Chapter 13: I Hate You

The rest of the vacation passed by quickly. While Krista couldn't exactly exit her house when she pleased and with who she wanted, she had the choice of talking to Ymir by phone. It was during those phone conversations, filled with static and hushed tones, that the two worked on their school work and bonded. They talked about everything, though Ymir was very reluctant at first: hopes, dreams, desires– everything but their pasts and Krista's true identity.

It was starting to bother the blonde, since she felt so dirty in having intimate feelings for a girl she claimed she trusted, yet didn't trust her enough to share her true name. Her feelings felt fake, unreal, unfounded– if Ymir ever returned her feelings she would love Krista Lenz, not Krista Historia Reiss. It made her feel sick to her stomach.

She needed to confess, as soon as possible.

But when? And where? How?

She couldn't just waltz up to Ymir one day and announce her heritage like it was some sort of terrible comedy stand-up routine. And she also needed to tell her other friends as well, but Ymir was the priority, because she meant so much to the little blonde.

As she prepared herself for school, Krista promised she would try to tell her this week, if not today. Then, after she confessed her identity, she would tell her other friends and hope they wouldn't hate her. Armin had understood, but he was a very kind and logical person at heart.

Maybe if she ever had the courage, she would confess her feelings to Ymir as well later on. The thought made Krista blush and shake her head. It was impossible that Ymir could ever return her feelings, since she constantly teased her and made fun of her. Or maybe it was the opposite? Krista lost count of how many times Ymir proposed to her, though in all seriousness she could have been joking and wanting to see Krista blush and fumble embarrassingly.

The prospect of unrequited feelings made her heart hurt, so she decided to stop focusing on that and to think mainly about school, since she and Ymir had yet to finish their assignment. It was a project on the myths of the Shinto religion, regarding the siblings and gods Amaterasu, Susano'o and Tsukoyomi. It was interesting but confusing, to say the least.

Edward, the man who had driven her home that fateful day four weeks ago, waited for her beside his black sedan. He was her escort for the remainder of her school days, including trips outside of school hours. It was restricting, demeaning and Krista felt like she was no longer in control or free. Her mother had taken away her most precious privileges, and Krista now understood the meaning of freedom and independence.

She sat in the back seat, book bag beside her, and stared out the window. Edward simply sighed and entered the driver's seat. They both clipped their seat belts and he drove off. Throughout the ride, Krista resorted to staring at the landscape to avoid conversation and Edward glanced at her constantly through his rear-view mirror. She had a negative and sad vibe around her, and it only made the atmosphere in the car thicker and tenser.

Finally, once the school came in sight, Edward pulled up a bit before the driveway and Krista unclipped her seat belt to run out of the car. She knew Edward was watching her, so she pretended to ignore Ymir at the fence and discreetly flashed a signal with her hands. Ymir gave an imperceptible nod and glared at the other students. She crossed her arms and turned her head to stare straight at Edward. The man swallowed nervously and drove away. Once the coast was clear, Ymir waited until Krista was inside the school before following her in.

Krista smiled up at Ymir and the brunette offered a smile back, albeit smaller and strained. She knew what was going on, as the two had discussed this before on the phone and arranged certain codes and behaviours in order to avoid Krista getting in trouble. It would be difficult, but they would manage somehow.

Edward made a turn around the block before entering the school parking lot. He parked his sedan and got out of the car. Casually, he walked over to a group of boys who were laughing and shoving each other. Upon noticing him, they straightened and looked at each other, grinning widely. Edward smirked and pushed up his sunglasses.

"It's time, boys."

First period was boring as usual, along with the usual troubles Sasha would bring, and second period made Ymir want to smash her head through a wall. Hanji kept blabbering on and on and on about the anatomy of humans and her theories about how it could be affected if they were to grow exponentially. It was creepy, frightening and just downright weird.

So, when lunch came around, Ymir hightailed it out of there, Krista hot on her heels. The blonde mentioned something about buying lunch and left Ymir alone at their usual hang out spot. Ymir shrugged and slouched on the wall, nibbling on her sandwich. She stared into the distance and spotted a young man pacing back and forth. He seemed worried about something and deeply troubled. Ymir knew that if Krista were to come and see this, she would scold her for not helping him.

With a sigh, she called out to the boy. "Hey, you! Yeah, the blond kid– what's wrong with you?"

