A/N - Wooo, latest chapter! Sorry for the wait. I'm not suuuuper happy with this chapter, but I don't dislike it. It's a bit slower, more relaxed than my others. Lets you see more into the mind of Kathlin, and her morning. Let me know what you all think! Feedback is wonderful, as always!

Mornings. ..Moooornings. Who likes mornings? Nobody, that's who. Mornings suck. Well, unless it is really late in fall.. then mornings are alright. Really foggy, cool. I can deal with that. ..But right now? No. Fuck mornings, especially after such a hectic day yesterday. I mean, I could have died!.. I mean, maybe. I don't think Nathan would have shot me, but still! It could have happened! Annnd I'm expected to wake up in the morning just like everybody else and be ready for school. In the morning. ..Life sucks.

I grumbled and grumbled, finally willing my body to push itself up and out of my messy bed. Maybe today will be better. I mean, if it isn't, I'll probably be dead. - Things can't get much more hectic than they were yesterday. I guess that is.. sorta an upside? Things ended well enough, I suppose. Nathan was kind of scary, and I definitely wasn't expecting him to spot me smoking. ..Which could be a big issue. It's such a bad habit and I do it so rarely, but yesterday was.. bleeeh! I couldn't help it! I need this, though. This school..

Hopefully Nathan is feeling generous and won't mention it. I mean, I didn't mention the gun! That should earn me some points, right? Right? ..I need to stop thinking. I have classes soon, and I don't need this keeping me busy all day. So, uh.. what to do first.

My eyes wandered the relatively clean dorm that I had been placed in. - It was a pretty decent size for a single room, and it isn't like I have much stuff. A few posters here and there of games and bands I enjoy.. Though, I might get some shit for all of the pokemon stuff stashed away. ..And the animal crossing stuff. And harvest moon. - I'm a Nintendo fangirl, I can't help it! I probably spent waaay too much on some of this stuff. Most of my funds went in to getting me into this school, but still. I had to enjoy myself at least a little, right?

Clothes were more important than posters and plushies, though. ..A lot more important, and more expensive if you want to look good. I have my nice uniform, which is still dirty after yesterday, but not much else when it comes to 'formal' wear. Which sucks, because the teachers always like it. And I need that, with how shitty my grades are right now. No, more focus is what I need.. I desperately, desperately need it. But fuck, focusing is going to be a lot harder today.

I should... shoooooould, uhhh. Oh! Yes, I should take a shower. I probably smell like shit, or worse, and I don't have a ton of time to get ready. I might-have-possibly set my clock a little later than usual, which was not in my best judgment.. Ugh. I just shook my head, stepping across the basic, mostly white and carpeted room to retrieve my wash supplies. Bathing tools?.. No, that sounds worse. The shit I need to get clean is probably the best way to describe it!

With a quiet huff I am out the door, sliding into the busy hallway as many of the other students rush around, gossiping and.. whatever it is they do. I tend to avoid most of it, really. I know it isn't the most.. social thing to do. Far from it, really, but I don't want to involve myself in school drama. ..More than I have with Nathan, at least. That is some pretty deep fuckin' drama. Honestly, it's best just to avoid everyone than it is to pick the good out from the bed. Easier, and less risky. So I made my way across the hall and towards the showers, quick steps to get me out of the hall of gossip as soon as possible.

I step into the luckily empty room, sighing with relief that I won't be caught up in any unneeded bathroom-styled drama today. At least not yet, but I can hope. With a nod to myself I step forward, moving to look at myself in one of the mounted mirrors. ..I look like shit in the morning. Crazy bedhead, bags under my eyes, paler skin. I look like some kind of zombie-ghost hybrid. Booooraaaains!

Bad Kathlin. Bad. We can just forget that happened and move on to the showering part of this adventure, which should calm the zombie-face well enough. I slip into the showers, quickly slipping out of the loose, comfortable clothes that I had chosen to wear to bed. Definitely nothing fancy. An old tank-top, kinda stringy and worn out, and a pair of comfy sleep-shorts. These are actually new-ish, too! I like this shirt, but I needed more comfortable stuff to sleep in. Then again, I'm the type who can fall asleep in jeans.. Which, for a lot of people, is an issue strangely.

I take my time, probably more than I should, and finish up with my shower about.. thirty minutes after I strolled into here. Muuuuch nicer, all things considered. My hair is wet and flat, still not exactly nice-looking but definitely better than my bedhead. My skin has a bit more of a glow to it after a warm shower, and the bags have became far less noticeable under my eyes. Aside from having to put the clothes I slept in back on before I can return to my room, which I hate the feeling of after a nice shower, everything looks nice.

Today. Is. Nice. Definitely better than yesterday. - You're going to do better in your classes, you're going to -behave- and not follow people, and most importantly you are not going to allow thoughts of Nathan Prescott keep you from your -work-. You gotta ace this shit, Kathlin. No second chances. " ..You can do this. " I state to myself, quietly, staring into the mounted mirror for a few more seconds before quickly heading for the door. Time to get ready!

