Blue Money | Nick Robinson

Chapter Nine: Moonlit

Nick

It's dinner and instead of focusing on his food or the other teens at their table Nick opted to look at Anna.

She was gorgeous.

Not just in the sense of her smile, green eyes, and brown hair not just her round cheeks and laughter when Nick said something funny.

It's the way she holds herself. The way her hands move through her unbrushed hair, the way she bites the inside of her cheek and then stop when she notices, the way her nose moves when she gets annoyed, the way her lips part when she's listening to Eileen or Sav, the way she always grabs Nick's hand, lightly as if he might be mad she did it, the way she snaps at anyone and everyone if they piss her off, not afraid to be angry, she's genuine, she's a lit match, she's a jar full of fireflies, she's a smile that makes your gut feel like it got punched, she's kisses that feel like home, she's soft fingertips and soft skin, she's a beauty, a wonder and Nick feels his heart thump when he realizes that she likes him, cares about him because Anna is the most beautiful person he's ever seen in his life and she is blissfully unaware of that fact.

"Nicholas," Anna says. He blinks at her.

He had been staring at her and he didn't even notice.

They were sitting at dinner, listening to the loud chatter and clanks of silverware with rice and tofu in front of them, slowly getting cold.

"Why are you staring at me?" She makes that face, the one where she sways her head away from him so her hair falls over her face, slightly smiling.

Nick grins at her and shakes his head. "You're just pretty."

Anna smiles but looks away and he notices a blush creeping on her skin. It was funny how the first time they met she threw a drink at him and now she hides every time he says something sweet to her. She had two sides to her. Brittle and soft. He liked both.

"It's friday are we going to do anything?" Eileen chimes up and Nick looks at her. "It's friday and we haven't done anything cool all week."

She's slouching with her hand resting on her cheek, poking the tofu with her fork, boredom glazing over her eyes.

"No," Lance says, chewing. "Savannah and Layla both have the flu so they can't really have any fun."

Dawn's head snaps to him and she furrows her eyebrows. "Are they really though?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" Lance mumbles.

"No reason," Dawn smiles at him and he glares at her.

There's tension between them and not any that's good. It's thick and feels more like Dawn targeting him rather than Lance doing anything to antagonize her. it's a curious situation but Nick shakes it off, not dwelling on the small interaction between them.

Nick wants to say something about it but Ashton glides up to the table, sitting next to EIleen whom upon his arrival, sits up and grins.

"Hey," She chirps happily.

Ashton gives her a dimpled smile and she ruffles his brown hair.

"How're you?" He sits with his hands in his lap and Eileen moves gently plays with his hair before placing an arm across his shoulder, letting it dangle.

"I'm great now."

Nick wiggles his eyebrows at Dawn and she subtly shakes her head as if she disapproves of the two. Ashton was pretty cool but Nick was pretty sure Anna and both Dawn disliked him. He seemed too good. Nick wasn't sure if he liked him either. He never broke any of the rules and he didn't actually have a core group of friends, he more floated around.