Don't fall

Chpt 13 : Nathan's exhaustion

A week passes of me laying in bed and skipping school. Xander and Henry keep me company by texting me and somehow Brianne got my number and she yells at me then sends me videos of vines and cats to watch. So, I'm not too bored.. but by the time that Monday comes -I'm practically leaping to get out of bed.

I shower quickly, throwing on a striped Romper (above) and dry and curl my hair. I put on some light makeup to help hide the bruises that are still showing, though they're all mostly light colors now.

Then I limp downstairs, making a quick bagel with Strawberry Cream Cheese and hop into my car, heading to school. I turn on some Pink, letting my voice raise louder than the music.

I reach the school, jumping out of my car and heading towards the front. I'm nearly tackled the second I walk in.

"JUNIPER YOU GREAT PRUNE!!!" Brianne cries, squeezing me to death, we fall over onto the floor and my cheek presses into the floor. It's cold. "I was all alone. Do you know how that feels?! I was stuck the boys, and I swear they only got creepier and weirder with you gone!!!" Brianne groans, petting my hair, "never leave me alone again!"

I groan, pushing her body off mine, "oy, you're going to suffocate me, Fatty". Brianne sticks her tongue out at me, "you leave me alone for a week and then you come back and mock me?!" She pretends to be offended.

I stand up, only to be swept off my feet. Literally. I squeal as strong arms wrap around me and spin me around in circles. When my feet finally touch the ground again I can no longer tell which way is up and which way is down. My equilibrium is way off.

"Princess! You have returned!" My dear hazel eyed friend yells cheerfully. I laugh, "Idiot, I'm so dizzy!" I chuckle, trying to regain my balance. Xander must've missed me. Arms wrap around me, squeezing.

"H-hey June" Nathan says softly, squeezing me in a hug, "I missed you". I hug him back, quickly crushed by the others as well. I wish I could see Nathan's face, he sounds upset. I sigh heavily, enjoying the sounds of friends and the touch of people. I was gone too long, I really missed this.

"Welcome back"

"I got your late work, my lady. Meet me in the library after school"

"Life's boring without you here"

The bell rings, and everyone parts from me. I can't help the smile that spreads across my face. Xander grins at me before running off with Loran and Quinn, Derek ruffles my hair before he goes, Henry and Avi wave goodbye and leave and Brianne gives me a last hug.

One thing I will always find weird is how everyone acts like a class period is years long. Couples will kiss each other goodbye at the door, but then they see each other within the next hour. I will always think that's weird. Like stop, it's not goodbye.

Nathan grabs my hand and begins to walk to English, dragging me along behind him. He gives me a wide smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "English has been so boring without you! I've nearly fallen asleep every time!" He exclaims. He takes me to the back of the classroom and we sit down by each other. Mr. Gagnier gives me a nod, "welcome back, Miss Loyde."

I smile at him and then get straight to work, luckily we mostly just read so there's not much to make up, by the end of the class I have everything, including that lesson, done. I glance over to Nathan at the end of the lesson, noticing he's staring at me. I raise an eyebrow at him and he blushes a little, glancing away. I can't help but notice the dark bags underneath his eyes. He looks exhausted.

***

The next class passes by quickly, finally lunch arrives. I grab Nathan's hand, guiding him out of the school and to a shaded tree. He's skinnier than I remember too.. he doesn't ask what I'm doing, only follows, telling me a story about an encounter with a chicken he had the other day.

I sit down with my back to the tree, and he sits next to me. I unpack a home lunch I had actually made and hand it to him. His Gray eyes stare at me confused. I can practically see the hunger in him. "Eat it, i made it myself" I say, handing him a fork. It's a white rice with beef and broccoli.

Nathan shakes his head, "no, I can't eat your lunch" he says softly, but I can tell he wants to. I smile at him, "I had two, I already ate mine" I lie. That seems to make him happy and he digs in.

"Wow!" His eyes sparkle, "you made this?! It's amazing!" He yells loudly, devouring the food in mere minutes. I laugh, flattered. Obviously it's not 'that' good, but I'm glad he likes it.

He finishes, and I put the tin away, grabbing his head and forcing him to lay down on my thighs, his face towards my stomache. His cheeks blush, and he glances up at me. "What's this for?" He asks calmly. "Take a nap, I'll wake you up when it's time to head in" I tell him, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

He looks like he's going to refuse but I start to mess with his hair, and he immediately starts to doze off. I smile down at his calm face. It's the most peaceful I've ever seen him. His lips hold a little smile, and starts to give off a light snore.

I run my fingers through his dark hair, laughing to myself. His hair really is soft.. like a cloud. I don't know what's going on in Nathan's life, what he's so stressed out about, but he needs to start eating right and sleeping right. I pull out an apple from my bag and eat it, leaning back against the tree and watching Nathan sleep. He's a really handsome boy, that's for sure. His tan skin runs smoothly over all his muscles and he dresses in very nice clothes. I realize, they all do. All my friends dress nice. And most of them look like they work out on a daily. It's funny really, I have Instagram worthy friends and I didn't even realize it until now. Too bad I don't instagram.

I sigh, the warm sun and soft grass making me sleepy. But I don't fall asleep, that would be irresponsible. Plus I'm really looking forward to PE. Can't miss it..