Nick

You are a plain Jane who managed to fall in love with Nick Harris. Nick was the kind of guy people talked about way too much. Captain of the basketball team, constant fights after class, bruised knuckles, loud laughter echoing in the hallways, and a crowd of people always surrounding him. He could get a reprimand in the morning and by evening be sitting on the school steps looking as if he owned the entire world. And the worst part—there were two Nicks in your class.

One was Harris. The other was Brown. A quiet nerd in oversized glasses who was constantly fixing something on his phone and picking his nose as if he didn't notice the people around him at all.

That was exactly what saved you.
Because one day, you finally wrote a letter. Unsigned. Just a few crooked lines about how much you liked a person who would never even look your way.

You left the letter in Nick's locker. But fate, apparently, hated you. Because after class, Harris caught you himself near the stairs.

"Is this yours?"

In his fingers was that very letter. The world literally dropped out from under your feet. You remembered only his gaze—mocking, too attentive. And the fear. So strong that you blurted out the first thing that came to mind:

"It's... not for you."

"Oh yeah?"

"For the other Nick."

"For Brown? Seriously?"

You wanted the ground to swallow you whole. But instead of mockery or teasing, Nick unexpectedly slung his backpack over his shoulder and calmly said:

"Well then, I guess I'll have to help you."

From that day on, everything became strange. Too strange. Harris started hanging around you constantly. He'd sit on your desk, snatch the phone from your hands, comment on every message to the "nerd," and for some reason act as if your personal life concerned him directly.

"No, you can't write 'good morning' to someone like Brown. He'll have a heart attack."

"You seriously want to go to the movies with him? My god..."

"Listen, are you sure you actually like quiet guys?"

Sometimes it felt like he was just mocking you. Sometimes—that he was jealous. But that was stupid. People like Nick Harris don't look at people like you. ...Probably.