Popular Nerd

Chapter Thirty// I Told You

A/N- Quite a dramatic scene around half way through to the end.

Warning: If you don't like violence (sort of a spoiler) you don't have to read the whole chapter.

During the start of lunch I go straight to the girl's toilets. Splashing my face with cool water refreshes my skin, I let the water droplets slide off my face before drying it. I can't help but heat up every time Nathan looks at me. And after he kept staring at me all through Physics, I need to cool my face down as it was radiating bright red.

I turn towards the mirror to examine myself. Briefly I check myself out, questioning my attire for the day. I have never gone to too much effort to look good for a guy; when I was dating Josh I never queried my appearance. But there is something about Nathan that makes me want him to notice me, but when he had I found it uncontrollably hard to not show how he affects me.

I hear a rustle behind me. Through the reflection of the mirror my gaze lands on Laura, she has her finger tangled up in a lock of her hair with her teeth biting down on her bottom lip. I send her an impassive glance before letting out a sigh of irritancy.

"What do you want?" I let the air slip out of my mouth as I turn around on my heels to face her. "To call me a nerd again?"

"I never meant that," Laura averts her eyes from mine as she steps closer, an apologetic tone mixing in with her voice. "I'm sorry."

Studying her eyes I pause for a moment to contemplate whether to believe her or not. "Why should I trust you?" I cross my arms firmly.

"Because I made a mistake. I'm so sorry for calling you that name. But I have a confession. Hear me out, once I tell you this you may not want to be my friend but understand that I will tell you the truth from now on. Please Paige, your friendship means everything to me."

Staring into her eyes I can tell she is being serious. Her arms drop to her side. "Go on." I decide to give her a second chance to make this right.

"When I first spoke to you, I initially only wanted your friendship for you to write that English essay for me." She began, her voice shaky. "However when we hung out, I found out that you are such an amazing person who I really got along with and actually liked. I want you to know that I was wrong to judge you and that you are my friend, despite what I said before. I really hope you can forgive me," she bows her head at the embarrassment of connecting her eyes back on mine.

I can't ignore her honesty. "I forgive you."

"You do?" Her eyes levitate back up to catch mine with a slight formation of a grateful smile on her face.

"Of course. We all make mistakes," I watch as she runs forward to embrace me with a hug. I grin at how happy she is, now the truth has been told and we are friends again.The girls toilets is the place me and Lacy became friends again, and now with Laura too. I giggle at the coincidence.

"Hey, how about you come round to my house tomorrow?" I suggest. "We haven't hung out in a while."

"Sure! That would be great!" She beams, bouncing on the spot in joy.

"It's a date," we giggle in unison.

"Hey, heard you rejected Josh," Laura says, a grin on her face.

"Umm, yeah. I just don't like him the way I used to," I admit with the bite of my nail.

"Good for you, standing up for yourself," she giggles with the nudge of my shoulder. We exchange another laugh and that is when I know we are friends again.

Laura then offers me a seat at her table for Lunch. "Beth is off sick, there is a free seat beside me if you want it?"

"I'm sorry but I can't." I decline her offer with the explanation that Lacy already has a seat reserved for me. She responds with an understanding smile.

"I get it." We hug then part our separate ways down the main corridor. I soon reach my locker to apply a little lip balm before planning to meet Lacy in the cafeteria. But I don't get further than two steps...

"Where do you think your going?" Spits Josh, suddenly in front of me with flexed arms. My eyes enlarge as he kicks my shin, an instant surge of pain tingling up my leg.

"Ow! What... What was that for?" I hiss whilst bending down to try and rub the bruise I already feel forming under my jeans.

"You little bitch," Josh growls, a threatening glare over coming his face, lasering a hole between my eyes.

"What are you talking about?" I whimper innocently.

"You told someone! I told you to tell no one." Before I can even ask him to explain, my back slams against the face of my locker. My lip trembles as well as the rest of my body. Ever muscle contracts with fear of his up coming actions.

"You told Nate. You told him about our conversation," venom spits from his cold lips. I cover my face with my quivering hands. "Who else knows?"

"No one. I didn't... I didn't tell-"

"Lier!" He rages, using his power over me to hoist me up into the air using only one hand, clutching my shirt. He then chucks me against the wall. I let out a groan the instant the bricks collide with my spine. My eyes peep open in pain to witness a crowd forming around us.

"J-Josh, please stop," a single tear rolls off my cheek as I cry for him to put this to an end.

"I warned you. You rejected me now everyone knows," his breath is bitter against my skin, his lips only millimetres away from my ear. My chest rises a hundred breathes a second. "You will regret this." He pauses. "I told you. Now you pay."

Josh raises his powerful fist, launching it back with a flexed arm. I scrunch up my face with no where to escape. He hits my cheek. Gasps of horror circulate the corridor. My fingers rise to my cheek bone, it throbbing with a new type of pain I have never experienced before. Wincing with agony, my eyes pry open with the fear of what he will do next.

Then I see the one person I need.

"N-Nathan," I gulp as my eye closes, the image of Nathan still in my mind. My eye reopens to see his face. His eyes on me. His lips are flat and his eyes hollow. No expression defines the dull, grey mist in his eyes. With an unexpected hit to my jaw, my vision blurs. All I can see is Josh's fist and Nathan walking away.