Better Than Words

Chapter 18 - There's Hope In Everything

Zayn's POV

"You better run after them or the cab will leave you." Perrie told me. "I don't need a ride. I drove here. I wasn't planning on drinking." I told her. 

The truth was that I wanted to be able to talk to her and make a quick getaway if she wanted to leave.

"Great, you can leave then." She shot at me and started reading a book. I snatched it away from her.

"What cha reading?" I asked as I scanned the pages. "Hey! Give that back." She yelled and tried to reach for it but I was keeping it away from her.

"Not until you agree to go with me to the club." I told her. She shook her head. "Never in a million years. I told you to stay away from me Zayn. What part of that don't you understand?" She asked.

"Sorry, no one can boss me around." I told her and tossed her book on the table. She quickly snatched it and began reading again.

"Come on Perrie, let's just go! You're so boring." I told her. She ignored me. "Perrie!" I called her. I sat on her bed right in front of her and shook my hand in front of her face. Still nothing.

I began bouncing up and down the bed and she shifted herself to the bed across from hers. I followed her and bounced on that bed. "Come on Periwinkle!" I said to her.

She looked up from her book and gave me the coldest glare I've ever seen. "Don't you ever call me that!" She said with venom in her voice. "Why not Periwinkle?" I asked trying to crack her.

"Zayn! Stop it!" She exclaimed. "No! I'm going to call you Periwinkle from now on." I smiled. 

"Stop it Zayn! Just stop!" She yelled some more. I looked at her and there were tears forming.

"Perrie... I didn't..." I started but was too shocked at her tears. I didn't mean to offend or hurt her. I was just trying to get her to come with me. "I'm sorry." Was all I could muster out.

"No you're not Zayn. I asked you to stop and you kept going." She said and the tears streamed down her eyes.

"Perrie why are you crying?" I asked as I carefully moved towards her but she kept kicking at me. 

"Stay away from me Zayn! Go away! Leave me alone!" She yelled and cried harder.

"Perrie. I'm sorry. Please tell me what I did wrong!" I yelled back. "You called me that stupid nickname that they gave me!" She responded.

"Whose they?" I asked and tried to approach her, this time she didn't kick me away but she pulled her legs up and held on to them. She began rocking back and forth, desperately trying to stop the tears from falling. 

"Those assholes who bullied me in secondary school. They called me Periwinkle... they made fun of me and hurt me." She sobbed. 

I reached over and covered her with my arms and leaned her body to mine. She cried quietly and didn't move away from me this time. 

"I'm sorry Pez. I had no idea. I should have stopped when you told me. I'm sorry." I said over and over again. After a few short moments of silence she got up and sat on her bed across from me.

"When I was alone in the hallways they'd always find me. I would try to run away but they were always faster than me." She said quietly. 

"They would push me against lockers and they would kick me till I couldn't get up anymore." She told me.

"Perrie, stop. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." I told her. "That nickname just brought back a lot of memories." She told me.

"I'm sorry." I said again. "Can you wait outside for a bit?" She asked me suddenly. "Don't leave though." She added before I headed out.