The Outside Lines (boyxboy) - Chapter 28: Chapter 28

Nathan's POV
On my quest to find a towel or something to dry my self with I was finally successful. I noticed someone sitting on a small bench in the corner alone, amongst the water coolers and stacks of cloth.
"Is this seat taken?" I asked, grabbing their attention. The person turned around. It was a girl. The first thing I noticed was her bright set of brown eyes. She was on the smaller side, a little chubby, sported shoulder length curly brown hair, dark skin, a white t-shirt and a small pair of red gym shorts.
She eyed me from head to toe, suspicion ridden in her expression.
"Who put you up to this? Was it a dare?" She interrogated me, her tone lacking amusement.
"Um..." I didn't know how to respond, I didn't even have the faintest clue what she was talking about. "What... do you mean?" I expressed my confusion, playing with my fingers.
"Oh ha-ha. An extremely good looking boy comes up to the ugly girl outta nowhere and asks to sit next to her? How cliché." She rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to her phone. I looked around searching my surrounding for said people until I realized she was referring to us. I felt like a ditz.
"I'm not that attractive, and you're definitely not ugly." I assured her, continuing my approach towards the seat.
"Your charm isn't going to get me to fall for you." She sighed, putting emphasis on "charm".
"Well I'd hope not." I responded with weak laughter, taking the seat beside her.
I felt her eyes burning through me as I lifted one of the towels and began drying myself with it.
"I didn't agree to you sitting there." Her voice went flat. I lowered the towel from my face to get a better view of her expression. That same unamused look was still dominant.
"Sorry, I'll be out of your hair in a moment." I said, giving an apologetic look.
"I-'s f--e." Her response was barely audible. I couldn't make out what she said.
Silence invaded the corner with neither of us speaking. I stood up and stretched my arms before heading back towards the track.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Oh uh." I was caught off guard by the sudden question. "I'm heading back to the track to find a baton partner."
"Oh." She replied. I stood there waiting for her to speak further, but that's all she said. I continued walking until an idea suddenly popped into my head.
"Hey do you have a partner yet?" I asked.
"No." She raised a brown turning to look at me once again.
"Wanna team?" I asked hopeful she'd accept.
"Why? Why do you want to partner up with me?" She questioned. "I'd just slow you down." She mumbled.
"I don't mind. I'm not in it to win it. I just wanna run." I smiled.
"We couldn't be any more different if we tried." She commented, seemingly perplexed.
"Well I have to partner up with someone, so why not you." She reasoned.
"Do you... not like running?" I asked, returning to her side.
"Hell no, as if it wasn't already apparent." She gestured to her chubbiness. "My mom's making it her mission to get me to be healthy. She's singlehandedly responsible for getting rid of the old cafeteria menu." She explained with a sigh. "I got me some snacks from the convenient store down the street. I had to walk the way, but after hearing all the bad things about the new menu them lunch ladies cooked up I don't regret it."
"I didn't think the food was that bad." I said in defense of Kassandra.
"Suuuure." She responded in a sarcastic tone. "Your appearance just screams that of a gym rat who's diet solely consists of beets and kale." Her insult made me double check myself.
"I think we should probably get ready, the race is going to be starting in a bit." I informed her, not responding to her previous comment. She shrugged and put her phone away.
We continued chatting on our way to the track. She could definitely talk. Just some minutes ago she was barely willing to speak a word to me.
"I mean, I get that my mom's worried about me, but sometimes she just goes too far, and it becomes almost de-motivating." There was another sigh between her pause. "She's responsible for this whole mandatory P.E thing too. She's got large stakes in the school and threatened to pull them if they didn't make changes." She explained. The pieces were coming together, the questions on everyone's minds were finally being answered.
"That explains a lot." I quietly muttered to myself.
"I feel like everyone hates me now." She said amidst the quiet pause.
"Why do you think that?" I asked, looking over to her.
"Well, I mean if my friends are blaming me being fat for their school life being 'ruined' then I can't imagine what everyone else is thinking." She responded.
"I personally don't have a problem with a more healthy school. Noah seems to be excited to get back into P.E. himself." I pointed to the small and adorable sandy blond stood next to redhead.
"Did you find a partner yet?" Noah called out, noticing me in the distance. Him and Taylor jogged over.
"I did." I smiled at the ball of cuteness. "This is-" I paused, gesturing to the girl beside me realizing I never got her name.
