Since the weird music incident, Nathan and I had spent lots of time together. I really liked being around him. We had a lot of classes together, and he was actually really smart. But English was not his stronghold. Not because he was French, but because he just didn't like the English work we did. He called the poetry and stories "mediocre" and I agreed. The poems were tacky little kid rhymes like Dr. Seuss, nothing against Dr. Suess, they were just dumb. And the stories were based on fads that passed a loooonnnggggg time ago. I hated old stories, from the 19th century, and stuff like that. Boring.
Anyway...We both really enjoyed art and cooking and we tried to be partners with each other. In art I always dabbed paint on his pictures, and he always flicked paint on me. His style was more sporadic, while mine was neat and elegant. While his lines and textures were random and jagged, crudely painted, but still beautiful, my painting was slow and precise, and all the colors blended and flowed together. Our art teacher said our "styles were both opposite yet beautifully similar." That made Nathan smile.
Whenever we did partner up, especially in home economics, the teacher Mrs. Smith would flash a smile and say something along the lines of, "have fun you two..." Or, "great job kiddies..." I never understood what she was getting at.
What I did understand however, was that throwing flour at Nathan when the teacher wasn't looking was fun. We were probably the worst partners though, he was clumsy and messy and didn't seem to care, but I was neat and organized and I cared a lot about how everything came out. Thank god I was the way I was, or else our soufflé would've been souf-flat and we would've souf-failed. Nathan didn't like my punny jokes either. But I annoying him with them anyway.
Nathan had come off as this dark, mysterious, foreign French boy, but I soon discovered he was much more than just that. He was smart, he had a wicked dark and politically incorrect humor, much like my own, and he had a knack for writing, much like me. He was as athletic too. He was pitcher for baseball and goalie and center forward for soccer. Those were my two favorite sports. He was actually really nice and friendly under his dark mask. People said he was more introverted and mean. They called him "cold hearted" and "unfriendly." Some people even said he was like "the polar opposite of you, Jackie." A lot of my friends were concerned why I was hanging out with him. I would just shrug.
Everyone said he seemed like a doochebag, a literal French fucktard, but I liked him. He was different towards me, and that was nice... Being special to someone who treated no one else special.
Having three other brothers, two older and one the same age, and two sisters, both younger, he knew how to use his charms and good looks to his advantage. It also meant he knew how to really annoy the crap out of you.
He would mess up my hair, and I would playfully push him. We were having a great time together, but my friends never liked that.
During Spanish class, we were watching a short educational movie. Nathan had already gotten moved away from me because we had been talking. But the teacher moved him over to Isaac. Uh oh.
Isaac was like a female Emma, except he was good looking and athletic, but he was still a liar and a no good drama starting little...
"This is her old boyfriend Jon, they dated for 7 months, he used to be fat. And this is James, this boy she talks to, and here's Grace, a crazy girl she's friends with, and..."
It was Isaac, showing Nathan pictures of my friends he had dug up from Instagram or KIK. He was briefing Nathan on all my current and past personal information. Lovely.
Nathan hardly seemed interested though, he just nodded and looked away. Isaac new he wasn't getting anywhere, so he pulled up the worst thing he could think of.
"A-And she's still a virgin! She hasn't even had a first kiss yet! She's a loser!" Isaac was whining and sounded like a little kid. Nathan noticed his voice crack and laughed,
"That is nice Isaac, but I am still a virgin, much like you, no? She is still young, leave her be."
Isaac slumped down in his chair and made a face at me, while I smiled back at him. Then I noticed Nathan looking over at me with that mischievous smirk he had mastered. Isaac tried pestering him a few more times during the movie, but Nathan paid no attention to him.
The bell rang and everyone jumped up from their seats and grabbed their bags, anxious for next their next period. Isaac came directly over to me and put one arm around me,
"Don't worry, all your little secrets are safe with me."
I knew what he was referring to, of course it was that him and I had dated for 2 years, 3rd through 5th grade. And he thought that meant he knew all my secrets, when in fact he knew less about me than anyone. It had been a puppy love relationship, not even real. I mean, we were little kids, but it ended finally, though... I'm not really sure how, or why.
I pushed his arm off me, "your just upset because you sound like a girl with your voice cracking, take it out on someone else."
Isaac laughed and mocked me in a girly voice. Nathan came up behind Isaac, scaring him a bit when he didn't see him.
"Why do you think Isaac makes such sexual girl noises?" I asked Nathan, trying to annoy Isaac.
Nathan shrugged, "it is the only time he will be able to hear it."
Isaac stared at him for a moment, but remembered he was much smaller, and he walked off.
"People," Nathan said, trailing off.
I nodded, throwing my bag over my shoulder and collecting my papers and pens. When I had everything together I headed for the door, but not before Nathan put his arm on my shoulder, like Isaac had.
But it was different. It made the butterflies in my stomach flutter.
My face was getting hot. I tripped over a desk in the dim movie light. Nathan laughed as he guided me through the classroom to the door. It was weird, we were friends, I considered him a best friend, I didn't think he would try anything like this. It was... Unexpected, but still nice.
In the hall I expected him to remove his arm, but he didn't. We stayed like that all the way to art class. All the while my heart was racing.
"Um, what's your, um, zodiac?" I asked him nervously.
Nathan eyed me, "why?" He asked suspiciously.
"Oh," I blushed, "I was just wondering. I'm into all that lame astronomy stuff. Call me cliche, but I kinda believe that horoscopes are true and somewhat accurate..." I was so nervous and a bit nervous, and kind of embarrassed at myself. I looked down as we walked through the hallway.
After a minute he answered,
"Scorpio, November 8th. I am the same way with the stars, I believe they are the way they are to guide lost dreamers."
I perked up as he said that.
Holy crap. He was deep. Like, his brain was deeper than I thought, was this real? Was he really like this? Did I really just get this lucky?
I turned and pinched him in the side, and he flinched from the small pain I inflicted on him.
"Ow! What was that for?" He asked, making a jokingly sad voice.
I smiled and skipped a few steps, his arm still hung loosely around my shoulder,
"Just checking."
