Nathan drive us back to his house after the long day of school we have had. To be exact, a seven period day long including double science and math. That, may I add, should be classed as child abuse.
"Hot chocolate?" My ears prick up and my eyes dilate at his heavenly words.
"Yes please!" I exclaim in delight of his offer, my mouth already drooling. "Whipped cream?"
"You know it," he winks, leading us under the wooden arch way into his kitchen.
There is an immediate homely ambiance as soon as you enter the Johnson house hold, in addition to the kitchen- the essence of coffee and freshly baked biscuits dancing in the air- it just made the atmosphere more welcoming than ever! Nathan pulls out a stool for me at the island in the centre of the room.
"So," I begin a new conversation once the kettle has stopped whistling and all the steam has evaporated from the air. "Have you enjoyed this week back at school? Despite today being Friday which meant double periods."
"I liked it," he carries two mugs over and takes a seat beside me. Wrapping my cupped hands around the mug I let the heat radiate through my skin, warming up with the delicious smell of the hot chocolate wafting up my nose. Nathan does the same. "But I did have a hard time focusing." He went onto say.
I frown with confusion but am able to comprehend his distraction with the link to my own. "Because of me?" A deep blush forms under the surface of my cheeks. His smile makes me giggle and his eyes make me sigh in awe.
"And you can't concentrate because of me, so I guess we're even."
His face is so close. With his elbows resting on the counter and his body leaning across towards me, no longer does the hot mug fill me with heat but my rapid heart beat towards Nathan did. My blushing has tamed however my pulse was no match to our proximity. The love I feel for him is unreal!
His hand holds the side of my face and gently guides it closer to his, our lips sealing in a kiss. It feels so good to be able to share these moments with him. It feels surreal to feel the feelings I feel towards him. When his teeth skim across my bottom lip I think I am going to explode.
But it doesn't last.
"Is everything ok?" A sudden pain of rejection filters through me as Nathan bows his head with his lips now far away from mine. He sits back in his own seat, even avoiding my eye contact. "Did I do something wrong?"
It is hard to tell if he is upset or angry, his expression hidden by the shield of his hair. "It's not you," he utters under his breath with a heavy sigh.
"I'm confused."
"Me too," his eyes rise to meet mine, a solemn mask covering his once brightened eyes. "I just wish I knew. I don't want to leave you here but I..."
"But you need to go back, I understand." My voice drops as well as my eyes falling to my lap. A whirl of emotions hurricanes inside my stomach. Yes I want to be a supportive girlfriend- I need to do the right thing for him- however at the same time I want to wrap myself around his leg and beg for him to stay.
"What do you think I should do?"
"Nathan dear!" Mrs Johnson's voice gets louder and louder as she approaches, entering the kitchen through the archway with the landline in her hand. "It's for you." She nods towards the phone, passes it to him, then motions him into the other room.
I watch him leave with saddened eyes. "Is it bad of me to not want him to go back?" The tone of my voice wilts. With the aching throb in my heart, it feels as if it is so full that one prick at it will deflate it all.
"Paige, listen to me," Mrs Johnson replaces Nathan in his seat. Her eyes twinkle under the kitchen light, a smile growing across her lips. "I am proud of you. You followed your heart and look where it lead you, back to Nathan. I missed him so much that week he was away, but I know I didn't think about him as much as you must have done."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm telling you that you have come this far to be with him; don't give up now."
"But how? I don't want him to go but I still want to be with him. I'm his girlfriend, am I supposed to support his decision or to persuade him to stay?" I flop my head down onto the counter, letting my forehead hit the surface with a bang.
I doesn't hurt. My emotional pain counteracts the physical, making me feel nothing but the ach in my heart. He is just standing around the corner however it feels as if I have lost him again.
"What's going on?" Nathan's voice fills my ears. I lift my head up to see him standing in the archway with a frown of puzzlement.
"I'm sure everything will work out," she winks at me before leaving the room so me and Nathan are alone again.
"You want me to walk you home?" Nathan suggests.
That's strange.
Why does he want me to go? Does he want to leave me as soon as possible?
But I need to make a decision.
"Nathan I think..."
"Yes, Paige?" His eyes stare into mine. There is no time for contemplation, there is only one right thing to do...
"Never mind. Take me home."
We walk through the living room to the front door. I grab my shoes and slip them on, not able to even hold eye contact with him for more than a second- it hurts too much. "Oh, are you two leaving now?" Mrs Johnson jogs down the stairs, reaching for her coat and pulling it on.
"Ooh wait for me!" I turn my head to see Bailey jump off the sofa and switch the TV off. Oblivious to her being in the room, I hadn't acknowledged her presence until now.
"Hi Bailey," I give her a warm smile, hers widens with her cheeks bright pink and full of life. Mine, on the other hand, are drained without colour.
