#nate01

Nate was back in the corner of the library, a joint propped between his lips as the rest of the campus seemingly panicked over their empty accounts. For him, it was nothing new. His scholarship covered enough, but a declined debit card was just par for the course at this point. Plus, they were heading back to New York soon, and Nate had decidedly less belongings to pack than the rest of the students. So he was using the time to smoke. Why not, right?

He was just beginning to relax when footsteps yet again interrupted him, Nate fumbling for a moment to hide the joint when Savannah came around the corner. He looked at her for a second before a smirk spread across his lips, Nate’s head tipping back as he watched her. “Savannah Grey in the library? I didn’t even think you knew how to read,” he said conversationally, shaking his hair out of his eyes as he spoke.

Sav’s eyes flickered down, her expression not changing as she took in the male sitting on the floor, before she offered him the tightest of smiles, annoyance clear on her face. “And I’ve never thought anything about you at all, so I guess there’s that,” she replied, coating her voice in sickly sweetness. The fact that she was even giving him the time of day....between him and Marcello (and the whole kissing Axel thing), it was clear just how off her head space was.

“No? Well, that’s probably because you have, what, ten thoughts a day? Maximum? I’d be honored if I managed to take up any of that headspace,” Nate replied, popping his joint back between his lips as he offered Sav a crooked smile. He knew that Savannah Grey of all people wouldn’t turn him in. “Guess I’ll just settle for your sister’s thoughts instead,” he added as an afterthought, exhaling a stream of smoke, one hand reaching up to fuss with the strands of hair that kept falling in his face, amusement on his face as he poked at a guaranteed annoyance for Sav.

Sav scoffed, her eyes rolling so far back she could practically see her brain at Nate’s comment about Sierra. “You really are never gonna let that one go, are you? Just say it was the highest point you’ll ever have in your life and move on,” she said, crossing her arms as she leaned back against the shelf opposite Nate.

“Yeah,” he confirmed with a shrug, “it’s up there. Plus I enjoy how annoyed it makes you. How about this....when you admit you’re jealous, then we’ll both move on,” he added, stretching out one leg as he relaxed into the shelf he was leaning against, tormenting Sav familiar territory for him.

“Jealous?” she said back, her voice practically a squeak as her eyebrows shot up on her forehead. “I seriously think not. Plus, need I remind you, I was dating Trip back then. Who was supposedly your friend,” she pointed out.

“Key word there being supposedly,” Nate shot back without any hesitation. “And how could I forget? After all, he’s the one who forced us into spending time together because you needed to be taught how to drive,” he added. He had done his best to teach Sav on the back roads of East Hampton in his families beat up truck, but the ensuing disaster of all that was unlikely to be forgotten by either of them any time soon. The girl was not good behind the wheel, to put it lightly.

Sav scowled, another eye roll accompanying it. It was really only the appropriate reaction when faced with Nate Shaw. “So we can all agree that was a mistake. Much like you being around at all, if I’m honest,” she said, the words volleyed at Nate with clear irritation. Sure, Sav could just walk away, but recently she’d be way too easy to piss off - and if someone else was pissing her off, at least it was a momentary reprieve of being pissed at herself.

“Not as big of a mistake as fucking my teacher,” Nate replied, inhaling from the joint again as he watched her, waiting for her to respond. He would admit it - the flash of hurt that screwed up her face for the briefest of seconds made him feel slightly guilty, making him hold out the joint towards her as he exhaled slowly, his eyes still on Sav’s face. “Did you really?” he asked after a moment.

Maybe she should’ve been expecting it, but the gut punch of Nate going there still caused her to visibly wince, Sav taking a minute before she could speak. “You’d be surprised how many people have never actually asked that question,” she said in response, reaching out to take the joint as she dropped next to him, leaning against the same shelf Nate was as she took a slow drag from it. “I mean, he wasn’t my teacher at first,” she admitted, wrinkling her nose up. “But yeah.”

Nate didn’t know how to reply to that, waiting for Sav to hold the joint back out to him, holding it between his fingers for a moment before he took an inhale. “Your dad must’ve been pissed,” he said with a small laugh. He had enough experience with Richard Grey that he didn’t want to imagine that. “What was worse, that or them finding out your account was empty this morning?”

“Oh, neither. It was the pregnancy scare, actually. They’re used to me spending all my money, so they refilled it pretty quickly without even a word,” Sav said, reaching back out to snatch the joint from Nate, barely waiting for him to finish his drag before she did so, his noise of protest quickly turning into a cough. They had known each other for years, and despite their refusal to get along, there was something easy about talking to someone who knew all the dark shit already. She supposed that went both ways between them.

“And don’t get it twisted, Nate. Me sitting here smoking with you doesn’t mean anything more than I wanted free weed. I still hate you,” she said, glaring at him out of the corner of her eyes, suddenly feeling the need to clarify.

“Don’t worry. Still hate you too,” Nate replied, leaning over to press a kiss to the top of Sav’s head as he unfolded his lanky form to get to his feet, reaching out to swipe the joint back from her at the last minute. “And buy your own weed, you rich bitch,” he said as he started to walk away, the insult actually said in his nicest tone so far, a laugh following his words as Sav yet again rolled her eyes at him, a flipped middle finger his only dismissal.