A Few Days After Foundation Week.
During lunch break, Nathan was sprawled under the shade of a large tree near the track and field, one knee raised, lazily munching on snacks that had been shoved into his hands earlier by a group of admirers. The distant noise of students training and laughing blended with the warm afternoon air, but for once, he had managed to escape the usual crowd.
Or so he thought.
"Hey… looks like you hit the jackpot with your fans again."
Nathan didn't even bother opening his eyes as Jacob plopped down beside him, casually reaching over to grab a handful of chips from the snack bag.
"What else is new," Nathan replied flatly.
Jacob chewed thoughtfully before shaking his head. "I seriously don't get it. Why do people keep giving you gifts? It's like they never run out of money. Every day it's something different. And the way they swarm you the moment you're alone…"
Nathan scoffed, flipping his hair slightly with exaggerated confidence. "Not my fault I was blessed with an extremely handsome face. They can't help themselves."
He cracked one eye open and smirked. "Even you keep sticking to me all the time. You're worse than the girls who follow me around."
Jacob snorted. "Wow. Your ego's getting blown away by the wind again."
He nudged Nathan's shoulder. "You should be grateful I keep you company."
Since Foundation Week ended, Nathan hadn't been spending much time with Flynn anymore—especially after whatever happened between Flynn and Dylan. Nathan didn't know the details, though he had his suspicions. Still, he chose not to pry. If Flynn wanted to talk, he would.
Because of that, the person he saw most these days was Jacob.
Jacob had started hanging around him more often after the event—dropping by his classroom, timing his breaks to match Nathan's schedule, sometimes even appearing out of nowhere whenever Nathan got surrounded by girls.
At first, Nathan found it irritating.
But eventually, he noticed something.
When Jacob was around, the girls kept their distance.
It gave him space. Breathing room.
Ever since he played Romeo in their theater performance, Nathan's popularity had exploded—not just within their class, but across other departments too. Personal time at school had become almost nonexistent.
So, in a strange way… Jacob's presence was useful.
"What are you thinking about?" Jacob asked suddenly, noticing Nathan staring off into space. "You've been quiet."
"Can't I just enjoy some peace for once?" Nathan muttered. "You can see I only just escaped those clingy girls."
He cracked one eye open. "Why are you even here?"
Jacob shrugged. "Is it illegal to hang out with you? I don't have a class next period, so I figured I'd stay here."
"Do whatever you want," Nathan said, closing his eyes again. "Just don't bother me."
A few moments passed.
Then Nathan felt something poking his cheek.
"Jacob, what the—"
He opened his eyes—and froze.
"A-Angel… it's you," he said awkwardly, quickly glancing around.
Jacob was gone.
"He just left," Angel said shyly. "I saw you were alone, so I came over right away."
Angel was one of the girls who constantly hovered around Nathan whenever he was by himself. She was also one of the most frequent gift-givers.
"Ah… I see," Nathan said, already standing up. "Well… I should get going. I might have class soon. I'll leave you here."
"W-wait! But I just got here—"
Nathan was already walking away.
Nathan scratched the back of his head in annoyance as he headed toward their building.
"Where did that idiot go? I thought he didn't have class. Couldn't even say he was leaving," he muttered to himself.
When Nathan reached their classroom, the teacher hadn't arrived yet.
Clusters of students were gathered around, chatting loudly.
His gaze drifted toward Dylan.
Dylan was sitting alone at his desk, headphones on, staring off with an unreadable expression.
It had been like that for days.
And Flynn hadn't shown up to school for days either.
Ever since Flynn suddenly left after the Battle of the Bands performance with Jacob, Nathan knew something had happened between Flynn and Dylan. But whatever it was… it had clearly been serious enough to create this distance.
Nathan didn't have the courage to ask Dylan directly.
Dylan looked like he might throw a punch if you said the wrong thing.
So instead, Nathan walked to his seat, dropped his bag, and rested his head on his folded arms.
He closed his eyes, deciding to nap while waiting for the next class to start.