Home Run

9| The Return

I was appalled by all the things she said. How could she know my heart more than I did? I don't even know what I want.

"I don't know where this is heading. I don't think it's anything serious," I admitted. I didn't know if I was saying that for her sake or mine.

"You have to quickly decide Nat because you'll never guess who I saw this weekend at the grocery store." She leaned forward, excitement and despair clearly present in her expression.

"Who?" I asked.

"Veronica and Tyler Reyes. And not the geeky version who hid behind textbooks during class."

"What do you mean?"

"The time they spent away from school must have been because they went through a complete makeover because Tyler Reyes' unibrow is gone."

"Their reappearance at Riverdale means nothing to me," I said. That's when I realized that not a lot of people were in the cafeteria today and during the morning classes. People were buzzing about gossip, and it was because the Reyes twins were back. Apparently, they were better than ever. That also explains Trevor's disappearance.

"Good, because I'm totally rooting for you and Trevor."

"There is no Trevor and me, it was a one-time thing," I said. We're friends, we've always been friends, we always will be. It's because that dream made me wonder how his lips would feel on mine. 

"I'm still creating a ship name and starting a fan club."

"For what?" A voice said from behind me. Mia's eyes widened.

It was Trevor.

"Some couple she watches on this show on Netflix," I said as Trevor slid into the seat next to me.

"I have homework I need to copy off of someone before next period starts," she said. "Bye." The hint of mischief was laced in her voice as she quickly exited the cafeteria.

"She's obviously not copying homework," Trevor said. Mia was the type of student to get homework done as soon as it's assigned. Even if you didn't know her that well, that was a well-known fact.

"How's your face?" I asked, not making eye contact with him. All I could think about was Veronica. All I wanted to do was ask him was about her. I'm curious and concerned about a friend, not jealous.

"Cute as it can be," he said.

"Hardly."

"Did Owen see it?" He asked gesturing to my neck.

"Just say hickey, Trevor. It's not like it's a big deal. It doesn't mean anything."

"Ouch," he let out a low whistle.

"And no he didn't," I answered. I could feel his eyes staring at me. I was looking straight ahead at the freshmen who were too busy to talk to each other because they were on their phones.

"Is Bryan-"

I cut him off, "can we not talk about anything that happened yesterday?"

That's when he looked away. He stared down at the grimy blue and white flooring for a faint second before looking back up with a concerned look. "I'm here if you ever want to talk."

"God Trevor, we kissed once that doesn't make us close so just please stop trying to act like you care."

I was lashing out, but I didn't know why until the reason showed up right in front of us dressed in a white romper like we were at some damn beach. She had a different hairstyle from what I remembered. It was now short and straight which complimented her heart-shaped face and welcoming deep brown eyes.

Veronica Reyes looked straight at Trevor, "is this a bad time?"

I answered for him, "no it isn't."

"Nicole, right?" She smiled at me.

"Actually it's Natalia, and you must be the so-called Veronica."

"Oh, you didn't forget me." She sat in the seat in front of us. She was talking to me, but her eyes kept shifting to Trevor.

"It's hard to forget that name after ninth grade," I said. I only remembered her name because Trevor brought it up last week. If not for that she might as well be a stranger to me. "That horrible nickname just rings in your ear."

"I've learned to embrace it," she sighed. Veronica looked at Trevor who was fiddling with his fingers. "So, Trevor can I talk to you?"

Trevor immediately looked at me as if he were asking for approval or searching my eyes for an answer. We weren't anything. He didn't have to accommodate what I wanted. I didn't look him in the eyes.

"Natalia and I were-"

"Actually," I interrupted. "I have homework I need to copy before class starts."

I got up from my seat, not daring to look back. I used the same lie as Mia did, with the same intentions she had. Which sent a clear message to Trevor: I'm not interested. You should go talk to your ex-girlfriend. I'm happy for you.

I convinced myself over and over until the lie became the truth.

a/n what do you guys think Veronica's reappearance means to Natalia and Trevor's budding romance? What did you think of Natalia in this chapter? Thoughts on Veronica?

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