The Original Four

Chapter 4

Kate's POV

I park the car, and the two of us walk into the mall.

"Where do you want to go first?" she asks me.

"Anywhere that has food. I'm kind of hungry."

And I really was. I didn't have breakfast, and everything at the food court was looking delicious, making my mouth water.

She nods her head, and we pay for our tacos and find a table to eat at.

"Thanks for inviting me," I tell her.

Olivia smiles and wipes her face with a napkin. "I'm really glad you came. It's been forever since we've gotten to do this."

"Yeah," I sigh. "It really has."

The conversation finally comes to an end as we near the last few bites of our tacos.

"What do you want to do next?"

I shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. Anything is fine-"

"Hello ladies," a voice says. We turn around and see Daniel.

Olivia stands up and kisses his cheek. "I didn't know you were coming here."

I glare at him from my seat and shove my fork into my taco. "Neither did I," I mumble.

I'm so angry with him. Daniel knew Olivia and I were hanging out today and just had to come ruin it.

"Kate, you don't care if he stays, right?" she asks me.

"Actually," I reply, standing up and gathering my things. "I should probably go. I still have to take care 0f some things for my house."

She frowns. "Oh, okay. I guess we'll see you later then."

Daniel gives me a sincere smile, and I roll my eyes. He did this. All I wanted was some one-on-one time with my old best friend, and he just had to mess with it. Was it really too much to ask?

I walk out of the mall and hop into my car, driving home as fast as I can. When my house is in view, I park the car and walk inside, throwing myself on the couch as I enter.

Second day here, and I'm already sucking at life. I think I just broke a new record.

I look at the necklace on the table and sigh. This stupid thing has caused so much drama, and the four of us have hardly been together.

There's a knock at the door, and I open it to see Nick. I smile and invite him inside.

"Daniel called," he tells me, and I roll my eyes. "He's really sorry. He just wanted to hang out with the both of you."

"He knew how much this meant to me, Nick. It's almost like he didn't care."

Nick puts his hands up in defense. "I'm just saying. And trust me, he does."

"I'm not in the mood to talk about this," I mumble.

"Fine. Just know that he's sorry."

"You're too nice for your own good," I tell him laughing. "What do you want to do?"

Nick's face lights up, his smile widening. "Come with me," he says and grabs my hand.

He rushes me outside and stands in front of my car. "Give me the keys," he states, holding out his hand.

"No way. No one and I mean, no one will ever drive my baby."

Nick rolls his eyes. "I know the perfect place to go to though."

"You can give me the directions then."

"I want it to be a surprise," he begs.

"Nope."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Ugh. Fine," I give in and throw the keys at him. Boys.

Nick gives me a smug smile. Buckled up and ready to go, he drives us to this surprise place he can't stop talking about.

.

Nick parks the car, and my smile widens once I see where we are. Our grammar school.

"Happy?" he asks.

I nod my head. "I really missed this place. I have so many memories from here," I tell him.

We walk over to the grass area and sit down. He reveals a picnic basket full of fruits, mini sandwiches, and drinks.

"This is really sweet, but are you sure we're allowed to be here?" I ask him.

Nick nods his head and brushes it off. "Please," he scoffs. "I was one of their favorite students."

I laugh and poke his arm. "Keep telling yourself that, Mr. I Got Detention Almost Every Other Week."

His smile widens, and he lets out a light chuckle. "Fine. You caught me, but this place is open to everyone."

"Well, thanks for bringing me here," I tell him and take a fruit cup. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What's up?" he asks.

I sigh. "I want to know why Daniel and Olivia stopped talking to me once I left."

"Oh," Nick trails.

"I wouldn't care if they were dating, and the two of them knew that. I guess what I'm trying to say is, what was the real reason?"

He bites his lip and runs a hand through his hair. "You really want to know?"

I nod my head. "Please. No more secrets."

Nick sighs. "Before you moved, your mom said you would have trouble adjusting, and that we'd only be making things worse for you. She said it would be best to let you be.

"The worst part," he continues. "Is that we actually listened to her. We cared about you too much that we actually went along with it. You slipped out of our lives before we even had a chance to say goodbye."

It's not until after, when I notice my eyes are filled with tears. "Thank you," I tell him. "For telling the truth, and for sticking around."

"Are you mad?"

I shrug. "A little," I reply. "But I know she was only looking out for me."

Nick wraps his arm around me, and I rest my head on his shoulder. "You know what my biggest regret was?"

"Hmm?"

"Losing you," he tells me and plants a soft kiss on my forehead.

Am I delusional, or is possible that Nick Howard might have feelings for me? I shake my head just thinking about it. Definitely delusional.