bloodshot eyes and violet smoke - nathan prescott x reader

chapter 22 - you saved our lives again

(everyone who still reads this i seriously love you so much. i have 5 essays at the moment due in the next week but i really feel that you guys deserve to see this story finished. this is the second last chapter. thank you all.)

(AAAALSO! i suggest you listen to got well soon by breton before reading this, because the song has a lot to do with this chapter. its the song ingame from the party scene btw.)

The next day felt strange. You were with Nathan all day and he was distant. When you saw the corner of his eyes as he walked there was nothing reflecting back, they were cold. They weren't angry eyes, like they usually were, ones filled with hatred as he'd walk past everyone, they were sad, almost terrified. You could see his lip quivering. You gripped the sleeve of his jacket between your thumb and index finger, looking up at him with a confused and sad gaze. He didn't even tilt his head, but his eyes dart over to look at you from the corner of his view for a moment. 

You thought about how protective he was over you last night, so uncharacteristically loving and sentimental. You were worried.

"Nathan, are you okay?" You say quietly, but loud enough for only him to hear. 

"Yeah, whatever." He furrows his brows, not even looking to you. You sigh.

Maybe he was worried about the Vortex Club party, but why would he be? He is a party animal, you thought he would be excited, but you guessed wrong. 

One of his Vortex Club bros gave him a slap on the shoulder from the lockers as you walked past, a small, exclamation of chuckles erupting from him and the girls around him, he kept walking. 

It would be the second party you had been to, hosted by the Vortex Club, the other where you actually met Nathan. You weren't pumped for the loud, ear piercing music or the glaring, epileptic lights, causing the smoke around from everyone smoking to glow a, dare you say, beautiful violet smoke. Nathan was with you this time, maybe it would be different.

"Nate." you say gently, "Am I a VIP guest? I mean, you're not gonna leave me by the punch table by myself, right?" He lets out a small chuckle, "Fuck, yeah of course." he murmurs, although he is smirking now, it didn't feel right, almost forced. It is going to be a long day.

The lesson you had felt long, and you were thinking about Nathan for the whole hour. You could barely pay attention. The sun outside almost felt ominous to you, you couldn't pinpoint why, but there was something off about it. Maybe it was all the weird phenomenons happening, but now just seeing the normal sun each day foreboded bad things. The class finishes and you exit as quick as possible. Something was wrong though.

Nathan wasn't there.

And as it sinks in, you get a text from Nathan.

"Sorry I can't see you right now, I'm getting ready for the party."

You could actually read his texts for once, something was really wrong.

"Well, do you need any help?"

"Nah"

You sigh with a confused twitch in your brow.

"Okay then, good luck."

Guess you are going to have a day for your thoughts. Placing your headphones in, you begin your trek outside. When Nathan was beside you, you still got stares, obviously, but at least you felt protected, when you were alone, you felt like you were going to be stabbed just from the eyesight of your fellow peers. You felt so small. Your neck felt heavy, and even gulping, you couldn't shake a feeling of absolute dread that loomed over you like a storm cloud. Even now you could feel the violet smoke crowding your thoughts, and getting caught in your throat.

Absolute dread.

The late afternoon came by slowly. Even the afternoon sky became a brilliant oxblood colour, the colour purple is going to haunt you all night, you were sure of it. The shade of night started coming up over the hills and you could already hear the bass music from the building near your dorm. You felt that maybe you should try being more fashionable for now. So, you pick out something you would say was "slightly uncomfortable, but still pretty cool looking" and you leave out the door.

"Has anything like this ever struck you?

If ever your likeness has you scraping for pockets of air?"

Not this damn song. It felt like this was the only song on the playlist, played on repeat. It was the same song from that night. When you got there, you started to notice that everyone was outside. That's where you saw it.

Or them.

The two moons in the sky.

"Whatever you're like when you came in

Whatever you use, whatever you chose,

Whatever your acronym"

The people exclaiming and yelling around you were muted out as the sense of dread you had all day finally crashed down in front of you. That was when you noticed the wind. It was so chilling, and it was picking up immensely, almost as though a storm was brewing. Scanning the crowd around, there was no sign of Nathan. You could already see the smoke bellowing out the open door, beckoning you.

"They say that either you're out or you're in

But you're on

They say that either you're out or you swim

When you're on"

As you walk, you focus only on yourself. The people around you, dancing, they were nothing. You were the only one in your own mind now. That fucking smoke. It felt like hands on you, pulling you further in. Although the song continued banging in your ears, you could feel the wind picking up outside.

"You start around with sounds,

Teach them how you moved around

You tell them all so well, I had to memorize"

Your eyes hurt now. You feel as if you ever saw another colour again you would go blind. There's nothing but violet.  The music was as blurred now as the faces around you, but you still heard the lyrics.

"You poured a few tears - there's ground and there's your feet

And never they shall meet"