Dedicated to MusicGurl8192. I just love reading your comments. They are so detailed and encouraging. Thank you so much for your support. ♥

So here's the 20th chapter. I can't believe I actually made it so far.

Hope you enjoy the chapter =)

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It's true what people say to be careful about whom you give the power to affect you, or else you might end up being really sorry. And I was.

I tried telling myself that I was fine, and his act had no effect on me and, yet here I was standing at the exact same spot on the bridge where I met him for the first time.

Alright, not exactly for the first time but it was still the place that started it all.

I pushed my gaze upwards and stared at the morning sky and listened to the sound of freely flowing water. Taking a drag of my third cigarette of the day, I walked over to the wooden rail of the bridge and leaned on it at a dangerous angle.

It was still just probably eight in the morning so there wasn't much movement around the place, making me feel I was in the company of complete solitary.

I brought the half-smoked cigarette back to my lips, as if it was supposed to prepare me for the call I was about to make.

Bringing the phone to my ear after selecting his number from the list, I waited for him to pick up which I knew he would.

"Hello?" Nathan answered in a groggy voice. I had disturbed him from his sleep.

"Good morning sunshine," I spoke.

"Norah?" He was alarmed.

"Who else?" I chuckled, dryly.

"Is something wrong? What happened?" He inquired, the words leaving his mouth hurriedly.

"So you think I call you only when something is wrong? That hurts."

"No, that's not- anyway how are you? I was going to call you today," he said with a hint of guilt.

"It's fine. You check up on me all the time," I tried to make him shed the guilt.

"And judging by your voice, I think I should've done that soon. How many cigarettes?"

I rolled my eyes. "And here I thought mom was bad but you definitely take the cake."

"You're talking to your mom again?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, we're trying to mend bridges. Well, she's trying to. I'm just being a bitch about it." I shook my head and I could picture him doing the same.

"Give her a chance, Noh." He paused. "So anyway you wanna tell me why sound like you're more smoke than a person right now?" Nathan said and I could practically see him scowling through the phone.

"You're no stranger to the art of exaggeration, are you now?" I chuckled again.

"And neither am I a stranger to the bad effects of smoking and I know you aren't either so tell me why have you started smoking again?"

"Cause I need it today," I answered softly.

He didn't say anything for a while. Only silence loomed in the line.

"How are you holding up?" I asked. "Going to visit her today?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I wish you were here too."

"Now if only I had enough courage to do that," I answered in a light tone to uplift the heaviness of the conversation.

Literally three years had passed and yet it hurt the same.

"I'll be here to give you that courage. Always," he replied sympathetically.

I smiled.

Nathan- Always the strong one.

"I know," I replied, my voice on the brink of diminishing completely.

"You know sharing problems with someone always helps," he said like the wise person that he was.

"No one will care enough to understand."

"Someone just might," he said and I had no answer to that.

"I'll talk to you later, 'kay?" I said switching back to my light manner.

"Okay. And stop smoking or else I'll have to make another visit," he reprimanded me but it was just hard to imagine him angry.

"That's not a threat, Nathan. It's an encouragement," I joked leaning away from the wooden rail of the bridge.

He laughed. "I'll come see you soon. Bye, Norah."

"Goodbye"

I felt the dread filling me again the moment the call was over. Needless to say I wasn't exactly looking forward to going to school today but I had to. I couldn't give him the satisfaction. If he had thought that his little stunt with Abbey was going to force a reaction out of me, then he clearly didn't know Norah Bishop. I was not the one to cry over a guy and I certainly wasn't going to.

Closing my eyes, I let the coolness of the air seep into my body.

Striding towards my car that was parked at the end of the bridge, I got in and brought the vanity mirror down to reapply my makeup. When I was satisfied that the makeup had concealed every sign of fatigue from my face, I started my journey towards my school.

The students were still arriving when I parked my car in its usual place. With long steps, I reached the main building, praying to god to make this day drama free. I could use an uneventful day.

"Wait up, my gorgeous girlfriend," Sebastian called from behind. I turned around to greet him with a smile.

"Hello there, boyfriend."

He linked his arms with mine. "I thought I'll walk you to your first class and you can tell me if you called him again."

He was still guilty about last night.

