Surviving Elite High

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

I wanted to see that spot again. For some silly reason, I needed to relive the previous night with Nick. So I decided to pass by Burger King on my way to school. As I walked through the parking lot, I looked through the windows and regretted it almost instantly. I saw Nick and Allison kissing in the most passionate manner possible. They were sitting on the same spot where we'd sat the previous night laughing and talking. It felt as if a knife went through my heart and twisted itself around. I didn't know why it hurt me the way it did. It's not like I didn't know that he was dating her. Everyone knew who Nick dated. Maybe it was because I saw them with my very own eyes. But why? Why did it affect me that he was kissing his girlfriend? I looked away, hung my head, and cried all the way to school.

I had no idea why I was crying. That was a lie; deep inside, I knew the reasons for my heartbreak. I had fallen in love with Nick Wild Hawk and seeing them together made me realize it. No. This was the worst case scenario for me. Nick was straight, and he was a jock. How was I going to look Madison and Kitty in the eye? We all hated the jocks. Well, Madison wanted to sleep with them, but she still hated them with all her might. I briskly walked into school and stopped at my locker. For the first time ever, I didn't bother to look for my two s****l predators. In fact, I was so angry that if I had seen them, I would have knocked them out with a single punch. I was that pissed off.

All I wanted was to pull every single hair from Allison's head and shove them down her bitchy throat. I hated that little slut.

“That b***h!” I slammed my locker door shut.

“Whoa, Nelly! Somebody's angry.” Kitty stood beside me.

“Oh, Kitty. I…I didn't see you there.” A nervous laugh escaped me.

“Nor me.” Madison jumped from behind Kitty.

“Oh, hey Madison.” I looked away.

“So, who's the b***h? I mean, besides Madison, that is.” Kitty winked.

“Hey!” Madison replied, laughing. “I resent that, you know.”

“The hell you do, but we're on John's case right now.” Kitty kept her stare on me.

Shit. I was in for it now. “No one special.”

I decided to ignore them and walked toward our English class. They ran to my side and Madison tried to poke the answer out of me. “Johnny Boy, there's something you're not telling us.”

I came to a halt a few feet from our classroom. Tears poured out from my eyes again, but I was doing my best not to cry in front of them. Kitty walked up to me.

“Sweetie, what happened?”

“I…”

“Matthew and Jacob?” Madison asked, gently combing my hair.

I shook my head, wiping my tears away.

“Nick!” Madison turned to Kitty. “I knew that cheap w***e couldn't be trusted.”

“What did that son of a b***h do to you?” Kitty asked me. “I'll kill him myself.”

I shook my head again, trying my best to calm down before Nick experienced Kitty's wrath. I had to tell them. They were my best friends, but I couldn't tell them that I had fallen in love with Nick. I had to tell them my other secret and finally come clean to them. I needed to tell someone anyway.

“I'm…”

“What?” Madison wiped my tears.

“I'm…gay.”

Madison and Kitty turned to each other and started laughing. Yes, they started laughing. That was their first initial reaction to my coming out moment. I silently stared at the two. Kitty wiped the tears from her eyes. “Baby, we knew that before you did.”

“Yeah, we know you like the back of our hands.” Madison lifted her hand into the air.

“We were just waiting for you to tell us, Johnny Boy.”

I was shocked. Did that mean that my mom knew, too? “Oh. So, you don't care?”

“Of course not,” Madison smiled.

“Yeah, what difference does it make if you like guys? You're still the same person, and we love you no matter what.”

“I thought that you guys would dislike that about me or something.”

“I think that's why we love you more,” Kitty extended her arm over my shoulder and pulled me closer, dragging me to class.

“Yeah, and it makes me more comfortable to talk about boys and my menstrual cycle in front of you,” Madison confessed.

“I feel like a fool.”

“Don't feel that way,” Kitty told me. We stepped into class, heading straight to our seats.

“We're your friends, and we love you,” Madison sat down.

Kitty and I sat down in our usual seats. “It's just that I never expected you to be so cool about it and not ask any questions about it.”

“We're just two cool bitches.” Madison smiled. “However, I feel like that's not the reason why you were crying. What made you want to come out to us?”

“I don't know. I just wanted to tell my friends the truth about who I am.”

Madison and Kitty seemed unconvinced by my words. They knew that I was hiding something, but they didn't press on, because Nick and Mrs. Carter entered the room.

Nick nodded at me, and I gave him a faint smile. I didn't want to show my resentment toward him for almost swallowing his girlfriend alive. What would I gain from that?

