The girl behind her smile

- 14 -

"What do you think?" Jasper replies, all the softness in his face had vanished.

I could feel the tension brewing between them, so I felt obliged to step in, "We met on the rink, after Riya left to go to the toilet, we just got out."

"Was he bothering you?" Zayn head turns back slightly facing me, eliciting a scoff to fall out of Jaspers mouth.

"N-no! Actually, he was helping not to become convicted with attempted manslaughter."

"You couldn't pull off a murder even if you put your mind to it short stuff." Jasper comments, walking towards my right side, before swinging his arm over my shoulder, "It's very cute you think that you can though." He says smiling.

"Did he do anything to you?" 

"Wow, you think I'd go as low as hurting her the night before Christmas? You are something else Zayn" Jasper interrupts before I can speak.

"I know exactly how low you can go, don't try to fool me." 

"Then, I think you know that you should be more worried about yourself, brother." Jasper replies, smirking at Zayn's visible anger.

"Is that a threat?" Zayn seethes.

"It's whatever you want it to be." He replies nonchalantly.

A moment of silence passes, both of them still holding each others gaze.

"Come on Izzy, let's go." Zayn begins, yanking my arm gently.

"B-but I-"

"You want to stay here with the man who has your brother on a leash?" He asks, giving me a sharp look that shuts me up

I look at him, appalled. Jaspers' hands around my shoulder grips harder, his nails digging into my skin.

"As if you're any freer than he is." Jasper sneers.

I snap out of my trance and I bring my right hand up and try to pry his fingers off me. In momentary delusion, I had forgotten about the way Ezra refuses to leave his fighting, out of fear or stubbornness I am not sure - but it doesn't matter. Jasper's words rang a bell in my mind, no matter how much he claimed he wanted my forgiveness, he was still controlling and manipulative.

"Get off me." I say lowly, "Your nails are hurting me."

Instantly the grasp of his fingers loosen, allowing me to shove it off. I wrench my hand out of Zayn's clasp and walk forward. Riya still hasn't returned, so I head to the toilets. I could hear Zayn call me from behind as I continued forward.

I make it half way to the stalls before someone grabs my wrist from behind, Zayn's pleading eyes meet mine as I try to yank my hand away.

"I'm sorry ok? I didn't want him to hurt you." 

"I already told you he didn't, I was ok." I reason, still trying to tug out of his grasp.

"Yeah, well you weren't at the ring," His voice bounces if the walls, and my urge to pull away falls flat, "And neither were you ok at the library, I saw you pass out from the migraine Eliza; migraines that were cause by him. And somehow you still find a way to be ok around him? Did you forget?"

"I didn't forget Zayn." I say gently, I touch the hand that was clenched around my own, "I gave him a chance, I don't have it in me to hold grudges or- or eternally despise someone. Eventually, we're all going to leave school one day, and before then I'd would like to stop worrying about what's going to happen at every turn, and if that means finding it in me to forgive him, then so be it."

I understood why he acted aggressively, he was worried about me. He was scared something worse would happen to me if Jasper was around, something that would be irreversable.