Shit.

"Is it... that obvious?" He asked, feeling sheepish and maybe somewhat stupid.

Drew bent over with laughter.

He was going to draw stares at this rate.

"Are you kidding me? Clear as daylight man. I mean, you asked for her earlier today, now you're standing close to a locker, stalking and drooling---"

"I am not drooling and I am not....Oh God. " Nathan said, frowning. "What do you know? I think you should leave alright"

"Yeah, fine. Just approach her Nath, she's pretty and all, I know. But don't be shy"

"Screw you, Drew"

Drew chuckled and patted him before leaving.

Nathan had had a couple unfortunate, terrifying, and heart skipping moments in his life.

But he would never have believed, looking back to where Rose was---she'd turned to him, a big glower on her face, and her friends staring as well--- his heart would skip.

Shit.

She approached him then, carrying a large brown backpack.

"What part of the phrase 'Stay away' are you alien to, Nathan?"

"It clearly looks like that's what I'm doing." Nathan argued.

Rose snorted. "Of course, so much that my friends have started noticing that you keep following me, and that you might possibly be a perv...gosh.

"Don't you see? This is even for your own good. How do you think your image will fare if rumors like this get around, huh?" She asked

"I haven't really cared much about rumors, what more when they're false " He responded.

She rolled her eyes. "So how about your reputation then, you've barely started College, and you'll be complacent with going around being tagged horrific names?"

"You'd find when you're faced with a life or death situation everyday, you tend to care less about somethings, things such as this" He replied, thick contempt in his voice.

She was right anyway, but he was more stressed and anxious that he was out of ideas on how to keep unnoticed because of her wish to not want anybody knowing about him, or that he could slack and something would happen to her .

Or he'd lose his job. He barely just got it. His light at the end of the tunnel, and of all things to worry about, it'd be rumors?

" Well I listened to your opinion, but I get to make the decisions on guarding you. " He said.

She paused, surveying him, then said. "If you're so adamant on guarding me, well, why don't you help with my bag?"

She took out her bag from her shoulders, and held it out to him. The mischief on her expression an uncanny contrast to her otherworldly beauty.

He looked at it, then her. "Does that not contradict your desire to not been seen as having a bodyguard? Won't it draw questions that you won't want to answer?"

He walked away then.

..…........

The Cafeteria was one of the largest structures of Galewood, Nathan had ever seen, that he couldn't help thinking if it once was a mega- auditorium.

The white- translucent ceiling rose to form a Hexagon-like structure joining at the roof.

The tables were cream-polished, and metal. Each table had three cushioned metal seats on both sides of them, fixed permanently to the tables by steel rods.

They had gone into recess, and those who'd opted for food at the cafe were here, which was a lot of people.

Nathan headed for the counter, where the chefs wearing white aprons were dishing meals in steel trays. He opted for meatloaves and cheeseburgers.

He had settled down to his meal, on one of the empty tables when Rose came into the hall with her friends, chattering and babbling with laughter.

The Hall itself was full of clamorous voices, so theirs were drowned out.

She indeed looked the Regal queen, with her friends always tailing her. About seven of them.

They were as beautiful too, the most pretty being a lady with long curly black hair and honey skin.

The dark-blonde he'd talked to earlier was with her also, as they chose a table for themselves. Her eyes searched the crowd and saw him, pausing briefly, before she averted it.

Nathan took his knife and sliced the meatloaf, before helping himself with a mouthful.

He was chewing when the red-haired pretty girl that'd thrown a paper to him, came up and sat across from him.

"Hey" Nathan said, when he had swallowed.

Enchiladas and Tacos was on her plastic tray. "Hey, mind if I sit here?" She asked.

"Of course not." He replied.

He was glad for the company, the welcome reprieve of distraction.

Especially after he'd recently refused an invitation to one, to his own dismay.

"You love Tacos?" Nathan asked.

"Well, I eat everything mostly. So I make random choices if I have to. Though my brother wants me to focus on veggies. " She fixed her green eyes on him.

She had smooth skin, and a pleasing shape. Her body was the average man's dreams.

"Wow. That's strange."

"Really? Well I guess it's not common to not have a favorite food " She said.

Nathan shook his head. "Oh no, of course it is. I'm an omnivore myself, though more of a beef guy. But I still eat veggies. I mean, the beef I eat, eats them..so"

He laughed, and she joined him.

"So what are you studying?" She asked him.

"International Relations." Nathan said. "You?"

"Social Science. Boring course if you ask me " She frowned.

"You don't like it?"

"Yeah. But my brother...that jerk of a guy." She scoffed. "He's over-protective so much that he dictates my life for me now."

"Wow, really?" Nathan's mouth hung agape, stunned that such a situation could be possible. "Sorry about that. Why would he do that?"

He had never had siblings. He couldn't imagine why someone who had, would mistreat them.

"Oh, don't worry. He doesn't suck all the time." She waved a hand.

"Oh"

Rose and her friends were back from the counter, strolling for their table but the dark-blonde turned and headed his way.

"A free seat for me, I hope?" She came over to his side and plunged down on the chair next to him as a sweet smell of lavender Cologne wafted to his nostrils.

Rose looked over to where they were, surprised at seeing her friend seated with him , before she looked away and sat down to her own meal.

"Hey" Nathan responded.

She flicked her hair behind her ear: "So what were you guys discussing? What did I miss?"

Nathan swallowed another mouthful, unable to talk for a second. "Nothing much. Courses and other boring stuff"

The red-haired lady looked at her watch."Oh no. I'm so sorry, I..I have to go" She looked at Nathan, then stood from her seat, grabbing her tray and hurrying off.

Nathan called after her. "Hey! I didn't even get your name?!"

But she didn't turn back.