Absolutely nothing. I would lose his friendship, and I wanted to be his friend. I could be really happy with just being his nerdy buddy. I just had to accept the reality that Nick and I weren't meant to be.

* * * * *

“Can you believe how much homework we've got for the weekend?” Madison took a huge gulp out of her Diet Coke. It was lunchtime and the cafeteria was busy with students talking or simply making loud noises. “Thank God the first week of classes is over.”

“I know what you mean. It's Friday!” Kitty squeaked excitedly.

“Yup! Well, well, well…look at the happy couple.” Madison pointed to Nick who was busily kissing Allison. “They are sure spending a lot of time together.”

I didn't look up. They were sitting a few tables away from us, but I couldn't bring myself to glance at them. It was too painful for me to watch.

“Football season starts next Friday, so they're making the best out of the situation,”

Kitty added, focusing her attention on me. “How are the tutoring sessions going with Nick?”

“Surprisingly well. We'll start to meet late next week because of the new football season. Even though he's a C+ student, he's doing remarkably well.”

“Who knew a jock could be smart instead of stupid?”

“A hot, horny, and smart jock,” Madison added. “He's the perfect guy.”

“Yeah,” I replied, still not staring at them.

“Too bad his girlfriend is such a little bitch.”

Believe me, Madison was right about Allison being a little b***h. She hated anyone that was smarter than her, which actually meant that she hated the entire school. Why had Nick fallen for her? Good question. Maybe it was the fact that she resembled one of those blonde Playboy Bunnies from the magazines. She was such a stupid bimbo, too.

Nick cheated on her left, right, up, and down. She was just too dim-witted to realize that he was having s*x with the entire squad behind her back.

“I heard Carol gave him a b*****b last week at his dad's office,” Madison continued, emphasizing my point. It was like she was reading my mind.

“I heard she had a sore throat all week,” Kitty laughed.

“You've got to admit that's freaking hot. I also heard that he fingered Alice during science lab today. How crazy is that? That kid loves sex.”

“Yes, and after that, he boned Beatrice in an empty classroom. Is there anyone that could fill his thirst for s*x? I wonder who else he did today.”

That was it. I didn't want to continue hearing about Nick's s****l escapades. “Can we talk about something else?”

“Is that jealousy I smell, Johnny Boy?” Kitty smirked.

“Hell no.”

“Mm-hmm,” she replied.

“Stop that.”

“It's okay, Johnny Boy. You can say that he's hot,” Madison added.

“No. He's a big, stupid, and horny jock.”

“But, that doesn't change the fact that he's hot as hell.”

“Now you're calling him stupid? You just called him smart a few minutes ago,”

Kitty snapped back.

“I said he's a C+ student.”

“Just admit it,” Madison demanded.

“Admit what?”

“That he's hot.”

“No!”

“Yes,” Kitty replied.

“No!”

“Yes!” they said in unison.

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Fine! He's hot.” I begrudgingly admitted.

What can I say? They dragged it out of me. While they laughed, my cheeks felt hot.

I had never told anyone that I thought another guy was hot. It made me feel uncomfortable. Kitty turned to me with a smile. “I knew you liked him.”

“No. I said he's hot.”

“We know you, Johnny Boy.”

“You love him, don't you?” Madison asked.

“No, I don't.”

“Yes, you do. You get nervous whenever he comes near you and jealous whenever you hear those naughty rumors about him.”

I exhaled deeply. Madison and Kitty could read me even if I was written in fifty-three different languages. I could never lie to them. “Fine, I like him a lot, and I hate hearing stuff like that about him. Happy?”

Kitty smiled warmly. “I don't know what to say. Being in love with someone who doesn't love you back is horrible enough. That's probably the worst feeling in the world.”

“I know, but what can I do, Kitty? I can't stop feeling what I feel for him. Believe me, I wish I could control my emotions toward him.”

“Nick is straight, baby. He's probably slept with half the school.”

“Yeah, and he hasn't slept with the other half because they're guys.” Madison added her two cents into the conversation. She always made us laugh though. There was never a dull moment with Madison around. Never! We turned to the happy couple, who were talking in hushed tones. Apparently, they had already exchanged too much saliva. Madison exhaled. “I love how he inadvertently flexes his muscles.”

“Allison is one lucky bitch.” Kitty added.

“Yeah,” I answered, examining Nick's biceps, and leaned back.

It was at that moment that Allison stood and b***h-slapped Nick across his face.

Our mouths dropped open at the same time. The entire school froze and focused their attention toward the previously happy couple.

“You're a f*****g asshole! Why are you dumping me, Nick?”

