Love is Beautiful (She's so Ugly)

Chapter Twenty Four (part two)

Yuri and Merida were happily reconnecting with each other while Leo stays irritated with his cousin. "What kind of detention is this? We're still able to make noise but just in a different room," Leo scorned, his head resting on the desk.

It didn't take a while and two new students arrived, Jacob and Lisa. Then after just a couple of minutes came Brandon and Candice.

Brandon was surprised to see them in one room. "What did you guys do? Why are y'all here?"

"We were whispering," Leo nonchalantly answered.

Brandon turned to Jacob and nodded. "What about you?"

"I threw a pen at Mr Talez," he muttered.

"Wow! What a coincidence! We all get to be in one freaking room! Awesome!" He yells in mockery and found him a seat.

Lisa and Candice sit together while Yuri and Merida too. Merida had already told Yuri about Candice and Lisa and she doesn't like them.

All of them fell in awkward silence, just secretly spying on each other. Until their counsellor steps inside the room.

"I see, new people, except for Brandon and Candice," Mr Will waves his hand at the two. Candice just rolled her eyes.

Mr Will walked back and forth, trying to guess what these A's are doing in this room. He put his hands on his waist looking straight at the A's. "Now, what are A's doing here?"

"Something that made Mr Talez send us here," Leo lazily answered.

Will nodded thinking with his finger at his chin. Yes, he probably knows what to do with these guys now. He then turns to Merida.

"You, why are you here?"

Merida's heart started pounding. Mr Will's face seemed like he was going to throw a fist soon.

"I-I whispered at class?" she wasn't sure if that's how she should respond.

"Alright..." Will didn't stop looking at Merida and that made her feel intimidated so she looked down.

The three guys with Yuri saw how uncomfortable Merida was feeling.

"You're intimidating her," Jacob told Will.

Mr Will smirked, chuckling lightly at how he's acting. He's new at the school. About three months now and he knows everyone except for the new face, Yuri. He sensed that the guys don't like him. It makes him laugh.

"You are going to clean the halls today. Our janitors are on a day off you're cleaning them." As expected they all were surprised with Will telling Merida that. They must think he's insane, he thought.

"I'll do it for her!" Three voices said at once. Mr Will find them amusing. The guys looked at each other, frowning.

"Well, you three are assigned in mopping and wiping. And as for you girls, you'll be sweeping some leaves at the backyard. Y'all are free to go to your designated areas now."

Will is a playful one; he's not so old as well. He's twenty-four, single, loves to observe people, play with their minds and critical thinking. He studied psychology online and got a bunch of certificates. A gate-pass to this school and here he is a counsellor, a sub teacher sometimes and mostly just laughing at these kids.

Everyone was on their way out when he decided to be playful. "Merida, you're staying."

They were all weirded out. Even the guys were hesitating to go but then Merida smiled at them. She stayed while everyone continues to go out. Will could read the look Merida was giving him. She was scared and it was so obvious.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything bad. I just want you to talk," he stated, sitting in front of Merida. "Calm yourself down."

She was relieved but not entirely lowering her guard down. "Talk about what?" she asked.

"I've been waiting for you to come inside my office. For you to rant and whine about your bullies and ask help," he answered. "Why didn't you?"

Why didn't she?

"Because I thought people like you are just there to hear me but not listen. You guys don't care. You just act like you do... You guys say the same things." Merida looked down. She always has that problem where she can't look at people's eyes unless she's in rage.

"Not all of us are like that. Your father wasn't like that, was he?"

The mention of her father made Merida raised her head. "You—"

"Puff eyes, what's wrong?" Will playfully asked and laughed.

"Oh my God! Will? As in Willy?" she yells in disbelief and hugged him.

"You finally recognize the shit outta me." He hugged her back. "You still cry a lot. I've been waiting for you to recognize me."

Merida broke the hug and glares at Will. "Aye! You should've approached me!"

Will used to stay every vacation with Merida and her family until Harold died. It affected him so much and he stopped coming. He remembers Merida and him, used to be very close. He almost fell in love with her and if he did try to make a move, he would be sent to jail. He was six years older than her.

"I'm glad you're eighteen now. And I'm glad you changed your style, Love." He looks at her with unchanged emotions from before. "You just got lovelier."

"Are you trying to flirt with me, sir?" Her face taunting, her brow up.

Will knows that Merida thinks he was playing around with her. Only he wasn't.

"Indeed I am," he looks the other way and smirked. "You should stay here till they're done. Also, if you have problems or if you want me to stand up for you, ask me."

Merida nodded. And so, Will stands up, pushing his glasses and walked away. He has to facilitate some class which are too noisy.

Merida stayed inside the room just thinking about stuff. Will wasn't as like as she remembers him. He was like a brother to her.

After a while, someone opened the door and it was Jacob. She did her best to not make it seem like she's avoiding his gaze.

"What did you and that guy talked about?" Jacob asked, sitting at the far side opposite to Merida.

"Something," she muttered.

"Did he hurt you?"

That made Merida look at him with an annoying smirk on her face. "No, he's not like you."

Jacob sighed heavily. There this goes again. They'll argue and that will make her hate him even more.

"Well, just yell your anger at me. I deserve it anyway. But I swear, I'm never going to do the same mistake twice," his eyes pierced at her. It was as if almost he saw her touched by his words.

"I also swear, I'm never going to do the same mistake twice," Merida mutters, looking away.

Jacob could hear the sadness in Merida's voice. The Merida he knows is trapped in sadness. She's surrounded with hate and it's his fault.

"It won't be a mistake if I don't make my mistake..."