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"She's been like this all day," whispered one of her friends.

"Has she even tried being nice?"

"Not in the slightest way."

A scoff rattled someone's throat. "What a little bitch."

"You're telling me!" This one barely tried to hide her words. "I try being nice to her and what do I get? She almost bites my frickin' head off!"

"What?!"

"How rude!"

"She is so lucky that we're such nice friends to her. Otherwise I would've slapped her by now."

Brown eyes glanced to the side to watch mouths move in complaints and curses. Natalie felt her eyes sting with tears of both rage and sadness. Her friends never understood. They never looked past the wall she put up to try and find her hidden meanings. Instead they only saw things for what they were. And because of that, Natalie felt more alone in the world than ever before.

"I can hear everything you're saying," Natalie growled, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

Her friends all stopped what they were saying and turned their heads towards the brunette. Their jaws dropped as they gaped, some already stumbling with excuses and lies. Natalie, sick of everything, ignored her friends and their stuttering. She turned her music back on to drown out the noise of the lunchroom around her and took her binder into her arms. Without another word and without even glancing at her so-called friends, Natalie left the table and tried her best to walk out with her head held high and tears held in.

Once she was in the hallway, however, it was a different story.

The hallways of her school were barren and quiet. The brunette pulled out her headphones and let them drag on the floor by her feet. Natalie wasn't able to walk very far down the hall until her knees buckled underneath her and she fell to the ground, sobs heaving her body.

Jason hadn't been able to even open his mouth to say hi before Natalie brushed past him with an odd urgency. Seconds later he saw one of her friends walking past and heading towards the lunchroom exit. Jason didn't bother to say anything to his friends before jumping out of his seat and trying to catch up to the teenager.

"Sadie. Sadie!"

Natalie's friend stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder to see who it was trying to catch her attention. "Oh, hey Jason. I can't talk right now."

Before she could walk away, Jason caught up to the blonde and grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, what happened to Natalie?"

Sadie seemed to deflate at the mention of her friend. "She's been in a really bad mood all day and she heard us complaining about it. I swear, we all thought she was listening to her music! We didn't think she could hear us."

"Let me talk to her," Jason said, already mad at the girls Natalie called her friends. "I'm sure you're the last person she's going to want to talk to."

Before Sadie could complain, Jason walked out the doors of the lunchroom and into the quiet hallway. He looked one way and saw nothing, but after looking the other, he realized his search was already over. Curled against the wall, Natalie sat there with her binder thrown messily on the floor in front of her and her face hidden in her crossed arms. For a moment, Jason was worried that the teenager wasn't breathing. He soon saw her take a deep and shaking breathing, easing his doubts.

Jason walked over to the brunette and crouched down quietly. He hesitantly put a hand on the girl's shoulder before whispering, "Nat?"

Natalie jumped and slammed her back flat against the wall. Jason immediately saw the tears in her eyes and the ones glistening on her cheeks. Before he could say or do anything, Natalie jumped to her feet and put on a mask of rage.

"Go away! I'm in a bad mood!" she screamed, flailing her arm out at Jason and almost smacking him. "I hate you, I fucking hate you all! I don't want to talk to you, so just leave me the fuck alone!"

Jason frowned as Natalie continued to yell, her tears returning and her voice cracking every so often. As she continued to shout, Jason grabbed Natalie's wrists to keep her from flailing about.

Natalie stared at Jason with wide eyes, filled with terror and confusion. "What? What're you—?" She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. "No! No, I hate you! Go away, just go awa—!"

Jason pulled Natalie forward, making her smack into his chest and almost causing him to stumble backwards. Before she could push away, he encircled his arms around her and held her in a tight hug.

Natalie's whole body seemed to go limp at the sudden action. For a moment, Jason was scared that something had happened, or that she would push him away and shout more. The last thing he wanted at the moment was for her to be just as mad at him as she most likely was at her friends. Right when he was about to say something, Jason felt thin arms snake around his torso and hold on tight. Seconds later, he felt tears seep through the fabric of his shirt, and watched Natalie's shoulders shake with silent sobs.

"Thank you," she cried into his chest. "Thank you so much."

Description
"She's been like this all day," whispered one of her friends.