“I think we're better off alone, Allison. Can we talk about this privately?” Nick pleaded, looking around and smiling nervously.

“Why?” Allison shouted at the top of her lungs.

“Stop screaming, Allison. Lower your voice, please.”

“No, Nick! Why are you dumping me? Have you met someone new?” Allison looked downright furious. “You know that I love you, right?”

“Look, I'm just tired of the same thing over and over again. You're too much drama for me, Allison. I just want to live my own life for a while, okay? It's over.”

Nick turned around and walked out of the cafeteria, leaving Allison with her mouth wide open. Nick was a huge asshole for dumping her in front of everyone like that. In a twisted kind of way, that was the reason why all girls wanted him. He was rugged and bold. He was a bad boy, and girls love bad boys. Luckily or unluckily for them, Nick was the worst one of them. Allison immediately dropped to the floor crying and made a huge scene about the situation. Her two best friends helped her up, but she kept bawling anyway.

“Oh, my God!” Madison exclaimed, breaking the silence in our table.

“He dumped her in front of the entire school.” I laughed.

“What an asshole. How can he do such a thing?” Kitty asked.

“Who cares? Nick's single.” I had been having such a dull day, but after witnessing that, I became Mr. Happy. Yes, I felt bad for Allison because Nick should have handled things differently. However, it was official—the era of 'Nickson' was now over. It was just Nick or Allison now. We headed for the period after lunch and the entire school went nuts. Everyone was talking about what had happened, and it looked like a Miss America Pageant had hit the hallways. All the girls were combing their hair, fixing their clothes, applying more makeup or perfuming themselves. Nick was up for grabs, and girls would do anything to be his new girlfriend or prize possession.

“Can you believe these people?” Kitty pointed out a student who was changing her blouse in the main hallway. “They're going all-out for him even though he just broke up with Allison in the worst way possible about a minute ago.”

“I know.” I smiled.

I was genuinely happy because Nick would be far away from that stupid bimbo; however, he would probably have a new girlfriend by the end of class. We walked into Spanish class and found Nick surrounded by at least eleven girls. When we sat down, Nick stood up and walked over to where we were. The moment he sat behind me, my heart froze like an ice cube. I was a nervous wreck whenever Nick neared me.

He leaned forward and spoke into my ear. “Hey, John.”

“Hi,” I answered breathlessly, but he simply chuckled at my reaction.

“Can we meet today at three-thirty instead? Coach is giving us the day off so we can enjoy the last free Friday of the season. I've got to get into Princeton, man.”

“Yeah…sure, Nick.”

“Cool,” Nick answered, focusing his attention on Madison. “Looking great, Madison.”

“Thanks.” Madison looked away. Did Nick just hit on my best friend? Hell to the no! Not Nick and Madison. Not them. Kitty gave me a weak smile. I faced the front and focused on Mrs. Sanchez's class instead. I heard them talking throughout the entire period, but I completely blocked them out. I'd rather not know than get hurt. Nick was hitting on Madison and there was nothing I could do. At the end of the day, they were both free to do as they pleased. Madison got my attention after the class ended. “John, can we talk?”

“About?” I wanted to sound casual.

“Nick.”

“You guys need to discuss this in private.” Kitty walked out, leaving us behind.

“I'm not going to date him, John.” Madison smiled. “Yes, he looks good, but you're a million times more important to me, Johnny Boy.”

That touched my heart and soul. Tears stubbornly sprang to my eyes. I hated crying in front of my friends, or anyone else for that matter. I was just too darn sensitive. I did my best to hold in my tears.

“Madison.” I wiped my tears away, lifting my head up. “If Nick wants to date you, you should go out with him. You both have the right to be happy. I can't make him happy, we all know that.”

“John, I'll never date him. Nick's a huge f*****g d**k. You saw it today. He uses girls for his own amusement. I don't want to be another one on his list. I'm doing this for myself, too, you know? I may act like a slut, but I've got some dignity.”

“You truly are an amazing individual and a friend. Did you know that?”

“Hell yeah,” She smiled. “Now, let's go get math over with. I hate fractions and equations. It all sounds the same s**t to me.”

“Sure, Madison. Let's go kill math class.”

Madison was truly incredible. I trusted her with my life because I knew Madison and Kitty would never hurt me intentionally. To my Madison, friends came before any cocky good-looking guy, even if that guy was Nick Wild Hawk. The next period we rejoined Kitty, who was happy to see us smiling again. Friends over boys. That was our motto.

* * * * *

“Guess who just asked me out?” Kitty stored away her phone inside her backpack.

