[color=silver][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Y5ySoQI.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/zeLY2xs.png[/img]  [img]https://i.imgur.com/os8hfwv.png[/img]  [img]https://i.imgur.com/P0V43xP.png[/img]
[img]https://i.imgur.com/7SVWjDj.png[/img]
[sub]A [@metanoia], [@BitchTheFuck], & [@fledermaus] Collaboration
[b]Featuring[/b] [color=50c878]Nathaniel Blake[/color] | [color=CBADD9]Millie Jean Zadorozhny[/color] | [color=8DC73F]Tiberius[/color] & [color=BC8DBF]Jasper[/color] Delamar[/sub]
[color=#50C878]▃[/color][color=#58C67E]▃[/color][color=#60C484]▃[/color][color=#68C28B]▃[/color][color=#70C091]▃[/color][color=#79BE98]▃[/color][color=#81BD9E]▃[/color][color=#89BBA5]▃[/color][color=#91B9AB]▃[/color][color=#99B7B2]▃[/color][color=#A1B5B8]▃[/color][color=#AAB4BF]▃[/color][color=#B2B2C5]▃[/color][color=#BAB0CC]▃[/color][color=#C2AED2]▃[/color][color=#CAACD9]▃[/color][color=#C6AECE]▃[/color][color=#C2B0C4]▃[/color][color=#BEB2BA]▃[/color][color=#BAB3AF]▃[/color][color=#B6B5A5]▃[/color][color=#B2B79B]▃[/color][color=#AEB991]▃[/color][color=#A9BA86]▃[/color][color=#A5BC7C]▃[/color][color=#A1BE72]▃[/color][color=#9DC068]▃[/color][color=#99C15D]▃[/color][color=#95C353]▃[/color][color=#8DC73F]▃[/color][color=#91C14A]▃[/color][color=#95BC56]▃[/color][color=#99B761]▃[/color][color=#9EB16D]▃[/color][color=#A2AC79]▃[/color][color=#A6A784]▃[/color][color=#AAA290]▃[/color][color=#AF9C9C]▃[/color][color=#B397A7]▃[/color][color=#B792B3]▃[/color]
[/center]
[indent][indent][indent]Millie Jean likes to think she’s a good friend, but she also knows she’s a bit of a coward too. She always thinks that when it comes down to it, she’ll be a good friend rather than be a big coward. Matter of fact, it’s the only thing keeping Millie Jean from emotionally berating herself over her cowardice - the idea that, in the end, she’ll find her bravery. Except, when Tiberius Delamar presses his arm against Nate’s throat, Millie Jean finds herself letting out a single squeak.

[color=CBADD9]“H-hey, Ty - er, Tiberius.”[/color] Millie stuttered, feeling awkward and alarmed. [color=CBADD9]“U-um, Nate, well…”[/color]

Her small voice went, mostly, ignored. When Jasper arrived at the scene, really the root of their current situation (or maybe it was Millie’s fault for having a stupid idea), Millie Jean felt dread and relief at the same time. Until it was Jasper’s arm pressed against Nate’s throat.

Really, Millie Jean could do with some of that miraculous friend-fueled courage right about now. Instead, she wrings her sweaty hands together and says a mental sorry to Nate’s purpling face.

[color=BC8DBF]"What the fuck Nate,"[/color] she growled, glaring up at him. [color=BC8DBF]"I knew you couldn't handle your booze, but you can't send a text right either?"[/color]

Seeing the way Jasper looked at him sent chills down his spine. Not even a thousand jump scares could even begin to compare to what Jasper brought out of him at this very moment: pure, unadulterated, petrified horror. [color=50c878]“Well.”[/color] Nate’s eyes darted away from Jasper’s but he felt her arm tightening against his neck, pressing hard on his windpipe. His first thought was how dangerously her actions mirrored Ty’s. It must’ve been a twin thing. [color=50c878]“Like I told your brother literally moments before you took over, I only meant to send it to [i]you[/i]. But..”[/color] Nate’s blue eyes once again glanced over to Millie, the sparkle within his irises begging for her to help him out.

Millie hesitated, her hands hovering in almost a flinch. She tried to muster up some courage to deal with the intimidating twins and when she first tried to speak it came out with a squeak.

[color=CBADD9]"H-hey guys,"[/color] Millie swallowed thickly and could feel her nerves on fire, [color=CBADD9]"W-why don't we just take it easy. N-Nate was just trying to apologize. It was an accident, honest."[/color]

Nate's half-apology didn’t impress Ty. It didn’t take that much effort to make sure you were sending the text to the right person. Thankfully  (or maybe not so thankfully) for Nate, Jasper took Ty’s place before asking Nate the same question that he did. 