"Zenda." She introduced. I really liked the name. I could tell Taylor was intrigued by it too by her slightly lifted eyebrows.
"I'm Nathan, this Noah, and that's Taylor." I said, pointing to all of us.
"Oh, I know you, you're that gay kid." Zenda's nonchalant reply caught the three of us off guard.
"Yeah, that's me." With Noah's barely audible response I could tell how uncomfortable he was feeling. I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Taylor's flat look, staring down Zenda prompted a response. "What? I ain't got no problem with it." She said with raised hands and widened eyes.
"C'mon, the race is about to start." I nudged my head in the direction of the track, trying to defused the awkward situation.
We all took our places. Zenda was my starter, Taylor Noah's, and Scott his partner's. I wasn't as familiar with a lot of the participants as most people are so I wouldn't be able to note the rest.
Noah and I were two lanes away from each other, looking back to our now sprinting partners. Zenda looked like she was trying hard, I really respected her effort after everything she told me earlier.
Taylor ran like me, our styles were similar. Steady and consistent. She was just barely behind Chad's teammate and he was currently in first so she was definitely holding her own. Scott on the other hand was falling behind greatly. He put in quite a bit more effort than I expected though.
Taylor and the other guy passed the baton, sending Noah and Chad into a cheetah like sprint. Some of the onlookers' surprised gasps echoed in the air, followed by loud applause.
Zenda eventually reached me, passing on the baton. I smiled and nodded. It was my turn to break out into a dash. While not as fast as Chad or Noah I managed to gain on everyone else ahead of me. I ran in large strides, my feet barely connecting with the clay beneath me. The chill of the wind connecting against my bare chest was thrilling. My insides were working like a burning factory while the surface of my skin was cooled by the rush of air.
Chad and Noah crossed the finish line, Noah taking first as expected. I managed to enter third place. While everyone tired themselves out my steadiness helped me pull ahead of the competition.
It seemed like everyone forgot they were supposed to dislike Noah in the moment. Their praise and cheers brought the cutest smile to his face. To my surprise I was receiving just as much as attention as Noah or Chad. I couldn't help but feel a little bashful with all of these eyes on me.
"Dang that was pretty awesome." Zenda said in surprise as she jogged over. "I never imagined you'd help us snag third place."
"You did awesome yourself." I complimented, smiling at the girl stood in front of me.
"Y-yeah right." She shook her head and averted her gaze. Her fluster earned a laugh from me.
I heard Noah and Taylor approaching from behind. "Wooo that was freakin' amazing Taylor!" Noah cheered in excitement.
"We even managed to beat Chad and Micheal." Taylor replied.
I turned to face them. "You guys were great." I complimented. Taylor smiled and Noah went red, but I didn't know whether he was flushed by all the running or my compliment.
"You look like you just fell out a plane." Zenda teased Noah. I didn't know what she meant but after taking another look at the boy I noticed his bird's nest of a head. Taylor snorted, immediately looking in the direction opposite from Noah.
"Hey!" He whined, pouting at the two girls having a laugh at him.
"Here." I took a few steps towards him to close some distance between us, then ran my hand through his bright sandy hair. It felt just as soft as I'd imagined. I could feel him shiver under my touch, it was the best feeling in the world. I didn't want to pull my hand away but I didn't want to make him uncomfortable.
"That better?" I asked the girls.
"Good as new." Taylor said in approval.
"Thanks... Nathan." The ball of cuteness quietly thanked. I just smiled at him. I was tempted to ask him out right there and then but was still afraid he'd reject me.
"Oh god, I think I'm dying." Scott's tired voice rang from behind us. He was out of breath, guzzling down a bottle of water.
"Y'know, I think this is the first time I've seen you consume something healthy." Taylor mused at the exhausted boy almost crawling on the ground. He was unable to form a proper sentence at this point, he just let out a long groan.
"I'm gonna hit the girl's shower, you coming?" Taylor asked Zenda.
"Oh uh... I'm not really-" Zenda paused. "I'm not really comfortable showering in public." Zenda said.
"There's a lot of privacy in the girls bathroom. More so than most other public showers." Taylor assured her.
Scott suddenly popped up from the ground. "Let me join you." His deep, creepy stare gave me a solid chuckle.
"Hell no." Taylor refused, scrunching her brows.
