For Your Eyes Only

29

"They are your friends. They're important to you," he implies with his head close to mine.

His eyes are a rich caramel brown as he gazes somewhere close to my nose. Those eyes draw me in like the moon pulls the ocean tide.

"You are more important."

I can feel the attention of the subject burning into the back of my head as they listen, me not keeping my voice down like Nate is trying to do with his. Let them hear me. I don't care about anything but Nate any more. So what if it offends them.

Nate runs a hand down my shoulder and his fingers tickle the inside of my elbow. "Please. Hear them out."

Why does he have to be so darn cute and tempting?

Dramatically rolling my head, I turn back around to see a swarm of inspired faces watching this interaction. They straighten their shoulders when my eyes land on them.

"Did any of you know about Danny's plan on hurting, Nate? Because if you did, then there's no way in hell I am ever speaking to any of you again."

"Well... There was talk but we didn't think he would actually go through with it," Mariah confirms, wringing her hands in front of her. "I mean, he's completely lost it."

My blood boils at the confirmation of it all and my mind turns a corner to Alyssa and when she told me she knew nothing about it. Did she lie?

"Have a good life," I snap and turn back around.

"That's in the past, Kel." Nate is the first one to speak and I have to bite my tongue at telling him to stop talking. He just simply doesn't understand. He doesn't know the information that I know.

"It doesn't change anything, Nathaniel." My voice is harsher than I intend it to be and when Nate inches back at the low tone of it, I instantly feel guilty for taking my anger out on him when I should be barking up the trees behind me.

"We really are sorry, Kell Bell," this, of course, because of the stupid nickname she has pinned on me since grade school, comes from Alyssa who looks slightly bored as she leans against the wall indicating she has already been through this with me.

I have decided then and there that I am mad and have been mad at her for a long time.

"Save it." I push away from Nate's locker and grab his hand to yank him away but he holds his ground. I grind my teeth together in frustration. "Nate, let's go."

"No," he surprises me by saying. "I know you don't want this."

He is right. Like always. I don't want this. I don't like having bad blood with anyone but what Danny did to Nate is unforgivable. Yes, my friends had no actual partake in it but they still know about it. It reminds me too much of another situation that should have been talked down.

I want my friends back but I am not willing to put up with this anymore.

I sigh in defeat and hold myself back from wacking my head of the metal lockers. "Fine. You're forgiven."

"Really?" Mariah says with a giant grin on her face. "We can all be friends again?"

I look again at Nate, putting off answering her as long as I can. Nate is right. This should be forgiven and put behind us. Darn him and his beautiful mind.

"Whatever. But under one circumstance." My old cheer squad nods their heads in unison. "No more secrets."

Alyssa's eyes flash to mine and I know she understands what I'm referring too. Her brown eyes turn sad, then frightened all in a nanosecond, before she slowly nods her head.