Book 1: Beyond Me and You

The Right Decision?

The sound of the cars passing by takes my attention away from all of the movement in the kitchen. Kayla is busy preparing breakfast for her and dad and while I'm grabbing something small to eat.

"Do you need a ride to school?" I'm snapped out of my daze by Dean who is now standing next to me. His backpack loosely hangs over his shoulder as he leans against the island.

"No but thanks" I say as I walk past him.

Quickly grabbing my coat and my bag, I find myself outside with the cold December breeze hitting my face. The sound of a car honk directs my attention to Nate's car. I run down the steps and get in his car before Dean can say anything else.

"What was that?" Nate asks as I buckle my seat belt. He knows about Dean and he knows what happened between us. It was impossible to keep it from him, especially when Dean came looking for me one day.

Flashback

Nate and I were standing by locker talking about actually starting on our movie review assignments. I decided to go to the washroom for a few seconds which ended up being a mistake. Out of nowhere I hear two voices faintly arguing. Out of curiosity I make my way outside only to see who I had been trying to avoid.

"Where is she?" Dean as Nate as he approaches him. Dean is tall but Nate is taller than him by at least an inch.

"Somewhere" Nate replies blunt and short.

"Let her know that I'll give her a ride to home to-"

"That's not gonna happen" Nate says cutting him off. Dean looks at him in disbelief.

"What are you? Her boyfriend?"

"So what if I am?"

Dean looks at him for a few seconds without saying anything. At this point I am contemplating whether I should stop hiding and go over there but my feet feel like they're glued to the floor. All I can do is watch as Dean confronts Nathan.

"She would never go for a guy like you. She has higher standards than that. You're just a nobody with no future so don't even think of-"

"Stop!" I yell as I walk over to them. I couldn't stand hearing Dean speak to Nate that way without knowing him. "You can leave" I say as I look at Dean but he just stares at me without saying a word. "Fine."

I grab Nathan's hand and pull him through the hallway. After that incident Nathan asked about Dean and this was the one time he wouldn't change the subject. After what happened I decided he deserved to know the truth.

End of Flashback

"Lark?" Nate questions as he stares at me with worry all over his face.

"Let's go before we're late for school"

The drive to school was silent yet comfortable at the same time. Nate knew I didn't want to talk and he didn't ask for any explanations. He knew all I needed was silence and that's what he gave me. As we pull up into the school parking lot you can see Dean with the same cheerleader who kissed him at the game and a few of his teammates.

"You sure you're okay?" Nate asks distracting me from my thoughts.

"Nate?" I ask and his only response is a 'Hmm.' I'm still unsure on what exactly I want to ask him, but I need to say something before my feelings explode at an unwanted time. "Did I make the right decision?" He knows exactly what I'm talking about because I can hear him shift in his seat. "What if I messed up?"

"You didn't mess up Lark. If you're really meant to be together you'll find your way back to each other" he says softly. I turn to look at him with with tears threatening to fall down my face. As soon as his eyes land on my face he leans closer and gently brushes away a tear that has escaped my eyes, but his hand lingers on my cheek. His green eyes are filled with sadness and pain, something I'm all too familiar with. "But maybe you're only meant to be in each other's life and not for each other" he says as he gently takes my hand in his free one. His touch is warm and comforting compared to the weather outside.

His words echo in my head as I stare back at him. I love Dean but I'm not sure if it's the same way I did a few months ago. A knock on my window causes us to come back to reality. We both let go of each other and create some distance between us. I roll down the window to be met with Vivi's face almost wanting to climb through the window.

"Shall we go? The winter pep rally is going to begin and I want a good seat" she wines. At this point I feel like she's going to reach in through the window and pull me out my force.

"I guess we better go" Nate says as he turns off his car and gets out. A bit confused after what happened I get out as well trying to keep up with him, but he's too fast. By the time I'm out of the car he's already locked it and is walking towards the front entrance of the school.

"Nate" I say hoping he would stop and give me a chance to talk to him but he just keeps on walking. I watch as he walks down the sidewalk until he enters the school.

"What happened in there?" Vivi asks as she walks up next to me. I shrug my shoulders in response not to sure myself.

"It's best to leave it alone" I say, but Vivi just hums in response.

I think there was a hidden meaning behind his words, but I just needed more time to figure out what he meant. There was a longing in his eyes, there was more he wanted to say.