When Different Worlds Collide ✔️

Prize -Kat's POV

"You said nightmares?" He asked as we pulled into school.

"Yeah well..." He gave me a look to continue. "I have them quite a bit. Not really too big of a deal. Side effect from my parents."

"I'm sensing that you don't want to talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about anything until I finish the rest of this coffee," I gulped down more of the hot brew.

After I drank more of the coffee, I turned to him while we sat in the car in the parking lot. "I don't eat in the mornings." Before he said anything, I continued. "Not because I'm starving myself or because my parents don't want me to... Food makes me nauseous in the morning and the coffee makes me not hungry at all. So, thank you for the sandwich, I'll eat it later," I told him firmly.

He finally relented with an eyeroll and a laugh. "Whatever Grumpy Gills."

----

By lunchtime, I was in a much better mood. I had finished my coffee and people were leaving me the hell alone because I was with Erik. Thank God! That was one of the perks of having the 'dangerous' Erik Jones as a boyfriend. However, I still couldn't see why people were so afraid... He was just Erik.

I sat down at their lunch table once again, just like I had the day before. Still, people went silent and pointed while gawking. I felt like disappearing right then. There was too much attention on me... Attention wasn't usually good for me.

Erik instantly wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer to him. "No need to be nervous about what the over-involved high schoolers think," he told me with a kiss to my temple.

I nodded and let myself lean into him. He was right. I shouldn't let myself worry about their irrelevant opinions.

Nia eventually came and sat with us with a large smile on her face. "What are you doing over here? You're cramping our style," Chris joked with Nia and laughed at her eyeroll.

"Oh, trust me, if Kat wasn't over here... Neither would I be. Your company is ghastly and most unwanted," Nia retorted.

I laughed at Chris' pout. "You can't just come over here and only want her! That's rude!" Chris goaded.

"Why not? That's what Erik is doing."

"Erik is our boy!" Carter said in Chris' defense. Erik just rolled his eyes at the boys.

"Shall we go start our own table then, Nia?" I said with a smirk. "See who Erik goes with?"

"That's cheating!" Chris complained. I laughed and stuck my tongue out at Chris as he grumbled.

"So, Nia, how did sales go yesterday?" I asked suddenly about her first day in Christina Ward's boutique.

"You remembered!" She seemed genuinely shocked at my remembrance.

"Of course, I remembered, silly!" She didn't say anything at first which made me deflate for her. "No worries, Nini. The first day isn't that big of a deal. Once word gets out, your stock will generate more revenue," I said truthfully.

"No, actually... Christina said that the sales on solely my own things were over double what she had projected for the day! We actually almost met the weekly goal in just yesterday! In fact, her sales were up by thirty percent too!"

"Nia!" I said with genuine excitement for her. "That is so amazing! You're going places, I can tell."

Before lunch was over, my phone dinged indicating that I got a text. That was rather odd because literally no one ever texted me. Only my mom and she was a bit preoccupied at that moment.