all too well, n.nelson

𝗦𝗶𝘅🍂

MONDAY ROLLED AROUND RATHER QUICKLY FOR BETHANY. She rode the bus with Charlie again, he wanted to know all the details from the day she had hung out with Nick. Charlie was really the only one of the friend group that legitimately supported Bethany.

"So does he actually know that you're bisexual?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah i told him, he was pretty accepting of it." Bethany shrugged in reply. The friends got off the bus and we're walking to the school gates when Bethany caught wind of the conversation between Nick and Imogen.

"Who are you texting?" Imogen questioned the boy.

"Uhm... Your mum?" Nick replied, laughing. His eyes wandered and caught Bethany's red hair walking by him, she wasn't looking but he could tell she had heard him. Bethany felt eyes on her and looked up to meet his brown ones, she waved. Nick waved back with a lopsided grin on his face

;

Bethany stood on the sidelines with Tao at the rugby match. She was only a reserve, so she was only required to be there in case someone needs a stand in.

"So... We're doing well." Tao remarked, Bethany snorted at her friends attempt to understand the game.

"Don't pretend you have any idea you know what's going on." Bethany replied, smirking.

"Right, so which end are we supposed to be getting the ball to?" Tao asked.

"That end." Bethany pointed to the end Nick was running towards with the ball. "Nick's scored the most points today."

"Well, he is the rugby king." Tao reminded his red headed friend, Bethany let out a soft laugh. "I wanted to talk to you about Nick." Tao began.

"You did? Me too." Bethany replied in confusion.

      "You go first." Tao said.

     "Well, he knows now that i'm not a lesbian. But I think I like him..." Bethany trailed off, looking at the ground. "And he might like me back?"

        "Oh." Tao said quietly.

        "We've been hanging out a lot since half term and he's acts kind of flirty sometimes. I mean I don't want to get my hope up but maybe... maybe there's a chance." Bethany shrugged, Tao made a face, one the girl did not like. "What?" He asked him.

      "Uhm... Nick likes this other girl." Tao blurted out. Bethany's smile faded into a frown and her heart dropped. "Like, he's in love with this girl."

        "Wha- How do you know that?" Bethany asked him.

        "Okay, I know how much you like him, and I just don't want to see you get hurt. So i decided to do some digging. I messaged Otis, since i sort of know him and i know he's friends with Nick. And I just slyly asked if Nick was going out with anyone because i might have a friend who's interested. He said Nick was single, but he's super interested in this girl who goes to the all girls school Elle goes to." Tao spoke quickly, watching Bethany's heart break in front of him.

       "What girl?" She asked him, looking out at the game.

        "Her name is Tara Jones." Tao replied. Bethany swallowed thickly, as the boys bumped chests in a tight circle.

       "Beth!" Nick called out, he had broken away from the group to wave at the girl on the sidelines. She waved back sadly, which did not go unnoticed by both her friends. After the match was over, Tao called a meeting in their friend's group chat. They all met at his house to discuss Tara Jones and Nick Nelson. Bethany insta-stalked the girl, realizing how much prettier this Tara girl was than her.

        "Well i can see why he'd like her." Bethany scoffed, scrolling through the girls instagram. Tara Jones was very pretty.

       "But we don't, like, for sure know if Nick actually likes her." Charlie reminded, although, it didn't sound too reassuring.

        "Charlie stop encouraging her." Tao said. "Nick and you are just two totally different people. That's just how it works." He shrugged.

        "We just want to believe in romance!" Issac exclaimed, looking up from his book. Bethany shot him a smile. The door creaked upon, revealing Elle.

       "Elle! Thank god!" Bethany sighed, standing to throw her arms around the darker skinned girl. Tao, Charlie, and Issac all began talking at the same time.

       "Sorry I left you with these morons." Elle whispered in Bethany's ear, earning a chuckle from the red head. "Ohmygod, can you be quiet?" Elle shouted over them, the boys went quiet. "Okay, slowly, what's up?"

        "Do you know a girl named Tara Jones?" Tao asked slowly, Bethany played with the ends of her red hair.

"Yeah...?" Elle answered, though it sounded more like a question.

"Can you ask her if she likes Nick Nelson?" Issac asked now.

"Nick Nelson? Bethy, are you serious? No offense, but I really don't think you're his type." Elle winced as she spoke honestly.

         "Thank you!" Tao exclaimed, throwing his arms out.

"I wouldn't exactly say that." Charlie chimed in, Elle raised an eyebrow at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Elle asked.

"I guess Bethany never told you, but she's on the rugby team now. And she's actually good..." Charlie stuck up for his friend. Bethany had always been like a big sister to him, she was always fighting for him. So he tried to do the same when she couldn't do it herself.

"Oh..." Elle trailed off. "Besides, I hardly know Tara. I can't just go up to her and ask her who she fancies." She shrugged. "And, I'm too busy being the cool, mysterious new girl." Bethany knew that was a lie. Elle wasn't the one to be like that, so chances are she probably only had one or two semi-friends.

"It's fine guys, I'll just forget it." Bethany muttered, standing from her spot on the floor between Tao and Charlie. She grabbed her coat and started for the door.

"Okay, look, if and only if I get the chance, I'll ask her." Elle said from behind Bethany. Bethany turned around and flung herself at Elle, pulling her into a hug.

"Thank you." Bethany whispered.

"I cant make any promises!" Elle exclaimed, hugging the red head back. Issac, Charlie, and Tao joined in on the hug, all laughing. Afterwards, Bethany called her dad to come pick her up, when he didn't answer she just figured he went to sleep early and forgot. Charlie's dad offered to drive her home she jumped in the backseat, considering they only lived a few houses down from the other.

"Dad, I'm home!" Bethany called out as she stepped into her house. There was no response back, so she hung up her coat wandered around the house until she found him laying on the couch. She caught sight of empty pill bottle in on hand and a bottle of scotch in the other. "Oh no, not again." She muttered quietly. Something like this had only happened once and it was a few days after her mum left. "Dad, come on." Bethany tried to wake him up, normally after a few shakes he did. But he didn't this time. "Come on, get up!" She cried out, tears in her eyes. "Fuck." She was shaking as she pulled out her phone and dialed the emergency 999 number.

"You've reached 999, what's your emergency?" A woman said calmly in the other line.

"Hi, uhm, I think my dad overdosed, he's still breathing but he won't get up." Bethany replied shakily, her body practically vibrating.

"Please stay calm, I'm sending help your way. Has this happened before?" The woman asked.

"Only one other time when i was like 5, it was right after my mum left us." Bethany told the officer.

"Okay, do you have somewhere you can go for the time being?" The officer questioned, Bethany nodded at first.

"Uhm, yeah my best friend lives right down the street from me." Bethany said back. Shortly after, the officers arrived and took her dad away on a stretcher. Tori and Charlie both had an arm around Bethany as the officers drove away into the night.