Chapter Text
“Now go stand in the corner and think about what you did
Ha, time for a little revenge”
The lights rise on the stage and the crowd cheers upon hearing the first notes of the song. It’s a crowd favorite, hitting the top of the charts worldwide. Though, it has a deeper meaning to it they don’t know about. One that's rooted to something in my personal life, the one fans are usually unaware of.
“The story starts when it was hot and it was summer
And, I had it all I had her right there where I wanted her
He came along, got her alone, and let’s hear the applause
He took her faster than you could say sabotage
I never saw it coming, nor would I have suspected it
I underestimated just who I was dealing with
He had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum
He underestimated just who he was stealing from”
I’m singing loudly, hardly rising above the roar of my fans below. I’m strumming along on my guitar too, though that also gets lost by their noise. The main chorus is coming up and everyone is getting ready to sing along. They have phones and cameras pointed towards me from all angles, capturing the song in the moment.
“He’s not a saint and he’s not what you think
He’s an actor, whoa
He’s better known for the things that he does
On the mattress, whoa
Soon he’s gonna find
Stealing other people’s toys on the playground
Won’t make you many friends
He should keep in mind,
He should keep in mind
There is nothing I do better than revenge, ha”
I wrote this song nearly a year ago, releasing it as a single a few months after finishing it. It came after a troubling time in my personal life, one I was having a difficult time opening up about before this song. One dealing with the romance I hardly ever showed, the feelings I shoved down whenever around the person that drove my heart into a frenzy and the butterflies in my stomach to the moon.
“He looks at life like it’s a party and he’s on the list
He looks at me like I’m a trend and he’s so over it
I think his ever present frown is a little troubling
And, he thinks I’m psycho
‘Cause I like to rhyme his name with things, but
Sophistication isn’t what you wear, or who you know
Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go
Oh they didn’t teach you that in prep school
So it’s up to me
But no amount of vintage dress shirts gives you dignity
(Think about what you did)”
Todoroki was dating Momo - or rather, Yaoyorozu. Just after I had worked up the nerve to ask her out myself, he snached her up first. I was a mere afterthought to them both. Though, it doesn’t hurt nearly as much now as it first did. All my hard work and everything I did to make sure the day went perfect went to waste in an instant. My heart feeling like she took a lighter and set me on fire, burning from the inside out. I was beyond devestated, the one person I trusted and looked to the most was the one to throw me to the wolves. But it wasn't her fault, it was mine for waiting so long.
“He’s not a saint and he’s not what you think
He’s an actor, whoa
He’s better known for the things that he does
On the mattress, whoa
Soon he’s gonna find
Stealing other people’s toy on the playground
Won’t make you many friends
He should keep in mind,
He should keep in mind
There is nothing I do better than revenge, ha”
The crowd is growing wilder, jumping along to the beat and shouting out the lyrics. Lights and smoke machines give the atmosphere I was hoping for, a loud and upbeat song with a hidden meaning. The instrumentals are left behind in the chaos - the way they are at nearly every concert and everytime I play this song. Something about revenge and anger makes fans go wild like the beasts of myth and legend, roars erupting from the people in the seats surrounding me on all sides.
“I’m just another thing for you to roll your eyes at honey
You might have her, but haven’t you heard
I’m just another thing for you to roll your eyes at honey
You might have her, but I’ll always get the last word
Whoa”
It’s time for the guitar, I strum fast and with enough passion to show a glimpse into the true meaning of the song. Hardly any notice the change. The ones who do staying silent in the chaos and watching with cloudy eyes. One girl near my feet raises a hand to her mouth and drops her phone as she stares up at me. I do it for her, I do it for all of them.
“He’s not a saint and he’s not what you think
He’s an actor, whoa
He’s better known for the things that he does
On the mattress, whoa
Soon he’s gonna find
Stealing other people’s toys on the playground
Won’t make you many friends
He should keep in mind,
He should keep in mind
There is nothing I do better than revenge, ha”
The ending is near, but so is their relationship. It ended shortly after the song was released, both figuring it out almost immediately. Neither are so oblivious, though Todoroki can be dense at times. All was forgiven and forgotten. It was like a breath of fresh air when things went back to the way they once were, only with one detail changed. Thankfully Todoroki wasn't too upset over the whole thing, the relationship a mere 'suggestion' from his father as he stated in the days following the song's release.
“And do you still feel like you know what you're doing,
'Cause I don't think you do, oh
Do you still feel like you know what you're doing
I don't think you do, I don't think you do
Let's hear the applause
C'mon show me how much better you are
See you deserve some applause
'Cause you're so much better
He took her faster than you could say sabotage”
The lights go out and I breathe out a sigh of relief, remembering the day it all happened vividly. The ones where I was pouring over my notebook, and the ones where the person of my lyrics became mine to hold. All the time spent longing for the girl I couldn't have was finally paying off, making me happier than I ever thought imaginable. All came out as friends, all were content with what was. Everything was right again.
Perhaps revenge does work out sometimes - for the good of both sides.