32| red

NADIA 

After I had finished and cleaned myself up, I headed out of the bathroom determined to put someone in their place right now. "Hey I was looking for you," I heard from my left, I turned to find Blue with her eyes boring into me. 

"For?" 

She sighed. "Red don't do anything crazy," I shrugged, "what could I possibly do?" 

"Listen to me, you're not thinking straight." she said. "I saw him Red," she continued. ''and I swear he didn't reciprocate. He actually pushed her away but she was the one persisting and-"

But I ignored her, completely zoning out as I made my way over to the place where I had left him and couldn't help but over hear bit of the conversation that was taking place between them. 

"Are you sure you should be doing this?"

"It's nothing I can't handle," I responded. 

I watched Elijah jerk his head back in disgust when she leaned in, her hands on his shirt. "Let go Sara," He said but to no avail. 

"It's Sydney," she corrected. "but I can be whoevee and whatever you want me to be," 

"Yeah whatver your name is, get off me. I already said I don't want you, a thousand times."

"That's not what you said-"

"A year ago? Seriously? You're still hanging onto that?"

She then brought her brows together. "But what we had was special," 

"Yeah until you ruined it,"

"But-"

"Oh Sandra, quit it babe." I intervened. Elijah's eyes widened, as if he hadn't expected to see me and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was trying to see if I was pissed at her or him. 

She groaned. "It's Sydney," 

"Yeah uhm, don't you have something better to do than to harass someone who doesn't even want you?"

She looked at me up and down, evidently showing me she wasn't a fan but neither was I. "Who even are you?" 

"My girlfriend," Elijah said, pulling me closer to him by my waist and I saw her eyes widen a bit before she regained composure. "That's impossible," 

"Babe, you didn't tell me that we had deaf and blind people here," I said, looking up at him. "She must be the first one," Elijah said with a shrug and I couldn't help but laugh.

Elijah ran a hand down his now wrinkled shirt, dusting himself off in the process. 

"Anyways, I should go. I'm bit OCD so I can't be surrounded by females who, y'know,"

"You bitch," The girl said, walking off like some toddler who didn't get her favorite flavor of ice cream but I couldn't care less. There were way too many spoilt brats at Everton and clearly they needed a reality check. 

Elijah looked down at me, a smile on his face that I simply could never get over and planted a kiss on both my cheeks, my nose and then my lips, causing me to giggle. "I'm crazy over you, you know that?" 

"Don't be too crazy now," I said jokingly. "I'm serious. I'm so lucky to have you," He said, making my body temperature rise to the point where I could feel the warmth in my ears. And then he spun me around, all the way to the cafeteria and all eyes were on us once again. "Eli, put me down!" but he didn't and I giggled some more. 

"Seriously, put me down," and when he did, my head was spinning like crazy. I had to hold onto his shoulders to make sure I didn't stumble back but he could tell so he held me close until I was able to steady myself. 

"Y'all make me sick," Vicky said with a pout. "You won't believe what happened just a few moments ago between them," 

Anthony gasped, "Blue when did you become such a gossip?" 

Blue intertwined her hands, "Gossip? More like... informing you on what happened, " I rolled my eyes jokingly, knowing damn well I didn't mind. However, the topic of discussion literally entered our space with Nicholas by her side. 

So because she couldn't get my man, she opted for his best friend? Classic. 

But on some real talk, there was no way in hell she was joining us. 

"Well, speak of the devil, here is she innit?" I said. She had the fakest smile plastered on her face, her arm was circled around Nicholas' as her heels made a sound against the tiled floor. 

"What are you doing here?" Elijah asked. 

"Don't worry, I didn't come to join you and neither do I want to," 

"So when do you plan to leave?" She released a heavy sigh, balling her fists at my words, before looking up at Nicholas. "Did I miss something?" he asked, looking between the 3 of us. "Nothing. You were just leaving right?" I said, looking over to the girls who's name I genuinely forgot this time and with that, she walked off. Joining Barbara and her crew to top it off. 

Now her attitude makes sense. 

"What was that?" Anthony said, his eyes wide. "Look who's the one gossiping now," Blue said, raising her eyebrows.

□□□

As I finished unloading some books in my locker, I slung my dance bag over my shoulder and headed to my next class: dance

As I slammed my locker shut, the metallic clang echoed down the room. I slung my dance bag over my shoulder, the soft thud of my water bottle against my back. With a spring in my step, I set off towards my next class: dance.

