Status: Just getting started!
Here With You
Why did I waste it all, wasted on you?
“Valerie!” I removed my head from my locker and looked around for whoever called my name. I saw a pair of dreads bouncing towards me. I grabbed my lab book out of my locker and shut it just as he reached me.
“Hey,” I smiled.
“Mind if I escort you to class?”
I glanced over at him and began walking, “Escort, huh? How fancy.”
He met my eyes and winked, “I try.” We parted for a group of sophomore girls that were stopped and talking in the middle of the sidewalk. We rejoined sides and Nathan spoke up, “So would it be cool if I escorted you to that burger joint this weekend?” It had been a week since I fed him the lie of why I left him at the restaurant. “I promise not to get the ranch burger.”
I quickly thought of an excuse, something I had became good at, “Uh, I can’t. I’m spending the weekend with my dad…quality time.” I couldn’t go, if I did I would only end up ditching him again.
“Bummer! Looks like I’ll be going alone.”
I laughed, “How often do you go there?”
“Not too often, just once a week.”
“Just?” I questioned. “Who do you go with?”
“Myself.” He said, like it was the most normal thing ever.
“You go out to eat…by yourself?”
“You don’t?”
“No!” I exclaimed as I walked behind him into our lab class.
“I just think that if you want the food bad enough, you’ll go by yourself to get it. So that’s what I do.” He replied, sliding onto his stool smoothly.
“You’re also probably the only one that does it,” I retorted as I opened my notebook to a blank page. The final bell rang and our teacher stood up from her desk, ready to begin todays lesson.
“Try it sometime.” He whispered.
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Monday of the next week Nathan was waiting at my locker when I arrived at school.
“Is this a new thing?” I asked. He looked up from his phone and gave me a confused look. “The whole meeting me at my locker thing?”
“Oh!” he said, understanding. “I don’t know…maybe.” He finished.
I spun the combination and opened my locker, emptying the contents of my backpack. “So why are you here today?”
“For school.” He replied in a smart tone.
I looked at him and rolled my eyes, “I mean at my locker.”
“Take a guess.”
I sighed, “I hate guessing.”
“You have to.”
“I don’t have to do anything.” Nathan leaned on the locker next to mine and waited for me to start guessing. Over his shoulder I saw the freshman boy that the locker belonged to, standing behind Nathan. “Nathan, you’re in his way.”
He looked behind him and shrugged. “I’m not moving until you start guessing.”
I shut my locker and grabbed his arm, moving away from the lockers. I said a quick apology to the boy as I walked away, dragging Nathan behind me.
“You didn’t do your lab homework, so you want to copy mine?” I guessed.
“Nope!”
“Okay, tell me.”
“You’re no fun.”
“It’s 7:45 in the morning.”
He sighed, “Come with me to that burger place tonight?”
“I can’t.” I automatically responded.
“Why?”
“I just-I’m busy.” I looked at my feet, avoiding his eyes for a moment until I could get my composure. “I have a comp paper to write, it’s due Wednesday.”
“Okay, tomorrow.” He smiled.
“I’ll be checking over the paper, plus I help Quinn with homework on Tuesdays. Rain check?”
He shrugged, “sure, why not.” He turned around to head off to class mumbling, “Rain check, again.”
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Friday afternoon I was walking to my car to head home from school when Nathan confronted me about dinner again.
“What’s up?” he asked as he fell in step next to me.
“Nothing, just going home. I have a very important meeting with my bed, I’m taking a nap.”
“Okay, skip the nap and come grab a burger. We can get it to go. It will take like ten minutes max.”
I heaved a sigh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear that had gotten taken away with the wind. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can, you just said you had nothing to do, Val.” I didn’t say anything. I avoided eye contact and skidded the toe of my shoe against the pavement. “Why do you keep shooting me down? It’s not like it’s a date or anything. I just-I like you Val, okay? I like you, like you.” He sighed, ruffling his dreads. “I thought I made it obvious, I know I made it obvious. If you weren’t interested you should have just told me the first time instead of leading me on.”
“It’s not that…It’s just I-I.” I sighed heavily.
