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Leighton's Beauty & the Beast (Myah // Weiss)

"Pfft. That roundabout shit suits you way more than me. I'll pass on it. Later, Lexie." Giving a shrug, he would raise an eyebrow when she mentioned roommate emergency. He didn't think to get his sweater back from her, but that wasn't something particularly important. She could keep it for all he cared. Turning back towards the male's hall, he headed for his own dorm room to spend the rest of his day.

- - -

When she had walked in, the scene was just as she might have expected. Just Julius in her bedroom, in fact he was sitting on her bed and looking around aimlessly. Nicola was nowhere to be seen, but that was also to be expected. Once she had walked into the room, his blue eyes shifted onto her visage and down to the sweater that she was wearing.

"Did you enjoy the bath?" Seems like he got information like usual, in a creepily fast way. He didn't even need to be involved in the incident where the girls had ganged up on her to know, everyone confided in him because the brothers were just universally trusted. Standing up, he paced over until he was behind her before kicking the door close behind her and returning to sit down on her bed, thighs spread and his arms leaning back against her mattress. Even if she told him to fuck off, the chances of it working successfully were close to zero. It was only him as well and in an odd sort of way, he was far more violent with her than Alexander had ever been.

"So let's talk a little, Lexie. You give me what I want, I leave you alone. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Brainless bitch like you can get it, I'm sure." Leaning back, he kicked his leg up on her bed and folded his arms in front of his chest. It was a sign of complete confidence. Someone like her wouldn't dare touch anyone like him.

"You're easily the most hated person in this school right now, Lexie. We can fix that. A few strings pulled here and there is all we need. You apologize for everything you did publicly, we'll say that you did it all for attention. Then I'll silence anyone who tries to mess with you. Go ahead and look at the writing on the wall, it's your best option." Sitting up, he paced around her carefully before yanking on the sweater she was wearing, forcing her face to face with him. He knew her wardrobe well enough, that wasn't part of it.

"...That way, you can keep whatever dumbass you're fucking right now. You mess with me even a little, I'll make sure that guy won't even so much as look in your direction." Glaring straight down at her, he finally loosened the grip on her sweater before taking a step back. Everything about his interaction leaked arrogance. He didn't know who the sweater belonged to but his dominion was supreme. Anyone in this school would bow to him if he said to.
 
Lexie was silent. Gaze never seeming to waver from the boy before her, the boy who ironically was her best friend less than a week ago. "You want me to apologize? You want me to...say I made it up?" She echoed, a little dumbfounded. Why did he say that as if he were expecting her to actually go through with it? To act as if everything was normal again? She shook her head. "No, I don't care about being hated. I can handle it." Lies.

She jumped as he stood behind her, swallowing. The tug on the jumper was more than enough to leave her swiveling around to meet his heated gaze. It wasn't until he spoke about whoever she was fucking that she let out a laugh. "I have a feeling he won't listen to you." She hummed. That she was confident about. Ryder wasn't like anybody in the academy, he was his own person. Made his own choices. And he'd already made it clear that he wasn't a huge fan of the brother's.

"If that's all you came here for, you can leave now." She murmured, taking a step back the same time that he did. She wanted to be as far away from the man as possible. She didn't mention the sweater belonged to Ryder, or that he could never easily kick Julius's ass. Perhaps it had more to do with wanting to keep him a secret than anything. She wasn't even too sure they could be called friends but either way, she didn't want anybody ruining what friendship they were on the verge of creating.

Especially not Julius Taylor.
 
It was no exaggeration to say that her reaction to his offer was met with complete and utter disdain. His eyebrows creased, the glare on her deepening. The look on Julius' eyes seemed to be complete and utter disgust, as if the mere thought of her rebelling against him was something that was unbelievably unsightly. She was just an ant crawling along his shoe, waiting to be splattered. His fist balled up a little tighter, taking one step forward until he was right in front of her. "Lexie. Watch out for yourself, alright?" Cold anger spilled off his every word, a hand reaching forward to cup against her cheek and give her a few pats. Suddenly, his hand drew up to her hair before gripping tight along her scalp and yanking her back and up so she was staring straight into his hate-filled eyes. She really was so fucking disgusting...

"Because I am going to make sure I break you." Shoving her back, he turned away from her before heading for the door. "Oh and I probably don't need to say this but don't talk to my brother or our friend circle ever again. It won't end well with you." Effectively excommunicating her, he shoved the door open and slammed it behind himself, leaving her along in her room once more along with the sting along her scalp from having been treated roughly by the blond asshole.

- - -

The next few days were brutal. Exclusion had taken a step up into complete harassment. People would corner her in hallways or after class ended just to talk shit to her, push her around, make her feel like complete garbage. Some incidents had been so blatant that it was hard to believe that not a single teacher of hers had noticed anything. Maybe they did, maybe they were just turning a blind eye to her. Another period ended, the hallways were the worst. They were more or less completely unmonitored. Crowds adored ganging up on her straight out of the classroom as if everyone could just use her for their stress relief.

"Hey. Fucking move." Before she could get cornered by the one or two regulars that loved to fuck with her, the familiar figure of Ryder broke through the crowd and shoved them apart. "Hey. Lexie. When are you giving my sweater back?" He immediately stiffened when his dark eyes fell on her figure. She looked terrible. Maybe not physically from any wounds that showed, but it was more or less obvious that everything seemed to be taking away from years of her life at this point.

"...Shit." He spat out under his breath, feeling a little awkward all of a sudden. "Hey- is this your last class of the day?"Softly, he started up with her again. Was it pity? Something like that... even for as much as she might have fired back, it must have been hard enough on her. Death from a thousand cuts was something agonizingly painful when everyone seemed to have it out for her.
 
Hours Lexie had spent in the shower that night. Hours she had scrubbed at her skin for attempting to wash away the memory of him again, attempting to wash away the hardened stare he cast her with. It was only two hours after he had left that Nicola waltzed in, she never spoke though. Part of her knew that her friend knew something had happened, something had gone on between the Taylor's and Lexie, and despite that nagging feeling, she never did push it. Something the brunette was more than thankful for.

She hadn't slept that night. Or every other night after that. An hour was probably the longest she had gone, making coffee her best friend. She wasn't sure why she cared so much, or why she let him get under her skin the way that he did. Maybe it was the way he excluded her as if she had done something wrong. Maybe it was the glares she received seconds after stepping foot out of her dorm. Or maybe it was the hushed whispers that followed her every movement like a swarm of goddamn flies. They were everywhere.

The brunette had lost a decent amount of weight at this point, not enough to make her a skeleton, but enough to know she wasn't eating properly. That was another thing she couldn't quite understand. Why she wasn't able to keep a decent meal down. Perhaps it had something to do with her stomach always being in knots from the constant anxiety she felt. She refused to believe it was because of the way a certain group of girls had stared her down, simply because she refused to believe that she had let them affect her that much.

