forget what you thought

Liana listened to Luke quietly, staring ahead at her friend as she walked. “I love you, too,” she told him quietly, “More than anything. I’ll stay in contact and I’ll see you in class and in detention, so just… Don’t worry too much, okay?” She smiled weakly, hating the thought that Luke was being dragged into the mess. “I love you,” she repeated before hanging up. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she picked up her pace to catch up with Melody. “Mel, hey,” she greeted, forcing a cheerful tone as she offered a small grin, trying to appear as normal and carefree as possible. “How’d parent-teacher conference go?”

Michael blinked with Melody’s words, though he shook his head quickly. “Baby, you’re not putting me through anything,” he assured her, “This is a problem we’re facing together. Fuck, I’d walk through Hell and back for you, sweetheart, because you’re worth it. You’re worth everything - this, the love we have for each other, it’s worth fighting for, you’re worth fighting for.” He smiled slightly, hoping to assure her, wanting to make sure she’d be okay, even if he was anxious about what what could happen at lunch. Still, he didn’t want Melody to worry anymore about that. “Keep in contact. I love you, too.” But, when she hung up, he sighed and rubbed at his face before he grabbed his things to head inside.

Melody paused slightly with Michael's words, feeling tears come to her eyes as she stared at her phone for a moment. Coming to her senses, Melody shoved her phone into the pocket of her jeans, not bothering to keep it in her bag in case she needed Michael faster than she thought. Hearing Liana's voice though, Melody turned and forced a smile, clearing her throat. "Hey, Liana!" She grinned, walking beside her best friend, but almost hyper aware of the people surrounding them. "It went great." She smiled. "I couldn't of asked for a better result. How did things go for you?" She asked with a smile.

Luke walked to his classroom, paying extra attention to his usual surroundings. The whole situation had him on edge, he couldn't deny that, but he knew that it was all so worth it to be able to call Liana his, and he knew he would do anything to be able to keep Liana to himself. Although Luke had to remind himself, come lunch time, that he wasn't to be violent or aggressive towards Lucas, because the less evidence the boy had, the better. Hell, Luke wasn't even worried about the consequences if it all came out, because Liana was worth more to him than this job. Biting his lip as he set his bag down, Luke welcomed his first class for the day.

Liana looked to her friend, watching her for a moment. Something seemed off, but she didn't want to mention it, because she worried about having to drag Mel into her own mess. “It was good,” she told her friend instead, offering a smile. “Mom and Dad were really proud.” She made sure not to mention Luke, just in case Lucas was around and listening; the less ammo Lucas had against her and Luke, the better. Shifting, she looped her arm through Mel's as she headed to the class they shared together, putting on the best happy facade that she could manage. “Honestly, I'm ready for the weekend already.”

Michael ran a hand through his hair as he entered the classroom, trying to appear as nonchalant as he could. If he drew as little attention to himself as possible, if he acted as innocent and inconspicuous as possible, it would help to appear convincing that he was unbothered and carefree when it came to Robert and his accusations. He wasn't at all worried about what would happen to himself, but he didn't want to make things difficult for Melody. It was her last year of high school and he knew how stressful the final year could be without all the added issues. Looking to the students who walked in, he offered a smile and greeted them all, just as cheerfully as he normally would, trying to appear as normal as possible.

Melody noticed that Liana wasn’t as enthusiastic as she normally was, and she offered her a sympathetic gaze. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but she still wanted Liana to know she was there. “I’m glad it went great!” She smiled, squeezing Liana’s arm with pride. As they entered their History class though, Melody scanned the room for any sign of Robert, un-tensing as she saw he was absent. “Me too,” Melody nodded. “I might get my tattoo that Dad promised me,” she shrugged with a small smile, sitting in front of the class, different from the usual back seats.

Liana smiled with the feeling. “I’m glad yours went great, too,” she told her friend happily, nudging her gently, “Especially if it means you get that tattoo. I know how much you’ve been wanting one.” She grinned slightly, though she paused at the doorway of the History class for a moment, peeking in to make sure Lucas wasn’t there. After making sure he wasn’t, she breathed out quietly and made her way inside, slipping into her seat next to Melody. “Any idea what kind of tattoo you’re planning to get?” Setting her bag down, she got her notebook out so that she could try to take notes, but she was sure that she’d end up too distracted to focus on class.