The boy's eyes widened and Ymir had trouble associating a name to his face. Thompson? Tommy? Tomas! Yes, his name was Tomas. Ymir pushed off the wall and made to approach him, but before she could get close, he choked out a shout and ran away. Seeing him run from her like that in fear struck a chord deep in Ymir's heart. It made her clench her teeth in anger and resentment. Still they feared her! She felt like a monster, a detestable being; what did Krista think? Ymir usually never gave a damn what others thought, but it hurt when they treated her like some sort of hell spawn. She was nasty but she wasn't a criminal.

No longer feeling hungry, Ymir threw her sandwich in the garbage bin and sat down, back against the wall. She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin atop them, pondering. Surely Krista did not think of her as a monster? No. There was no way.

Unless...

Unless her intention from the start had been to tame her. What if that was the case? Did Krista only befriend her out of curiosity and a sense of duty? Or even to tame her wild and reckless attitude, to prove a point? Was everything a ruse? The kindness, the affection, and the defences– did Krista mean all of that? It was hard to know, and Ymir certainly wasn't going to ask, for fear of being proven right. This was the only time she wanted to be wrong, but she didn't want to risk it. She didn't want to ruin the perfect bubble she'd been put in over the last several weeks.

Being with Krista was like a dream, a dream that she hated herself for entering. Why did she befriend Krista if all that would result from it would be heartbreak? Why bother with the effort and time if it was all to be wasted at the end? Why?

Hope. Friendship. Joy. Comfort.

She tried living without them, but she was always miserable at the end of the day. Her bed was cold, her home was quiet, her plates and utensils dusty.

Loneliness.

Ymir hated it. She didn't want to be alone, ever. She wanted Krista to herself, just so the nights would be easier to bear and the days welcomed with a smile. She wanted to enfold the little blonde in her arms and never let her go, because she brought hope and happiness back to Ymir's life, and though she'd never admit it, she was eternally grateful for her. She needed Krista, needed her kindness and compassion and help. Maybe even a bit more, but it was too soon for such a dependent relationship. She was already treading into dangerous territory in her mind.

The very thought that Krista was not befriending her out of kindness, the mere flicker of a shadow cast by the belief that Krista never meant any of her words or actions, caused Ymir's heart to break. It was inconceivable, impossible; but Tomas ran away from the mere sight of her, so why hadn't Krista done the same?

She was consumed by her doubt and hadn't noticed when Krista sat in front of her, eating some kind of fried meat. "Hey, Ymir!" Krista chirped.

Ymir ignored her and moved her eyes to her knees. She couldn't look Krista in the face after her train of thought, it would cause her to snap in anger and scare her off. Krista looked on worriedly but sighed, returning to her food. Ymir simply wasn't in the mood for conversation, and the blonde knew from experience that pushing her did more harm than good.

Lunch was a quiet affair and when the bell rang, Krista happily waved as she rushed to class with Ymir offering a small wave in return. The brunette kept to her thoughts throughout her afternoon classes. Though she knew the blonde worried for her, and though she knew she could dispel her worries with a single assurance, she didn't want to. She couldn't do it. She had no incentive to reassure Krista after her pondering. Ymir felt an emotion in her chest that numbed her body and sagged her expression.

Depression.

Consuming, sudden, cold – it weakened her mind and allowed the doubt to claw at her confidence. What if? she asked herself. That one little question plagued her consciousness even after classes had been dismissed. She dragged herself out of class, bag hung loosely on her shoulder. What if?

She didn't feel like seeing Krista at the moment, not with this state of mind. She didn't want anyone to see her at her weakest point. It was all the blonde's fault anyway; she made her feel this way! If only she'd refused! But no, Ymir knew that train of thought was stupid and never useful. It was done – she was deeply in love with her closest friend and now she had doubts about the meaning of their relationship. It would only take a few swift words to completely destroy her stability.

She walked to the opposite side of the school, near the trash bins, and sat between them. The stench was overwhelming, but with the clouds coming over and darkening like they were, Ymir knew she'd only be able to smell the rain. Sure enough, a few spots on the concrete began to darken, then the rain outright descended upon the earth. She allowed herself to get soaked, remembering that day, when he died – it felt like that now. It felt like something was dying, and though it wasn't a person, Ymir was sure it was her heart.

