Hopelessly Imperfect (Imperfect #1) (14 page)

“Peeling potatoes isn’t that hard, Rivers.” I shook my head while taking another pot out for the rest of the veggies.

Nate chuckled. “I’m going to make you sweat after dinner, Taylor,” he said coyly, still teasing me.

Blushing, I scrunched my nose up and ignored his innuendo. I washed the rest of the veggies while he started to peel the potatoes. He was having a hard time and was taking forever to finish them, so I eventually took the peeler away and ended up doing the whole thing myself.

As I put them into a pot of boiling water, I gazed at him. “What about your family, Nate? You never talk about them.”

Nate’s eyes clouded while he gazed at the boiling water. “I don’t get along with them. Especially with my father.” His hand clenched into a tight fist, and I had the urge to grab it, but I clenched my hands at my sides instead.

“Nate, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

“I had a sister,” he murmured before gazing at me.

Had?
It dawned on me that when he said he’d lost someone, he was talking about her. I wanted to ask him more about it, but his eyes…his eyes were so sad that it made my stomach churn and my blood freeze.

Nate closed his eyes for a moment as I swallowed hard. She was the reason he was in so much pain. I grabbed his hand. He opened his eyes. They were still sad, but another emotion passed through them, too fast for me to tell what it was.

“I’m sorry, Nate.” I meant it. I knew how it felt to lose someone you love. I could tell how much he loved his sister and how it pained him not having her around. Especially because I could tell he didn’t want to talk about this.

He nodded and his eyes locked on mine as he interlaced our hands. My heart skipped a beat as he leaned closer to me.

The front door opened, and Dad called out that he was home. We pulled apart, and I grabbed a wooden spoon and checked the carrots as Dad walked into the kitchen. My heart was racing a mile a minute, and my hand was shaking as I stirred the pot.

“Hello! You must be the infamous Nathan,” Dad greeted us and reached out his hand to Nate.

“I hope Cassie hasn’t said anything bad about me, sir.”

Dad’s blue eyes looked at me as I smiled nervously at him. “Let’s hope there’s nothing bad about you, boy.” They shook hands and Dad paced to me. He kissed me on the cheek before surveying the steaming pots in front of me. “It smells good, guys!”

“It’s all your daughter’s doing, sir. I just followed directions.”

I gazed at Nathan, surprised he wasn’t as nervous as I was. He was grinning at my father as I tried to calm my racing heart and shaking hands.

Did I just imagine he was about to kiss me?
It sure felt like that.

My heart sank as I took out another pan for the steaks as Dad set the dining room table while asking Nathan questions. Things like his age, how we met, and stuff like that. Nate leaned on the doorframe while answering.

Shoving any doubts and questions away, I cooked the steaks as Dad told Nate about his job at Harvard and his imaginary black belt in tae kwon do and all the gold medals he’d supposedly won in it. I smiled at that.

Overall, dinner was nice. Dad talked about baseball, and I was surprised when Nathan joined in, sounding excited. Apparently, he was a big fan of the sport. They talked animatedly most of the meal as I tried to eat. I couldn’t take my mind off Nate’s lips and eyes and how sad he’d looked before.

After having the ice cream for dessert, Dad told us to go upstairs to finish our homework while he cleaned up the kitchen. I led Nate to my room and left the door open, since Dad had felt the urge to suddenly create that rule. It was kind of cute how he was trying to be overprotective.

Nathan stepped into my room and looked around. I took out my math book and my notebook. Flipping through the pages, I frowned at my scribbling. I really had no idea what I was supposed to do. “Are you going to explain this to me or not?” I teased as Nate continued looking at my things.

Gray eyes gazed at me for a long moment, making my heart race once more. “So you really didn’t pay attention, Taylor?” He shook his head mockingly. “I thought better of you.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Shut up and help me.”

His laugh reverberated through my room. We spent the next hour trying to solve all equations on our homework. He was really good at math, I had to give him that. I, on the other hand, had to struggle to understand most of the problems. Especially with him so close, leaning over me to see my answers.

A little after nine, Dad called it a night and pretty much told Nate to go home. In a much nicer way, of course.