As I walked, the soft squeak of my sneakers on the polished floor was accompanied by the faint sound of footsteps behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see a familiar face, but instead, I was met with a sea of unfamiliar students hurrying to their own classes. 

I shrugged off the nagging feeling of being followed. After all, it was just my imagination playing tricks on me... right?

I pushed open the door to the dance room, and a wave of familiarity washed over me. The room was alive with the sound of music and the hum of conversation. 

I dropped my bag beside the wall and began to stretch, my muscles lengthening as I touched my toes. The smell of sweat and wood flooring filled my nostrils, and I felt a surge of excitement.

"Hey, girl!" a voice chimed in, and I turned to smile at Emily, another dancer in my class. I quickly tied my braids back, securing them with a hair tie as our teacher, Ms. Jenkins, began to demonstrate the choreography.

The music pulsed through the room, and I lost myself in the rhythm, my feet moving in perfect sync with the other dancers. 

We practiced the routine several times, our movements becoming more fluid and confident with each iteration until Ms Jenkins called off the class early today because she had an emergency. 

As the other students filed out of the room, I lingered behind, packing up my dance bag and taking my time. The room grew quiet, the only sound being the creaking of the old wooden floorboards. 

I believe I was the last one left, and as I turned to leave, I saw it: a shadow loomed in the corner of the room, sending a shiver down my spine. 

My breath hitched at the sight, my brows furrowing and my eyes flickering around the room, scanning the area. I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest. 

As I scanned the room again, I saw nothing out of the ordinary. I shook my head, chiding myself for being paranoid. "You're just paranoid, Nadia," I muttered to myself. 

I walked towards the sink, splashing my face with cold water to calm my racing thoughts. Just then, another girl emerged from the bathroom cubicle, her earbuds firmly in place. She nodded at me briefly before exiting the room, leaving me alone once more. I let out a sigh of relief, must've been her. 

The girl had left, and I followed suit, my shoes waiting for me in the corner of the room. As I turned to pick them up, my heart skipped a beat. A figure stood before me, their presence making my pulse racing.

My heart dropped, and I clutched my palm against my chest, frightened. "What the hell?" I exclaimed, trying to process what I was seeing. A familiar face smiled back at me, a mischievous glint in his eye.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," Nicholas said, his voice low and smooth. A small smile played on his lips, and I felt a surge of annoyance.

"Yeah, seems like you're making a habit out of it, right?" I rolled my eyes, trying to appear nonchalant despite my racing heart. Nicholas chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

"Guess I am," he said, his voice dripping with amusement. "But I promise I'm not trying to scare you. At least not this time."

"So then what are you doing here? Don't tell me you're a dancer," I scoffed. "What's wrong with that?"

"I never said there was anything wrong. Besides, you wouldn't be the first person that surprises me with their hidden talents," I say, remembering the first time Elijah danced with me. 

"Perhaps you can teach me?" he said, his eyes locked on mine as he took another step closer. I responded with a firm "Nope," and took a step back, my heart racing at his proximity. His presence made me nervous, and not in a good way.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I'm perfect, why do you ask?" I replied, trying to sound nonchalant despite the unease growing inside me.

He curled his lips downwards, his eyes clouding over. "Well, I happened to see the position Elijah was in with Sydney," he said, his voice low and serious.

I furrowed my brows, crossing my arms over my chest. "And?" I prompted, my tone cautious.

He took another step closer, his eyes burning with intensity. "I just don't want you to get hurt," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I raised an eyebrow, surprised by his concern. "You barely know me," I pointed out.

He shook his head. "I don't have to know you to want the best for you or to help you, no?" he said, his eyes locked on mine.

I felt a shiver run down my spine at his words. "And what is best for me according to you?" I asked. 

He took another step closer, his face inches from mine. My back hit the wall with a soft thud, and I blinked. "Your happiness," he said, his voice low and husky. "And as much as I care and love him, it doesn't lie with Elijah."

I tilted my head to the side, surprised by his words. Just yesterday, he was giving my boyfriend a bro hug, acting all nice and now he was warning me away from him?

"Look, all I'm saying is be careful," he said, his eyes burning with intensity. "I don't want you to be one of Elijah's victims, nor a phase. You don't know him like I do. No one does. And when you do discover that side of him, you may wish you never met him."