When You Left... (Prequel)

Ch.13 - Protective

Protective

N A T E S P O V (Few days later)

"Why can't you just I don't know, ask miss for another partner?" Drew asks as we walk up to my locker, so I somehow told Drew about working with Marc. As you can see he's still not over it, it's been 4 days.

I sigh opening my locker, "Drew I can't, you know I'm too much of a wimp to as for a new partner" I say. He sighs as I get my stuff, I don't know what he's annoyed about. It's not him that has to deal with Marc and Carter, it's me. It has been me the whole time, "I know you don't like him Drew" I say once I've collected my things.

"But it's only a project, nothing more" I add on leading the way outside, he follows behind.

"Things can escalate" he mumbles, I am actually going to punch him in a minute.

"Drew, nothing will happen okay! We aren't even friends, I'm nothing to him. He's nothing to me" I say trying not raise my voice, he rolls his eyes. I turn around to continue walking but walk into something, just before I start to fall someone catches me.

My cheeks darken to their own accord as I look up at whoever caught me, of course. Marc. He smiles at me putting me back on my feet again, he seems to be everywhere now a days. I can already feel the stares of people around us, I look away from him but not at anyone else. "Careful there don't wanna hurt yourself do ya?" he asks with a small chuckle.

You'd be surprised...

Come to think about it, I haven't done anything in...a month. I'm a month clean! Now that's a massive achievement for me. "Oh while we're here, could I have your number so we can talk about the project and stuff?" He asks, I am so gunna regret this.

I nod taking my phone out, I go to my contacts and press add. Biting my lip I pass him my phone which he takes typing immediately, I can still feel people looking at us. If anything more people now that I've actually given him my phone, doesn't he have a reputation to keep? 

He gives it back to me and I look at what he put,

Marky <3

I feel my cheeks darken more, stupid body. I look up at him to see him wink before jogging over to Carter and the gang as they walk out of school, I glance over at Drew who's looking at me with a 'what the hell was that?' look.

I shrug putting my phone in my pocket and walking in the direction of home, hearing him follow behind.

***

I do one thing, one thing and I'm already being called a slut and many more names. All week, it's been 'oh there's the slut I was talking about', 'he's such a man whore', 'I told you he was gay'. Some try not to make it obvious they are talking about me, others don't give one. And it's all because I gave Marc my number, for a school project may I add.

Like why the hell would I want to get with someone who helped make my life a living hell? Who makes me anxious to leave my house and come to school? The answer is I wouldn't. I was young when I wrote that stupid journal thing, not much younger than I am now but years have gone by and I have learned from mistakes.

Thanks to Carter, I don't think I will ever stop being made fun of.

My one month of being clean, broken. I couldn't help myself, I couldn't stop myself. And I didn't want to, it was like a craving all of a sudden. Telling me that I had to do it, that it would make me feel better. Otherwise I wouldn't stop thinking about it. So I did it.

I proved how easily I give up aye?

I sigh looking over at Drew who's going through a book on my bed, I have no idea what book and why he's reading but he is. It's the weekend on the brighter side, we got home from school about 4 hours ago. So I don't have to see the assholes there for another 2 days, I don't want to hear their hateful words.

My phone buzzes catching both mine and Drew's attention, I pick it up looking at what it is.

Marky <3

I don't know why I haven't changed his name yet, I guess I couldn't be asked. With a sigh I unlock my phone going on his message,

Hey what time do you want to meet up tomorrow? :)

Oh yeah, so we agreed on a day to meet, that day being tomorrow and we meaning he did. I barely talk to him, when I do I tend to stutter. So I just nod or shake my head, Drew is still not happy that I am doing this project with Marc. But there's not much I can do about that, no one would want to work with me anyway.

I bite my lip, I see Drew sit up his full attention on me. "It's Marc isn't it?" he asks, I nod. He rolls his eyes,

"He just wants to know what time we're gonna meet up tomorrow" I say before typing a reply,

Um, I don't mind whatever times alright with you

"Do you even know where you're meeting him?" Drew asks, he's starting to sound a lot like my mother. It's getting annoying.

"We're meeting at Chipotle, so nothing can happen without anyone seeing okay?" I say putting on a kid's voice for the second part. He rolls his eyes again, one day they're gunna get stuck there.

My phone buzzes and I look down again,

How about 12:30?

"Doesn't mean he won't try" I hear him mumble, I roll my eyes this time typing a quick 'okay' to Marc before throwing a pillow at Drew.

"Please get over it Drew" I plead putting my weight on him as I sit on his stomach playfully, he sighs.

"I'll try"