It's Not Easy (Zauren)

Chapter 18: Scarred

Zayn's POV

I've been holding Lauren for 2 hours but I don't mind. I want to let her know that I care and that I'll always be there for her because I wasn't there when Luis decided to... Rape her. I can't believe she went through that. She deserves all the love and happiness in the world. She wiggles out of my arms and stands up.

"Lauren, are you okay?" I ask her cautiously.

"No, I am not okay. He took my innocence from me. I'm scarred for life," she answers softly.

"I wish I could do something to make you feel better but I don't know what. Lauren, please tell me what I can do," I plead her.

"I want to show you something. I'll come back. I just need to go change," she says softly again.

She leaves and I wait patiently for her. After 5 minutes she comes back with my black sweatshirt that has ZM printed on it in white and her own clothes on.

"I put your sweatpants in the laundry. Thanks for giving me your clothes," she says handing me my sweatshirt.

"It's nothing. Keep the sweatshirt. It looks good on you. What did you want to show me?" I ask giving her the sweatshirt back. She takes off her shirt and drops it on the ground.

"Lauren..." I say slowly. She turns a little bit and that's when I notice it. The huge scar running along her right side. I walk over to her and I trace the scar with my fingers.

"Nobody knows about this scar except Camila. I tell her everything," Lauren says.

"Did you get this from Luis?" I query and she nods.

"As I said, I'm scarred for life. Literally," Lauren repeats herself from earlier.

"Lauren, I don't even know what to say. He's a jerk and an arse. He's lucky I didn't kill him. How did you cover it up when we went swimming?" I say looking into her eyes.

"Lots and lots of foundation and makeup was needed. Do you wanna know how I got it?" Lauren asks sitting on my bed.

"If you want to share with me. You don't have to," I respond sitting down next to her.

"Well, my siblings were with my grandma and my parents were in New York. It was two in the morning and I heard the bell ringing over and over again so I went to open it and Luis came busting in. I asked him what's wrong but he didn't answer so I looked him in the eyes and I knew that he was drunk. I asked him why he drank but that only made him furious. He pushed me down and as I was falling, I scratched my side on the glass coffee table. That's how I got this scar. I went to see him the next day when he was sober. He slapped me when I broke up with him and he certainly didn't know that I had this scar. And to this day he still doesn't. He was angry with me for breaking up with him so he always came to my house when nobody was home and he would hit me. Of course he was always drunk. I didn't want him to hurt me but a part of me still wanted him back so I always let him in. I thought that maybe one day, he'd ask for me back. Turns out that that one day was this year. So, I got this scar last year. We were both 16," Lauren explains her story. I was shocked and stunned.

"Lauren, you didn't deserve any of that. You certainly don't deserve any of it now. Why haven't you told Luis about your scar?" I ask.

"He'll feel guilty and go back to his old ways," she answers.

"How did he even get the alcohol?" I question again.

"I'm not sure. He either stole from his dad or his friends were supplying him with it. However he got it doesn't even matter. I don't love him anymore and I certainly don't care about him anymore. He hurt me and I will never forgive him," Lauren replies.