The morning was a little strange, I saw people staring at me. Students-and some teachers- examined me as if I was a new specimen. I heard whispers, but couldn't make out what they were saying. This continued until gym, when the source of my troubles came along.
"You sure do love to change clothes a lot," he spoke pretty closely to my ear, raising the hair on my neck. I covered my ear, giving him a glare, he only smirked.
"What do you want, I'm not gonna break the 'contract'." He makes a mocking face as if his feelings were hurt. He breaks it and goes back to smiles.
"It's nothing, just don't go talking to that beta-nerd from this morning," he said, in a more serious tone. I giggled, covering my laugh. He looked at me in confusion, I decided to tease him.
"What? You scared a beta-nerd would attract this hot chick more than you?" He looked much more confused, I only laughed harder and ran faster. My cheeks started burning, that was much too embarrassing to continue.
While everyone was changing, Kate came up to me timidly.
"Hey, Maddie, I was wondering if you wanted to have lunch together," she asked shyly. I smiled gently and agreed. She gave me a joyful expression and told me where to meet her. If it weren't for the rules of the school, she would've been skipping.
She picked a table at the front lawn, next to the shade of a tree. I had gone to buy something from Two Whales, Kate had herself a "homemade" lunch.
"Oh, I forgot to get a drink," she said while looking through her purse. She pulled out some loose change and turned to me, "you want something? My treat." When she noticed my hesitation, she pushed further. I gave in and asked for a soda. She happily went off to her errand, leaving me on the empty lawn. Not that long after she left, a group of girls strutted over to my table. The leader, I supposed, stood in front looking down on me. Her eyes were fierce, I felt uneasy as she continued to stare. She finally stopped and exhaled. I took the chance to swallow.
"I know already," she began, "about you and Nathan!" I choked. She slapped her hands on the table.
"Excuse me?" I croaked out, still coughing.
"Though, I don't get why Nathan didn't tell me himself. I'll let it pass this time," I think she looked me over, "You seem alright enough, but!-" she got closer to my face, "don't go doing anything to Nathan that you'll regret! Got it?" She didn't let me answer and instead strutted away with her hench-girls. I was in a daze after that.
"Whoa, was that Victoria Chase?" Kate asked just a few steps behind me. I couldn't respond. She sat down, then waved her hand over my eyes.
"You ok? Maddie?" I spun my head to her, the shock still in my eyes.
"Do you know a 'beta-nerd' in your year?" I asked immediately, she was recovering from my sudden action.
"Huh? Oh! No? Maybe," she nodded her head, then began to shake it, "I don't know what you're talking about?" She laughed nervously, I told her to forget about it and continued with my lunch.
I quickly do my homework, take a shower, and change into my red-plaid pajama pants and a black tank. Before leaving, I stop at the doorway and take the hoodie. As I walk towards the exit I pull the hoodie over my head, when I suddenly hear someone calling me. After I can see again, I turn to find Kate at the door of a dorm, probably her room. I walk over, a gentle smile.
"Hey Kate, I didn't know you had a room in this hall!" I say cheerfully. I am genuinely surprised. Must be the number of Seniors that decided to live with their parents, leaving a bunch of rooms open.
"Yeah, I was lucky enough to get a room here, it's pretty cool," she sounds odd, "I was actually about to go make some tea, do you wanna join me?" I looked at my phone, it wasn't six yet, so I had time.
"Sure, tea would really be great," I answered. She led me to her room where I took a seat on her sofa cushion. The room was amazingly clean, the windows wide open to let fresh air in. The smell of something outdoorsy hit my nose and I quickly searched around for it. My eyes landed on a cage next to her bookshelf and bed. A small, white and black spotted rabbit sat inside, munching on a piece of lettuce. I couldn't help but take my phone out and snap a photo. I examined the photo, swooning at its cuteness. It acknowledged the sound, as it turned its small head towards my direction.
"Oops, sorry if I scared you, little guy," I put my phone back in my pocket. It's about 30 minutes before Kate comes back, her kettle in one hand and a jar of honey in the other. She leaves it over a coaster while she drops the tea bags in two mugs. The smell is of a bitter-sweet peppermint. She opens the jar, dipping a large spoon in and pouring it into her mug. All I can do is eye the drops.
"You want honey?" I wave my hand, rejecting the idea of it. Too sweet for my taste.
