Tʜᴇ ልςαdεmψ

The Place of Difficulties

Weeks had passed and Liam could still feel the lemon juice deeply searing into his skin. Afterwards, he was told to get May for her punishment. All he heard was the same agonizing screams as he heard in that dreadful tunnel. He still doesn't know what happened to her. She refuses to say.

"Really May, if you would just-", Liam was cut off.

"No more about it. Okay?", she snapped.

Liam sighed as he eased into his chair in their Algebra 2 class. He wanted to help her with the trauma, but didn't know how he would do so since she wouldn't spit it out.

A tall and linky young boy with blonde hair and icy blue-gray eyes sat on the side of Liam that May wasn't on.

"Mind if I sit here?", the boy asked.

May smiled. "Not at all!", she replied.

Uh oh. Liam could see it. May was looking at the boy just like how Jules told him he looks at May. Did they know each other? Were they dating? Did they meet in this moment and he was imagining things? Was he going mad from this crazy crush?

The icy-eyed boy sat down. "Thanks. I am Nathan Baker, by the way. I got here last night.", Nathan Baker said. His voice was soft, smooth, and rather deep for a 15-year-old. It cut through the tension like a butcher knife through meat. Liam could kind of see why May liked it. Wait. What? Did he like both of them now? Or was he just comparing himself to him? Questions were overwhelming Liam's mind.

May and Nathan chatted for what seemed like forever while Liam sat there inbetween them in silence. He was just hoping that Professor Gunner would walk through those hand-carved double doors every second of the interaction.

And she finally did.

"Hello, class. Homework, please.", she said in her stern, condescending tone.

Professor Gunner was a no-nonsense person. She was in her seventies, her graying hair always tied back in a slick, low bun, and her green-yellow eyes always scanning the classroom for anything or anyone out of the line.

Everyone passed their pieces of homework forward at the tutor's order. Liam was mildly fearful at the idea of getting his work back, marked in Professor Gunner's disinct red ink. He had done it last-minute in the midst of the indigo night only hours previous to the due date. He didn't understand a thing on it. It was his Place of Difficulties. Everything Algebra.

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Weeks had passed. Liam noticed that May and Nathan were talking more and more each day. Rumors were floating through the school about the pair, like snow brushing over delicate scenery, kissing it with the frozen water droplets. Snow sticks to nature well when it's the right consistency, and these rumors were sticking to the students like superglue.

Liam dug for the courage to finally ask one of them. He walked thrawnly to Nathan, who was studying near the bookshelf with the horrid tunnel behind it.

"Hey, Nathan.", he said. He worried that Nathan could hear the tremble in his voice.

"Oh, hello.", Nathan replied. Good. He couldn't hear it. At least it seemed like he couldn't.

Liam suppressed a sigh. "Are you and May a thing?"

"Well, Pérez, it just so happens that we are.", Nathan simply replied with his regular smoothness and intelligence shining through a bit more prominently. He must've been prideful of it. Liam knew that he would be.

Liam simply walked away. He couldn't look at the prideful face of Nathan Baker any longer. He was thinking. For quite some time. He knew that he still had a chance with the beautiful May Volkov.

All he had to do was split up her and Nathan Baker.

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Hello loves! I got my ballet and competitive dance schedule, and it looks like I'll be able to continue with daily updates! Although, it'll be a tight fit. I'm sorry that this chapter was all love-realated. That's not what this story is meant to be all about. I hope to get into some longer and more action-packed chapters soon! I just have to build up for context before I get there. I hope you understand. :)

Also! Requests are still open! I know that everyone on this app has a brilliant mind. So if you have any ideas for my current characters, then let me know all about it through a message! I hope the see you in the next chapter! Happy reading~!

•- averslxo

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