I get a little suspicious why they all want to walk me home. Nathan doesn't object to the idea. In fact, he just walks out the door and waits for his mom to lock it.
"Dad will meet us there," I hear her whisper to Bailey, who responds with a jump of what appears to be joy.
What is going on for all of Nathan's family to come round to my house?
"Lets go." Accepting his hand in mine, Nathan sways his arms with our interlocked hands by our side. We all turn the corner and I detect a skip in his step.
Is he seriously happy we are going to be parted soon? Is he happy we may no longer be together when he goes back, which- unless he changes his mine- is this weekend.
"Nathan, we need to talk," I decide to speak up, desperate to find out how he genuinely feels about the whole situation.
"Maybe later, we're here."
My shoes scrape across the tiles on my drive. I take out my key and turn the lock. Since it's not open therefore I suspect mom is out, normally the door is unlocked. From behind me I hear a high pitch giggle, must be coming from Bailey.
I push the door and walk in.
Instantly I am overwhelmed by the mass of people invading my space. The complete lounge is full with what appears to be my family and friends. I gasp in shock, my mom standing in the centre of everyone with a wide grin on her face, Lacy beaming beside her.
"What is this?" I find it hard to take it all in. There must be over fifty people here! But why?
Nathan joins me by my side, his arm wrapping around my shoulders. With enlarged eyes I look back over to my mom, noticing she has an envelope in her hands which she holds protectively in front of her waist. "We all want to be here with you whilst you open it," my mom speaks as she steps closer to me, extending her arm and handing me the envelope.
"What is it?" My mouth dries and my words stumble off my tongue. Should I be excited or scared? I have no clue what is going on, yet everyone else does.
Nathan carefully takes it from me and holds the letter in one hand, the other positioning my face so our eyes meet. "Paige, I don't want us to be apart again. I left once and I'm not leaving again without you."
"What do you mean?" My heart flutters, an unknown sensation sparking inside of me.
Nathan lightly chuckles at what I had just said, my lips creeping into a mirroring smile. "Maybe you should open the letter." He says whilst passing it back to me.
Cautiously I tare open the envelope, my fingers shaking with the suspense of what it might contain. Once the outer wrapping has been removed, I unfold the paper into it's original form.
It is addressed to me, my name printed clearly at the top. My eyes scan the text, searching for an answer to what this is all about. Then I spot the logo, the logo of the collage back in Washington: West Side Preparatory Academy. I read the whole letter, bottom to top. I feel Nathan's arm hugging me closer towards him as he notices my smile extending into a full on grin.
"I've been accepted into collage!" Everyone cheers. A roar of excitement over powers my body, jumping into Nathan's arms. I throw myself at him and wrap my arms around his neck as he lifts me up and spins me around. His chin rests in my neck and my smile grows across his shoulder.
"I'm so proud," my mom joins the hug as well as Lacy and Bailey slipping in from the sides.
This is all too much!
I'm going to collage with Nathan!
"I've got an early acceptance. But how? I didn't apply... did I?" My eyes meet my mom's as she blushes with a shy smile.
"Well, I kind of did," she admits, rubbing my arm up and down. "Julie was the one who mentioned it to me," she points towards Mrs Johnson who beams back. "When she told me Nathan got an early admission, I saw no reason why you couldn't ether. They had one spot left available for early tuition. You work so hard I thought this is what you would want. Then when Lacy told me you two are now dating, it seems to have worked out perfectly. You do want to go, right?"
"Of course I do!" Nathan opens his arms and wraps himself around me, my smile too big to stretch any further. "You knew, didn't you," I laugh against his neck, embracing me in another hug.
"I may have," I feel him smirk across my neck. "But I only found out it was official about ten minutes ago when your mom rang me."
I turn towards my family, literally everyone here. Even... "Dad!" I exclaim, only just realising he is standing between my grandparents.
"Hey sweetie," he welcomes me into a hug, squeezing me tight. "I just want to tell you how proud I am. You're mom may be here all the time to tell you that, but as I've been away lately, I haven't been able to say it for myself."
"Thanks for being here." I was wrong, my smile could grow bigger- which it does.
"Well, I guess now that you are moving away, I will see you even less than I do now."
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," my voice drops with the turn of my heels so I could face my mom. "What will you do when I'm gone?"
"This is a new beginning for you, don't worry about me-"
"But..." She interrupts my interjection with a loving hug.
"With you away, I won't be alone. I've been thinking about moving in with my boyfriend, Geffory, something I will be able to do now you will be spending most of your time at collage." My eyes catch with dad's, his head nodding with agreement to the situation of mom moving on.
