Somewhere Between Florida And Heaven

7~ Dude, Stop being a pussy

"I swear, I didn't know! Oh god... OH GOD! This is all my fault, it's all my fault."

Nathaniel buried his face in his hands.

It was Tuesday, we were sitting in the cafeteria and he couldn't stop apologizing to me since school started this morning. He was truly convinced he was responsible for the accident and kept blaming himself, even though I told him multiple times that I was doing just fine. Really. There were other things bothering me way more at this moment.

I caressed his back and repeated for the hundredth time:

"Nathaniel, You just wanted to help me by lending me your bike. The rest had nothing to do with you. Please, stop burdening yourself."

"Dude, Stop being a pussy." Marco added in an insensitive tone.

I scowled at him. Good job Marco! So much for being more delicate! He raised his arms innocently and chuckled.

"Someone told me Preston's back," Joseph spat out of nowhere. He was sitting across from me and casually eating his salad. His eyes were fixed on his tray, no facial expression visible.

"JOE! what the fuck?! Don't mention him in front of--"

"Nah, it's fine." I interrupted Emma. She just wanted to protect me, but it felt like she thought- everyone thought I'd be to weak to even hear my ex's name. I am stronger than that. I can handle more than they give me credit for. " Keep talking, Joseph." I encouraged him.

"Yeah, so basically, he transferred back to Beach High without telling anyone why..."

Something told me I'm the reason, but I quickly pushed that thought back.

"He barely spend time at Montverde. Maybe they found out he wasn't as gifted as they assumed him to be." Nathaniel joked. He was back to being his bubbly self.

"Stop lying. He's pretty good and you know it. Remember how many bets you lost cause you were convinced, you were better at shooting hoops than him. You obviously failed, HA!" Emma stated.

Nathaniel snorted.

It was true, Preston is undeniably talented. I remember when he used to go with me to the basketball court near his house and teach me how to throw the ball correctly. He was always cocky and kept showing off his skills. He had faced me, his back to the basket, and had thrown the ball without even blinking. It went in and I am still stunned how easy he made it look.

I imagined him smiling, the dimple on his left cheek complementing his structured facial shape, his eyebrows slightly rising and his blue eyes mirroring his boldness.

"Earth to Cam!" I heard Joseph exclaim.

No no no no.

I was doing it again. I was supposed to get him out of my head, and here I am, dreaming of Preston. I decided to change the subject:

"So... Why didn't Lauren come today?"

"She has her period. Something 'bout cramps." Marco poked his food mindlessly.

"And she wanted to ditch algebra." Emma added.

"Typical Lauren." I chuckled. Seemed like I was going to have to endure algebra alone.

"Yo Cam, my mother wanted to know what you'd want to eat after school?" Marco asked me.

His parents welcomed me to stay at their place for the next few weeks. They talked to my parents and came to the conclusion, that I needed some space and time to cool off. Since I used to come over more often, when Marco and I were younger, it wasn't that hard to convince them.

"I don't care. You're mom's a great cook. I'll enjoy whatever she prepares."

I remembered I needed some clothes. I only had the ones I wore yesterday.

"Can you drop me off at my place after school? I need to get some stuff."

"Yeah, sure." He answered.

The bell rang and we all made our way to get out of the cafeteria, when I sighted Reed further ahead. I waved my friends off and jogged towards him, my knee pinched every step I took.

I wanted to thank him for his selfless act, driving me home and, well yeah... For driving me home.

"Reed! Reed wait!" I yelled. He didn't hear me, but when I reached him touching his shoulder, he turned around.

"Oh hey. You doing better?" He knitted his brows together.

"Yeah, I feel much better. Thanks-- I wanted to thank you for being t-- for helping me." I stuttered. Why was I stuttering?

His eyebrows raised and a smile took over, the same smile that looked down on me when I was laying on the pavement. It immediately filled my body with warmth.

I smiled back.

We were standing in the middle of the hallway, people walking around us, surely looking stupid, grinning at each other.

He must have noticed it too when he broke the eye contact, looking down, still a small smile showing on his face.

"I would have helped you anyway. It's not like I was going to leave you there, hurt." he scratched the back of his neck.

"Yeah well, thanks again."

He nodded and turned around to leave.

I decided to do the same and went to my french class.

~~

My last class for the day was algebra. Usually I'd be accompanied by Lauren, but since she wasn't there, I was on my own. I walked down the stairs to the first floor and headed to the right corridor, when suddenly someone grabbed me by my arm and pulled me into the janitor's closet.

I was standing in there with my back to the wall, trying to figure out who just kidnapped me, when the person turned around and I could assign his face to my ex lover.

Great. I was stuck in a small space with my ex. This should be a name for a show.

I felt nervous and uncomfortable. What was I supposed to do? He was staring at me, struggling to figure out what I was thinking, giving me an even harder time to think straight. He wasn't even trying and I was already starting to freak out.

"Cam," He whispered so smoothly, as if he was scared my name would break if he spilled it out harder. He stepped closer and if I wasn't already against the wall, I would have taken a step back. I haven't seen him for so long, except for yesterday. But only now I could view him better with the ridiculously small amount of space between us.

His dirty blond hair had grown longer, and he had light stubbles around his chin. He was wearing a loose white shirt, but I knew for a fact, that some defined muscles were hiding under it.

I wasn't certain when he stepped even closer, but our faces were only a couple of inches apart now. I shivered when I could feel his warm breath blow against my face. I gulped. I didn't know what to do, what to say. Oh god.

He was looking down to my lips, his mouth parted and mine did the same. His eyes, his mesmerizing eyes searched for mine, but they were focused on his rosy lips. I couldn't help myself.

His nose brushed against mine, slowly approaching, when our lips touched lightly. My whole body felt dizzy, an incredible feeling spreading from my stomach. They disconnected for a short moment, but quickly rejoined in such an intense kiss, I thought I'd explode. The more our lips moved in sync, the more passionate it felt. He pressed his body against mine and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me even closer, which seemed impossible.

Suddenly I acknowledged what we were doing and quickly pushed his torso away. He looked at me shocked and a bit confused, his arms still around my waist. I pushed him off of me and stormed off, running towards my next class. I could recognize him calling out my name, but I kept running.

I entered the classroom, the teacher looking at me annoyed. I was out of breath and still shocked from what I had just done. Did that really just happen?

"Madame Benneth, You're late." The teacher stated.

"Sorry. I got... distracted."