𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒, james potter

37. knuckles bruised like violets

SHE HAS BEEN avoiding James for the better part of the last couple of weeks. She has gotten too close to him. She needs to distance herself before she breaks his heart all over again.

She's walking down the hallway to the Slytherin common room after classes end when someone falls into step next to her.

A chill runs through her body.

Garrett sends her a twisted smile as he reaches out and wraps his arm around her. "Hey, Nes. We should go to Hogsmeade together on Saturday."

She can't take this anymore.

She shoves him away. "No, thank you."

He furrows his eyebrows. "Why?" Then he smiles again. "Are you shy? Don't worry about anything, sweetheart. You don't have to be shy with me."

She grits her teeth. There is only so much she can take before she snaps.

She stops walking and turns toward him.

"I'm not shy. I don't like you. I don't want to go out with you. On Saturday, on Wednesday, on any fucking day of the week. You're pathetic. Please leave me alone. And for Merlin's sake, stop touching me."

For a second, everything is silent. For a second, a deep sense of relief washes over her. For a second, Garrett stares at her with a blank look on his face.

She thinks this is the end and turns to walk away until he grabs her upper arm with enough force to hurt.

"What the fuck did you just say, bitch?" He's seething. "What makes you think you have the right to say that to me?"

Her jaw clenches as she tries to yank her arm out of his grip. He's too strong.

"Let go," she says calmly.

He ignores her. "You know, you have some nerve. Here I am giving you a chance to experience some pleasure you'll never get to with anyone else, and you're treating me with disrespect."

Nesrin narrows her eyes and scoffs. To hell with the consequences.

"You're forcing yourself onto me, and yet, I'm the one who's disrespectful?"

His grip tightens. "You're an ungrateful bitch, you know that? I'm going to show you exactly how I'm going to punish—"

"Get your hands off her," a deep, familiar voice says, his tone full of barely contained fury.

Nesrin turns and sees James with his friends, the other Marauders, taking in the scene with wide eyes and angry expressions.

Garrett scoffs. "How about you mind your own business, Potter?"

The look on James's face is so angry, so vile, that Nesrin stops breathing for a second. She has never seen him this upset before. He is absolutely, painfully livid.

"How about you get your fucking hands off of her?" he repeats, not doing anything to hide his anger anymore.

Garrett lets go but sends a cold, bitter smile to James. He's still staring at him when he speaks to Nesrin. "So, you fuck me over so that you could fuck this asshole. You're such a—"

"I suggest you shut your fucking mouth before I shut it for you," James interrupts.

"Oh yeah?" Garrett steps closer to James, getting in his face even though he's nearly half a foot shorter than him. He shoves James's chest once. And then he does it again.

Nesrin gets in front of James. "Garrett. Stop. Please."

He doesn't. Instead, he pushes Nesrin aside hard enough that she falls and her head hits the wall behind her. She reaches behind and feels something hot and sticky. Her head starts spinning.