whispered into his ear. "I love you."
"I love you too."
A/N: I have yet to see season 2 👀 so if you wanna send plot specific plots please put a spoiler alert. Thank you!
Tag List (Still Open): @mayaslifeinabox @lunarmoonwolf @princess-of-the-fandoms @live--aloud @les-bio-lie @ivvitm1109 @seninjakitey @lover2448 @dontdowhatisayandnobodygetshurt @marvelismylifffe
I Did It (Polo x reader)
Request: Hello !! Could you please do a polo X fem!reader ( Netflix elite ) ? Like it could be angsty one with fluff. Ahaha I love your work x
Pairing: Polo x reader
Warning: mentioned violence, s1 spoilers
Note: Sorry it’s been a minute since I’ve written! Work has been a lot and I haven’t had a whole lot of inspiration and motivation either. Hope you enjoy this, and I’m sorry it took so long, Anon!
P.S. maybe I’ll turn this into a series? lmk what y’all think!
Gif is not mine!
Definitions.
Polo x Reader
Request by anon: i want to request a Polo imagine where him and the reader have an undefined relationship and he keeps pushing the reader away (angsty argument)
Gif is not my own
Requests are open
“I’ll see you in the morning then,” You nod to Polo as you tug your trousers back on and re-clasp the button.
He tucks an arm under his head and flutters his eyes open, “You can stay, you know? You don’t have to leave so quickly.”
“Please, it’s been three months Polo and I’ve never stayed the night. I know where I stand,” You roll your eyes, grabbing your phone from the side and slipping on your shoes.
“No kiss goodbye?” He frowns, pouting his lips.
You scoff and lean in quickly to kiss his expectant expression, “See you in the morning.”
This was usually the way it went. You’d come round after his parents were asleep, you’d chat for a while, both get what you wanted out of the situation and then you’d leave without a trace. It wasn’t a friends with benefits type of situation because you’d never actually been friends in the first place. It wasn’t a relationship because it never went much further than sex. It wasn’t really anything that fit into a decent enough definition. But you’d never questioned it. With every question and hatred surrounding Polo at the moment, it was much easier to remain in this undefined state. Less questions.
Recently, Polo had started to question a lot more than you though. He’d started suggesting that you stay the night, and you always dismissed it as you had done today. He’d offer that you go out somewhere together but you always laughed it off with a ‘if you want sex, just ask’. It was all of these little moments where he was slowly making more of an effort to prove to you that he wanted more than whatever this was. And, so far, you’d managed to avoid it as much as you could.
- - - - - -
The following day, at school, you get a message from him - despite him only being sat a few metres away on the other side of the class.
‘My parents are out tonight. Do you want to come round a little earlier? x’
“Who’s that from?” Samuel asks from beside you.
It was a difficult situation. Your best friend was one of the people that hated Polo the most. And you couldn’t exactly blame him. Without knowing Polo’s side of the story, that boy was simply a murderer in many people’s eyes. You’d thought so too until you took the time to properly get to know him. But you knew Samu well enough to know that he wouldn’t think in the same way. Polo would always be the enemy to him, so you’d never told him a word about the situation between you and Polo and that was the way you’d keep it.
“Just a guy I met at the club,” You dismiss, locking your phone without replying.
“You’re just going to ignore him?” Samuel half-laughs, “Playing hard to get or something?”
“You know me too well,” You chuckle, turning back to the work in front of you.
When it becomes evident that Samu is distracted by his work once again, you glance up in Polo’s direction to find him looking directly back at you. He raises his brows and gestures his head in the direction of your phone.
Samuel turns back to you before you can respond. Another close call of avoiding all of this unfolding.
- - - - - -
“(Y/n)!” Polo calls down the corridor to you as you’re walking out of third period.
You turn to Nadia and smile apologetically, “Sorry, I’m meant to be working on a project with him. I’ll see you later, okay?”
She looks at him with an expression falling somewhere between fear and loathing before dismissing herself.
“A project?” He scoffs, “That’s what you’re calling it now?”
“What is it, Polo?” You ask, looking over your shoulder like you’re expecting somebody to question you any second now.
“You got my text, yeah?” He nods, “So I’ll see you later. Eight o’clock?”