I walked him out of the house with my hands in my pockets. As we stepped down the porch stairs, I grinned at him. “Thank you for helping me out with homework. And dinner.”

His lips tugged up. “No worries. I can help you out whenever.”

My heart fluttered. “Thanks.”

His steps slowed as we reached his car. “I had a great afternoon, Cass.”

“Me too,” I responded breathlessly as we stopped walking. “Nate, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

I looked up and bit my lip before blurting out, “Why do you have to go to therapy? Is it because you’re dealing with your sister’s death?” And why did I think his fighting also had to do with the loss of her too?

Nate’s gray eyes bored into me. He ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable, as he murmured, “I have anger-management issues, apparently.”

I nodded. It made sense with all the fighting he was doing. I wondered if he was as sad as I’d been. It dawned on me that maybe that was why he wanted me to write about everything I’d been through in the English essay.

I wanted to ask him more. A lot more. But this was Nathan we were talking about. He didn’t like to talk about things, and I had to accept that. I just hoped that one day, he’d open up to me. Until then, I was content letting him know I was here, whenever he was ready.

Chapter Thirteen

My cereal was all mushy. Sighing, I moved my spoon around, a bit disgusted at it. A moment later, I stared pointedly at my father, who was pretty much ignoring me as he read the news on his tablet. “Dad?” I’d tried to get his attention three times already, and I knew he was playing dumb. His twitching lips and the small smile on his face was proof.

“Sorry. What?” His blue eyes sparkled mischievously as I crossed my arms, completely peeved at him.

“What did you think about Nathan?”

He shrugged and resumed scrolling on his tablet. “He’s nice.”

I took a deep breath, trying not to snap at him. “That’s it?”

“Yup.”

“Could you elaborate?”

“Why?” He gazed at me playfully. “Because you like him?”

My shoulders sagged, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “You know what, it’s not even important,” I huffed as I took my bowl to the sink, feeling a little bad for wasting food.

Dad’s laugh filled the room. “Are you going to Amanda’s?” he asked as I turned to him. I nodded. “Maybe I can pick you up from school and take you there. I have a meeting tonight, and I’m afraid you’ll have to eat dinner by yourself. Well, that is, if your boyfriend isn’t driving you.”

“He’s not my boyfriend.” I shook my head, quite peeved at my father’s teasing.

“
Yet
.” He smirked as I rolled my eyes. “Take care, honey,” he said loudly before I took the stairs to brush my teeth.

The walk to school seemed pretty short these days since I’d started to jog. It didn’t take me more than five minutes to get there. I saw Farah’s van on the other side of the parking lot, and I waited for her at the entrance. While waiting, I took out my cell phone and scrolled through the news.

“Hey,” a girly voice said in front of me.

“Farah, you take forever,” I said as I looked up to find Anne tilting her head, watching me curiously.

“Farah is the new girl, right?”

I nodded before glancing across the parking lot. Farah had stopped to greet her boyfriend. That was why she was taking so long.
Figures.

“She seems nice,” Anne said with a sad smile.

“She is.” I paused for a moment before adding hesitantly, “You could hang out with us at lunch or something.” Anne’s green eyes widened for a fraction of a second. “So you can get to know her.” I shrugged.

“Okay,” she answered shyly.

I grinned reassuringly. “Great.”

Her lips tugged up in a small smile. “See you later, then,” she added before walking away.

Somewhat confused at her sudden approach, I stared after her, wishing we could be friends again; we used to have so much in common.

I was glad that even though we weren’t as close as we were two years ago, we were trying to be on better terms. My smile turned into a disgusted grimace as I turned to Farah and saw her and Chris pretty much eating each other’s faces. Shaking my head and scrunching my nose, I decided not to wait for her.

As usual, I walked to my locker to grab my things, but something was going on because people were staring at me. Some whispered as I passed, making me feel self-conscious. As I approached my locker, my steps faltered.

Someone had scribbled
‘
slut’
on my locker door.
I had a feeling Marissa was responsible.

Ignoring every stare and whisper, I opened it and took out my books as if nothing had happened. It was childish of her to think I would be affected by this. After getting my things, I walked to the office to report it to the principal.

