One Night

At Midnight

This one-shot is set months before The School Bully. Enjoy. (๑°꒵°๑)･*♡ 

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"He's never going to hurt you again, Terry."

Saying that, Iris brushed her hand against my cheek and left me in the bathroom.

I sat on the tub, knees drawn up to my chin, arms around them, and the water lapping at my skin gently. It was nearing midnight and the tears that I've held back during the whole day came brimming in my eyes. I blinked furiously.

I wasn't going to try.

I didn't want to cry.

Not over a bastard like him.

But my iron-clad control could no longer repress my bitter feelings and the tears came seeping down my cheeks.

"So you're my new toy," he told me, grabbing at my hair and pulling my head back violently. "And you're going to my property in the future, aren't you? And here I thought it would be dreadfully boring in America."

My stored tears continued to flow at the memory of the first time we met. I shoved my face between my knees, my sobs wracking my body, barely allowing me to breathe.

His name was Lucas Russo.

Lucas was a handsome boy. White blond hair with not a hair out of place, very pale silver blue eyes, tall as well, though reed-thin, with a perfectly sculptured face. And when he smiled, all the girls around him all but swooned at the sight. We'd met when I was almost 14 years old and him 15. Lucas and his family had just moved to the city from Europe to expand their business.

It had been a great shock for me when Dad announced my engagement with Lucas. But as a dutiful daughter, I accepted my fate and quietly wished he was nice when we were first introduced. My family and his had a quiet and private engagement party to celebrate and that was when I met him.

He wasn't nice.

He lured me into the library in a false pretense of showing me his collection of books.

Inside, he mocked me, taunted me and humiliated me.

And when we went back to the party, acted like he'd done nothing of the sort and lavished me with affection in front of our families.

That was when I knew my life had taken a turn for the worst.

My terror excited Lucas and he delighted in taunting me just to see when I'll break. So I, who had difficulty growing up masking my true feelings, immediately learned control to make him stop his sadistic games.

Still, it didn't stop him from being unreasonably cruel to me.

"See them?" Lucas jerked his chin at a group of girls gawking at us in a party. "They're jealous of you because I'm by your side. So be grateful that I'm your fiancé, you little b***h, and start acting like it."

I felt the pain of the memory s***h through my chest and I curled my fingers into my palms, my nails digging painfully into the flesh, and they dug even further when another memory flashed inside my head.

"No?" Lucas said as I struggled to get him off me. "You're denying me what I will have in the future? Are you sure, Terry? Because if I can't have you now I will assure you that our first night together will be rough on you."

My arms tightened around my knees and I started to rock back and forth, my body bucking everytime my breath hitched painfully.

"Why do you even try hard in school, Terry?" he asked, swiping my books off the table. "When you're going to be my wife, you're just going to be at home, waiting on me. You're going to give the words 'barefoot and pregnant' a whole new meaning. So learn how to f*****g cook instead, you bloody moron."

Those memories brutalized my brain as they had every day, making me cry harder.

But that night, that night had been the hardest of all.

"No wonder your brother neglects you and your father is handing you over to us," he muttered in his usual condescending tone as we dance on the ballroom floor, acting like the sweet, perfect couple we weren't. "You're useless. Pathetic. Of course you probably know that but it just dawned on me how much of a f*****g bore you really are. You can't even mingle with people our age."

I said nothing. I always said nothing. Two years together and I've learned my lesson. Say nothing and he gets uninterested with me quickly.

"You can't even keep John Steele, can you?"

My head lifted, my eyes widening which was a mistake because his lips widened into a cruel smile.

"Ah, did I hit the bull's-eye?" he asked, squeezing my waist painfully. "You think I'd never find out about your little friendship with that pompous arsehole?"

I tried to take off but he tightened his hold on me.

"Are you thinking of humiliating me, Terry?"

"Let me go," I whispered.

"Smile, you i***t. And don't you dare tell me what to do."

