A/N:
*Keep it short, keep it short, keep it short*
This is the last chapter in Part One of Girl Posing As A Boy! That means that we are technically over a third into this book! YAY!!!
I will let you read now, dear reader.
Happy Reading!
P.S.: I kept it short, I kept it short, I KEPT IT SHORT! Yes!!
Chapter 10
Will
Bliss... the kiss was... pure, absolute, perfect... bliss.
That was my first kiss and I'm glad I had it with Nick. I don't know where things will go for us in the future, but I know that I have deep feelings for Nick.
He says that he isn't Nicholas Thompson. He says that he's lying to all of us. He says that he has a secret that could potentially destroy our relationship. What is he talking about? I can't figure it out.
The next morning, I keep sneaking glances at Nick when no one is looking. We saw each other first earlier when Nick was coming out of the bathroom and I was going in. I purposely brushed my hand against his. I didn't go farther than that because my sister's room is just down the hall and her door was open. Of course, we said "good morning" to each other, though.
Second is right now, at breakfast. Nick is helping Mom and Jane set the table while Dad is watching the news. I come into the kitchen and dining room which is connected to the living room. My hair is wet and I am dressed in casual sweats and a t-shirt. It was cold outside today, so I am not planning on going anywhere. Nick is wearing black pants and a maroon hoodie with white socks on his feet. To be honest, I now realize for the first time that I've never seen Nick without a hoodie or jacket on before.
Mom comes into the living room to call me and my dad into the dining room for breakfast when she sees that my hair is wet. My mom starts going on and on about how I shouldn't hang out with wet hair in the winter since I can possibly get a cold. She then goes on to say that Nick was a good boy for drying his hair after washing it. I hear a laugh in the background and turn around to see that Nick and Jane are trying to hold in laughs. I stick my tongue out at the both of them and walk out of the room to find a towel and hair dryer.
A few minutes later, I come back into the dining room to see that everyone is sitting at the dining table waiting for me. I pull out my chair and take a seat -- it's the one beside Nick's.
"What are your plans for today?", Dad asks as we begin eating.
"Nothing. It's too cold to go outside. Besides, I want to have the energy to drive us back to Kensingburg later today.", I reply.
"Come on now, Will.", Jane whines. "Let's go out today! You should show Nick around our hometown. Wait. You're not from Hill Valley... are, you, Nick?".
Nick shakes his head, "No, I'm not. I was born and raised in High Cliff Bay. I came to Diamond Ring because my parents studied here.".
At that moment, I start to put some of the pieces together. Nick is from High Cliff Bay. He says that he has been lying to all of us. Does that mean that, if his secret gets out, could he potentially be kicked out of Kensisngburg? Is it really that big of a secret? And, if he's kicked out of Kensingburg, he'll have to go back to his hometown.
High Cliff Bay. That's eight hours away. I wouldn't be able to see Nick on a daily basis. No, no, no, that can't happen. I'll protect him no matter what his secret is. I won't hate him, and I most certainly will not push him away.
"Your parents went to Kensingburg University?", Mom asks.
"Well, my mom did. Mom went to Kensingburg. My dad went to DRU. Now, my brother, Eddie, goes to DRU. And, I'm at Kensingburg.", Nick answers.
I know what's coming next. Mom and Dad are going to interrogate Nick to see if he qualifies to be my friend. My parents might seem easygoing and chill at first, but they are really protective of me and Jane. Especially Jane.
"You and your brother must be close to your family, then.", Mom says.
"Mom!", I exclaim, knowing Nick's family history. "You can't just ask that!".
Nick puts his hand on mine under the table and talks, "It's okay, Will. It's a valid question.".
Dad, Mom, and Jane look so confused right now. I feel bad for them.
Nick then continues speaking, this time to Mom and Dad, "My parents passed away five years ago in a car accident. But, before that, the four of us were really close.".
My family is now quiet around the dining table.
My mom is the first one to speak, "Oh, Nick, honey... I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to...".
Nick shakes his head and grips my hand tighter under the table, "It's okay. You didn't know.".
"I'm so sorry, Nick.", Jane says.
"We're sorry, Nick. We were insensitive just now.", Dad states.
Nick shakes his head again, "Insensitive? No, absolutely not. You guys have been so kind to me. I haven't had a home cooked meal since I came to Kensingburg. And, as comfortable as the dorm room is, I'm kind of glad that I don't have to share a room with Will.". Nick now has a smirk on his face, and I can tell he's joking with me.
I fake a pout and put my other hand -- the one that's not holding Nick's -- over my heart, "You keep wounding me, Nick! Come on now, I'm not that bad.".
Nick lets go of my hand and lightly smacks my arm, chuckling, "Fiiine... you aren't that bad.".
The table erupts into laughter and that's the highlight of breakfast. The highlight of this entire trip, however? Kissing Nick and having that conversation last night in his room. Kissing Nick takes the cake, though. Most definitely.
After spending a lazy day on the couch with my family and Nick watching movies and talking, it's time to go back to Kensingburg. The time right now is 4 pm, so we should arrive at Kensingburg at around 7 pm if we don't stop on the way. When our backpacks and duffle bags are packed into my car, a silvery white Toyota Venza, we say goodbye to my family.
"We'll be fine, Mom.", I say. "Don't worry about us.".