Melody smiled at Liana as she got her textbook out. She wasn’t too concerned about her grade for History, knowing she was teetering on the edge of an A. “Michael and I want a matching one,” she explained quietly so no one would hear her. “A small musical note on our wrists.” She smiled with the thought, playing with the hem of Michael’s sweatshirt anxiously. “Well, how about you? What was your reward for your great result? I know how proud of you your Mom is.” Melody smiled, wanting to shift the conversation away from herself and Michael. Looking up as the door opened, Mel paused as she saw Lucas and Robert walk in together.

Liana blinked with hearing Melody's words, though she grinned slightly. “Oh, that sounds like it'll be adorable,” she hummed out quietly, happy for her friend, “You two are so cute, you're killing me.” And, really, she hoped her friend could stay as happy as she was; it was wonderful to see. She blinked, though, and shrugged. “I don't know. I didn't think about a reward and my parents didn't suggest anything.” Before she could say much else, though, she froze when she saw Lucas and Robert, her heart dropping, sinking, but she averted her gaze and tried to regain her composure, looking back to her friend. “Maybe I'll ask for new art supplies or something.”

Melody nodded and ducked her head when Robert and Lucas passed their table, getting a bad feeling from the both of them. Seeing a can of spray paint poke out from Lucas’ bag, Melody frowned further, but didn’t question it, instead opting to look at Liana. “I’m gonna get you to commission me a tattoo one day.” She smiled at her best friend, trying to seem unbothered by the presence of the man who had been stalking her for her whole time at high school. Although she didn’t bother to text Michael, knowing he’d be teaching, Mel studied Liana and noticing she was just as uncomfortable. “Are you okay?”

Liana smiled with the mention of it, trying her best to ignore the guys, tensing when Robert and Lucas sat behind them, but she kept her smile. “I'll gladly commission a tattoo,” she hummed out, “Just let me know when and what you have in mind.” She winked teasingly, trying to keep up the facade as much as she could. Chewing on her lip, though, she shifted and pulled out her phone, slipping it to Melody so she could see the texts and pictures from Lucas. “I'm fine,” she assured, trying to be as convincing as possible in case Lucas was listening in, “We have an exam in Math and I forgot to study, so I'm stressing a bit, but I'm sure it'll be fine.” She shrugged but watched her friend, noticing Mel's discomfort seemed to be a little easier for her to see, reminding her of how she'd seemed off earlier. “Are you, though? Okay, I mean?” Hearing a clattering, though, she peered behind them, seeing a spray can fall out of Robert's backpack and her brows furrowed slightly in suspicion.

Melody blinked in surprise as she read through the thread of texts between Liana and Lucas, unlocking her own phone to show Liana as she continued to read, her frown deepening. "I'm okay." She nodded, locking Liana's phone and slipping it back to her, along with her own phone. "Just uh, feel a little sick..." She trailed off with that, shifting in her seat as she heard a clattering, seeing the spray paint can on the floor, studying it for a long moment before her gaze flickered to Robert, and back to the spray paint can. Frowning, she turned to face the front again, playing with her hair to distract her shaking hands.

Liana slipped her phone back into her pocket before she focused on Melody’s texts, a small frown forming on her features. She could feel an anger building in her for her friend’s sake and she slid Melody’s phone back to her after locking it. “We could go to the nurse’s office after class, see if there’s anything the nurse can give you,” she suggested, though it was mostly for show. Shifting, she leaned forward in her seat, wanting to put as much distance between herself and Lucas as possible.

Melody nodded. "Maybe we can go now?" She tried to put a bit of a strain on her voice to make her 'sick' act seem a little more convincing. She wanted to get out of the classroom, feeling suffocated and uneasy, especially upon seeing the spray paint, thinking that the little twerps could of damaged Michael's car, or Luke's car, to come to that. Taking a deep breath, Melody raised her hand and explained to the teacher was feeling sick as she approached. Getting their permission to leave, Melody looked to Liana as she stood, picking up her bag and waiting for Liana, not wanting to walk out first and leave Liana behind.