The school supposedly had strict regulations about bullying, but they didn’t really enforce them since Marissa pretty much did whatever she felt like and the guys had their fight club. Even though that was officially off school grounds, everyone still knew about it.

Brooding, I made my way to the office. I didn’t care about finding the person who did this; I just wanted the graffiti cleaned up.

Luckily, Mr. White was right there. I took a deep breath before I greeted him and told him about what had happened, though I kept my suspicions to myself. I didn’t have real evidence Marissa was behind it.

“We’ll deal with the bullies, Ms. Taylor.” His usually stern eyes held genuine concern. “Do you want us to call your father?”

I shook my head. “No thank you. I’ll just get to class.”

“If you learn who’s behind it, don’t hesitate to tell us.”

“Okay.”

I walked out of the office and Marissa was right across the hall, sneering at me while clasping her books tightly in her arms.
In a way, I felt bad for her. She had to do things like this to feel better about herself. Nonetheless, it bothered me to see all eyes on me as I walked down the hallway. Then again, I couldn’t let her know she was getting to me, so I smiled as I passed her.

Her own smile faltered for a fraction of a second, but she composed herself. Frowning, she turned away and took out her cell phone as if to check her messages.

I reached my classroom to find Farah, Chris, and Nate waiting for me at the room’s door.

“Are you all right?” my blonde friend asked me as she hurried to me, her blue eyes glowering.

“Yeah.”

“Seriously? Because that bitch is going too far, and I’d like to give her a piece of my mind,” she murmured viciously, narrowing her eyes.

I grabbed her arm. “I’m fine. Thank you, Farah, but that’s exactly what she wants,” I whispered as we walked to her boyfriend. Farah stared at me for a moment and nodded stiffly.

Nate’s gray eyes examined me for a moment before he nodded at me. “All right?”

I shook my head. “I’m just pissed, that’s all.”

He smiled, nodding. A moment later he asked, “Do you guys want to skip school?”

I rolled my eyes at the same time Farah answered excitedly, “That’s a great idea! I’ve never skipped school in my life!”

Nate smiled mischievously as I glared at him. “I don’t think that’s a great idea, Farah.” I glanced sternly at my friend. I thought about her parents and how they might blame Chris for this.

“Are you serious?” Chris blinked at her, completely ignoring me. “We have to,” he stated seriously as he looked at me.

Sighing, I shook my head. “No. I don’t want to get anyone into trouble.”

“Come on, Taylor, don’t be such a party pooper!” Nate raised one eyebrow, making my heart flutter like crazy.

Trying to ignore that, I murmured shyly, “My father is picking me up later.”
Not to mention that Farah’s parents are probably going to flip.

“Call him.” Nate shrugged. “Just tell him about Marissa’s stunt and say you need a break from school.”

“What about you?” I turned to Farah, who was beaming at me, completely hyper about the whole idea. “What about your parents?”

“Oh, I’m going to tell them about it!”

Chris shook his head. “Tsk. That kind of blows the whole skipping thing.”

“Well, I don’t want to get grounded for this! I’m blaming you.” She smiled at me. “It’s the perfect excuse for everyone!”

I rubbed a palm across my face, completely discouraged. “Guys, you might get in trouble.”

Nathan snorted. “We skip all the time.” Farah started to giggle like crazy. “It’s fine.”

“You’re a bad influence.” I stared pointedly at the boys. They were both smirking. I rolled my eyes as Farah shrieked excitedly.

“How do we do it?” she whispered while looking at both sides of the hallway. Since there were still a couple of minutes left before the bell, a few students were still milling around.

“We just walk out,” Nate stated unfazed as he grabbed my hand and led me outside. My lips parted as my hand tingled where he touched me. Swallowing hard, I turned to look at Farah, who was following us closely, with a panicked expression on my face. She was smiling knowingly at me.

Nate led us to his truck, and Chris and Farah sat in the back while Nate opened the door for me.

“Where are we going, anyway?” I asked them as he hopped in.