"I'm tired, Lucas. I want rest."

He threw his head back, laughing like I just told him a joke. "Amazing. Not once did you ever voice your complaints to me but I speak Steele's name and you grow a backbone?"He leaned closer, whispering into my ear. "It's not like he still cares for you, Terry. Isn't that why you were thrown away? He's completely forgotten about you now. He's probably in bed with another w***e, f*****g her."

My body locked with pain. I knew that. God, I already knew that. I kept trying my best to forget about John but I just couldn't. Not when he was my first love. Not when I kept wishing I was with him instead of being with Lucas. Not when I keep remembering how kind he was to me whenever Lucas tried to break me down.

"You should let me f**k you now, Terry," Lucas was telling me, pulling me closer to his body. "A revenge f**k, you know. I'll even promise to be gentle."

I looked at him. Really looked at him. We've been pretending to be in a relationship for almost two years for the sake of the engagement and not once have I given him attitude, afraid Haru and my father would hear of it.

But no more.

No more.

"Sorry, but I'm never going to sleep with a bastard like you."

His smile abruptly soured.

"Do you know the real reason why you're engaged to me?" I asked, raising a brow. "It's because you're a good for nothing loser. You don't even have any talents or useful skills, all you have is your looks but that won't last long, would it? You bring nothing but shame to your family with your scandals. Think of how relieved the Russo family was when my father suggested the engagement. Think of how they were willing to hand you over to us. At least you're finally useful for something right?"

Lucas couldn't mask it anymore, his expression turned livid. The song had finally ended and without even playing the role of a beloved boyfriend anymore, he dragged me off the dance floor and out the empty balcony. He harshly pushed me against the wall, trapping me with his arms on each side of me.

"I'll give you a chance to take those words back," he spat.

I lifted my chin. "Never."

He raised his fist like he'd hit me. I didn't cower. I didn't even try to defend myself. But I was never going to take my words back. Honest to God, I deliberately provoked him into losing his temper because it gave me a little sense of satisfaction knowing that I'd also hit the bull's-eye.

But Lucas must have changed his mind because he lowered his fist.

"It pisses me off that I can't touch you," he hissed at me, squeezing my jaw. "But mark my words, you cunt. After we wed, I'll f*****g break you. And you won't have anyone to tell because by then, your family will abandon you to me. You're all mine then, Terry. All mine. And I will hurt you really, really bad. Remember that."

I was trembling when he left me alone in the balcony. My legs gave way and I sank on the cold, hard stone, trying not to cry, resisting the urge to jump off the balustrade.

And that was how Haru found me.

I didn't care if he'd take advantage of my weakened condition. I was afraid, so afraid of my future that I couldn't care less if he'd punish me for behaving improperly.

But Haru just told me to stand up, to hold his arm and to compose myself before we went back to the ballroom. Lucas was nowhere in sight. Haru and I didn't stay long, only to say our farewells to the host. Then my brother took me home, left me with Iris as soon as we reached the house and took off somewhere.

The water was getting chilly but I didn't even feel the cold. I was numb to the core. My tears were spent, only leaving the dull ache behind.

Iris came soon after and helped me out of the tub. After I dressed, I sank into my bed, letting my exhaustion over take me, wanting to sleep the night away, and wishing I'd never wake up.

I was drifting off the sleep when I felt someone sit on my bed. I tiredly peeled an eye open and saw Haru. He was stroking my hair gently, telling me everything was going to be alright.

I closed my eyes and succumbed to blissful blackness, my last thoughts thinking I must have just dreamt him because there was no way that was possible. My brother would never be gentle to me nor would he comfort me.

But, as a tear escaped my eye, I wished to God that was real.

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A/N:

Terry's life is just so hellish.

I couldn't write more of Lucas in Sleeping with a Bully because of constraints and I had always regretted that. So here. Let's all hate on the bastard who was one of the people who made Terry's life miserable. (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