Hey peeps! How you doin? :D

This chapter is dedicated to @Geniuslyblunt for all the support! Thank you cappie! Words can't express my gratitude :D

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CHAPTER 13- PART 1

My last encounter with Nathan was something I dreaded from the day I witnessed their kiss, but it ended up worse than I ever imagined. I slapped him!

I slapped him!

The reality, as it sunk in, ripped me apart. And all of this, only because I could not hold back, letting my infatuation get the better of me.

And the glorious result? I was left all alone, heartbroken, betrayed and feeling emptier than ever.

I contemplated a lot on this. How can something or someone that brought immense joy by their mere presence be the reason for this state of mine? The shattered remains of my heart was just his plaything! I may be a little girl, my problems may not be big enough to shake the Earth nor my words worth a second thought, but that does not mean I can be taken for granted always! I have a heart and that's important to me. I care for it! Nobody walks away with a grim smile on their stupid face, after tampering with it! I guess, Nathan got that the hard way...

The days that followed were really hard, my sole aim was to avoid his blue eyes and any chance to be with him alone, again. I hated the very thought of spending time, looking into those once captivating eyes. But as life has it, hard times come to an end, or at least, take a break!

Today is Sunday! The day I'm equipped with a mission, a mission to fix broken hearts, a mission to undo my mistake, a mission to give my best friend the greatest gift of them all, the perfect guy! In short- Natty and Jack's date, that is, excluding my official third-wheeling.

I am so excited for this day, that I've been planning like crazy, as pleasing Nat isn't as easy as it sounds. I decide to let my life out of the picture for a day and focus on them.

I text Jack of the place and time, specifically mentioning to be on time, as Natty hates waiting! Well, she only waits for me as she is tired of lecturing me and doesn't seem to spot a ray of hope, of me changing. I wish I could, I'm just too lazy to try...

I receive a new text.

I'm nervous.

Jack.

I cannot help but laugh out on reading this, it's too adorable! But I quickly realize, I have to stop being an ass and calm him down. At this rate, he won't even last until he meets Nat! He'll chicken out right now. So I start typing a reply.

Hey! Don't worry! You just be there, alright? And I'll make sure she won't rip your head apart! I promise, okay? :P

With that sent, I assume he should be fine and decide to grab some breakfast when I hear the phone buzz. New text!

YOU KNOW, THAT DOESN'T HELP :/

Oh god! He is freaking out like he just heard she's got three heads, protruding kidneys and eyeballs that shoot fire!

Calm down Jack! As I said, I'll be there! Just be yourself and don't freak out! She'll do that plenty for the both of you! :D
Oh and one thing, don't be late! Cya! :3

That seems to have helped, as I get a very positive 'okay' before I head downstairs.

I hurry up with breakfast, channel surfing the entire time while John keeps yelling over the phone. Once done, I head back up to dress for the day. I check my phone and am greeted by 7 missed calls from Nat and about 4 messages from her, all of which says she'll murder me in the most gruesome way possible if I turn up late, leaving her alone with Jack!

Oh poor me, I'm so dead!

I rampage through my drawer and finally come up with something presentable and hurriedly change into it. I look into the mirror and observe that my white top and blue jean shorts go pretty well with my sneakers and my hair let loose, seems to compliment it. I conclude that I don't look like a hobo and since this day is about them, this will totally do.

I grab my sling bag, a tiny jacket, my lip balm and some cash along with my phone and stare at the clock in horror. I was supposed to meet them at 10 am and now it's 47 minutes past 10! Oh god, no... I better plan my funeral right away.

I stare with eyes wide at the phone beeping in my hand, indicating Natty's death threat to me, and it goes off. I exhale feeling safe, when I notice the number of calls both of them have left on my phone. Geez, it isn't like they're in an emergency! They have to chill and hopefully, get along...

I take a cab and in fifteen minutes, reach the 'Blue Mont Cafe.' On stepping off the cab, I pay up and head into the cafe where instantly, I spot two extremely polar pair of eyes staring at me. One dons a murderous look coupled with a 'I'm gonna beat you to pulp' expression and the other a very helpless, accusing look taken over by relief.

I run up anticipating my fate, and pounce on Natty, crushing her in a hug while making sad attempts at apologizing, whispering 'sorries' into her ears. She backs away muttering 'I'll get you for this,' but the tiny smile of relief on her face calms me down.
I walk over and hug Jack, apologizing to him as well, for by the looks of it, he suffered the most in this situation.

After the greeting, luckily I'm still alive but they look so annoyed by this, it flops my plan right out. 'There goes part one,' I heave out a sigh. This day may not go as planned, at all...

We order coffee and wait in silence. My head drops and I feel so hopeless. The two of them sitting across from each other, with me in the middle are acting like they're total strangers! Dammit people!

I have to get in.

"So Jack, you were saying something about the party you been to last week?" I initiate and almost relax, but quickly realize that this is the worst conversation for Natty to be a part of.

"Uh Yeah, it was fun. It was a peaceful, slumber party, with a few friends and some d-uh coke and pizza!" Jack replies, with a coy smile at the end and I know exactly why. I had told him of how Natty would not appreciate hearing of crazy parties and drunk teenager shit.