Besides she had coffee so she was very rarely ever hungry.

By the third day - she was a mess. That was putting it lightly. She wasn't physically hurt or anything, there were no bruises. Apart from the small bags under her eyes which could resemble some type of markings depending on how you looked at it. That was more from the sheer exhaustion than anything though. Because she was exhausted. She was so fucking tired. Tired of the looks and the taunting whispers, tired of the shoves and giggles.

Her entire life Lexie had always hated the thought of being invisible. But now? She wanted nothing more.

Ringed fingers gripped the Styrofoam cup, gaze flickering back from the mass of students to the singular voice that called out her name. The voice of the boy she hadn't heard from in a while. Who she had...missed. Blowing out a breath she offered a tight lipped smile. "I'll bring it tomorrow! Is that okay? Only I didn't trust that I'd be able to return it dry." She mused, stifling a sigh.

Pity. Was that what she saw flirting through his gaze? Fucking pity. Still, she didn't say anything, instead offering a silent nod. She didn't want his pity, she didn't need it.
 
In perhaps the most ironic way of all, he gave her a look that he fucking hated. Had anyone so much as glanced at him with even a shred of that expression, breaking their nose was the first most viable option and the second was shit-talking them until the only thing in their eyes was an edge of pure hatred. "It's fine. If you need to keep it a little longer to dry it, go for it. I have a couple of others I can wear." Ryder hadn't come this way to snap at her for borrowing a single sweater, it mattered to him so exceedingly little. Running his hand through his hair, he was beset by a wave of awkwardness. Something wasn't quite right between them. Of course... they hadn't known other to know what was wrong and right between the two of them but it didn't feel like the first few interactions they had.

"Listen..." He started up, just to swallow his words back up in his mouth. Eyes were resting on top of them. He had become aware of it from the very start, that people were watching him from a distance almost as if they had been told to by someone. It only served to piss him off even further and he was quick to snap if he gained so much as a grain of evidence to berate someone. Those stares made an itch build up on his skin and along with it, the urge to throw a punch was quickly building.

"Ugh. I hate this shit... let's just fucking go already. I don't care if you have another class after this." Tossing one of the dirtiest glares he could over his shoulder, he reached forward before grabbing her wrist. Now that he was in here, there was nothing stopping him from just leaving her here in this swarm of piranhas and maybe she would've just preferred that. However... that wasn't something in Ryder's style. Everyone in this school, or rather, most of them just annoyed him to an incredibly degree. If helping her out could let him get back at them, he would've done exactly that.

"Come on, Lexie." Once more, he gave her a small tug, hoping that she would just come along with him. There was the option to snap at him but if she did that? Not even a single second would be wasted for him to return the same 'fuck you' he had given so many times to her before and just like that, turn on his heel to sulk out of the classroom, scaring everyone who was hanging around in the doorway in the process.
 
A small part of her was relieved that he wasn't in a hurry to get the sweater back. For some reason she found the material to be oddly comforting, whether that be because he owned it, or because the sweater itself was soft, she wasn't sure. She was hoping the latter, though. She didn't want to believe that she was warming up to the stone-cold bad boy of Leighton. Not that she ever thought he'd consider her a friend. Though...he had protected her more times than she could count already. Another part of her knew they could never form a friendship simply because of Julius and Alexander.

Ryder might not care, and might be the first to throw a punch, but that wouldn't stop her from feeling guilty if they decided to gang up on him, too. Everyone has a breaking point, and perhaps she feared they'd be his.

As well as her own.

The brunette froze almost the second she felt his fingers clasp around her wrist. Within the span of a few seconds she darted away, swallowing. "Don't touch me." She ground out, fingers tentatively grazing her wrist. Not even a second later she blew out a breath, offering him a sympathetic smile. "Sorry." She murmured, she hadn't been able to handle being touched since that night especially by another boy. Even if she knew he'd never hurt her the way they did. That didn't stop her from trailing beside him though, keeping her head down until they gradually out-walked the rest of the students.

"Where we goin?" She questioned, lips wrapping around the straw of the coffee cup, her gaze never once wavered from his own.
 
He tensed in the moments that she slapped his hand off, his expression contorting as if he was just about ready to turn on her as well. Luckily, that outcome wouldn't come to pass and the look in his dark eyes would soften once more. "...It's fine." Mumbling that under his breath, he continued out of the classroom and felt immediate relief at the fact that finally they weren't being circled by a mindless number of those drones. For a moment he was afraid that awkward, thick silence would build up between them but he couldn't do anything to break it. Instead, he just glued his eyes to his feet and continued walking. So long as they got out of this school, it wouldn't matter-- he could figure something else out. It seemed like she was far better at pushing through these things, within moments she spoke up to him.

"No fucking idea. I heard there was this damn good food place from a friend of mine. Want to try it out?" It seemed that even in a place like this, she hadn't been his only friend. Or maybe he had known others who lived in the city. Regardless of what the case was, he continued down the campus grounds and into the city. It hadn't dawned on him that she was having trouble eating and keeping things down for the current moment but admittedly he had never seemed like the type that had been sensitive to these topics.

For whatever reason, the grimace on his face never did seem to fade. He continued to turn to her moment after moment as if he was about to say something just to become increasingly more annoyed and go silent. That strange back and forth and growing tension would finally spill with a sigh. Stopping her in the middle of the road, he turned to her.

"Hey. I'm sorry. About grabbing your wrist, I mean. The way you reacted pissed me off, but that's more my problem than yours. It's bugging me still so I'm going to apologize for it, alright?" Ryder knew he could be irrational, it was why so many people hated being anywhere within a ten foot radius of him. If he could get his eyes on them, there was no doubt that he could worm some bullshit excuse into snapping at them.

Once more, he turned back towards their destination and started to walk again, the awkward mannerisms and body language fading from him in that moment.
 
She was afraid in a way - of how he would react. It would've been nothing to any other person, but with him...being rejected the way he was, she figured had to of triggered something. Unless he had more control of his anger than he was letting on. Though she wouldn't call punching and attacking guys with glass bottles control. But who was she to judge? The moment he mentioned friend her interest peaked. Silently a brow arched, lips pursing.

What kind of people would he befriend? He didn't seem much like the talking type, so definitely not anybody sporty or athletic. Was he the kind of guy who purely befriended girls? The preppy cheerleader types? No, she couldn't see him being friends with anyone like that either. What was that pang at the pit of her stomach? Was she...jealous? No. She couldn't be. What was there to be jealous of, anyway? She wasn't even too sure the two of them were friends, let alone could ever be something...more.

Lexie blew out a breath, running her clammy hands along her jeans. "Yeah sure." She murmured offering a tight lipped smile, though it looked more like a grimace than anything. How was she supposed to play this off? She very much doubted he'd notice or even care that she hadn't eaten anything properly in a while, but the thought was still there. The brunette had always loved food, perhaps a little too much sometimes, but she had been blessed with a fast metabolism therefore you could hardly ever tell she ate her feelings.

