(Unedited)

"What the hell are you doing with Nathan in the parking lot?" I heard someone complain from the back, I turned to see Cole glaring at me.

It was lunch break, meaning, the time to gossip about the day.

"Making out?" I asked him instead, feigning shyness.

"Ele, what were you doing with him" he caught up on my bluff, sat on his usual seat, and looked at me seriously.

"Okay, I was treating his wounded eyes" I answered him truthfully, cutting my jovial craps.

"Why are you doing it?" He asked, annoyed.

"Why shouldn't I do it?" I retorted.

"Because we are not friends!" He started, irritated at my uncaring replies.

"You are not friends with him, not me" I answered factually.

"Isn't my enemy supposed to be your enemy?" He asked.

"No, first you don't know him, I was stereotypical too but then I realized he was not that bad" I admitted.

"Ele listen, you, don't know him, I know who he is and let me tell you this, he isn't who he is showing you to be" he gave in and stated in the most serious tone he can muster.

I wondered what he was talking about, was there any backstory behind these two? The way he was talking indicated that they do share a history or it can simply be as it was like me before Liz's departure, being away from the popular and the unwanted attention.

"Did he do anything to you?" I voiced out my thoughts.

"Not to me" he replied instantly.

"Then who?" I pestered, raising my eyebrows at him.

"Not my story to tell" he replied and walked away.

I wondered what just happened, curiosity blinded my rationality. I decided to find the answers myself but I didn't know how am I going to do it?

I grabbed my bag and walked out of the library with my food and entered the cafeteria as in trance, I didn't understand why I walked here, I was immediately greeted by the buzzing school population screaming and cursing under their breaths.

I heard whispers traveling in the air, I scanned through the cafeteria, my eyes landed in the middle where the popular are gathered around something or rather someone.

I walked to the middle, knocking the onlookers in the process, I instantly recognized the voice of the person, rugged and roaring.

I pushed the popular and came face to face with Alex and Nathan throwing punches at each other ferociously while Jessica and her popular teammates stood there watching them like a tv show.

Alex and Nathan are both equally wounded, Alex threw a punch at Nathans's face, resulting in Nathan to double-take in his strides, he gave Alex a weird look, a small grin lifting on the edges, my heart hammered faster, that grin isn't going to do any good to Alex, it promised more damage, I was able to feel it.

I heard one of the freshman students with round spectacles next to me whispering to his friend, "I'm going to bring the principal here" slumped his bag on his friend's body and ran outside the cafeteria.

Nathan clenched his hands in a tight grip, knuckles white from the force, he lifted his hands and shifted it backward, his hands came in contact with Alex's face in a blur, Alex fell to the ground, taking advantage of the position, Nathan tried to kick him on the stomach.

The word principal floated around the cafeteria, I jumped in the middle of their fight and stopped one of Nathans's punches by grabbing his hands, resulting in my knee getting hurt from one of his kicks, he was thrashing at Alex from his hands and legs together. My mind kept uttering the word, bad move, bad move!

Nathan retracted his actions and crouched to my knee level, and grabbed my legs hastily, concern lining in his wounded face.

I saw our principal enter the cafeteria from the corner of my eyes, I swiftly clasped Nathans t-shirt and muttered "principal", grabbed his hands, and ran to the opposite exit door.

My adrenaline rush subsided the pain until I ran to Liz's car, I opened the doors and crashed on the driver's seat hissing in pain.

"Get in!" I said to Nathan, he was standing idly looking in the direction of the cafeteria.

He lifted his eyes and met mine, I took in his wounds, his left eye is swollen from the touch and it's going to blacken in a day or two, a small cut running under his right eyes, reaching his angular cheek.

"You heard me asshole, get the heck in!" I snapped at him, irritated at his urge to fight all the time, resulting in me getting hurt, I wondered what was wrong with me, why was I helping him?

Nathan gave me a blank stare but he complied with my words, he got inside silently and stared out of the shutter, his face hanging in shame?

Not happening, I mean it's Nathan Northwood, the school's jock, he would take pride in a thing like this, but looking at Nathan now felt nothing like he is taking pride, neither was he scrunching in pain. His face was blank and he was avoiding me completely.

I drove the car away from school, although I didn't know where I was driving to, I came to a half near a coffee shop.

"Get me coffee" I muttered with my eyes closed, my legs hurting me from the kick and all the running. I didn't find the energy to get out and grab my own coffee.

Nathan wordlessly got out of the car, I opened my eyes to the sound of the door closing. I dabbed at my injured knee, only to hiss and the touch evoking the pain. It hurts more when I touch on it.

I tried to lift my jeans to my knees, failing miserably in the process, the stubborn thing won't roll up, it's tight.

I heard the door click again and Nathan extended me a cup of steaming coffee, the smell instantly calming my redundant attitude.

I grabbed the styrofoam cup greedily and took a whiff, I saw Nathan trying to hide an amused smile. I ignored him and took a sip of the bittersweet liquid.

It was medium black, two sugars, and plain, just the way I take my coffee. I was impressed at his choice but a small voice from the back of my head said he knew about my preference but a sane part uttered that he did not, and I decided to stick with my sane mind.

He probably ordered the same thing for him, maybe this was his usual dose too, I tried to convince my racing mind, Nathan cannot be a stalker I yelled at my brain.

The soothing liquid burned my throat but relaxed my senses, in the loss of concentration I placed my hand on my injured knee and uttered a string of profanities under my breath.

I tried to massage the area, Nathan grabbed hold of my hand, I looked at his face in confusion, caught up in the sudden gesture. He brought his coffee cup and placed it on my injured area, the heat relieved the excruciating pain, subsiding it into a dull ache.

I hummed in contentment, I most probably have some ointment in the dashboard but I could only apply it if my stubborn piece of jeans rolls up.

After a contented sigh since I had my dose of relaxation fluid, I sighed against my headrest, eyes closed and relaxed. Nathan's coffee turned cold against my knee's but he didn't make any effort to take it, he was holding the cup securely.

"I can get you another coffee" I mumbled at him, eyes still closed.

"I have my eyes closed Nathan, I can't see you shaking your head" I announced, somehow knowing that he did the same thing I said.

"No, I'll go get another one" he replied after a beat, taking his now cold cup from my knees.

"Give me that coffee," I said and took it out of his hold without waiting for a reply, I continued while looking at him "I'm okay with cold coffees too."

"I can buy you another one" he offered but I shook my head in a no.

I took a sip from his cup, it was latté. My mind traveling to the previous thought process but Nathan could have bought my favorite coffee instinctively or it could be a complete coincidence, right?

The sweet bastard returned with a coffee and brown takeaway bag, settled in his seat, and drank his coffee, ignoring me completely.

"Why were fighting at school" I addressed the problem straight at him, leaving him no space to lie.

He kept quiet, I repeated the question at a measured pace and he kept sipping from his steaming cup, avoiding me at all cost.

"Damn it golden king! Why the heck are you fighting with him? Do you enjoy your bad boy reputation so much that you have to keep doing this absurd behavior to keep up with it?" I screamed at him.

"Do you have any idea that this could get you in troub-

"Why do you care?" He cut in

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-haf

Total word count - 32900 (authors use only)