Shattered (The Academy)

Chapter 13: Warm And Cozy.

I rub my right hand to my wrist while I take a walk for the woods around my house. I'm sure I already passed Kota's house, which is in front of me. It's five thirty in the morning and the sun is up already. And it's cold too. It shouldn't because there is a little time before it starts chilling out in the mornings, but maybe it's me. I haven't stopped shaking since last night.
  When they heard my side of the story, they let me go. What I found weird is that they never said they were gonna keep eyes on mine or sent me to a manicomio, but I don't ask anyway because I feel incredibly lucky I'm not in jail now. But my heart is still waiting; waiting for something bad to happen, ready for them to come back for me.
 My heart is scared.
"Sang?"
I jolt at my name in the silence. Then I hear footsteps coming this way and when I turn I see Nathan jogging to me.
"Hi" He smiles, taking off his headphones. He is all sweaty and breathless, but I can't help but think he is the most handsome guy. I would like to come close and...
I shake my thoughts off. I felt the same with Gabriel the other day before the pool party. Does that make me slut as Marie liked to tell me? I hope no, because I don't know what feeling dizzy with the other boys too make me.
"Hi. Running out so early?" 
"Yes. I gotta keep this body in shape!"
I make fun of it by saying: "What shape?"
Then he does something that makes me flush: The lifts up his shirt and let me see his six pack. Oh, dear god. My  mouth falls open and I just can't stop staring.
"I think I'm good" He winks at me.
"You're good" I nod, my jokes erasing with every passing second.
He grins. Nathan then points at my hand wrapping my wrists while he gets close. "What's that?"
"Huh?"
Nathan takes my both hands and look at the red marks. He swallows hard, then looks up to meet my eyes. "What happened, Sang? Was it your dad?"
"No. He's been gone for a while now. He's in a bussines trip"
"Do you live alone?" He looks surprised.
"Right now, yes"
"I live alone too"
"Really?"
"Yeah. My dad works away and comes back every once in a while. I'm alone in my house most of time".
This information makes me feel like I'm closer to him. Stupid, I know.
"Do you drink coffee?" He asks, rubbing his fingers lightly on the red marks caused from the handcuffs.
"Hummm... Sure" Not really, just sometimes and with milk, but...
"I have this really good bottled coffe in my house. Want to come with me and try?"
"I'd love to" I can't bring myself to say no.
He smiles back.
"Good" Then his fingers interwine with mine and pulls me fordward, not looking at me anymore. But he is still smiling.

 We walk together through the forrest holding hands.

Sipping through the straw, I can't help but wonder if this is real coffee.
"Hey!" He says "You were the one who wanted it cold! It can also be made hot"
"But it barely even tastes like coffee!" I tell him, smiling.
"Don't you like it?"
"I do. More than actual coffee, actually. Just making a point"
He laughs and drinks from his cup of coffee. We are sitting in the couch in his house, the TV on but quickly forgotten. Now is only a distant background sound.
"Will you tell me what happened to your wrists?" He asked me, his smile fading away with every passing second.
"MMmm... It was nothing. An accident" I say, because I can't find anything remotely convincing to say to him.
I can see in his face that he doesn't believe me."Okay. Want to watch a movie?" He asks.
"Yeah"
We watch a movie about zombies, and after half an hours I find myself cuddled with Nathan. I don't know if it was me or him who made the move, but I feel like it doesn't really matter. I feel warm and... safe. Is this what friends do? As Nathan grabs locks of my hair and run his finger through, I can't help but thinking if it's the right thing. But I kind of don't mind either, because I can feel his breath at a side of my head, his nose close to my hair.

"Are you getting sleepy?" He mutters, still stroking my hair.
"Hm... Maybe" I smile, but he can't see me since my head is in his chest. How can I feel this way? How is it possible?
Nathan chuckles. "What are you gonna do tonight?"
"I don't know. Get home and read a little. Finish up with homework"
"Oh, come on. It's saturday"
"What are you suggesting, then?"
"The guys said something about a sleep over... Would you like to join?"

I move so I can see his face, but I still lie on his chest.
"A girl in a room full of boys for such a long time? Will they be confortable with that? I don't know. Maybe you should ask them. It's okay if they say no".
 He laughs.
"What are you saying? You've grown on us. Besides, Gabriel suggested it on the phone and everybody agreed. What do you say?"
  I grin, because I can't help it.

"I would love to. Thanks".
He kisses my forehead all of sudden. When he backs away, I can't help but look surprised.

"Oh, fuck. I'm sorry. Did I go too far?" Nathan says worried.
"No, no. You kind of caught me off guard. I... liked it" I feel so embarrased admiting this, and I don't know why I did because I feel like I'm gonna regret it. But it's out there already. I cannot get it back.
But he hasn't dropped his smile. I think it actually gets wider. "Good" He answers "Because I think I liked it too"
Smiling back, I lie down in his chest again to keep watchin all those Zombies kill innocent blonde American girls.

Nathan's Point Of View.

While she lies down to watch TV again on me, I can't stop touching her hair and smelling her sweet scent. I think I'm an addict. I think I love it.

  I lied before when I asked what happened to her wrists. Of course I knew, but I couldn't let her know that. We all made a pact in a Family Meeting after the disaster that went down at the police interrogation room. We took different paths so we could cool down, and then Mr. Blackbourne sent a message asking us to meet. When we all got there, Mr. Blackbourne couldn't do anything more than apologize and admit how he had screwed up, lying to us and keeping things from us. North yelled so much it had almost broke our family, and for the first thirty minutes we discussed on our broken family and trust to find a way to fix this. Then we moved to Sang. Dr. Green said she could't be around in the state she is in but we couldn't force her either to be hospitalized. We also didn't want her to know we had betrayed her friendship because we tought she was the best trickster in history when she was instead sick and scared. We vowed to protect her and be there for her in every moment, to help her in anyway we could. We were driven by guilt, yes, but also by the amazing little girl who had grow on us in matter of days. None of us were willing to let go.

 We won't.

Sang Sorenson will be one of us as long as she lives. We'll always take care of her, even if she decides to be apart.
 This is our vow.