Which was why it was all the more weird that she could barely keep anything down now. Or was incredibly conscious of what she did eat.

Was now the time to come to terms with the fact that she was letting those girls get to her? That their comments actually stung and she wasn't the bad-bitch she deemed herself to be?

No. She could be in-denial for a little longer.

Her gaze flickered to his as he came to a halt, pausing as he did so. He was...apologizing? She faltered, lips parting as if prepared to say something, before she paused once more. "It's okay," She finally breathed, both shoulders raising in a care-less shrug. "You didn't know, yeah? There's nothing to be sorry for." But that didn't mean she didn't appreciate it.

She trailed behind him, gaze flickering to him every so often before she blinked, averting brown hues. You're something else, Ryder.
 
Once they were far off from the campus, it felt far more refreshing. They didn't need to worry about stares from every direction once they broke out past a street corner. Everyone passed them without so much as glancing at them. "God... it feels fucking great to not have the paparazzi around like some type of locust swarm. The little fuckers." Weight that was normally slamming down on his shoulders from how thick the tension was in school was nowhere to be found now. In fact, she would see something he hadn't normally shown anyone. His lips slid up into the corners of a smile. A soft grin that felt all too unorthodox on his face for how often he loved scowling.

It was another three or so blocks until Ryder peeked his head into a hole in the wall restaurant. Pushing open the doors, the insides were completely empty. There were two bright red tables with a handful of black chairs lining around them. One glass display was in between the kitchen area and the sitting region of the restaurant. In the kitchen there was one lone man. Grizzled with silverish hair dying his otherwise brown, short haircut. At the front counter was a far younger man in his thirties.

"Hey. What can I get you two?" Flashing them a smile, he waited for them to order. The menu behind him showed the place to be some sort of Italian-themed place. Pastas, pizzas, soups, risottos... there was no lack of what they could've had. Ryder didn't waste any time to order something for himself.

"Give me two plain slices, thanks boss. As for her..." Glancing back at Lexie for a moment, he waited for her to say something. "...not into this type of food, Lex?" Without even noticing, he tacked a cuter nickname onto her as if it was a testament to how comfy he had become with her so quickly after meeting her. "I'm paying so you can get what you want if that's what you're worried about?" Tilting his head down a little towards her, he glanced into her eyes. Of course, without her actually saying anything to him there was no way that he would've been able to tell what the problem was.

To a guy who's first option was kicking someone's ass, reading people was a skill he severely lacked.
 
To her surprise the brunette bit out a quiet laugh, nodding a single time. "Maybe you wouldn't have such an audience if you were better behaved." She teased, completely kidding on her end. She liked the way he was, the way he showed himself in front of everybody. He wasn't fake like most people, and wasn't one to bullshit his way through everything. His main emotion might've been anger but at least he showed it. It was refreshing. She faltered momentarily the second she caught sight of the soft smile, a smile she hadn't seen on him before. A smile that was beautiful.

She didn't understand why he didn't smile more often if that was the view everyone would be blessed with.

It wasn't until they made it to the small cafe that she paused. Would he be comfortable if it was just him eating? Before everything had gone to shit Lexie had never enjoyed going out somewhere to eat if she was the only one eating. She didn't know why, but it was something that made her uncomfortable. Would it make him uncomfortable too? There wasn't anytime to contemplate before they were pushing their way through the doors. It was a cute place, she had to at least admit that. And funnily enough she hadn't actually been there before. Which was unusual considering she was always at some type of restaurant beforehand.

Lex.

The nickname was what had the brunette's gaze flickering to Ryder, brows furrowed. Lex? Did that mean the two were finally friends? You don't give nicknames to people unless you're friends, do you? Clearing her throat she offered a polite smile. "It's nothing to do with money," She paused, lips pursing. "I'll just take a glass of water though, thank you." She offered the man a bright grin, somehow managing to mask the slight hurt that fluttered at his assumption about money. Was it something she gave off? Did she look like the type who struggled financially? Or was she just overthinking things..again?
 
Dark brown eyes met her own gaze for a few moments. It wasn't often that he stared straight into her eyes and whenever he had, it usually was a glare. This time around, he gave her a look that she wouldn't have seen on his face before. Between indifference and anger, any other emotion was more or less impossible to see on his expression. Reaching forward he planted a hand on top of her head before shaking it around a little. "You can't survive only running on caffeine and water, you know. Eat something light, Lexie. We're the only two here." Rather than using her nickname again, he turned back to her real name. Maybe he had misinterpreted the way she had turned his offer down as something other than her own appetite. Regardless of what the case was, he wouldn't push any more than he already had. Moving over to the table, he grabbed a seat and leaned back in it.

Another air of silence between them. Whenever she had been with Julius or Alexander, starting a conversation was as easy as breathing. Ryder on the other hand? It was clear he either struggled a little with making small talk, was just completely disinterested in it, or was just massively fickle with her. If she did even the smallest thing to set him off, it was easy to see in his interactions. He was like some sort of feral dog. The silence that hung between them would've finally been interrupted with the ringing of a phone. Not hers, but his. His expression hadn't changed as he dug into his pocket to pull it out but when his eyes saw the caller his face immediately soured. "Be back in a bit." Mumbling under his breath just shy of snarling, he took the call and stepped outside the restaurant for a moment.

The second he was out of sight of Lexie, he took the call just to hear deep breaths.

"...Ryder? I said to pick up as soon as you could, didn't I?" A woman's voice. One he had been all too familiar with. However... there wasn't a shred of affection that would've normally followed that familiarity.

"I did. That shit didn't even ring three times before I picked it up."

"Watch your mouth young ma--"

"Fuck you. Why did you call me? You haven't gotten a single complaint from the school and I told you not to call me unless that happened. We had an agreement."

"I did get a call from your school and don't you fucking dare use that tone with me. You've caused me nothing but trouble since you were born, there isn't a single day that goes by that I don't wish I could just aband--"

Cutting the call off, he was just two seconds short of smashing his phone into the ground into a million bits. Even then, he wouldn't be satisfied until he stomped on it a few times. He wasn't being civil. But fuck her, he wasn't going to show a shred of respect to someone who didn't even respect him. Stepping back inside, the look on his face was comparable to the first few days she had been with him. The food was already getting served up on a tray. Without even bothering to look at Lexie, he moved up to the front counter before tossing the money along the counter and planting his hand on the tray.

"Make it to go." Waiting about a minute for the guy behind the counter to hurriedly stuff it into a paper bag, Ryder grabbed it before turning for the door, only then seeming to remember she was there. "Lexie..." What to say? He didn't want to particularly explain anything. Ryder didn't want to get angry at her either. Resting a hand against his head, he scratched it feverishly.