"Hope you enjoy it," she answers, disheartened. Something bothering her? She completely avoids my gaze as I examine her. Something is definitely bothering her, but I decide not to pry. Let her bring up her troubles by herself. The tea is scalding hot, burning my tongue on the first sip. I take a few more moments to blow at it. She apologizes, but I wave it away.
"Maddie?" she finally begins, I nod, "can I ask you something? But promise me you'll answer me honestly!" she demands. I nod, getting worried. She takes a deep breath, before starting again.
"I heard a rumor- from a reliable source I might add- that you've been hanging around Nathan Prescott as of late," I freeze, "now, there's a lot of other things in it like you're sl-staying overnight in his room, and talking in secret with him, but," she furrowed her brow, serious, "they can all mean nothing if the people mentioned in the rumor deny it, so…?" Beta-nerd! I giggle nervously, covering my mouth.
"Before I answer, can I know who you're source is?"
"Alyssa, she heard it from Warren, a friend of ours." That must be the beta-nerd! My thoughts didn't distract me from the tone she used when saying "friend". She doesn't want me to accuse him harshly, I guess. I could tell her the truth, but she seems adamant about "mature" behavior. She wouldn't be too happy to know about my behavior outside of school. I fake a sigh.
"I'm sorry you had to hear it from someone else, truly I am," I hide my eyes with my hand, "but it's only a misunderstanding," I look back to her, "I think your friend Warren saw me leave Nathan's room. I didn't do anything with him! I promise," I fiddle with my fingers, "We aren't dating, per se, but at the beginning of the week, some circumstances led me to help him out with his homework. He doesn't want anyone to find out, so, he asked me to tell anyone who asks that we're boyfriend and girlfriend," I lower my head, "that's why Warren believes we're dating because he saw us and Nathan just told him how it 'is'." She stared in surprise, I could tell. She finally picked up her mug and sipped it.
"That's kinda hard to believe, I never took him as the type to ask people for things," she took a moment, "is he paying you?"
"Like, for tutoring, yea," In drugs. She hummed, before smiling gently.
"Well, I'm one to believe there's more to someone than outward appearances!" I smiled back, though a little forced. I didn't know what to think of him yet.
I didn't finish my tea, but Kate wanted some time alone to practice her violin and let her rabbit out for exercise. I left and snuck to the boys' dorms. When I arrive at his door, the knob suddenly turns and he's walking out, frowning. He's surprised to see me.
"Didn't think you would show," he examined my stature, raising an eyebrow, "having a slumber party?" Now I'm pouting. I pull it back with a teasing smile.
"What about you, you're in quite the rush?" he doesn't answer, I roll my eyes, "I thought it best to wear pajamas, since I won't be able to leave your room until morning, like last night." I cross my arms, waiting for a snarky remark. He chuckles, then closes his door behind him.
"Not tonight, babe," he exaggerates the last word, but he's not facing me. I follow his gaze, to the door across the hallway. The beta-nerd. He's staring at us again, I pull up my hood in a heartbeat. Nathan wraps his arm around my shoulder, guiding me to the exit.
"Sorry, Gayham, no peepin' tonight," he shouts before we're across the exit. After that, his arm falls off me, but I keep my hood on.
"Who is that kid anyway?" I follow close behind him. He's looking down at his feet, I take another good look at him. His pants are sagging, a belt wrapped around for accessorizing. He's wearing a thin red jacket. It's not cold out, the sun is still up, but it's not really gonna get any warmer than it already is. We pass by some kids, the jocks hollering at him. He picks up his head, giving a chuckle as a hello. We cross the lawn to the parking lot, arriving at a red truck.
"This your ride?" I ask while he goes to the driver's seat. I head the opposite way.
"I would've thought you had like a sports car or somethin'," I sit inside the comfortable chairs. Must be custom made.
"Sports cars are for the city, not forrest hicks," he answers, turning on the car and driving out. I roll my eyes, of course, by forrest hicks he means the rest of Arcadia Bay.
"Fine, where're we headed though?" I go for an attempt to change the subject. He complies.
"Just goin' around the town, I gotta meet up with Frank later, so we got time to kill." I nod along, in the back of my mind, a voice asks me what to do when I face Frank again? I push it further back, it was time to relax. We first went to a fast food joint, Two Whales was closed. I ordered something small, thinking about my budget. Nathan shocked me when he told me he was paying for everything at the window.
