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Chapter 2

Another late morning. I was rushing about trying to get myself together. Today I was actually wearing the dumb brace, though I hid it under a long orange empire waist dress. One last twirl and I headed down to greet aunty. "Aunt Aggie I'm ready," I yelled but no answer. I checked the living room, bathroom, kitchen and her room but nothing. I guess she's not home yet. "Oh no I'm gonna be late," I told myself. I'm just gonna have to run for it. I sprinted for the door, only to trip up on something laying in the floor. "A-Aunt Aggie?" there she was fast asleep in the middle of the floor.

"A-Aunt aggie really I can walk I'll be fine," I told her for the hundredth time. When I woke her up I had only meant so that she could go sleep on her bed, but she insisted on driving.

"No, no I can't let you walk all alone with that leg," she said in a spacy voice. I was about to protest when "Ah!" aunt Aggie screamed and slammed on the breaks. "That dog came out of nowhere," She said catching her breath and started driving again. I looked around but no dog. What was she talking about?

"Um aunt Aggie the schools just down the street so I can walk from here," I said jumping out of the car so there was no protest. I probably shouldn't have gotten out of a moving car but she was driving so slow that it was easy. "Auntie go home and get some sleep," I told her as I walked beside the car. She nodded absently.

"That dog sure did come out of nowhere," someone laughed, and I knew who it was immediately. I felt like I'd heard it almost all day yesterday.

"Why is it that every time something goes wrong your there? Are you stalking me or something?" I asked sarcastically.

"In your dreams princess," he said. He looked me up and down once and started walking. Ugh again with the nicknames, I thought as I followed behind him. We walked in silence for about a minute before things got awkward.

"Oh right you said you liked the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's right?" I asked grabbing at any hope for a conversation. This silence was killing me.

"Yeah and," that was all he said.

"We~ell I know you said that you didn't like the genre but I'm sure that if you like them you'll like these guys," I said pulling out my phone. Stealthily I popped one earphone into his left ear- ignoring him when he pulled away-and the other in my right. Okay maybe I was coming on a little strong but you have to be a little pushy when making friends right? I played a song from one of my favorite indie bands. He didn't look over or say anything, for all I knew he might not have even been listening but at the edge of his mouth it looked like there was a small smile. We continued to walk in silence but it didn't feel so weird with the music playing. Once we got to the courtyard I started to pull the headphone from his ear but he grabbed my hand. Again he didn't look at me or say anything he just stood there. My heartbeat quickened and the place where his hand touched my wrist warmed. It felt like eternity before he let me go.

"Name," he asked finally looking at me. Did he really not know my name? I mean I know we just met yesterday but seriously.

"A-Amy," I stuttered gazing deeply into his grey eyes my heartbeat quickened.

"The band's name," He smirked. Oh.

"V-Vistalip," this time the stutter was out of embarrassment, embarrassment of the temporary insanity that caused me to be mesmerized by him!

"In your dreams princess," he scoffed ruffling my hair.

"Yeah right like I'd be interested in a guy like you," I said plus he already had a girlfriend. I sighed quietly to myself, shook the thought from my head then headed inside to my first period.

"Hey you!" Someone shouted as soon as I entered the school. I turned around to see a girl with long blonde hair, green eyes, and expensive looking clothes coming at me from one of the side hallways. She was flanked by two girls, one was a girl with the eyebrow piercing and the look of not wanting to be here that was with Castiel- I think her name was Charlotte and the other was a girl I didn't know with jet black hair absent mindedly doing her makeup. "Humph so you're the new girl," the blonde said circling me like a shark. "Humph," she said again.

"Excuse me-,"

"There is only one girl for Castiel, and that's me, got it," she said shoving me against the lockers. I glanced over at Charlotte. Isn't she Castiel's girlfriend? I would expect this from her but she was just standing there in the background like this wasn't even happening. "Hey are you listening to me," the blond slammed her hand against the locker.