"...I'd like to leave." Finally, he settled on that lamely, hoping that she wouldn't get uppity with him.
 
Within minutes of Ryder disappearing, he was back with yet another sour expression. She had to assume whoever was on the other end of that call was the reason why, after all, she had yet to actually do anything to piss him off. I'd like to leave. Lexie's brows drew together, her lips pursing as she barely nodded. "Oh right." She murmured, thankfully able to hide the slight disappointment in her tone. It seemed every-time the two took a step forwards they ended up taking two backwards. She hated it.

But she would never admit that out-loud. Instead she rose to her feet, shuffling the chair back beneath the table before clearing her throat. Truthfully she didn't know exactly whether he still wanted to hang out with her but by the way he attempted to leave beforehand - clearly forgetting she was there - he had to of wanted to be alone, right? Either way the air felt thick now and she didn't have the energy to keep up with him or fight for a conversation. She'd rather take her leave.

Had she of known the observation he made about how easier it was to communicate with both Julius and Alexander, she would've agreed. They were easy to strike up a conversation with, but this wasn't about them. They were a different story now, a story in which she wished to burn the chapters. Offering a stiff smile she shuffled towards the door before turning her gaze to meet his. "I'll see you 'round campus then, yeah?" She mused, having no desire to wait for his fumbling excuses, if he even wished to dish any out.

Without another word, she pulled the door open and was gone without another word. Perhaps it was harsh for her to act like that - but she was both a little mad and upset. It wasn't his fault, of course. He had skeletons in his closet much like she did, they were both fighting losing battles in their own right. But she had a tendency to let emotions overrule her and this just so happened to be one of those moments.

It wasn't until she reached the Academy's open doors that she faltered. Gaze latching onto the blonde bombshell of a woman. The very same one she had spent years competing with over the attention of both Taylor brother's. Both for very different reasons, it seems. She wasn't alone though. Not when Alexander stood beside her, another few groupies scattered around. They were a group that you'd immediately dive away from if you ever saw them heading down the path towards you, a group in which most people envied.

Green hues met brown ones. A smirk curving her lips upwards as a single manicured finger gently tapped Alexander's shoulder, nodding in the direction of Lexie.

"Didn't take you long to jump in," Lexie mused. "They pay you or what?" Strong words coming from the woman who wanted nothing more than to be away from the situation.

"What?" Savannah mused, brow arching. "The same way you paid them to fuck you?"

Lexie visibly winced. Clenching her jaw she took a step towards the entrance, no longer interested in interacting with either of them.
 
He would deal with her sometime later. As far as expressing himself went, he was clearly a cut below everyone else. Wrapping everything up in a nice, tight bundle underneath a glaring exterior was nothing short of excellent coping for someone like him. Even as she left, Ryder said absolutely nothing and headed out after her soon after, making sure they took different routes home so he wouldn't have to run into her.

On her way back, the all too familiar group would meet her in the halls. Just as the blonde shot back at Lexie, her path was blocked by Julius. "Running your mouth again? You just love causing shit for everyone, don't you?" Now that there were so many eyes on them, Julius didn't dare to act the way he did in private. Grabbing her by the hair, threatening her, calling her a worthless little bitch... but the look in his eyes was still the same. Complete disgust met her hazel hues.

"Lexie. You need to have weight to throw it around. I'm saying this for your own good. Keep your mouth shut and your head low, got it? School doesn't tolerate lying little troublemakers like you." So easily, he seemed to transition into a goody little two-shoes when he had an appearance to keep up. Julius kept her way blocked, shoving in front of her whenever she might've tried to slip past him. At the very least, she knew that she couldn't be assaulted while his groupies were around... but at the same time, it seemed like he would stop at nothing to shove her into the mud just to make himself look a little better. Her ticket through came in the unlikely way of her second tormentor.

Alexander's hand rested on top of Julius' shoulder to pull him aside. "Let her through." Earning a dirty glare from Julius who smacked his hand off, the twin sulked off towards Savannah after muttering something under his breath. It wouldn't end right there, however. As she went in, Alexander would follow after her quickly.

"Hey, Lexie... do you have some time? I want to talk. Just us two. Julius won't be there, promise." Following after her, he would wait until they were close enough into the dormitory hallway to stop in front of her. "It's fine if you don't want to do it face to face. Just take my number again so we can text. Come on. This situation is terrible for both of us. The two of us made a mistake, I'll admit it, but it's not something we can come clean on. Or let you expose. So let's work something out, alright? I don't want to ruin your high school life either."
 
Even with the group surrounding her all she could think about was Ryder. And it fucking annoyed her. Why was she so focused on him? Why did she care so much? He probably didn't think about her half as much as she did him. Something about him was off though. He so easily became angry that it was impossible to actually do or say anything to and with him. For that very second she hated whoever had been on the other end of that call.

She halted when Julius spoke, lips parting in an attempt to say something, before she clamped them shut. She had nothing to say to him, not right now. He was only acting the way he was now because of Savannah. And for the first time in her entire life she was actually grateful the blonde was there. She wanted to scream. How the fuck were they both okay with claiming she was still lying? Why would no one believe her? Surely if she were lying she would've confessed by now - after seeing all the backlash she got instead of them.

Let her through.

The brunette didn't even waste a single chance before she was through the doors. She didn't send any appreciative glances towards her ex best friend, she didn't even glance in his direction. He was just as bad as Julius, if not, worse. He had been the one to fuck her first. She halted when he spoke up, coming to a stop before her. Brown hues blinked. "You...want to talk?" She spluttered. A deep breath was all it had taken to calm herself, though. Goddamn she had so much to say and maybe that was why she coughed out a laugh, shaking her head. "You want to talk? Okay, let's talk right now."

This situation is terrible for both of us.

Lexie stared at him. Was he being serious..? "It's terrible for you?" She mused, eyes glinting. "No. Fuck that. You don't get to act as if this ruined your life you fucking asshole." Perhaps lashing out wasn't the best way to go, but fuck was she angry. "How about the fact that I lost two of my best friends? Or let's talk about how the entire Academy hates me?" She let out a laugh. "Oh wait! How about we talk about how I haven't eaten properly in weeks and every single time I close my eyes I see you and Julius fucking raping me!"

She took a step back, a step away from him, shaking her head. "I don't want to work something out Alexander." She didn't. She wanted to somehow expose the two fuckers for the vile creatures they were, and she would. "I can deal with the Academy hating me, I leave in a few years and when I do? You and your brother are going to rot in prison. Perhaps you'll get fucked up the ass, at least then you'll understand my pain."
 
