Glass Hearts [BL] Chapter 257: Love Should Never Cost You Your Happiness [June

The door slamd open so hard the walls rattled.

Marcus stood at the entrance, folding his arms.

His eyes slowly moved from Ash to , like he was counting everything wrong with the room.

"Oh, now you’re awake," he said coldly. "Fantastic. Can you two stop being stupid for one second?"

Ash and I sat up instantly.

"Oh," I murmured. "So....Marcus did."

"How did you even find us?" Ash asked calmly. "I an, thanks for bringing us ho."

Marcus laughed, that kind of laugh that shows he’s about to flare up soon.

"Oh, you don’t rember?" he asked. "Of course you don’t."

He pulled out his phone and shoved it in Ash’s face.

"You," he snapped, pointing a finger at him, "texted ."

Ash looked confused.

He cleared his throat and read aloud, mockingly:

marcuss bring Uber. drunk with june. send mony. we dying.

Ash buried his face in his hands.

"Oh my God..."

"And then," Marcus continued, "you sent your location. And a selfie."

"...A selfie?"

"Yes," Marcus said flatly. "Of you two crying."

I gasped. "Yikes!"

"I still have it," he said. "Unfortunately."

Ash groaned into the pillow. "Please delete it. I really don’t rember doing anything like that."

"No," Marcus said coldly. "How would you rember any of that? Technically, I have friends with zero brain cells."

Marcus rubbed his forehead, looking exhausted.

"Okay, damn," Ash muttered. "You don’t have to loathe us like you’re our dad."

"Yes. I do," Marcus snapped. "Because yesterday? You two showed how irresponsible you are."

He pointed at Ash.

"You threw up on the driver’s seat. And all over my favorite jeans."

Ash’s eyes widened. "I...I did that too?"

"Yes. You did. Repeatedly."

Marcus turned to .

"And June. Oh Juney."

Oh God.

He mocked my voice, clutching his chest dramatically.

"’Marcus, I love noodles but life hates . n are demons. I’m never falling in love again. Why does my heart hurt?’"

"I did not sound like that!" I avoided eye contact, looking embarrassed.

"Oh? You want to play the voice note?" he threatened.

I choked. "You recorded that?!"

"I needed proof. Because no one would believe this."

Then he shook his head.

"I had to pay extra so the cab driver could clean your vomit and your tears out of his seat. You’re welco."

"Yikes," I whispered.

"We’re really sorry," Ash started apologizing.

Marcus glared at us like he was holding himself back from screaming.

"Honestly......" He sighed. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" he demanded. "Ever since I left Blackwell, you both just lost the version of yourselves that care about everyone."

He pointed at Ash again.

"You forgot Alia at school."

Ash shot up. "What?! Alia..."

Marcus grabbed him by the collar and shoved him back down.

"Calm the fuck down. I picked her up," he snapped. "She’s asleep downstairs. She told , and I quote ’Tell Ash he is not my brother anymore.’"

Ash’s lips trembled.

Marcus didn’t soften, it make jokes this ti. He looked serious.

"When was the last ti you painted?" he asked suddenly.

Ash froze, and didn’t answer.

"You’re one of the most talented artists I know," Marcus continued. "You used to disappear into your sketches for hours. Now, you haven’t touched a brush in weeks. You’ve been letting the Glass Circle boys suck the life out of you."

Ash shrugged weakly. "I’ve just been busy."

"With what?" Marcus asked. "Huh?"

Ash looked away.

"You made your happiness revolve around Dominic," Marcus went on. "And when he left? You didn’t know how to be happy on your own anymore."

Then Marcus turned to .

"And June," he walked over to , and held my hand. "When was the last ti you sang?"

My chest tightened.

"You were born to be on stage," he said. "And now you’re thinking of dropping the talent show tomorrow? After all the work you put in."

"I haven’t deci...." I started.

I wanted to interrupt him. To defend myself.

But every word he said landed too close to the truth.

"No!" He cut in. "I can’t believe you’re giving up on yourself because of a boy?!!"

My throat burned.

"You both seem to forget sothing," Marcus chuckled. "You’re both on scholarship."

The room went silent.

"If your GPA drops below the required mark," he said, "this school will dump you without blinking and replace you with soone hungrier. Soone smarter. Soone who didn’t lose themselves because they fell in love."

Ash clenched his fists.

"Love," Marcus said, pointing between us, "should not co at the expense of your happiness. Or your future. Ever."

He looked at Ash again, and this ti his voice cracked just a little.

"Ever since Dominic left, you’ve been miserable," he said. "You made your happiness revolve around him. When he walked away, you didn’t know how to exist without him."

Ash’s shoulders sagged.

"That’s not love," Marcus said quietly. "That’s losing yourself."

"So when you’re done being emotional and sex toys for rich boys who don’t know how to love properly," he said, not looking back, "we can talk."

Then he opened the door.

"But right now? I’m choosing school. Because clearly, I’m the only sane one who still rembers why we’re here."

He paused at the door.

"Oh, and Ash?"

He glanced back.

"Love should never cost you your happiness.."

Then he walked out.

I turned slowly to Ash.

"He’s right." I whispered.

Ash didn’t answer.

He just stared at the floor, and dropped his shoulders.

The room felt empty, lik everything important had already been said... and none of it could be taken back.

Ash let out a slow, shaky breath.

"I don’t even know who I am right now," he said quietly. "I used to be the boy with the sick mom.... then the boy that pushed Liam off the room.....then the boy that Dominic loved...Now, I don’t have an identity."

My chest tightened.

"I ordered chicken wings for Alia yesterday," he continued. "Her favorite. And I still forgot her."

His voice cracked.

"I don’t even rember texting Marcus."

"That doesn’t make you a bad person," I said softly, squeezing his shoulder. "It just ans you’re... exhausted."

He shook his head.

"No! It ans I’m failing. Again."

The word echoed in the room.

I wrapped my arms around my knees.

"I think we both are," I admitted.

"I don’t want to be like this anymore," Ash murmured. "I don’t want to keep falling apart over people who walk away."

My throat burned.

" neither."

I didn’t even know which boy had cost more of myself. Ian, or Ren?

"I’m scared," He admitted. "What if I don’t know how to be myself again? What if I don’t know how to be happy, or find myself without Dominic anymore?"