Love is Beautiful (She's so Ugly)

Chapter Nineteen (part two)

Leo and Brandon went to the backstage and saw Merida smiling at them.

"You did great," Brandon remarked.

"Nah, but I felt good up there on stage. I felt something so strange," she told them.

"It must be because you conquered one of your fears," Leo commented.

Merida smiled faintly. "I guess."

"Do you want to walk home?" Both Brandon and Leo asked at the same time. It made them stare at each other, while Merida stared at the two guys.

She laughed at them both. "I'm going out with the girls from the drama club. You two should get home safe."

After saying that, Merida started to walk away. A different kind of beautiful, huh? It's going to be ugly, she thought.

"Egg rolls! Be home safe!" Leo shouted after her. She just waved at him.

At a karaoke place, Merida and the drama club celebrated their success with the play. There was alcohol served, and she wanted to know how it tasted, so she took some shots.

"Merida! Me-ri-da!" The team yelled her name, cheering her on to take two more glasses of the strong liquid.

This was weird—she couldn't get a hold of herself anymore. She felt the rush of emotions in her head. Her aching heart was screaming, making it hard to breathe. She smiled and laughed crazily despite the pain.

A knock on the door came, and a group of other girls entered. Merida managed to focus—and it was Candice and her squad. She grinned at the mean girls.

"Oh, so she's drunk already?" Candice asked the other girls from the drama club.

They all nodded, and Candice smirked at Merida, who was already passing out.

"All of you, get the fuck out!" she shouted, and everyone noisily left the room. So Brandon thought she was that easy to fool? Well, Brandon is the fool.

"Hey, Tommy! Get in!"

A muscular guy walked inside. "She's the ugly girl I'm talking about."

Tommy smirked. This girl isn't ugly, just... innocent, he thought. "She'll have a great time with me."

Merida tried to stand, but she couldn't find her balance. When she fell, Tommy caught her.

That scene was captured by Candice on her phone. She grinned wickedly. "Oh well, have fun, both of you."

"No!" Merida screamed, but Tommy covered her mouth so she couldn't shout more. She fought back with all her strength, but she couldn't win. Tears streamed down her face as she struggled.

Meanwhile, on Leo's way home, he saw the other members of the drama club—but no Merida. He jumped over a bush, surprising the girls.

"Where is Merida?" he asked.

No one answered.

"Where the fuck is Merida?!" he barked, this time so loud and sharp that some of the girls covered their heads.

"Sh-she's at the karaoke place, room 206. Candice was with—"

He didn't let them finish. He ran straight to that place. Exactly as he arrived, Candice was coming out.

"Where is she?" he growled.

Candice's eyes widened, but she shrugged. "I-I don't know!"

Leo's chest heaved as he hissed, "If something fucking happens to her, I swear, I'll lose myself being a gentleman." He bumped Candice's shoulder and rushed to room 206.

Candice stomped away, trembling in anger. "Whatever! I have photos and videos of her."

Inside the room, Leo slammed the door open—and saw a crying Merida pinned under Tommy. Rage overtook him. He yanked the guy off her and hurled him aside. Grabbing an empty bottle, Leo smashed it over Tommy's head.

This was Leo—the troublemaker, the wild one. If you messed with him, you paid for it.

He rushed to Merida, who was shaking and crying, and pulled her into his arms. "It's okay. You're okay now. Let's get you home."

Leo carried her out without caring about the stares. He didn't even care that he might get in trouble for what he did. If that guy dares to call the cops, I'll make him pay more, he thought.

He flagged down a cab and told the driver where to go. Inside, he glanced at Merida—completely wasted. This is all Jacob's fault, he blamed.

At her house, he opened the gate but couldn't get the door open. He didn't want to wake Merida, so he searched for a spare key.

Doormat? No.
Garden gnome? No.
Flowerpot? No.
Slippers? No.
Under the porch? Hell no.

Frustrated, he pushed on the door—and to his surprise, it wasn't locked. He kicked it open, muttering curses.

He went back for Merida, carried her inside, and laid her on the couch. Then he hurried upstairs to find her room. It was obvious—the door covered with glitter.

He carried her up, laid her on the bed, and took off her shoes. Tossing them aside, he sighed. If only I hadn't gotten involved, I wouldn't be this messed up.

Leo fetched a bowl, a towel, and a pail in case she vomited. He wiped her face, neck, arms, and legs—not with dirty thoughts, but with pure care.

After making sure she was okay, he sat at her study table. He noticed the butterfly notebook and flipped through it. Her handwriting was awful, but her thoughts were heavy. Then a paragraph caught his attention—something that made him smile.

Before long, Leo fell asleep on her desk. Poor guy.

Around one in the morning, noise startled him awake. His eyes widened when he saw Merida vomiting into the pail he had prepared. He rushed to her, holding her hair back.

Merida was crying. "I'm sorry, I'm such a bother, Leo."

He wanted to tell her she never bothered him. He wanted to hug her tight and tell her it was okay. But instead, he played it cool. "You'll be fine in the morning. Don't worry, I'll be with you."

Merida sobbed. "I was so scared earlier. I feel disgusting and—and—"

Leo wrapped his arms around her, letting her rest against his chest. "You're not disgusting, okay? Listen—nothing happened. He didn't touch you, he didn't kiss you. I stopped him."

Merida hugged him tightly. "Don't leave me, okay? He said we would enjoy the night together after the play, but he never came. Instead... he enjoyed the night with someone else." Her sobs broke his heart.

Leo hugged her tighter. "Don't think about that. Don't let the pain change how beautiful your soul is. Just be cautious next time," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss on her head. He didn't mean to—it just happened.

Merida heard his words. Pain changes people, and she had enough of it. She didn't want to be weak anymore. She wanted to stop crying and make them feel the pain she had felt.

"They treated me so bad..."