Win Natalie

55. Win Natalie

🤍🖤💜 Jacob 💜🖤🤍

By Monday I feel better. It’s not the end of my life. Hanna and June added me into a group chat and kept texting me the world’s absurdist plans to ‘Win Natalie’.

Most of them were to fuck with me.

They named the group ‘Help Jacob Win Natalie Group’ and gave it a stupid long description: ‘We have gathered here for a humble cause of providing help and assistance to Jacob with his troubles with the only woman of his life. The Natalie Relish.’

That really made me chuckle.

June: ‘You need to show her you are emotionally available. Girls dig emotionally available men. All you have to do is cry extensively, laugh deeply, and allow an episode of pure rage to overtake you. See… That’s Simple!’

Hanna: ‘No no no! Be completely emotionless. Don’t laugh, especially at her jokes, don’t smile, don’t even blink. You want to show her you are rational and level-headed. Also, becoming aroused is completely off the table.‘

Hanna: ‘But wait… you don’t get aroused. Or do you?’

Me: ‘You are asking me that question in front of my sister…’

Hanna: ‘Oops… But would you answer if I ask you privately?’

Hanna: ‘And To be honest, she is not in front of you. She is behind a screen.’

June: ‘Don’t answer that. I will have to wash my eyes with bleach if I read your answer @Jacob’

……..

As I sit in cafeteria for lunch with West and Riley, Norris and Millie walk towards us.

“Oh, I am telling you, I saw her with two different guys at two parties within a week.” Millie is saying to Norris. Not sure who she is talking about, but Norris looks disinterested.

“Who is this girl? Sounds like you are jealous someone is having some fun in her life.” West teases Millie.

“Nobody could be jealous of her.“

“Maybe just say you are happy with Norris, Millie,“ I quip.

She blinks at me, “Oh, I am happy… Although I don’t even understand what people see in Natalie…”

I raise my eyebrow at her. West and Norris tense beside me.

So she was talking about Natalie…

Riley breaks the silence. “Why are you obsessed with her?”

“I am not! Nobody is obsessed with that sl-”

“Quit it, Millie!” Norris interrupts her.

Anybody can make out what she was about to say. The thought itself makes me agitated that how easily she name-calls her. I know Natalie was with Nico this weekend, but before that; she was probably with Ira. If she can be nosy, I can be intrusive too.

So I ask her, “What were you doing on the outskirts of town? I heard there was a rave in some rich dude’s mansion.”

I am not sure about the rave, but I am making a guess based on the ambiance of Natalie’s selfie that night.

Then direct my question at Norris, ”Were you there too?”

I am assuming he wasn’t. Because Why would Millie tell him about it?

Norris raises his eyebrow and asks Millie, “When did you go that far? Where was I?”

Millie looks like a deer caught in headlights.

Got you!

“I don’t remember... you were probably with the team…” she mumbles.

Oh Millie… you are so doomed.

“Was there any team get-together two weeks ago? I didn’t know about,” I ask trying to act dumb. I know there wasn’t.

West understands my intention and smirks, “Nope!!”

“Left your boyfriend alone, Millie. Not fair…” He adds.

Hope this shuts her up for a while.

…….

Me: ‘Where are you?’

I text Natalie during our free period. In the last two weeks, I haven’t seen her around apart from the classes. As if she vanishes into thin air.

Dull-Mean-Happening-Girl: ‘uHmmm At School?’

Me: ‘Obviously you are in school. I saw you barely 5 minutes ago. As usual, you vanished. Where are you now?’

I know she doesn’t want to be seen with me. But this time I want to push her against the idea. I don’t think she is doing herself any favor by hiding out.

Dull-Mean-Happening-Girl: ‘My secret place…’

Me: ‘And that would be?’

Dull-Mean-Happening-Girl: ‘Try harder Jacob. I do not spill secrets so easily.’

Me: ‘Do you want me to ask around? Or shout your name on top of my lungs.’

Dull-Mean-Happening-Girl: ‘You wouldn’t do that.’

Me: ‘Watch me.’

Yup, I wouldn’t do that. Because I don’t need to. I have a vague guess. She is either in the Library or in the supply closet. I noticed her vanishing in that area a few times.

I try my luck at the supply closet and knock on the door.

56. The Closet

🤍🖤🤍 Natalie 🤍🖤🤍

Jacob: ‘Watch me.’

I smirk at his message. I know he wouldn’t do anything stupid. I believe in him.

After some time, someone knocks on the door. It cannot be one of the teachers. They don’t knock. They have their damn key! Students don’t come here, because they ain’t allowed.

Jacob?

I open the door and let him in, wondering how he figured out my location, but he answers it for me. “I had to ask a few guys to figure out where you were…”

I widen my eyes in horror. Does everybody know it’s my hideout?

And if he asked others… It means they think we are alone in the closet... All alone!

