Stung (Now Published)

Chapter 07

Nate's POV.

My chest was going to burst.

I was parked at Matt's apartment complex, my legs eager to be stretched out and static softly playing through the speakers of my car after I unplugged my phone from the aux cable. I stared at my phone as I waited for Brooke to text me back. I'd asked her if she wanted to know what I was doing. I kept seeing typing bubbles and then they'd disappear. I grabbed my backpack full of clothes that was in the backseat while I waited.

This could either be really good or really, really bad.

I'd planned on visiting Matt today since I didn't have any classes but this morning he told me we had to go do something once I got here because Brooke had a date.

A date.

I almost canceled until Matt said Brooke was in denial and didn't think it was a date. Which wasn't much better because that meant there was a chance it could turn into a date or she actually liked this guy. But I was going for Matt. And Corey. And to see Bailey.

Besides my birthday weekend, it'd been three years since I really hung out with Brooke. I told myself it didn't matter if she was on a date or if we even spoke while I was here.

But I wanted to surprise her. I didn't really know why.

We spoke on the phone last night and it almost felt normal. I wanted more of it. I wanted to check up on her and see how she was doing and see if she was sleeping and—

Typing bubbles came back on the screen.

They disappeared.

My phone buzzed but it wasn't from her reply.

Matt: 8:34 p.m.
Dude are you here yet?

Burbank's here.

I'm going to leave without you if you're lost.

I ran my hand down my face. I was exhausted. After getting off the phone with Brooke last night, it took me a few hours to fall asleep. In total, I had gotten four hours of sleep which was better than the three I had the night before. More often than not, as soon as I got in bed, my mind wouldn't shut off. I would go through periods of being okay, usually when I was too worried about school to think about anything else. Or if I was drunk.

But when my mind started to focus more on the events that happened with Oliver, it wouldn't stop. It would be night after night of fear and then a day or two of peace. If someone else was around me, I could breathe easier knowing I wasn't alone. When others were around me, my body didn't feel so heavy.

I hated Oliver. He was such a downer.

If Brooke's date was there, I doubted I'd be getting a text reply soon so I grabbed my stuff and headed up the stairs. I'd been to their apartment a few times for Matt. Usually it was during a weekend I knew Brooke was doing something else or going to visit home. I didn't want to bother her.

I stood outside their apartment door, shifting my weight from foot to foot for a second while I tried to reel in my tiredness. After knocking on the door, I took a deep breath in and paused before letting it out. I jostled the empty coffee cup in my hand, hoping it would wake me up shortly.

Matt answered and I pushed a grin onto my face. Faking was easy. He barely even looked my way before throwing the door open and walking away from it. I slid in before it shut on me.

"You got here quickly," Matt said.

"You texted me the whole way complaining I was taking too long," I said.