Elia (EDITING)

Chapter 23

Garry pats Nathaniel's shoulder and walks out. The rest follow behind after they pass small smiles and nods my direction. I don't move but instead try as hard as I can to swallow my tears. Nathaniel's hand loosens on mine before he gasps. "Oh God! Elia I am so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your hand" I look at my hand to see a bruise. I then blink and tears make their way out of my eyes to my cheeks. I wipe them away before he sees them.

"It's okay"

"You're sure?"

"I'm alright..." More than alright.

The awkwardness of the situation hits me when Nathaniel says nothing. It is then I look around to see a poster printed with bold letters. 'ICE SKATING'
I feel my face warm up and a leap of excitement makes its way to my stomach, I love ice skating, in fact, I am very good at it, let's say my dad used to take me to skate a lot and that whenever we went to Italy in winter, we would go ice staking.

"Oh my God!" I exclaim clapping my hands I delight, I love it already, I love this place. "Seem as if someone likes this place more than I do" Nathaniel chuckles.
"You have no idea."

"Slow down Elia I swear you're gonna fall!" I ignore the boy behind me as I speed up to the other side of the rank. "Elia!" I turn making a sudden stop, I fold my hand and loo at Nathaniel who is making his way way slower. He stops. "You're really good... but..." he stops to take a breath. "... if you keep up with that speed you might fall and get hurt."

I ignore him once more and start off very speedy that I myself even thought I will fall. However, Karma is on my side today, I start to shift my weight to the left side as I feel pain on the other side, that doesn't make me slow down anyways, instead it makes me speed up more. I make several rounds as Nathaniel made his way to the benches outside the rank. I start to try a few skills I used to know years ago. I get so into it that I miss how people have stopped to look at me, that is when I lose confidence, I make my way to the gate and make an immediate stop.

"Done showing off?"

"I hadn't eve started" I sit next to Nathaniel and hang my head in between my legs as I feel dizzy, it takesa couple seconds before it subsides.
We sit in complete silence, I end up admiring a couple in the rank helping each other.
"Come on, lets go back in there"

Nathaniel isn't that bad, if anything he is good, but not as me though. I take note of a few things as he skates, the reasons why he isn't that good. He returns to the rail .
"You need to bend your knees way lower than that, that will make you faster" I tell him. "... and I think your dominant foot is right not left, that's why you find it difficult to turn and... stop using the flat part of your blades, that makes you look like a loser" I tease him. He frowns, actually tries to frown but fails when he smiles.

"I'll take notes sir" he winks. I leave the rail and looking down at my shoes, then I look up at Nathaniel, that is when I lose it all, he smiles down at me with his hazel eyes shine in what I assume to be happiness. I get lost in his eyes that I forget where I am, I slowly start to sink in the floor with my legs spreading apart. I feel a pair of hands on my waist. The sudden touch makes my knee weaker but Nathaniel helps me up until I balance myself, but his hands don't leave my waist. I look up at him to see his face super red, not to even think of how my face looks like now.
Nathaniel's eyes dilate. I get mesmerized by the way he looks that I don't realize how, 1. We are s close, 2. How I'm licking lips until now and 3. How he is looking at my lips. The urge to push myself on him increases, I feel like hugging him, kissing him, touching him... feeling him so close to me. I admire his fixed expression on my lips. Just as I am about to fuck it off, pull closer and take him in my arms he suddenly collides with me causing me to hit the rails with my back and almost fall over it. I get so confused that I look at his body on the floor with an amused face. It is when I see a girl apologizing that I get to know the reason he fell.

"Will you help me up?"

I curse myself the whole way back home. I am a dick! I am a real dick! I cant believe I was about to ruin the little we have with Nathaniel. If it wasn't for that kid who distracted me, I swear we would be talking about something else right now.
The ride is silent, but not awkward, we don't say anything just listen to the news on the radio. It is now seven, I know Nathaniel and I could have done something else, but at the same time, I need to o home and think things through. I don't even realize that we are here now, Nathaniel stops his car. I heave a sigh stretching my legs, "Thank you... I... I had fun today."

Nathaniel clicks his tongue and finally look at me. "No, thank you... I had fun."
We chuckle a bit. "I'll see you Monday at school?"
"Yeah... Monday."

I make my way to my locker to take all I want to use today. Just as I close it I jump seeing someone shorter than me standing there.... Trust me you have no idea how that feel. Julia stand there with her yes narrowed as she looks at me from top to bottom.
"Eli?"
"Elia..." she nods once more looking at me from top to bottom. "I just realize we do Math together, wanna sit with me?" I run out of words looking at her, Julia! Want? To? Sit? With? Me?
"I totally understand if you don't want to..." "No, I will... um... let's go?" it sounds like a question but both of us say nothing about it. We walk to the Math class not saying a word. Which remind me, I did not see Nathaniel in English class, is it possible he missed school because he is afraid of what happened on Saturday, but his friends seemed chilled about it. They all seemed to be... not as bad as I thought they will be.

We get into class and sit besides each other. I don't know if it's me or what, but people are looking at me. I immediately search for my doodling book, which I find and start to doodle random stuff. "So, you and Nate are good friends huh?" I look at her, for some reasons the name 'Nate' is so not familiar to me. I like Nathaniel, it is so... original. "Friends" I correct her phase. She nods and looks down at her phone.

"Can you do me a favor?" It depends, if she wants me to stay away from Nathaniel, I will not! "Sure"

"Can you hook me up with... um, Nate..." I choke on my own spit, I look back at her with ,my eyes wide open until I realize how dramatic and questioning it is, I adjust my eyes coughing and I hit my chest with a fist and the other hand covering my mouth. "S... Sorry" I cough again. "I... what?"

"I know it's huge right, I like Nate, and last week we have been hanging out a lot and texting in the night..." she blushes. "He gave me this jacket last week and asked me to keep it." For some reasons I want to strike her, hit her, hurt her, but I know I will ever do those things. Nathaniel is mine! I want him to me mine, not some stupid... Ugh! slow down Elia! I look at the jacket she is wearing, that would really look good on me! I smile trying to hide how I feel. I am not dummie enough to see that I am jealous, however I grin, "Wow... th... that is amazing!"

"Wait, what is that on your teeth?" This is going to be worst Math lesson of my life!

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