“Sure,” You pull your books to your chest like you’re trying to appear as uncomfortable as possible around him, “I’ll let you know.”
Before you can say anything more, Samuel walks up from his locker.
“Everything okay (Y/n)?” He asks cautiously, looking to Polo and eyeing him up and down.
“Fine, thank you,” You glance back to Polo, “Just talking about a class. Right Polo?”
“A class, yeah,” Polo clenches his jaw, “I’ll see you later, (Y/n).”
“See you later?” Samuel scoffs, “What’s he talking about?”
Your eyes linger on Polo for a moment too long as he’s walking back down the corridor, accompanied by nobody but himself. You’d done everything you could to make sure people didn’t change their opinion of you. But in that, you’d made it that nobody had changed their opinion of Polo - everyone still treated him like the villain they’d thought him to be from the start. You could so easily do something to try and change that, and yet you’d cared more and maintaining your own reputation.
“It’s just an expression, Samuel. Don’t worry,” You return quickly back to playing the part and dismiss his concern, “What class do we have now?”
But all you can think of is the image of Polo walking away on his own, and all of the weight that the image held in your mind.
- - - - - -
That night, you keep to your sort-of promise, and show up at Polo’s place just past eight.
“Hey,” He smiles as he opens the door, dressed up more smartly than you’d ever normally seen him, “Thanks for coming.”
“Why the formal welcome?” You laugh, slipping off your shoes at the door, “It’s never normally like this.”
“I was thinking we could have some dinner. I ordered your favourite.”
You glance over to the table by the couches and, rightfully so, there are the distinctive containers of your favourite takeout set around the table.
“Why are you doing all of this Polo?” You laugh, following him cautiously as he takes a seat on one of the couches.
“We’ve been doing this for months (Y/n), don’t you think it’s time that we actually spend some time together?”
“We’re not dating,” You scoff and treat it like such an innocent comment. Until you see how it’s received.
He stares at you blankly, the hints of a pained smile tugging at his lips, “You couldn’t do that to yourself, could you?”
“Oh, come on, it’s not like that.”
“Really? I see the way you act around school, constantly looking over your shoulder so people don't know you’re fucking the murderer?”
“Don’t say it like that!” You exclaim, “We both never treated this like it was anything more.”
“Both of us, really?” He laughs, “I’ve been trying to prove to you that we could be something more, that we could be better than just night after night.”
“Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”
“Talk to you?” He exclaims, “(Y/n), you’re out of my house before I can say five words to you, and it’s practically your worst nightmare to be seen with me at school. I’m not an idiot.”
You swallow the lump in your throat and look down. Maybe he was right. Not in how you’d acted but in the way he’d perceived it. In your own confusion about the situation, you’d made it seem like you were just as bad as every other person in that school who hated Polo. And that made you as bad as them, even if you didn’t feel that way.
“(Y/n) I thought you understood me, you told me that you saw my side of things,” When you look up again, there are tears in his eyes, “Recently, you’ve been the only person I’ve spent time with where I’ve actually felt like a normal person. Like I can be myself. But I guess you’re no different than the rest of them, you think of me as a murderer just like they do.”
You wince at the word, “I don’t think that. I think you were a person caught up in a horrible situation and an accident happened that had consequences you’d have never intended. I think you’ve made some wrong decisions but that doesn’t make you a bad person. And in the past few months, you’ve made me realise more and more that you have a heart of gold - even if people don’t think that.”
“Do you mean that?”
“I do,” You smile, reaching over and taking his hand, “And maybe it’s time that we start trying to prove that to other people and not just to each other.”
“Maybe it’s time we define whatever we think this might be.”
Two sides.
Polo x Reader
Request by anon: Request // from ep 1 polo’s entrance returning to school after the incident, the reader can’t choose a side between her best friend (polo) and her other friends (everyone else) i hope that makes sense
Gif is not my own
Requests are open 🤍
The tension that fell around school felt like enough to bring the walls crashing down around you. Everyone silenced. So much so that the lack of sound felt deafening. Nothing. Nobody dare utter a word at the sight of who stood before them. Slowly, but with such cautious certainty, Polo came walking down the stairs. He looked like he should be the boy from before. He still had the rucksack over his shoulders and his uniform pristine as always. But the cold, deathly look on his face sent a shiver down your spine. Like he was void of all emotion now.
