Dimples and Glasses

Chapter 6

*Noëlle's POV*

"Ok I'll be back"

"I'll be waiting."

While I wait for Marcel to finish showering, I lay out the items I have brought with me. A few mintues later he walks out in just a towel, revealing a hint of abs and a tattoo. His curly mop is free from the hairgel. I can't stop myself from blushing, and Marcel notices this. He blushes too.

"What?" His voice even sounds a little deeper when he's not dressed like a shy nerd.

"Y-you have a tattoo?" I ask looking at his chest, a wonderfly detailed bird tattoo on it.

"Yeah, erm I got it for my brother." Marcel says.

"Oh, that's nice."

"Yeah" He replies, looking down.

"A-and your abs, wow." I say looking at his abs.

"Yeah, I workout every day." He replies, looking back up at me.

"You look smokin' hot!" I say, then cover my mouth after realized what I said. He blushes again.

"Really?" He asks.

"When you look like that you look hot, and when you dress like you normally do, you look..."

"Ugly?"

"Cute, adorable, sweet."

"You think so?" he asks.

"Of course I think my best friend is cute, sweet and adorable!" I squeal. He loses his smile.

"Thanks." Marcel says, looking down.

"Something wrong?"

"No" He says. I can tell he's lying to me.

"Hey um I brought some stuff for you, why don't you try them on?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Sure" He says.

"Ok you get changed and call me back in when you're ready." I say leaving the room.

"Ok"

A few minutes later Marcel calls me back in.

"Woah." I say, locking eyes with the beautiful boy in front of me. He's wearing a plain white t-shirt, black skinny jeans, and a blue beanie.

"What do you think?" He asks me.

"Woah." I repeat. He looks so different, the exact opposite of what he usually looks like.

"So you like it?"

"I love it." I say. I'm almost drooling. He smiles.

"I don't know, it feels different, the jeans are a little tight, and I can't see..." Marcel replies. He looks so perfect standing there in front of me. I almost forget he needed glasses.

Almost.

"How about these?" I ask pulling out contacts from the side pocket of my bag.

"Perfect!" He says, putting them in like a pro.

"All the girls would be all over you."

He whispers something I can't quite hear, although I wish I did.

*Marcel's POV*

"I dont want 'all the girls', I want you." I whisper quietly enough so Noëlle doesn't hear me.

I shake the thoughts from my head and turn around to look in the mirror.

*Noëlle's POV*

When Marcel looks in the mirror, his smile quickly disappears and a hurt and depressed look takes its place.

"You look great, really great." I say, trying to get a reponse from him. A smile, anything, but he still has the same expression on his face.

"Thanks...but I haven't dressed like this in years...."

What?

"You used to dress like this?"

"Yeah..." he says.

"What made you change your look?" I ask.

"Do you really want to know?" he asks, with a bit of harshness in his voice.

"Yeah I kinda do...I promise whatever it is, I won't tell a soul." I reply.

"Ok....erm... you're sure you really want to know?" he asks again, and I nod my head. Marcel hesitates to continue.

"Erm ok...well, when I was 14, I was the hot and popular one I guess that's what they were called. I was always getting the girls, and the occasional guy would take interest in me.

Anyways, one day I was walking home from school, and these two guys th-they came up to me, and w-well the one guy h-held me down w-while the other d-did some r-really, really, really bad things to me. He said i-if I didn't look so attractive it wouldn't have h-happened, then he just left.

I was so scared, so I totally changed e-everything about myself..my s-school, my clothes, my h-hair...I even changed my n-name s-so that guy would never do what he did to me again...so hopefully no guy will do what h-he did to me.....

I've been getting bullied because of the nerdy way I dress and act ever since....but it's b-better than what happened to me that night...I've had to switch schools f-four times because I would think I either saw that g-guy again...or the bullying was t-too much to t-take...." By the end of his explanation, Marcel is in full on sobs.

"Oh Marcel! I had no idea! Believe me if you went to school like this... and you were ever scared or bullied, I would protect you no matter what...you know that right?"

"I kn-know...th-that's what they a-all said..."

"But I mean it...I really do" I reply, tears streaming down my face.

"I know.."

"Wait, you said you changed your name? What is your real name?"

"H-harry, well Harold, but everyone called me Harry." Harry said sniffling.

"That's such a nice name...Harry." I test it out a couple times.

"Thanks"

"Um I have to go, but keep the clothing, I mean if you want, you don't have too if its too much to handle...but it's a gift from me if you want to keep them." I say.

"Thanks, you are a really great friend"

"Best friend." I say.

"Yes, best friend." he says.

Harry's mother drives me home.

"So you're Noëlle, right?" Anne asks me.

"Yes"

"Well all that boy ever talks about is you sweetie."

"Really? I can't stop thinking about Harry either..."

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing." I say, even though Anne clearly heard me.

"Did he tell you?" She asks, a couple tears form in her eyes.

"Yes, he told me everything."

I hope.

"You must be really special to him. Our poor boy's been through so much, he never really tells anyone anything. Heck, we barely hear about anything in his life anymore except for you."

"Really?" I've had a crush on Harry since day one, but I just dont think he feels the same.

"Really."

She drops me off at home and I say thanks, and head inside. I stay up all night thinking. Why would someone do something like that to Harry? He's such a great guy. I hope that guy who did those....terrible things to him gets what he deserves.