She stayed between the bins for half an hour, thinking, getting soaked. She didn't know what to do. Should she cut off all ties to keep herself from getting hurt? Or should she delude herself and continue living in the wonderful dream? Unfortunately, Ymir's pessimism prevented her from thinking of the positive, of the possibility that Krista was genuine in her advances. This is what allowed her to doubt their friendship, and what allowed others to bring her down.

She tucked her chin in and felt something poke it. Raising her hand to her neck, she felt the shark tooth necklace Krista had given her as a gift during her trip. It made her doubt her own doubts. Would Krista really be using her if she bought this for her out of kindness? But then again, people bought things for others all the time when they bribed them. She played with the tooth and leaned against the bin. Who knows? She didn't.

All those hours spent talking on the phone, laughing, joking, and sharing dreams and desires – all for nothing. It was all to let Ymir's guard down and drag her to despair. At least, that was what she believed.

Suddenly, she heard several footsteps approaching her. Ymir jumped up and brought her keys out, clenching the switchblade key chain tightly. No one ever came by here unless they wanted to cause trouble. Or if they wanted a rendezvous with their lover, but usually lovers didn't run in groups.

What Ymir saw made her heart drop. Four boys, all of them victims of her cruelty. Nack, Milius, Samuel and... Tomas? She was sure she had beat up, threatened or humiliated all of them, and now they were here for payback. It had already happened before, with older siblings or friends cornering her and delivering a good beating. She always managed to fend them off, but not before receiving some serious damage herself. It helped her to get stronger, however, and taught her to never trust anyone...

...except for Krista.

Ymir's stomach sank slightly but she turned her sadness into rage. Why would Krista do such a thing? How could she allow it? She hated her! Ymir hated Krista, and she hated those boys and she hated everyone who tried to get close to her! The brunette grit her teeth and tightened her grip, flipping her switchblade open. If these guys wanted a fight, she'd damn well make sure they got one.

Nack stepped forward, a confident smirk on his face. To his right was Milius and Samuel was to his left. Tomas was a ways from them, eyes shifting back and forth. He fidgeted and couldn't look at anyone. He seemed incredibly guilty about something, but Ymir didn't have the heart to care. It had already been smashed to pieces.

"What the fuck do you dipshits want?" Ymir snarled.

Nack crossed his arms. "What? Krista's not here to put you down, dog?"

"I asked you a question."

"So did I."

"Get the fuck outta here before I cut you and your friends up."

"Are you threatening us?"

"Are you deaf?"

Nack grit his teeth and pointed at her. "This is exactly why you should stay away from Krista! All you do is bring trouble for her and lash out violently when others bug you!"

"Piss off you dumb fuck! You don't know anything about–"

"Oh, but I do! How many times have you made Krista cry?"

Ymir's eyes widened and she took a step back, form trembling. "That's not–"

"Or that time when she got sick – that was your fault! And she keeps getting in trouble with her parents and punished because of you! How does that make you feel, you selfish demon? I bet you don't even care! You just keep using her for your own benefits!"

"That's not true," Ymir muttered, putting her hand down and closing her eyes. Every word was a blow to her chest, to her already fragile state of mind. No, it's not true, Ymir, keep telling yourself that. Maybe they'll go away.

"It is! It's all true, so back off Krista! Or we'll make you pay!"

That was the last straw for Ymir. She put her knife back in her pocket. She snapped her eyes open and stomped to Nack, lifting him up by his collar. Tomas squeaked out a shout and ran away. Milius and Samuel glanced at each other and pounced on Ymir. The brunette swung Nack around and threw him to Milius. The two boys fell to the concrete and she swung her fist at Samuel's face. His nose spurted out blood and he fell back. Nack and Milius got up, wanting revenge. They shouted as they put up their fists, but Ymir simply sidestepped and allowed them to crash into Samuel. She walked over and crouched next to Nack's face. She lifted his head up by his hair and smirked at his pained expression.

"Don't fuck with me, punk," she whispered menacingly, "or I'll fucking kill you. Don't worry about Krista, I'm staying far away from her and far away from anyone else."

She dropped his head, whipped the necklace off her collarbone, threw it as far as she could and stalked off, bag on her shoulder. This was it. She was done. The rain became heavier, drenching the world in bleak colours devoid of hope.

A man watched from a distance, laughing to himself. He placed his sunglasses to his eyes and walked to his sedan, opening the door for a little blonde. Said little blonde glanced at him in annoyance but entered the car. She had been waiting for Ymir, but when the girl was nowhere to be seen, she decided to wait by the sedan for Edward. Except he, too, was absent, leaving her to soak in the rain.

