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After meeting Eleanor at the party, we had grown a whole lot closer- except that it was a fucking secret. Nate sort of kept her locked away, so she could be only his.
He didn't want to share her, didn't want her to be influenced by other people. So she kept it quiet, much like the cleverly kept secret of his childhood, that I believe broke Nate.
When Nate Jacobs was 11 years old, he found his dad's porn collection. His dad, Cal, was obsessive. His mom always said that's who he got it from.
Then he quickly realized that the colored cases and placement were no accident. It was an elaborate code, that no one fucked with his shit. He never told a single person about it. Ever.
Instead, when everything got too much, he did what most broken people tend to do. And you know what broken people do? Break other people, just to feel something.
✧✧✧
Eleanor leaned back in her seat at the assembly hall, listening to the teacher drone on about how important the first day of senior year was, and how they had to say something about their summers.
Barely taking anything in, she leaned her head against Nate's shoulder before he shrugged her off. "Your hairs itchy," he complained, and she smiled apologetically.
"Sorry," she whispered, fiddling with the phone in her lap when she heard the teacher on the stage say Rues name.
"Now, Rue, why don't you tell us a specific memory about your summer," she said, and Eleanor watched as Rue visibly tensed up.
As Rue attempted to tell a story, but struggled to the point where she was almost in tears, Eleanor's chest felt tight.
She wanted to tell the teacher to let Rue sit back down, because she was clearly about to have a panic attack.
Rue had told her about the overdose, but its not like she didn't know already. It was the hot topic for about a week, before fading away to be replaced by some other drama.
When Rue ran off the stage, Eleanor noticed a small brunette she recognized to be Lexi Howard run after her.
"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," she whispered to Nate, who started to say something as Eleanor left the seat, but she had already left, practically running.
As Eleanor opened the bathroom door, she caught the end of Lexi's rant, and waited quietly by the entrance.
"Is she okay?" Eleanor asked, and Lexi spun around. Eleanor noticed the tears forming in the girls eyes, and smiled reassuringly.
