hair color // n.m

twenty-five

isabella's pov

"wait, do you still have feelings for her?" i asked, raising my voice a little.

nate awkwardly played with his fingers while i ran my hands back and forth through my dyed hair.

"no, of course not."

"well then why were you defending her? i mean, i'm your girlfriend, nate."

he didn't say anything, just shrugged. i sighed, annoyed, and we just stayed silent for a while. we didn't move from the spot by the mall railing we were by, but neither of us spoke.

"okay, listen. i wanted to tell you this for a while, but i just didn't know how. i know you're gonna be mad at me, which is why i didn't tell you," nate said, nervously shaking his head.

i looked worried and nodded slowly, "go ahead..."

he looked around, as though he was checking to see if anyone was watching.

"so, um, i've been talking to jeda for a while now, like texting her and stuff...but don't worry, we haven't hooked up or anything."

my eyes widened and i moved my head to the side, trying to see if he was being serious.

"what? nate! you can't just talk to your ex and not expect me to get mad! how long have you guys been texting?" i asked, angrily.

i was surprisingly calmer than what i was feeling inside, maybe his words haven't sunken in yet.

"like, um, three weeks maybe?" he admitted quietly.

i hit my forehead with my palm, "ugh, nate! then, why'd she act like she didn't know who i was?"

"well, because, i didn't tell her that i had a girlfriend," nate said. he spoke really, really quickly so that i wouldn't hear, and his voice got higher towards the end of his statement, almost like a question.