The Angel,The Devil,The Nerd

Chapter 8 - Know your enemy

CHAPTER 8 - KNOW YOUR ENEMY

"Nat!" I heard someone calling me as I was walking towards the cafeteria. I turned around and instantly smiled at the sight of Kyle running towards me. Running. Like … he really wanted to talk to me! A girl’s heart can melt just at that, you know.

"Hey …" I greeted, kind of warily, while he grinned, showing me his pearly white teeth. His hair was, like always, a complete mess, like Eric’s too is, but since Kyle’s is longer, he … wait, why do I even compare him to Eric? Gee, that boy’s getting under my skin so easily.

There was a time when I barely acknowledged him once arrived at school or in class, busy as I was in daydreaming about my lovely Kyle, and now … now the bad boy is invading my thoughts. Well, I think this time can be easily explained by what he told me just a few minutes ago, I mean … it’s creepy that he knows this much about me, and yet more than freaked out, which partly I am, I’m curious, as to how and why does he know.

Does he seriously watch me? That’d be so... so stalkish (I know, the word doesn’t exist), but I can’t really believe he doesn’t have better to do with his time than stalk me. Besides, he said he doesn’t. He just knows. Duh … it’s useless to think about it.

I looked up at Kyle and his lovely grin always there. It’s so much better to focus my attention on this particular boy here. I wonder … would I be so easy to read if I just so happened to inquire on his tastes about girls? I mean … so that I can … have a strategy. Oh, I wish Jamie was here! She promised to help from afar, yes, but it’s not the same. Times like this, it sucks to be a loner, you know.

"How’s it going?" Kyle asked me. I shrugged. "Normal. You?" I replied with a small smile.

Didn’t really want to tell him his archenemy just freaked me out by confessing he knows me almost better than my own best friend.

Either he’s a good observer or he stalks me, but I’ll go for the first one, because Eric doesn’t look like the type of guy who’d be stalking someone … if anything, he’d have one of his pals following me around, but I think I would have noticed, wouldn’t I? Especially because both Floyd and Dominic are pretty easy to see, being as they are quite … well-built, well, Floyd is, Dominic is more on the normal side, but neither of them is really … a genius, so, being Reese’s secret daughter as I am, I think I would have noticed.

Floyd and Dominic are those kids I always see with Eric beneath the stairs every morning, I guess you could call them his friends, but they’re more like minions that follow him around when he agrees to it.

For all I know, Mr. Bad Boy is a loner too, and those kids that follow him around are like puppies either attracted by his bad fame or scared to be on the wrong side of the fence. Or maybe they just think that being “friends” with Eric Rivers will gain them some popularity. Although, maybe I’m not fair, because Floyd’s younger brother, Ethan, is a new addition, and being a freshman as he is, he’s been boasting around a little about this sort of friendship he has with Mr. Dark King of the school, while Floyd and Dominic are with Eric since freshman year.

Duh, maybe I am as creepy as him for knowing these things. But the thing is, it’s easy to know, because while being invisible, I do have ears, and while I’m often in lala land, when I am not, I do hear kids gossiping. I could easily be a great journalist, mom sometimes says, because I’m discreet enough not to be noticed and therefore catch the yummiest scoop.

But … again, I really shouldn’t think of Eric so much. The boy’s messing with my mind, damn him. I bet he knew I’d be overthinking about his words, I bet he’s there laughing to himself as he thinks of that silly nerd who’s now fussing about his words. Duh, like he even thinks of me … oomph, why do I even think of him instead? Focus on the angel, Natalie. On the angel.