Disclaimer: OC is mine, nothing else.
Previously on The Society's Newest Member:
"Piper!" An all too familiar voice calls out to me from down the hall. I turn to see who it is and stare in shock.
"Trevor!?"
I stare in disbelief as he jogs up to us and sighs in relief.
"I've been looking all over for you. The nurse at the front desk wouldn't tell me anything. I've only just heard about what happened. I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" He says everything without pause, not letting anyone get a word in.
I keep staring at him for a minute. "Um, no…not really doing too great. You know," I point to my head. "Brain tumor and all." I begin to wonder if he was always this inconsiderate.
"Of course, that was a stupid question." I nod. "But, I'm here now. When I heard the news, I finally realized how much I care about you and what a mistake I had made."
"Trevor, this is Leo. Leo, this is my ex Trevor." I introduce them, ignoring that last statement he's just made.
"Hey." The hardness in Leo's voice was completely lost to Trevor.
"Hello." Trevor doesn't even turn to glance at Leo. "Pipes, can we go somewhere to talk…privately." He stage whispers the last word.
I turn to Leo and he nods. "Let's walk." I say to Trevor leading him only a little ways down the hall to where the front desk and elevators are. I strategically place him closer to the elevators. "What are you doing here?"
"I told you, I realized I made a mistake."
"Oh, well four months is nothing. Glad you finally came around."
"Pipes don't be like that."
"I hate that nickname!" I snap quietly.
"But it's so cute." He brushes off my annoyance. I wonder with each word that falls from his mouth what I ever saw in him. "Look, I don't want you to be alone at a time like this. I'm here to be with you, and when you finally get better, we can go to Julliard together. After that, we'll travel the world telling people our story and making beautiful music together, the great composer and his lovely prodigy girlfriend! We'll be the couple who faced the impossible and came out stronger on the other side."
"Are you seriously trying to sell my cancer as a sob story right now?" I look at him in utter disbelief. "I'm not alone! And I don't want to travel anywhere with you as your sob story arm candy." I snap.
"Pipes, together we'll be the greatest team there's ever been." He grabs my hand.
"You stole that line from Wicked. And do not call me 'Pipes'." I yank my hand back, but I can feel my strength depleting. Chemo has begun taking its toll on me. "You aren't even listening to me are you? God, I don't know what I ever saw in you. You've always been so self centered, so obnoxious, so –"
Trevor yanked my face to his and slammed his lips into mine. This kiss, much unlike the one I'd shared with Leo, hurt. I felt bruised and violated. I tried to push away from him but all my energy was gone. He was much stronger than me, especially in my current state.
"HEY!" Unbeknownst to me, Leo had been watching the entire interaction. When he saw Trevor kiss me, he snapped. Rushing over faster then I'd ever seen him move on his crutches, he shoved Trevor off of me. "Are you okay?" He asks gently, and before I can respond Trevor cuts in.
"Who the hell are you?" He snaps, sizing Leo up.
"I'm the reason she doesn't need you." He answers.
"Are you kidding me?" Trevor looks past Leo at me. "You're going to choose a cripple over me? You really are pathetic, aren't you?"
The second the words leave his mouth Leo's fist collides with Trevor's face.
"Oh my God!" I shout.
Trevor recovers and tries to take a swing at Leo. Leo drops his crutches and tackles Trevor. They fall to the ground rolling around and throwing punches.
I just stand there in shock as Dash and Jordi come rushing out of Leo and Jordi's room. Several burly orderlies are also alerted to the commotion as well as Nurse Jackson.
The orderlies separate the two boys and pull them to their feet. Trevor looks terrible. He has a bloody lip, a swelling eye and a red cheek which may or may not just be from the exertion.
Leo, on the other hand, doesn't come out looking too great but is definitely doing better than Trevor. His cheek is red and beginning to swell and there is a small cut on it, but other than that he seems untouched.
"He started it." I point out Trevor to the orderlies and Nurse Jackson who are all trying to figure out what happened, but Trevor and Leo are too angry and breathing too hard to answer any questions. "He tried to attack me and Leo protected me."