"Has she even tried being nice?"

"Not in the slightest way."

A scoff rattled someone's throat. "What a little bitch."

"You're telling me!" This one barely tried to hide her words. "I try being nice to her and what do I get? She almost bites my frickin' head off!"

"What?!"

"How rude!"

"She is so lucky that we're such nice friends to her. Otherwise I would've slapped her by now."

Brown eyes glanced to the side to watch mouths move in complaints and curses. Natalie felt her eyes sting with tears of both rage and sadness. Her friends never understood. They never looked past the wall she put up to try and find her hidden meanings. Instead they only saw things for what they were. And because of that, Natalie felt more alone in the world than ever before.

"I can hear everything you're saying," Natalie growled, trying to keep her voice from cracking.

Her friends all stopped what they were saying and turned their heads towards the brunette. Their jaws dropped as they gaped, some already stumbling with excuses and lies. Natalie, sick of everything, ignored her friends and their stuttering. She turned her music back on to drown out the noise of the lunchroom around her and took her binder into her arms. Without another word and without even glancing at her so-called friends, Natalie left the table and tried her best to walk out with her head held high and tears held in.

Once she was in the hallway, however, it was a different story.

The hallways of her school were barren and quiet. The brunette pulled out her headphones and let them drag on the floor by her feet. Natalie wasn't able to walk very far down the hall until her knees buckled underneath her and she fell to the ground, sobs heaving her body.

Jason hadn't been able to even open his mouth to say hi before Natalie brushed past him with an odd urgency. Seconds later he saw one of her friends walking past and heading towards the lunchroom exit. Jason didn't bother to say anything to his friends before jumping out of his seat and trying to catch up to the teenager.

"Sadie. Sadie!"

Natalie's friend stopped in her tracks and looked over her shoulder to see who it was trying to catch her attention. "Oh, hey Jason. I can't talk right now."

Before she could walk away, Jason caught up to the blonde and grabbed her shoulder. "Hey, what happened to Natalie?"

Sadie seemed to deflate at the mention of her friend. "She's been in a really bad mood all day and she heard us complaining about it. I swear, we all thought she was listening to her music! We didn't think she could hear us."

"Let me talk to her," Jason said, already mad at the girls Natalie called her friends. "I'm sure you're the last person she's going to want to talk to."

Before Sadie could complain, Jason walked out the doors of the lunchroom and into the quiet hallway. He looked one way and saw nothing, but after looking the other, he realized his search was already over. Curled against the wall, Natalie sat there with her binder thrown messily on the floor in front of her and her face hidden in her crossed arms. For a moment, Jason was worried that the teenager wasn't breathing. He soon saw her take a deep and shaking breathing, easing his doubts.

Jason walked over to the brunette and crouched down quietly. He hesitantly put a hand on the girl's shoulder before whispering, "Nat?"

Natalie jumped and slammed her back flat against the wall. Jason immediately saw the tears in her eyes and the ones glistening on her cheeks. Before he could say or do anything, Natalie jumped to her feet and put on a mask of rage.

"Go away! I'm in a bad mood!" she screamed, flailing her arm out at Jason and almost smacking him. "I hate you, I fucking hate you all! I don't want to talk to you, so just leave me the fuck alone!"

Jason frowned as Natalie continued to yell, her tears returning and her voice cracking every so often. As she continued to shout, Jason grabbed Natalie's wrists to keep her from flailing about.

Natalie stared at Jason with wide eyes, filled with terror and confusion. "What? What're you—?" She shook her head as if clearing her thoughts. "No! No, I hate you! Go away, just go awa—!"

Jason pulled Natalie forward, making her smack into his chest and almost causing him to stumble backwards. Before she could push away, he encircled his arms around her and held her in a tight hug.

Natalie's whole body seemed to go limp at the sudden action. For a moment, Jason was scared that something had happened, or that she would push him away and shout more. The last thing he wanted at the moment was for her to be just as mad at him as she most likely was at her friends. Right when he was about to say something, Jason felt thin arms snake around his torso and hold on tight. Seconds later, he felt tears seep through the fabric of his shirt, and watched Natalie's shoulders shake with silent sobs.

"Thank you," she cried into his chest. "Thank you so much."