Luke let out his class of Juniors early, deciding now was the best time to go and splash some water on his face. His concentration for the whole class had been non-existent, to say the least, and his own artwork wasn't the best example to teach an impressionable class. Still, Luke knew he would have to pass Liana's locker to get to the bathroom, and he knew, by looking at her student ID on the system, that her grades in History were fantastic. As that thought slipped his mind, Luke hoped that she would be let out a little earlier. Locking his classroom door, he checked his phone as he made his way down the hall.

Liana nodded slightly to Melody’s suggestion, waiting anxiously, wanting to get out of the room and away from Lucas, worried about what he and Robert were up to, especially with the paint cans. When Melody got permission, she was quick to stand up, grabbing her back to slide it over her shoulder. Without missing a beat, she grabbed Melody’s hand and led the way out of the room quickly, breathing out in relief the moment she was out of the room and the door was closed behind them. “Holy shit,” she muttered, scrubbing at her face. “I swear, I’m gonna go crazy.” Frowning slightly, she rolled her shoulders, aching from how tense she was, and looked to her friend.

Michael scrubbed a hand over his face as he sighed out, dismissing his class after a bit. He hadn’t been nearly as enthusiastic or as interactive with the students today, and he hadn’t bothered to get involved in helping out with the instruments, but he couldn’t help it; he’d been so worried about Mel, about what Robert could be planning, that he couldn’t even think about focusing, much less actually do it. Standing up, he made his way out of the classroom, locking the door, just desperate to get some air, but hopeful to catch even just a glimpse of Mel to make sure she was okay. Dropping his gaze to his phone, he thought for a moment before he texted her. I let my class out early, so I have some free time. Are you okay? Since she hadn’t checked in yet, he needed to know; he wanted and needed to be there for her.

"I know exactly how you feel," Melody murmured, rubbing the back of her neck anxiously. "This whole thing, Li, it's put me on edge." She frowned. "I don't understand, I don't even know what Robert wants!" She frowned, still keeping her voice quiet as she approached her locker to swap her History textbook for her music textbook, pausing suddenly as she saw words sprayed on in black paint. "Oh no..." She rushed over to get a better look, seeing WHORE sprawled up her locker. "Shit." She hissed, but feeling her phone vibrate, she saw Michael's name, texting him a photo of the locker. Today could be better, not gonna lie. She looked to Liana. "You need to go and check your locker." She told her.

Luke got to the bathroom, splashing water onto his face, running his hand through his hair to straighten himself out. He knew that the lesson he had with Liana was going to be a difficult one, considering all he wanted to do now was go and find her, hold her close and let her know that he was there for her, that he wasn't going to let this ruin the only good thing he had going for him. Fishing his phone out of his pocket once more, Luke dropped a text to Liana. Hey gorgeous girl, I miss you. I dismissed my first class early, I'm looking forward to seeing you. How's your morning going? He frowned with his final question, because she hadn't text him, and he was concerned that Lucas had tried, or maybe even succeeded, in hurting her.

Michael dropped his gaze to his phone when he saw Melody’s text and he felt his heart twist with concern. What happened? Do you want to sneak off somewhere for a bit, get some air? He chewed on his lip anxiously, wanting to do whatever he could to help her, but he wished that he could be more active and obvious about it, rather than having to sneak around - not because he was upset with having to keep their relationship a secret, but because he hated not being able to physically be there for her in times of crisis like this, when she needed him most. Where’s your class? I can meet you, while the halls are still empty, if you can get out of class? He knew the classes she had, thanks to the school’s database, but he didn’t fully know his way around the school yet or where her classes were. Either way, he wanted to do what he could to help her, even if there wasn’t really much he could do right now. He just wanted her to know that he would be there for her, though, because he hated the thought of her going through all of this alone, and he wanted to protect her from whatever the hell Robert had planned, a frown forming on his face with the thought, because Melody didn’t deserve any of this.