"Uh oh yeah, uh what," the blonde rolled her eyes exasperated. Was this a cheating situation? Two timing boyfriend and no good best friend get together behind girlfriends back. He said that charlotte would get in a lot of trouble if this got around is this what he meant.

"I said stay away from my Castiel got that!" She yelled. The way she phrased that was weird so I had to ask.

"Is he your boyfriend or something," If that's what's going on even if this girl was a total B word I couldn't not tell her what I saw. Even if she'd never believe me.

"Not yet but he will be," Okay what!? So blonde was in love with Castiel, the Castiel that I had seen just yesterday humping her friend. So is this what was going on? A secret love and if the blonde ever found out then she would definitely be in big trouble.

But as I thought of that a strange feeling flared up in me, it was an odd mix between anger and frustration. Was she really his girlfriend? I looked over Charlotte, while she looked quite tuff she didn't really look like his type. "And don't think you can get cuddly with the class president either or any of the other boys around here," she said grabbing my face to make me look at her. "You and your little nerd bird boyfriend can just keep to yourselves and stay out of my way," she said shoving me one more time. Part of me really wanted to tell her that her obstacles were a lot closer to home than she thought, but I restrained myself. Instead my mind was racing trying to find some good come back, something that said, you don't scare me without actually saying the words, but nothing came. "Oh and tell your boyfriend to bring more money next week with that dinky amount that he brings now it'll take me forever to save up for a new phone." The blonde said as she walked away, and for a second it froze me in place as her words registered in my mind.

It's funny how easily my claws come out cause once her words finished registering in my mind, I was ready to mark the third time I'd almost be expelled for fighting.

The girl and her friends had gotten a little ways down the hall so I sprinted after her (ignoring the pain in my leg). I was an inch away from grabbing a fist full of that long blonde hair when… I slipped. I landed flat on my face. The girls noticed me then and laughed before heading into their class.

"Ugh what did I slip on?" I asked myself as I peeled something off my shoe. It was a small notebook with some strange word written on it. "Lysander? Wonder what that means," I said putting it in my backpack. I'd bring it to lost and found later. So she was the girl who was bullying ken. I would have to deal with that later. Once I peeled myself off of the floor I had to pick up a few things that slipped out of my bag. That's when I saw it. "Oh no my registration form," I had forgotten to get it checked and turned in yesterday. "Crap," I needed to find the student body president. She said his name was what again Noah, Nicholas, Noland… no Nate, Nathen, Na-Nathaniel! That's it. I sighed in relief. Hmm I wonder if that's the Nathaniel in my science class. I took a breath and didn't concern myself with it. I had a bigger problem for the second day in a row I was missing first period.

I couldn't concentrate through any of my classes I was too worried about Ken he was a fragile little thing and I couldn't protect him from everything, but this bratty menace needed to be stopped. I had been trying to find him all day but nothing.

After history class I went wondering through the halls looking for ken again…but nothing. As I pouted on my way to gym, when out the corner of my eye I saw a familiar tuff of brown hair headed out of the school. "Ken?" I called but I guess he didn't hear me as he headed for a car and left. I was gonna call him to see what's up but the warning bell rang so I rushed off to class. Today in gym they were playing dodge ball. Of course I couldn't play and the nurse made sure that Coach Jordan knew that. So I sat on the sidelines in my gym uniform next to a shy girl with purple hair. We sat in silence watching the teams launch balls at each other yelping and squeaking when one came their way. I waited for the coach to get enthralled in the game calling "Out! Out! Out!" to pull out my phone and text ken [Hey u ok I saw u leave early ] as I hit send a dodge ball came flying out of nowhere hitting me in the side of the head it sent me flying out of my seat and my phone flying out of my hand crashing into the gym floor with a loud CRACK! Everyone and everything seemed to freeze in that moment everyone watching me with the same look of shock. Okay there were 3 people that don't look shocked at all. That blonde looked at me with a smug smile as the girl with the black hair loaded her with another dodgeball. Charlotte wore the same uninterested face she had before. I sent a quick glare their way before peeling myself up off the floor.

