Gasoline • Martin.

19

Summer in France one would think it's a dream. Something that belongs in your to-do list. There's too many things to do but so little time. And time goes by faster than one would think. Nathaniel Argent wasted four months of summer in France trying to forget everything that happened in Beacon Hills, but things are never easy.

Before leaving, he made a promise that he was done with hunting and one with the supernatural.

He couldn't keep that promise for more than a week. He felt guilty letting James down, but he also knew there was too much going on in the supernatural world to just leave it behind. So he did what he does best, hunt. But it was not the deadly hunt, it was to help the clueless and the injured and to kill the predators.

It still didn't occupy most of his time, so the other half was spent partying—perks of looking older than he is and having a fake I.D, and finding acquaintances willing to hook him up. He drank, sang, danced, did other things, but most of all he forgot. He forgot the mess that was his life in Beacon Hills, he forgot about his dead mother for a while, he even forgot about James for a bit. But most importantly, he attempted to forget Lydia Martin.

The last thing he remembers was having this weird sensation in his chest when he saw her with another man. He shouldn't feel that way—they were barely friends. But it felt strange because Lydia was the only person that didn't judge him and tried to be his friend, even when he pushed her away.

All in all, four months of summer was too much for Nate Argent and he hated it. But he hated even more going back to Beacon Hills and face the people that resent him. Even when he pretends he's not a hunter anymore.

But those lies don't last forever, especially when in a town like Beacon Hills, because when you're needed the most, you need to come back from the shadows and do your part to save the world—even if it's not your own world.

•••

First days are the worst. But for Nate, they were horrible. He never had a proper first day, except last semester when he came in the middle of a school year—and it was a disaster. But somehow, he made this day count.

He woke up bright and early at the sound of birds chirping and the sun appearing in the sky. He decided that he was going to go out for a run before getting ready for class, so he did. He spent about forty-five minutes jogging and running before he was back in the new apartment and taking a shower.

He then raced out the door, saying a small goodbye to his father before getting in the car and driving off to the high school. Nate wanted to get as far away as possible from the house before Allison forced him to drive her and Lydia to school. His defense mechanism was starting and avoiding Lydia Martin at all costs was the first step, and to do that, he basically had to avoid his sister.

After taking the long way to school, to spend as little as possible in that place, Nate parked his car and exited the vehicle, making his way inside the building. The aura felt different, that was the first thing Nate noticed. He didn't know if it was because of all the new kids arriving or if it was something completely unrelated.