29| red

NADIA

I shut my locker and gasped when I saw someone leaning against the one next to mine. I placed my hand over my chest, feeling a sudden jolt of surprise. "Crap, you scared me," I said, looking at him with a mix of surprise and amusement.

He chuckled and pushed off the locker, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to sneak up on you. I'm Nicholas, by the way, if you forgot." he said, holding out his hand for me to shake.

I took his hand, shaking it firmly. "Is that the type of girl you think I am?" I ask, my brow arched. "No," he said quickly. "It's just that you probably have an army of guys and I wouldn't expect you to remember each and every one of them,"

"Well, I remember each and every one of them... especially the ones who try to sneak up on me." I teased, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "But don't worry, I won't hold it against you. This time."

Nicholas laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Thanks for the mercy. I promise to make a better impression next time."

"Good luck with that." I said, walking off but it wasn't long until he was walking beside me again.

"Everyone here isn't bad you know?"

"It's your first day, you wouldn't know about a bunch of kids thinking they're better than everyone else just because they have generational wealth,"

"True. To be fair the only thing I heard was bad, was the food,"

Nicholas shrugged, "You know I've heard great things about this school."

I raised an eyebrow. "Great things? Like what?" Interested to know because I've heard nothing good about Everton High- only that it's a prestigious school but they obviously don't disclose all the crappy parts.

He grinned. "Like the students are actually friendly, and the food in the cafeteria doesn't taste like cardboard."

I laughed. "Well, you're in luck. The students are pretty cool when they want to be, and the food... well, it's still a work in progress."

As we approached our usual gathering spot, I spotted my group of friends, minus Vicky and Elijah. I pouted slightly, wondering where they were. I took my seat, snagging a fry from Blue's plate - she never minded sharing and I wish I was more like that but hey, a girl loves her food.

"Hey, you guys. I want you to meet someone," I announced, settling in. "Nicholas, these are my friends: Blue, Anthony, Ishan, and..." I trailed off, my gaze drifting to the side, where I spotted Elijah and Vicky. "...the twins," I finished, just as they arrived with trays of food.

Vicky's eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking to Nicholas. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her tone harsh. Elijah, on the other hand, greeted Nicholas with a hearty bro hug. "Hey, bro!" I stared, intrigued by their apparent familiarity.

"You guys know each other?" I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Yeah, he's Elijah's best friend," Vicky replied, her tone laced with a hint of disdain. She took her seat, her eyes still fixed on Nicholas with a mixture of wariness and annoyance.

Elijah made his way over to me, planting a kiss on my cheek. I playfully nudged him, aware of our group. Blue cooed, "Aww," while Anthony and Ishan made silly kissing noises and faces, earning me a roll of my eyes. Typical teenage boys.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend, bro." Vicky snorted, "Well, he didn't need to report it to you, did he?" Blue shot her a warning glance. "Vicky, come on."

Elijah intervened, "Can we please have a peaceful lunch for once?" He sat down beside me, pushing a tray of food in my direction. "I brought it for you," he said, his words melting my heart all over again.

□□□

School was over, but our group was still hanging out together. We were lounging in the courtyard, enjoying the warm sun on our faces, when someone suggested a game of volleyball. Boys vs girls.

"Oh, we are so going to crush you guys," I said, grinning at the boys.

"This is what you sound like," Anthony teased, proceeding to bark like a dog. I rolled my eyes. "You won't be saying that in the next 10 minutes," I shot back.

Blue, Vicky, and I huddled together, strategizing our approach. "Hey, but this is unfair, no? I mean, it's us three against four boys?" Blue pointed out.

Nicholas, who had been watching us with a smile, stepped forward. "Then I'll be the ref," he suggested, and nobody complained. We all took our positions, ready to begin.

"Go on, girls, crush them," Nicholas said, a mischievous glint in his eye. Ishan raised an eyebrow. "Really?" he asked, to which Nicholas shrugged. "It's my choice, guys."

Vicky grinned. "Best choice you've made in your whole life," she said, winking at me.

"What happens if you guys win?" Elijah asked, a sly grin spreading across his face.

"When we win you mean?" Blue corrected, raising an eyebrow.

"Then the boys become our lapdogs," Vicky said, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"And when we win?" Ishan asked, switching the question to their team.

"Then we get to wear the champion crowns and you girls have to wear the loser hats," Anthony said, a cocky smirk on his face.

The game began, and at first, the boys seemed to have the advantage. Their score was close, and they started getting cocky, taunting us with comments like,

"Ref is this your so-called choice?"

"Winning is such a bad habit of ours," and

"Are you not ready to give up, girls?"

But we didn't let their trash talk get to us. We regrouped, strategized, and started playing like a well-oiled machine. The game went back and forth, with both teams giving it their all.

Finally, Nicholas blew the whistle, announcing the score. "25-15 to the girls!"

"What happened to all the talking?" Blue asked, a triumphant smile on her face. "Ah, that's right. Winners don't bark, we actually deliver."

The boys started walking away, defeated. "That's right, walk away like the lapdogs you are," Vicky said, chuckling.

I couldn't resist adding a jab of my own. "How does it feel to be a loser? Wait, no, don't answer that. You've probably experienced that more than you take a piss."

We burst out laughing, enjoying our hard-won victory.

The game was over, and I was packing my bag, not without grabbing my bottle of water and gulping it down. "You guys killed it," I heard a now familiar voice. I took my last sip and made eye contact with Nicholas. I shrugged confidently. "Just like we said, we would."

"You need a ride?" he asked, his eyes sparkling with friendliness.

"No thanks. Eli's driving me. He practically drives me home every day now," I replied, feeling a sense of comfort just by thinking about that.

And as if on cue, Elijah popped up beside me, his hand slipping over my shoulder. I looked up at him, and my heart skipped a beat. Gosh, he is beautiful - his bright grey eyes, chiseled jawline, and black hair all combined to make my heart race.

"You ready?" he asked, looking down at me with a warm smile.

"Mhm," I responded, my voice barely above a whisper.

We began walking forward, Elijah's hand still draped over my shoulder. "See you," he said, patting Nicholas' shoulder, and I waved at him as he turned back to look at us, a small smile on his face.

I looked back in front of me, holding onto Elijah's hand that was over my shoulder. But as we walked, I felt a growing sense of unease, like a pit in my stomach.

It was as if something bad was going to happen, and I couldn't brush it off no matter how much I tried. So I held onto Elijah for dear life, his presence the only thing that seemed to calm my nerves.