Everyone had trickled out of the classroom by the time Laura arrived. Violeta was just lifting her canvas from the easel, about to put it in the back of the class to dry, when she heard a familiar voice.
"Violeta? Can we talk? Privately?"
Her head snapped up, eyes widening slightly. But she nodded hastily, pulling her earbuds out and setting the painting down. Please don't recognize who it is… she prayed internally, before turning back to the pink-haired girl. "Sure–What's up?"
Laura looked Violeta over with her sharp, grey eyes. She pursed her lips, going over the painting Violeta was setting down.
“You’re all that he talks about,” she said softly. “Every single time we talk, you’re the only one he constantly mentions. Violeta this, Violeta that. ‘I saw her today. She looked so pretty,’ ‘She came over at my house the other day, but she threw up and I just wanted to hold her tight,’”
Violeta's face fell.
She pulled herself up on one of the desks and looked away, hugging her stomach as absolute misery overtook her expression. "I'm sorry…" she said quietly, "I know I messed up. If you've come here to tell me that, I already know. I just—I panicked. I didn't think—"
Laura shook her head.
“That’s not what I’m here for,” she said. “I want you to give him a chance. At least, I want you to think about it. And if you don’t like him, just tell him. Let him go. He’s going to keep holding on to you if you don’t cut him off first.”
"I'm scared.." she admitted quietly, unable to meet Laura's eyes. "Not of him. I've spent my whole life being told I'm unlovable, believing that he was only trying to mock and mislead me, but now he comes along with this mountain of emotions and pushes it into my hands and I have no idea what to do about it. I've never done this before. And–And it's unfair to him that he feels so strongly, but I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about him."
Violeta swallowed. "If I give him a chance, he'll be disappointed. He's put me up on a pedestal that I don't deserve. In a relationship, I'd be clingy and insecure. I've got issues. He won't want me."
“Gray has his own issues, too. But the thing is, he wants you and your insecurities,” Laura ran a hand through her hair. “He wants all of you. He doesn’t want to leave any part of you unloved. So if you give him a chance, he’ll love all of you. He’ll put you up on a pedestal that you deserve. He’ll treat you like you deserve to be treated. Gray loves unconditionally, and his love for you is no different.”
Violeta fell silent for several minutes, her focus drifting to the unfinished painting… the one of him…
But eventually, she cleared her throat. "I just–I just need a little bit of time to sort out how I feel. I'll see what I can do.. Does he know you came to speak to me?"
“No, and he won’t find out,” Laura narrowed her eyes. “One more thing. If I find out you’re only playing with him, trying to make a fool out of him, I won’t forgive you. Gray’s been unhappy far too long. I want him to be happy for once. If you reject him properly, he’ll still have a chance to gain that happiness. I can tell you’re a kind person. Don’t prove me wrong. Thank you, Violeta.”
With a nod of her head, Laura walked away.
Violeta sat there for a long time, staring at the place Laura has been standing in mere minutes ago. Eventually, she sighed and grabbed her bag off the floor. I’ve got some time to think it over…
“Gray~!” Gray was waiting for Laura when he heard her voice from behind him, as well as feeling her fall against his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he stumbled to regain his balance. “Were you waiting for me?”
Gray rolled his eyes.
“Get off, you cow,” but he held her still, bending down so she could be comfortable on his back. “Jesus, don’t choke me!”
Laura laughed, pulling on his hair for his comment. “Jerk. Oh, look, there’s your girl! Are you going to talk to her? Clear things up?”
Gray tensed from under her.
[TIME SKIP - one week later]
Violeta was having a bad day.
She hadn't really slept all week, not with the constant guilt gnawing at her. And though it sounded terribly melodramatic, it did feel a bit like the rules of her world were being rewritten. For four years, Gray had been her enemy. The boy who she thought despised her. Everyone knew them as rivals, even here, though they'd only been in college for a little over a month. And all of a sudden, he was claiming to be in love with her. Not crushing. Not liking platonically. In. Love.
He was in love with her, the fat, ugly, insecure girl from Winston Grove High School who hadn't seen her father in six years. The damaged girl.
Violeta still couldn't really believe it.