“Come on (Y/n), he’s not worth our attention,” Lu encourages from beside you and you notice then that the rest of the group had started leaving. You’d been frozen to your spot.
“Right, yeah, lets go,” You shake out of your daze, trying to avoid taking another glance in Polo’s direction.
The group blend into chatting about something and you force yourself to remain involved, laughing whenever they do even if your responses are a little delayed. Before it had been revealed that Polo was the one responsible for Marina’s death, you’d always been the closest of friends. You’d known each other since you were little, been the one to get him with Carla in the first place, and slowly fallen for him whilst he dated her. When you’d found out what he’d done, it was like that whole opinion of him came crashing down painfully quickly. You were reluctant to call him a murderer. How could you possibly give such a title to one of your best friends?!
“What do you think (Y/n)?” Carla speaks up, “Don’t you agree?”
You glance at her and feel yourself fighting against the urge to scream at her for betraying him in the way she had. She’d convinced him that he was no longer good enough. Maybe that had been what had triggered his downward spiral. That he had become so caught up in proving his worth to Carla. Or maybe there would never be a valid way of excusing what they boy had done.
“Yeah, sure, excuse me,” You stand up from the table and head out into the empty corridor, wanting nothing more than to catch your breath from the mental marathon youd been trying to keep up with.
An empty corridor might have been a slight exaggeration. In fact, there was one other person that made these corridors feel far from empty. Sat on the stairs that he’d made his entrance on only moments ago, was Polo.
“(Y/n),” He says, standing up when he sees you.
“Hey,” You respond, folding your arms over yourself, “How are you?”
“As okay as I can be,” He replies, “You?”
“Likewise,” You force a smile.
“I would’ve told you I was coming back but it-“ He stops himself, “You know what my Mums are like.”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess so,” You nod, pulling your arms even tighter around your torso like you somehow wanted to protect yourself.
“Listen (Y/n), I...” He strifes one step forward and it’s simply instinct when you flinch back, practically cowering away from him.
Your heart races unnaturally in your chest as you glance back up to meet his eyes.
“You’re scared of me?” He speaks it as though it’s a question but the drop of his shoulders tells you he already knows the answer.
You look over your shoulder to make sure there’s nobody else around to see you conversing with the sworn enemy, “I should go.”
“So this is how it is now? Them over me?” He questions as you turn your back to him, “I’ve lost you too?”
Your path away from him tells him an answer louder than your words could’ve done.
You take your seat back at the desk and try to relax back into the class as though your best friend accused of murder was not just one walk away. Guzmán turns in his chair and looks at you with a frown settling between his brows.
“Everything good (y/n)?” He asks quietly, quiet enough that nobody else had to hear.
You look at him and force a gentle smile, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
He reaches back a hand and squeezes yours in a friendly manner, “You know where I am.”
You couldn’t imagine how he was feeling. Understanding that one of his closest friends had ended his sisters life sounded like something overwhelming to even think about, let alone be living in. What scared you was that you were now becoming real friends with him, whilst your best friend had been the one that caused all of his suffering.
- - - - - -
The next day you’re sat around for lunch with everyone, adamant that today could just be a normal day. Ander makes a joke about something and Lu makes a sassy comment in response. Somehow, it feels like you could just settle into this group and feel no guilt or remorse for what had happened with you and Polo.
That doesn’t last long in a place like this.
“(Y/n), can I speak to you?”
The words are simple but they feel like a dead weight falling flat on the centre of the table. Everyone stops eating like the food has become completely sickening. And you all simply just freeze for a second that seems to last forever.
When you turn around, Polo is looking at you with pleading, lonely eyes.
“Please, (Y/n)...” He trails off, “I need to talk to you.”
“Share with the group, Polito,” Lu encourages, gesturing around the table, “We’re all friends here.”
“Just leave Polo,” You say quietly, “Please.”
“(Y/n) I just need to-“
“She told you to go,” Guzmán speaks up beside you, his words like daggers through the thick settling of tension.
“It’s okay Guzmán,” You try to assure him but his eyes are already red with fury.
“She told you to fucking go!” He raises his voice, standing up from his chair as he gets a grasp on Polo and shoves him back.
