How To Build A Flower Shop

Chapter TWENTY THREE

'Bobbi.'

Walking through the school halls, she looks over her shoulder to see who called her. It's Nicholas. She halts, faces forward with her eyes closed and takes a breath. Why can't he just leave me alone? Hesitant, she turns around with a smile.

Nicholas beams once he sees her smile, catching up to her. Usually his smile would make her stomach do somersaults, now nothing. Just a tight feeling in her chest. 'Have you got my calculus notes from yesterday?'

Relief washes over her, her shoulders relaxing, knowing that that's all he's stopping her for. 'Yeah, I do.' She reaches into her bag and gives it back to him. 'Thanks again. You didn't have to do that for me.' Smiles gratefully and her eyebrows bounce up and back down, turns around to get to class when he holds onto her wrist.

'Sorry, can you just wait? There's just something I want to say. Um, can we go for a meal after school?'

Her head tilts to the side and she clicks her tongue. Doesn't want to go through this again and she doesn't want to keep telling him. How many times would she have to keep telling him? She stays civil and calm about it. 'Nick, I don't think that's a good idea and I'm pretty busy so...'

'You won't regret it.'

Furrows her eyebrows at this, tired of him lingering around. She has moved on and he needs to find a way to do the same. She's sorry about it, but the only way he can move on is if he spends time away from her; it applies to her too.

'Nick, I have to get to class.' She attempts to take her hand back, but his grip tightens, adamant she stays with him a bit longer.

This action causes her mind to go back to when he pulled her face to look at him and shook her; it takes her back to Homecoming night too and her heart beats rapidly. Pulls back again, subtle so no one will notice something wrong. Only, his hand squeezes onto her wrist, a faint scowl crosses his face, and he pulls her closer to him. Her body loses balance as she falls forward to him.

'Ow!' she whimpers. 'Nick, let me go!' she utters under her breath, eyes welling up but she glares at him angrily.

'Just listen. It's important-'

'Hey, let her go!'

Roberto stomps closer to them, his voice low as to not grab other people's attention. Nicholas rolls his eyes as he looks over his shoulder at him, but Roberto knocks the snarky expression off his face when he pushes him back into the lockers behind him, anger prominent on his face. Bobbi falters from Nicholas' grip on her, but she's free from his hold when he hits into the lockers, Roberto in his face.

'Bobbi doesn't wanna be around you, so why don't you leave her alone?' he growls, holding him against the lockers.

'Roberto, come on, let's go. You don't want to get into trouble,' says Bobbi, her hand on his upper arm to get his attention. There are onlookers and she doesn't want a teacher coming around the corner, catching the boys like this.

Nicholas is unfazed as Roberto sends him a threatening glare before releasing him, and he turns to Bobbi. But Nicholas doesn't ignore the fact that Bobbi is touching Roberto's arm, stopping him from possibly getting hurt, than it being the other way around, like she cares more about Roberto than him.

With Roberto distracted by Bobbi as she makes a gallant effort to stop him from doing anything stupid and telling him to leave it, rubbing her hands up and down his arms, Nicholas takes the opportunity to shove him back and haul him into the lockers behind them. Bobbi jumps back with a fright, other students around them in shock, too. Some ignore, seeing it's Roberto in the fight; some whisper to one another; and others stand around to watch. It's an observation that hurts Bobbi. He's the new kid to the school and not many people are welcoming. Nobody really cares to acknowledge. If only they knew him like I do, she thinks, disappointed.