Beauty is the Beast || h.s. au

Chap.12:

"Harry! You're... early? That's the first" the teacher remarked, making me silently chuckle. Couldn't help it, I just couldn't. 

"Yes! You could blame Lucy for that" he yelled making the whole class go in 'Ooh's. I facepalmed at what he just did, again- I couldn't help but smile. The boy sure knows how to make me smile... which is a bad thing. Crap, am I falling? That's kind of impossible, I mean- the only reason I'm sticking with him is because everyone else seems to be shit options.

When I look up, I turn around to face him seeing him already staring at me. I tried to glare at him but I burst out in a grin instead, he winked and I roll my eyes. As much as I hate it, I'm starting to get affected by the dork.

"Looks like you're warming up to him, huh?" a girl behind me says, I could practically hear her smirk. 

"Maybe.." I trail off, half-lie and a half-true. If I told her the truth and said no, she'd tell Harry and my revenge is done.

It's not worth it, the angel part of me practically begs me. My heart tug in guilt, what did Harry ever do to you?

I gulp, so maybe I should stop this all before it gets all worse. Unlike before when these thoughts pop in my head and Liam convinced me every time to push them away, this time- I have enough time to think these through.

Am I willing to have this one person who accepted me hate me?

***

"You're turning to one of them" my table immediately says just as I sit down.

"What?" I heard them but I just can't believe what they just said. When they don't reply, I scoff.

"Guys, you know I was just doing it to piss Liam off" I try to keep the scowl off of my face but I don't like where this is going. 

"You're just using that as an excuse again, we're not comfortable with you here knowing that you stayed with him the past few nights. You're changing Luce, and you're being really selfish" one of them say and I could practically hear myself screaming from inside. I'm not sure if I can handle this much in just a week, the drama, the challenges, the shit I have to go through and they're blaming the shit on me?

"You know what?" I stand from my table earning unwanted attention from other tables but at the moment, that is the least of my problems. "I'm fucking done with all of you shitheads!" I yell and now, I have the attention of the whole canteen.

"I'm not even doing the shit challenge anymore" I growl at them in a low voice for only them to hear, and I don't even let them talk as I continue.

"Did you know that my family is at its most fucked up right now? I have nowhere else to go because you're all too selfish to even ask if I was okay with what was going on?! I called all of you yesterday before class ended but you all said there was a 'study group' that I wasn't even invited to?! Do you expect me to go to Liam?" My attention moves to Liam's table, they're eyes on me- and for the first time in weeks, I see actual guilt in his eyes. Harry looks at me with concern but I ignore him.

"YOU!" I yell, stomping my way to Liam.

"Lucy, I-"

"Shut the fuck up!" I interrupt, my snapping point is here and I'm not even ashamed for causing a scene. "You- I don't even know how to start" I laugh bitterly, tears evilly pricking its way to my eyes. "You ask me to build a damn strong tower then you go and smash it down and burn it to ashes for no apparent reason? Fuck you" I spit and turn back to my table.

"You think I'm selfish one here?" I growl, tears at the edge of my eyes; I curse myself.

"THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR BEING BLOODY TWAT-WANKERS! SELFISH FUCKHEADS!" I raise both my middle fingers in the air and walk out of the room. By now, my tears are falling uncontrollably. My stupid mind then moves to what happened yesterday evening, my mother and fuckhead sister. I don't know, i guess you can keep bottling emotions in and one wrong move will make everything spill out uncontrollably. My anger towards everyone is just too much and I hate myself for being so weak. 

I let my feet carry to wherever it can take me and I find myself gathering all my things from my locker and walk towards the football field. There are students who are practicing outside but I ignore them, even the coach who is calling me. I start running out of school grounds and ignore weird looks from strangers who can't just mind their own fucking business. I hear loud footsteps behind me and someone calling me making me run even faster.

"LUCY! PLEASE! WAIT!" I recognize Harry's voice and another accidentally escaped my lips. I see a park across the street with a bunch of trees behind it and make a run for it.  Harry's still calling and chasing me as I sprint and try to lose him. I'm angry at myself and everybody else for not even bothering to understand me at all.

Harry did, my bloody subconscious annoys and I groan aloud at my stupidity. I realize how weak I've become and how low I've stooped. I realize how much a wreck I am and how much I've change, how much emotion and vulnerability I've shown.

My mind is racing and my vision had become blurry making me trip and fall on my hands and knees. I can feel the mud grease its way through my fingers and envelope my hand, just then- it starts raining, just my luck.

I whimper and sob as I stay just as I was. I'm so pathetic right now and I can almost imagine everyone talking and laughing of how pathetic I've become. I just want to give up, I obviously can't do anything right, I might as well just give up anyways.

"Lucy Elliot fucking Gale" I hear someone breathe behind me, my tears mixing with raindrops. I shake my head as another pathetic sob escapes my lips. I hear him sigh and his footsteps coming beside me. He put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me toward him, his chest apparently.

He wrapped his arms around me, I just let him do it as I let everything go. I don't even bother removing the annoying damp hair sticking to my face nor our clothe sticking to each other and the goosebumps covering my arms. I don't care and I just don't want to care. He hushed me  and used his thumb to rub my very wet face.

I shake my head, "I don't get it, why me? Why do I have to pay for every fucking mistake I make? OH wait- that's right. I am a mistake, that's all I am. A big bloody mistake" I muffle but he just hushes me.

"If there's one thing you aren't, that's a mistake. Please, even if you were a mistake- you'd me my best mistake. I don't care, please. Just please..." he trails off. 

"Are you okay now?" he whispers and I nod. The rain is still pouring and we only moved to get under the tree that is only semi-shielding us from mother nature. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up, and I know just where to do that" he smiles gently. 

When we stood up, my brain wonders where it shouldn't. "Why?" I blurt, pesky brain.

"Why what?" he asks as he collects my things, oh look- they're all soaked and dirty. Great...

"Why are you here helping me? Why are you helping me? Why me?" I narrow the questions down, he looks at me as if asking if he was serious and or to debate whether or not to tell me. I don't know exactly because my brain is messed up at the moment.

"Why don't we get cleaned first before I answer your questions?"

***

I'm led to a very small looking tool shed but as we enter, it looks so much bigger. The walls are covered in posters and pictures, there are a couple of sofas and a desktop is push against the corner. A TV set is against the wall and racks of movies is stacked beside it. 

"What is this place?" I ask, he hands me a wet wash clothe and clothes that I haven't checked yet.

"Welcome to my sanctuary with the lads, this is where we go when everything seems to be no good. This was once my sanctuary with my dad but..." he trailed off and I immediately caught on.

"Oh, I'm sorry" I feel even guiltier now, damn it.

"it's alright" he clears his throat and hands me a pale with water in it and soap. "Wash room is over there" he points toward another door and I realize this place is bigger than I thought. 

"Is this a house or something?" I try to lighten the mood and finally succeed at something. 

He chuckled, "I just built the washroom 3 months ago"

I roll my eyes with a goofy smile and proceed to the washroom. Once I'm done cleaning up, I realize Harry has clothes my exact size. He goes in the washroom just right after me and I sit on his sofa waiting for him. Not for long, I doze off to my escape from bloody hell I call reality.