"Are you sure?" I asked, my change in hand. The lady at the window passed our food, waiting for payment.
"I'm not poor like you," he teased and handed a shiny silver card. I grabbed the food and made sure we had everything. I ate my stuff on the way to our next location. The beach. Dusk was ending, but there were still a few groups of people walking along the beach. We stayed in his truck a while longer, finishing up our food. After that, we took a stroll around. Nathan seemed to love the idea of submerging his feet in. With nothing better to do, I copied and followed him around. A few steps in front of us, I see a father holding his young daughter by the arms. Dipping her feet down, the baby crying at the cold water. I take out my phone and snap a few photos. The setting sun in the background, a perfect display of this tender moment.
"What's that for?" he asks me, I look over the photos a bit before showing them to him. My proud smile unable to leave.
"It's for the contest," he looks through them, nodding his head, "Jefferson will finally get off my case about this now." He returns my phone.
"Don't know 'im," he continues ahead of me. I try to catch up to his pace. For someone so small, he's surprisingly fast.
"He's that new photography teacher, ya know, the one every girl is swooning over," I laugh at myself. It's not a total lie. He looks at me with a quizzical brow.
"Every girl?" He exaggerated his words.
"What? His refined looks don't help his bad personality, but that doesn't mean he isn't hard on the eyes," I glanced at him, he was quiet for a while longer
"Why did you assume I was a virgin?" My cheeks immediately go red but I don't answer, he continues either way.
"Well, I'm not," he finishes. I'm shocked by his openness. Though, I doubt it's something so personal to him.
"Then, neither am I," I smile towards him, "at least we have that in common." We stop near the end of the beach, stand around in the water until the sun is fully gone, then head back to the parking lot.
We stop at a liquor store, Nathan heads out first while I decide on what I wanna get. I'm not a usual smoker, despite my habits, but it wouldn't really matter at this point. I leave his truck, making sure the doors are locked before heading inside the store. Nathan's in the back, eyeing the booze, but not picking anyone of them. I head over to him, standing behind him.
"If you're planning on shoplifting you better not go for the glass ones." He quickly turns away, glaring at me. I can already hear the clerk shuffling around in the front.
"I'll pay. You already paid for the rest, so this one should be my treat, especially since you're still too young," I grin a little too much. I go for the pocket on the hoodie, taking out my wallet. He scoffs.
"That's nice and all, but, this's useless to me," he grins, passing me and picking up a six-pack of cans, "but I'll accept either way!" I lose all my animosity for him then. I had said what I did and there was no backing out now. We paid and loitered around in his car. I finally asked him what was up.
"So what's your visit to Frank about? Resupply?" He had his arm outstretched over the window, taking a few puffs every now and again.
"Party-favors," he answered and said nothing more. I gave him a mischievous smile.
"The ones you hand out to your friends for free?" I asked, he only smiled back, which was an answer enough for me. I cracked open a new can and gulped it down.
"Want me to drop you off or you wanna come with," he asked, throwing his butt out and starting the engine.
"Ooh, what a gentleman," I teased, "Nah, I'll come with, I have to face him sooner or later."
"Yeah, but don't go running your mouth about our little agreement," he spoke with a serious tone. It caught me off guard but I was able to nod as an answer.
Frank doesn't like to stay in the same place twice. That's why he lives in an R.V. I stayed behind him when he knocked on the door. Frank immediately answers. He notices me right away.
"This's a surprise, the little prince of Arcadia carrying around a junkie!" he laughed heartily, his dog barking inside in rhythm.
"I'm not a junkie, I don't come to you every night, ya asshole!" I retorted, Nathan pushed me behind him, keeping his gaze on Frank. I grind my teeth.
"She's just my servant-girl," he spoke so calmly, showing a small grin. I pouted at that title. A girlfriend at school, a servant-girl in all other public places.
"Frank, come on! It's getting really late!" A girl's voice from inside called and the dog barked with her. Nathan went tense at the sound.
"I'll be done in a sec," he called back. They had some sort of short argument about not getting back in time. Frank finally handed the drugs over in a paper bag. It looked over-used with grease stains. I cringed at the sight. Nathan led the way back to his truck, I followed closely behind. We didn't speak for the rest of the way.
"That's a really gross bag he gave you," I said, trying to start some sort of conversation. He smiled, but still had an angry expression.
