Warren was leaning back against the hood of his car, fingers moving at the speed of light, wide-eyed and grinning. He was texting his crush, Max, and waiting in joyful anticipation at her arrival.
Hi Mx, can you get my flash drive?
I need some info. And space
He waits a little, and without getting a reply, begins typing another text.
Hullo?
He checked his phone for a reply when it vibrated in his pocket.
Max: Srry. Running late. Insane day.
Warren couldn't help but feel worried, but he knew Max would want him to let her handle it her way. He laughed at the thought of her scolding him for fretting over something that may not even be a big deal. His fingers flew frantically on the onscreen keyboard.
Ill meet you in the lot.
Looking cool.
You'll see.
Max: My camera will be ready. See you shortly.
I hope so.
Warren still couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. He heaved a sigh of consternation, his back arching backwards, a slight smile perched at the corners of his lips as he glanced towards passersby.
Goddamit. Why am I so on edge? So what, Max is taking a little longer than usual? She's..
Warren's eyes closed shut like a window almost involuntarily, searching for the right word to describe Max and bring a sense of closure to his feelings.
Max is beautiful, smart, cute, funny, charming, geeky... too good of a girl for me, that's for sure.
Warren checked the time again on his phone, each second silently ticking in his head, but rather then worry about that, he decided to think of something more enjoyable and useful.
Alright, so this is how it will go. Max approaches us, and I introduce her to the WAR MACHINE, my badass ride! And from there, she falls in love with my wheels, I show her inside, and tell her about the drive-in theater, she says she'll go with me, and there, we'll share a kiss, sealing our fate as the happiest geeky couple alive.
Warren's mouth was salivating more than usual, a wide smile stretched across his face. Although, he suddenly blinked out of it, sighing as he hasn't been able to break his habit of daydreaming. The worse part is, he knew it wasn't anything remotely plausible.
All I usually do is follow Max's lead in the conversation and make sure to do nothing to make her hate me. But hey, not that I'm complaining, one step at a time.
After what feels like an eternity later, Warren takes out his phone to send her another text.
I don't mind waiting for here forever.
I love this parking lot.
I can count all the cars...
Seconds later, Max replies.
Max: The more I txt the longer it takes. On my way.
Bye
Warren smiled enthusiastically the moment he saw Max walk down the steps. It was his time to shine, to impress her with his geeky knowledge and new ride. After talking to Juliet and approaching him, he laughed it up with her, but... something was off. Max wasn't the same carefree hippy girl he knew, something changed her.
That's when it happened. That punk Nathan walked over to them. His gut shot upwards into my chest, his hands shaking slightly out of fear, but he tried to act tough. Yet, Nathan just glanced over him and pushed him out of the picture.
You did not just do that you.. you...
Warren bit his lip and held back on any foul language he could've thrown Nathan's way. It wasn't right, and maybe, he didn't even mean to cause trouble. That was, until he saw him getting too close to Max's personal space and threatening her.
"Get away from her, dude!" Warren exclaimed, taking a step forward and tapping his arm.
From there, everything happened so quickly, as he was headbutted in the face and toppled backwards, losing his balance. His hands immediately clutched his face in pain. As he laid there on the ground, hearing him hurt Max and not respect her boundaries, it, well... pissed him off. He staggered up, got his balance, and walked around to the other side of Nathan. That's when Warren saw a car approach at the perfect time, seemingly a friend of Max's.
"Go, go! I got this!" Warren collided with Nathan, bringing him down. Within seconds, Warren was already regretting that decision, as he felt his face being punched and the throbbing pain was only growing stronger. That's when he heard Nathan get up and begin kicking the truck door.
"Get your punk asses out of there now! Don't even try to run! Nobody messes with me! NOBODY!" Nathan yelled at the top of lungs, visibly distraught as the car pulls out of the lot and onto the road.
At that point, Warren had pushed himself up off the ground and was sitting down. In his peripheral view, he saw David Madsen, the campus security guard, begin jogging over to them.
