- Chapter Forty-Seven -
"Sorry means nothing to me!"

TW: Domestic Abuse (one hit and some grabbing)

THE HEAT DID LITTLE TO SOOTHE THE ANGER RUNNING THROUGH SHERRY OPAL'S VEINS. Instead, it encouraged it, it fuelled the fire circulating around her body in gorging flames and pushed away the tranquillity that her mind was trying to supply for her. Things had taken a turn from when she had been at the café and the loving Sherry had now turned into a deeply venomous python, biting with toxicity at her boyfriend who walked alongside her.

The soles of their shoes hit softly against the floor but Sherry wanted to stamp instead, stamp and cry and scream at Matt for allowing the events to take place. Stephanie was no longer with them. Not that she had been killed, but she might as well have been since she had walked off with a stranger instead, giggling and whispering whilst Sherry protested.

But of course, a blind eye was turned. And then Matt had stopped her from going after the couple and then the next thing Sherry knew, Stephanie was nowhere to be seen and Matt was confused at why she was angry. The waiter had looked like he wanted to say something, after all the whole café probably saw the conversation between Sherry and Stephanie about leaving with that man.

Matt had glared and the boy had backed off. Now, the couple were returning home mid-argument after the scene in town. Sherry wished to god that she never went out and especially not out with Matt and Stephanie, she didn't even know what to do about Steph. Most likely go home, send Matt home and then go back to the café to see if that's where Stephanie returned.

If not, then her night would probably consist of a breakdown and no sleep. Stephanie could be getting murdered and all she did was stand aside and do nothing.

"Sherry, calm down. It's fine." Matt said with a clear roll of his eyes and note of exasperation in his voice whilst he and Sherry walked down the pavement that lead towards the Lupin home.

"It's not fine, Matt, it is far from fine." Sherry snapped, hand gripping the handle of her leather purse tightly and knuckles turning white from the way she had her hand closed around it. She shook her head and her blonde curls followed her.

"She knows what she's doing." He said and Sherry poked her cheek with her tongue, fighting the urge to laugh and scoff. She knew it wouldn't lead to a good reaction and so she held it down and just continued to walk, beads of sweat beginning to collect on her forehead.

"She went off with a stranger!" She exclaimed, turning her head to face him and pausing in the street, but Matt walked right past her; His hands were in his pockets like he didn't care and his gait was relaxed.

Sherry hated it.

"Stephanie's not stupid." Matt scoffed and Sherry watched his back walk forwards, frozen in her place before she began to walk forward again, determined to catch up to him and his casual walking which she was starting to get increasingly frustrated at.

She wanted to trip him up, leave him on the ground with scraped knees whilst she walked back to the house and took the hours of alone time to herself. It was the afternoon, so Lyall and Hope would be out and Sherry vaguely remembers overhearing a conversation between the other boys in the house talking about going out that day.

All she wanted to do was sit and watch movies on the television like she wanted to do originally, but this time she wanted to do it alone. No cuddling, no other presence except for herself and maybe a magazine that portrayed Ryan O'Neal across a whole page.

The point was, Matt had to leave.

"You don't know her like I do." She said and she was right. He was acting like he had been the one to hold her head back the night she first got drunk, like he his mother had been the one patching up Stephanie's scraped knee with bandages and plasters. "That guy wants sex, she'll give him that and then for the next couple of hours she does whatever they want her to do! It's dangerous."

"So the guy wanted sex, Stephanie knew that, they're just going for a fuck and she'll be back before you know it." Matt turned to Sherry, stopping her again and putting two hands on her shoulders almost condescendingly. But in no way did she let up, she didn't soften her gaze or soften a grip.

"We don't even know how old he is. We don't know his name, we don't know his address, we know nothing about him so it is dangerous." Sherry said slowly scowling with her eyes narrowed into tiny slits towards Matt who kept his hands on her shoulders like he was pinning her to place. "And she needs us. Well, me, considering it's your fault she's with that guy in the first place."

"My fault?" He scoffed, hands loosening slightly.

"I was gonna stop her before you distracted me!" Sherry let go of the bag in her one hand and used it along with her other hand to hit Matt's hands off of her shoulders. His body jerked slightly, shocked at her attitude but she started walking away again anyway. "You grabbed my wrist and I didn't have my attention on Steph and she took her chance to run off and do god knows what with that creep!"

