The Beast Within Me | Nate Jacobs

Love is super dark

Bee wore a shiny green matching set of crop top and flared pants to winter formal . She decided if she was actually going she'd dress outrageously, like a magnified version of herself. She also made a point in catching a ride with her friends. Because they'd asked her and she felt like she wanted to at least have one moment alone with them that evening. Nate was reluctant but ended up giving up once he realized he didn't have a choice.

The six girls sat at one of the large round tables set out on the gym looking at the people around them dancing and laughing animatedly. Disappointment was lingering in the air. It probably had to do with Cassie and her sudden abortion that, even if they all knew about, they weren't supposed to talk about.

"Maybe people are nostalgic about high school because it's, like, the last time in their life that they get to dream. After this is just bad jobs, and bills, and bad husbands. Maybe I'm generalizing, but... I don't know. Do you guys get what I mean?" Cassie said.

"I don't know." Bee answered with her arms crossed over her chest. "I kind of feel the opposite. I feel like high school's super fucking suffocating."

"Really?" Lexi asked.

"Yeah." Bee said.

"Maybe it would've been less suffocating if you hadn't spend the whole year dating Nate fucking Jacobs." Kat said.

"Shut the fuck up, Kat." Bee said.

"First of all ew, second of all ew." Maddy said. "Like we all didn't know."

"You're one to talk." Kat said looking at Maddy. "You almost threw yourself off a bridge after your break up."

"That was before I realized college boys are much better anyway." Maddy said proudly.

"We weren't dating." Bee said.

"Bitch you showed up wearing his hoodie." Maddy turned to look at her.

"That was once." She defended herself.

"For me it was when you guys left together on Halloween." Jules said.

"Plus he's like obsessed with you." Kat added.

"Except I feel like Nate's been different since you've been together." Leslie said. "Like less scary in a way."

"Less talkative." Kat said.

"I thought he was like depressed." Cassie said.

"I still feel like it was the concussion." Maddy added.

"I feel like it's more like all the shit we went through together." Bee said with her eyes lost on the dance floor.

"Trauma bonding." Kat said under her breath so that only Bee, who sat by her side, listened. She rolled her eyes dramatically at her in response.

"I feel like love is super dark and no one ever talks about it." Cassie said.

"Yeah, but that might be specific to their kind of love."

"Or my kind of love. I think I'm gonna do everything in my power for at least, like, the next three years to not fall in love." Cassie said.

"But what if you do?" Bee asked her

"Then intervene and fucking destroy it."

There was a short silence after Cassie's comment. It wasn't like her to be that dark and even though it was completely understandable her friends didn't know what to say.

"Does anyone know where Rue is?" Jules asked. "She like— disappeared."

"No." Maddy said. "But bitch it's time for you to cut the umbilical chord."