Lukas felt like he had gone from complete average teen to super stalker in a second. The moment he saw Tate, his body just moved, and he began following him all over school. He didn't know what he was doing or even why he was doing it. The worst part was there seemed to be no stopping him either.

Tate turned the corner disappearing from his view. Lukas hid behind a wall, peering around the corner. He wanted to make sure Tate wasn’t on to him. He wasn’t exactly subtle. He had already gotten several weird looks.

He found Tate in front of a classroom talking to someone. Lukas had seen him once or twice. Didn’t know his name, though. He also noticed someone else with them, but he was too focused on the task at hand to realize who it was. The conversation didn’t last, and Tate was on the move again. Lukas immediately followed after him.

"Hey, Lukas."

Lukas didn’t take the time to look at who had talked to him though he knew who it was. There weren’t many people at school that would acknowledge his presence. There were only two people who did. Charlie. And Alec. A jock who had helped him a few times with his bully problem.

"Hi, Alec."

Lukas didn't stay to chat, and he quickly went on his way. He started to panic when the thought of losing sight of Tate came up. Lukas abruptly turned the corner he had seen him take, leading to the staircase, when bumped into someone. Books fell to the ground, and a swear escaped the person in front of him. Lukas looked up.

“Sorry, Mr. Keaton.”

Lukas leaned down and helped his teacher pick up the books he had dropped. He placed the last book on the pile before swerving to the side to keep going.

“Lukas. Where are you going?” The teacher reached for his wrist to stop him, but Lukas was already too far. “Class is starting soon.”

“I know Mr. Keaton. I won’t be late. I promise.”

He ran off before his teacher could say anything. He had lost Tate, but he could have only gone to one place. The hall he had gone down led to a staircase that only went up to the floor above them. Lukas hurried up the stairs arriving at the top after a minute.

Tate wasn’t to his left, which meant he could only be to his right. Lukas pivoted on his foot, facing the other way, when he suddenly stopped. Tate was standing in front of him in the middle of the hallway as if he was waiting for him. Lukas felt his body go cold at the look he was being given. Tate was much taller than Lukas. He was at least six feet while Lukas was about 5 foot 8 inches. He felt

Tate took a step towards Lukas, who could do nothing but stare. His body would not move no matter how much he internally screamed at it.

"Why are you following me?" Tate stared at Lukas. "What do you want?"

“I-I’m no-not.”

Lukas wasn’t the stuttering type, but his fear of Tate was making it hard for him.

“You wanna try that again.” Tate took another step. “What do you want?”

“No-nothing. So-sorry.”

Tate showed no sign of backing down. He seemed intent on breaking him. His presence was enough to make Lukas feeling like he was suffocating. He wanted to turn around and run, but his body refused to move. Lukas’s hands balled into fists as he tried hard to hold himself back from saying something he would regret. He hoped that if he stayed silent long enough, Tate would give up and leave.

Tate sighed as he rolled his eyes and turned around. He was leaving. Relief washed over Lukas. He felt like he dodged a major bullet and cursed at his stupidity. Lukas watched him leave and slightly turned to leave when the worst happened.

"I saw you!" Lukas said quickly and almost yelling. He slapped his hand on his mouth. Tate stopped and turned around. "I-I saw you," he repeated.

“What did you say?” Tate was coming back.

Lukas shook his head, restraining himself from saying anything else. Tate took another step towards him. The words were on the tip of his tongue, waiting impatiently to be spoken. Tate took another step, and that mere movement was enough to pry the words out of him.

"You... with the... school... nurse."

Before Lukas could process what was happening, Tate grabbed by the arm and dragged him into an empty classroom that was mainly used as storage for desks. Tate flung Lukas into the room, causing him to slam directly into a desk. He groaned as he rubbed his thighs.

Lukas heard the lock on the door turn, making him flinch a bit. Tate took a step towards him. With every step, Tate took Lukas backed further into the desk until all he could do was sit on it. Tate was standing right in front of him now. He pressed his legs up against Lukas' knees, and his chest blocked his view.

"What did you see exactly?"

“Yes-yesterday.” Lukas cursed at the fact that he couldn't keep the words from coming out. “You and the… nurse in th-the infirmary.”

Lukas couldn't understand what was happening. He had planned on not saying a single word. He was going to spend the remaining months he had never speaking to Tate. But it was too late for that. He had fucked up.

Tate leaned down, grabbing the sides of the desk, pinning Lukas in place.

"That's not possible. She locked the door."

"I was already...in the infirmary. On the last bed."

Tate swore and pulled away. He rubbed his hand through his hair. Lukas was afraid to look at him. Afraid that if he did, Tate might do something. Tate paced for a minute before stopping.

"What do you want?" His voice was cold, sending a chill down Lukas’s spine.

"Want?"

Lukas looked up. Tate was staring at him. His eyes were dark, and his body was tense.

"Well, I'm guessing you want something for your silence, or you wouldn't have told me."

"Um... I..."

Lukas hadn't thought of blackmailing Tate. He still wasn't even sure why he told him. But he knew blackmail wasn't what he wanted.

"Well? Say something!"

"I..."

Lukas couldn’t think. He could barely comprehend the situation he was in. But he knew he had to be smart about the next thing he said. A wrong move could result in something bad.

"Um... I... don't..."

"Can you talk normally?" Tate cut him off. "You're getting on my nerves."

The urge to yell at him surged inside Lukas. He was nervous. He had never spoken to Tate in his life, and he had him feeling uneasy. It was only normal he wouldn't be able to talk normally.

"This is just great. I got caught by a stuttering idiot."

Lukas glared at Tate when he called him an idiot. He knew he wasn't brilliant, but he wasn't an idiot. Tate looked at him and cursed.

"Whatever. How about instead of wasting my time, figure out what you want first."

Tate turned away and walked out of the room, leaving Lukas on the desk confused and alone. When Tate was gone, Lukas felt like he could finally breathe, and his mind seemed to clear a little. Lukas thought about everything that happened. He had done something completely out of character. Never before would he have done that. So why did he this time?

Lukas slipped off the desk and headed for the door. He replayed the conversation in his head. And every word Tate had told him. As he did, anger started to build in the pit of his stomach.

"What a dick."

Lukas shook his head. He never thought the smartest guy in his grade could be so mean. He sighed. Hopefully, this would be the end of it, and Tate would forget about the whole thing.

As Lukas exited the empty room just in time to hear the bell ring. He swore and rushed through the hall to class. He almost slipped as he tried to stop in front of his classroom door and sprung it open.

“Sorry, I’m late.”

Mr. Keaton sighed. He motioned for him to come in.

“Just sit down.”

Lukas bowed his head and hurried off to his seat next to Charlie.