Popular Nerd

Chapter Twenty Four// The Real You

A/N- Just to clarify... I've written a previous chapter tiled: The Real Me. This is called: The Real You. So they are different

But they are linked.

(Does anyone ship Nathan & Paige??? Edit of them together above ⬆️)

"What do you want?" Nathan rolls his eyes exasperatingly the moment his eyes come into contact with my body. I stand in his door way, frozen to the spot, not knowing what to say.

"Umm I... Just came up to see you." My fake smile brings his eye brows to frown. With a slight tilt of his head, he narrows his eyes with suspicion.

"Why? What are you even doing here?" His voice is raspy and there is a deep husk in his tone. To be honest it sounds incredibly sexy but I have to shake that inappropriate thought out of my mind. That is when I notice he is shirtless- again. Why does this always have to happen? Talk about déjà vu!

"I'm... I'm here coz..." I gulp loudly, taking my transfixed eyes off of his body. Why is this guy so hot? A smirk creeps across his smug face as he sees my cheeks heat up.

"Aren't you supposed to have a boyfriend?" He reminds me, his grin growing further across his face.

"How do you know?" I ask him, one hand on my hip.

"Ethan told me," he replies simply. I didn't know they were friends. "He said you were dating so I just assumed."

Well considering I won't be able to attend our date tonight, I don't think we'll be a couple for much longer. That, I decide rather rapidly, is not something I will be mentioning to Nathan. His rebellious actions are the terrible result of me being grounded, telling him my phone has been taken because of the crime I know he has committed is not a conversation that has a bright ending.

"So, why are you here?" He asks again, leaning in his door frame with one leg crossed over the other.

"To talk to you." Simple enough.

"About what?" His lip curls, obviously not finding the idea not as simple. He isn't happy I am here, evident by the snarl in his voice, but that is just too bad. This is getting unbearable and we all need the real Nathan back, weather there is an easy way or a hard way. Chances are, it's not going to be a walk in the park. That hasn't even been successful for me today.

"Can I come in?" I take a step forwards, Nathan slowly releasing the door and letting me inside. I hear him sigh and his feet drag over the carpet.

As I walk into the room, the awful smell of smoke is first to hit me. The air is polluted by the horrendous stench, making it hard for me to breathe. I now understand Mrs Johnson when she had referred to him going out with cigarettes. Then as I walk in further, the intoxicating smell of dirty laundry and mouldy pizza wafts my way. Random socks are scattered aimlessly across the floor as well as old pizza boxes on his bed. It is a massive transformation compared to the first time I came into his room!

"I'm meeting Laura in twenty so we better get started." Nathan turns towards me with a blank expression. His cold eyes send a shiver down my spine. The air unknowingly become colder. "So talk!" He demands.

With an intake of breath, I open my mouth, compressing my urge to whimper in fear. "Listen. I'm not trying to be mean or disrespectful, but..." Ok, how can I put this? He stares at me impatiently, his foot tapping the ground. I gulp with a tickle of anxiety making it hard for my words to form in my mouth.