"I'll meet up with you guys at the lockers in front of the school entrance." Taylor said before walking off.
"You know what, screw it, I'll join you." Zenda sighed before tagging along.
"I'll probably take a shower myself." I said, looking down at my sticky body.
"I-I'll join you." Noah stuttered. I smiled. "I mean, n-not like in the same shower, but... like to the locker room." He stumbled over his sentence. I smiled at his cuteness.
"Whatever." A frustration overwhelmed him as he got tired of trying to explain himself. He stormed off, me following close behind.
There were a lot of guys in the locker room but that was to be expected. I avoided staring at any of them, and just minded my own business. That said I did sneak a glance at Noah's slender body as he undressed. I was still uncomfortable using public showers so I finished undressing myself in the stall before stepping into the shower.
Noah's POV
After finishing my third shower of the day Nathan and I made our way to Taylor and I's meet up spot. My heart raced as I walked along side him. I noticed how much his tall frame dwarfed mine when stood so close to him.
We sat beside each other on the chairs placed in the hall. Despite neither of us speaking the silence was more so comfortable than awkward. That said I felt the need to break it. The slight rocking of his spread legs was distracting me, not in a bad way though. Having the specimen slouched in the chair beside me was enough to make my chest feel tingly.
I heard the fabric of Nathan's clothes shift as he turned to look at me. I met his gaze in curiosity and was greeted by a smile so charming it could melt a thousand suns.
His smile was contagious, making its way onto my face. I could just feel my self turning red. His skin melting stare remained on me for a few more seconds before returning to the large set of glass windows in front of us.
The loud noises around us did little to effect the calm I was feeling around Nathan, despite my skin getting clammy from his presence alone.
"Hey." A sudden voice snapped me out of my daze. I looked up to see an unexpected face.
"Uh, hi Haley." I greeted the blonde haired self proclaimed queen, confused as to why she'd want to talk to me. She flashed the fakest smile I'd ever seen in my near eighteen years on this planet.
"I'm throwing a party this Friday. I was wondering if you wanted to come-" I was only becoming more confused with every word spoken. Why in the heck would she be inviting me? Especially after what happened between Chad and I, seeing how they're practically a couple and all. My confusion was put to rest when she finished her sentence. "Nathan."
"Oh uh uhm..." He seemed just as caught off guard as I was. He quickly sat up straight in his chair and turned to look at blonde stood beside him. His uncertain gaze eventually graced me, as if he was seeking an answer from myself.
"I-" I was curious to hear his response but Taylor's appearances caught the attention of three of us.
"What's... going on here." Taylor did her trademark head tilt of suspicion.
"Oh I was just inviting Nathan here to my party." Haley responded with the fake smile from before. "What's it gonna be?" She pressed.
"Oh um." His voice was almost silent.
"I'll be there if these two are going." He pointed to Taylor and I.
"Oh... Sorry. They aren't invited." Her little perky chuckle sent chills down my spine.
"They don't meet the criteria. Only the popular and good looking kids are being invited." She placed both of her hands on her hips, shifting her stance.
"Oh." Nathan thought to himself for a moment. "Well I'm sticking with these guys. I hope you don't mind." He politely declined, resting his hand on my leg. I felt a spark go off in my stomach. Dang it Nathan, why are you doing this? Why, and how is it possible for anyone to be this charming.
"Well, whatever." Frustration welled in her tone despite Nathan's politeness. "Suit yourself." Her blond hair spun as she twirled and walked away, her heels echoing down the hall.
My eyes rested on Nathan's chiseled jawline, mesmerized by his beauty as he watched Haley strut off into the distance.
"That sucks... I'm in the mood for a party." I sighed quietly. "No way I'm going to willingly share the same room with anyone from the football team though." Both Nathan and Taylor wore a look of pity.
"Y'know what, this is long overdue but we've been to enough parties to know how they're ran, right?" It appeared as if she came up with the greatest idea.
"We'll use my pool house and throw a party there." My eyelids rose as did Taylor's brows, both our smiles as large as the sun.
"Would I be of any help?" Nathan showed interest, leaning forward in his seat.
"I'm going to need as much help from you two as I can get." Taylor said, pointing at us. Now it was Nathan's turn to smile.
"When's Haley's party?" Taylor asked.
"This Friday." The large body beside me answered before I had the chance.