"As a drug dealer you'd think he could afford an actual bag," he says as he tosses the bag to the back, flooring the gas before I could even put on my belt.
"What the hell?! You could've killed me!" I yelled, but he didn't respond. He concentrated on the road. We headed back to the school in silence.
When we finally get to school, he parks in front. I'm first to get out.
"You can go to your room if you want, I don't need you tonight," he said; he didn't shut off the engine.
"What about-"
"Forget it." He drove off then, almost running over my feet. Don't even give a girl a proper goodbye after a date? I walked back to my room, the guards weren't that interested to watch the parameter. Just as I got to my room, my mom calls.
"Yes?" I immediately answer. She sounds rough, she was probably asleep.
"Are you coming over Saturday?" she asks. I pause for a moment, not knowing how to reply. Surely, Nathan would let me have the weekend.
"Yea, like always, but why-"
"I made an appointment to visit your dad on Sunday, so we have to drive over on Saturday," she responded, she didn't wait for an answer from me, "you can't run from this like last time." I nodded, then remembering we were on the phone I answered her. We hung up after that, not having anything else to talk about. I take off the sweater, open the window and light a blunt. The cool air feels nice after all the running around. I suddenly get mad, thinking back to how he dismissed me. I kinda understand, he doesn't really care about me, I'm his "servant-girl", after all.
About an hour later, I see another girl walk through the courtyard in front of the dorms. She searches around, then her eyes land on me. They widen and I wave at her, then she hurries to the door.
Morning comes and I rush out to the boys' dorms. The boys are already running around, half-naked with music blasting in their rooms. I search the boys' faces, taking in their looks. Of course, a girl in the sausage fest gets a lot of their attention. Finally, I spot the "beta-nerd" Warren. I hold onto his shirt collar and drag him to the staircase. His face is pale, hiding behind his change of clothes.
"Unless you want me to be frightened by your horrendous style, you're not doing much to protect yourself," I say, letting him go but keeping the door closed off. He lets his clothes down, but still uses them as a shield over his chest. He squirms around some until he finally drops his head in a bow.
"I'm sorry for what I told everyone! It just happened,itwasabigshockafteralltoseeyouandNathan and-"
"Man, you're a wimp," I say in annoyance, my palm covering my chin. He continues to look at me in a worried manner, I swear I could see him shiver; I sigh.
"Look," I continue, "there's nothing I can do about it but accept the rumor. If I try to deny it, then they'll only push it more… That doesn't mean you can get off scot-free! You're still in trouble for spreading rumors about your elders!" Right then, Nathan walks up the stairs, scoffing as he sees me and Warren. He walks past us, smelling of something weird. I don't pry into it and refocus on the kid.
"For now, you can go back to whatever you were doing, but!- I will come back to give you a proper punishment." With that, I headed out to the parking lot and headed to Jo's house. He was already walking outside when I arrived.
"What got you out of bed so early?" I ask, slowing the car to his pace. He smiles and responds.
"A new girlfriend," he stops and gets into my car.
"Ooh, is she a junior?" I tease, he nudges me while putting on his seatbelt.
"S-sophomore," he says, in a quieter tone. Quiet enough that I almost miss it.
"Duude, that's sick," I say, cringing at the thought.
"It's not like I'm gonna sleep with her, she's just for show."
"Enough show to get you flustered," I tease, the age gap still in the back of my mind.
"Whatever, you're one to talk," he turned to me, grinning, "I heard you were makin' interesting friends last night." He smiles, ready to burst.
"Like what?"
"Like a sugar daddy," he breaks, barely able to finish his sentence.
"Wadda fuck, who?"
"I don't know, they just said he was some rich kid you were hangin' with yesterday at the beach, ah," he sighs, I roll my eyes. He starts to pick at his eyes.
"I can't hang out with you on Saturday… and Sunday," I say, he turns to face me but doesn't speak.
"Is it that go-between?" he asks, annoyed.
"No, it's my mom," I glance at him, quickly then back, "uhh, she's fine, but, she wants us to go visit my dad. She already made the appointment for Sunday." He doesn't talk, but I can already imagine that sly smile of his.
"That's good, I'm happy for you," he doesn't add anything else. We don't speak much until we arrive at his school again. I admit to him that I don't know if I'll pick him up later. He complains about taking the bus again, but I leave before he finishes.