Idiot.

I took a deep breath. "I did."

"And?"

"And nothing. I ended up disturbing his and Abbey's romantic day out or in, whatever," I said acting like it didn't bother me, but boy, was it a huge lie or what!

Sebastian sighed shaking his head, completely disappointed. "What else could you expect from him? He doesn't have the reputation of a ‘bed hopper’ for nothing."

"Yep, now I have first-hand experience of that," I commented trying to get the memory of last night out of my mind.

"What do you mean you have a first hand experience? Have you two...you know...done it?" He asked with his eyes the size of a platter.

It was the moment where I would have choked and spit on my drink if I had one.

A horrified scoff fell from my mouth. "What? No? I meant that now I know why people say that not in any other sense. Why do you always assume the extreme?"

"That's a relief. I swear would have fried his limbs if he would have left you like all the other girls," he said giving me a nudge.

"Aw, my protective boyfriend," I said using a baby-voice.

"Always." He unlinked our hands reaching my classroom. "I'll see you at lunch, then."

"Bye." I entered the class after nodding.  

I tried to keep my focus in the first two classes to stop my mind to wander off to other places and knowing that I shared the third one, Calculus, with Daniel, I deliberately made myself a little late for it.

"You're late Ms. Bishop," the teacher said the second I walked in.

"Sorry. Had to go back to get my binder from my locker. Won't happen again," I answered, looking for an empty seat and just because of my fantastic luck, the only single was in front of Daniel.

Now wasn't that just fricking great!

The scowl that appeared on my face was instant, and for a moment I actually thought about asking the teacher if I could sit on the floor instead but thinking it would be a little extreme, I headed for the empty seat, not looking at him even once.

At one point during the class, I heard Daniel call my name but I ignored it. 

Mr. Parker was about to give another problem but the bell rang, signalling the ending of the class. I was picking up my stuff from the desk when I sensed him waiting for me.

"Can we talk?" he asked, hesitantly.

Didn't we do that yesterday? Oh, right, we didn't. Cause you made your girlfriend answer the damn phone! My internal voice screamed at him.

"Sure, what's up?" I answered coolly, and with all my belongings in my hand, I turned towards him.

He looked exhausted, not that it was something rare but this time I knew what was the cause of it, or rather who.

He chewed on his lower lip, thinking something. "I am really sorry about yesterday and I know that saying sorry doesn't even cut it and you have every right to be mad-"

I cut him. "I'm not mad," I said trying my best to sound distant.

"But it was still a total dick move from my side," he spoke, looking a little surprised at my reaction.

I shrugged. "Maybe it was, but as I said, I'm not mad."

"So you're just indifferent," he added on his own and there was so much pain in his voice that made my urge to punch him even stronger.

He didn't have the right to look hurt!

"Indifferent, not concerned about you anymore. Put it as the way you find it suitable," I said, actually succeeding in restraining my anger. Just to annoy him a little more, I pulled my lips in a small polite smile. "See you around."

I wouldn't lie. I really did feel a little proud of myself as I left the class. He might have humiliated me last night but I had not let him know of it. But then there was also this sadness in me and I couldn't figure out because of whom it was there. Emma or Daniel? Or maybe it was a alloy of both.

My craving for another smoke was rising so I made a stop at the girl's bathroom to wash my face. Opening the door, my eyes immediately went to the mirror which had the reflection of Shay and Abbey standing in front of it with Abbey sobbing hysterically.

I don't know why but I was suddenly nervous, so I decided to hide behind a wall to know what had made her cry.

"It literally took him...five minutes to wrap me around his finger...and now I feel so stupid," Abbey said in between her sobs.

"Calm down," Shay consoled Abbey but it only made her cry even more.

"Just let me get my hands on him. He really needs a good lesson for what he has done," Shay spoke and I could sense that she was red-hot mad without even looking at her.

If Daniel was trying to make everyone hate him, then he was doing a great job.

Yesterday, I was just as much pissed off at Abbey as I was at Daniel but now how could I blame her when she was crying her eyes out, feeling hurt. And it was his entire fault.

That jerk!

Feeling my own anger rise again, I left the bathroom and tried to find Sebastian. He was the only person I wanted to see right now.