“Who cares?” He shrugged as the car’s engine roared to life. “You might want to text your father soon, Cassie.”

“Why?”

“Because Mr. White is looking at us,” he answered unfazed as my eyes widened and I turned to look at the school grounds. And yes, Mr. White was right there in the parking lot watching us ride away.
Shit.

“Maybe you should feign crying or something,” Farah suggested from behind me. But we’d already left the parking lot, so it would have been pointless. So I took out my phone and texted Dad while Coldplay blasted on the stereo. I stopped typing and turned to Nate.

“What?” he asked without looking at me, a lopsided smile on his face. It made my heart skip a beat.

“I didn’t know you like Coldplay. It’s one of my favorite bands.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Taylor.”

I scrunched my nose. He was right. I really didn’t know anything about him. “And you seem to know everything about me,” I said, disheartened.

Nate turned to look at me for a second, smiling broadly. I shook my head with a small smile on my face and finished typing my text to Dad’s. He answered me a minute later, asking me how I was feeling and stuff like that. I reassured him I was okay but that I needed some time off.

Farah and Chris were too silent in the back. I had a good idea what they were doing, so I didn’t even try to make conversation with them.

“Guys,” Nate groaned, “my car is not a room!”

I burst out laughing as Chris kicked Nate’s seat. “I can kick you out, dude!” Nate added as he took the highway.

“Where are we going?”

“Curiosity killed the cat.”

“Come on, Nate!” I elongated the
e
, making me sound whinny.
He chuckled. And ignored me. I rolled my eyes and stared outside, enjoying the view.

Minutes later, he parked in front of Fenway Park. “Seriously?” I raised an eyebrow.

He lifted his shoulders in a noncommittal way. “I like baseball.”
He looked at the entrance and turned to me, quite excited. I hadn’t seen this side of him before, and I liked it. I smiled back as we stepped out of the car and approached the main entrance.

He greeted the old guard warmly, as if they were old friends. The man shook hands with him and let us through, and since it was a weekday, the park was pretty much empty.

My lips parted as we walked through the aisles. There was so much history here. As we reached the field, I looked around, imagining the place packed with people shouting and having fun while the players nervously concentrated on the game.

“This is awesome,” I murmured breathlessly.

“It is, right?” Nate smiled at me. The lopsided smile.

“I didn’t picture you as a Red Sox fan.”
He shrugged and admired the view as I stared at him. My mouth felt dry, and I willed myself to look somewhere else.

I could hear Farah and Chris’s laughter through the entire field. He was tickling her, and she was trying to get away from him. I smiled at them; they were such a cute couple. Most importantly, they seemed really happy with each other.

“They’re disgustingly cheesy, aren’t they?” Nate asked beside me, shaking his head.

Chuckling, I shoved him playfully. “You wish you could be corny as them!”

Nate’s gray eyes bored into me. My heart raced as my stomach churned. “Maybe.” His almost shy smile made my heart skip a beat. Or two.

I swallowed hard as I gazed at him. His eyes were so dark, and my lips parted as he leaned closer to me. But Chris tackled him then, and they both fell to the ground and started to wrestle playfully.

Farah was bent over, breathing hard from running all over the field. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said a minute later with a smirk.
I passed a hand across my face, embarrassed and kind of annoyed at the same time.

She chuckled and shoved me playfully. “Besides, if you end up kissing or something, it’s best if you two are alone.”

“We’re were not kissing,” I murmured self-conscious as my cheeks flushed.

Farah rolled her eyes at the same time Chris and Nate walked to us, all sweaty and dirty from rolling around in the grass. They were both still shoving each other playfully and laughing.

The guard borrowed a bat and ball for us, and we fooled around trying to play ball for a while. After a few hours, we were all thirsty and hungry from running around the field.

“I wish they sold hot dogs every day here,” Nate said as we left the park.

I chuckled as Chris commented that Nathan was always thinking about food.

We hopped in the car, and Nate drove us to what he called the best restaurant in town. It was a small place that specialized in sandwiches, and since it was almost noon, it was packed. We waited in line and ordered what Nate recommended, which was a feat in itself, since he was drooling at every item on the menu.