With a light push I am back out into the hall of gossip and danger. Just move back into the main hall, take a left, go into your room. Simple. No talking, no bullshit. Just go. " I don't want to hear it, Vic. " - I hear it. That familiar voice, somewhat distant, towards the end of the hall. Of course Nathan is here, -of course- he is here. Come on, Kathlin. Go. Get to your dorm room, get dressed, get to work. Gogogo.

My feet move, and I'm off. I see the door. My dorm room. Don't look down the hall, don't look down the hall, don't look down th-.. Shit. During my little fast-walk rush for the door, I've ran right into Nathan. And when I say that, I mean -right- into Nathan. I just smashed into his side as he was stomping down the hall, heading for the exit. And I bumped him. Of course he handled it pretty well, just taking a step back. I, of course, did not handle it well.

I fell back, stumbling into the wall just behind me with a squeak. God, I hate that squeak. And now he is staring at me, eyes wider than before. Shit, does he think I meant to do that? " O- Oh.. Nathan, shit. Sorry, was lost in my head a bit. Heh. " Smooth, Kathlin. ..Smooth.

Nathan just shook his head, staring for a few more seconds before sighing. " Watch where the fuck you are going. " He stated, a very direct warning thrown my way but with almost no coldness to it. He was angry, because he always seems to be angry, but it was a.. nicer angry? Sadly, before I can say anything in response he is off like a bull down the hall again, shoving the door open and heading out of the dorm without another word. I mean, it could have been worse, right?

I sigh, shaking my head as I move to get into my dorm room before anyone spots me. I'm positive there are eyes on me after that, but I don't need to give anyone the chance to approach about it. I really, really don't have the time to talk right now. With a click the door is closed, and with another it is locked. Safety, in my little private sanctuary. It's really nice, actually. I do enjoy my dorm room. But, no matter how much I'd like to just sit back and relax for the rest of the day, I have classes in like.. Well, soon. Very soon.

I grumble, quickly turning towards my small closet, stripping out of my sleepwear so that I can finally change into something fresh. ..I wonder what Nathan thought of my sleepwear, though. I mean, it's definitely not the type of stuff any member of his family would be caught wearing, but.. He was staring, right? ..Fuck, why do I even care? It's a tshirt and shorts, not some fancy-ass dress. Get your mind on the prize, Kathlin. Which, in this case, is surviving class. March!

I only took a few minutes to get dressed, luckily. I've never been a big fan of make-up and most of my clothes are put up in sets, so I don't have to do much digging. I managed to pull out one of my nicer pairs of black skinny jeans, as well as my comfortable but formal-ish pink and black flannel shirt. It works, it looks nice, it's comfortable.. Good. Now the hair problem. As usual, all I need to do is run a comb through it a few times, make sure it's all straightened out, and then with the help of my trusty hair-dealy.. Poof! Pony-tail! " All set. "

I smirked, eyeing myself in the mirror. I look presentable for the teachers. That is good, definitely good. Time to go, Kathlin. I turned for my dorm room door, unlocking it before giving the knob a twist and a light pull, slipping past the wooden frame before closing it behind me. ..The halls are almost entirely empty now. Man, I need to hurry. I better not be late to my first class of the day, that's just setting me up for failure.

And with that I turn, rushing for the door to begin my day of 'exciting' learning. Woo. It's good that Nathan seemed a bit better today, though. Angry, of course, but not.. terribly so. Not nearly as shaky as yesterday, which is always good. Of course, he has the entire day to relax. Finding a Prescott sitting in class is even rarer than finding a shiny i-.. Fuckme.

Nathan. He's sitting in class, playing with his phone. Hell, I didn't even know he took this class. He has literally never been in here before, -that- is how rarely he actually shows up. Last time I saw him spend much time in a classroom he went off on a teacher for getting pissed about his feet being up on the table. Understandable, but the teacher really should have known better. ..But back to the case at hand. Nathan is in class, my class, for no good reason. None that I can think of, at least. God, I hope he doesn't plan to out the whole smoking thing in class. He wouldn't do that, right? ..Right.

I hesitantly step into the classroom, my eyes downcast as I moved towards one of the free seats towards the back, where I often placed myself. My own little learning bubble, away from the whispers and buzzing phones throughout the classroom. He is probably looking at me right now, I can feel his eyes on me, but.. I shouldn't look back. I have nothing against Nathan, but I really do need to focus on work today.

After taking my seat I lean back, reaching down to the side of the table where I usually place my bag. ..The very bag that I forgot to grab during my rush here. Fuck, fuck! Kathlin, you need to take notes for this! You need your books! Damn it. I, of course, don't have time to go retrieve it now.. God, I hope nobody notices it. Especially the teacher. Smug little pack, probably still sitting on my bed.. Asshole.