I was near the rows of locker when I heard a commotion and then a loud banging noise like something had been thrown against the metal lockers making the lockers to rattle angrily.

"What the hell?" I muttered under my breath as I registered the scene in front of me.

Daniel had Sebastian pinned against his locker with just one hand. His eyes were murderous at they were fixed on Sebastian's face that had a black eye forming slowly. Daniel gnarled something with his teeth gritted and Sebastian genuinely looked scared.

I didn't blame him. I was startled too.

People were starting to gather around them to get their free entertainment.

What was Daniel doing today?!

 I was about to interject when I was pulled back by my waist.

"Are you mad, pretty girl?" Mike asked still restraining me to move forward. "You'll just make everything worse."

"Leave me, Mike. He's gonna hurt Seb!" I shrieked, thrashing to get out of his hold.

"I'll stop that but you need to stay away from them. Daniel is really mad and no one wants to see you getting punched," Mike tried to knock some sense in me.

"He's not gonna hurt me."

At least I was sure of that.

"Let's not test that. Now, stay here," Mike said and ran to stop Daniel.

I saw Liam approaching the scene too. Both, he and Mike, tried to pull Daniel from murdering Seb but it seemed his anger was more powerful than both of them, because he didn't seem at all affected by either of them.

I watched in silence as the guy who had been my friend till yesterday kept torturing Sebastian. Then Liam muttered something in Daniel's ear and thankfully that made him drop his hand instantly and his eyes to travel where I was standing.

A soft look swam for just a little instant of time, but then the rage in them flooded back in.

Pinching the tip of his nose, he turned around to walk away from the area.

I followed him, keeping up with his pace, and when I was sure that we were out of hearing rage of everyone, I yelled, "What the hell is your problem?"

He didn't answer, just kept pacing towards the gate of the school.

"Yes, walk away. That's what you always do anyway," I yelled behind him and that made him cease his power walk.

I knew it would work.

"You know nothing," he answered and even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he had his teeth gnashed together.

"And that's why I'm asking you," I riposted, crossing my arms over my chest. "So tell me."

He turned around and I could feel the fire in eyes burning me. "You should stay out of this. It's none of your concern."

"The hell it is! That was my boyfriend you were beating up to death. I have every damn right to have a say in this!"

If earlier his anger dial was at five, then my last answer had just turned it to a fifty.

With his blue eyes perforating me, he leaned towards me and berated, "Well princess, your precious boyfriend is gonna be fine."

And then he turned around again but with the inferno of anger flaring up inside me I wasn't going to let him walk away with the final words.

"You know what I don't get? Is that what are you so mad about, 'cause the last time I checked, you were still the one who lied. Not the other way around."

This time he didn't turn around. Instead he threw me a look over his shoulder. "You know I would have really explained it to you. I was going to, but as you said you're not concerned anymore so what's the point?"

And then he finally stormed away and I didn't stop him this time.

Daniel's POV-

Oh God, What the hell did I just do?! What the fuck have I been doing lately?!

I darted out of the school building leaving her behind.

It was hard but I would have ended up doing another stupid thing so it was better to leave her angry than hurt.

It was a punishment seeing her hurt.

It was all his fault. That asshole Sebastian just had to rub it in my face how they spent last night together.

As if I needed to know that.

I swear I would have beaten him to a pulp without a single regret if she wouldn't have been there

Why did she have to be there? Why did she have to be with him? Why did she never realize?

My furious fingers combed my hair over and over again and my legs, still getting their fuel from my anger, didn't know which way to run off.

This was not supposed to happen. None of this was right. I shouldn't have done that.

What was I thinking making Abbey answer Norah's call?

But that's what the thing was, I wasn't thinking again. I never did. I didn't think before lying to her. I didn't think before hurting her yesterday.

Swallowing the bitter lump in my throat, I stopped walking.

Breathing in and out, I tried to think clearly. My raging pulse slowed down as oxygen filled my brain.

Eight years.

Everyday since the first time I saw her, I had hoped for her just to acknowledge my god damn existence, and it had taken fate eight long years to actually make that happen.

And I wasn't going to let all those waiting to go to waste. I had done enough waiting for my whole life.

No matter what, I was not going to let go off her that easily.

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