Nice save Jack.

After a while, we're all done with our coffees. I look up to catch Nat and Jack staring at me, as they are unaware of my plan for the day.

"Guys, let's go?" I ask impatiently, tapping my feet, waiting for their response. They both just nod their heads and gather up their stuff.

'I have to get these two to loosen up,' with that thought, an idea jumps right at me. What better way to loosen up people than to open up the inner kid in them?

This very thought brings us here, to the amusement park. I glance over at Nat and her eyes seem to sparkle with life, as usual! As for Jack, he giggles like a little kid! I guess it was a good idea to ditch the 'movie plan' and swap it with this, as this is what I want! For them to be themselves and see the real other.

"So, what say guys? Let's go?" I beam as the question tumbles out. I'm so glad that Natty is dressed in cargo pants and canvas shoes while Jack in a tee and shorts, so they can move around freely.

"Yes!" They both scream with enthusiasm, deafening me to an extent, as I tug them along to this fun world.

We are currently waiting in line for the 'Flip Rider' which is this crazy ride where they turn the life out of you and leave you mid-air, upside down for a while until gravity seems to build your death bed. I have a horrible history of feeling extremely sick on such rides, or even milder ones, but Nat insists on me going on this stupid ride. My plan was to throw them on there and escape dying miserably, all the while puking my guts out. But it looks like none of my plans show any sign of working today...

Oh god, please save me!

I keep muttering chants to all the forces on Earth and beyond, to return me alive and unembarrassed at the end of this torture. Stupid kids and their stupid fun!

As our turn comes around, I internally begin to flip out further. My feet begin to tremble as I climb up and take a seat, putting the seat belt and look to my side. Beside me is Jack, followed by Natty who seems to be quite calm. As the guy comes over and secures the belt, Nat turns to me and I mouth 'I hate you' while she giggles with an evil twinkle in her eye.

As the ride starts, I feel a hold on my hand and I shift my eyes to the left to see Jack giving me a reaffirming smile. As I see that, I smile and close my eyes as I feel my body swaying uncontrollably in all directions.

After a while, I feel no motion! I feel constant, I feel still again until... I feel all the blood rush up into my head and I start to realize the fact that I am freaking hanging upside down, in the freaking sky!!! I slowly open my eyes, to see nothing, nothing clear enough, as I notice blue everywhere with faint white clouds. I slowly turn around and see Jack's face and through a tiny gap, Natty's who looks to be talking so cheerfully.

What? Don't they get it? We're dying here, any minute! The harness could snap, gravity could overpower it or the ride could basically just fail! Anything could happen and they don't seem to care a thing in the world! Are they nuts?

To hell with my stupid plan, my stupid ideas, I don't wanna die! I wanna get off this stupid ride!

As such ridiculous thoughts cloud my mind and I lose my shit, yelling at my own subconscious, reality dawns on me yet again. The height! We're almost at a height of a five-storeyed building and there's nothing scarier than looking down at the ground. I shut my eyes again, tightening it with every breath.

"Ams? You okay? You have to open your eyes and look around! It's beautiful!" I hear Nat's words and I can't help but try and convince myself to do it, but fear grabs me tight. My rationality seems to have left me, the minute I stepped on the ride as I can only think of the worst scenarios and most illogical possibilities. But I finally manage to convince myself and open my eyes, slowly taking in everything.

"I'm dying! I'm gonna fall, I can feel it Nat! I'm slipping! I'm slipping!" I yell out, screeching at the top of my most manageable voice. I can hear them giggle, which causes me to narrow my eyes.

I feel like I'm falling down to the ground, a sense of no control taking over. That has always scared me!

I always feel secure when I have control over my emotions, feelings, actions or thoughts. It feels like I'm on the right track. Everything is as per plan and it's going to end up right! I have no idea if even half of them do, but the mere confidence and positivity helps. No control means havoc, which leads to fear!

Finally, a couple of minutes later, the ride stops and I look around, to finally see land! My stupid fears have not come true and I realize how stupid I must have sounded freaking out that way... Oh no!

"Amy! See you're alive! Or are you? What if it's your ghost? What if you fell of the ride? What if you died of a 'screeching attack'?" Natty mocks me, which I'm sure I'm not gonna hear the end of, anytime soon. Jack joins in and I just walk away, pretending to be annoyed.

"Awwh Amy! Chill out! It was quite cute, if you ask me." Jack chimes in, trying his best not to laugh.

"And absolutely hilarious! Aghhh, I'm dying! You sounded like a dying rat!" Natty laughs her guts out, which honestly, makes me giggle but I hold on. I look over at Jack and I spot him, looking at Natty with a sparkle in his eyes. The way he looks at her reminds me of the way Chandler looks at Monica!

I sigh in adoration, entirely forgetting about my embarrassing incident. We continue walking some more around the park, getting on to many rides that managed to catch Natty's attention. I think I got over my fear of rides as well, at least to an extent.

