Begin Again || Nate Maloley

|| Chapter 9

"Ready?" Kenny asked me as I closed out my morning shift before class.

"As I'll ever be," I responded.

I rung up my last customer and headed to the break room to gather my thoughts. I didn't have time to think about the way Nate stormed out. I didn't have time nor room for any negativity. For my last final of the semester, I only had space for one man in my life & I call him C.T. - Caffeine & Tests.

I even saw the Jacks near my class but had no time (nor interest) to stop and chat. After I downed the remainder of the latte I got in the student union, I was one of the first five people in the classroom. I'm sure one of the students was having a silent breakdown. Not me. I was ready. I was confident. And I ended up breezing through it. I just wanted to fucking finish and get it over with.

As soon as I walked out of that classroom, it was officially winter break for me. I couldn't wait to shred every school paper and begin packing for Big Wolf Lake.

Oh shit...the trip...Nate...

After the other night, I was unsure if Nate was still going to show up. I wanted him to come, I told him we could be friends still, just nothing more. When I got home, I messaged him.

'If you're still coming to Big Wolf Lake, we're meeting at my place. 8 AM Sunday morning.'

He never texted back. Andrea was about to be pissed if we don't reach 6 people and I knew I was going to draw this out until the last minute, just to see if he'd show. I was even considering asking Kenny to take his place but then I realized I was willing to risk it for Nate. I wanted him to come even though I was iffy about us.

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The clock was winding down to 8 and everyone gradually showed up to our place. First Sydney, then the Jacks. Andrea was making sure to pack her entire fucking closet. I still wasn't sure why someone would need two flat irons and an entire suitcase just for shoes. All of us packed at least one duffle bag and Andrea had 2 suitcases PLUS a duffle bag, taking up the most trunk space. Luckily, Jack Johnson rented a large SUV.

"Okay," Andrea took a deep breath. "That should be everything. Is everyone here?"

"Well..." I began. "I'm not sure where Nate is."

"Wait, Nate's coming?" Gilinsky asked with a slight disgust.

"I hope so."

Gilinsky rolled his eyes and looked down at his phone.

"Yeah well, he has 10 minutes," Andrea hissed, still not pleased I invited him. "Let's load up the car."

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As we packed up the car, I kept looking down at the end of the parking lot, waiting for him to show up. I was getting anxious as the minutes passed by.

"You should've stuck with Sammy, Liv," Andrea shook her head. "It's time to go."

I took a deep breath and climbed into the car, choosing to sit in the row all the way in the back.

"Who the hell is Sammy?" I heard Gilinsky ask Andrea.

She said nothing and sat in the second row with Sydney. Johnson was going to be driving and Gilinsky sat in the passenger seat. Once he started the car, I put my headphones on feeling annoyed and let down. After an abrupt stop while we backed up, I was certain that Johnson didn't know how to drive an SUV.

"The fuck is this," Johnson says quietly.

I turned around and saw Foosh's truck blocking the SUV. Nate hops out in a hurry, carrying his bag.