The interaction had gone just about as well as he had expected. It was still baffling to him that she didn't quite understand that she had no power in this situation. "Are you finished with your little justice fantasy, Lexie? Listen... it's not going to go down like that. Here's the more likely option. You wait until high school is over, rendering your rape kit or whatever the fuck you took worthless. It'll be your word against ours. Assuming you do somehow make a viable case against us, which you won't, we won't do any time in prison. That's how this country works. The people who have money get out quicker. Listen, Lexie..." Letting out a small sigh, he pressed a hand against his temple. The situation was bad for both of them but the simple fact of the matter was that she was in a considerably worse position than they were. Getting through high school would've been the worst thing she would've ever gone through.

"...you've slept with over a dozen of the men in your school year. You're known for liking it rougher. Maybe not pain-wise, but we both know you like the other guy to take the lead. Let's say, for example, the testimony of fifteen men for your usual behavior Lexie, opposed to a completely clean slate and record for the two of us. Circumstantial evidence doesn't work in court, but it does put results in context. Do you want to take that chance?" He kept his voice a little lower than usual, making sure the conversation only remained between the two of them. It wasn't something explicitly stated, but he knew that his little friend here wasn't going to bother admitting that she had next to no way of winning this.

"If you work with me, I clear your name. We don't need to go back to how we used to be, but you won't need to go through high school being treated like disposable garbage. This isn't a question of who's right or wrong. Either you take my offer or you go the route that's worse for both of us. Come on, Lexie... at least be a little reasonable. See the writing on the wall. This isn't something where you get anywhere close to your ideal outcome." Unlike Julius who seemed all too eager to grab her by the throat and put her in her place, Alexander seemed to take a much less aggressive approach in trying to convince her. It didn't seem like he was interested in showing her any pity.

"Think about it, okay? And while you're at it, keep that fucking guy in line." Shifting over, his blue gaze caught sight of the all too familiar figure of Ryder looming in the hallway-- sitting back against one of the seats and staring dead into his back with a glare that could tear skin. "I'm willing to help you out because I do still care for you, regardless of what you think-- but if that idiot back there keeps attacking everyone like a rabid dog, he's going to be in far hotter water than you are right now. Julius really doesn't like him. Just be careful, alright?"

It seemed like his comfort was rapidly dwindling considering their conversation was being monitored. Despite looking reluctant, he pulled back and kept his head down before leaving the dormitory the same way he had come without ever once making eye contact with Ryder. That dark gaze would meet her own for just a moment, almost as if to acknowledge that she was alright. Standing back up, he left towards his dorm room once more without so much as sparing a single word towards her. He hadn't been angry at her, that much was clear from how he was watching the interaction go down almost as if to make sure nothing was going to happen to her.

- - -

Later down the week, Lexie's and Ryder's encounter on the very first day of school would've finally caught up to both of them in the form of detention. It was simple but menial labor, helping a teacher to set up for a lab, hauling textbooks from one closet to another, or just otherwise cleaning up a dirty classroom. Their task that time around was cleaning up a few classrooms every day for about a week... but maybe one silver lining to that was the fact that they had to do it together. After all, they both got detention for the very same thing.

"I wonder if this constitutes as slavery..." Grumbling something, he dragged over a seat from the nearby desk before standing over top of it to get to the dusty top shelf in one of the classrooms. Maybe it had been coincidence but the seat that he had chosen was none other than the one that Julius used in that specific classroom. "Don't clean it after I'm done up here." Calling back to Lexie, it seemed that it was, in fact, very intentional. Wiping the dust off from the top shelf, he hopped off and then glanced up at the nearby clock. Almost an hour and thirty to clean this damn place... what a waste of time. He really didn't want his mother to get another call though.

"We done? Let's clock out for today. I hate being in this school for even a second longer than I need to." Ironically enough, his every action seemed to involve putting him into a situation where he would have to spend even more time in Leighton due to detention or other similar disciplinary actions.
 
Your word against ours.

It'll be your word against ours.

The people who have money...get out quicker. He was right. Fuck he was right, wasn't he? If she did manage to make a case against them they wouldn't be behind bars for that long. You're known for liking it rougher. She swallowed, wringing her hands out nervously in front of her. Work with me. I clear your name. That was her best bet, wasn't it? Either that or she went through the last two years of her life being treated as if she were anything but human. Could she do that? Just pretend like they never did what they did? No she couldn't. But what other choice was there?

Keep that fucking guy in line.

A small smile twitched at the corner of her lips the moment brown hues shifted towards where Ryder sat. Despite how they had left things earlier he still somehow took time out of his day to glare Alexander down. No doubt waiting for the moment he'd have to step in. However, that moment never came. Alexander always had been the weaker brother, the lesser of two evils. Perhaps she'd of needed his protection had it been Julius in his place. "Nobody can keep him in line," She mused, eyes glistening. It was true. Even if she could, she wouldn't of wanted to. She liked the way he was. Besides why would she listen to him of all people? A scoff fell from her lips before she could stop herself. "Oh yeah?" She snapped. "What's he going to do? Piss himself and cry police again?"

- - -

"It definitely does." She commented, brows knitting together. Ringed fingers gently ran along the surface of the teacher's desk, lips tilting in disgust. "You'd think the classrooms would be cleaned better." She muttered, wiping her fingers along her skirt. All she had done for the past few days was overthink Alexander's offer. And she would be lying if she said she wasn't leaning towards accepting it. Maybe it wouldn't take away the nightmares, or the fear of being in a closed bedroom. But it would stop the constant harassment and that's all she wanted right now. All she wanted was to forget it.

Forget anything ever happened.

If only it worked like that.

"Yeah," She nodded, tossing a used tissue into the nearest bin. "Alexander told me to keep you in line the other day," She suddenly commented. Sliding her arms into the woolen cardigan she had stolen from Nicola, she offered him a grin. "Apparently Julius can't stand you and if you continue you'll be in far hotter water than I am right now."
 
"If I was the janitor of this place, I wouldn't want to clean for these worthless little shits either." Tucking all the cleaning equipment under his arm, he headed over to the closet outside in the hallway before tucking everything in neatly. Pulling the key out of his pocket that was given to them by the teacher, he locked the closet and left it with one of the security guards of the building before preparing to leave with Lexie. "What's the blonde rat going to do? Suspend me? If they had any balls at all, they would say that shit to my face instead of skittering around." Giving a wave to the security guard as they left, he headed onto campus with her. The brisk, cold air of later September would make him shudder just a little. He still hadn't gotten the sweater back that he lent her...

"Lex, you're hoarding that sweater pretty hard. Almost like you're subtly goading me to haul your ass over to laundry with me. You want to go together?" Considering he had always been rough and tumble, even his mannerisms of effectively asking her out somewhere was completely jagged. "I won't run away this time. Promise. Last time was just unfortunate timing. You know that I wasn't mad at you?" Still, instead of offering her a restaurant or maybe even a park, out of all places he seemed to choose a laundromat as if he just wanted to get his sweater back.

