Nathan's POV:
It was Monday. Back to school again. I was looking forward to the new quarter. It meant there were nine more weeks of school left. Then it would finally be summer break!
I got dressed and walked into the kitchen to make breakfast. Soon after, Ava walked in with a jacket on.
"Why are you wearing a jacket? It's hot outside." I asked.
"Because of these." She said as she pulled up the sleeve on her arm. There were four big bruises from where Aiden had grabbed her arm.
"Ooooh. Those look nasty." I said as she rolled back down her sleeve.
"Yeah, I know." She said as she fixed herself a bowl of cereal. She was quiet the whole time she ate. I didn't want to be the first to break the silence, so I stayed quiet too.
When we were both done, I asked her if she would like me to drive her to school. She said yes, so I drove us to our college. Even though most people lived on-campus, I lived in my grandma's old house. It wasn't huge, but it was perfect for me.
"Ready for school?" I asked Ava.
"Yeah. I guess." She said in a depressed way.
"If there's anything you want to talk about, I'm here." I said. "I'll listen to you."
"You're not like other guys, are you?" She asked. I was caught off-guard by her question. "I mean, you actually care about how I'm doing."
"Well, I respect women. I don't see them as toys I can throw away when I'm done playing with them. I want to have long-term relationships. I want to know what it's like to fall in love." I said.
"I like that about you." She said. "You make me feel needed. I know I can confide my deepest secrets in you and you wouldn't tell a soul."
"Well as much as I would like to continue this conversation, first bell is about to ring and I still need to go to my locker." I said.
"Okay. I'm gonna go to class. See you later." Ava said as she walked off.
"Bye!" I waved as she went to her locker. Just then, my friends walked over to me.
"Hey idiot!" Jack said as he man-hugged me.
"Hey jackass!" I replied.
"Yo, is that the same girl we picked up Friday?" Mason asked.
"Yeah. She's staying with me for now." I said.
"Oooooh!" They all said.
"Have you done it yet?" Mason asked.
"What's it like living with a girl?" Jack asked.
"Guys calm down! Of course we haven't "done it" yet, I'm not like you Mason." I replied. "And it's not bad living with a girl. Sometimes I'll wake up to her fixing breakfast, sometimes we'll go shopping, stuff like that."
I answered a few more questions then went to my locker. I grabbed my books and went to first period, one of the only classes I have with Ava.
"Okay class! Today, we are starting a project!" Mrs. Randal said. "I will be assigning partners-"
The class groaned when she said that but she continued.
"I will be assigning partners by picking names out of a hat. There will be no switching! Let's get started picking!"
I looked at Ava, who had her head on her desk. I scanned the room looking for other people that would be good partners with me. Oh god no. I thought as I found Aiden. He was staring at Ava like she was a piece of meat. Maybe that's why her head was down.
"And the first partners are..."