Liana nodded in understanding, breathing out quietly. “I know what you mean,” she murmured quietly, “I’m actually kind of terrified of what Lucas might want.” She frowned with the thought but followed Mel to her locker, freezing at the sight of the word painted over Mel’s locker. “That asshole,” she breathed out in shock, looking to Melody with concern, though she felt her heart sink with Mel’s suggestion to check her own locker. Staring for a moment, she wanted to be there to make sure her friend was okay, but she chewed on her lip and nodded, turning to leave to go to her own locker. Feeling her phone vibrate, she pulled it out to read Luke’s text and went to reply, but paused as she came to her own locker, seeing WHORE painted across her own locker. Frowning, she chewed on her lip, feeling her eyes water but she breathed through it to reply to Luke’s text. Mel and I left class early. I miss you, too. Quickly moving to her locker, she tried to find something to get rid of the paint or anything to cover it up, feeling her panic increasing with the thought of any other students seeing her locker and getting too curious about what was going on.

Melody read Michael's text quickly. I'm by my locker. Liana and I got out early cause I faked being sick. She stared at her locker for a moment, feeling her eyes burn with tears, biting her lip to hold them back as she shrugged off her bag from her shoulder, fishing out her cardigan. Going to the water fountain, she wet her cardigan a little bit, hoping that the paint was still fresh enough to come off. My locker is by 504. She text back quickly, a few stray tears escaping. Quickly wiping them away, Melody went to her locker, starting to scrub at the paint nervously, hitting the locker in frustration when she saw the paint had almost completely dried. "Fuck!"

Luke read Liana's text, frowning slightly with Liana's text. Where are you? I could meet you for five minutes if you're out of class? He toyed with his lip at his own suggestion, wanting to see Liana more than anything, his anxiety through the roof with the thought that Lucas was going to ruin Liana's life because of him. He knew that the last year of High School was always the worst, and any of this trouble was the last thing Liana needed before graduation. Stepping out of the bathroom, Luke bit his lip, knowing her locker wasn't too far away, but unsure of where. Lingering outside of the bathroom and waiting patiently for Liana to text back, Luke ran a hand through his hair, thinking of fifty ways he could eliminate Lucas.

Michael blinked with surprise, wondering if things were really that bad that she’d faked being sick. His concern swelling up in his chest, he quickly texted her back. I’ll be right there. I love you. Turning in the hallway, he quickly began walking, searching for Melody’s locker, turning down another hallway until he spotted her and he breathed out with relief - when he got closer, though, he felt his heart sinking, seeing the state she was in, his gaze soon finding the word sprayed on her locker. He could feel anger building up in him, certain it had to be Robert, but his concern for Melody won over and he quickly made his way over. “Hey, hey,” he murmured, taking her hand gently to pull her away from the locker, sliding his arms around her to hold her close, wanting to comfort her even at the risk of someone seeing. “We’ll get that fixed, okay? I’ll borrow some paint from my friend or something, cover it up, or Google how to get rid of it.” His arms tightened around her, his concern growing. “I’m here, okay? I’m not gonna let him get away with this.”

Liana wiped at her eyes as she tried hard not to cry and she searched her locker for something to use. Seeing a spare bottle of perfume, she tried to use it first, hopeful the alcohol in it would break up the paint and make it easier to get rid of it, but it didn’t help much. Slamming her hand against the locker, she breathed out, but dropped her gaze to her phone. Chewing on her lip, she wasn’t sure what to tell Luke, worried about him seeing her locker, but she also just desperately wanted to see him. I’m at my locker. 410. And, after sending the text, she went back to desperately trying to get rid of the spray paint, trying whatever she could to get the paint off her locker.

