Biosystem Awakening: From Bastard To Badass

It was a very hot afternoon, and the air conditioners in the hall were trying their best but still doing little to nothing to ease the heat in the air.

Sweat kept forming on Tristian’s forehead, refusing to stop no matter how many times he wiped it away.

He was nervous, far more nervous than someone should be on their graduation day but this wasn’t just about his graduation.

Today was the day he had been waiting for, the day he would finally propose to his girlfriend, Lyra. They had been together since their very first day in college, from the moment they met up until now.

They had shared almost everything, struggles, laughter, small arguments, late-night study sessions, and even their dreams for the future.

Now that they were finally graduating, they had already made plans to continue their education together and return for their master’s program.

To Tristian, this felt like the perfect moment and the perfect day to take that one step forward and ask Lyra to be his forever.

He had been planning this for months, thinking through every single detail and making sure nothing would go wrong. His nights had been spent imagining how it would happen, what he would say, how he would kneel, and how she would react. He pictured her smile, her surprise, and even the tears in her eyes when he pulled out the ring.

He wanted everything to be perfect and most of all, he wanted her to say yes.

The ceremony was going on, but Tristian barely heard a word. The speeches, the laughter, even the applause, all of it sounded distant, like background noise he couldn’t focus on.

His eyes kept shifting between Lyra and his wristwatch, counting down the minutes until everything would finally be over. He couldn’t wait any longer.

Every time his gaze landed on her, sitting there so beautiful in her gown, his nervousness only grew stronger.

A lump formed in his throat, and he had to remind himself again and again to breathe. About an hour later, the ceremony finally came to an end, and people began taking pictures.

Tristian’s palms were sweating badly as he stood there, waiting patiently for Lyra to finish taking photos with her friends.

His heart was beating so fast he was sure anyone standing close enough could hear it. When she finally turned and walked toward him, smiling and laughing with her friends, he took a deep breath, wiped his hands against his clothes, and forced a smile.

He stepped forward, pulled her into a tight hug and before she could even understand what was happening,

Tristian slowly dropped down on one knee, making gasps filled the air.

He reached into his pocket and brought out a small velvet box. When he opened it, the diamond ring inside caught the light and shone brightly.

“Lyra,” he began, his voice shaking slightly. “Ever since I started dating you, asking you to be my wife and spending the rest of my life with you has always been my dream.”

“You’ve been my everything, my best friend, my peace, my reason to smile every day. All I want is to build a future with you. Lyra, would you do me the honor and make my dream come true?”

He looked up at her, smiling nervously, expecting to see joy, surprise, and maybe even tears but what he saw instead made his heart stop.

Lyra stood frozen, staring down at him with wide eyes not filled with happiness, but with confusion and something close to irritation.

“This must be some kind of joke, right?” she said, letting out a small, awkward chuckle.

“Wait,” she said again, her voice turning colder. “Tell me this is a joke, Tristian.”

Tristian blinked, confused. “I don’t understand, Lyra. Why would you think this is a joke? I’m proposing to you right now and I expect you to say yes.”

“I can’t say such a thing!” she snapped, cutting him off sharply.

Her voice was loud enough to draw attention, and people nearby began to turn and watch them.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Tristian? Get up before you embarrass me even more!” she hissed, glancing around at the growing crowd.

Tristian’s heart dropped. Slowly, he got to his feet, his legs weak and his mind spinning because this wasn’t how it was supposed to go and this wasn’t the reaction he had imagined.

“I don’t understand you, Lyra,” he said quietly, struggling to keep his voice from shaking. “You should be happy about this.”

“You’ve told me so many times how you imagined us spending our lives together and I just wanted to make that dream real. I…”

“Please, enough of that!” Lyra interrupted him, her face hardening. “Enough of this talk about some silly dream, Tristian. I’m tired of hearing about it every single time. I’m sick of it!”

Tristan’s mouth went dry, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak at all.

“I can’t be part of that dream, Tristian,” she continued, her voice loud and unforgiving. “And since this is already happening, I think it’s the perfect time to tell you what I’ve been wanting to say.”

Tristian’s heart began pounding even faster. “What are you talking about?”

“I don’t think I can continue this relationship anymore,” she said without hesitating. “I want to break up with you.”

“I’ve thought about it for a long time, and I’ve realized there are just some things you’re not born with and no matter how hard you try, you’ll never have them.”

Tristian stood there, looking completely lost. “Lyra… what are you saying?” he whispered, his voice shaking badly.

“I said I want to break up with you!” she shouted, her eyes cold and distant. “Because honestly, I don’t think you deserve me. You’re not ready for marriage, Tristian. There are more important things you should be focusing on instead of talking about forever.”

“Please, Lyra,” he pleaded softly, trying to hold himself together. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. I love you… please.”

“Please, Tristian! Enough of you saying you love me!” she snapped, her voice getting louder and drawing even more attention from the people around them.

Her eyes burned with irritation, and her expression was tight with anger. “It’s so disgusting and irritating to my ears! Do you even hear yourself sometimes?” she continued, shaking her head with a scoff.

“You keep saying you love me, you love me, you love me,” she mocked, repeating his words in a cruel tone. “But tell me, Tristian, where is that love? Where exactly is it? Because I can’t see it, I can’t feel it, and I definitely can’t touch it. You claim to love me so much, but what has that love ever given me?”

She folded her arms and let out a dry, humorless laugh. “I’ve been with you for so long, Tristian. I’ve wasted my time, my energy, and my youth on this relationship and when I look back at all those years, I have nothing to show for it. Nothing!”

Her voice trembled slightly, not with sadness, but with frustration.

“Can this love you keep talking about put food on my table? Tell me, Tristian, can it?” she pressed, stepping closer to him, her voice growing louder with every word.

“Can your love buy me the things I want? The things every other girl around me already has? Can it get me the luxury shoes I’ve been dreaming about? The designer bags I want to carry? Can it take me on vacations and give me the life I’ve always imagined?”

She shook her head in disgust, her lips curling into a bitter smile. “No, it can’t. It can’t do any of that and that’s exactly why I’m done listening to this nonsense about love from you because love can’t pay bills, Tristian. Love can’t buy comfort and love can’t change the fact that you’re broke and struggling.”