We are currently standing in front of the tuck shop, where Jack and Nat are buying all sorts of stuff they can lay eyes on. I decide to pass, as I'm pretty terrible at making choices and the last time I did this, let's just say we all ended up hungry and broke.

They return with donuts, popcorn, candies, flavored sodas and gummy balls! My eyes shine with awe, on spotting the loaded goodies.

"Mine!" I grab hold of the donuts and the gummy balls pack and dig right in. We end up eating like kids, traces of chocolate and sprinkles all around the face and cheerful giggles echoing in the air. This is exactly what I wanted, right from morning! Mission accomplished, I guess...

I look down at my phone and it flashes 6.30 pm! It's almost the end of a very perfect day! I feel the air around getting colder and I grab my jacket from my bag and put it on. I almost start walking when I spot a shivering Nat with goosebumps on her bare skin.

"Natty! You're cold!" I grab the edges of my jacket to take it off and hand it over to Nat when I witness something that melts my insides.

"Here." Jack offers his jacket to Natty, with a sheepish smile. Nat looks up and with one glance at me, accepts it with a 'thank you.'

The last spot for today, the ring toss game! However, we decide to give it a twist and instead of having Jack win something for us, we decide to do it! Natty is pretty good at such stuff and therefore, there's a fair chance she's gonna get Jack something! As for me, I'll just play for fun cause there's no way I'm winning anything.

As we begin, Natt looks like she is ready to kill and I look like a bunny in a war-zone. We aim and throw, missing one by one but end up giggling. Jack cheers in the backdrop, initially for Nat and then for me, seeing how hopeless my aim is.

On our last ring, we both look at each other. I get nervous, my face starting to sweat and my hands become restless while Nat looks determined to win this, steady in her stance. I aim and with a slight force and bend of the wrist, the ring plunges forward and I stand, clasping my hands in anticipation. My eyes eagerly follow it until I see the ring fall, missing the loop. I let out a long sigh and look over at Natt's and notice her miss it as well.

Aghh okay.

"Excuse me Miss, you have won!" The guy in the stand said with a smile, pointing to a row of stuffed animals.

I stop abruptly in my tracks with widened eyes and an expression of shock taking over my face. I cannot believe I won something, that too a thing that requires aim! I hug Jack and laugh for a second before walking over and hugging Nat, who also looks extremely shocked.

I look at the stuffed animals and a cute little white tiger with black stripes catches my eye and I decide to pick it for Jack. The guy hands it over and I toss it at Jack who is still giggling about it. Nat and Jack are looking at the tiger and I decide to secretly capture this moment with my not so amazing phone camera, but who cares. It's the beautiful moment that matters.

I stare at the picture in awe- Natt stands beside Jack holding the tiger, laughing while Jack stares at her with his hands on her shoulders with a very boyish grin!

As we are about to head out, Natt decides to race to the gates, which is ideal for both of them as they are quite athletic while I look like a dried-stick. I plead to pass but they insist and on the count of three, all of us shoot out in a fit. I watch them run, as they overrun each other laughing like zombies, enjoying each moment of this stupid race. I, on the other hand, begin panting like I'm about to die any second.

At long last, I notice the gates and spot them standing there, waiting for me. I run forward panting, clutching my sides, finally reach them and fall down right there. They laugh and come forward to lift me up.

"Amy! Are you okay? You're panting like crazy!" Nat asks with a concern-filled voice.

"Yea-yeah... " I mutter amidst the huffing and puffing.

"Come on, let's take you home." Jack says and holds me up by my shoulders. I look up and smile.

We get into the cab and after dropping off Nat, the cab stops by my house. We both step off and he stands with his hands in his pockets.

"Bye Jack! Today was fun!" I lean in and hug him, relaxing into his body. I pull back with a smile.

"It sure was! Good night Amy!" Jack steps back into the cab and with a wave, disappears into the night.

I head up to the doors and knock on it, slightly clutching onto my jacket as it gets colder. In a few seconds, the door flings open and I'm greeted by the out-stretched arms of my mom. I hug her, clinging onto her, as her hugs are very rare.

"How was your day?" She asks as she pushes me away.

"It was good! I'm exhausted mom, I'm gonna go upstairs." I drag out lazily.

"And dinner?"

"I'll pass! I had some goodies on the way. Goodnight mom!" With one kiss her way, I run upstairs.

Once in the room, I strip off and change into my sleep shorts and a sweater top. I proceed to check my phone for some notifications before I hit my bed. Sure enough I do have some. 2 new texts. 1 missed call.

The call is from Nat, probably to ensure that I reach home safe.

Hey! Amy, did you reach?

Natty.

Amyyy! Where are you?

Natty.

I start typing a reply.

Nat, I just reached home!
Today was fun, wasn't it? I told ya Jack is amazing! Isn't he? :3

After sending the text, I feel restless as I anticipate a reply.

Yeah, it was. Thanks Ams :*
Yup, you two are adorable together.

What now?

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This chapter may seem like a filler, but it's an important one. It helps portray Natty's character to quite an extent. This chapter is split into two parts and part 2 will soon be up!

Vote, comment and spread the word if you like it so far! Thanks for all the support! Love you guys! :3