As soon as the bell rang, Gru took off, leaving all of his belongings at his desk. He didn't care. He just had to find her.
As students flooded the hallways, closing lockers and heading to buses, Gru's line of vision was impeded. He tried to push his way through, but no luck.
As soon as the crowd parted, he ran to her locker. Nothing. He ran down every hallway, searching. When almost everyone had gone, he found her.
She was in the art classroom, her project and supplies out in front of her. The room was empty and the lights were out. She painted by light of the window.
He slowly walked up to her. Her face was stoney. He sat down.
"Lucy?" He whispered.
She didn't respond. Instead, she dug her brush into the paper harder.
"Lucy, I'm here. What happened?" He tried again.
She dug her paintbrush in so far that it ripped the page. Then she grabbed the paper and tore it.
"Lucy, stop!" He restrained her, and saw that she was crying again. She collapsed into his arms, sobbing into his chest.
"Shh," he cooed, cradling her.
When she stopped crying, he stayed, just holding her, until 4:00.
"Lucy, can I walk you home?" He asked.
"Yes." She breathed. She hadn't planned on him finding out this way, but she knew that she didn't want to go alone.
They walked together, Lucy keeping a tight grip on Gru's hand.
"I probably should mention that I don't live in like a normal house." She began, watching him to see how he reacted.
He listened intently.
"Um, it's coming up here. You can go back now, if you want." She continued, embarrassed.
"Do you want me to leave?" He asked.
She looked at him, and where she expected to see harsh judgement, saw only concern and care in his eyes.
"No." She whispered.
They walked a little further, and then she stopped.
"This is it." She stated, hesitantly.
He looked up, and suddenly understood what she meant.
"Oh, Lucy-" he began.
"It's not a big deal. Seriously, this-" she trailed off.
He squeezed her hand.
"I'm not going away." He said, softly. "This doesn't change how I feel about you."
She nodded.
From that moment, Gru never left her side. If they had seemed inseparable before, that was nothing compared to what they were now. Every day, he walked her to school, and then walked her home. Anywhere she had to go without him, she found him waiting for her when she came out. He was a steady force, and she loved that.