He shook his head, “I get it.” I watched him turn around, jogging off down a row of cars.
Well fuck.
“Hey,” I smiled.
“Mind if I escort you to class?”
I glanced over at him and began walking, “Escort, huh? How fancy.”
He met my eyes and winked, “I try.” We parted for a group of sophomore girls that were stopped and talking in the middle of the sidewalk. We rejoined sides and Nathan spoke up, “So would it be cool if I escorted you to that burger joint this weekend?” It had been a week since I fed him the lie of why I left him at the restaurant. “I promise not to get the ranch burger.”
I quickly thought of an excuse, something I had became good at, “Uh, I can’t. I’m spending the weekend with my dad…quality time.” I couldn’t go, if I did I would only end up ditching him again.
“Bummer! Looks like I’ll be going alone.”
I laughed, “How often do you go there?”
“Not too often, just once a week.”
“Just?” I questioned. “Who do you go with?”
“Myself.” He said, like it was the most normal thing ever.
“You go out to eat…by yourself?”
“You don’t?”
“No!” I exclaimed as I walked behind him into our lab class.
“I just think that if you want the food bad enough, you’ll go by yourself to get it. So that’s what I do.” He replied, sliding onto his stool smoothly.
“You’re also probably the only one that does it,” I retorted as I opened my notebook to a blank page. The final bell rang and our teacher stood up from her desk, ready to begin todays lesson.
“Try it sometime.” He whispered.
▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼▲▼
Monday of the next week Nathan was waiting at my locker when I arrived at school.
“Is this a new thing?” I asked. He looked up from his phone and gave me a confused look. “The whole meeting me at my locker thing?”
“Oh!” he said, understanding. “I don’t know…maybe.” He finished.
I spun the combination and opened my locker, emptying the contents of my backpack. “So why are you here today?”
“For school.” He replied in a smart tone.
I looked at him and rolled my eyes, “I mean at my locker.”
“Take a guess.”
I sighed, “I hate guessing.”
“You have to.”
“I don’t have to do anything.” Nathan leaned on the locker next to mine and waited for me to start guessing. Over his shoulder I saw the freshman boy that the locker belonged to, standing behind Nathan. “Nathan, you’re in his way.”
He looked behind him and shrugged. “I’m not moving until you start guessing.”
I shut my locker and grabbed his arm, moving away from the lockers. I said a quick apology to the boy as I walked away, dragging Nathan behind me.
“You didn’t do your lab homework, so you want to copy mine?” I guessed.
“Nope!”
“Okay, tell me.”
“You’re no fun.”
“It’s 7:45 in the morning.”
He sighed, “Come with me to that burger place tonight?”
“I can’t.” I automatically responded.
“Why?”
“I just-I’m busy.” I looked at my feet, avoiding his eyes for a moment until I could get my composure. “I have a comp paper to write, it’s due Wednesday.”
“Okay, tomorrow.” He smiled.
“I’ll be checking over the paper, plus I help Quinn with homework on Tuesdays. Rain check?”
He shrugged, “sure, why not.” He turned around to head off to class mumbling, “Rain check, again.”
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Friday afternoon I was walking to my car to head home from school when Nathan confronted me about dinner again.
“What’s up?” he asked as he fell in step next to me.
“Nothing, just going home. I have a very important meeting with my bed, I’m taking a nap.”
“Okay, skip the nap and come grab a burger. We can get it to go. It will take like ten minutes max.”
I heaved a sigh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear that had gotten taken away with the wind. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can, you just said you had nothing to do, Val.” I didn’t say anything. I avoided eye contact and skidded the toe of my shoe against the pavement. “Why do you keep shooting me down? It’s not like it’s a date or anything. I just-I like you Val, okay? I like you, like you.” He sighed, ruffling his dreads. “I thought I made it obvious, I know I made it obvious. If you weren’t interested you should have just told me the first time instead of leading me on.”
“It’s not that…It’s just I-I.” I sighed heavily.
He shook his head, “I get it.” I watched him turn around, jogging off down a row of cars.
Well fuck.