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15. Lost One

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"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love."

Saint Basil

Chapter Fifteen

Emma felt like a Kardashian every time she came to school these days.

The spotlight was always on her; people scrutinizing what she was wearing and if Nate was by her side 24/7, even though that was hardly possibly with them having different majors. And you know, school hours lasting for less than half a day.

She wondered how famous people remembered to breathe on a daily basis with others watching their every move.

Her empathy really had her taking back all the bad things she ever thought about celebrities who had messed up in any way. Now she understood that even if they did make mistakes, these faults of theirs shouldn't be publicized for the whole world to ridicule and poke fun at.

That was how she felt about her potential breakup with Nate.

She didn't want any of the people who gave her a skip in the cafeteria line, offered to hold her books for her and complimented her about her looks to find out that she had screwed up. To imagine how contrastingly different they would treat her had the girl in a state of unrest all day.

It didn't help that a particularly nosy senior had the audacity to ask her why she hadn't seen her come to school with Nate all week. And in front of all the girls in the mandatory physical education class at that.

Emma was forced to lie, and she hated lying unless it was necessary, about something like that.

Smiling she had said, “I leave out super early in the mornings to prepare for classes and I don't want to bother him. He has football practice until late in the evening sometimes you know? I don't want him getting up earlier just to cater to me.”

What had been their responses?

“Oh my god, you're so thoughtful Emma!”

“I never thought I'd say this but you can keep Nate. He deserves an angel like you!”

“I wish my girlfriend could be as considerate as you are.”

Everyone turned to look at the girl who said that last statement in a flash.

“What?” She asked shamelessly.

They all flushed.

“Nothing!” Everyone said in a harmony.

Then there was a quick dispersal among them, and Emma found herself in the changing room with her heart as frail as a dried apricot. It was a good thing she was a fast thinker or else they would've caught on to the problem she was having in her relationship.

Since Nate had entered her life, she had to be even more mindful of her reputation. But that wasn't the most surprising thing about this whole agreement. She was shocked that being with him hadn't totally ruined her by now.

If anything, their involvement with each other had made her life easier in many aspects.

It even made her parents, who had been very firm about her ever getting a boyfriend, voiceless with regards to him.

The Beaumont family had enough influence to shut up her social ladder climbing parents, and it undoubtedly satisfied her. She felt powerful knowing that they couldn't say anything to her because of their own fears about what his family could do to theirs in return. Especially, her mother who had the tendency to criticize everyone she befriended. She couldn't take any jabs at Nate knowing the consequences of her actions. It sounded awful, she was aware of that much. However, if you were in her shoes, you'd understand.

On her way to the last class of the day, Emma caught sight of someone who looked like Nate.

When he looked across the field and right at her, she was certain it was the boy she had been avoiding all day because of a particularly embarrassing dream.

Ready to take flight, she started to walk away briskly only to slow down when she saw him tear his gaze away from her.

He placed the cigarette in his hand to his lips and took a deep drag.

Emma felt a punch to her guts.

She loathed smoking.

Her favourite uncle had died from lung cancer last year and it really took a toll on her.

It motivated her to even start a campaign at her high school to bring awareness about the effects of smoking on people.

Seeing Nate putting into practice something totally contrary to what she stood for had her marching over to him before she knew it.

He didn't even look at her even when she was standing right beside him.

“What do you think you're doing?”

“Are you blind?” He waved the cancer stick in front of her face, insulting her without even knowing.

“Smoking on school grounds is prohibited. If I were to report you right now, you'd be expelled.”

“Go ahead, Doll face. I'll just have you know that my parents fund more than sixty percent of this university's facilities. Do you think they'd really have the balls to kick me out because of something as insignificant as smoking?”

“Insignificant?”

Emma felt her hands ball into a fist.

“Do you know this thing that you call insignificant kills over six million people a year? Smoking has so many bad effects on your health such as lung cancer which is 25 times more likely for you as you're a male. You can have heart disease and I doubt you'd like having fertility problem or possibly losing your hair. Yet you have the audacity to label it as ‘insignificant’?”

“Sorry to burst your statistical bubble there, little one, but those people choose to smoke. And so do I. Thus whatever they get dealt out to them at the end of the day because of this habit, they deserve it. Me included.”

Before she knew it, Emma had kicked him where the sun didn't shine.

Square and clear, right there...between his legs.

Nate groaned as he hunched over to grab his precious thing, and his cigarette fell to the ground in the process.

“I may not particularly like you, but I don't want you to die. And that's why I took the time to come over here and speak to you. But like you said...it's your choice.”

Emma turned around to walk away, but then she heard his strained voice.

“What if it's not a choice?”

She was hit by the seriousness in his voice as he spoke.

Her body was facing him within a second, seeing the grave expression on his face as he stood up to his natural height.

“What if...what if we don't have a choice in wanting to die?”

The blonde girl looked at him carefully as she saw his piercing gaze refuse to waver. Whether or not he was being genuine with his question, she decided to answer him wholeheartedly.

“Then you make the best of your life before you go. Do good, and hope good follows you into the afterlife. Make every decision as if it's your last. And love like you've never loved before.”

She looked at him earnestly. “Well, at least that's what I would do.”

Nate felt his heart acting up weirdly in his chest. He didn't know if it was because of what she said or if it was due to the sudden wave of fatigue that struck him, but he was out like a light before he knew it.

Emma gasped.

“Nate!”