"Will, I'm your mother. It's my job to worry.", Mom returns.
"Mrs. Johnston, don't worry.", Nick smiles. I'm glad to see that he's getting comfortable around my family. "I'll take care of him and make sure he stays out of trouble.".
I lightly punch his upper arm, "Hey! What trouble? I don't get into trouble!".
Jane laughs, "You haven't gotten into trouble yet. You could get into trouble anytime, big bro. Don't be too overconfident.".
"You really don't have faith in your brother, do you?", I shake my head, smiling. I know that she loves me, I'm just playing with her.
"Okay, okay.", Nick grins. "Stop with the sibling rivalry. We all know that you two love each other.".
I look at Nick and smile, "You could tell that we were just playing around?".
Nick's grin widens, "You are forgetting that I also have a brother. I know how this goes.".
I shake my head, "Right. Eddie.".
"Uh huh.", Nick nods.
Then, Jane speaks up, "Big bro, can I talk to you for a sec?". Her eyes flick over to our parents and then to Nick. "Alone.".
I narrow my eyes and tilt my head to the side a little. Then, I take Jane's hand and lead her further down the driveway, away from our parents and Nick.
"What is it?", I ask.
She bits her lip and looks down, "I...".
"Jane. What's going on?", I press.
"Well... you...", Jane begins.
"Jane. Please tell me what's bothering you.", I'm practically begging.
"Are you in love with Nick?", she blurts out.
My jaw drops open. I close it, but it drops open again with surprise. I turn my head and look at Nick who is on the porch with Mom and Dad. He's talking to them, not paying attention to mine and Jane's conversation. I turn back to Jane, and she has a worried expression on her face.
"How... Jane... how do you know that?", I ask.
She keeps her head down, "So, it's true?".
I look around to make sure that Mom and Dad aren't listening. They aren't.
"Yes, I'm in love with Nick.", I reply. "How do you know this?".
"I... I... I heard your conversation with Nick last night.", Jane looks like she's ready to cry.
I swallow hard, "How much?".
"What?", she asks.
"How much of our conversation did you hear?", I ask back.
She sighs, "From when you begged Nick to tell you his secret.".
I remember what I had said. "What's your secret?", I had asked. "Nick, please... please tell me. I won't tell anyone else... you can trust me.".
"You heard most of our conversation, then?", I ask. She nods, and I continue, "Are you going to tell me that I shouldn't like him... because he's a guy?".
Her head snaps up and she gasps, "Will! You can't seriously be thinking that! I'm not going to oppose your relationship with Nick... whatever it is.".
A wave of relief flows through me, "Thank goodness.".
"But... Nick also said that he had a big secret that could destroy your relationship.", Jane says.
I know what's coming next, but I still ask, "So, what?".
She fidgets with her hands, "I'm worried about you. What if you get hurt?".
"Jane... Nick won't hurt me... not on purpose, anyway.", I try to make her feel better. "I know that Nick has doubts about me and about where our relationship could go. He thinks that I would start to hate him if I knew his secret. But, that's not true. I will never hate him, and I know that, in his heart, he will never truly hate me.".
"But...", Jane trails off.
"Jane. The only thing I'm worried about with Nick is that his secret might make him deny his feelings for me completely.", I explain. "But, the only thing I can do now is wait for him. He told me that he'll tell me his secret someday. And, I'll wait for him.".
"What if your feelings for him go away in the time you wait?", Jane responds. "What if, instead of him hurting you, you end up hurting him? I know that he has strong feelings for you, too. I could tell from his voice.".
"My feelings for Nick will not go away anytime soon, Jane. I can be sure of that. My feelings for him are strong... so strong that I can't stand not knowing where he is, how he's doing.", I pause, thinking of my words from a few days ago. "Every single time that I look at Nick, my heart flutters. Every single time I make eye contact with Nick, I feel that zap of electricity pass between us. Whenever Nick's in the same room as me, I know it.".
End of Chapter 10
Annnd... that wraps up Part One of Girl Posing As A Boy!
I told you, dear reader, to watch out for Jane. If any of you thought that Jane would be an antagonist... well... I always planned for their families to be super nice and supportive. I know that not all families are like that, but Will and Laura's are.
It's not the families you have to watch out for... that's all I'll say.
Their impromptu trip to Hill Valley is over. I know it's unusual for roommates who have only known each other for two weeks to go visit the parents, but this was honestly the only way I could think (at the time) to bring them closer.
Speaking of Hill Valley... disclaimer... all the places in this story are strictly made-up. Any similarities to places in real life or in other books is just a coincidence. Benjington Province, Hill Valley, Diamond Ring, High Cliff Bay... they are all figments of my imagination.
As I copy-paste each chapter from my Google Docs into here, I always read over each chapter. This chapter really hit me though, as odd. In this chapter, I realize now that Will's being more open. I don't know if anyone else noticed it or if it's just me as the person who wrote this, but Will is more... I don't even know the correct word for it... I guess he's more friendly now, compared to at the beginning or in the first chapter I had his POV in (chapter 2).
I don't know if that's just me, though.
Anyways, thanks for reading!
~Pink Elephant
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11/07/2021 (DD/MM/YYYY)
Date is of the day I posted this chapter on, not the setting of the chapter.