Who We Are (A Zodiac Story)

Flashback: TAURUS (2)

Disclaimer: *All flashbacks are written in 3rd person*

FLASH = Time Skip

*...A few weeks later*

The school day has finally drawn to a close, and Taurus finds himself amidst a lively group of friends, their raucous laughter and good-natured banter filling the air as they prepare to go their separate ways. With a friendly wave and a warm smile, Taurus bids them farewell, his mind already turning to the task at hand - retrieving the forgotten headphones he had left behind in the boys' locker room.

As Taurus steps into the cavernous space of the locker room, the sudden sounds of muffled sniffling and quiet, anguished crying immediately catch his attention, setting his senses on high alert. He navigates the maze of metal lockers, his gaze sweeping the room until he finally spots the source of the distress - Bella, curled up in the far corner, her face buried in her knees, her slender frame shuddering with each stifled sob.

Taurus was curious about what she had been doing in the boys' locker room, but he had forgotten to ask about it when she lifted her face and he caught the vivid, discolored bruise around her eye, the angry splotch of purple and blue that seemed to stretch and distort her tender skin. Taurus' gaze then drifts lower, drawn to the angry, red handprint marking the column of Bella's neck. The outline of each individual finger is clearly visible, the imprint seared into her flesh.

"What the fuck?" Taurus whispers, the words tumbling from his lips unbidden as he searches Bella's face, desperate for answers. "Bella, who the hell did this to you?"

Taurus waits with bated breath, his heart pounding in his chest, but Bella remains stubbornly silent, her tears the only response as she averts her gaze. A dark suspicion begins to take hold, and Taurus finds himself quickly jumping to conclusions. "Was it Coy?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Taur," Bella murmurs, her voice wavering with vulnerability as she offers a feeble, unconvincing explanation. "I fell."

Taurus looks at her in utter bewilderment, his disbelief etched upon his face. "You really expect me to beli-,"

"I fell!" Bella suddenly shouts, her eyes meeting his with a desperate, pleading intensity, her voice dropping to a hushed, trembling whisper. "Okay?"

Taurus flinches at her outburst, the pain in her voice striking a chord deep within him. Slowly, he nods, his gaze averted as an oppressive, uncomfortable silence settles between them. He moves to the wall, leaning his back against it as his mind races with a maelstrom of emotions.

Mustering his courage, he breaks the silence blanketing the dimly lit locker room, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can tell my mom..." he offers, desperately searching for a solution that could alleviate Bella's suffering.

But his suggestion is met with an instant, vehement refusal. "No," Bella says, her eyes brimming with fresh tears.

Taurus can feel his own frustration beginning to build, the urge to protect Bella warring with his growing impatience at her seeming reluctance to accept aid. "I can't just sit here and do nothing," Taurus says, turning to face her, his brow furrowed in a mix of concern and simmering irritation. The very thought of Coy laying a hand on her, of causing such vivid marks of violence, ignites a fire of protective fury within him.

Bella's only response is a soft, distressed sniffle, her gaze downcast, and Taurus knows he must try a different approach. Letting out a heavy sigh, he leans in closer, his voice laced with a quiet intensity. "You've got to leave Coy," he says, the mere mention of the name causing Bella's eyes to widen, tears spilling down her cheeks in glistening rivulets. "And... report him to the Zolice or something," Taurus adds.