It wasn't the complete truth, but it wasn't a lie either. Leo had been protecting, or at least defending me and I did consider the forced kiss an attack.
The orderlies released Leo and began to drag Trevor away.
"You're worthless and pathetic, Piper!" He yells as they drag him on the elevator.
"Maybe I am, but at least I didn't just get my ass kicked by a cripple!" I yell back.
I turn back to check on Leo. Dash and Jordi have collected his crutches and are holding him up as he situates himself back on them. They are both trying to make sure he is okay, and like a true champ he's brushing it off as if it's no big deal.
I walk over to him and he turns to look at me. "Look at your face." I sigh guiltily. "Can someone get us some ice?"
"I'll get it." Brittany, who I had not noticed appear, walked off to get the ice.
"Is what you told the orderlies true?" Nurse Jackson looks at us with those, I'm not sure I believe you, eyes.
"Basically." I answer honestly and she lets it go. I am shocked for a second because she never really lets anything go. Brittany comes back with an ice pack and I take it gratefully. "Come on; let's sit you down so we can deal with that."
I lead Leo to my room, since it's closer than his. He sits down on my bed and I stand over him, placing the ice pack on his red cheek. He flinches a bit. "You don't have to take care of me." He states, looking a bit embarrassed.
"You just beat up a guy for me so I think I do." I smile.
"So, that guy was your unfinished business?" He points in the direction Trevor was dragged off.
"He used to be. I think it's definitely finished now." I chuckle and shake my head. "I didn't remember him being such an unbelievable tool, though. But I guess that was just the fa blindness."
"'Fa blindness'?"
"Yeah, you know when you're in a relationship and you really like someone, but you don't love them yet and you aren't quite falling? That's what I call 'fa'. It's that really great part, before complicated things and before the glass has been shattered and you notice their flaws. Before you have to decide if you still want to be with them despite their flaws. In my mind it goes like, fa, falling, in love. And the thing about fa is it's blinding because you haven't noticed the flaws yet, so to you they're perfect. Even if in reality they are so completely wrong for you. That's what the problem with Trevor was, I was blinded by fa. Now that it's gone I can actually see him, and I'm embarrassed I was once so upset that he broke up with me."
"Don't be embarrassed. Everybody gets one bad ex." Leo reassures me. "So, is it only good before the complicated bits, or can it be good even after that?"
"By the time it gets complicated you've usually already made up your mind. You're either calling it quits or you're in love, or at least falling. That's what makes you willing to work through the complicated bits. It doesn't mean you aren't happy. It just means you're more realistic, they aren't on a pedestal anymore, you know they are human and make mistakes and you're willing to forgive them." I shrug, smiling softly as I continue to ice his cheek.
"What if it's complicated before it even begins?"
"I don't know. I guess if it's complicated before you start, you either start when you're already falling or you're just crazy enough to try for it anyways." I laugh. "I've never really had complicated before anything starts."
"Would you ever try complicated?"
"Only for someone really special."
"Have you ever met anyone that special?"
I pause and look at Leo for a moment. That feeling in my heart that started when he brought me my piano is starting again and I turn my gaze away from him, my decision made. "Yeah, once."
"Yeah? What happened?" Leo is studying me closely now. I can feel his eyes on me and the heat creeping into my cheeks.
"He kissed me, and I freaked out. I was scared of the complicated and I almost missed my chance to try for something really great. Then he beat up this guy for me and…I don't know. I just knew I couldn't let him go."
Leo's face breaks into a smile as he realizes what I'm doing. "So, what happened when you told him?"
I turn back to look at Leo again and our eyes lock. I smile slowly and bite my lip nervously. "I haven't really gotten that far yet."
This time I lean down to kiss him. I hesitate for a second but he meets me part way and our lips touch. I am once again reminded of the drastic difference between when Trevor kissed me and when Leo kisses me. It's soft and sweet at first. Then we become more confident and it grows more passionate. I grab his face and he pulls back. "Ow." I realize I've grabbed his bruised cheek and grimace.