At the school, I don't take three steps in before a girl grabs me by the arm and hauls me over to the girls' bathroom. It's the brunette, I think Nathan said her name was Rachel.
"Can I help you?"
"Cut the crap, I know you saw me last night," she whispers, "I've been looking for you all morning, cause, I know this school talks a lot, and I know you're dating Nathan, so if you say anything about where I was last night, I swear I'll-"
"You'll what?" I push her off, then turn to face the mirror, "you spat on me, so I guess that wasn't my punishment," I turn back around, hanging on the sink, "and since you seem to know Nathan fairly well, I assume you're a junior. Look girl, if you wanna threaten someone, at least have something in mind before you go picking fights with your elders." She backed up, crossing her arms.
"You're not that old," she scoffs. I mimic her, fixing my eyes on her.
"Am I?" She's taken aback, releasing her posture; I start giggling, "Nah," I slap her shoulder, "I only saw you walk by on the courtyard, I don't know where you kids go off to these days. And frankly, I don't care." I turn to the mirror again, watching her reflection. She scowled at something else. I turned the faucet on and washed my hands. She finally returned her gaze towards me, determination flowing out of her.
"I saw you smoking, bet you don't want the school finding out, right?" I smile, raising my hands as I turn back to her.
"Guilty as charged, or at least until proven guilty, right?" I keep my eyes on her, as her mood changes again to a scowl, and walks off. I relax my shoulders, but, once again, I'm treated the same by the blue-haired chick walking in after Rachel leaves.
"What did you say to Rache?" she asks in fury. She was gripping my sweater, shoving me towards the sink, like the girl before her. I clutch her wrist, pulling it away. It isn't too easy, she must be the muscle of the duo.
"You can relax, blue knight," she eases up, "your princess already made the threats and bargain so you don't have to." She let go, but she was still fuming.
"If I ever see you do something to her-"
"I know I know, you'll tell the whole school: an insignificant goth's dating Nathan Prescott and she smokes as a hobby, boo hoo, woe is me. Look," I step around her, "I got a class to get to and I'm not gonna repeat this shitfest all over again, so bye," I promptly wave at her as I head out the door. I go towards my first class, catching a glimpse of the beta-er- I mean, Warren, in the hallway. I don't torment the kid and head off on my way.
Jefferson is the same as always, but ecstatic as I present him with my photo for the contest. I had it printed in the teacher's lounge during one of my breaks. Though his excitement gets out of hand as he decides to sample my photo to the class, earning me a few good frowns and pouts from the girls, and some of the guys. I slouch into my chair as if my desk will protect me from their gazes. During the middle of the class, the rich girl, Victoria (I remembered as Jefferson called her name when she entered) came in asking to get extra help. He let her sit at my table. I think she was fine with it since I was someone she recognized. Plus, since I'm now "dating" Nathan, I think I'll end up seeing a lot of her from now on. She gave a half-smile as she sat across from me. We didn't face each other for long as she decided to move around and face Jefferson as he continued with his lecture. When we were doing a self-study, Victoria faced me, looking swooned from her large dose of front and center Jefferson-eye-candy.
"You are so lucky to have his class!" she whimpered, "I would've taken this class if I knew the Mark Jefferson was gonna be teaching." She turned her head to look at him, biting her nail. Just as quickly, she turned back. I took a quick glance at her.
"I thought you needed help from him?"
"Oh!" she suddenly stood up, "you're right, I'll be right back!" She strutted over to his desk, her confidence taking leaps around her. I smiled behind my book. Aaah, to be young again.
She returned, looking upset.
"Did he break your heart already?"
"What?" she whispered, "Keep your voice down!"
"Like nobody has a crush on him," I whispered back. I think it was loud enough to get some people's attention. It didn't last long as everyone resumed their conversations.
"I didn't think you would like him?" she suddenly leaned in closer, "don't start getting any ideas involving Nate and Mark." I snort at her words but clear my throat afterward. She glares at me. I wave the comments away.
"No no, of course not, I'm not gonna cheat on him. I may be older but that doesn't mean I'm heartless," I lean in my chair, she relaxes her posture. She'll get my sense of humor sooner or later. She looks distractedly at the desk until Jefferson comes to our table to "help", really though, he's just overlooking our work and critiquing- in his own way. Before class is done, Victoria looms to me with a serious face.
