To be King...

Chpt 3: Old Friend

AN: Sorry this is a little late, I had a work meeting yesterday morning and then work last night. Completely forgot to update until just now, lol.

  "Why do you think they came back? I mean... after all these years isn't it a little weird?" Becka asks later in the day as they head to the lunch room.

"How would I know? I haven't seen them in what? Six, seven years maybe?" Adira replies halfheartedly, dropping her bag onto a chair and heading to the growing lunch lines. Becka had been airing out all of her questions throughout their classes for most of the day, and while she appreciated Becka trying to be indirect with her questions, she knew they were all aimed at her. She'd been stopped in the hall several times by people she hadn't talked to since middle school. Suddenly everyone seemed to remember that she had been friends with the brothers many, many years ago.

"I know, I know... but if you had to guess?" Becka prods a bit, and she feels some kid behind her leaning in a little closer.

"They were bored in Europe." She deadpans and heads towards the table that her back back sits on. The only boy she had ever gotten to know was Nathan Cabot. He was in her grade, and was a very shy young man. Making friends was discouraged in his house, but they had sat together in class and over the years had begun to talk. Soon they were choosing to sit together, talking during lunch, doing projects together, and even going to each other's houses. His brothers, both two grades ahead of them, had no real friends outside of their family. She had met his oldest brother, Seff, while she was at his house one day, but had never run into the infamous Darci.

"Very funny." Becka mocks, sitting across from her at the table. They pick at their pizza for a minute before Becka speaks up.

"Why did you stop hanging out with Nathan? I mean, from what you've told me you two were kind of close." She sounds more innocently curious now, truly wondering why, and maybe it's because of this, that Adira finally answers honestly.

"After Dad and Will... I dunno. It was different. He kept distancing himself when I needed him most, but... I was also mad at him." She can remember it like it was yesterday.

She had a cast when she walked into the school. It went from her elbow to her wrist and was an ucky green color. Walking into the school gave her such anxiety she had to sit down in the hall and take deep breaths before she could keep going. When the teacher opened the classroom door, there was a pair of familiar green eyes waiting for her. Nate had hugged her so tight she almost couldn't breath, but she had need it so much in that moment. He was sobbing and she was sobbing, and they were sent out into the hall to catch their breath before coming back in. She was shaking and shaking, but he never let go of her hand. It wasn't until lunch that something between them shifted. Nate didn't often eat lunch, he didn't really have to eat human food all that often, it was more of a luxury as he was getting older. They didn't talk about anything, just sat there in silence. It had hit her hard, when she realized that the creature that had taken away her family, was the same sort of supernatural as her best friend. She'd realized that some day Nate would be able to do the things that that man had done to her family. She'd gone into a full blown panic attack, stiffening up in her seat, pupils dilated, stuttered breathing. After she'd gotten through it, remembered to breath and function, calmed herself enough to go to class if not to pay attention, she had kept an eye on Nate like she'd never done before. When she got home and went to sleep that night, she'd seen the attack all over again, but instead Nate was in place of the monster that killed her family. He was the monster. Things had never been the same, and when a panic attack landed her back in the hospital, he'd come to see her. To almost... say goodbye.

She told Becka nearly none of this of course. Everybody thought a bear killed her sister and dad, and she'd never corrected anybody, been told not to correct anybody.

"Why were you mad at him? He didn't do anything." Becka asks, confused.

"He, he wasn't there. He tried to tell me he understood, but he didn't. I know it was a bit unreasonable, but I was a kid. He left soon after anyway." Adira says, poking at the questionable vegetable on her plate. In their silence they hear a little uproar of people by the, usually, bare lunch table by the trash. A large group of people surrounding it, talking, introducing themselves. Over some of their heads she can make out a bit of blonde and blue hair, and a pair of green eyes.

Their eyes lock. Green meeting hazel for the first time in six years. It's almost as if nothing has happened, but everything has changed. She can still see how they sparkle when he smiles, but now the sparkle seems manufactured, something there just for looks. Her heart slams against her ribs when people clear out of his way, letting her see him fully.

His hair is still blonde, but it's much darker now. It's also long enough to touch his ears, the tips an icy blue. He's tall and skinny and has lost most of his freckles, but his face is still recognizable. Slim, delicate cheekbones, and the end of his nose is almost completely round. He smiles at her, raises a hand slightly, and she nods back. Becka sees everything, but thankfully and uncharacteristically, doesn't comment.

"We should go to the party." She says instead, nodding her head definitively. "It'll show him you don't really care who he is, and that you've moved on from him. His, uh, friendship that is." Becka looks up at her pleadingly.

"It'll also give you a chance to socialize, just a little maybe? You also need a break from all of that studying and-"

"Alright, I'll think about it."

"I know it's not your thing, it's probably a really bad id- wait. You'll, actually think about it, or you'll think about it and actually mean no?" Becka replies hesitantly. Adira's never really given any other answer than 'no', when asked about going to a party.

"I'll actually think about it." she promises, hoping to move onto another topic of conversation. This lunch has become really somber, and she wants to get away from that. If she starts thinking about Nate, she'll start thinking about her sister and her dad and it will put her into a depression. It's better to take it one step at a time, and take Nate one encounter at a time. Thankfully Becka seems to understand and keeps her questions about Nate to herself for the most part and talks about Tommy for awhile.

When they head to their next class, Nate passes by her, and gives her another smile that no one else seems to see. It's as far as their interactions go for the rest of the day. He'll smile at her from across the hall, across the classroom, sometimes rolling his eyes and slightly gesturing at someone trying to talk to him, and she'll always smile or nod back. It feels good, feels almost like old times, except she's the only one smiling at Nate. Will isn't here to smile anymore.

Walking to the bus at the end of the day is almost a relief. If not for how packed the bus can get, it would be a complete relief. She's talking to Becka about their English project when cool fingers touch the hand that swings by her side. She looks up almost in panic and is met, instead, with shock.

"Do you think we could talk?" Nate asks, eyes so sad it almost hurts. She nods, without thought or hesitation.