Through the following weeks, Lucy grew in confidence. She felt free to be herself and do what she truly wanted.
That day, she wore her hair up for the first time. She looked in the mirror and smiled. She felt good. Like, really good.
When she walked out the door of the orphanage, she saw Gru there, waiting for her. His eyes lit up when he saw her. She came over, and his hand went to her hair.
"Lucy! You changed your hair." He smiled. "I love it."
She smiled too.
They walked side by side all the way to the school. As they walked through the doors, they saw a large poster. A crowd of students was gathered around it, chattering excitedly.
Homecoming Dance
"A Night With the Stars"
Lucy stood on her tiptoes, trying to take in the poster. A dance. She had obviously seen movies about them, but they had never seemed real.
Gru turned to her.
"Will you go with me?" He asked.
"What?" She asked, hopeful.
"To the dance." He specified, blushing.
"Are you kidding me? Yes!" She squealed.
The rest of the day, she was in complete bliss. Nothing could go wrong.
Until it did.
She and Gru were standing in line in the cafeteria when she heard Ms. Big Boobs talking with a group of her friends.
"I've had mine picked out for like three months now, obviously..." she overheard.
Lucy stepped out of line, trying to hear what they were talking about.
"I'm going this weekend." Another girl said. "Last year, I bought my dress way too early."
Lucy's heart plummeted. A dress. There was no way she could get one of those. How had she not thought of that? She looked over at Gru. She didn't know how to tell him. She felt something on her neck, then heard a whisper in her ear.
"New hair, I like it."
She whipped her head around and scrambled backwards. It was him.
"What is it Wilde?" He said, advancing. He reached out to touch her hair again.
"L-Leave me alone." She said, but it barely came out.
"Hey!" She heard Gru say, walking up to them. "Back off!"
Rod just laughed.
Gru punched Rod square in the jaw. Lucy's eyes widened. She stepped back.
Bam!
Rod punched Gru straight in the face. Gru fell backwards and didn't move.
"Gru!" Lucy screamed.
Teachers and students swarmed them. A few teachers lifted Gru and carried him toward the nurses office. She ran, trying to keep up.
"Go back to the cafeteria, Ms. Wilde." said one of the teachers, stopping her.
Lucy just stood there, stunned. She watched them carry him into the office and close the door. She looked back at the cafeteria and saw Rod watching her. He smirked.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and she turned her head. It was Ms. Melandrano.
"Come with me." She ordered.
Lucy followed her. They came upon Ms. Melandrano's classroom. She sat down at her desk and gestured toward the chair in front of it for Lucy.
"I don't think that Mr. Gru assaulted Mr. James out of mere jealousy, Ms. Wilde." She stated. "I think there's more going on here than that."
Lucy sat, stunned.
"Would you like to tell me?" Ms. Melandrano prompted.
Lucy didn't move.
"I think that Mr. James touched you, Lucy." She said, after a few seconds.
"How did you know?" Lucy stammered.
"You're not the first girl." She continued. "I've been trying to catch him for a few years now, but I've never had someone who's willing to give a testimony against him."
"Wait? You want me to-" Lucy trailed off, tasting bile. She swallowed. "I can't."
"Lucy," Ms. Melandrano said, in a suddenly kind voice. "Have you talked to anyone about this? What about your parents?"
Lucy didn't answer. Ms. Melandrano didn't look away.
"My parents died." She whispered.
Realization flooded Ms. Melandrano's face. She knew that there were a few students from that orphanage. She hadn't realized that Lucy was one of them.
"Listen, Lucy." She leaned closer. "He should have never done what he did. But, you can be a part of making sure that he is brought to justice for that. Please, Lucy."
Lucy slowly nodded and Ms. Melandrano stood up. They walked into the principal's office, and Lucy told her story. When she finished, the principal cleared his throat.
"We will investigate this story further. Thank you, Ms. Wilde. However, I will still be suspending Mr. Gru."
What? No!" She protested.
"This is not his first infraction. I had believed that he was cleaning up his act, but clearly I was wrong."
No. That wasn't the Gru she knew.
"Excuse me, ladies." The principal stood up and walked out.
She walked out into the hall and looked around. Everything felt wrong. Things had been so good this morning, but it all fell apart so fast.
Then she saw him. He walked out of the nurses office, accompanied by a very short woman with tall hair. She started to run toward him when he turned around. He looked at her, then turned away and walked out.
