How to Date a Nerd

Chapter 9 - We Formulated an Evil Plan

Chapter 9 – We Formulated an Evil Plan

The rest of the night went on like a blur. Reed and Chuck were laughing. I was laughing too, but I didn’t know why. Nathan was cursing under his breath while he slung my arm over his shoulder and dragged me to Dad’s car. The blond brothers were arguing how to get home since they didn’t have a ride.

I said, “Hop in. We’ll just scrunch in together,” while chuckling groggily before my head lolled to the side.

They kept laughing. Something about sardines. I didn’t get the joke but laughed anyway. Nathan called us morons and we laughed about that too. As it turned out, drinking too much transformed me into a huge lump of snickering nonsense.

“It’s in the genes, Nate. In the genes,” I moaned.

In the end, we ended up walking home, staggering all the way, singing “I’m bruised and scarred! Save me from this broken heart. All my love will slowly fade and fall apart.”

The Ferguson brothers sung louder. Good thing the next house was still about a hundred yards away or there’d be a chance that we’d spend the night in an all expense paid five-star prison suite.

“Someone please, sing this lovesick melody. Call my name if you’re afraid, I’m just a kiss away.”

As we passed by EMC park, I paused to lean on a tree and stared at the spot where I first saw Sarah. Suddenly, all I wanted was to run to her—beg her to remember me and everything would be just as it was before she lost her memories.

“It sucks,” I groaned, barely able to keep standing. Chuck and Nathan caught me on both arms.

“Let’s go home, dude,” Chuck said, giving me a pat on the shoulder.

“No,” I argued, glowering at him through my exhausted lids. “I… I wanna see Sarah. If I tell her about us. Maybe if I tell her… she’d take me back,” I muttered squirming away from them. A stabbing pain shot from my broken arm, but I just couldn’t care about that anymore.

“Leon!” Nathan yelled at me when I kicked and thrashed. It was the first time I actually saw him being serious. “You’re drunk! D’you think she’d be jumping up and down to see you like that?”

Weakly, I slumped on the sidewalk and ran a hand over my face, swearing. “You don’t get it, Nate. You don’t get it! No wonder Elle broke up with you!” I choked, staggering up to my feet, shoving him away from me.

The next thing I knew was Nathan’s fist against my jaw. Yellow spots danced around my eyes while I staggered backwards. Cursing, I lunged tackling him to the ground. He wedged his knee under my stomach and threw me flat on the ground. Pain shot everywhere.

“Reed, I need some help here,” Chuck called his brother who was sitting half asleep on the sidewalk, seemingly oblivious of the brawl in front of him.

Reed lifted his head blearily and chuckled. “Ah, let them. They’ll get tired soon enough,” he mumbled.

“I should’ve slit your throat when I had the chance!” Nathan said through clenched teeth. Before I could get up, he was already on his feet, grabbing me on the collar of my shirt. “You bastard!” he yelled hauling me up angrily and punched me hard on the stomach. It knocked the wind out of me but I managed to stay upright. I swung my good hand at him, landing a solid hit on his face.

“Oh, yeah? Try me now!” I growled, watching him stumble back, wiping the blood from his broken lip.

We exchanged blow after blow. I couldn’t even see him anymore. My eyes were blacking out and my head felt like it’d split into two in no time. But I kept throwing punches at him while he did the same. A few times, I didn’t retaliate and let him hit me. I stumbled on the ground then scrambled up again just to be his personal punching bag and let him have his way. Guilt trip. I owe him that.