"Great, Friday it is then." Taylor decided. Me and Nathan briefly glanced at each other, both fully aware of Taylor's intentions.
"Invite everyone you know, just not any popular or old people, got it?" Taylor's voice went quiet speaking the last half of the sentence. "I don't want them to get us in trouble or anything." She explained.
We agreed and finalized the plans before heading back to our classes. We met up in the same area once the final bell rang. Taylor offered to take me home like usual. Nathan, Taylor and I all headed out into the cool of the afternoon air. There were several people hanging around the front of the school and in the parking lot just as there was before school started.
Nathan scurried down the small set of stairs, myself following close behind. He suddenly stopped and gazed up at the sky. A strong gust of wind washed over the lot. I was mesmerized by the way Nathan stood unphased as his hair danced along with the powerful winds.
A sudden hand placed on my shoulder redirected my attention. It belonged to Taylor. Wearing her all knowing expression, she knew exactly what was going on in my head. She nudged her head towards the man in front of me. It took me a second to realize what she meant by it, but when I figured it out I aggressively shook my head. She wanted me to ask him out, but I... I just... I couldn't.
Taylor rolled her eyes and continued walking, Nathan and I following along.
Something else caught Nathan's attention. He was like a kid in a candy store. He broke from Taylor and I, following the faint sound of a guitar. I glanced at Taylor before following Nathan, her doing the same.
We located the source of the music. A guy was sat on a stone bench, guitar in hand, playing to a small group of people. The three of us joined the crowd, listening to the impressive guitar piece.
"You're..." Nathan started, drawing the guy behind the guitar's attention. "You're that guy from the music club." He stated as a sudden realization overcame him.
"I am." He answered. "Do I know you?"
"We've met once. I came to check out the music room." Nathan replied.
"I'm good at remembering faces, yours isn't one of them though." He leaned forward scanning Nathan's appearance.
"I was the one who asked if the school had a brewery." Nathan awkwardly chuckled. Taylor and I looked over at Nathan confused. We tried our best to stifle our laughter. It wasn't only us though, the entire group had a laugh. Nathan's cheeks flushed a faint red, averting his gaze.
It seems as if a lightbulb went off in the guy's head, but he still seemed confused. He raised both of his index fingers and put them together as if trying to make a connection.
"Right... and I called you a twat." An amused look wore on his face as he replied. That earned more laughs from the few people around, but I couldn't help but feel bad for Nathan.
"Well damn, you know how to clean up nicely." He complimented Nathan's appearance.
Nathan smirked bashfully. "Thanks."
"You play?" The guy asked, raising his guitar.
"A little." He answered, nodding.
"Play us something." Taylor demanded.
"I wanna hear."
"Yeah, me to!"
The voices of the small audience chimed in one after the other.
"Um... O-kay." Nathan accepted. "Is it alright if I use your guitar?" He asked the guy, pointing to the instrument in his hand.
"Sure." He responded, handing it over to Nathan. The guy stood up and offered his seat to Nathan. Nathan accepted and sat down.
"Sing!" Another demand from Taylor was yelled. "Sing for Noah." She continued, nudging her head towards me, a devious smirk present.
"W-wha?" I stumbled over a single word, my cheeks reddening. I nervously looked around, my curiosity answered when I spied several eyes on me.
"Sure." Nathan agreed with a breathy laugh. He crossed a leg and brushed a hand over the wooden guitar, releasing a soft sandy like sound. A peaceful silence filled the air as he prepared.
(Play the song)
His fingers began to strum at the guitar's strings. I was already impressed by the skill he'd shown within the first few seconds. I could've sworn my heart stopped beating when his vocals kicked in. The way he used his voice was beautiful, the way it complimented the soft strings of the guitar, the way his tone perfectly match the notes of the song he was playing.
The atmosphere was almost ethereal. The sun was setting behind the school building, casting the parking lot in a large shade. Sun peeked out from the corner of the building grazing my arm, coating some of the audience, and peeking through the leaves of the decorative trees lined across the parking lot.
Another chilling gust of wind washed over us but Nathan wasn't fazed in the slightest, he kept performing. He was truly mesmerizing, my eyes were glued to him, as were many others.
Nathan's audience grew to a few dozen, passerbys, students and teachers alike all stopping to watch.
