Popular Nerd

Chapter Seventeen// New Friend

Thankfully, with my mom arriving home late on the Sunday night, she never found out about the party on Saturday. She was totally oblivious I'd disobeyed her, but then again I didn't intentionally sneak out to go to a party. I went for milk, not that I ended up getting any in the end. Never mind, I'll just eat my corn flakes dry...

It is now Monday morning. School. I say goodbye to my mom and step outside into the mid October air. Laura's car slows to a halt outside of my house, just as a leaf drops into the breeze of the air landing right by the passenger door.

"Hey girl," she smiles as I slide inside. With my car still not ready from the garage, Laura kindly offered me a lift today.

"Thanks for the lift. I know it's last minute," I apologise, turning up the radio as one of my all time favourite songs comes on.

"That's ok, I was going in this direction anyway."

"Oh, how come?" I ask, knowing that my house is the opposite way to school from Laura's home. She may live a few streets away, however the roads don't match the same simple route. She hums along to Adele setting fire to the rain before answering my question.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you? I'm picking Nate up as well," she reveals, putting the car in gear as we drive downhill, only a street away from Nathan's. "Is that OK with you?"

I have nothing against it. "Yeah, that's fine with me." I just hope that he has forgotten the fact he was angry with me on Friday for eavesdropping on his conversation with Mrs Gillford. His face of outrage had convinced me he was not happy with my spying, his tone of voice had matched his annoyance.

We soon arrive outside Nathan's house and Laura goes up to his door and rings the bell.

"Hey babe," Nathan greets Laura with a hug as he opens the front door. I stay in the car, watching with the view of the window. They walk up the drive towards the car and Nathan climbs into the back, flinging open the door behind me.

"You two fancy going to the mall later?" Laura puts her foot down on the gas. I glance over towards Nathan, remembering he has detention with our chemistry teacher school to resit that test. He may not have failed the exam, however a C has never been recorded next to his name on the school grading system before.

Well, not until now that is. 

However despite my knowledge of his punishment, which Laura evidentially knows nothing about, I keep my mouth closed as I don't want to irritate Nathan any further or remind him of what had happened on Friday, in case he really has forgotten.

"Yeah, I'm free later." His response is quiet yet I hear every word.

"You are?" The words roll off my tongue too fast for me to stop them. From the side mirror I notice Nathan raise his head to look at me with a frowned expression engraved on his face.

"Yeah." He says, then shakes his head and peers back down at his phone.

"You coming Paige?" Laura askes eagerly.

"I don't know." Nathan doesn't seem to be liking me at the moment. "I may be hanging out with Ethan later. I don't want to blow him off."

"Oh that's right," she squeals as we search for a parking space, most of the students here already. "You don't want to reschedule that hot date of yours," she giggles, reversing into what seems to be like the only available space left.

"It's not a date." I remind her with the roll of my eyes. I can't help but smile though, thinking about going out with someone other than Josh does feel refreshing.