CHAPTER THIRTEEN
ZADE
Mio tackles her, throwing her full weight
onto the Witch.
From the way they're laughing, you
wouldn't think they met yesterday; it looks like they've known each other for decades.
I narrow my eyes at the scene, the sight of Alice in that crisp uniform—looking like she actually belongs here—grating on my nerves.
"She's so beautiful."
Nate's voice pulls me out of the haze.
I don't even turn to look at him.
"She's a fucking nuisance, Nate.
Stay away from her as far as you can," I say, resuming my walk to the lecture hall.
I head straight for my seat—the one she tried to invade yesterday.
Poor Alice.
She really thought this place was a Wonderland.
She's about to find out it's more of a lion's den.
I settle in, but the air feels restless.
Nate sits beside me, looking like he's aged ten years since breakfast.
"Now, you wanna tell me what's going on with you today?"
I turn my focus on him completely, trying to erase a specific Witch from my mind. Key word here: trying.
Nate hesitates for a long moment, his fingers drumming a frantic rhythm on the mahogany desk, before finally opening his mouth.
"I fucked up, Zade. Truly and completely."
He sounds distressed—a tone that is far too odd for a guy like Nate.
"On a scale of one to ten, how bad?" I ask.
"Ten out of ten," he says.
"Okay. So you might as well tell me."
"Ellie is pregnant." The words come out with a ragged exhale.
Well. I guess he truly is fucked.
"Don't worry. If it's not yours—"
"It's mine." He says it with a sudden finality,
a protectiveness in his voice that shuts down any doubt.
"I think it happened before I left, but she's already seven weeks in.
She told me yesterday after our match."
I know Ellie.
She's a delicate girl with a heart big enough to care for everyone, especially Nate.
They've been in a relationship for two years now, but this? This is unexpected.
This is life-altering.
"First of all, you need to talk to her. Really talk to her," I say, my voice low as the room starts to hum with arriving students.
"Try to understand her side. You'll find a solution... but man, you should have used protection.
Getting her pregnant in your first year of uni? That's fucking reckless."
He sighs, the weight of the world on his shoulders, and we're forced to change the topic as the hall fills up.
And there comes the Witch....