"How… could she pick that snot-nosed bastard?" Gilbert asked himself for at least the thirtieth time that day. Ludwig shook his head.

"Bruder, Roderich isn't a bad guy. I'm… I'm sorry."

Gilbert buried his face into his arms to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. If he'd been tough for Ludwig his whole life, he wasn't gonna cry in front of his little brother over some girl.

But it just hurt so damn much.

Gilbert knew Elizabeta his whole life. Roderich shows up, and suddenly she's a girl. Roderich cancelled out all the years of friendship and loyalty Gilbert had spent quietly hoping to someday call the girl his. But his damn pride didn't let his say anything about it until it was all too late.

"Oi, Liz!" he called to his friend in the hallway of their school. Her beautiful green eyes turned to meet his, her luscious brown hair twirling in the air.

Her smile grew, and she called back to him. "Gil! I have great news!"

Gilbert kept his hands behind his back, hiding three roses with a small card that read, Be my awesome girlfriend? "Yeah? What is it?"

Elizaveta's smile grew, and Gilbert felt his stomach churn. "You know that guy I've been telling you about, Roderich?"

Gilbert swallowed back his own bile, feeling himself growing more sick. "Y-yeah?"

Then he showed up. With his perfect posture and stupid fucking glasses and that god damn mole on his face. Roderich walked over to Elizaveta and took her hand. Gilbert just stared at their hands, wanting to scream. That hand is mine, his heart cried in protest, let go of it. You can't have it.

Elizaveta turned her gaze to her new boyfriend, giving him a peck on the cheek. "Well, yeah! Isn't it great?" she asked Gilbert.
"Fantastic…" Gilbert mumbled half-heartedly.

Elizabeth looked at her phone, then back at Roderich. "We'd better go if we're going to avoid traffic."

Roderich nodded, then turned his gaze to Gilbert. "If you'll excuse us," he said with his stupid fucking politeness as they walked away together.

Gilbert's hands dropped to his sides, his body unable to move. No…His hand dropped the roses, his heart tearing and ripping as his mind tried to grasp the situation.

He hadn't moved until Ludwig found him like that, standing in the hallway fifteen minutes after everyone else had left the building. And now…. Why? How could she choose him, some stranger? Gilbert bit his lip, burying his face deeper into his arms. I'm right here! I always have been!

Ludwig put an understanding hand on his brother's shoulder. "Bruder… it's okay to cry, you know?"

Gilbert let out a short breath. "Nah. What's that gonna solve?"

"It'll heal the pain."

At this, Gilbert let out all the emotions he'd been feeling for the past few hours in the form of sobs. He didn't pick up his head, or even respond to Ludwig's touch. He just cried. Cried until his heart felt an infinitesimal bit better. Cried until he was too light-headed to remember why he was crying. And then, when his mind cleared and he remembered once more, he began to cry again.

Madeline locked herself in her room, clutching a pillow to her chest. "That… bitch," she sobbed to herself, burying her face into the pillow.

Ally pounded on the door, trying to coax her sister into coming out. "Maddie! What's wrong, sis? Come on, come out here!"

Madeline shook her head, knowing Ally could not see her. She sobbed even more, and bit her tongue.

How could Ally have known, after all? Madeline never told anyone about her feelings for Ivan. Ally couldn't have known that she stole away Madeline's only love. Neither could Alice or Francis, who also stood outside her door, begging for entry.

Francis took his turn. "Sweetie… Please come out. Whatever is wrong, we can help. We're here for you."

Alice nodded. "We're your family, poppet. Please, come out."

Madeline screamed, "Just go away!" and melted once more into sobs.

Ally threw up her arms in exasperation. "She's not coming out."

Francis gave his daughter a look. "That doesn't mean we should stop trying."

Alice shook her head. "No, Francis. Maybe we should give Maddie some time… just let her cry it out. She'll come to us when she's ready."

Madeline heard her family slowly file away from her door, and curled into a ball on her bed, clutching her pillow for dear life.

"H-hey Ivan…" Madeline said timidly to her secret crush and best friend.

Ivan turned and smiled his famous boyish smile, his violet eyes piercing into hers, melting her from the core all the way to the exterior. "Oh, hello, friend! Is it not a fine day outside?"

Madeline smiled. "Yes, it's wonderful." She thought for a moment on how to form words, to explain to Ivan how she felt.

Ivan took the silence as an opportunity to speak. "I was meaning to ask you a favor, Maddie."

Madeline's eyes lit up, her heart lifting as she thought of the hidden promise in those words. "Y-yes, Ivan?"

"Could you please tell your sister I'd like to talk to her right after school? I'll meet her outside her class."

Madeline was still for a moment, confused. "Oh, yes! Yes, I will," she finally answered, laughing nervously.

Then, after school. Watching her secret love talk to her sister. Seeing her sister light up when he spoke, how she jumped into his arms. Watching her sister kiss the man she loved, she'd always loved. Seeing how happy Ivan was, holding Ally.

Madeline didn't stay long. As soon as she felt the first tear fall, she ran. Ran as fast as she could through the crowded hallway, even bumping into some silver-haired guy. She didn't apologize. She just kept running.

Madeline hiccupped once, and picked up a picture frame next to her bed. It was of her and Ivan, one she had taken of them with bright, happy smiles. She grazed her fingers on the glass above his face, closing her eyes tightly. She put the picture frame down, then stood up. She walked out of her room, out of her house. No one chased after her. She just walked to the park by her house, sitting down on one of the swings and crying as loudly as she wanted.

Gilbert finally stilled his tears, standing up. "I'm going for a drive," he told Ludwig.

Ludwig nodded. "Take as long as you need."

Gilbert pulled on his favorite pair of converse, grabbed his keys, and walked out to his car. He drove to a park, the one he and Elizaveta had played at as kids. He went to the jungle gym, remembering one time he'd pushed Elizaveta off it as a child. He'd been so stupid then. He showed affection by being an asshole.

He heard a small sound from over by the swings, and walked over to investigate.

He saw a small blonde girl, about his age, sitting on a swing, her head hanging and her shoulders shaking with sobs.

"Hey," he called cautiously. "You ok over there?"

The girl looked up, and Gilbert saw for the first time the most beautiful eyes he'd ever see.

Madeline looked up at this strange boy, with silver hair and the most wonderful red eyes. She wiped her eyes quickly with the sleeve of her red hoodie.

"I'm f-fine…" she stuttered, her words tripping over her own sobs. "Just… a bit upset…"

The boy bit his lip, as though deciding something, and then walked over and sat in the swing next to hers. "You wanna talk about it?" he asked.

"No," she murmured stubbornly.

At this, Gilbert turned his gaze to the sky. "Couldn't be as bad as my day." The girl stared at him angrily and he continued, "Seriously, I lost my best friend and the love of my life to some aristocratic bastard. And I was gonna tell her today."

Madeline sighed. "I lost mine to my sister." She let out another sob and wiped her eyes again.

"Damn," the boy said. "That's harsh."

Gilbert decided to ask. "What's your name?"

Madeline sniffed and looked the boy right in his red eyes, her chest tingling at the gaze. "Madeline. Or Maddie," she told the most handsome boy she'd ever met.

Gilbert gave her his best grin, and extended his hand to shake. "I'm Gilbert. Call me Gil."

The two shook hands.

Maybe you weren't my first pick… but you are definitely my best pick.

A/N: I was listening to "I See the Light" from the movie Tangled, and this came out. Enjoy my random crap!