Although Krista was disappointed from having not seen Ymir, she was dreadfully worried. The minute she stepped outside, it felt like a cold knife had pierced her chest and left her gasping for breath. She didn't understand the meaning of this, and when it suddenly started to rain, a foreboding thought clouded her mind. At first, she thought Ymir was in trouble, but she reassured herself that Ymir could always take care of herself. They weren't allowed to communicate right now anyway, so if Krista had gone to look for her, she was sure to hear it from Edward and her father.

With a sigh, she laid her head against the cool window and watched the landscapes fly by. She glanced at Edward and raised an eyebrow at his wide grin. What was he so happy about? There was nothing to be happy about right now.

Krista gasped when she felt her chest constrict painfully. She put a hand to her chest and closed her eyes. It felt like her heart was getting smashed to pieces and she couldn't, for the life of her, understand why. That's it. The minute she got home she was going to call Ymir!

When Edward pulled up into the driveway she quickly got out, book bag on her shoulder, and ran upstairs without greeting her mother. She didn't care about her – she wanted, needed, to make sure Ymir was okay!

After entering her room, she threw her book bag to the floor and dialed Ymir's number. She listened to the dial tone, begging for Ymir to pick up. She held her breath when the dial tone stopped abruptly and a familiar husky voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Ymir!" Krista sighed, "thank goodness! I was so worried and–"

"Leave me alone."

"What?"

"You heard me. Stay away from me. I hate you and I never want to see you again."

Krista stood up, body shaking, lips trembling and tears prickling her eyes. "I don't understand, Ymir, what's going on?"

Ymir remained silent for a long time.

"Ymir."

"You deserve better." And she hung up. Krista called her again and again and again but the brunette refused to pick up. She placed the phone back into the receiver and cried into her pillow. At the other end of the line, Ymir sat on the edge of her bed, playing with Krista's hair clip. There was a photograph of her and Krista from one of the many times they went to the mall on her right thigh, and the old photo of her and Berik on her left. She threw the hair clip at the wall, dissatisfied when it simply bounced off, undamaged. Head in her hands, she clenched her jaw when two tears slid off her cheeks and onto each photograph.

"What have I done?" she whispered.

In the morning, Ymir and Krista dully prepared themselves for school. Their movements mechanical, automated, lifeless; it was as though there was no soul. Ymir was full of rage and sadness while Krista full of confusion and angst. Ymir walked out of her apartment building and out onto the road while Krista entered the black sedan. The blonde didn't notice the satisfied look Edward sent her, nor did she see the nod of approval her mother gave as she observed them from his window.

On the way to school, Krista took the time to contemplate. Was Ymir serious about what she said? Did she truly hate Krista and want her to leave her alone? Why? Why, after all this time, the progress they made as friends, the friendship they shared – why now? It made Krista's heart ache and her bottom lip tremble, but she refused to cry. What did she do for Ymir to hate her so? Krista gasped and her eyes widened. Did she find out who she was? She probably did, and now Ymir hates her for it.

Krista bit down on her bottom lip to keep from crying. All this time, she believed she would have enough time to finally confess to Ymir, and now that Ymir finally knew, she hated her. It was the worst possible scenario, because now Ymir didn't want anything to do with her anymore. She probably thought Krista was playing her like some sort of pass-time, but that was far from the truth. Krista loved Ymir, she wanted to comfort her when she was sad, hold her hand, tie her hair back, laugh with her, scold her, blush at her proposals, and maybe even kiss her.

It tore at Krista, her heart felt like paper, scrunched up and thrown away. Even if Ymir came back to her, even if she apologized or if they somehow made up, she would still have traces of her hurt, like the uneven wrinkles on a sheet of paper. She loved Ymir, she wanted to be by her side, but how could she if Ymir hated her? How? Krista drew a blank. She didn't know what to do.

When the car finally pulled up by the school, she didn't even bother saying goodbye to Edward. She simply exited the sedan and made her way to the fence. Ymir was absent. Krista held back a sob and ducked her head. She lightly pressed her fingertips to the metal fence as she passed by. Even now, she could see Ymir smiling down at her gently and ruffling her hair.

She bumped into someone and looked up into Annie's poorly-concealed concerned eyes. The taller blonde sighed and stuffed her hands in the pockets of her sweater. She nodded her head to the side of the school and walked. Krista stood, unsure what to do, but followed her anyway. She was too down to offer an excuse to refuse Annie's request.