It was silent, just for a moment whilst she rolled her eyes and walked. Her hand moved its way back to her bag strap and she gripped it with the same force as she had before. Her nails managed to touch her skin on the palm of her hand, digging in slightly. Trying to control her breathing, she felt her chest rising and falling.

But Matt wasn't done.

"When did you become such a prude?"

"Excuse me?" Sherry whirled around in her place, eyes widening ten times the size whilst she stared at him in a manner of incredible disbelief. Again, he began walking carelessly forwards, past her when she had frozen again but she was straight behind him when his body had passed. "What did you just say to me?"

"Look, I didn't wanna say anything but Steph said that you've changed." He raised his hands in surrender, continuing to walk and Sherry wanted to rip the pavement out from under him like it was a rug. There was a newfound anger within her, another betrayal like the one with Potter. "That you're not the Sherry she used to know and if I'm honest you're not the Sherry that I used to know either."

"Oh, Steph said." Sherry mocked him, exaggeratedly nodding and making noises of understanding as he slowly turned to face her, walking fast so she had to keep up with him. "Okay, when did Stephanie Hopper become oh so trustworthy to you?"

"Since she told me about how you were like back in America." He said and Sherry threw her hands up as if it were some type of new revelation she didn't know shit about. "Completely different to now, Jesus Sherry you wore sweats for two fucking weeks, two weeks."

Sherry sped up, walking faster so he was the one who was now trailing behind. She didn't expect him to understand, she didn't expect anyone to understand but even a little bit of sympathy could do the smallest bit of difference for her. She needed someone. That could make her entertained doing the stupid things, make her smile for no reason at all.

Someone who was more than just a lover, someone who was a friend. And that person was not Matt.

"If that's not change, I don't know what is."

"In case you forgot, Matt, the entire school has seen my tits bouncing around so I apologise if maybe I don't want to show any skin anymore." Sherry turned around, stopping him in the pavement this time. They were close to the house now and if she could shake him before they got there then great. "I apologise for the fact that I don't want attention!"

"Don't want attention?" He scoffed as she turned around and started walking again. It was a race to prove points and Sherry was determined to win this time, not to back down like she had done so so many times before. "Then explain all that flirting at the café!"

"Any time I speak to a man it's flirting with you." Sherry threw her hands up, angry as they reached the driveway to the Lupin house. The car was there so the adults were out and there was no movement from the living room window so the boys weren't there either.

"The smile on your face talking to him and listening to all his stupid heart of gold shit begs to fucking differ." Matt seethed, getting closer and right by her ears as they approached the door to the house.

Sherry fished a pair of keys out from her purse, hands fumbling to stick it inside the door, turn the lock and walk in. As soon as the door opened, Matt walked past her and into the house, running frustrated hands through his hair and Sherry slammed the door shut behind her after taking the keys out and hanging her purse up.

"You are unbelievable!" She raised her voice, heels clicking into the kitchen. "Sure I was smiling but maybe that's because he was complimenting me for my personality instead of my looks like everybody else does! Maybe I'm just tired of everyone seeing me for my looks and just maybe I'm fucking sick of being and looking like a model from a pinup porn magazine that boys like you have on their walls!"

"Boys like me?" Matt asked with a laugh and Sherry nodded, turning around with one hand resting on the counter and the other on her hip as she stared at him. "I don't love you for your appearance. I don't love you for-"

"Exactly, Matt. You don't love me." She stepped forward, using her hands to emphasise as she brought them out in front of her before gesturing to herself. "All you see is a popular American girl with tits and enough clothes to show them off. Save me the self-righteousness because I'm not buying it. I'm not buying any of it!"

"I'm not with you for your popularity!" He scoffed and Sherry just ran a hand through her hair before resting them both on her hips and staring straight at him with raised eyebrows. Matt stared back at her, suddenly going eerily calm. "You think anyone else would've stayed with you after what happened?"

"Do I think that any other guy is nice enough? No, I honestly don't." Sherry laughed humourlessly, crossing her arms instead of having them on her hips. Her face contorted into one of rage when she looked at his stupid face again and let her voice go louder. "But the fact that you did the bare minimum and stayed with me does not change who you are!"