Our last class had just ended, and we were packing our things up. Madison seemed more curious than I did. “Who, Kitty?”

“Ryan.”

“Ryan? Ryan Robinson?” I asked her after hearing his name. “Skater dude?”

“Yes, and he wants Madison and I to go on a double date with him and Chris Olson.”

“Chris Olson? The hot sexy senior?” Madison perked up.

“Yes! They're picking us up at seven. Does that mean that you'll go?”

“Hell, yes!”

“Good, 'cause I told him yes.”

Madison was beyond happy. She had a weird fetish for seniors or older guys in general. And yes, I was glad to know that she would be going out with Chris instead of Nick.

“You ready to go?” Nick stood beside me, smiling and staring into my eyes.

“Yeah.” I smiled.

Nick was wearing a tight, red, washed-out shirt and faded blue jeans. He was looking ten times hotter today than usual. Probably because he was single now.

“Cool, let's go.” Nick turned to the girls. “Ladies, see you Monday.”

“See you, Nick, and take good care of him,” Kitty said playfully.

“You know I will, Kit.”

“Bring him back safe and sound,” Madison added.

“I'd never hurt my new best friend.”

The whole situation was embarrassing to me. I felt like a sixteen-year-old girl going out on her first date. I wanted to kill them, but all I did was blush and try my best to ignore them. It didn't even register that Nick had called me his 'new best friend' until a few seconds later. We walked out of class and headed toward the library.

“I'm sorry about Madison and Kitty, Nick. They're just crazy.”

“It's cool, John. Your friends are just really overprotective, and I understand their reasons why. The jocks haven't been that friendly toward you, so it's natural for them to keep an eye on me.”

“I guess you're right.” I opened the library door for him to step inside, but Nick kept walking toward the exit. “Where are you going? I thought we were going to study.”

“Just follow me,” Nick answered. “Come on, I won't bite.”

Believe me, I wished he would bite me. I followed him into the school's parking lot where we jumped inside his Mustang. He drove out of school and headed toward the center of town. Saint Peter's Town was very busy at that time of day. Many students were heading to the mall to release the tension of the first week of classes. Others were just hanging around on the streets and drinking with their friends. Nick stopped in a Pizza Hut parking lot and killed the engine.

“I'm hungry.”

“You're always hungry, Nick.”

He chuckled. “True, but I couldn't eat during midday. You saw the little scene.”

“I think everyone did.”

“Yeah, let's go inside and order a large pizza for the two of us.”

We stepped out of the car and Nick led me inside the restaurant. The Pizza Hut was relatively empty compared to the outside world. The waitress took us to our table and gave us the menu to read. Nick instantly ordered a large pizza with every meat topping and giant pitcher of Pepsi. I liked that about him. He always knew what he wanted and went for it. In a way, that came out as cockiness, but he was just too confident in his own skin. He was Nick Wild Hawk after all. Nick silently examined me for a few seconds after the waitress left. I was too nervous, so I looked away. A few seconds later, I glanced back at Nick, and he was still staring at me. I turned my attention to the napkins on the table instead.

Nick chuckled. “Why do you get so nervous whenever I stare at you like that?”

“I…I don't.”

“Yes, you do. I'm not stupid. I've noticed.”

“Anyone would be uncomfortable when someone stares at them that way.”

Nick laughed. “You've got to be more confident, John. We really have to work on that.”

The waitress brought the pitcher of Pepsi and two plastic cups. He silently stared at her ass while she walked away.

“That's one tight ass,” Nick took a sip of his drink. “She's hot.”

I ignored his comment by rolling my eyes. Seeing that there was nothing else to do, he focused his attention on me again. I had to say something before he stared at me again, or worse, read my mind like Madison or Kitty. “Why did you dump Allison?”

Nick placed his cup on the table and exhaled loudly.

“Well, to be honest, I was just dating her to get laid.” He smiled. I couldn't believe it myself, and I was hearing it. Nick really was an ass. I kept my mouth shut and continued listening to him. “I didn't want to continue with the charade, so I did what any man should have done. I mean, she wants to plan a wedding date. Can you believe that? She's thinking about marriage, and we haven't even graduated or turned eighteen yet.”

“Whoa, Nelly! She's a little cuckoo.”

Nick laughed. Damn! He looked so sexy whenever he smiled. “A little, John? More like completely and mentally insane. I just want to live my life for a few and rethink it.

Yes, I want to settle down one day, but not until I meet my one true love.”

