Halley was still wondering what went through her head when she accepted going back to school a day before she had to, in fact, she could take the rest of the week off if she wanted to, but Sam had to go back and she had begged her to not leave her alone, so now she was getting ready to go to school
'We'll be together. What could go wrong?'
But she was second guessing her decision when she accidentally caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was shirtless, a bandage still wrapped around her torso and under it there were a trail of bruises that went all the way to her back. She was surprised they weren't broken, she guessed she was thankful for that. There were fading bruises on her face, the were subtle and all that was left of was a soft yellow color.
After she got tired of looking at herself she quickly put on a sweater and thought about putting some makeup on but then realized that she didn't have the energy for that.
She and Sam were supposed to meet inside, but quickly realized that she had made a mistake when she got up from bed that morning. She started to look around trying to find a familiar face but everything became so overwhelming that she had to look down.
Suddenly standing there fear washed over her when she realized that neither Erick nor Angela had been expelled from school like Tory was, and the mere thought of seeing them today made her freeze in place, she was so not ready for that, she wasn't ready for anything that was about to come really. She also knew that standing there wasn't gonna make things better.
She looked up once again and started walking forward and up the stairs. She tried to keep herself calm and her breathing controlled, but it all went to shit when she came across the hall where her fight had ended. Her mind went blank and her body went cold
'This can't be happening to me'
Her hands started shaking and her sight blurred, she hated it, feeling so vulnerable. And she knew nothing was happening and she was technically safe in the school but her mind was playing tricks on her, she kept reliving the moment, hearing their words and feeling the pain.
She didn't know how long she was standing there, but she knew it was enough tha if someone saw her they'd thought she was crazy, and honestly, she wondered if she was. Her mind was still blank but something inside of her was screaming to move, to leave that hall. Unconsciously she took a step back and then another one followed by one more. She kept going backwards for a few seconds before turning around and running the other direction.
With shaky hands she managed to open the door of the closest bathroom. When she entered, her legs gave out, she fell to the floor and dragged herself to the corner of the room. She brought her knees up to her chest and closed her eyes tightly. She was drowning in fear and she couldn't seem to remember how to swim. Seconds later the door opened making her jump in her place
"Halley, are you here?" It was Demetri, and she swore she never felt more relieved to see anyone. He had one of his hands covering his eyes and he was facing the complete other direction to where Halley was "I-I saw you run in here" he could tell she was upset when he saw her enter the bathroom and for that same reason he didn't know what to do, he was terrible with feelings, if it was any other person he would have turned around and walked the other way, but it was Halley. He felt like he owed her something, the girl had stuck with him through everything, she always stood up to him and made him feel better after all of the nasty looks and comments. Halley LaRusso was a kind soul and Demetri would be damned if he'd let her suffer alone
"You can uncover your eyes. There's no one else here" she whispered just loud enough for him to hear
"Oh, right. Hmn...." he looked around and sighed when he saw the girl curled into herself "Hey..." he went to sit beside her leaving enough space in between them to not overwhelm her. She appreciated that
"Hey..." she whispered back
"I'm glad you're back" he smiled softly "And....You don't have to worry, Erick and Angela are still suspended for a week" the mere mention of their names send a shiver down her spine, but she was glad she didn't have to deal with them so soon. She nodded at him wanting to smile back at him but it looked more like just a twitch in her lips, he understood though "Also, did you know I'm popular now?" she knew what he was trying to do, he was trying to get her mind away from everything, it was what she did whenever someone was overwhelmed, it usually worked. She raised her eyebrows waiting for him to continue "Yeah, turns out I just had to kick some asses and now boom" he made the motion of an explosion with his hands "Suddenly girls are interested in me" that made Halley smile, it was barely noticeable but it was there and Demetri didn't miss it "It was always that easy apparently" he continued, he would stay there the whole day if it meant that Halley smile would keep growing
⚘
Hello, hello
Honestly, Demetri and Halley's friendship is so wholesome that it melts my heart. I absolutely love their dynamic.
Also, I know Halley has been really quiet the last chapters, but that's all part of the trauma and PTSD that the fight caused her, not to mention that she revived the trauma Erick had left back when they were together.
We'll get our Halley back in a few chapter #trust