Making their way back towards the dorm, he stopped in front of it and glanced over at her. When they walked next to each other, he was always reminded of how much smaller she was compared to him. She might have had a bite, but she really did seem so tender next to someone as massive as Ryder. "...Do you get mad when I call you Lex?" Ryder started up with the topic, not yet willing to go inside the dorm. Their interactions always seemed to end when they headed in there.

"I don't know. You pissed me off a lot at the start of the school year. I'm surprisingly into the way you bite back now. It's a little bit like an angry chihuahua." Giving her something that could neither be described as an insult nor a compliment, a small smile spilled across his face again. "Anyways, are you heading back in now or...?" Suggestively, he turned away from the dormitory.
 
Lexie laughed. "Believe me he won't say shit to your face." Julius had always been fake like that. Always so eager to talk shit behind backs but never say anything to their face. With Ryder's reputation she very much doubted he would anytime soon. She crossed her arms over her chest, trailing beside him. "He only corners those he thinks he'll get away with. You'd probably kick his ass before he so much as advanced on you." She didn't like basically admitting that she was weak, but she was. To someone like Julius at least. She was never able to stop him each time he latched onto her hair, or when he choked her to near unconsciousness.

The brunette faltered, clearing her throat. His sweater...She hadn't forgotten she had it, in fact it was the very opposite. The article of clothing was the one thing helping keep her sane as worrying as that sounded. It was comforting, a prime reminder of the boy who had already paved his way into her heart. Something she didn't really want to give back, but, she couldn't keep it forever. Not without asking for it. And embarrassing herself. She arched a brow at his question, a sly grin toying the corner of her lips upwards. "Well..." She mused, brown hues flickering to his shirt. "You could do with washing your clothes, anyways." She teased.

You know I wasn't mad at you?

She did know that, and she wasn't mad at him either. Upset, yes. But not mad. She was upset for unfair and selfish reasons though. Just because she wanted to spend time with him. She came to a halt, brows furrowing at his question. "No," She shook her head. In-fact she loved that he had picked up the nickname for the mere fact that it meant they were getting somewhere. They might've been getting there slowly, but at least it was something. Her nose scrunched as she tilted her head to the side, almost as if surveying him.

However all train of thought came to a speeding halt the moment his lips parted again. Chihuahua? Did he just call her a dog? A pout spread across her lips, head shaking a single time. "Take that back right now!" She couldn't deny that she found the concept somewhat cute, but chihuahua's were all bark and no bite. They were the cute angry breed of the species, and honestly..she thought herself as more of a rottweiler if she had to choose a stereotyped violent dog. "I could kick your ass right here right now! Don't test me." She warned, turning on her heel.

Unbeknownst to him, she was also in the same mindset. Every-time they entered the dorms she was either greeted by one of the brother's, or by a group of students who thought themselves to be the shit. She didn't want their time to come to an end, not yet. "No," She murmured. "I don't wanna go back yet."
 
An amused look spilled across his face. The same smile she was seeing all too many times, yet it would curve into something ever so slightly more malicious the moment she dared mention kicking his ass. "I could fold you out like a mat in under a minute. Don't get snippy with me, I called you a chihuahua because you're more cute than you are aggressive." The growing urge to shit talk her was there as well but he didn't quite know where his dry sense of humor would land her with him and admittedly? He didn't want to fall back to the very first step after progressing with her so surprisingly quickly. When she mentioned not wanting to leave, he gave her a bump with his shoulder on his way to turning around, mindful not to grab her or touch her.

"Let's go then. No need to stand here with your mouth open, waiting for some bullshit to happen to you again. City's way safer than this rat den." Anywhere near his side was far safer for her, though she had probably realized that without him needing to say it. "I don't really know anything about you, Lex. What do you do to keep yourself entertained before shit went down?" Admittedly, she didn't really know anything about him either. Dark brown eyes met her lighter gaze as he leaned down to wrap a strand of her hair around his finger and give it a small tug. "This stuff sorta pisses me off too, Lex. I won't whine about how you're handling this situation. I'm not in your shoes. I don't know shit about this place. I don't know any options. But I hate the idea of you having to take this shit without being able to do something about it." Maybe it was frustration at her. More than likely, it was probably just annoyance at this place for messing with a woman that was quickly growing on him.

He continued to walk along the path away from the campus grounds and into the city. His thought was to grab more food but that was quickly dashed by what happened last time. Ryder hated doing things that left a bitter taste in his mouth. Pulling his phone out, he swapped to something before showing it to her. "Movie, maybe? I was planning on watching it alone since most of my friends are in the town over but I'd be more than down to watch it with you if you'd be willing." The title seemed fairly recent, some slow-burner emotional films about romance.

"Of course... we could just go to the laundromat since you're such an uppity little dick." Her sly little comment about him needing to wash clothes wasn't something forgotten, just stashed away. At some point he would probably make fun of her too about her smell, even if it was embarrassing to admit that he loved her natural scent already, among so many other things.
 
Lexie arched a brow, pursing her lips in thought. "You really think you could beat me?" She wondered, though, she knew he could. She hadn't ever been the violent type therefore she never thought to take part in lessons that would teach her self defense, she knew nothing about kicking somebody's ass. Let alone somebody as...active as him. But still, teasing him was starting to become something of an achievement for her. Simply because it meant they had come that far. Ryder wouldn't of stood for any of this the first day she met him - hell even yesterday he probably wouldn't of. Something had changed between them, and boy was she there for it.

Perhaps that was why a grin stretched onto her lips this time. A grin much like that of the Cheshire cats. "You think I'm cute?" She mused, eyes twinkling. City's way safer than this rat den. She knew for a fact that neither of the Taylor's ever went near the city. They had everything they needed in their small cooped up town, why would they? Though that wasn't why the city was safer for her. She had seen how everybody reacted whenever Ryder was beside her, nobody would dare try anything. A sheep was always better cornered alone, never when it was with a pack.

The brunette froze. Brown hues fluttering ever so slightly. Part of her wanted to scream at him for touching her again without consent but...the other part of her enjoyed it. She enjoyed being this close to him, if anything she liked it. Clearing her throat she offered him a shaky smile, her gaze flickering from the strands of hair wrapped around his finger, to his face. "I didn't do much," She admitted, voice a low whisper. Aside from constantly shadowing the brother's, she kept to herself. Unless she was fucking somebody of course. "I used to draw," The statement had been enough to surprise even Lexie. Nobody had known that about her. Nobody had known that her dream had always been to be a tattoo artist rather than a lawyer, nobody had ever known that her daytime outfits used to consist of fabric covered in a multitude of different coloured paints.

And now somebody did.

Well he knew some of it.