Worse still…. she was developing feelings for him. Whenever she caught sight of him in the hallways, her heart would jump. Whenever they spoke (briefly and overly polite, as if they were strangers) about their project, her stomach twisted and a light pink hue rose to her cheeks. Whenever she painted, his beautiful features came to mind.
This morning, she'd woken up starving. Apparently, one full day of not eating did that to you. So she hadn't been able to resist breakfast… an enormous one… which had left her nauseous and in shame for the rest of the day. And now it was lunchtime, and somehow, he feet had carried her towards the nearest Subway.
Violeta was hyperaware of the way her thighs moved as she stepped up to the counter to order, breathing heavily. Why was she doing this? Why was she eating again? But the damage was already done; the coins were already in the cashier's hands.
Gray sighed heavily, feeling empty despite Laura trying her best to make him smile. And whenever he was upset, Gray had the tendency to eat. Even if he wasn’t hungry, he ate.
It had been a week since he properly talked to Violeta. At least, whatever proper was between them. Everything was brief. He avoided her as much as he could. He wished he hadn’t confessed. If he had just kept his mouth shut and pretended it wasn’t her he liked, they’d probably be friends.
“Your change, sir,” the cashier’s voice entered his ears and Gray snapped out of his thoughts. He gathered the money and took his sandwich and when he moved to sit at a table, he caught sight of Violeta.
His heart soared, and then fell.
With a far-too-large sandwich in hand, Violeta made her way towards an empty table, but the meal seemed to grow heavier and heaver with every step. I can't do this… she thought desperately, palms slick with sweat, and came to a halt.
That's when she saw him. Gray. With his beautiful dark eyes and soft m—She cut the thought off, heart pounding. Suddenly, she was hyperaware of the top she was wearing, loose and short-sleeved. Could he see how bloated she looked? How disgusting? Stomach twisting, she turned away.
But just as she was about to head straight for the nearest garbage can, snickering reached her ears. Violeta turned her head and was met with the sight of a trio of girls, all staring straight at her. She shrank back. "Is–Is there something I can do for you?"
The tallest one, a slim brunette, snorted. "Don't mind us," she drawled, looking Violeta up and down. "We just found it funny how you dress so nicely like you care about your appearance, but then have such a big sandwich for lunch. It's sort of counter-productive, isn't it? You're fat enough already."
Gray wasn’t that far away to not hear what those girls said. Why had he never noticed her bullying before? He was such an idiot.
Gray clenched his fists tightly, telling himself it wasn’t his business.. Violeta could handle herself. She could. Besides, she wasn’t even his girlfriend. Why should he step in?
But when they started badmouthing her, all reason flew out from Gray’s mind. Nobody talked about his girl like that. Nobody. So Gray found himself making his way towards those girls, his eyes cold, void of any emotions. He gripped his own sandwich tight in his hold, wanting to do nothing more than chuck it on them. And spill his drink, just for the heck of it.
“Wow, is that jealousy I hear in your voices?” Gray chimed in, a forced smile on his features, his voice cheerful yet harsh. It was always easy for him to hide his anger behind these smiles. It was easy to pretend he was a cool-headed person. This time, it wasn’t. Gray wanted nothing more than to strangle those girls until his fingerprints were engraved in their skin. Until they were crawling on their knees, begging for forgiveness. “Doesn’t really surprise me, to be honest. I didn’t think all those diets and starvation would exactly help you with your Barbie doll looks. You eat mere salads, yet you are nothing as compared to her. Of course you would be jealous, no?”
Violetta stiffened when she saw Gray approach them from the corner of her eye. And then—He was defending her? Insulting them? Standing so close she could almost feel his heart beating against her shoulder?
She shot him a wide-eyed look, swallowing hard. What are you doing?
The trio of girls, meanwhile, were staring at him in shock. The tallest one, the brunette who had spoken, recovered first, schooling her expression into one of disbelief. "Excuse me?"
Gray wrapped an arm around Violeta, the calm expression on his features hardened.
“I’m going to say it just once,” he started slowly, softly, an edge to his voice. “This girl you just insulted? It seems she’s incredibly important to me. And I don’t take kindly to others hurting or bothering the ones I care for.” He paused, the look on his face turning dangerous. “So here’s a little word of advice. You touch her, you even look at her and I’ll make sure you never have the guts to show your filthy face outside ever again. Every little secret you have, I’ll expose it to the world. Do not test me.”