"Uh-Um… a-are you okkkk-ay," the shy girl asked handing me my phone. The screen was completely destroyed.

"Oh no," I ran my fingers lightly across the screen. "Ouch!" I pulled my hand back to find blood pooling from the thin cut on the tip of my finger.

"Briggs! Put it away," Coach called to me. I sat my phone face down on the bleachers and waited for this stupid class to be over.

I ate my lunch outside with Iris my lab partner and the sweet shy girl from my gym class whose name I found out was Violate.

"S-so what h-happened to your l-leg she stuttered," Violette was the first person to ask me what happened and honestly I wasn't sure what to say. Violette and Iris were sweet girls and I didn't want to lie to them but like Castiel and well everyone else I didn't want them to know the horrifying truth.

"U-uh I got into a car accident broke my leg," I told them shrugging it off. Unlike with Castiel yesterday this time I was ready. This was a half-truth not a total lie but it wasn't really all that close to the truth. They both looked at me with sympathy in their eyes. Ugh that's what I wanted to avoid sympathy and pity I didn't need it, all that did was make the heart weak. It seemed like the weather had taken on my mood cause the sky darkened and the clouds rolled in fast. "We should get inside fast," I told them in an attempt to change the subject.

Throughout the whole day I couldn't stop thinking about Ken it was so weird not seeing him I felt kind of off balance because of it. On my way out I finally realized it was raining. "Oh no," I hadn't been paying attention to the weather this morning great I'm gonna have to run for it. I took off my brace preparing to sprint, when I watched the bus I was supposed to be on pass by. Great.

"Need a hand," I heard a less familiar voice say I hadn't heard his voice as often as Castiel but I knew it was Nathaniel easily. He was standing next to me black umbrella in hand.

"I missed the bus,"

"I could walk you home… or to the bus stop at least," he said blushing.

"Well actually, Nathaniel are you also the class president?" I asked remembering the enrollment form. He nodded and I handed him my enrollment forms. "I was supposed to have you check this yesterday," I told him kind of shyly. He checked everything quickly.

"Well you have almost everything done," he told me after a minute. Wait almost?

"Almost what do you mean I checked everything myself," I asked surprised.

"Um well you'll have to pay the enrollment fee for one, and get an ID photo and one of the pages is missing," he said showing me where the pages skipped from three to five. "But that might just be a mistake on the offices part I'll check for it tomorrow," he smiled.

"Ok I have the enrollment fee but where am I supposed to get this ID photo done,"

"You can get it anywhere. They usually just take it with a web cam and a blank wall,"

"I don't have a web cam,"

"Well do you have a camera or recent picture of you with a blank wall behind you," he asked. I had been in and out of the hospital for the last year no way was I letting anyone take a picture of me. I sighed and shook my head. If I took out the amount of money needed for the enrollment fee I didn't even have enough for a disposable camera and what's cheaper than that. Then an idea hit me.

"Actually Nathaniel can you walk me somewhere," I asked it was still raining pretty hard and I wanted to look good for my picture.

"Interesting," Nathaniel said awkwardly from outside the curtain. Unlike most boys nowadays he was a true gentleman, he made sure that the umbrella covered me perfectly, he walked on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street, and even pulled back the curtain to the booth for me. As a modern woman I'd have to say that it's kinda weird and totally old school, but as a plain old girl I have to admit it gave me this warm giggly feeling inside to have a boy dote on me in the totally non-creepy excessive way (unlike ken).

"You've never been to a photo booth before?" I asked as I waited for the booth to count down.

"N-no is that weird?" he asked awkwardly. Honestly everything was awkward with Nathaniel but in a strange way it was kind of cute, and honestly he was quite the sweetie.