"Oh!" I hover my hand over it like I want to touch it again, but think better of it. "I'm sorry." I scrunch my face.
"It's okay." Leo smiles and takes my hand. "As long as you're kissing me, I don't care." Then he pulls me back to him.
"Finally!" We hear from the doorway and turn to see all of our friends smiling.
"Get out!" I yell and throw a pillow in their direction. I turn back to Leo who is smiling and I laugh.
The next day, after chemo I'm in my room playing and singing absentmindedly. "But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like you've been here before?" I sing softly.
"Hey." I turn to see Leo walking in.
"Hey." I smile.
"What were you just singing?" He makes his way over to me.
"Pompeii. It's this deceptively upbeat song that's actually really depressing if you pay attention to the lyrics." I laugh. "What are you up to?"
"Avoiding PT."
"Seriously? You have to go to that."
"I think I'd rather spend time with you." Leo plants a kiss on my cheek with a smile as he slides onto the bench next to me. I just stare at him trying to look disapproving. "So, can you teach me something?"
"You really want to learn, or are you just trying to distract me?"
"I really want to learn."
I stare him down for a moment, then shrug. "Alright, I teach you something."
I situate myself more seriously in front of the piano. "Alright, umm…okay, yeah! Put your fingers here." I take his hands and place them. "You're going to play this over and over until I tell you to stop. And I'm going to play down here, okay." Leo nods. "Alright, go." He starts playing the note just like I showed him. After a moment I join in and start singing. "Say something I'm giving up on you."
"Wait." He stops playing abruptly.
"What?" I look at him confused.
"I don't want to play that."
"Why not? It's decently easy."
"Well, then give me something harder to play. That's a depressing song about a relationship ending. I want to play something better." He says with finality.
I sigh, but don't argue. "Alright, give me a second." I think. "Okay, this one is a bit harder, but let's see if you can do it."
We try for about ten minutes before it becomes apparent Leo's hands are not coordinated enough for piano. "Now I see why you were a soccer player." I tease. "Here, let's try something different." I readjust our seating position. "Put your hands over mine." I order and he listens. "Okay, now we can just play together."
Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song
We finish the song, and I smile. "I think you might actually have potential, Norah Jones is not super easy to play." I say resituating myself so we are once again seated next to each other.
"Of course I do. It's probably because you're an excellent teacher." Leo smiles at me.
"Of course I am." I joke back. Then I lean in and kiss him.
"Leo Roth! I've been looking all over for you. Aren't you supposed to be in physical therapy?" Nurse Jackson walks into my room and fusses at Leo.
We turn to look at her. "I tried to tell him to go." I defend myself.
Leo looks at me with mock betrayal.
"Mmmhmm, you looked like you were trying really hard to get him to go." Nurse Jackson raises an eyebrow at me.
"I can't believe you'd throw me under the bus like that." Leo looks at me.
"Look, I really like you and I would never want to do anything to hurt you. But I like living too, and Nurse Jackson is scary so if it comes down to it, I will always throw you under the bus." I pretend to look mournful as a stroke his cheek tenderly.
"Let's go, Roth." Nurse Jackson orders.
"I knew you were going to drive me crazy." He pretends to pout as he stands to follow Jackson.
"Yeah, and I knew you were going to love every minute of it." I smile and wave him off.
AN: Ta-da! They are finally together! I don't know if this fic will be much longer. I am toying with the idea of going through Piper's surgery and the aftermath of that, but I don't know yet. There's a Harry Potter fic I've been meaning to write for a long time now so I may just break this one into two parts (seeing as that's the cool thing to do in Hollywood now). Feel free to let me know what you guys think. And, thanks for all the reviews and follows, you guys keep me writing.
P.S. The songs mentioned briefly this chapter were Pompeii by Bastille and Say Something by Great Big World. The song Piper sang in full was Come Away With Me by Norah Jones All songs have been shortened as per the rules of the sight.