𝐄𝐍𝐌𝐈𝐓𝐘- original characters

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐒 𝐆𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐎 𝐊𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐇𝐈𝐌. And then herself. Nathanial was a confusing person to get a read on, because he sent her all kinds of mixed signals all the time. Which should have been fine, because they agreed to keep things casual. 

But it didn't feel like casual. 

Margot couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that it felt like things had shifted, but it was around the time that Celia had been held hostage by Rebecca and her ex-boyfriend, William. When Margot had to get a few stitches after taking a blow to the head from Rebecca, Nate had been there with her, holding her hand through the whole thing. Then, after that, they'd started spending most of their nights together. Sure, sometimes they'd have sex, but other times, they'd just sit on the couch and eat food, or sit on the fire escape until the early hours of the morning. Somewhere between then and now, Nathanial had blurred the lines between friendship and relationship. And Margot had let herself pretend, just for a moment, that this was what her life was like. She pretended like he was a different person, and that she was entertaining enough to keep his attention long enough. 

She had thought it was a good thing when he invited her to meet his friends. Margot thought that it meant they were getting serious. Sure, she wasn't a party person, but who was she to say no to him when he had so graciously extended the olive branch. Margot wasn't sure why she was so nervous, but she wanted his friends to like her. She wanted to try and fit in with his friends, and into his world. The two of them didn't run in the same crowds, and Margot pulled out all of her best stops so she could at least look like she belonged there, on his arm.

 As he walked into the room like he owned the place, Margot couldn't help but be transported back to the very first night they met. It was as though everything had come full circle, except maybe he'd remember her this time. Maybe things would be different.

She couldn't help but chuckle as she walked in, because it was like she was back in college all over again. The music was blaring loudly, and the crowd was filled with guys in Ralph Lauren, and girls in short dresses. There wasn't really anyone dancing, but there were people all around the house, forming small groups amongst themselves. And she knew the exact moment that they had realized who walked into the room, because Margot felt the discomfort of having everyone's eyes on her. She wasn't used to the attention that came with being seen with Nathan, but she had caught the attention- and envy, of basically every female in the room. 

"My man!" A loud voice boomed, pushing his way through the crowd to throw one arm loosely around Nathan. "Look who decided to show up! I haven't seen you in ages, man. Where the hell have you been hiding?" It made sense for a guy like Nate to have attractive friends, but Margot wasn't expecting his friends to look like they'd walked straight out of a Calvin Klein campaign. Margot felt uneasy as a pair of girls walked right by them, looking at Nathan like he was a piece of meat, then looking at Margot in disgust. She tried not to pay attention to the way that they whispered about her, reminding herself that this was just part of the territory. But she couldn't stop the nagging thought that made her wonder how many of these girls he had slept with. 

"Been busy, that's all," he replied vaguely, looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Been dealing with some shit."

His friends face dropped for a moment, and turned pitiful. Almost everyone knew what had happened by now, as it had been the topic of gossip and news outlets since it happened. Everyone was talking about Rebecca, yet she had been nowhere to be found. "That's right," he replied. "I heard about what happened to Cece. She okay?" Nathanial nodded tensely, tracing his thumb over her hip. His friend seemed to get the memo, and turned to acknowledge Margot for the first time since they got here. "And I see you've brought a new friend with you. I'm Lance." He offered out his hand to shake, which Margot thought was oddly polite for a guy like him. She accepted his handshake nonetheless and smiled, "I'm Margot."