"Well since you're a boy I guess its ok, but your girlfriend never dragged you to one," It was a little obvious what I was doing but I was hoping that he didn't have enough experience with girls to figure it out. He paused. Did he have a girlfriend, I bet it's that skanky lab partner of his, or that skanky blonde bully that's bothering Ken. I was pouting to myself when I heard a shy, "No I'm not really dating anyone right now," he sounded a little embarrassed, but strangely it made me feel better. What was wrong with me today? This was the second time that I felt this awful pain in my chest. I was clutching my chest curious about the pain when the flash went off in the booth I looked up to see a picture of me looking lost with my hand on my chest.

"Ugh, no way am I using that one," I whispered to myself as I got ready for the next picture. This picture booth let me take a lot of pictures and choose which ones I wanted. So I didn't feel any pressure the hold a fake smile for a minute just to get some stiff picture. This gave me an idea. Once I got a good ID picture I waited for the countdown to start and once it got to 2 I jumped out at Nathaniel pulling him in. The flash went off.

"Ha, ha, ha!" I couldn't help laughing his face was priceless.

"H-hey," he blushed

"Take a picture with me," I told him with a smile and the flash went off again capturing Nathaniel with his mouth gaping open, eyes wide and face flushed red. I laughed and he tried to leave. "No come on, take a picture with me, please Natty," I asked in the cutest voice I could manage and the flash went off again. "Come on just one good one," I begged. Nathaniel doesn't seem to have a single photogenic bone in his body because it took almost 10 shots to get a half way decent photo. On the last one the tables were turned as the countdown started Nathaniel hugged me around my shoulders the flash went off capturing me in the middle of a gasp and Nathaniel making a surprisingly sexy face. Okay I guess I have to take back that not photogenic remark. "H-Hey!" I yelled at him.

"Revenge!" he laughed. Well I couldn't argue with that.

"Okay then now we each pick 4 and write or draw on them," I told him, a little pouty I admit but as I started picking photos I started getting embarrassed. "Get out," I told him flatly.

"What?" he was shocked.

"I can't pick with you watching go stand outside until it's your turn," I shooed him out. I chose my ID photo, the picture of me pulling Nathaniel in the booth, the one decent one of both of us and the one where he hugged me. The hugging picture was the only one I drew on. I put hearts and stars all over the place and absent mindedly made banners and birds before I even realized it the picture was looking like a lame wedding announcement. It was embarrassing but I didn't have the heart to delete it. When they printed I immediately hid them and stepped out under Nathaniel's umbrella "Your turn," I said casually.

"Don't I get to see?" he asked.

"Nope," was all I said. Nathaniel looked curiously at me then went in. He took a while in there so while balancing the umbrella I quickly peeled off my ID photo sticker and put it on my enrollment form. When he came out I shoved the other pictures in my back pack.

"So don't I get to see?" I asked mimicking his question.

"Nope," he said mimicking my response. The rain had let up a bit.

"Listen the rains let up a bit and my apartment isn't that far I think I can make it from here," I smiled and tried to step out from under his umbrella, but he caught me by the wrist.

"Please, it's still raining pretty hard. If it's really not that far then let me walk you," I should have expected that he was a natural gentleman. I could feel a strange warmth spreading up my arm from where he held me on my wrist. I glanced down at his hand my face red as a beet.

"Oh!" he let go, jumping back. "Sorry," he whispered. He was still holding the umbrella over me leaving him out in the rain.

"No," I placed my hand over his on the handle and steered the umbrella over us both. He turned tomato red as I linked our arms. "Thanks," I started steering him toward my apartment. Again I felt a warmth spreading from evert place we touched. This time I let it flow into me climbing up my arm, spreading through my shoulder into my chest. It was strange how intimate it felt here under his umbrella. Everything was so intense, the colors of our cloths his and his golden blond hair were brighter the soft feel of the skin on the back of his hand was so smooth and soft. I could hear his slow breathing and he smelled like men's shampoo. I realized that my eyes were practically boring a hole in the side of his head from all the staring so I looked away. Looking around the opposite effect seemed to be happening around us. The sights the sounds they all seemed to be dulled. It was-

"Like we're the only two people in the world," he finished the sentence in my mind. My head snapped up. "Uh no nothing just," in the middle of Nathaniel's denial a car drove too close to the curb splashing up a wave of water.

