Nathan felt an unpleasant atmosphere after his earlier remark. No one really responded to what he said, but it was as if they were keeping their distance afterward.
Even though he tried not to care, the tension bothered him. Still, he chose to refocus on his goals.
He wasn't there to make friends, because he knew from the start that no one would really want to be his friend. He just had to focus on studying, graduating, going to college, and getting a job right away, earning his own money so he wouldn't have to depend on anyone else.
Sigh. The class felt so long.
Meanwhile, Nael's last class ended early. The students cheered happily and immediately packed up their things.
Nael sat at his desk, his fingers tracing the smooth edge of his laptop. For the first time, he found himself observing Nick and Jonas not as friends, but as actors. He could see the slight tilt in Nick's smile, the one that didn't reach his eyes, and the way Jonas looked at him with his usual gaze.