"Have you seen Nathan at all today?" I think back to this morning, seeing him walk into the boys' dorm. I shake my head.
"I only saw him early this morning walking into the dorms, but I didn't get a good look at him," I answer. She swallowed her lips in a frown. My mind started thinking of the red lipstick she was wearing, it was gonna smudge.
"I'll go see if he's in his dorm," she stood up as the bell rang. I followed behind her, rushing to get my things.
"Wait!" She stops in the hallway, "Can you ask him if he wants me to come over tonight?" Her eyes grow wide, then slant. She nods with an okay. I smile and wave goodbye to her.
Gym starts, and although Alyssa and Kate bombard me with more questions about Nathan and me, I try to answer as vaguely as possible. There's no sign of him for the rest of the class. After that, I guess it means no Nathan at school at all. I run into Victoria later on and ask her about him. She gives a gentle smile.
"I'm glad you care so much about him," I'm taken aback for a bit, "he's fine, I went in and he said he had to go take care of some business. I'm guessing about his family." She looked away, distracted by something. I wave my hand in front of her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Sorry, oh! And he said he still wants you to visit him tonight," she nudges my shoulder. I grow hot. She giggles and leaves waving behind.
The rest of the day goes by with no other event. I do get some quizzical stares and disapproving scowls from others, but overall, it's peaceful. Newspaper is when I really get the dishing out. Three younger students approach me at my desk. At first, I thought they were gonna ask about the newspaper, but I was taken aback by their confrontation.
"Is it really true that you're dating Nathan Prescott?" One of the girls speaks, she sounds angry. I furrow my brow, trying to follow the conversation. I nod in agreement. Now they're taken aback. The two other girls behind the leader start whispering incoherently.
"That's not really fair, now is it?" she snaps.
"I don't think I follow," I admit. She picks up her chin.
"I mean, you're like a senior. So why are you dating a junior?" she crosses her arms, like a little kid with a tantrum. It reminded me of Nathan for a second.
"Well, he's a cute guy, he's smart, he's got money, a badass truck, why wouldn't I want to date him? Because he's younger? The same thing doesn't stop other students from dating younger ones." They were dumbfounded. They stared at me, not with contempt, but pure shock. They looked down at their feet and spoke in almost a whisper. Then glance back at me.
"Sorry for bothering you," they walked off back to their desk, not a word was heard again. Juliet came from behind me, slapping my shoulders.
"And that's why you're the Editor-in-chief." We laughed.
As I walked along the pathway to the dorms, my eye suddenly caught a vexed figure in front. He caught sight of me and immediately turned away. I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and walked him next to the supply closet. He was stiff in my arms but obediently followed.
"Warren! My new best friend!" I call sarcastically, letting go of him, "I'd almost forgotten about my promise, thank goodness I found you so soon." He was slumping his shoulders, cheeks flushed. He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Again, I'm sorry, for- for talking about you behind your back." At this close distance, I noticed he was slightly taller than me, with lanky arms and leftover baby fat.
"Don't even think twice about it," I slapped his shoulder leaning him close to me, "because you're gonna make it up for me." He sighed, looking at me with puppy eyes. I let go of his shoulders and crossed my arms. I wasn't gonna be moved so easily.
"Now, this'll only be for a week, since that's how long it takes for a rumor to die down. But first, do you know how to drive?" he nodded, "do you have a car?" He shook his head, going stiff again. I reached into my bag for my keys, holding them out to him. He took them hesitantly. Then I reached for a pen and paper.
"I'm gonna make you do some of my chores. One of them is," I found what I needed and began scribbling, "to go to North Arcadia and pick up one of my friends. Don't get too excited, he's a guy. His name's Jonathan, he'll recognize my car, but when he looks through the window, hand him this," I gave him my folded impromptu letter, "and make sure he gives you the right directions, and that he's not allowed to drive without my supervision. Got all that?" He nodded hesitantly. I glanced at my phone, then pushed him forward.
"Go now, he's about to leave school." He did as was told. When he was across the lawn, I called to him to not go messing around with my car. I headed inside, but instead of going to the girls' dorms, I headed to Nathan's room. After knocking a few times without a response, I wrote him my number and a message.
555-3480
Don't get too excited. I need some way of contacting you when you go ghost.
Call me when you get this.
After leaving and going to my room, I couldn't help but keep an eye on my phone. It was so vexing.