Danger // Nate Jacobs

Three.

"What took you so long?" Maddy furrowed as I finally get to settle down and eat my breakfast in the cafeteria.

The cause of my hold up was not something I could proudly announce to everyone, specifically Maddy, if I would still want to have my body intact.

"I got lost in the crowd and stopped by my locker to grab my hand cream." I half-lied. I swear to god, lying was always in my nature, but doing so to my friends made me look awful at it.

I was used to telling lies throughout my life to get out of trouble and avoid getting my ass thrown to jail when there was a roadblock while I was drunk. I had to pull the doe eye looked on all of the officers just so they would not cuff me.

"Jesus. It was like a battlefield out there with everyone pushing and shoving through the hallways." Kat murmured.

"How was AP Lit, Frey." Cassie asked with a cheeky smile.

I rolled my eyes. "Probably the most dramatic Lit class I've ever encountered. Sorry to mention this Maddy, but you're boy is so not it."

She was unfazed, yet curiosity quipped her. "What did he do?"

"He went psycho on me in the middle of the class just because I told him off."

"What about it?" She asked.

"He had the audacity to blame me for your breakup and has issues with me standing up for Jules." I scoffed. "I don't know what his issues are, but he needs some help."

Maddy grew quiet but her eyes were not. Her eyes were fiery, burning with anger. At some point I think I might have said the wrong thing because our table grew quiet within seconds. I was known to not think before I speak, which frequently lead to situations like this.

"Don't talk about him like that." She glared.

"What? He has problems with me just because I stood up for Jules. If that wasn't toxic masculinity, I don't know what is."

"Well, yeah, he's a little cuckoo in the head whenever a girl manages to beat him in something." Kat said.

Maddy rolled her eyes. "Fuck this. I'm going to talk to Nate."

The three of us yelled no at the same time. "Maddy, no. Don't. Is he even worth going back to?" Cassie asked.

"Yes! Because I was partially to blame for this." Maddy sighed. "A day before the party, we were out eating at a restaurant but the waiter flirted with me and you know, I flirted back. That's when he got mad and we literally ate our meal im tension."

"What were you thinking?" Kat exclaimed and rubbed her temples. "Sometimes I wonder how do you even flirt with people so easily."

"C'mon, it's not as hard as you think." I playfully shoved Kat's shoulder.

"You should be her wingwoman since tonight we'll be going to the first day back party." Cassie grinned.

A cheeky grin slowly formed on my face with the sound of it. "Heck yes! Kat, you're so gonna get some guys coming your way." I winked.

A shade of pink formed on her freckled cheeks and I know she was shy. All those years, I have gone through all her heartbreak phases with her and it always made me feel mad that no boys would reciprocate nor paid attention to her because of her looks.