Popular Nerd

Chapter Twenty One// Nathan's P.O.V

"Where we meeting Eth?" I whisper to Josh, checking no one is following us before leading us down the alley.

"The place," he mutters back. I pull the draw strings on my hoodie to tighten it around my head, looking down with fast feet so no one can detect us. We soon reach The Place, the air damp and the ground dirty. Needles are everywhere, probably left from when we were here last. I may not be the one injecting myself with the drugs, however I was the one they made to go and get them.

"You got any?" Josh asks me, perching on a near by tree stump. I shove my hand into my jacket pocket then retrieve the cigarettes. I toss him a pack and he grabs it in his hands.

"Light?" Josh utters, positions the fag between his fingers.

"Yeah," I pull out the lighter and pass it to him. We pull down our hoods once we know that we are alone. The sky is now an inky black, stars peeking out of the dark blanket of the night. I gaze up and let out a breath, enjoying the smoke circling around my mouth.

The smell is still new, the smoke dirty from my mouth only increasing the satisfaction of my new profound freedom.

"Eth," Josh spins around and greets Ethan with a high five. Ethan emerges from the fumes of the factory we have just trespassed.

"Pass us one," Ethan reaches out his hand and Josh hands him a cigar. He lights it then exhales. "That's good."

"So, what up?" I ask Ethan, putting one foot up on a stump.

"I did it," he smirks, Josh linking his smile as they both grin at each other. I am lost. He did what?

"That's great," Josh goes onto say. "So Paige loves you or something?"

Paige?

"She's in the palm of my hand," Ethan cackles, walking over closer towards me. "I've got her doing my Macbeth essay so we can go out Saturday night," he laughs.

"You two going out then?" I can't imagine Paige going out with someone as deceitful as Ethan. When she broke up with Josh she was heartbroken. However it's not like I can go up to her and warn her or comfort her like before. It was different then. She is no longer a part of my life. I'm on my own two feet now.

"Nah! She's doing my homework for nothing really. I'm not stupid, unlike her." Ethan and Josh high five again and burst out into laughter. I would join in, but the way he just described Paige makes me shiver and it's not just because of the wind. It doesn't feel right.

"You kissed her yet?" Josh asks, popping the top of the beer he got on the way over here. He glugs down a quarter of the bottle then passes it towards me. I down half the drink. I need something to help me forget about Paige right now. If my feelings get too attached to her, I may be risking it all. Ethan then snatches the bottle out of my grip and takes a gulp for himself.

"No, we've not kissed. But I've got a plan..."

"Oh yeah, the plan." Josh smirks with a rised eye brow. Under the light of the moon his face is ghostly pale.

"What plan?" I ask, curious in their scheming. They both exchange a devious smirk, their minds telepathic with me clueless in the middle.

"You know that graffiti we sprayed on the side of the math block?" Ethan says.

"Yeah," I nod for them to continue.

"Well I've got a plan for Paige to turn herself in and say she did it," Ethan finishes the rest of the beer and smashes the empty bottle onto the ground. More glass shatters, adding to the fragments sticking up from the ground.

"Umm, how will you do that?" I ask, thinking his idea is ludicrous. Paige isn't that stupid. She may be a nerd, but I don't think Ethan's persuasion would make her do something as dumb as that! Then again, he is very persuading when he wants to be.

"One of you tell the Principal I did it. Then, I go to Paige and plead her to take the blame. If I kiss her and make a load of excuses, I'm sure she will agree." Ethan finishes his speech and Josh stands up to congratulate him.

"Ok, she takes the blame, then what?"

"Then I dump her! I pretend I never asked her out, I get an A in English and we get away with that vandalism. Laura got an A because of that nerd, so why can't I? Me and Beth go way back, she got Paige to speech to me, the rest just happened naturally. Might as well get a good grade out of all of this."

"Perfect," comments Josh, laughing with Ethan as they continue to criticise Paige. Part of me feels sorry for her, but my mind is too hazy and takes over the beating of my heart.

I smoke and take another inhale from the cigarette. This helps.

"I can't believe Paige didn't realise that you were involved with that graffiti," Josh puffs out another ring of smoke.

"Yeah. She thought I had a shower. She never knew I just splashed my hair with water and ran out to help you, then I changed my clothes with a bit of deodorant. Gosh we're bad," he cackles. This time I join in, cracking a laugh with my new mates, the new alcohol in my veins.

"You want another bottle?" Josh rises another beer and pops the top by banging it against a rock. He pushes it into my hand and I take a long gulp. The taste is bitter yet has a satisfying denouement on my body which clears my mind completely.

"Who's phone is that?" Ethan asks, looking into his pocket at the vibration of a cell. It turns out to be mine.

"It's mine," I say, staring down at the ID. "Ugh, it's just mom pestering me to come home. Send to voice mail." I switch off my phone and expect the bottle Josh hands me.

"And to think you used to be like Paige," laughs Josh, taking a swig of his alcohol.

"Yeah you were a total nerd," sniggers Ethan.

"Just acting," I remind them with a humours grin.

"But your not acting now, right?" Josh elbows me in the side. I push him off with a laugh.

"No. This is the real me," I smirk, letting the smoke drift from my mouth and up into the sky.

Last update of the year! Hope u enjoyed it and have a happy new year! Xxx