Tory’s POV
” Rachel, can we go now. I’m tired of all the preparations for this fundraiser… I just wanna eat some burritos or whatever” I said as I got up from my chair in the board meeting room. She started arranging some of her stuff and putting it in her bag.
” Just toss them in your bag Rachie!” I groaned.
” Relax, I’m not disorderly like you”
” Whatever” I scoffed as I put on my school bag and tapped my feet, waiting for her.
” All done.” She said and I lifted my hands to the sky in appreciation of the big guy up there before we went downstairs.
” Have you umm… you know seen -”
“-jake? Nope. I haven’t, are you guys going for another date? If so be very careful okay.?”
” No, we’re not. I was actually gonna ask if you saw Nate” she said looking at me with a concerned expression.
” Why do you care about that psychopath? Didn’t you hear that he was taken out of the restroom by Zach and Jake acting like a lunatic?!”
” Well, maybe he’s going through some stuff. Maybe that’s why he’s you know, very messed up”
” Is there something you wanna tell me?” I asked her, sensing some tension in her voice.
” What?! No! I – pshhh, no, nothing”
” Rachel?”
” Seriously, I don’t know”
” Whatever, you shouldn’t spend your time worrying about some guy who almost caused your death” I said as we came down the finals step and started heading out of school through the hallway.
” He wasn’t responsible. I told you, I turned off my phone right after I texted you.
” Why are you defending him so much?”
” Because this had nothing to do with the poor boy okay!”
” Wow, Nate is a ‘poor boy’ while I’m a jerk” I said completely disappointed by her defense of Nate.
” Tory, don’t get me wrong. All I’m saying is that you’re mad at Nate for the wrong reason. You should be mad at him because he locked you in the janitors’ room not because I ate something I shouldn’t have eaten!”
” Fine!” I said, knowing that she was right. I guess I just wanted her to join me in hating Nate McClain, but trust Rachel to be the perfect advocate to everyone.
” Let’s just go okay. I don’t want to talk about that lunatic.” I said as I walked past the boys’ locker room.
” Did you hear that?” Rachel said suddenly jumping in fright.
” Hear what? The boogie man?” I said sarcastically.
” I hear something or someone rather.”
” Rachel, I have no time for your paranoia” I said folding my arms and scowling at her.
A violent coughing sound sent us both screaming and holding on to each other. It was evening and Mr. Jenkins had given Rachel and I the spare keys to the school so no one was supposed to be inside the building.
” Let go of me” I finally said pushing Rachel away slightly as I adjusted my uniform.
” Mom…” A weak voice said.
” It sounds like Nate” I said to Rachel. She nodded and moved to open the door and I held her hand.
“No girl, let’s go. Whatever is wrong with him is his business”
” Tory, so if he’s dying you’re just gonna walk away?”
That hit hard, I sighed and shook my head.
” Maybe he’s having a moment”
” Tory, he said ‘mom’. What If something is wrong with him?”
” Fine, check it out then.”
She opened the door and we both gasped as we saw Nate on the ground, bleeding badly and breathing heavily.
Even if I hated him, I couldn’t stop myself from feeling bad for him.
” Who did this to you?” Rachel said as she ran towards him and kneeled on the floor. Nate just lay there almost lifeless, seeing him that way reminded me of how lifeless my father had been when I saw him in his office, sprawled on the floor, bleeding profusely.
I couldn’t save my father but even though I hated Nate, I won’t let him die when I know I can help.
” Rachel there’s no time to waste, Just help me get those things out of the passenger seat and put it in the trunk of my car. Then ask Mr. Joe to give us a hand.”
She nodded and ran out. I looked at Nate and felt bad for him. He looked so hurt and sad, as I walked towards him and crouched to touch his face, his green eyes flew open and he grabbed my hand.
” Don’t hurt me please!” I whimpered in fright but he just turned to look at me, a tear falling from his eyes as he asked ” Mom, why ? Why’d you hate me? I -” he coughed and spat out some blood on the floor before he looked at me again.
” Nate I’m not your mom” I said softly.
” Why do you always say that? You gave birth to me! I know… I know you didn’t want me but, I’m still your son”
” I…”
” How could you not love me, when all I’ve ever done is love you?”
I stared at him, floored by the fact that he thinks I’m his mom, and is probably pouring out his sorrow to me.
” Mom, please. I’m sorry, I’ve always been a perfect son to you.. but when you still didn’t… love me, I decided to punish you and hurt you”
He paused and took a deep breath before he tried to talk again but seeing how much effort it took him to speak, I placed my index finger over his lips to stop him.
” Shhhh! It’s okay Nate” I said, rubbing his hair.
” But you don’t love me” he said with so much pain in his eyes. Gosh, all he’s ever wanted was for Tiffany to love him! That’s why he’s such a punk! He’s just a love – deficient- boy.
“That’s not true Nate, I… Love you” I said smiling at him
” Really?” He asked as a smile formed on his face, making him seem like an adorable child then his eyes started to close, little by little.
” Hmm-hmm” Mr. Joe cleared his throat and I motioned for him to help me carry Nate.
Three of us struggled to carry him from the locker room because he was so heavy. But when we managed to get him to the car the struggle was over we quickly dropped him off at St John’s hospital for treatment.
I looked at him one last time before I left his ward.
“You never know what someone’s battling or going through do you?” Rachel said to me and I nodded in agreement, standing just outside his ward and thinking about everything that had happened.
********
In a week, Nate was back in school, though he had a few bruises here and there he still looked handsome – I meant okay, he still looked okay!
” Hey babe” Rex said wrapping his arms around my waist as he kissed me.
” Hey”
” I was thinking that we hang out at the arcade today” he said and I felt sad. Why won’t he take me on a date as other boyfriends do?!
I guess it’s at least okay that he hangs out with me.
” Sounds great” I lied.
” Yeah? See you in Math class” he said before he walked away. Nate who was standing almost opposite us, stared daggers at Rex as he walked away.
” Hey,” I said and he seemed surprised at first that I spoke to him, then he eventually masked it with indifference.
” Hi”
He probably never knew it was Rachel and I who took him to the hospital. I think it’s better that way, don’t want him thinking we’re friends.
Though, I have to admit that I’m worried about him. Tiffany has not been home for weeks and I know this because of her talks with my mom.
” How are you feeling?” I asked and his eyes narrowed before they widened and then narrowed again. It was extremely weird how his eyes did that.
” It was you,” he said in a low voice.
” Umm… yeah” I admitted knowing what he was talking about.
” This is embarrassing. Look, whatever I said -”
” – I don’t even remember it” I lied and he studied me for a while before he nodded.
” So, how are you feeling?”
” Doesn’t matter” he scoffed.
” Fine, I’ll mind my business” I said walking away but he pulled me back to him, not in his usual aggressive way but in a gentle manner. Or maybe it was aggressive, I don’t know. All I know is that when he pulled me to him, we were so close to each other that if he leaned closer, our lips would’ve touched.
Why did I suddenly want that to happen?
” I’m sorry Rya, I didn’t mean that”
I tried not to swoon over his perfectly handsome features and licked my lips.
” Why did you say it then?”
” Because of my disorder…”
I stared at him, surprised at how easy it was for him to say that to me.