Mocked: A Marcel Fanfic

Chapter Nine

**A/N** Just a quick authors note to apologize for any and all grammar mistakes. These chapters are less polished than normal.



Chapter Nine


It's after school and I'm once again not looking forward to being here. Every class after lunch included someone teasing me about my boyfriend Leeroy, who not only doesn't exist, but is apparently also attending prom with me. I don't even have plans for prom. I don't care that I'm a senior and this is the year that everything counts and blah blah blah, I'm not going to that mediocre joke.

I meet up with the rest of the troublemakers, a term I am now using towards them, at the same place as yesterday. Coach rounds the corner and tells everyone to gather up. I stand by the lockers, waiting for him to assign me a place.

"Today, we will do the same thing as yesterday. Same places. Except you Bryce, you're switching to help the swim team. There's been several complaints as to you being the one in need of tutoring and not the other way around." I snicker, that's definitely not shocking. How he ended up in my advance literature class is beyond me.

"Better watch who you laugh at, Marcel." Bryce stares me down and I fold into myself, immediately stopping my laughter.

"Listen up children!" Coach swivels, glaring at us all. "I gave you all an assignment. Now get moving!" He grabs his whistle and starts blowing it, the shrill sound making me automatically cup my ears. Everyone walks off to their designations.

Veronica joins me and we walk behind the three troublemakers also assigned to football. She suddenly grabs my arm, pulling me into an empty classroom. My heart beat picks up speed. What could she want with me?

"Let's ditch," she says, shutting the door and grinning at me madly. I gape at her. "Oh come on, Harry! Let's just ditch this hell hole. Coach loves me anyways. I can totally get him to blow it off. Come on Harry! When was the last time you did something spontaneous?"

And there's that question again. Twice in one day. When was the last time I did something spontaneous? Well the answer to that was short and simple.

"Never," I mutter, feeling lame and awkward. I rub my sweater's arm sleeve.

"Exactly! Never, Harry. That's got to be some record for an eighteen year old," Veronica laughs and grabs my hands suddenly. My palms feel sweaty in her soft hands. She beams me a smile. "So let's take your virginity!"

"Wh-what?!" I choke.

Veronica laughs louder, her brown head tipping backwards. She pushes me away from her, spinning in circles in the room. "Your I-Haven't-Done-Anything-Spontaneous Virginity!" She rolls her eyes and grabs my hand again, towing me out of the classroom. "I'm sure you've already taken care of the other one."

I stay silent as she leads me to the parking lot. I don't want to bring up the fact that I hadn't lost anything at all. It's kind of hard to when no girl ever gives you the time of day.

We end up at my car and Veronica crosses her arms. "Well? Aren't you going to unlock it?"

"Right," I say and open the car. She slides into the passenger seat and I know we're actually ditching punishment. Part of me is excited. The other ninety percent is screaming for me to turn around and go back. "Maybe this isn't a good idea," I tell her. I'm worried that the coach will be angry and report us to the principal. And if that happens, my mother could be notified. And if she-

"Harry fucking Styles! Would you stop ignoring me?! God, you'd think I was asking you to jump off a bridge. I'm sitting no less than two feet away from you, and you have the fucking goddamn audacity to ignore me?!" Veronica grabs my tie and turns me towards her.

She's angry and the only thing I can think of to say is, "You know the word audacity?" I expect her to yell at me, scream at me for asking such an idiotic question.

But instead she laughs and let's go of my tie. "I'm not an idiot," she rolls her eyes and buckles herself in. "Now drive, Harry," she dictates and I start my car.

I drive under her direction. She points where to turn and I do it without asking questions. As we drive she turns on my radio and leaves it on some rap station with songs I've never heard before. Mother would not like the high volume at all. She'd tell me about how my ear drums would be permanently damaged. But mother isn't here right now and I can listen to the music as loud as I please. The feeling of it makes me feel excited.

Veronica points excitedly at the next right turn, saying that we're almost there. She won't tell me where we're going, but I'm sensing it involves a beach.

I'm right. I pull up beside a large expanse of a deserted beach. There are no cars parked and I don't see anyone on the beach. This couldn't be where she wanted to go.

"Where's everybody?" I ask confused, parking my car.

Veronica gets out of the car and I follow suit. "This," she holds out her arms, the wind blowing her hair back, "this is an escape from hell." The way she says it makes me feel like school isn't her only listed hell.

She suddenly takes off running down the beach sand, screaming and laughing like a six year old at Disneyland. I walk after her, hands in my pockets, feeling completely out of place. I don't go to beaches. I've never been allowed to. Mother believed that beaches were filthy places, that they were the only type of water poor people could afford to swim in. If she saw me now, I wouldn't be allowed to eat in the house.

The feeling of complete freedom encases me and I take off running. The wind echoing in my ears and I scream at the top of my lungs. I reach down and throw sand around me, tossing it higher and higher. It gets in my hair. It litters my clothes. I scream more and more.

When I look up, Veronica is staring at me, her head cocked sideways and brown eyes watching me intently. She smiles so widely before joining me in throwing sand.

This is definitely better than punishment.

After a couple hours of just running around and throwing sand, I feel worn out. My wrist watch says its almost seven and I realize we've been out much longer than I thought. Time just goes by so fast with Veronica.

She sits down in the sand and pats beside her. I lower myself to the ground and we stare out at the ocean. "Had fun today?"

"Absolutely," I answer. "Thank you."

Veronica looks at me, her eyebrows scrunched together. Her pink full lips are pursed. "For what?"

"Helping me be spontaneous."

"Oh that. Of course. I just wanted to make sure you experience every aspect of life. You shouldn't worry so much about what people are thinking about you. Don't you think it's pointless?" Veronica lays backwards and points up at the sky. "Okay look at that star up there," I look upwards. "No silly, lay down."

I bite the inside of my cheek, suddenly nervous. I've never laid beside a girl, let alone on a beach. I lay down, the sand going down the back of my sweater.

"Now do you see that?" I follow her arm up and look at the star by the tip of her finger.

"Yes, I see it."

"That star is so bright that it can be seen even though the sun is still up. Sure, the sun is setting, but do you see any other stars? No, you don't. Because that huge star, the sun, is canceling out the light from all the other stars."

I love listening to the way she speaks. Such passion. It makes me want to press my lips against hers and feel the way they move as they shape lips.

"Did you know that the sun's light takes eight minutes to reach the earth? That would mean that it could explode, there would be no light, but when it finally hits us, it would have already been eight minutes!" Veronica exclaims, her hands spreading out ahead of her. I stare at her hands, the way her fingers curve into nails. I can only imagine how it would feel to have her fingers between mine.

"Veronica?"

"Mmm?" She smiles, turning her head to face me.

I look at the space between us. The one question that's been lingering in my mind has pushed itself to my lips.

"Why do you care about me?" I ask in a whisper. The answer scares me but I force myself to just stay calm.

Veronica smiles, making my heartbeat quicker. "Why not?" She asks back before bolting to her feet, running towards the water.

I sit up and rest my elbows against my knees, watching her kick off her sandals before running into the water, only dipping her feet in. Her answer runs through my mind repeatedly.

Why not?