22 Letters✓

Chapter 18: The Garden Of...

This is something I would have never done if I didn't have to win the bet.

I approximately have 14 days left till I have to tell Nathan. And so far, I think I'm getting the hang of it.

As I got to the bleachers, I found a place which was not too far away from the grounds where the athletics team were training.

Derek had instructed me to come here, and I was shocked to see Cecelia already there.

I went to Cece and tapped her shoulder lightly. She looked up at me and smiled.

"I thought you weren't coming." She began, patting the seat next to her as I sat, "See? There's Nathan."

I watched him stretch. But what really got me concerned was his face: he looked stressed. I hope he's okay personally.

Nathan and Derek stood aside and began talking. But it didn't look like a good conversation. I saw Derek's face change multiple times, with him looking at me, then back at Nate. Nathan huffed and left Derek standing to get onto the track.

The track team made it to the tracks and Nathan set himself up. Out of nowhere, Derek pushed Nathan and they began arguing. The argument started to get a little heated and they got separated before one of them could strike.

As Derek made his way up the bleachers, Nathan followed hot on his heels. Cece tried to stop Derek but he wasn't hearing it, instead walked away from her and away to the back.

Nathan was trying to go to the back too, but I stopped him.

"Bro, calm down." I placed my hands on his chest.

He slapped my hands away, "Get your hands off me James." He snapped, grabbing his bag and leaving.

I frowned, but didn't follow him.  I walked back to Cece and she looked on in shock.

"What the hell was-"

"Where's Derek?"

We both heard yells from the hall, and instinctively we started running to the hall together. There, Nathan had Derek pinned to the wall.

"Derek!" Cece screamed and went to push Nathan off of Derek.

Nathan got off with my help and as I held him apart from Derek, Derek just looked at him without saying another word. He then shot me a gaze and scoffed.

"I'm disappointed." Derek huffed at me.

"Leon come on." Nathan grabbed my hand.

Derek and Cece just looked on, neither of them saying a word. I mouthed a sorry to Derek and went away with Nate.

"Nathan, what the hell happened?" I asked him but he continued to walk away from the school.

"Lee." He sighed and opened the door to his car, "Get in."

"But Derek's supposed to drop me off-"

"Just get in, James." Nathan commanded and I complied.

As Nathan drove, I couldn't help but stare at him. He didn't look like himself. He looked real mad.

"I'd like it if you stopped staring at me." He murmured and I looked away.

"Sorry." I mumbled, "It's not everyday that you drive a person you barely know home."

"I'm not taking you home." He said, "I'm taking you somewhere."

"Where?"

"That damn garden."

I couldn't help but wonder why. Maybe he actually found out that the mysterious writer was me. It was very strange.

This was very bad, not only did I already write him a letter but now I can't deliver it to his locker. My hand held the note deep inside the bag.

He parked and we instinctively got out the car together. It was already the end of a school day, meaning we have another hour till the sun starts setting.

We walked to the garden and I had to pretend I've never been there before. Nathan waited for me and stopped, just staring at me.

I walked up to him slowly, and picked a poppy from the grass and placed it in his hair. He laughed and held my hand and grabbed me into a hug.

Something was definitely up.

After a few seconds of hugging in silence, he finally let go and say on the grass.

"Sit." He said.

I didn't hesitate and I sat besides him. With each growing day, I feel as if I'm getting closer to Nathan, and it made me happy.

"I came here to think, and you're the perfect person to think with." He sighed, "I know you want to know what happened with Derek."

"Yeah." I was quite curious.

"Well....I know I can't go back to the team at all." He looked down, "Derek exposed me."

"What?"

"I'm gay, Leon." Nathan looked away, "Derek happened to notice that and got me kicked off the team so he could be captain."

What a smart man.

I was partly shocked; Derek was my friend and him doing that wasn't right. But at the same time I know how competitive Derek was, and how he would do anything to be at the top.

And apparently he did this. And I don't know why I feel happy about this.

Nathan plucked the poppy out of his hair and threw it, "So guess who's not on the team and who's openly gay?"

He let out a bitter laugh, his head falling back to look up at the sky, "I should've known they would notice soon enough. I mean, kissing a lot of girls won't get you off the hook after all?"

I smiled, "It won't. But it's nothing you should be ashamed of."

"Yeah but what about my parents? They will wonder why I'm not on the team anymore."

"Then don't be on the team. Get a club." I rolled my eyes, "Join the chess club."

"You think they'll accept a gay?"

"Everyone can accept people the way they are. I mean, it's not our...I mean your fault that your sexual orientation is not female. Love is love." I shrugged, "The sun is almost setting. Look."

As Nathan gazed at the setting sun, I took it as a moment to reach for the letter. As I threw it a little further from us, I then looked at Nathan. The setting sun reflected on his face and his green eyes illuminated the place. Those eyes lit up my world.

Maybe it is the time to confess.

Before I could say anything, Nathan looked at me, "Leon?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for being here...means a lot." He murmured, then looked back at the sky.

"You're welcome Nathan...hey look over there." I pointed to the slightly far off letter, pretending as if it wasn't me who wrote it.

He looked at it and laughed, "Wow, so they came and put it here because they couldn't go to my locker? Neat."

"What is it?"

"A letter from my secret admirer." He smiled and I frowned, "Want me to read it for you?"

I didn't want him to read what I had written. Such cheesy shit was on there and I personally didn't need him to say what was there.

But instead, I nodded.

He read the note with the last embers of the dying sun, "It's me again. It will always be me. When I finally tell you who I am, I hope it will be worthwhile. Signing out, J."

I didn't want to look away to hide my embarrassment. I looked into his eyes.

He didn't say a word and I didn't either. He just looked at me.

We stared at each other for a while, until he broke off our gaze by standing.

"You need to get home." He murmured.

I sighed, sad that we couldn't spend enough time with each other. But another part of me was happy that he actually confided in me and no one else.

That's all I wanted.