"Mou, Lulu, answer the phone!"

Click.

"You're not going to get away with this!"

Click.

"I hate you."

Click.

WTF U IDIOT. WER R U?!


Beep.

Shirley Fennette yelped when her cellphone rang. She pushed the ANSWER button excitedly, took a deep breath and brought it to her ear. "Lelouch Lamperouge! It's 8:15 and you're fifteen minutes late!"

"I-I'm sorry Shirley," the soft but sexy voice of her crush floated out of the receiver. "I was delayed by something. I was just calling to tell you that I might have to cancel."

"YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!" She screamed into the cellphone. "YOU DON'T MAKE A LADY WAIT FOR FIFTEEN MINUTES IN FRONT OF A MOVIEHOUSE BEFORE CANCELLING. CALL HER IN ADVANCE. HAVE SOME MANNERS, DAMMIT!"

A slow hiss answered her tirade. She suddenly regretted venting her anger and frustration at him. Her eyes closed and she forced herself to calm down. "I'm very sorry."

"That's not going to cut it, Lelouch." Her voice was sharp. If words could kill then he would be dead and bleeding right now.

"You didn't have to announce to the world that I'm an idiot." Lelouch sounded sincerely worried about his reputation.

She smirked. That served him right. "You are. They deserve to know."

"Do you hate me that much?"

Her breath caught in her throat. Shirley reminded herself that it was just one of those curveball questions that Lelouch was so good in throwing at people. It threw her off-balance and made her forget that she did.

She sighed. "I don't really hate you... Well, I do, because you stood me up for the nth time and it's annoying Lulu. You should have more consideration towards other people."

"Are you saying that I don't?" was his wry reply.

"You're an idiot," she retorted, blushing furiously.

Shirley leaned back on the wall and bit her lip. It was annoying, frustrating and infuriating that he could just melt her defenses with a simple phone call. She hated loving him so much that she was willing to forgive him for anything.

"We're just going to see a movie as friends," Lelouch pointed out. Oh, how she hated his logical and rational mind too.

"You cancelled on me because you have another family emergency." Shirley rolled her eyes. Nunnally was a good friend so she didn't blame him for attending to his blind and semi-paralyzed sister. But she wished that he'd pay attention to her too. "I know."

"I'm sorry," he sounded sincerely contrite now.

"I still hate you."

There was silence from the other end.

Shirley knew that she'd blown it. Maybe it was time to let it go. She couldn't spend her life running after Lelouch and forcing herself on him. It was time to give up.

Her hazel eyes welled up. She smiled to stop herself from crying aloud. Her chest was hurting so hard she couldn't breathe. Her vision swam in front of her. He never liked a show of weakness so she wouldn't give him that.

Lelouch would admire her if she was cool, selfish and unaffected. He wouldn't want her if she broke up with him as a crying and emotional woman. (He hated emotions. It's funny she never acknowledged that.)

There were times in one's life that one has to give up something precious. She supposed that this was one of those.

Shirley loved Lelouch long and hard. She couldn't remember the time that she didn't. It was because of him that she joined the Student Council, strove to be top of the class and read up on many books. It was because of him she was introduced to the rollercoaster of emotions of a first love. He coloured her cheeks, accelerated her heartbeats and made her breathe. He was her first love.

Lelouch asked her out three months ago. They dated for a while but lately Lelouch was finding excuses not to spend time with her. There was always something that was more important than her. He was slipping out of her grasp. She knew deep within her heart that he never really loved her but she still clung to hope.

She would have to give that hope up.

Wiping her eyes discreetly, she smiled into the cellphone.

"Don't say that," Lelouch said slowly.

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. The only person I can hate is Zero. He took away my father."

There was a sharp intake of breath from his end.

"I don't really hate you Lulu. I'll be going in to watch the movie now. Bye."

"Wait, Shirley-"

Click.

For the first time since that evening, Shirley exhaled. She walked towards the ticket booth and bought a ticket for that movie. There was nothing wrong in spending time with oneself, even if it was lonely.

She'd cry, scream and allow herself to feel everything before letting it go. Even if she was without Lelouch, she was still herself. That was what matters.

Hearts bleed but it heals.

Shirley walked inside the movie theater with her head held up high. She was finally free.