Written in the Stars *EDITING*

Chapter 4: Gossip at Redwood High, xoxo

Mia usually didn't stress over the outfits she selected for school. Regular blue jeans and a plain t-shirt were her regular attire, she preferred comfort over style. But today, she wanted to try a little. Even if she didn't exactly hit the mark, at least she had tried, right? She pulled on her black skinny jeans and tucked a white graphic tee into it. She rushed to put on her Docs and ran down the stairs to eat breakfast before school. Eating her eggs and bacon in a few bites, she rushed to the door expecting Hazel to be outside in her car. It was their routine since Hazel had got her license sophomore year. She would pick Mia up and they would sing one of their playlists on the way to school, alternating between who got to choose the playlist. It was a nice way to be happy before the miserable school day. Sometimes they would even swing by a drive-through and grab a frappe or breakfast item if they woke up early. Mia stopped in her tracks when she saw Nathan leaning against his car in her driveway. A small spread onto his face when he caught sight of her.

Walking up to him she pulled out her phone. "I'm sorry you went through all the effort to drive me, but Hazel always picks me up before school." She sent a quick text to Hazel, 'Hey where are you?' and the reply was almost instant as if she had been waiting for the text. 'I can't pick you up today. Sorry. Maybe you should ask your boyfriend.' No emojis. Hazel loved emojis, she littered her texts with them even if they were irrelevant to the topic at hand. She looked up at Nathan and sheepishly asked if he would still be willing to give her a ride. His head motioned to the passenger seat as he got into the driver seat. She threw her backpack onto the backseat before making her way to the passenger side.

"Fuck," Mia said the second she got in. Nathan stopped turning the key in the engine, his head whipping to Mia's.

"Did you just curse?" he inquired while his eyes got wide.

"Yes? What's the big deal?"

Nathan finally started the car and pulled out of the driveway. "I just didn't expect you of all people to curse," he said while the car turned onto the main road. "What's wrong?"

"Hazel's mad at me. She didn't say it in her text but I know she's royally pissed I didn't tell her about you. She always picks me up every day unless she's uber sick. One time she even drove me to school before ditching. Gosh, this is bad. We never fight. Well, there was the seventh-grade incident but we swore we would never talk about that again."

Nathan could tell how much this was getting to Mia, so while his eyes were still on the road, his hand reached out to grab hers. Giving it a quick squeeze before returning his hand to the wheel, he said, "Don't worry about it. You can explain it to her when you see her in class. Besides, I don't think she would stay mad that long." This elicited a laugh from Mia.

"You clearly don't know Hazel. For a week straight in May of junior year, she didn't talk to me but still picked me up every day. It wasn't necessarily a fight but she was downright pissed at me. Do you want to know what I did? I told her Wizards of Waverly Place was funnier than Friends and The Office combined." A deep laugh erupted from Nathan. "She eventually apologized to me and admitted that Wizards was funnier and bought me ice cream. I love her, but she can be petty as hell when she wants to be."

When they pulled up to Redwood, Nathan turned his head to Mia. "Are you ready for this?"

With a deep breath, Mia nodded. "Time to hold my hand boyfriend." If it's sweaty, sorry in advance she thought.

They both exited the car and Nathan grasped Mia's hand in his before they started to make their way to the entrance. They had decided that they would hold hands in the morning before their first-period class, knowing it would cause people to start talking. Immediately, the students that were in the parking lot started to whisper. Mia wished they would mind their business and started to wonder if all of this was a bad idea, but Nathan's hand squeezed hers. He could tell she was having doubts but his reassurance was all she needed. She stood up a little straighter and walked side by side with him as they made their way through the hallway.