"What am I?" He shouted at her but this time she didn't even flinch, just felt her jaw tick and her heart skip several beats as his face turned red and he yelled. "Fucking spit it out, Sherry!"

"YOU'RE AN ASSHOLE." She screamed, finally letting the tightening in her stomach loose, plagued butterflies flying everywhere as her insides churned and she fought to keep her vomit down. Again, Matt was eerily quiet as his shoulders relaxed and he just watched as she teared up.

Sherry was an angry crier, another thing she hated.

"YOU'RE A FUCKING PIECE OF SHIT WHO CANNOT HANDLE THE FACT THAT I AM SOMEONE WITH A MIND OF MY OWN. SOMEONE WHO WANTS RESPECT. YOU ARE THE MOST IDIOTIC, LAUGHABLE, EGOCENTRIC GUY I HAVE EVER LAID MY EYES ON AND- AND I WISH TO GOD THAT YOU HAD KEPT WALKING IN THAT HALLWAY AND LEFT ME THE FUCK ALONE BECAUSE YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING BUT USE ME BECAUSE OF MY LOOKS. ALL YOU WANTED TO DO WAS KISS AND I JUST WANTED TO BE LOVED BUT YOU CAN'T FATHOM THAT BECAUSE YOU ARE SOMEONE WHO-"

Sherry was cut off. Not by words, not by another sound disrupting her yelling and screaming. Not by herself and her own willpower to stop herself from getting into any deeper shit with her boyfriend or any neighbours that may have been disturbed by her loud feelings. But she was cut off by Matt's hand striking her across the face, sending her head to the right with a smacking sound that rendered her silent.

No other sound was made, nothing else came from her lips. There were only tears streaming down her face and no apologies coming from his lips. She didn't even feel like she was breathing, but she knew Matt was when she turned her head to face him, eyebrows furrowed and face crumpled in sadness. His breath was on her face and she wanted to take a step back.

It was like her feet were stuck to the floor, not allowed to move. His hand wafted near her arm, almost touching it and she brought her arm out of his touch, shaking her head and wobbling slightly with a trembling lip. He whispered her name softly but all she sensed was the burning in her cheek and then footsteps just a couple metres away.

"I think you should leave now."

Sherry turned her head to face the direction in which the voice came from and saw Potter stood in the archway entrance to the living room, his arms crossed across his chest and his eyes glaring at Matt. Sherry gaped, mouth falling open at him before she scoffed and turned her head away, flushing red with both the slap and embarrassment.

She thought he was out, she thought everyone was out.

"Potter?" Matt spat angrily in question before he grappled his hand onto Sherry's arm, almost pulling her towards him as she whimpered accidentally. He brought his mouth close to her ear. "What the fuck is he doing here?"

Sherry breathed heavily, slowly turning her head away from Matt to face Potter who watched with sad eyes. Why was here? He wasn't supposed to be here. What would Matt do to him because of what he had just witnessed?

"What are you doing here?" She whispered. It was like she was trapped by them, enclosed by two people she hated. But at that very moment, she felt Potter more appealing, just for a second. Only whilst she revelled in the danger.

"They went to the store, I said I'd stay here. Pete's in the bathroom." He explained sheepishly and Sherry glanced up towards the ceiling, Pettigrew was up there too. Her judgement of the empty house had been poor. "I'm glad I stayed behind though so I can tell you to leave."

Potter's finger pointed towards Matt, who glanced in between him and then to Sherry who had settled on staring at the floor instead of any of them. Matt gave one of his usual laughs and a hair mess-up before he turned back to Sherry, grabbed her arm and got in her face.

"I fucking knew something was going on." He whispered in her ear and dropped her arm forcefully as a fresh river fell down her cheeks and he stormed to the door, yanking it open and stepping out into the hot summers day.

Sherry felt her chest jolt forward in a heaving sob but managed not to let it free, it just turned into a burning in her chest again as she put her hands to her head and kept herself from tearing her hair out. She turned as far away from Potter as she could get and clamped her hands over her face, keeping her cries quiet.