Lexie pulled from his embrace, blowing out a breath. "I have it under control," She murmured, finally. Should she tell him her plan? About how she was thinking of taking Alexander up on his offer? No, he'd just be pissed. It'd ruin both their moods and they'd be bumped back down again. "Whatever rumours you hear about me, they aren't true okay? Just remember you saw me that night, and I would never lie about that." No doubt if she took him up on his offer, it'd circle around the school how she lied about being raped. And she didn't care about what other's thought of her, she cared about what Ryder thought of her.

A grin. "We could watch a movie but I'll have to warn you that I'm very easily distracted and will not be able to shut up." It was one of very many reasons why Nicola had never gone to see a movie with her. She had a bad habit of whispering and fidgeting. But she couldn't help it - if something happened in a movie she had to talk about it or tell somebody, whether they were sat beside her watching it or not. She halted, lips parting in a slightly over-dramatic way. "You did not just call me that!"

The laundromat meant going back down into the dorms to actually receive the sweater..and she didn't really want that.
 
Maybe to her, the words she spoke to him were pivotal. To not heed the words of anyone else... but immediately they were met with a laugh. "You really fucking think I'm going to listen to someone else's opinion, don't you? Man... that really is the cutest. Pisses me off too, though." For better or for worse, he only believed things he saw with his own eyes. No one else was reputable, not a single other person... especially those that were his age or those who were authority. They had the biggest reason to lie to him. The sour look in him didn't spread out onto his expression, leaving it in the aftermath of his laugh with a grin spread across his features.

"Oh so now you're telling me that you can't shut up?" His tone was ripe with sarcasm, leaning down to shove his forehead against her own in a firm little power play again her. Considering that her personality seemed to bleed out the moment she became comfortable with him, he understood more and more about who the legitimate Lexie was. Underneath all the pressuring was someone radically different than what the school was trying to turn her into. He was attracted to it. The way her eyes seemed to brighten up, or how she seemed to have just the right amount of sass to her tone. How she seemed to push up against him with words, almost as if she was fearless. He knew she wasn't. It was just comfort. Something that could only be built up after showing her that he wasn't out to get her and it felt damn wonderful to him.

"Alright, alright. We're not fighting anymore. Let's go." Putting a close over their banter, he walked in front of her now in the direction of the theatre. It had only been a few days but he already figured out most of the places to be in a city like this. It wasn't as large as the one he was originally from, the people here weren't as social either. But hopefully, for the next few years, it would be the place he could consider home. Dark eyes glanced back at her, taking in her figure again. Short, she'd fit just right in his arms. Her eyes were beautiful too. The same went for her hair. She was certainly a looker but the most alluring part was easily the way she replied back and forth to him. Even then, he couldn't help but wish the tension was a little thicker in the air between them. ...Maybe it wouldn't be that bad if it was with her? Those thoughts poured out of his brain one by one, but he locked them away. It was dangerous to think that way. Especially about a woman he doubted would even be comfortable getting close to him at all. Turning away from her without saying a word, they continued their walk.

Within a few more minutes, they finally arrived at the theatre. Showing his student ID at the counter seemed to get them half off, so he bought the tickets for both of them. "No complaints, right? I was going to watch it myself anyways so it's the same either way. But if you're going to force yourself to pay me back, I'll park my ass outside your dorm room and wait." Despite what little she knew of him, that likely wasn't an empty threat. Making his way to the correct theatre, he sat down on the assigned seat and stretched his legs out with a small sigh. Time to just enjoy some free time with her. He even went so far as to turn his phone off before they entered the theatre, not that she would've known or seen.

They had seats on the edge of the row, Lexie being exposed with Ryder to her left. Even with the lights off, it was easy enough to see his hulking form and even the warmth of his arm next to her own. "If you start playing footsies with me, you can bet your ass that I'm going to make you scream out loud in this theatre." Resting his feet next to her own, they waited about another ten minutes for the ads to roll by until the movie finally started. No matter how much she fidgeted or whispered, he was on the opposite spectrum when it came to watching. Silent and completely focused on the movie for certain parts... even if a decent bulk of his attention was on the girl next to him. It was rare he got to see her in a situation like this, where the entire world didn't seem out to get her. In all honesty, if a single date was all it took to take her mind off of school, he would've happily made it a reoccurring thing. Seeing this side of her was more than worth the time.
 
The one thing Lexie had come to realize about Ryder was that everything seemed to piss him off. She couldn't blame him, though. The world was a shitty place full of shitty people. If she wasn't such a positive person, everything would probably piss her off too. She was thankful that he didn't question why she was suddenly bringing that up, or why she was all but begging him to believe her over anybody else. It was a mistake, maybe agreeing to clear the brother's name, that much she knew. But fuck, she couldn't do it anymore. A person could only take so much before they snapped.

He pushed his forehead against her own and she wanted to squeal. At least, on the inside. It hadn't been that long ago he was glaring and cursing at her, and now they were play fighting? Or well..playing, she wasn't too sure whether what they were doing could be classified as fighting. But it looked as if she had done it. She had finally cracked through his cold exterior. Did that mean they were friends now? It sure as hell did to her. And it was a friendship she was going to cling to because she didn't have very many of those lately. A pout tugged the corner of her lips upwards. "Are you implying that I talk too much?" Brown hues narrowed, though she couldn't help the grin that toyed at her lips.

Dick.

The walk to the theatre was a silent one, but it wasn't the uncomfortable kind. It was the kind of silence that didn't require words. She was surprised at how well he seemingly knew the city already, it had taken the blonde at least a year to fully remember the directions of places she'd need to go. It impressed her, but that wasn't a shocker. Everything about Ryder seemed to leave the girl in wonder. The way he just didn't care about anything, or the way he'd easily protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Like his roommate. The kids back at the Academy portrayed him to be an asshole who needed anger management, but goddamn he was so much more than that. Her gaze snapped to meet his. What are you thinking? Their eyes met. She cleared her throat, averting her gaze almost immediately.

Finally arriving, she barely had time to protest before he was paying for both their tickets. Arching a brow, she pursed her lips. "You wouldn't get through the doors," She teased. But unlike the sweater, the money was something she would be giving him back. The sweater however...Honestly she wasn't even sure what movie it was they were watching, but she didn't care. She wouldn't ever pass up the opportunity to hang with Ryder. Maybe she's getting a little too attached.

It took everything in her to stifle the laugh that wanted so desperately to break through as he spoke. "Don't threaten me with a good time," She mused, brown hues twinkling. This was the first time in weeks that she had been this close to anybody - she thought the brother's had ruined intimacy for her but...it was different with him. Maybe part of it was because she know Ryder would never do anything to hurt her. You thought the same about Alexander. And Julius. No. If Ryder wanted to hurt her, he would've done so already.

She wasn't going to let her mind ruin this for her,

Lexie had always been a talker during movies. It was why nobody had ever gone with her. But it wasn't her fault; she got excited easily, and if something drastic happened, she had to let whoever she came with know. Despite them seeing the exact same thing as her. She stretched, gaze never leaving the screen. All she could focus properly on though, was the boy beside her. And the warmth that came with being so close to him.
 