"Watch out," I squeaked jumping back from under the umbrella. In the second it took for him to turn his head a wave of muddy rain water splashed up from the street ricocheted off the inside of his umbrella and rained straight down on Nathaniel's head.

"Oh my god Nathaniel… are you okay?" I asked my mouth gaping open like a fish.

"Uh…" he pushed his now drenched bangs out of his face. "Yeah I'm fine," he smiled weakly- I guess trying to reassure me but once the shivering started he could deny it no more. "Guess it's a little cold… I should get you home quick you're getting soaked too," he lightly place his hand on my back and l guided me forward before slipping it into my hand and making a break for it.

By the time we got to my house we were both soaked to the bone and shivering like crazy. The umbrella had been rendered useless by the force of that splash so we simply ran the two block to the apartment in the down pour. His hand was still in mine when he opened the lobby door for me.

"Well here we are," he said glancing at me. The second he did his eyes widened and he flinched away letting go of my hand. Did I really look that bad? I tucked my hair behind my ear and dropped my head. Then I understood what had him raddled my once loose fitting maxi dress was now pinned to every inch in every crevice of my body.

"Oh," I pulled my dress off my body and looking up at Nathaniel I noticed that his white button down shirt was completely see through and it clung to every inch of his body too. He was stranger than he looked. Though I guess I should have known that already he did carry me to the nurse's office yesterday.

"Well I should go-" I stopped him mid-sentence.

"Come up,"

"W-What,"

"Hurry up," I dragged him by the arm up the stairs. I was freezing my but off and I hadn't been splashed by a puddle of dirty water so I know Nathaniel must feel even worse- but maybe even more than that honestly I just didn't want to be alone.

"Uh I should really be getting home though,"

"B-but it's cold and still raining outside if you walk all the way home you could catch your death,"

"Yeah but,"

"Just come up dry off and warm up, I'll loan you an umbrella and you can leave," I told him as we rounded the second floor.

"Oh well uh,"

"And, I'll wash your clothes I'm sure I can find you something to wear in the meantime, I don't want you to get sick," I told him not really giving him a chance to talk- really not giving him a chance to say no. we had reached the third floor- my floor- and I could feel my knee start to scream at me.

"Are you okay," he was quite the observant one.

"Yeah I'm fine," I said dismissively as I unlocked the door. It was a good call for me to invite Nathaniel in by the time that we got upstairs the rain had doubled in strength you could barely see anything. "Uh the bathroom is this way," I started flipping on the lights. "You can rinse off if you want just leave you clothes in the hall I'll go find something for you to wear," I said but when I turned to look at him Nathaniel's face was beet red and he looked super awkward. Well I guess it was weird part of me kept forgetting that we had just met yesterday. Something about Nathaniel felt familiar like we were old friends meeting again after a long while.

"Um yeah so I'll be back with clothes," I would just ignore the awkwardness and go with the flow. Again I was just being selfish as long as he wasn't outwardly saying no I would just keep going on with my plan to have him keep me company. I grabbed a towel and dried off myself before scouring every piece of my clothing for something that could fit Nathaniel. The only thing that even came close was an old KISS t-shirt my dad gave me from his teen years. It was kinda big on me but how would it fit Nathaniel. I had nothing in the form of pants that could possibly fit him so I went to aunt aggies room to search through her stuff. Unlike the rest of the house aunt aggie's room hadn't been organized by me it was a total wreck with fabrics thrown everywhere and designs were tossed about to. It looked like she was just stepping out of her clothes and leaving them on the floor. I went to see what she had in her dresser but no dice so I went to her closet. The second I opened it boxes of crap she packed in there came plummeting down on my head. "Ah," ugh! And just when I thought that it was over and started to get up one last box busted me right on my forehead. "UGH!" when I looked to see what it was the box was labeled maternity clothes. "What," aunt Aggie never had any children. I popped open the box to find piece after piece of maternity clothing. This didn't make since at all but at least I found what I needed there was a pair of pants that looked big enough to fit him.

