FORTY-ONE

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The class before lunch always tended to drag on and on, but today's one in particular seemed to move in slow motion. The mocking ticking of the clock was only drowned out by the cacophony of whispers niggling at my back. 

"He's the one right? The one that cheated on that girl the year below us?"

"I always saw them sitting together at lunch and they seemed close. Guess this can happen to any one."

"He really doesn't seem like the type to cheat. He looks plain, but I guess he's an asshole too, huh?"

"Huh, it's his loss to be honest. She was too good for him in the first place."

A fresh wave of bile rose up in my throat, an uneasy shiver trickling down my hunched spine. I kept my head down, cold sweat making my school shirt cling to my back. The books in front of me were blurred as I blinked furiously to fight back the tears that wanted to dribble down my cheeks. Contrasting to my normal habits, my notebooks were empty apart from a few dazed scribbles, my mind so far from mathematical formulae and chemical equations. 

"Unfortunately, I think that's all the time that we have today," my maths teacher sighed over the sudden shrill screaming of the lunch bell, pushing his thick-framed glasses up with his middle finger. "I expect you all to finish the exercises in section 16.3 of the textbook by next class." A chorus of groans erupted from around me, people already rising from their seats to make a quick escape from the suffocating classroom. 

While I was stacking my books into a pile, a sudden force collided with my back, my whole body lurching forward. My hip bone slammed into the hard edge of the desk, the blunt force making me let out a strangled sound of pain. 

"Oh, sorry," a guy muttered from behind me, his friend nudging him as he walked past.

"Dude, you don't even have to apologise, he totally deserves it."

The guy that that bumped into me looked me up and down quickly, before recognition dawned on his face. His mouth curled up in a sinister grin, eyes cold.

"Oh, he's that guy, isn't he?"

I gulped at the way his friend snickered, nodding his head. Before they could say anything further, I hastily grabbed my books and hugged them tightly against my chest, brushing past the two with my head down. Ignoring the people filling the halls and the beady eyes following my trail, I didn't look up from my feet once, not until I made it to the pool. With how fast I ran there, Nico had only just arrived, his broad back facing me as I neared the shed.

"N-Nico," I choked out, his statuesque form turning at the sound of his name. His mouth popped open when he saw me, but didn't manage to make a sound as I slammed into him, burying my face into his chest and locking my arms around his middle.

"Bad day?" Nico asked, voice low, his own arms pulling me in closer. His large hands rubbed broad, slow circles against my back, only stopping momentarily to open the door to the shed. The two of us stumbled into the shed, feet bumping into each other as we didn't drop our embrace, despite struggling to walk. 

"Pretty bad," I mumbled, answering his question from earlier. Pulling back, I gave Nico a tired smile. "But it could've been worse."

Nico snorted, the displeased look on his face faltering for a moment as he smiled. He opened his mouth to say something, but my stomach decided it would be a good time to let out a prolonged growl, my cheeks flaming. Nico choked on his laughter, making me swat my hands at his face to try and get him to shut up. Grabbing my failing hands in his, Nico teasingly nudged at my unruly stomach.

"We should get you something to eat, babe," Nico chuckled, rubbing my stomach like I was seven months pregnant, almost on the verge of cooing at it. 

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