And it's not a cry you can hear at night. It's not somebody who's seen the light. It's a cold, and it's a broken hallelujah.
"You have to break up with him," Vic said as she played with Teddy's hair. He had come to her in a panic, after a nastier encounter with his boyfriend. Tormentor is more the right word, he thought. "And you need to tell someone."
"It's not that simple, Vic," Teddy sighed and shut his eyes tightly. He couldn't make Jarred mad. It was his fault Jarred was always mad in the first place. If he were a better boyfriend... If he said the right things... If he had just stayed away from people that Jarred didn't like...
"Why isn't it, then?" Vic demanded and abruptly stopped playing with his hair. "For fuck's sake, Teddy, take a look at yourself!" she frowned when she saw her friend flinch. "I'm sorry," she sighed.
Teddy just shook his head. "It's fine," he said in a small voice.
"It's not fine," Vic sighed and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. "I shouldn't have yelled. I'm sorry." Teddy carefully sat up and pulled a knee to his chest. "I'm just really worried about you, okay?"
"Don't be," Teddy said. "I'm fine."
Vic raised an eyebrow at that. "You aren't eating. You look like you're barely sleeping. Hell, Michael says he hasn't talked to you in weeks..."
"Do you mind not cataloguing everything?" Teddy sighed deeply and stared at the ceiling. "Merlin, what the hell am I supposed to do?"
Deep breaths. In and out. Calm down. You're fine. It's just a little blood. You're okay. Teddy stared at himself in the mirror. He was paler than death with dark circles under his eyes. He had been trying to hide it with his Metamorphmagus abilities, but was struggling more and more each day. He glanced at his torso, a bruise starting to form over other half-healed injuries. You can do this. He glanced at his arms, covered in scars, mostly self-inflicted, and thanked Merlin the school uniform involved long sleeves. You can do this.
He stepped outside the bathroom and headed down the hall, up the staircase, and to the corridor where he was to meet Jarred. You can do this. Be strong. You can do this.
Jarred smirked when he saw Teddy approaching. "About damn time, Lupin," he said. "I've been waiting for ages."
"I know," Teddy sighed. "I'm sorry." He winced when Jarred grabbed him by the wrist.
"Come on, then," Jarred said. "Let's get on with it." He started to lead Teddy into an empty classroom. Teddy tried to pull his wrist away, only for Jarred to pull harder. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded.
"Jarred," Teddy stuttered out. "I-I can't..."
Jarred smirked and watched the blue-haired teen. "Now I know you aren't trying to break up with me." Teddy just looked up at him, only to be met with a harsh backhand to his face. "Because if you were to do that, well..." his smirk broadened. "I'd just have to out you to everyone in the school. And then what would your stupid little friends think? What would your grandmother and godfather think?" Teddy shut his eyes tightly. He was shaking. "They'd know the truth, just like I do. You're just a pathetic, little freak. And deep, deep down, you know things are never going to be better for you."
Teddy tried to ignore him, tried to tell himself Jarred was lying. But you don't know that, his mind told him. They could hate you. And then you wouldn't have anyone... He kept struggling as Jarred pulled him into the classroom and just stared blankly at the newly-forming bruises on his skin.