Violeta didn't know whether to run or press herself against his side, didn't know whether to blush or flinch away from the harsh words the girls had thrown at her. Each one pierced her skin, ringing painfully true, stirring up a whole storm of nausea and hot, burning shame… But then there was Gray. Calling her important. Saying that he cared for her. Defending her. Violeta's heart swelled in her chest.
The girls all narrowed their eyes at him, but it was clear how nervous they were. "Fine," the lead one spat, standing up. "Have fun with your girlfriend."
“Good choice,” Gray hummed. “Now get lost. I really don’t have the patience to look at your faces any second longer.”
Without waiting for them, Gray turned towards Violeta and slowly caressed her cheek, thumb rubbing circles on the flesh tenderly.
“You are beautiful,” he told her softly, lips aching to claim hers. “More than anyone in this world. You are not fat. You are not even close to it. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. And if anyone ever does so again, I’ll ruin them for you. I won’t let them badmouth you again.”
Violeta's whole body weakened. Somehow, she stayed standing, her hands finding his biceps and gripping them tightly so she wouldn't fall. Never in her life had she ben in such a position, with a boy's hand on her cheek and his mouth inches from hers. Her body was pressed against Gray's, and his touch was so soft, and so caring…
Her eyes flickered to his lips.
"Gray…" Violeta tried to speak, tried to thank him, but her tongue had gone numb in her mouth, heart pounding so loudly that it drowned her thoughts out. "I—"
Loud, shrill ringing erupted from her pocket, causing her to jump in surprise. Her phone—she fumbled to pull it out, cursing at herself for not leaving it on silent. The moment slipped away…
"Dana?" She shot Gay a flustered, apologetic look. "I can't really talk right now–"
Her mouth was so close. So painfully close. Gray almost closed the distance, especially when he caught her eyes flickering to his mouth. Or when her hold tightened on his arms.
But then a loud, ringing voice interrupted them and he pulled back, eyes wide in alarm. That nearly gave him a heart attack. It also ruined the perfect moment. He wanted to keep holding her like that.
“Is everything okay?” Gray asked softly when he noticed her freezing, abruptly cutting off whatever she was foing to say.
Her sister, her amazing little sister, sounded panicked and afraid. "Dana?" she breathed, brow furrowing. "Dana, what's wrong? What happened??"
"It's—It's Dad. Violeta—he came back—"
Violeta nearly dropped the phone. The blood drained from her face, utter terror flooding her body. "Shit," she cursed, though her voice trembled. "Shit. I'll be right there, how long ago did he—"
Loud voices from the other side of the phone interrupted her; Dana was putting the phone on speaker so her sister could hear.
"Am I not allowed to see my daughters??" A man's voice demanded, rough and painfully familiar. Violeta bit her lip so hard the skin broke. "Arian, stay away from us—We don't want you here anymore. Six years, Arian, six years without you here, and now you decided to show up?"
A heart-shattering crash followed.
"Dana? Dana, listen to me. Hide. I need you to hide, and don't make a sound. Dial 911 but don't press 'call' until something serious happens. I'll be over as soon as I can—Promise me you'll stay safe."
"I promise," her sister choked out. "I promise."
Violeta shoved her phone in her pocket and turned towards the door.
Gray stared after her in surprise, but grabbed her arm before she could get away.
“Vy? What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly. “Are you in trouble? Is there anything I can do to help?”
"I—I need to get home," Violeta stammered, flooded with adrenaline and anxiety. "Before something happens. Unless you have a car, there isn't anything you can do." She pulled her arms from his grip, just about ready to run all the way back to her mother's house.
Gray didn’t have a car. He cursed, running a hand through his hair.
“I can come with you,” he said urgently. “What if you get hurt?”
Violeta was breathing heavily by now, images flashing before her minds eye. All the horrible memories… they were all rushing back. "Do—Do what you want but I need to go, now." Her voice was saturated with urgency; clearly, she wanted to get on the road as soon as humanly possible.