If My Heart Was a Compass Then You Would Be North

“Look, just talk to him about me,” Laura said as the bus stopped a few stops before mine. “That’s all I’m asking.”

I g adjusted my shoulder bag, running a quick hand through my hair. I laughed, rolling my eyes at her. “Laur, I’m sorry but Nate doesn’t like stalkers.”

“I’m not a stalker,” she scoffed, crossing her arms. “I just think he’s extremely hot and he ended up being everywhere I was, not my fault.”

“I thought you were over him,” I reminded her as I got up. My stop was coming soon, and I was eagerly awaiting a nice hot bath before calling Nate up for the dish on his first day.

“I am,” she rolled her eyes. “I was asking for – you.”

“Right,” I rolled my eyes again. “I would never feel like that about my best friend.”

“Oh come on,” Laura said, putting her palm out towards me. What were we in? Like second grade? I laughed. “Seriously Britt, there is a lot of potential for you two.”

“But if I’m with him,” I said, my voice high to cajole her. “Then how will you be?”

“We can share,” she said confidently.

“Wow,” I laughed and walked to the door, waiting for it to open at my stop. “Okay well now that I know you’re crazy, I’m going to go.”

“Love you,” she blew me a kiss as I got off. I grinned and blew one back at her through the window as the bus drove off.

I sighed and started walking towards our development. My first day of high school, my first official day alone, it was kind of weird, but at the same time so exhilarating. I had actually done it. I had gone to school, and had even made some friends. I had gotten at least 5 numbers from people who could potentially be close friends, and had even been hit on by Matt’s hot older brother and his equally hot friends. But still, I missed having Nate there. He was my right arm guy, always there to keep away the creeps, and help brag about me to the hot ones. That was how we rolled, and now I had to roll solo. Oh crap. And now I was sounding cliché. Curse high school.

“Britt,” someone screamed as I walked up the street.

I felt the color drain from my face as I turned and plastered a fake smile on my face. “Hey Stac. What’s up? How was your first day?”

Stacie Wadlinger. Possibly the only person on the face of the earth that I actually hated. And of course, I couldn’t actually tell her that, because of the damn street hierarchy. You hated one person, they all hated you. No, four years I had left here before I went to college, and I would make sure they went as smoothly as possible, even if that meant fake smiles every now and then.

“It was great,” she said. Stacie hadn’t gotten into any school around here, and her mom was dead set against our neighborhood school. And so she was saying she was living with her grandfather to go to a suburban school. I really wished she’d just move there. “I meant some really hot guys.” Of course she did that skank. “What about you? Were they all nerds?”

I rolled my eyes. “Smart guys aren’t all nerds Stacie.”

“Just the ones you can get then?” she smirked.

I took a deep breath. “Good one,” I smiled even wider. “Now if you’ll excuse me—“

“Going to see my ex-boyfriend?” she asked.

I rolled my eyes. “Going out with Nate before either of you even knew what that even meant doesn’t count,” I told her.

“And yet, he kissed me,” she smirked.

“And he thought you slobbered too much,” I countered, snapping my fingers. “Darn.”

She glared at me. “Whatever. I just wanted you to know that if you want him, you can have him. I’m over him.”

“Thanks for the permission,” I said, turning and walking away. “Bye Stacie,”

I walked to my house and sighed as I closed my door behind me. Home sweet home. My phone started ringing. “Come outside,” Nate said as soon as I answered it.

“Now?” I asked, putting my bag down.

“No, next year,” he said. I could practically hear him rolling his eyes. “Yes, now. And hurry, I’m not getting any younger.”

I rolled my eyes and opened the front door again, walking out. Nate was walking towards my house, a grin on his face. “Sup yo,” he grinned.

“One day away from me, and you’re already gangster,” I smirked as I stopped in front of him.

“That’s how I be,” he crossed his arms.

I laughed. “Wow, you’re a dork.”

He laughed, and uncrossed his arms as he sat down on my front steps and leaned back on his elbows. “So how was your first day?”

“Good,” I answered as I sat next to him. “I’m joining field hockey. You?”

“I’m thinking about football,” he shrugged.

We fell into a comfortable silence. It was never weird with Nate and I. We were two peas in the same pod after all. “I hate your ex-girlfriend,” I said, narrowing my eyes in the direction of her house.

Nate laughed. “What did Stacie do now?”

“She just irks me,” I sighed. “Why is she such a bitch?”

Nate nudged me with his shoulder. “Maybe she’s jealous.”

“Jealous of what?” I laughed. “She’s pretty, not all that smart, but pretty. She can get enough guys with just her looks.”

“And when they talk to her, it’s like talking to a brick wall,” Nate smirked.

“Um, didn’t you go out with her?” I reminded him.

He blushed slightly. “Psh, it was before I knew what dating was. That doesn’t count.”

I started laughing.

“What?” he demanded.

“That’s exactly what I said to her when she tried to rub it in my face for some reason,” I said.

He laughed. “Why was she trying to rub that in your face?”

“Maybe she was trying to make me jealous,” I rolled my eyes. “She’s so retarded. You’re already my best friend. I have you. She lost you. Not much leeway for jealousy.”

He shrugged. “She’s retarded.”

“And I have a lot of homework,” I said, sighing and standing up. “So I will see you later.”

He laughed as he got up too. “Nerd.”

“Jerk.”

“Bitch.”

“Asshole.”

“Skank.”

“Dumbass.”

We both started laughing, having gone through calling each other every curse word under the sun multiple times. It was what we did. It was me and Nate. Nate and me. We were a bunch of retards. We were stuck with each other, and neither of us really minded that. “Smell you later,” I grinned before walking into my house.

“I’d rather not have to smell you,” he smirked.

I stuck my tongue out at him before closing the door. I sighed. My best friend was a moron. But oddly enough, I was okay with that.