She heard footsteps again and took a breath in, flinching when a hand put itself on her back, when a hand touched her.

"Sherry," It was him, Potter, one of the boys she hated, There had been a time where she thought she hated him the most out of everyone she had ever met, Matt had just taken that spot. "Are you okay?"

"For fucks sake, Potter, leave me alone." She raised her voice, bringing her hands away from her face in a fit of anger and turning to hit his hand away, the sound of skin slapping skin loud across the kitchen. "Why do you always feel the need to get involved?"

Potter took a step back, raising his hands as if to show he wasn't touching her at all. His eyes were blown wide behind those circular glasses and Sherry looked right into his bright blue irises, they were sad and concerned and pitiful. He wanted to help her but Sherry couldn't be helped and she never gave anyone the satisfaction.

"I thought I told you to never speak to me again." She continued, getting choked up slightly as she stared at the familiar mess of brown hair. "I thought I told you never to touch me again-"

"I'm sorry." He whispered, voice breaking as he apologised for the millionth time, each one just as sincere as the last but Sherry wasn't taking it.

"Sorry means nothing to me!" Sherry shouted again, her throat felt like it was being torn apart and ripped to shreds by just her words and the emotions she put behind it. Too many men have made too many mistakes. "Just stay out of my life!"

"I was just trying to help-"

"Then stop!" She yelled, laughing without any amusement once more. Again and again and again, she just yelled and couldn't stop. It was too much for just one day. "Just stop with the hero complex and the dying need to know every little detail about me! I don't need your help, I don't want your help and I certainly won't ask for it ever again. It's bad enough that I live with one of your best friends and have to hear your name or see your face almost everyday so I don't need you butting in where you're not fucking needed, understand?"

He faltered, then regained himself. Stung, but recovered. Sherry couldn't care less. He deserved to be hurt, Matt deserved to be hurt. Everyone who wronged her deserved to be hurt. She just felt like falling asleep and never waking up again, stuck in a dream for eternity where she danced freely and frolicked in a field full of poppies.

Red. Her favourite the colour, also the colour of anger which was a lot of the things she was feeling. Just in general, to everybody.

"Sherry, he hit you." Potter gulped and she gulped, breath shaking as she sighed and stared at him brokenly. It killed the both of them to be talking like this, killed Sherry to be talking to him, killed Potter to be seeing her like she was.

"You think I don't know that?" She asked, shrugging her shoulders with a hoarse voice and eyes that looked almost dead. "You think I didn't feel it? I was going to break up with him anyway and then he hit me but before I could do anything, you showed up and now he's gonna spread to the whole school that we're...sleeping together or something just because you were here."

"But we're not!" He protested, widening his eyes and spluttering nonsense. Sherry sniffed, wiping her nose on the back of her arm and beginning to feel cold despite the blistering heat outside.

"You don't understand. We know we're not and our friends know we're not but no one else does." Sherry told him the sad truth, watching as his eyebrows pinched in confusion and he parted his lips in confusion. "You'll be praised, patted on the back, get even more of a reputation than you have now. I'll be degraded, bullied, slut-shamed and for what? Because you couldn't keep your big mouth shut?"

"I-" He stammered, at a loss for words.

"I'm gonna say this one last time," Sherry stepped forward, not too close but also a suitable distance away from him so she didn't feel uncomfortable. "Stay out of my life and I'll stay out of yours."

"We go to school together I don't see how that's possible." He whispered, feeling it too awkward to speak at a normal volume given the current circumstance.

"Make it possible." She snapped, rushing past him and up the stairs, feet taking her quickly whilst her hand skimmed the banister. Her other hand clamped against her mouth to smother her cries as she ran up the stairs.

At the top she slammed into Peter Pettigrew, hearing his small gasp of surprise and question of her name before she raced to her room and the slamming of her door echoed everywhere around the house. It almost shook it as she collapsed against the back of it and slid down to the floor, heart wrenching with her cries.

And that night Sherry Opal sat alone in her room, single and shattered. Only silence accompanied her and she looked up to her ceiling, beginning to wish that the camp fire she set would've taken her with it.

•*•*•*•*•
A/N: sorry for any spelling mistakes, i was watching avengers endgame whilst watching it so a lot of tears :)