They walked until they reached a spot at the side of the school beside a clearing. Annie sat down on the grass and Krista sat in front of her, book bag to her chest. They stared at each other, blue meeting blue, until Annie frowned a bit and Krista leaned back in fear.

"Why weren't you on the bus yesterday? Or today, for that matter?" Annie demanded.

"My mother forbade me from taking the bus again," Krista answered nervously. She picked at a thread from her skirt.

"Who is she to tell you what to do? I have a father, you know, and though I love him, I don't need to obey him at all times."

"But you don't understand! My mother's very powerful, and my father's not around to protect me."

"Does she abuse you?"

"No! I mean, no, she doesn't."

"Then what do you mean? Answer me, Krista."

Krista pressed her lips together and ducked her head. "You have to promise not to tell anyone."

Annie nodded once. "Go ahead."

"My real name is Krista Historia Reiss, not Krista Lenz."

"What does that have to do with – oh, I see. Your father is William Reiss, the multi-million investor and business man, I take it?"

Krista nodded quickly. "Yes."

Annie sighed and closed her eyes. "I understand you not telling anyone, and I will keep this secret, but now, as a way to repay my debt, I need to ask: what's wrong with you?"

Krista fidgeted and stood up. "I really have to go!"

"If you leave I will spill your secret. Stay."

Krista shook her head and ran away. "I'm sorry!" she shouted behind her. Annie sighed but walked towards the school.

Krista kept her eyes to the ground and didn't return any of the greetings the other students offered her. They looked at each other in confusion, wondering at the sudden change in mood. They also noticed Ymir wasn't with her, and many people sighed in relief. Mina approached her and put a hand to her shoulder. Krista looked up and gave a strained smile.

"Hey," she muttered quietly.

"Hey!" Mina replied. "So what's gotten you so down in the dumps? You were just fine yesterday!"

Krista walked faster and removed Mina's hand. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"It's Ymir isn't it?"

Krista pressed her lips together and froze in her tracks. She shook her head and walked into class, Mina behind her. The girl followed her to her first desk, and when Krista glanced at the back, she noticed Ymir was sitting with her head to her desk. Ymir glanced up and their eyes met, but the brunette turned her head away quickly. Mina noticed and leaned in to whisper in Krista's ear.

"It really is her, huh? What did I tell you? Didn't I warn you she'd just break your heart?"

Krista slammed her palms on her desk and stood up, eyes blazing. She had enough of Mina's endless squabbling. Sure, Ymir pushed her away again, and sure she may have said some things, but she was still Krista's friend and Krista didn't love her any less. She was like a wounded animal, barking and fearing any intruder upon her personal space. Mina had no right to say the things she said.

"With all due respect, Mina, you may be my friend, but Ymir is my best friend, and I will absolutely not tolerate anything you say against her. Now, please leave me alone!"

Mina sighed and returned to her desk, rolling her eyes. Her clique crowded around her and exchanged gossip. Just then, Mikasa and Sasha entered the classroom, along with Jean and Reiner. They noticed Krista's morose expression and approached her. She simply shook her head and laid her head down. She really didn't feel like talking to any of them, even Mikasa. Class passed by slowly, and Krista felt her heart break once more when Ymir sped out the door at the end without even sparing her a look.

She suddenly grew indignant, because who the hell was Ymir to suddenly ignore her like this? With that thought in mind, she marched up to Miss Hanji's class and stood in front of Ymir's desk. The girl looked up at her, unimpressed, but Krista could detect the fear in her eyes.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk about last night!"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Did you mean what you said?" Krista continued, her voice a whisper. "Do you really hate me?"

Ymir grit her teeth and forced her eyes away from Krista's shining blue orbs. "Yes. Now leave me alone."

Krista backed away but shook her head, tears falling. "I don't believe you."

Ymir closed her eyes, hating herself even more. She clenched her fists tightly and turned her body away. "Too bad, then, because I mean it."

"What did I even do?" Krista shouted, eyes closed. Many students turned their head and Krista blushed lowering her voice to a whisper. "What did I do to hurt you Ymir? Whatever I did, I'm so sorry!"

Ymir shrugged, face blank. "Nothing. I just hate you."

Krista sighed and looked down. She dragged her feet to her desk, unaware that a young blond man watched the entire spectacle with a heavy heart. Tomas was filled with regret, remorse and immense sadness from watching the two be ripped apart like this. She deserved to know. Krista deserved to know what truly happened.

