No Middle Ground // Theodore Nott

IX

CHAPTER TEN: MAKE-UPS

"Have you seen Krum? That bastard all up on Hermoine. I'd like to kill him." Ron sneers from the table. Ginny and I laugh at his jealousy.

"Why don't you just ask her out?" Ginny replies, looking at her brother.

"She's already got a date! That bald bastard!" Ron said, getting agitated very quickly.

My jaw clenched. I hated whenever people raised their voices slightly around me. It always puts me on edge.

"Have you gotten a date, Noah?" Harry asked me, looking up from his books.

"We all know She's going with Nott, Harry, save yourself." Ron said smugly.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What did you say?" I asked, mildly offended.

"He gets mad when a guy even comes near you, Noah. Why are you so surprised?" Ginny asked me as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Does not. We're not even friends." I told the group once again, making them all roll their eyes. Even Ginny.

Normally, I would leave the table and ignore them for a week. Now, I feel obligated to stay to show their actions didn't affect me at all. It was all I was going to think about for the rest of the day.

"I'm going to Astronomy." I told them, leaving five minutes earlier than I usually did.

I packed up my things and began to walk up the stairs. My footsteps were heavier than usual, applying to the attitude I was going to have.

"Noah!"

I turned around, seeing a fifth year Gryffindor coming my way. I think his name is Lawrence, but I'm not sure.

We faced each other, him surprisingly being a few inches taller than me. I had to look up into his eyes.

"I saw you in Potions today, and I have to say I think you're the prettiest girls I've ever laid eyes on," he smiled, a little out of breath from following me up the stairs.

I held my books closer to my chest as he went on. "I was wondering if uhh," he stammered. "If you'd be my date to the Yule Ball?"

My eyes widened. I didn't even know this kid, let alone want him to touch me even if it was in the dancing way.

"She won't go with you." Theo said as he walked down the stairs behind me.

My head spun around at the sight of his, my eyebrows lowering at his words. I was actually considering it.

"Sorry, Nott, but you don't look like her." The Gryffindor told him shortly.

"I don't care. She won't go with you, Baker." He was Lawrence Baker. He sat across from me in Potions.

I grabbed Theo's shoulder and shoved him away from the boy, letting him get to his class and forget about the whole situation.

"non hai bisogno di parlare per me, Theo!" I whisper shouted at him, not wanting to draw attention to the two of us.

"sì, vaffanculo se stavi anche solo pensando di andare con lui." He spat right back into my face.

"e se lo facessi?" I yelled in his face, actually starting to get upset. "e allora cosa succederebbe se andassi con lui, cazzo? Cosa succederebbe?"

"non gli piaci, Noah!" Theo yelled, getting right into my face, his features inches from mine. I could feel every breath that left his mouth. "vuole essere dentro di te come ogni altro ragazzo in questa scuola!"

My breath hitched, tears welled in my eyes but I rather die than let them fall in front of him. He wants me to trust him, yet does things like this.

"anche tu? sembra proprio che sia così, cazzo." I yelled right back in his face, getting closer to him. His eyes widened.

"Noah," he let out just a whisper.

"vaffanculo!" I shouted at him, leaving him by himself in the hallway, absolutely dumbstruck about how I reacted.

The common room door slammed open and slammed shut by my hand. I was absolutely enraged. Not because of what Theo did, but because of how it affected me. Nobody fucking spoke to me that way.

Louie flew my way, eating a few treats before he returned to the window. I decided a nap would be a good idea.

-

"Get out. All of you." We're the words I woke up to.

I heard shuffling around me, Astoria giggling to Blaire and the door shutting.

I held my position on my stomach, my eyes dropping down from the side. It was evident I had cried prior to this moment. I hated feeling inferior to people.

"Noah." Theo started out, standing over my bed.

"Fuck you." I mumbled, turning my back to him under the covers.

He groaned, tossing his head back in frustration. He walked over to the other side of the bed, getting down on his knees to make eye contact with me.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you today." He told me softly. His voice sounded sincere. I know better.

My eyes traveled up his face, meeting his eyes a few seconds later. I didn't say anything. I didn't forgive him.

"I never want to hurt you, Bella." He smiled at me. It wasn't a usual degrading smile, but a pretty one I've never seen before. "I don't want you to get hurt either."

I blinked and looked at him. "You hurt my feelings." I said, then realized how childish I sounded. It mentally made me cringe, but I didn't let it show.

He smiled. "I know." He rested a hand on the left side of my face, his pupils growing slightly. "I won't ever do it again."

I hesitantly got up, bringing my feet to the ground as I sat on the edge of my bed. He looked up at me, seeing my collar bone poke through the fabric of the t-shirt I was wearing.

In his eyes I saw many things. Lust, desire, hatred, power, resentment and love. It was a hard look to read.

"Theo," my hands went to the sides of his face.

His eyes instantly closed at the contact, his face melting into my palms like he's never had a touch in the face before. My thumbs ran over his cheekbones, making him turn his head to the side and kiss the inside of my palms.

I pulled him to his feet, motioning it was alright to get in my bed covers. His arms went around me in an instant, nuzzling his face into my chest. He hadn't ever had this feeling before and it was obvious.

I ran my fingers through his hair, his grip tightened on me. It was one of the most relaxing and anxious feelings.

"Don't tell anybody about this." I told him in a whisper.

"Of course not." He replied, closing his eyes and pulling the covers over him.