Melody sniffled as she felt Michael tug her away from the locker, more tears escaping as he wrapped his arms around her. She didn't care, at this point, if anyone saw as she buried her face into his chest, gripping to him like her life depended on it. Focusing on Michael's voice, Melody threw her cardigan to the ground in defeat, exhaling heavily as she tried to calm down. "Why can't he take no for an answer?" She asked with a frown, looking up to Michael, pulling away before anyone did come out and see them, wiping at her eyes with the sleeves of his sweater, her stomach dropping even further as she realised every class she had today, Robert would be present. Still, being subtle, Melody took Michael's hand, squeezing, just needing to know he was there.

Luke saw Liana's text and, without hesitation, started the short walk. Turning a corner, Luke's heart lifted as he saw Liana, but he frowned as he approached further, seeing her frantic actions. His eyes falling upon her locker, Luke tensed as he saw the word sprayed across her locker, and he felt the anger bubble inside of him, almost to the point where he was sure that if Lucas appeared in front of him now, he'd kill him. Seeing Liana hit her hand against the locker, Luke jogged over. "Hey, hey, hey." He murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist as he gently pulled her from the locker, wrapping his arms around her protectively. "I'm here." He stared at the locker, trying to think of a way to fix things when he thought of something. "We can paint over that." He told her. "Do you have anything with you? Or do you wanna run back to my class to grab something?" He asked, kissing the top of her head, not even caring that they were in a position where they could easily be caught - he just wanted to comfort Liana, show her how much he loved her.

Michael’s expression softened as he listened to Melody and his arms tightened around her gently, his heart breaking for her, hating that she was so upset, that she was in so much pain. “I don’t know,” he murmured quietly, running his fingers through her hair before she’d pulled away, though he watched her for a long moment. “We’ll figure something out, though. I’m just… So sorry he’s putting you through this.” He frowned deeply, hating that Robert was doing this to her, that he was causing her this much distress, and he hated that he was at a loss for what to do, how to help her. “He’s an idiot and, if he doesn’t learn to back off, I’m going to make sure he regrets ever putting you through all of this.” The thought that Robert would continue harassing Melody angered Michael to no end and he wanted to put Robert in his place, make sure he never hurt Melody again.

Liana had been ready to hit whoever grabbed her until she heard Luke’s voice and she could feel her eyes watering more, the tears spilling over, and she buried her face against him, her fingers curling into his shirt in an attempt to ground herself, not caring about what could happen if they were caught, at least for the moment. “I hate him,” she whispered, her voice cracking as she tried hard not to sob, trying to keep herself together, trying to do whatever she could to avoid falling apart in front of Luke - he had enough to worry about without her adding to it. Hearing his words, she nodded slightly to his suggestion. “Yeah, I, um - I don’t have any paint in my locker.” Clearing her throat to try to gather herself, she backed away, worried about getting caught, about making things worse for Luke.

Melody nodded, pushing her hair from her face, at a loss. Usually, she'd have some cocky remark or quick wit response up her sleeve, but she just couldn't find the energy to think of one, and for once, in all of her time at this godforsaken school, Melody just wanted to hide. "I'm going home after lunch." She told him quietly, giving into her own fear, but knowing that if she wasn't there at lunch time, Robert would make it worst, for the both of them. Studying Michael for a long moment, Melody jumped slightly as the bell rang, and she cringed, looking to her locker. She'd never been cruel to anyone, and she was hoping, in return, nobody would be cruel to her. "You should go." She looked to her boyfriend, dropping his hand as the classroom doors opened.

Luke kissed the top of Liana's head as she buried her face against him, rubbing her back in soothing, circular motions. "Shh, shh, it's okay." He reassured her quietly, keeping his voice calm despite the anger he felt, hoping he could influence Liana to calm down. "I know you do baby, so do I." His fingers curled into the material of her jacket with that. When Liana's voice cracked though, Luke felt his heart break, clean in half in his chest. "I love you so damn much, Liana, I'm not going to let him get away with this." He told her, frowning with the thought. When she backed away though, Luke gently pulled her back, just to press a kiss to her forehead, before letting go. "I love you, okay? And don't you ever forget that. I'd go to the ends of the Earth for you, Liana." But, handing Liana the classroom key, Luke smiled. "Go and get some paint. Do you want me to come with you?"