"Here are some clothes and a towel," I said with a quick tap on the door.

"Thanks," I could barely hear him. Scooping up his clothes I went downstairs and put them in the wash. Then after putting some tea on and searched the pantry for some food, I popped some cookies macarons and any other snack foods I could find on a plate.

"Nathaniel?" I called. The tea was almost done and he still hadn't come down so I went up to investigate. "Hello," I knocked on the bathroom door.

"… I'm not coming out…"

"What why not?"

"I'm just… not coming out,"

"Nathaniel," I pouted. "c'mon… I made snacks,"

"Sorry I just… can't,"

"Why?"

"It's just these clothes,"

"What's wrong with them?"

"The fit is just a little… little,"

"You can't get them on?"

"No, but everything is very tight,"

"So what come out please,"

"I can't…"

"Is something… uh poking out, or something?"

"N-No, but,"

"But nothing come out," I whined and reached for the knob it was locked. "You have 5 minute till I set out the snacks if you don't come out I'm picking the lock," I called to him and marched off to the kitchen. I made a quick stop at the laundry closet to put his clothes in the dryer.

Okay maybe I was being a baby I mean I had to keep reminding myself that I had only known Nathaniel for a day and a half it was just so easy to get along with him that I forget that we're technically strangers. It was really stupid of me to invite him into my apartment but I couldn't stand the thought of spending another evening alone. My hands shook at the thought of it, so bad that I almost dropped the teapot and had to grip it with both hands. I glanced at the clock he had 3 more minutes. To pass the time I arranged and re-arranged the snacks on the plate. Once that got old and I could wait no more I took the plate to the living room, throwing a quick glance at the stairs. As I started to turn away a blinding flash shined through the window turning everything white the bright flash was quickly followed by a deafening boom that shook the apartment. Then everything went black and a strange scream a shrieking high pitched keening sound that hurt my own ears. It wasn't until I stopped to take a breath that I realized that the sound was coming from me. It was a feeling like no other my body convulsed and it was hard to breath. I don't know when I dropped the cookie plate. My legs started to slip from under me. I could see the floor racing toward my face, all of a sudden I was encircled in a pair of warm arms.

"Amy! Amy are you okay!? Amy," Nathaniel was there holding me tight his warmth like a shock giving me back a control of my body a little bit. I was still trembling and I whimpered a bit. Another flash came but my vision was mixed with images that didn't belong there images that I never wanted to see again. The boom followed and just as I expected, I let out a yelp and buried my face into his chest. As if it were happening all over again I watched my family die. The bright flash of the explosion and the deafening boom. I lost control over my body again.

"Is it the thunder and lightning," he whispered. So that's what it was. My brain had been so flooded with fear that I couldn't even think. Slowly Nathaniel walked me to the couch and sat me down. Another flash of lightning had me jumping into a ball.

"Ah," I whined covering my ears.

"hold on," he ran to the window and closed the curtains, but the thunder still boomed.

"Ah!," I screamed uncontrollably again. I slapped my own hand over my mouth to stop it. All of a sudden his arms were there encircling me.

"Shh, shh, it's okay, you're okay, I'm here Amy. You're not alone," I don't know why but that instantly calmed me. those 3 words You're not alone, they seemed to melt away my panic. Instead of being the trembling screeching mess I only shook slightly in his arms. He pulled my legs up on his lap and my head against his shoulder and whispered comforting words in my ear. "It's alright Amy I'm here, I won't let anything hurt you, I'm here," he rubbed my back and I felt like crying. I buried my head in his chest and held my breath. Again I had to remind myself that Nathaniel was a stranger, it felt like we'd known each other for years… It was nice to not be alone too.

After a few minutes of sitting in Nathaniel's arms the storm quieted and I finally regained full control of my body again. I took a deep breath and looked up at him.