Slow burner had been no exaggeration when used to describe the movie they were watching. Everything seemed so meticulously consistent with the little day to day encounters of the heroine and her love interest. The story had its ups and downs in what started out as a hateful, tense relationship between a girl and a boy who took a painstaking amount of effort to terrorize and abuse her. It was mostly underhanded bullying, starting out with scenes in their earlier elementary school years before quickly fast forwarding into a high school setting. No matter what was happening, Ryder's expression never did seem to change from the stoic stare he had while facing forward. Eventually the first scene that finally broke his stoic visage finally came along.

~

"Heads up, bitch." With one slam of his palm, something was applied up against the heroine's blonde hair. After pulling back, it was revealed to be some sort of gum. Due to the way he pinned it up against the back of her neck, all he got was a shove from the girl.

"Can you fuck off already?!" Whipping over to him, she growled right up against his smug looking expression as he held his hands above his hand innocently, as if he was the victim. Everything about how he tormented her was just perfect for evading punishment. From his two-faced persona to the way he handled his body language in front of others, it was an unwinnable battle.

"Yikes, babes. Is that any way to talk to a classmate? Guess I can't expect much from an uppity little dog like you." Shrugging, he turned his back to her despite the seething stare he was getting and walked out of the room. Eventually, she managed to gather herself up and leave as well.

~

The grip of his palm on the seat tightened uncomfortably, his face tightening just a little. Nothing audible left his mouth, but his lips shifted just a little like he muttered something under his breath. The same reaction showed when the heroine eventually felt the hardened gum on her hair and began to freak out before having to cut her hair painfully short. "...Dumbass." Mumbling again, he settled against his seat once more and that momentary discomfort in his physique was immediately straightened back out. Ryder continued to watch in silence, the movie taking another skip over to their college years now after the mental warfare of her high school years.

The next sequence of the movie was based around reconciliation from the two, as well as the slow, messy process of the girl eventually coming to forgive the boy. Everything finally ended with an all too sentimental kiss starting from the first place where the two had met each other at the start of their lives. Once the credits started rolling, Ryder finally stretched his legs out and let out a long sigh. "Fuck... finally. Even if it ended like trash. The journey there was nice." Rubbing his neck he loosened his tense frame after sitting so long.

"She should've slapped him across the face when he tried to hook up with her. I would've loved the movie if it went that route." His eyes shifted over to her now that the theatre lit up, eyes resting over her entire face and then down to her hair. "My shoulder feels a little warm." He mentioned, rubbing against her shoulder softly with his own. The way it tingled made other parts of him heat up, not that he would ever admit that to her.
 
Lexie wasn't a huge fan of the movie, perhaps it would've been a little more interesting had it not gone down the route it did. She never understood girls who fell for their bullies, or somebody who had dedicated their entire life to tormenting them. Personally, she could never see herself doing any of that dumb shit. Though she'd never admit it, the movie hit home the tiniest bit. What with all the bullying and teasing. Her gaze never fell from the screen, her mind, however, was elsewhere.

Alexander had been right, it would be their word against hers. They would believe the brother's over her, especially with her...reputation. If they managed to get some of the guys from their year to speak out? She stood no chance. That wasn't what stung the most though, it was the fact that Alexander didn't seem to care when he was talking her out of anything - it was all for his benefit, not hers. He didn't care that she was destroyed, or that her confidence had taken a hit. Or that she couldn't even look at her reflection without wanting to breakdown.

They had ruined her, and they didn't care.

Much like the boy from the movie had ruined the girl. Both physically and emotionally, and yet she still fell for him. How?

She blinked as the credits finally appeared, turning her gaze to Ryder's just as the lights came back on. "Not really," She quipped, offering a slight smile. "She was stupid for falling for him, for forgiving him, even." The brunette stifled a yawn. "Can you imagine someone making your life hell for the better half of your life and then falling in love with them?" She wanted to say it was unrealistic, but honestly, she didn't know if it was. They had to have seen it happen somewhere to come up with such a plot. She grinned the moment he mentioned slapping him. "I agree with that." She bit out.

The brunette froze momentarily, tugging her teeth between her lower lip as he spoke. Did she just get fucking butterflies? How were they even still a thing? He touched her shoulder. She needed to get a fucking grip. Shaking free from her thoughts, she cleared her throat before standing to her feet. "The cold air will do it good," God, now she was the stupid one. "Come on, let's go." She murmured, ringed fingers delicately wrapping around his wrist in a bid to lead him out.
 
Rather than stirring, he just remained seated despite her attempt to pull him off. "Why?" He spoke up, his hand slowly undoing the grip her fingers had around his wrist before starting to play with them a little. Broad, rough fingers met her own smaller, daintier hand for a few seconds. His usually harsh expression had shifted just a little, not quite able to hold back the fake confused look he was giving. The corners of Ryder's lips had turned up in a smile and his eyes locked onto her own for a moment. "You mad at me? It feels a little tense in here." Without much of a warning, the fingers playing with her own had curled into her hand and gave a brief yank to make her spill back on the seat that she had just been in.

"If you leave, the moment will end. I can't really say I'm all for that. If you're going to end it, go ahead. Walk out. But if you're leaving it up to me..." Ryder trailed off, the hand that had just been against hers curling into her own in a way that felt like two puzzle pieces locking together. Her palm was a little colder than his, but he didn't mind. It was hers, after all. "If your hand is this cold, you should warm it up more often, Lex." They had been left alone in the now empty theatre, but it wouldn't be too long until some employees would come in to clean the place up for the next showing. "Sorry. You probably don't want this shit. Not yet, at least. But..."

Just that once, he took the chance. He didn't know if they would ever get up to this point again. Ryder leaned forward to press a kiss against her cheek. Short and utterly unfulfilling, but for someone who may have not even returned the same intimacy back, it would've been far more than what they wanted. "...Come on, let's go." His husky tone mumbled against her ear while pulling back, just low enough to barely rumble. They wouldn't have the time to do anything more now that the theatre was being cleaned up. Ryder remained walking in front of her even after they left, hands in his pocket while he headed back towards the dorm.

She's a public slut.

Getting in bed with her means she'll cry rape whenever she wants.

Not a single other girl in the academy likes her, all her friends are boys for obvious reasons.

There were any number of rumors swarming around about Lexie. About how it would be social suicide to date her, to feel any interest towards her... even the slightest scrap of compassion would be a life filled with suffering. If it meant getting burnt, Ryder would've happily charred himself. She made such a pointlessly bullshit academy seem worth going to. He doubted it would be any different even if she fully rejected him, everything that made him feel brutally upset with everything seemed far simpler when she was around.

Those were the thoughts that would be swarming his mind on their walk back, unless he was stopped by her midway.
 
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