Finally, for the first time in many years, Tomas was filled with a true sense of purpose.

At lunch, Krista looked all over for Ymir, but failed to find her, so she resigned to eating alone at their old spot. She didn't want to talk to any of her other friends at the moment, because she knew that all she would get would be pitying looks and constant questions. As she nibbled on her sandwich, Krista thought of all the good times they spent together, of all the teasing Ymir had done and the laughs she took at her expense. She really did miss Ymir's teasing.

"I would've said yes if she was serious," Krista thought aloud.

When she finished her sandwich, she noticed the group of boys, Nack, Samuel, Milius and Tomas, goofing off and spraying water at each other. Well, all of them but Tomas, who seemed to be searching for something. It seemed he found what he was looking for, for once he glanced at her his eyes lit up and he smiled. She waved back half-heartedly but was in no mood to chatter. Tomas understood and backed off when he saw her downcast eyes, leaning against a tree and watching his buddies wrestle.

She picked up her things and left.

After school, Tomas looked all over for Krista. He peeked above the heads of many students and found her leaning against the wall beside the school's entrance. Ymir was not with her. He approached her, giving a small smile to her fearful look. Many students had been coming up to her as of late, congratulating her and offering to hurt Ymir for her. She hoped he wouldn't do the same or else she'd be very angry.

"Hello," he started.

Krista nodded. "Hi. Can I do anything for you?"

Tomas shook his head. "No, but I can do something for you."

She tilted her head to the side. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"It's about Ymir–"

"If this is another offer to hurt her then I'm sorry, but, no thank you. Please leave me alone."

She started to turn away but he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "I know why she left you." Krista whirled around and glanced at him with wide eyes.

"Really? Tell me, please!"

"It's a long story, so take a seat. I'm sure Edward wouldn't mind."

"How do you–"

"I'll start from the beginning."

Tomas explained everything to Krista. How getting Ymir to distance herself from her was all a plan perpetrated by her mother, how Edward was her acting accomplice, how Nack, Milius, Samuel and Tomas were all bribed and told to approach Ymir and get her to back off Krista. Edward told the four boys everything about Krista; her heritage, her life, her name, her little quips with Ymir, the fights in her family – everything. In exchange, the boys would use this information to drive Ymir to the point of separating herself from Krista, due to the belief that she was causing her harm. He told her the reason they did it was out of concern for Krista, but mainly because they didn't like the fact that Ymir had Krista all to herself, that jealousy was the primary intent and drive.

At some point, Tomas had led her to the garbage bins and pointed to where they fought. Sure enough, there was a little bit of blood from when Samuel had his nose punched in. Krista walked around and spotted something glinting in the grass away from the concrete. She approached it and picked up the shark tooth necklace she'd given Ymir. Tomas came up behind her and inspected the accessory.

"What's this?"

"It's the necklace I gave Ymir. She threw it away."

"I'm sorry! If I had just stepped away from the peer pressure and told you or Ymir beforehand, none of this would've happened!"

"You can't blame yourself, Tomas. Even if you did what you said, I think Ymir was already starting to doubt our friendship."

"You know, I remember seeing her at lunch yesterday. You weren't with her, and she was walking up to me while asking something. I was so scared, I thought she found out and was going to kill me, I ran away."

"You ran away from her? After she tried talking to you?"

"Yeah and I really am sorry, Krista! But I couldn't help it, I was just so scared."

"It's okay, Tomas, thank you for telling me, really. I think I know what's wrong with Ymir, but I still don't know how she feels about me as of yet. I don't know what to do."

"You could always try talking to her?"

"After what happened today? No way."

"I'm sorry, I don't know how else to help you."

"It's fine, I have to go anyway. Thank you, Tomas, for your bravery."

Krista smiled warmly at him and he felt his cheeks heat up. She really was pretty when she smiled.

Krista walked to the black sedan, smiling sweetly at an annoyed and impatient Edward. The bodyguard was taken aback by the smile but rolled his eyes, slamming the door shut. He plopped down onto his seat and shifted gears stiffly, glancing at Krista in the mirror. Just what was she up to?

Krista stared out the window, feeling better than she did this morning. Now that she knew what had happened, there were certain steps she was going to have to take to get Ymir to talk to her.

Looks like she'd have to fall in love with Ymir all over again.