I took in a deep, slow and only partially calming breath before my gaze rose from the table, meeting the back of Nathan's head. He had returned to playing with his phone, thank god. It should only be a few minutes before class begins, Mister Dinzel, our English teacher, is already setting things up for the day on his desk. I don't think I have many other classes with Nathan in them, at least not ones that he spends any time in. ..Then again, I can't get my hopes up if he is coming to this class today. He might be on a bit of a streak.

Just as expected, class begins after only a few minutes, Dinzel beginning to speak about some of this week's homework, and the importance of.. some book. That I do have, in my bag, on my fucking bed. Ugh. - Pay attention to the teacher, take mental notes, head back to your dorm to grab your bag so that you can take -real- notes, then rush to the next class. Plan is good, plan is -great-! ..In concept.

I wish I had my notebook right now. I doodle during class. ..It is definitely frowned on at times, but I like to keep my hands busy while in class. I get, uh.. nervous. Probably it. It usually just ends up being random smiley faces, shit like tha-

Buzzing. I hear buzzing. Not like.. bug buzzing, but phone buzzing. -My- phone. The only problem is, I don't really text a lot of people. Nor do I play a lot of games on my phone, so it's definitely not some notification.. Who would be texting me right now? I think I have literally only used my phone to text twice since I got here. And there it is again, the buzzing. It's uh.. distracting. I should probably check it, right? So that I can focus on the teacher instead. Yeah.

My hand slides down, my eyes on the teacher while my fingers dig my small phone from the tight pocket of my jeans with a bit of hassle. Man, fuck jean pockets. I keep the phone under the desk, peeking below to see who this mysterious texter is. ..What? How the hell does he-..

" Miss Greyson. " Dinzel states calmly, a slight hint of agitation in his tone. My eyes shoot up from the phone, wide and staring at him, doe-like, and he is staring right back. " I'm sorry, is my lesson pulling you away from your games? You could fill us in on what is just so interesting beneath your desk, hm? " He tilted his head. Fuuuuck.

" So- Sorry Mister Dinzel. I uh.. Sorry. " My eyes downcast, staring at the wood of the desk while I quickly tuck my phone back into my pocket. Nothing more is said towards me, and he continues his lesson from where he had left off. I should probably be listening, but.. Nathan texted me? Since when does he have my number? ..I mean, of course he has my number. He probably has access to a lot more than that, being a Prescott. ..And I thought I was being creepy.

I glance up, noticing that he was still focused on his phone, tapping away and completely ignoring what just happened. What could he be texting me that was so urgent that it couldn't want until -after- class? He might not get into trouble for using his phone, but I sure as hell do. I.. don't need that. Ugggh. I could faceplant right now, if it wasn't going to risk me getting kicked out of class all together.

I do my best to focus my attention on the teacher now, but honestly I could care less. My phone.. I really, really want to see what that text is. I'm curious, I can't help it! I don't like not knowing things. Especially things that I can know so easily. I just need to look at my phone! Go clock, go! Free me!

..And it does. Well, after about ten more minutes of listening to Dinzel go on about the book that I am supposed to be studying, buuut have been kinda slow at doing so. It's not really my type of book. I can't get interested in it. Give me something a little more exciting or instructional! ..Of course, if I actually said that I'd probably just push myself into a much deeper hole. So I won't.

But, finally, I am free! I think I push myself out of my seat a little too quickly, my legs colliding with the edge of the desk in this really loud, painful and annoying bang. Ow. All eyes still in the room are on me now, except for Nathan, who is still messing with his phone. More embarrassment. Great. I do my best to ignore it, heading for the exit while digging the phone out of my pocket. Come to my, texties. Tell me your secrets!

" How do u put up with this stupid shit all day? "

" Im bored, entertain me. "

..Really? Really Nathan, that's what your texts say? For fucks sake! I ignored almost an entire class thinking about this, and -this- is what you interrupted my learning with?! ..I mean, I guess it is my fault for expecting more. What was I expecting, anyway? What else would he say?

" Stalker. " Nathan states, already standing behind me in the hall, his hands tucked away in his trademark red jacket's pockets. " You are not very good at entertainment. " He continued, his voice surprisingly relaxed. I turn, blinking as I meet his gaze. " Uh.. Fuck, Nathan, that caused me a lot of trouble. " I said with a frown, and he just rolls his shoulders in return. " That is what you get for not being subtle, dumbass. Learn the art of texting-and-learning. Most bitches know it by heart here. "

I ignore that, for now. " An- And I'm not a stalker. I might have followed you, yes, but.. Only a little bit. Don't spread rumors like that, alright? " I ask, and he smirks. ..Am I smirking too? It's kinda cute, when he actually smirks. " Whatever you say, stalker. " He said with a teasing look in his eyes. ..Ass.