Love is Beautiful (She's so Ugly)

Chapter Seven

Game day. Lisa was stunned when she saw Merida entering the gymnasium. Candice, who also noticed, pinched Lisa's arm.

"Merida!" Lisa called with a plastic smile.

"Oh, hi!"

"Uhh... I'm sorry, I was misinformed by someone. I didn't have your number, so I couldn't tell you. I'm really sorry," Lisa said, her acting flawless.

"Oh, it's alright! I'm just glad I made it. Do you want to go inside now?" Merida asked.

"Oh no, you go ahead. I'll catch up."

As soon as Merida disappeared inside, Candice stormed over.

"What the hell was that?!" she snapped.

"I don't know how she knew! Maybe someone told her!"

"Someone?"

"As if the time wasn't posted on the damn bulletin board!" Lisa yelled.

"That goldfish never reads anything posted on that wall!" Candice shot back.

The two were still bickering when Leo wandered by, smirking at the chaos. Sometimes, plans don't go the way you want, he thought.

•••

"Love!"

The gym fell silent. Everyone turned toward the court, where Jacob stood grinning from ear to ear. He rushed toward Merida, who froze at the sound of him calling her that.

"I'm so glad you came!" Jacob said, hugging her tightly in front of everyone.

Merida's chest swelled with happiness, but the weight of dirty stares made her shrink inside.

"Well... I wanted to see you play," she said softly.

Jacob pulled her to the front row, where the other players' girlfriends usually sat—the so-called royalties.

"Sit here while we warm up, okay? I'll come back at every break." He hurried back to the court.

Merida could feel the eyes on her, the silent judgments. She kept her head low, terrified of meeting someone's disgusted stare.

Leo, technically part of the team but often benched for skipping practices, wasn't paying attention to the game. His eyes were on Merida.

It was obvious—she was on the verge of an anxiety attack. And Jacob? Oblivious.

"Ah, dang it," Leo muttered under his breath. Why am I even drawn to this girl?

Reluctantly, he stood and slid into the seat beside her, right between Merida and a cheerleader.

"Egg Rolls, how do you make them?"

Merida's head snapped up. Relief washed over her.

"Y-you just—"

"Calm down. Nobody's staring at you," Leo lied smoothly. "It's all in your head."

"You really want to know how?" she asked once her breathing steadied.

"Nah. I bet I can cook better," he teased.

Merida smiled. "Thank you for sitting here. Even though... you don't look at me when you talk."

Surprised, Leo turned to face her fully. Their faces were just inches apart. Merida's eyes widened, but strangely, his gaze soothed her.

"I can," he said quietly. "But I won't—because I know you're not comfortable being stared at."

They sat in silence, their eyes locked, until a referee's whistle broke it. A foul on Jacob. He was pulled to the bench, but instead of listening to his coach, Jacob's eyes kept darting to Merida—then to Leo.

His jealousy boiled over.

Jacob strode toward them, ignoring the chatter of the crowd. Merida gave him her usual bright smile, but he didn't return it.

"I'm sure you guys know each other—" she started.

"Stay away from her," Jacob hissed, cutting her off.

"Ja—"

"I was just helping her," Leo interrupted smoothly. "If I didn't, she'd have had an anxiety attack. But oh! You wouldn't know about that, because you only think about yourself and not what's happening around you." His words were a quiet dagger.

Merida froze. This wasn't just about her—there was something deeper between these two. Still, she needed to stop them.

"Alright, enough. Jacob, he was only helping me."

Jacob looked at her, guilt flickering in his eyes. Then, instead of anger, he pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

The chatter around them grew louder, but Merida's worries melted in his arms.

"It's alright. Y-you should win the game," she whispered.

Jacob kissed her forehead before returning to the bench. His teammates snickered and whispered, but he didn't care.

"You have bad taste in guys," Leo muttered to Merida, though she wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes followed Jacob back onto the court. Leo just shook his head.

From the stands, Lisa watched the whole thing unfold, seething with jealousy. "You just watch, you ugly trash," she muttered under her breath, her eyes burning with hate.