Unrequited Love

Chapter 3 - Liars

Hm? I don't feel anything.

When I opened my eyes, I realized Nathaniel was underneath me.

"I-I'm so sorry, Nathaniel!"

I quickly got off of him and reached my hand out. He grabbed it and pulled himself up.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt? Do you need to see a nurse?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me, Pouty. You're the one who fell off the ladder."

He gave me a reassuring smile. I relaxed a bit and sighed. Nathaniel laughed and walked back to the bleachers, so I followed him.

I hope he's all right. There's only one activity left, but only the boys can participate.

"Thank you, Nathaniel. You saved me just in time. I fell on you really hard, too. You're not injured, are you?" I asked.

"Not at all," he replied.

I smiled at him, and then Lucas and Melody came up to me.

"Lucie, are you all right? I heard you fell off a ladder," Lucas said, panicked.

He was shaking, so I hugged him.

"Yes, I'm okay. Nathaniel caught me, though. I'm fine."

Lucas hugged me back tighter.

"T-That's good. Next time, be more careful. I should've been your partner. I wouldn't have let you pin up the banner; I would've done it myself," he protested.

"You're overreacting, Lucas. I was helping a friend, and I'm not hurt. Don't worry about me."

When we parted, Melody was glaring at me, but I ignored her. The last event was about to begin, so Nathaniel and I walked away. I noticed he was limping.

Did I land on his leg? Oh, no, I thought. He can't run properly! What am I going to do?

I paced in the direction of a coach.

"E-Excuse me," I said, nervously.

"Yes?" he asked.

"My partner is hurt. He can't run," I answered.

"If he doesn't run, you two are automatically disqualified from the contest."

Without thinking, I blurted, "Let me take his place!"

We bickered, but the coach finally agreed, so I stood in Nathaniel's lane. I disregarded the confused faces and focused on winning.

"Pouty, what are you doing?" Nathaniel asked.

"I'm hunting elephants. What do you think I'm doing?"

"Wow, I didn't think you'd talk back to me. Anyways, go sit down. This race isn't for a little girl," he said.

I stayed in place, but Nathaniel grew impatient. He snickered and grabbed me from behind.

"What are you doing?!" I yelled, squirming in his arms.

He carried me to the bleachers and put me down, gently patting my head. Crouching, he looked into my eyes. His green eyes were mesmerizing, and I couldn't look away.

H-He's so close!

"Don't be stubborn. I know you want to be in the race because you think I'm hurt, but I'm okay. I wouldn't want my little sister running for me, so just sit tight."

His sweet smile made my heart race. I nodded in defeat and watched him walk to his spot.

I cheered, "You can do it, Nathan!"