"Better?" he asked a slightly awkward half smile on his face. I just nodded embarrassed of my behavior. I hadn't realized I was gripping his shirt so tightly, and that made me realize the position I was in, literally. I was perched in his lap one fist clutching his chest the other wrapped around his back my chest pressed against his side, and at some point in my panic I had wrapped my legs around his right arm.

"Oh gosh sorry!" I jumped up immediately tripping over the coffee table in my haste. "Ah!" I lurched backward flopping into the easy chair, so hard that it reclined and the foot rest deployed.

"Are you okay," Nathaniel rightened my chair.

"Yeah, I guess I'm a little jumpy today sorry," I said glancing up at him in the little light there was. It wasn't until then that I noticed the clothes I gave him. The baggy shirt that came to my hips hugged him pretty tightly and it only came down to maybe my his belly button, but I wouldn't actually know cause the maternity pants that I thought were long enough covered more of his torso than his legs. My mouth fell open. I just covered it silently.

"What are you hurt?"

"N-" I was about to say no but the obnoxious sound of the dryer finishing sounded. "Oh your clothes." I made a hasty escape to the laundry closet where I could laugh in private. Okay I could see why he didn't want to come out. I would have barricaded myself in the bathroom if someone gave me clothes like that to wear. I laughed into my hands.

"Is something wrong?"

"No I-I just sneezed," I nervously opened the dryer and at that moment the lights came back on. "Here you're clothes are dry," I couldn't look at him as I passed him his clothes. I know I'd burst out laughing. He took the clothes eagerly.

"I-I'll get changed right now," he said quickly flying up the stairs.

"o-okay," was all I could manage and again I laughed to myself. "Oh crud the tea," I ran into the kitchen and took out the teabags.

It was the strongest bitterest tea I had ever tasted and no amount of sugar water or milk helped. Great. I sighed.

"I should get going," Nathaniel called as I poured out my rotten tea.

"What already," I could hear the whineyness seeping into my voice. Nathaniel glanced at the clock. It was almost 5:00.

"Well eventually my parents will start to wonder where I am," he laughed uncomfortably.

"Oh okay I guess I'll hold you for ransom another day," I pouted as I walked him to the door. He laughed. "Um and… thank you… for you know staying with me, and stuff,"

"Anytime," he smiled a cute half smile that made my heart race and then he was gone.

When Nathaniel left Amy it was still raining he went to pull out his umbrella but it was nowhere to be found, he must have let it upstairs. He couldn't go back for it he knew if he did it would make it even harder for him to leave. He stepped out into the now soft rain. Pulling out his four pictures he smiled. A souvenir from his date. The last picture was his favorite. It was the picture of Amy with a forlorn expression on her face and her hand on her chest. She was beautiful and unlike Amy, Nathaniel could recognize the feelings growing in him he was already so attached I pained him to leave her. He had a crush on her the minute she had bumped into him in the hallway, no even before that, before he had even formally met her. Once he had seen her dance when his mother had dragged him to a ballet. Ever since then his heart had been moved by her. Every second he spent with her now just made his crush stronger, but an image flashed in his mind, Amy walking to school with Castiel, smiling as they listened to some song, him grabbing her arm, them gazing into each other's eyes. Nathaniel shook his head trying to erase the image. He could see Castiel's interest in her too and he knew that if Castiel found out about his feelings for her it would just make him want to steal Amy away like some sick game of revenge. Nathaniel pushed back his lightly dampened hair and walked down the familiar street to his house with a solemn look on his face.

He was at least three hours late and he knew that pain was coming for him when he entered the house so he sat down on the back steps. And for a few minutes he let himself feel happy. He was allowed that much right a few short minutes of happy thoughts, fantasy's memories before he plunged head first back into the hell that was his life. He closed his eyes and leaned against the railing. A tear drop slipped out mixing with the rain drops already on his face.

"Nath?" the back door opened and amber poked her head out. "here you are mom and dad have been calling you, they're furious," amber said but she froze her eyes locking on the pictures in Nathaniel's hands. He quickly shoved them in his pocket and got up. Preparing for the plunge Nathaniel headed back to reality.