Nathaniel trudged down the street, his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and his head hanging low.
He had finally found the courage to move from where Grace had left him. He had only been trying to do a good deed, instead he'd ended up feeling like a complete fool. All he had wanted to do was offer Grace a ride home, but she had taken it the wrong way and had run away from him. The most hurtful thing about it all, was the way she had looked at him. As if he would actually do something bad to her.
Why?
As he kept on walking, he couldn't shake the feeling of hurt and confusion that had settled in his chest. he wasn't even so sure if his apology had gotten across or she had just gone along with it because she felt threatened.
Maybe, it was the way he had approached her, he thought to himself. Maybe he had come on too strong or had made her feel uncomfortable. But he had only wanted to make her comfortable around him; Plus she had looked so tired, and he had thought a ride home might make things easier for her.
He thought just like Rose, they could be friends.
He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It was no use dwelling on it now. He felt had made a mistake somewhere, maybe Rose could tell him what it was.
Nathaniel sat at the dinner table, absently pushing his food around his plate. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his chest since his encounter with Grace. He didn't know why she had affected him so much, but he couldn't seem to get her out of his head.
Amanda, his mother, noticed his distracted mood and spoke up. "What's wrong, Nathaniel?" She asked, still engrossed in whatever she was typing on her phone.
Nathaniel hesitated for a moment, not sure if he wanted to confide in his mother. They had never been particularly close, and he didn't think she would care much about his problems. But he couldn't help but feel like he needed to talk to someone.
"I had a weird encounter with a friend today." He said, his voice quiet.
Amanda looked up briefly, her expression uninterested. "Oh?"
Nathaniel sighed. "Yeah. I was trying to help her, but she got upset and ran away from me. I don't know what I did wrong."
Amanda shrugged, her attention already back on her phone. "Well, maybe she was just having a bad day. It's not your fault." She wasn't particularly interested in this strange girl that made her son lose his appetite…but she was worried.
"Who is this girl to you?" She asked. But Nathaniel looked away shyly.
"She's a classmate, but I feel bad because I was rude to her the first time we met." He admitted, a blush of embarrassment creeping on his face. This was the first personal conversation he'd ever had with his mother. She was usually uninterested in his affairs, so this was new.
"You know, Nathaniel, I don't understand why you're wasting your time with those kids from school. They're just a bunch of low lives who haven't seen a decent kid before."
Nathaniel looked up, his brow furrowed. "What are you talking about, Mom? My classmates are good people."
Amanda sighed. "I'm just saying, I'd be worried if my son actually made friends with those degenerates. They're trouble, Nathaniel. You're better off staying away from them." She told him sternly and Nathaniel wasn't only surprised, but he was confused too.
He felt a surge of anger rise up in him. "They're not degenerates, Mom. They're just kids trying to figure things out, like we all are. And they're my friends. You can't just dismiss them like that."
Amanda looked at him, her expression condescending. "Nathaniel, I know what's best for you. Those kids aren't worth your time. You should focus On your studies and forget about them. They are just local peasants, you are not on the same level as them."
Nathaniel stood up, his fists clenched. "You don't know what's best for me, Mom. You don't even try to understand me or my life. You're always so quick to judge and dismiss the people I care about. Well, I won't stand for it. Making new friends mean something to me, and I won't let you or anyone else make me feel bad for that."
Amanda sighed, clearly exasperated. "Fine, Nathaniel. Do what you want. But just remember, I'm your mother and I only want what's best for you."
Nathaniel stormed out of the room, his anger still boiling. He couldn't believe his mother could be so dismissive of the people he cared about. He felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped for some comfort or understanding from his mother, but she saw the world differently and it was frustrating.
Nathaniel woke up in a bad mood, probably because he had been unable to get any sleep the previous night. Grace was the reason, and he needed answers. He wanted to know why she ran away from him, why she had looked like that. No one had ever looked at him that way, the thought alone was enough to drive him crazy. He didn't know what to do, how to approach her. He didn't want to look like a creep, but he also wanted to talk to her. And as expected, he didn't have the guts to confront her.
As soon as she saw him, she ignored him, and headed straight for class, he wasn't brave enough to stop her either. He stole glances from her during class; she was just sitting there silently. Rose did all the talking, while she just smiled softly from time to time.
She was pretty, it was just so odd that he hadn't noticed it until today. Maybe because she always had a plain look, there was nothing girlish about her. She would always wear boring clothes with dull colors, and she would put her long dark hair in a ponytail. The only emotions her green eyes usually expressed too were anger, frustration and if he were to include last night fear as well.
He wondered why she wasn't like other girls, why she wasn't like Rose.
Why she didn't wear her straight hair down and some skirts, or add a lip gloss and smile more often.
The more he pondered about it, the more interested he became. He wanted to know more about her, he wanted to talk to her. As if there was some sort of force pulling him to be attracted.
As soon as class was over, she was the first to leave. He guessed it was because she had to resume at her work. He had been about to go after her when Rose came.
"Yo! Nathaniel, are you walking me home?" She ordered, her eyes piercing into him. One thing with Rose, was that she was impossible to refuse.
"Alright, give me your bags." He said. Her eyes brightened as she handed him all of her luggage.
"I wish you'd consider yourself more and stop bringing all these unnecessary stuff to school." I told her, but she ignored me and just kept smiling as we walked towards the bus stop.
"Rose?" he called her softly, he finally decided to seek advise from her, Rose should know her best. "What's your friend like?"
"My friend?" Rose asked, eyes wide. "Which one?"
"The boyish one, black hair, green eyes, doesn't talk much." He described casually.
"Grace?"
He nodded.
"Just so you know she hates you." She deadpanned. "I was going to tell you earlier that you have to apologize to her. You ruined her raincoat and still did not apologize."
"I did. I already apologized to her." Rose's mouth fell open.
"You did? When?"
"Last night, I met her at the pizza shop where she works at, and so I used the opportunity to apologize to her." He answered. "But the problem is... I don't think she forgave me."