He was met with a loud applause upon finishing the song. I could feel myself getting jealous of his attention. Not cause I wanted all of those eyes on me, but rather I wanted to be the only set of eyes on him.
He broke the cutest smirk, looking around the many faces of his new audience.
"Thanks guys." He said as he continued to smile. He stood up with the guitar and did a slight bow, his smirk growing.
"You might be borderline brain dead , but damn you're musically talented." The guy simultaneously complimented and insulted as he returning to Nathan's side. I wanted to deliver the strongest punch I could muster to his stomach...  but I resisted the urge.
"Should I take that as a compliment?" Nathan chuckled, handing the guitar back to the guy.
"Sure." He shrugged, accepting the guitar from Nathan. Nathan always seems so kind and positive.
I envy him.
"If you're so into music why haven't you joined the music club?" The guy questioned Nathan, a curious look on his face.
"I don't know, I guess I've just been busy... Mostly with these guys." Nathan answered, wrapping his arms around both Taylor and I.
"Well, know that you're always welcomed to join." He informed. "Just watch out for the Augmented Triads. They're a mean bunch." The guy warned.
"Wait, for real?" Taylor snorted, placing a hand over her mouth. "With a name like that I'd count on them being bitchy." She mocked.
The guy glanced over at Taylor and laughed, slightly nodding. "You have no idea."
"Alright well I should probably be going." The guy announced, grasping his guitar.
"Same for us." Taylor playfully punched my side.
"I never got your name." Nathan said before the guy had a chance to disappear.
"Nickolas. I DJ regularly at the music club, if you want to stop by and watch." He nudged his head with the offer.
Nathan nodded at the offer before Nickolas walked off. He tossed up a wave before disappearing into the crowd.
A slight tinge of jealousy surfaced in my stomach, but I don't know why.
That jealousy only grew when several girls came up to Nathan and asked for his phone number on our way out. I didn't say anything, I just remained silent as he politely accepted one after the other.
On our way back to the cars Taylor suddenly paused as if she remembered something.
"Hold on. Wait for me here." She ordered us, tossing me the keys and making a mad dash in the direction where we came from. Mine and Nathan's eyes awkwardly met, both just as confused.
We stood there in silence, waiting for Taylor to return.
"So um..." I started, hoping to break the silence. "Your uh... Your sing was good." I awkwardly complimented, staring down at the pavement beneath my feet.
"Thank you. That means a lot." He said with a airy chuckle. I slowly peeked up at him only to spot him staring at me, a smile present on his face. I quickly shifted my reddened face so it wasn't visible.
Nathan took a seat on a nearby bench and I watched as he messed with his bracelet. Him peacefully sitting in the shade was an amazing sight. It would make for an good painting. I wanted be bring out an easel and paint him right there.
I wanna paint him like a French girl.
I furiously ruffled my hair at the indecent thoughts attacking my innocent mind. I nearly leaped stories off the ground when a firm hand gripped my shoulder.
"Taylor, where the heck did you run off to?" I questioned the girl stood beside me, holding onto my pounding chest, trying to stop my heart from beating out onto the pavement. The cheekiest smirk crossed her face as she looked between Nathan and I.
"Are two two a thing yet?" She whispered in my ear.
"No, stop it." I frowned at her.
Nathan approached. "Where did you go in such a hurry?"
"I got Nickolas' number." She smiled, holding up her phone.
"Eh Eh." I nudged her in the side, raising my brows teasingly.
"Oh shut up, it's not like that." She rolled her eyes. "He said he's a DJ so I invited him to play at the party." She clarified.
"Darn." I said in disappointment. "I'm starting to think you're a lesbian." I narrowed my eyes at her.
"If there's anything you need to get off your chest I'm here for you." I said convincingly, but she knew me well enough to know I was teasing.
"Shut it." She scowled, delivering a small punch to my side. I was sent into a fit of laughter as she chased me around the parking lot like a hungry lion. Her speed was no match for mine, but she was relentless. She chased me as if I was the last remaining piece of food on the planet. I eventually tumbled to the ground, still laughing. She sat on top of me pinning me down to the ground, wearing a fake scowl.
"Taylor Taylor Taylor!" I called as she began twisting my arm. Saying each other's name three times in succession was both our greeting and our way of saying uncle.
She eventually let me go, but not until she tickled me half to death. I was so exhausted by the time we made it back to the car. We said bye to Nathan and then headed for my home.