"What the hell happened here!?" David shouted out to them, seeing as Warren was on the floor and Nathan was still breathing heavily, his body language displaying his hostility.
The second he said that, Nathan, as if by reflex, jerks his body quickly to face him. His face is scratched up from Max freeing herself from his grasp, and his eyes have a wild-look to them, like an animal pinned in a corner and fighting for dear life.
"That's it! Both of you are goi-.."
"Sir, with all due respect, relax. Nathan and me were walking together, and some car nearly hit us and caused us to fall on our asses!" Warren cut off David, laughing awkwardly like a student would after mistakenly admitting he didn't study for a test. David simply looked at him questioningly, one eyebrow raised as he took a step closer while maintaining eye contact.
"No, really! We didn't get a good look at the car, but one of Nathan's fears is getting ran over, so you know..." He continued looking at Madsen, then slowly readjusted his posture, looking out to the fields of grass and birds flocking to his right.
Madsen grunted uneasily, apparently taken aback by Warren's calm, casual demeanor despite thinking something greater was to come of this. He then shifted his eyes towards Nathan, who looked less shocked, but still a hint of surprise lingered on his face.
"Nathan? You confirm that everything this student says is true, yes?" Madsen's voice was firm with authority. Nathan's face seemed to go through a collage of emotions all within a split second. Although, he quickly straightened out before speaking.
"He told the truth." Nathan replied coldly, yet, his voice showed no sign of a lie.
"Hmph." David Madsen turned his back to them, taking a look around the vicinity. He turned back, looking at the two of them, sighing.
"Stay out of trouble kids, god knows we have enough as is.." With that, he took slow, calculated steps away from the scene, going back towards Blackwell's front campus.
Seconds turn into minutes, which feel like hours, as the two boys simply sit there, not looking at each other, but there's a tension between them. Perhaps it has to do with the ecstatic point that the two of them got off the hook with campus security. It made Warren feel good about himself, knowing that despite being a geek, he was able to persuade David there wasn't a problem. But still, why go through the trouble anyway?
Do I somehow feel... sympathy, for Nathan? I only protected Max and myself, he would've got the brunt of the blame. But.. it felt wrong to think of doing that to him.
"Hey, Graham." Nathan spoke casually, the voice coming closer than Warren was comfortable with. He blinked a few times, his submersion into his thoughts causing him to lose focus, as he sees Nathan, hands in pocket, looking down at him. Warren pushed himself up off the ground, staggering slightly, brushing the dirt off his pants.
"What's up?" Warren said, a small grin glued to his face.
"I don't need your help. Better yet, go fuck yourself." Nathan's face gave way to a light smirk, circling around on his heels to face Blackwell's campus. He began walking away, the calm, repetitive sound of his shoes hitting the ground echoing through Warren's mind.
I helped this rich dick, and he thinks he's entitled enough tell me to fuck myself?
Warren began walking quickly towards Nathan, his pace increasing with every step. Nathan didn't seem to notice or pay any mind, walking like he had been, as he was nearing the steps to go up to the front campus. Warren grabbed his forearm, pulling him back before he could.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" Nathan shouted angrily, pulling his arm out of Warren's grasp.
"I think I deserve a thank you, Nathan. After all, I did save you back there." He said with a smile.
"I think you deserve a fuck you, as a matter of fact, fuck you! Get off my back, Gayram, or else." Nathan pulled his gaze away from Warren forcefully, before continuing up the steps so that he can go to the dormitories. Once he reached the top of the steps, Warren yelled out at him.
"Or else? Or else what!?"
Nathan paused for a moment. Whatever went on within that head of his, Warren had no idea. But whatever it was Nathan thought of, he decided not to say it, and continued walking away.
Without turning back, he continued on walking, the similar sound of his shoes hitting the cement parroting in Warren's head.
Guess it's Detective Graham time.