Ch. 9 Nick Part 5

Nick laughs. "Ok ok, lets go get ready for school."

"Its already morning?" My eyes dart to the window. I still have no clue what he meant by "all mine now."

Suddenly, Nick carries me over to his closet.

"Pick something, " he says.

"W-what? But these are your clothes."

"Pick something." Nick says again.

"Uhhh, I don't know." I mumble.

"Ok, hang on a sec."

'Oh boy.'

"Go and wait in the bathroom while I grab it." Nick says, putting me down.

"Grab what?" I mumble as I close the bathroom door in Nick's room.

Five minutes later, Nick calls me back into his room.

He winks and says, "Here it is."

He hands me the red hoodie that he wears practically every week to school and my shoes and socks.

I look up at him silently. Wearing this hoodie at school would spell out doom for me.

"What?" he grins, nudging me into the bathroom. "Go put it on."

The door shuts behind me. I look in the mirror and sigh. 'What am I gonna do?'

"My hairs a mess, " I mumble, messing with my hair to make it look better.

Then I notice a red circle on the left side of my neck. Confused, I pull my hair back to get a better look. I touch it.

"Huh. It doesn't hurt. Oh well I guess."

Reluctantly, I change into Nick's red hoodie and my shoes and open the bathroom door.

Nick is facing away from me putting on a t-shirt. 'I mean the girls at school aren't totally wrong,' I think looking at him. 'He does look very strong just based off his back musc- AHHH WHAT AM I THINKING??'

Nick turns around. "Alright you ready?"

"R-ready for what?"

"To go get something to eat." He smiles and points at the door.

"Um, I don't exactly have any money on me. I totally forgot to bring money for the movie-"

Nick starts to walk towards me. I back up a little then into the wall behind me.

Nick leans in. "I'm paying," he says in almost a haughty way, smiling again at me. I shrink back closer to the wall, embaressed.

He laughs and grabs my hand, intertwining our fingers together, and walks me downstairs.

My hands suddenly start to feel small.

All I can do is stare at Nick's hand holding mine.

What will the girls at school do to me if they see me wearing his hoodie? What will they do if Nick tries to hold hands with me in front of them?

A tear rolls down my cheek. I wipe it away.

I want to have quiet school year, not one with more tormenting.

A flash of my freshman year of college pops in my head.