Chapter 6: The Photo

[Nathaniel]

Clara was recounting the confession to the group when I refocused on them. “... and so, that’s how we got together!” She ended. 

“Wait. So it was at camp? In some secret corner before the bonfire?” Jasper teased.

“No secret corner. Just trees and more trees! And yes! Just hours before the bonfire!” Clara said, turning to Payton. 

“And Pay, your screaming on bonfire night stressed him up!” 

“I am fine.” I cut in. “Just wasn’t expecting to be outed so soon.”

She pointed at everyone in the group jokingly. “Don’t ever pressure my boy!”

Leah rolled her eyes. “It’s already out of hand, lady! Nate is like the perfect model student. There were hundreds of juniors chasing after him before you came along! You didn’t see those love letters flooding out of his lockers last Valentine's!”

Clara tilted her head up and looked at me, amused. I just smiled back at her quietly, patting our connected hands.

“And you.” Leah continued, pointing at Clara. “Do I have to say anything more?”

“What about me?”

“The beautiful goddess in the eyes of all males in the school.” Jasper introduced animatedly, shaking his palms as he went down on one knee. 

“Stop joking!” Clara laughed and pushed Jasper away.  “You have cute friends, Nate.”

“Well, Jasper is my best buddy and also the joker of the group. He is in drama class, by the way.” 

I laughed as Jasper rolled one round before standing up.

“Seriously, you two are already crowned the golden couple in school!” Payton squealed excitedly as she showed us the screen of her phone. “Literally celebrity level!”

Everyone crowded around the small screen of her phone. It was a F******k page named Riverdale Golden Couple, and there were already close to a hundred followers.

“This is so over!” Clara shrieked as she snatched the phone over and started scrolling through the page.

The page was filled with photos, not just on bonfire night. This morning in the hallways. Our individual photos in class. Heavily edited photos of Clara and I with captions all over.  

“Senior’s prom this year is going to be so fun!!” Payton giggled and took her phone back from Clara. The rest started logging onto the page, eager for any gossip and news.

My smile faltered a little. 

Senior prom. I don’t think Clara and I will last till then. 

I had wanted to break it off with Clara in a few months, when the school hype died down.

Chris's appearance changed everything. 

It will be so hard to let go if he is physically here. 

I had to be fair to Clara. I couldn’t bear to let her be that smoking gun. She deserves better. 

I tuned out the squealing and bickering from the gang, looking away to the school field, some childhood memories surfacing. 

Chris and I used to play in the school field after school. It was so much fun running on the grass, chasing after each other. Parents and teachers screamed for us to get home as we ran further.  

“Nate!” Clara’s head was already off my shoulder, staring at me. 

“Oh, sorry.” 

“Why are you smiling like an idiot looking at the school field?” Clara turned to look at the school field. “Some pretty girls there?”

“Nope, just daydreaming.” I coughed and changed the subject, “Where were we?”

“Where were YOU?” Clara laughed. She pushed her phone in front of me and pointed at the screen. “I asked who is this?” 

I looked down at the phone screen. It’s still on that Golden Couple F******k page.

My heart skipped a beat, and a sudden chill down my spine. 

It’s a photo of Chris and I. My body was leaning towards Chris, pointing at something. And he was doing the same, towards me, looking at where I was pointing. We look close in the photo. It must have been taken while I was bringing him around. 

I felt some kind of relief gush through me. It was simply a platonic photo. 

“Oh, that's-” Before I could answer, Jasper cut me off and snatched the phone from Clara, “Wait! Nate, isn’t this the creepy transfer student who was staring at you during History class this afternoon?”

“What?” Clara snatched the phone back, zooming the photo in. “I thought he looked hot! He looks so cute together with Nate. They look like eye candies.”

Payton and Leah had leaned over as the group huddled in front of the screen again.

“He is a stalker?” Payton asked, looking at Jasper. 

Jasper shrugged. “He was looking at Nate through the entire history class this afternoon. Every time I turn to take a peek at him, his eyes are on Nate!”

The entire group turned to look at me.  

I shrugged too. “I don’t know? Didn’t notice anything. Maybe cause he is new and thinks of me as his friend?”

“So, you are attracting guys now, too, huh?” Leah teased.

My mouth gaped open. I didn’t know what to reply to her. 

Yes, I am. 

Or no, he isn’t interested, but I am?

Think of retaliation, Nate!

As I spiralled internally, thinking about how to rebut Leah without exposing myself, Clara held the phone up to my face again. 

“And who is this?”

I once again looked down at the screen, thinking it might be another photo of the school tour.

I almost fell off the picnic bench this time as I felt my body drained of all energy.

It’s that photo. 

The one pinned on my locker door this morning.

And it's now posted publicly on the Golden Couple F******k Group.