Temptation: Nate Maloley Fanfiction

Chapter 2

"Pst" I heard in the middle of class. I looked back to see Gilinsky staring at me. It's been 3 months since I stopped staying after. He put his finger up to his lips signaling for me to keep quiet. Then he gestured to come over to him. I looked over my shoulder and saw my teacher preoccupied with work, so I quietly got up and sat next to Gilinsky.

"What?" I whispered.

"What's going on? You never stay anymore and I miss my baby girl" he put his hand on my thigh from under the table.

"Gilinsky stop." I cut him off.

"I just wanna know what's wrong. Was it me? Did I do something?"

"No" I said shortly.

"Then what?" He looked me in the eyes for probably the first time ever. I didn't know what to say. Should I tell him? He leaned back in the chair sighing as if realizing the truth. "It was Nate hu? I still remember that night. You both came out of the bathroom holding hands-"

"Woah, Gilinsky, that's not what happened." I cut him off again. "I cut my hand on a broken shot glass because of him and he helped me clean it." Gilinsky leaned his head back and laughed.

"Oh that was you? I remember hearing 'FUCK!' and someone ran down the hall." He chuckled to himself.

"Well that's what happened" I retorted, not enjoying being laughed at. I got up to leave but he made me sit back down. I forgot how forceful he was.

"Don't leave" he pleaded. "I just want you back. Tell me how. Tell me where I fucked up". I just stayed quiet, contemplating whether I should tell him. "Please."

"It was you. It was you not holding my hand in public. It was you waiting until everyone left to express your 'love' for me. It's you keeping me a dirty little secret." I let it all out. He consumed every word. "it was Nate holding my hand, it was Nate letting people know he was with me, it was Nate who made me feel significant. It was Nate I fell for... it was Nate." I hadn't realized how loud I got and I looked to see all eyes on me. Even the teacher. Even Gilinsky. He just looked at me, searching for words.

The bell broke the silence and I grabbed my stuff, rushing to escape the unwanted attention.

By lunch period everyone was talking about my little outburst, how I spilled mine and Jack's secret, how I confessed my love for this mystery boy named Nate. Nate didn't go to this school so no one knew who he was. Except Gilinsky.

I sat by myself at lunch seeing as all my friends were too busy catching up on the drama instead of asking the first hand source.

"Hey" Briley came up and sat next to me. She was a very petite girl and really quiet. She wasn't quiet because she was shy, but because she was content. She didn't need attention or popularity to feel good about herself and I guess that's what made her so popular. She didn't ask for it. She dressed like a boho beach gyspy. Her hear was a pale powder blue and always a natural wave. She wore headbands all the time and had light freckles that dusted across her face.

"Oh hey what's up?" I greeted her.

"I heard about you and Jack" she was the only one who called him by his first name. I stayed quiet. "And I know who Nate is." She seemed to know everyone.

"You do?" I looked up at her.

"Yeah, I used to skate with him and Sammy". Sammy was probably the other one sitting in the joint circle at the party. "What happened?" I asked.

"He met Jack. Spent all his time with him. So he stopped coming by with his skateboard." She shrugged it off as if it were nothing. I wish I could be her. Nothing ever affected her. She just kept breathing. Kept living. Without the slightest change in expression. "But anyways, that's not why I'm here. I wanted to talk to you about Jack. And I'm not going to tell you to be safe, or any other fake shit like that. I'm telling you his story. Freshman year, before you were here, he dated a girl named Leigh. Everyone thought they were perfect, and destined to get married. Well, until he caught her cheating. They fought of course, but they ended up together again. But then she did it a second time, and he forgave her. Then the third time, she ran off with him. Moved schools and everything. Then you came."

She stopped there, but I concluded the story myself. That's why he never went public with me; he was still embarrassed by Leigh and thought it would happen again. So when I told him it was Nate that won me over...

I couldn't even finish that thought. Briley was gone and I was so lost in realization, I didn't even notice.