Love is Beautiful (She's so Ugly)

Chapter Fifteen

Jacob didn't walk Merida home because he had basketball practice. She had thought about watching, but the cheerleaders — especially Lisa — were something she wanted to avoid. Sometimes, she even wondered if Lisa and Jacob looked better together. The thought made her sigh.

On her way home, she put on her earphones, letting music drown out her self-loathing thoughts.

What she didn't know was that Leo had been following her. He'd wanted to approach earlier, but Jacob was always there. Now was his chance.

"So, are you two officially together?" he asked. No response.

He frowned, tried again. "Uhm... was the quiz hard?"

Still nothing.

"Fudge," he muttered under his breath. This was humiliating. Was this even Merida? He should just stop being nice—

He reached out and grabbed her arm, making her spin around. She gasped.

"Leo?"

That's when he noticed the earphones. "Tch. Seriously? Why are you walking with those on? Don't you know that's dangerous?"

Merida blinked. "I always do this."

"Doesn't mean you're safe! What if a truck lost control and people were screaming? You wouldn't hear a thing with music blasting!"

She giggled at his dramatic what-if. Leo scowled. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," she said, smiling.

He crossed his arms. "Anyway, I was wondering if you'd like—" He suddenly remembered his hoodie. "I freaking want ice cream."

Merida raised a brow. "Then... buy one?"

"No. You have to buy me one."

"What? I don't owe you—"

"You do! My unwashed FAVORITE hoodie. You promised to wash it, but your asshole boyfriend just threw it back at me. It reeked of your stink!"

Merida's jaw dropped. "Hey! I didn't force you to lend me your—"

"Really? Let me tell you how I HAND-WASHED my FAVORITE hoodie to save the color and your—"

"Yah!" Merida cut him off. "Fine! Tch! You're unbelievable!"

Leo grinned, victorious.

The two of them stormed into a nearby all-in-one shop. At the freezer, they picked out their ice creams, paid, and sat down inside to eat.

"So, are you guys officially dating?" Leo asked, mouth full of ice cream.

Merida smirked. "Why? Are you jealous?" She cackled like a witch.

Leo looked out the window. "Tch. Yep, I'm so jealous." He said it sarcastically, but it was truer than she realized.

Merida rolled her eyes, missing the flicker of pain in his face.

"Do you think it happened too fast?" she asked suddenly, staring at her ice cream.

Leo leaned back. "No. And even if it did—who cares? That's love. It shows up out of nowhere, sometimes with just a touch of the hand. You don't always realize it until it's gone. The lucky ones? They see it before it slips away."

He turned, catching her staring at him strangely.

"You've been hurt before, huh?" she asked softly.

Leo chuckled. "No. I just got hurt today." He stood abruptly, avoiding her eyes. "Be right back."