The divorce had been a mutual decision, where they both support each other's choices in life. That, to me, had made the whole process of my parents splitting up a lot easier, knowing that one day- when they do decide to move on- they will be happy for each other no matter what. So with my family all happy under one roof, there was just one more problem with my departure.
I turn towards Lacy.
Her eyes are fixated on me, grinning from ear to ear with total bliss. "I'm so happy for you," she hugs me tight, holding me close.
"You said to never give up," the emotion of having to leave my best friend behind chokes my throat. "I don't think I would be where I am without you," I face Nathan and we exchange smiles.
"I only helped, you deserve everything you have: The collage, your family and Nathan."
"Yeah, we all love you," his lips come into contact with my cheek, leaving a red burn beneath.
"Don't worry about me," Lacy continues with her hand on my shoulder. "Like your mom said, I won't be alone. I may never find a friend as good as you, but we will always be in each other's lives."
"Yeah, and Lacy will always be able to come and visit at holidays," Nathan comments, his arm around my waist.
Me and Lacy share a final hug, one to remember.
It is true what I had said, I probably wouldn't of had Nathan by my side right now if she hadn't of encouraged me to go after him, as well as sending me that plane ticket. I walk over to Bailey and tap her shoulder. She spins round with a smile, her eyes lighting up as soon as she sees me.
"Hi Paige! Congratulations." Her hair is braided and she's wearing her cheerleading outfit. She had said she wanted to be a cheerleader, now, after all her determination, she is one.
"Never give up," I remind her. "And thank you for letting me see that."
"The ticket, yeah, I thought you needed an extra push. Nathan would be totally lost without you. In fact, he was. I swear he didn't eat when you two had fallen out, I'm so glad you were able to find each other again. I really am going to miss you Paige, thanks for being my friend."
"I'll miss you too Bailey."
That evening everyone stays for dinner, my mom cooking a family meal, one which all of us could enjoy together. After all, the letter informed us that me and Nathan will have to leave for the airport tomorrow, considering they want us there to start classes on Monday.
But the winter break will soon be here, a time I will be able to return home. So for now, with the people I love the most around me, I make the most of the time taking in the atmosphere and listening to the voices I know I will miss once I'm gone.
As night falls, Nathan takes my hand and guides us out into the garden. People are leaving and my good-byes have been said. Up above shines a thousand stars, twinkling in the sky like diamonds.
"It's such a beautiful night," I gaze up in awe at the constellations and let my finger trace each individual shape. Nathan sits us down on the swinging bench at the bottom of my garden, tucked behind the corner within the bushes. This is a private place I like to come and think.
"The night may be beautiful, but nothing can compare to you." Even at the most corny flirtatious moments, he still makes me blush and smile like the first time. Every word he says, every smile, is just perfect.
"I'm so glad we can go to collage together," I let my head rest on his shoulder, my eyes flutter close with his arm wraps securely around my waist.
"Your mom was the one to send off the application form, but I had been the one to get permission from our principle to let you transfer. I guess if he had said no we would have been stuck."
Nathan drapes a blanket around our shoulders. The blanket fluffy against my arms, my cheek comfy against the material of Nathan's hoodie which smelt of him- a fragrance so breath taking there are no words to describe how it makes my heart race.
"It wasn't the same with you not there. Now you are coming I couldn't think of anything better. Here's to a new beginning, and there is no one else I would rather share it with."
This is Nathan.
That there is the real him.
He is cute, caring, funny, flirty, muscular, amusing and mine.
He may not be a nerd, just very intelligent.
He may not be the most popular person, but I love him just the way he is because he is being himself, the boy I fell in love with the moment I first laid my eyes on him.
I knew there was more beneath the surface than met eye about him, and I was right. Gazing up into his brown eyes with his perfect smile, I knew I had made the right choice.
The End
I can't believe it has finished. Popular Nerd has come to an end.
Did you like the ending?
Would love to hear your comments on your opinions.
You may be glad to know that I have already thought of some ideas for a sequel!
I would like to thank EVERYONE who has read, voted & commented throughout the whole of my book. Without your support I would never have made it this far.
I will miss Paige- she feels like a best friend to me. And Nathan, I will miss your charm and Pathan you will always be my OTP!
And Josh... Go did in hell :) The devil is waiting. You can find Courtney down there too.
Please leave me some comments on your thoughts of the story as a whole. If you would like to message me about anything please do, would love to chat to you personally.
I am going to go back through the whole of the book and edit out the mistakes and possibly change a few things and republish the changes.
But for now, hope you enjoyed my book. And a sequel will be coming your way soon.
So from me, Paige, Nathan, Lacy and all the characters from Popular Nerd, thank you for reading and I hope you will like my work in the future.
Love you all!!!
P.S In the comments please recommend this story to your friends if you think it is worth reading. Thanks
- Vic xxx