One true love? I knew Nick was a sensitive bad boy. Those three words made me melt on the spot. “But, from what I heard, Nick, you've been living your life.”

“Those are rumors, okay?” He chuckled.

“You sure? People would swear under oath that they're true.”

Nick shook his head. “Okay, yes, some of them are true. I've slept around with a lot of girls, and I f**k like there's no tomorrow. But, in my defense, s*x is the best thing in the world. You understand that. You're a guy.” I instantly turned red. In fact, I almost choked on my drink. Nick laughed at my reaction. “Or are you a virgin?” Nick smirked.

“Yes.” Oh, my God! I have no idea how that came out of my mouth. I wanted to take it back, but it was too late. Nick looked like he was taken aback by my answer.

He cleared his throat. “Well, if you were a girl, I'd take you home with me tonight.”

Fuck me! I couldn't believe what Nick said to me. I almost died on the spot because my heart came to a sudden stop, my face got redder than the Pizza Hut's roof and my legs started shaking uncontrollably. Nick was laughing his ass off now. Just then, the waitress arrived with the pizza. I praised the Lord in the highest when I saw her standing there. To me, that was divine intervention. Nick served me two slices and served himself four.

We ate in silence until he spoke up a few minutes later. “I won't tell anyone. Don't worry about it, okay?”

I panicked. I wanted to turn the focus back on him, so I blurted out the first question that formed in my head. “How many women have you slept with?”

Nick laughed. “A lot actually, but I always use protection.”

“That's says a lot about you.” I took a deep breath and then a bite of my pizza.

“Yeah, I f**k women like a crazy maniac.” He grinned. “I don't stop until they beg for mercy or crawl out of bed to a wheelchair.”

I was speechless. Nick was such a d**k. In fact, he was a pig. s*x was on his mind twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. I choked on my pizza, sending Nick into another fit of laughter.

“Don't worry, John; someday you'll experience it.” He wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“If you say so.” I smiled weakly.

“You will, trust me.” Nick took a huge bite of his pizza. “But enough about me; tell me more about yourself, John. You basically know everything about me, and I barely know anything about you. Who's the famous guy behind the name?”

I sighed. “What can I say about me? Let's see, well, my mom is a single parent who works three jobs to keep up with the bills. We don't have much, but she wants me to get a good education at Elite High so I can have a brighter future. I'm not lucky like everyone else in school. Sometimes, I go without things most people take for granted.

Things are hard, but we do what we've got to do to get by. That basically summarizes my life.”

Nick nodded. “Well, believe it or not, John, you're the lucky one. You've got a mother who loves you, and you're not shallow like everyone else in school. And to be honest, I like that about you. You're humble, John. Yeah, that's the perfect word to describe you. Humble.”

So it seemed there was still hope for Nick Wild Hawk after all. There was an actual human being inside that egotistical, cocky, s*x machine. “Thanks Nick. And I know deep down you're a caring and sensitive individual. And I don't want to make you uncomfortable by saying that, but it's just that everyone thinks you're this cocky s*x-maniac who only cares about himself. Do you get what I'm trying to tell you?”

Nick smiled. “Yes, I do, and I know that's my fault. I'm a player and a huge d**k to women, but I want to change. I really do. Yes, I've had lots of s*x, but I always end up feeling empty afterward. In a way, I feel used by the girls I sleep with because I crave more than just casual s*x. I crave love. Not just any love, but real love.”

I was blown away by his confession. I never imagined Nick being the sensitive type of guy. “It's never too late to change, Nick. I know that you can. I've got no doubts about that. And if you do, you'll be able to find the true meaning of happiness and be the perfect guy. You're almost perfect. You just need to control that compulsive organ between your legs.”

Nick laughed. “Thanks. I'll change, you'll see, but can you help me out? It's really difficult to do it alone.”

“Sure. I promise to help you tame the beast between your legs.”

We laughed so much that night. Nick was such a remarkable person, especially for a jock. He just needed someone to help him find his way in life. Yes, he had been a d**k in the past, but I knew that he could change. He wanted to change and that was important, so I decided to make it my mission to help him out anyway I can.

We got to know each other pretty well at that Pizza Hut restaurant. I found out that many of the rumors about him had been slightly exaggerated. Carol had a sore throat, but it was thanks to a virus, not Nick's large p***s. All of the rumors had some sort of truth behind them though, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. It wasn't until seven that we decided to head home. Nick stopped at a grocery store on the way to pick up a few things, so I patiently waited inside the car. It was there that I spotted two figures making their way toward me. My heart skipped a few beats. It was them! It was Matthew and Jacob.