*Nate's POV*
Friday. Lunchtime.
As soon as my friends and I stepped into the cafeteria, the chatter dulled for a split second, and I felt the familiar weight of countless stares. I should be used to it by now, but it never stops feeling weird. I kept my face neutral and my strides steady, pretending not to notice.
Then, I saw her again. Sam.
I didn't mean to stare, but something about her caught my attention. Maybe it was how different she seemed from the usual crowd, or maybe it was just because she was new. Our eyes met for a brief second before I quickly looked away.
The cafeteria was packed. The only open tables were the ones near the toilets or the ones next to Sam and her friends. Easy choice.
"Let's just sit there," I said in a calm but firm voice, pointing to the table beside hers.
Ashley, ever the social one, noticed Sam. "Hey, Cassandra and Millie, good to see you. I see you've got a new friend. What's your name? I'm Ashley."
Ashley was sweet but had an air about her that made people nervous. Sam hesitated before replying, "I'm Samantha Pearson, but you can call me Sam."
Ashley introduced the rest of us, and soon, the conversation shifted to weekend plans. Austin, always up for a party, started talking about one happening tomorrow night. I glanced at Sam and caught her looking uneasy. She didn't seem like the partying type, but somehow, Austin convinced her and her friends to come.
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Saturday night.
The party was in full swing when we arrived. Ashley and Luna disappeared onto the dance floor almost immediately. Caleb and I sat at our table, talking about the NBA playoffs, but my attention drifted when I heard Austin's voice rise over the music. "Oh, there you are! Come here, we got some extra space at our table!"
I turned just in time to see Sam and her friends approaching. The second I saw her, everything else blurred. Even Caleb's voice became background noise.
She's wearing this red dress that outlines her figure perfectly, and she's wearing a little make up that highlights her facial features. She looks different, good different, definitely beautiful. She still has that shy expression which makes her look more adorable.
When I stole a glance at Caleb, I realized he was staring at Millie the same way I was staring at Sam. I wonder what that's about.
An hour passed, and the girls finally went to dance, but Sam returned quickly. She sat down looking tired, and excused herself to the restroom. I watched her walk away, my eyes following her before I even realized what I was doing.
Minutes passed. She still hadn't come back.
Something in my chest tightened.
I checked the dance floor, but she wasn't there. Before I knew it, I was on my feet, searching. And then I saw her.
A drunk guy was dragging her outside.
Something in me snapped.
By the time I reached them, she had already punched him, but it wasn't enough to satisfy the rage burning through me. The guy stepped back, cursing. His eyes darkened with anger, and I saw his arm twitch like he was about to retaliate.
Not a fucking chance.
Before he could make another move, my fist connected with his face, sending him to the ground.
"Do not fucking touch her again. This will be my first and only warning." My voice was low, sharp, and deadly serious.
Then I turned to Sam.
"Are you okay?" The anger in my voice disappeared, replaced by something softer, something I didn't quite recognize.
"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." She brushed it off, but I wasn't convinced.
I cast one last glare at the guy on the ground before leading Sam back inside.
"Good punch," I said, smirking as we sat back at our table.
She raised a brow. "I could've taken him down, you know. My next move was to kick his balls."
I winced dramatically. "Damn, good thing I interrupted." That would have fucking hurt.
She laughed, and for a second, I just watched her, completely caught off guard by how effortlessly she made me feel... comfortable.
After a while, I broke the silence. "Having fun? Don't you wanna dance? I don't think I've seen you on the dance floor that much tonight."
"I'm fine here. I just want to sit, drink, and observe. I'm having more fun this way. Besides, Millie and Cassie might get too wasted, so they're going to need me to drive them home. What about you? I'm surprised you're not the partying type."
I raised a brow. "Why is that surprising?"
She hesitated. "Well, no offense, but you give off that bad-boy-who's-always-at-bars-and-partying vibe. Like, a playboy. If I didn't know you had a girlfriend, I'd assume you change girls every week. Again, no offense."
Her words stung more than I expected. I kept my expression neutral but felt something in my chest sink. I forced a dramatic sigh. "Ouch. Didn't know that's how I come across."
She shrugged. "It's just that you don't talk to people much. Maybe if you were more sociable, people would see the real you. But either way, people still look up to you, even if they don't know you."
I exhaled slowly. "I really do want to be friends with everyone. It's just that.... it's Ashley. She's very suspecting. She thinks every girl that talks to me is out to get me. But I mean, even if she's right, that doesn't mean I'd cheat on her."
I hesitated before continuing, lowering my voice. "I just wish she could trust me a bit more. Sometimes it's really sad and hurtful whenever I try to ignore people. I just don't want Ashley to get upset and I don't want us to keep fighting over the same thing. So you know, it's easier that way....better for me to look like the bad person in front of everyone, instead of making Ashley upset."
I wasn't sure why I was saying this. I barely talked about these things with anyone, not even Ashley. But here I was, laying it out in the open for Sam.
She studied me for a second, then said softly, "You really love her, don't you?"
I gave a small, sad smile. "Well, we've been together for as long as I can remember. Childhood friends, together with Austin and Caleb. We've had each other's backs for years. So yeah, I do care for her a lot."
Sam didn't say anything after that. She just nodded and gave me a small smile before turning her gaze back to the party.
We sat there in comfortable silence, finishing our drinks, watching the crowd, soaking in the atmosphere.
Later that night, as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I replayed everything in my mind.
Did I just open up to her?
What the hell was that about?
I never open up like that. Ever. Not even to Ashley, because I don't want to drag any negativity into our relationship.
Maybe it was just the alcohol. Yeah. That had to be it.
No special reason.
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