He chuckles. ” Nobody knows… Relax…”

Oh... Good…

But we are alone in the closet.

STOP! Pay attention to personality. Keep your legs closed and thoughts clean Natalie!!!!

I give my corrupt brain some scolding.

“How did you know I was here?”

He shrugs and looks around. “I am observant…”

“I thought students were not allowed in here,” he asks inspecting stationary on the shelf.

“They ain’t!” I say without explaining and sit at my spot on the ground. He follows and sits beside me.

I was assigned a school counselor when harassment and catcalling at school had turned worse. She convinced some of the teachers that I needed my personal safe space at school, so others wouldn’t bother me. So I am allowed to collect the key and come here when I want to. I was lucky she paid attention to me. I wanted to be home-schooled, but Dad and my counselor weren’t in favor of that idea.

Dad said he wouldn’t push me to attend school, but he wanted me to try. I am glad I somehow managed well so far.

Fingers crossed.

Because I still have months left to get out of here.

Nowadays, snark comments or catcalling don’t happen very often. But if it does, it can ruin my day for good. I am only human, after all. I will be better off sleeping or doing my thing here than hearing the same old shit from some mean girl or bully.

“Why did you come here?” I ask him while doing my assignment.

“Wanted to see you… and I thought I would drop you ho-”

“Jacob!” I cut him in the middle. “I told you how I feel about that… Why are we discussing this again?” For some reason, he even suggesting the idea annoys me.

“Ok…” He says cautiously as if trying to approach an agitated animal.

Good for him. Because I am fucking agitated right now.

“When I told you… I will take you to see Nico for your statement. If you have decided to give one... What was in your mind exactly? We will be seen together either way. Wouldn’t we?” He says softly.

Yes… but I thought, maybe I could meet him away from school or something.. or maybe hours after when everyone had left. I don’t know. I really didn’t think this through when I accepted his help.

God, this is degrading.

Explaining why I don’t want to be seen with him. He must think I am some sort of weak-timid girl. He has been here for weeks, so I am sure he has a rough idea by now. But it still doesn’t make me feel any better. I wonder how many degrading things he has heard about me so far.

“Nobody will talk about us if that’s what you are worried about.” He says when I don’t answer.

I look at him with a question, probably written all over my face.

“Do you know anything about any fight that happened when I joined this school?

I shake my head, but I am horrified. Did he get in some fight for me or something?

He shrugs and says, “Everybody knows we are neighbors and…”

I look at him with my mouth open to embrace some shit news.

“They kinda think we are some sort of old family friends… That’s why they haven’t and won’t talk about us... So relax…”

Oh… okay...

But...

“Why did it happen… that fight?”

He is hesitant at first but says, “They were being loudmouths. So I shut them up.”

He frowns,” Actually June did.… She slapped David.”

“What?” I am both flabbergasted and happy to hear that. I hate David. He had tried to corner and grope me once a few months ago. Ever since, I wanted to knee his balls.

And June slapped him?

Wow!

I feel bad now. I had such a wrong opinion about her when I first met her. But the idea of June slapping David makes me smile. I cannot help but break into a silent laugh. Jacob looks at me intently, smiling.

“Stop isolating yourself, Natalie,” He says after a while.

The idea of trying to change my safe routine makes me shiver in fear. But I also remember Ira’s words from two weeks ago.

‘I wish we were at the same school, Natalie… I would have straightened your bullies up in no time. They take advantage of you being alone.’

Maybe she and Jacob are right. If I am getting a chance, I should take advantage and stop isolating myself. Probably Jacob by my side at school would make me less of a target.

What worse could happen?

So many things…

My pessimistic brain wants to push so many wrong ideas, but I do not pay any heed to them. If something wrong does happen, I can always come here. To my safe hideout. And home school is always an option.

Right?

I nod and say with light humor, “I don’t wanna shock everyone by sticking by your side... So let’s meet in the parking lot by your car?”

“Oh, come on, Shock them a little… We should walk together outside today.”

I shake my head, laughing. “Some of them will get cardiac arrest.”

“Good thing… I will get to use that first aid shock machine thing. What is it called? AED or something..”

“You know how to use that?” I ask in amazement.

We talk for a while and he convinces me that we could come to school and go home together if he doesn’t have hockey practice afterward.

“Don’t expect me to spend the whole day with you, Jacob. We will talk and stop ignoring each other.. but don’t expect I will be ok with your friends or team..” I tell him.

He nods,” I am not that dumb, Natalie. I get it and that’s alright.”

His monologue was impressive, but it felt odd to go out of the closet with him. So I sent him out alone. He barely stayed with me for twenty minutes, But I felt on edge worrying about what if some teacher comes in here? They will probably think I am abusing my closet rights by inviting a boy in here.

But I feel excited about this small change that just happened in my life because of him.

Thank you, Jacob. You probably don’t realize how much it means to me.