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Oh, God, no. No. No. No.
“What’s wrong, Natalie?” Nathan asks, staring into my eyes. He follows my gaze and sees Brian enter the kitchen.
“Hey, man, I’ve been looking for you for like twenty minutes,” Brian says as he walks in. “This was all I could find to wear. Hope it passes your approval.”
Nathan stares at what Brian is wearing.
A football jersey.Brian’s football jersey. The football jersey I wore when running out of Brian’s house last year.
“That football jersey … I’ve seen it before.” Nathan looks like he is trying to remember something.
“Yeah, dude, it’s my old football jersey from high school. Can’t believe it still fits me,” he says, looking down at himself. “Well, it’s a little tight, but at least I still look good, right?” An obnoxiously loud chuckle leaves his mouth.
Nathan turns his face to look back at me. There is anger in his eyes like I’ve never seen before, which heightens my panic.
He knows. But how?
He turns his attention back to Brian and takes two steps closer to him, keeping me behind him as his hands hang by his sides, clenched into giant fists.
“That’s your jersey?” he asks Brian, anger radiating in his voice.
“Yes, why? Are you ok, Nate? You look a little pale.” Brian furrows his brows in confusion.
“It was you,” Nathan says softly like he’s lost in a memory.
“What?” Brian asks, now looking around Nathan and right at me. His steely eyes find mine, and I swear my heart has stopped beating.
Nathan stays silent for far too long, and all I can do is wait as the realization hits him like a ton of bricks. “You son of a bitch!” Nathan swings at Brian, pounding his fist hard into the side of Brian’s head.
Brian stumbles backward, shaking his head before his eyes go wide, and he pushes Nathan forcefully against the counter. Nathan’s body then crashes into mine, sending me to the ground, thus spilling my drink all over myself.
“What the fuck?” Brian roars.
People start crowding around the kitchen to see what’s causing the commotion. I get up from the floor as Brian and Nathan continue to go at it like two lions fighting over their place at the head of the pack.
“S-STOP!” I try to yell loud enough over the cheers from the spectators, but it’s pointless.
Nathan slams Brian hard against the fridge, shifting it out of place. “She’s not your fucking type?! You fucking liar!” Nathan screams, sending another fist to the other side of Brian’s head.
“She wanted it!” Brian shouts back. “And don’t let her tell you otherwise.” He swings his arm right into Nathan’s stomach, causing him to lose his breath as he smashes into the counter.
Nathan stands up, and the fury displayed on his face is terrifying. His eyes are bloodshot, his lips are bleeding, his hands are still clenched into fists, and his body is convulsing. He goes in fast toward Brian and knocks him hard against the wall attempting to bring his hands up to Brian’s neck. But before he succeeds, Paul and a few other guys come running in from around the corner, pulling Nathan off of him.
“Whoa, whoa, guys, what’s going on?” Paul squeezes between them and puts both arms up.
It takes two guys to hold back Brian as he and Nathan separate. They are both standing there, breathing hard and fast. The adrenaline and testosterone running through their bodies are clearly evident.
“I don’t fucking know. Why don’t you ask that slut over there!” Brian yells, pointing at me, which causes all eyes in the room to land on me. Nathan is silent. Stone-like even. He leaves his back in my line of vision. Finally, Brian pushes everyone’s arms off him and storms out of the kitchen. “I’m out of here! Happy fucking birthday!” The front door slams shut, indicating Brian's left.Thank God.
I can feel everyone’s judgmental eyes on me. Everyone except for Nathan, who continues to keep his back toward me. An unnerving silence surrounds us, even with the deafening music still playing.
After what feels like an eternity, Nathan finally speaks. But there’s a vehemence reverberating in his throat that frightens me. “I asked you if anything happened between the two of you.”
I nod, unable to find any words. I lied to him. And it’s my fault that everything just went down like this. My eyes are brimming with tears, but I hold them back, not wanting to cry in front of all these people I don’t know.
And then, Nathan turns around, facing me. His eyes pierce my skin like daggers.
“You fucking lied to me, Natalie!” Nathan shouts as he slams his fist onto the counter beside him. Paul is still keeping a solid hand pressed up against Nathan’s chest.
