Bruised

14.

Natalie propped her chin on her hand, trying her best to keep her eyes open and on the whiteboard.

She'd heard that senior year burnout was common, but she didn't think it would affect her. She was used to studying hard. What was one more year for her?

What she hadn't accounted for was meeting a certain bruised boy with a talent for raising her heart rate. And even more, she hadn't imagined her dad would find out about their secret... friendship.

Yes, friendship.

She sat at her desk, barely listening as her teacher droned on about osmosis or something. Her pen sat idle in her hand. She realised days ago that trying to focus during class was futile.

All she could think about was Leon.

She could barely sleep at night because all she could think of was him. They hadn't seen each other in almost a week, but she couldn't stop thinking about that day.

Had he been in her room that night? Had he heard everything her dad said? Everything she said?

She itched to know for sure—to see him and ask him.

The chair beside her scraped against the floor and she blinked hard, looking around the classroom as everyone grabbed their backpacks and piled out of class. She hadn't even heard the bell ring.

She really had to get it together.

"Natalie," a voice said. She looked up to find her teacher, Mr G, smiling at her from his desk at the front. "Can I have a word?"

Her heart dropped into her stomach like a stone. His eyes, his tone of voice—this wasn't going to be the kind of conversation she needed right now.

A chronic people-pleaser, she nodded anyway and quickly tossed her pencil case and books into her bag. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she made her way to Mr G's desk. She stood there, watching for a moment as he removed his glasses and folded his hands, one over the other.

"Natalie," he began, so slowly. Excruciatingly slowly. Slowly enough that her brain had time to come up with another fifty possibilities for the reason behind this conversation.

"Yes?" Get to the point.

"How have you been lately?" he asked. Natalie pursed her lips. She opened them, then closed them again. What was she supposed to say to that? When she didn't reply immediately, he continued. "You just seem as though you've been distracted lately. Is everything going okay?"

There it is.

Natalie swallowed the growing lump in her throat. Of course, she'd been distracted. If Mr G was a teenage girl and had a hot, mysterious boy to sneak around with, he'd understand it too.

She supposed she had gotten lazy—stopped hiding it as much. Teachers were beginning to notice. Which meant her dad was going to hear about it.

There it was again. Her terrible tendency to worry about what her parents might think—worry what everyone might think.

Did she even care anymore?

Her dad was civil with her, though they didn't really see each other outside of dinner. If she could, she would've taken dinner to her room, but her mum wouldn't like that and getting on her mum's bad side was infinitely scarier than her dad's.

He treated her normally, if not more distant than usual. She figured her mum had said something to him. At least, she didn't seem to be upset with Natalie when the news about Leon had broken.

Whatever. She didn't care anymore.

Her parents could think whatever they wanted. She couldn't change the past, and she wouldn't change her... friendship with Leon.