The weakened boy stumbles against the force and has no hope of fighting back. Or maybe just sees no reason in doing so.
“Stay the fuck away from me, away from all of us. Do you understand me?” Guzmán yells through seething anger, “You’re a fucking murderer!”
Polo flinches and cowers at the words. You stand up like you have any hope of doing something but you’re not really sure what you would do if you could. Would you reach out for Guzmán and tell him it’s okay, even hug him if he got upset? Or would you pull him away from Polo and take that boy as far away as you could? It terrifies you that you even have to consider the options.
“It’s okay (Y/n),” Guzmán sighs as he sits down beside you, “He won’t be bothering you anymore.”
You sink back down into your seat but it doesn’t feel the same. You stick out like a sore thumb around this group without the boy that had always been by your side. Lunch doesn’t feel the same when he’s not there to hoover up any leftovers you have or share his drink with you. Your food is left untouched and your words kept to yourself, simply just holding the fork in your hand until you feel the first tear drop against the reflective metal. You’re thankful when nobody says a word, all wrapped up in their own silence just like you.
- - - - - -
It’s as you’re walking into school the next day that things change. Polo rushes over and grabs your arm just as you’re about to walk through the doors.
“(Y/n) please just talk to me...” He sighs, a frown falling between his brows and accenting the lonely shadow of his eyes.
You glance around you and finally back to him, “Not here.”
With that, you lead him away and round the back of school where the two of you find a dry spot amongst the grass to sit on. You pull your knees to your chest and pray that you aren’t as scared as you were last time you were alone with him.
“I’m completely alone (Y/n). I’ve lost Carla, Christian, Guzmán, Ander... I’ve lost you,” He shakes his head, “I’m supposed to be coming back to school to continue a normal life, this feels far from normal.”
“Can you blame us? You were accused of murder, Polo!” You raise your voice a little bit drop it to a hushed tone soon after, “I apologise if we’re all a little shaken up by that.”
“Do you think I did it?” He asks, brows furrowing as he looks at you so intensely you feel like there’s nobody else in the world.
You take a deep, shaky breath and look at the boy you’d managed to flip your opinion of so rapidly that it scared you, “I want you to tell me if you did. Be completely honest with me Polo. Because I’ve got people convinced that you have and people convinced you havent. And I need just once for someone to tell me the fucking truth.”
He’s silent, consumed so heavily by the words that would follow, “I didn’t mean to do it... I never wanted to...”
“It was an accident,” You state simply, already knowing the answer he’d just spoken before the words left his lips, you’d known long ago, “But that still doesn’t change the fact that you killed Marina.”
“I never wanted to hurt her... I just-“
“Polo stop,” You stand up instantly, “I can’t do this, I need to get to class.”
“So what is it then?” He speaks up, your back now facing him as he does, “Them over me?”
It pained you to think it but that was the case. Despite never being 100% certain that Polo had killed Marina, you’d chosen that group. The innocent over the possibly guilty. It was the easy choice of course. Did you have an obligation to remain loyal to Polo? Maybe. But sometimes obligations have their exceptions. And as you walked away from him, you took it as the complete biggest exception that you could.
When you walk back up to school, Guzmán is stood near the lockers. He smiles when he sees you and waves, walking to catch up with your path and walk beside you.
“Everything okay?” He asks, offering you a little frown as he must see the fear in your face.
You glance to him and blink a few times to try to focus on anything but the idea of a murder confession happening on the grass outside of school.
“I’m really sorry about Marina, Guzmán. I don’t think I’ve ever fully said that to you.”
He stops in his tracks and frowns, “What are you talking about?”
You swallow the lump in your throat, “I guess I just felt guilty, like I had some part in it because of-“
“Polo,” He states for you, “What did he say to you (Y/n)?”
You look towards the doors that have just opened as Polo walks inside. So oddly calm after such a confession.
“What did he tell you?”
“I’m so sorry Guzmán,” You whisper, giving him the confession he didn’t need to hear before he’s launching in the direction of his past best friend. Those words had given him more than he needed to know. Everything he’d been reluctant to accept.
Polo glances up and swallows the lump in his throat, his eyes not faltering to leave yours. In that moment, he’s completely certain that he’s too far gone now. He’d never get his best friend back.