[color=8DC73F]”Hey Mil, I think it’s just best if --”[/color] 

Before Ty could attempt to warn Millie, Jasper turned her attention to the other girl for a brief second. [color=BC8DBF]”Oh shut the fuck up,”[/color] she said, rolling her eyes. The last thing Jasper needed right now was someone trying to mediate. [color=BC8DBF]”Who the hell invited you to this anyway?”[/color] 

[color=50c878]“Hey now!”[/color] Nate managed to say despite his current predicament. [color=50c878]“Don’t be mad at her. If you need to, direct that anger onto me. She’s only trying to help!”[/color] Nate hoped his attempt to direct Jasper’s wrath away from Millie. It wasn’t her fault she was in the middle of something he clearly didn’t need to broadcast to the entire world.

[color=BC8DBF]”You’re shitting me, right,”[/color] Jasper said, turning her attention back to Nate. [color=BC8DBF]”How is she trying to [i]help[/i]. Please, do enlighten me [i]’oh great one who cannot send a text.’”[/i][/color] 

In an attempt to calm Jasper down, Ty tried to reach out and put a hand on her shoulder, shrugging his shoulders at Millie in defeat. [color=8DC73F]”Jazzy. Remember what you said to me about crushing Nate’s windpipe? How about we let the poor guy breathe for a second, hm?”[/color] 

[color=BC8DBF]”Nope. Not yet.”[/color] 

Beforehand, Millie Jean hadn’t had a problem with Jasper (or at least that she knew of). They never really talked or anything of the sort and this probably counted as their first, maybe second, interaction ever. Then and there, Millie Jean decided she didn’t like Jasper. Yes, maybe the accident is a bit embarrassing (on both accounts, really), but that wasn’t an excuse to be so hellish and mean.

[color=CBADD9]“It was an accident.”[/color] Millie Jean repeated, and she hates herself a little bit that the hard edge and unwavering tone came from her extreme dislike of Jasper rather than her loyalty to Nate. Maybe she really is a bad friend. “Let him go.”

[color=BC8DBF]”And why should I, [i]Millie[/i]?”[/color] Jasper asked, sneering the other girl's name. [color=BC8DBF]”Because you’re gonna kick my ass or some shit? This is between Nate and I. Not you. I suggest you find your way out of this conversation.”[/color] 

[color=CBADD9]“Kick your ass? I-I wouldn’t sink so low.”[/color] Millie Jean said, her words squeaky rather than strong like she wanted it to be. Still, she jutted out her chin and cleared her throat. [color=CBADD9]“How old are you? Act like an [i]adult[/i] and-and let him go.”[/color] Fuck, she was starting to be repetitive.

Jasper laughed. Who the actual fuck did this mousey little brat think she was? It didn’t matter - her problem was with Nate. Turning her attention back to the boy, she frowned. 

[color=BC8DBF]”I don’t like her.”[/color] 

[color=8DC73F]”Jazzy please, can we not do this today?”[/color] Ty had always found Millie’s company pleasant, and he didn’t want his sister fucking that up. Millie was a loyal friend - that much Ty knew about her reputation. Shrugging his shoulders in defeat, Ty gave Millie an apologetic look. 

Choosing to ignore both her brother and Millie, Jasper attempted to continue her conversation with Nate. [color=BC8DBF]”Listen dude. Me pinning you up against the snack machine is because I’m disappointed. Not mad - but disappointed. I didn’t think you could do something so dumb. Do you know what I’m going to have to put up with for the rest of the day? Probably the rest of the year? Who the hell apologizes for touching someone's tits anyway? If I didn’t want your hands on me at The Bash [i]you would have known it.[/i]”[/color] Letting her arm fall back to her side, Jasper took a few steps back from Nate and took her spot beside her brother. Crossing her arms across her chest, she looked back at Millie. [color=BC8DBF]”I’m letting him go because, despite my behavior, part of me gives a shit. [i]Not[/i] because I give a fuck what [i]you[/i] have to say.”[/color] The true reason Jasper let go was that she was satisfied with the fact that Nate would have problems swallowing for the rest of the day. 

Nathan wanted to speak. Nathan wanted to say something, but before he ever got the chance to, Millie, the one who always seemed to be quiet and kept to herself, had really surprised him in how valiantly she fought on his behalf. He knew Jasper was scary and intimidating. He knew Millie found her scary and intimidating, but their exchanges proved a few things to Nathan. The first, of course, was how lucky he was to have a friend like Millie. She wasn’t always the kind of person to speak her mind, but when she did, it was like when Gohan went Super Saiyan 2 and beat the crud out of Perfect Cell. She was [i]that[/i] badass. 

And the second, well when Nate’s eyes fell on Jasper, who graciously had allowed him to breathe, was what Jasper said to him. He can’t lie: the fact she was disappointed and not just mad at him hurt. He felt like Kuwabara anytime Kuwabara decided to fight and got his ass beat and then Hiei added salt to the wound. If she was mad, Nate could deal. He could come back and try again when she’s had time to calm down, but disappointed? Nathan had seen that look before. His father (when he was around) had always given it to him. But there was also something Jasper had said that, in his mind, despite everything, allowed some light to be [i]somewhere[/i] at the end of the tunnel.

As he coughed, Nate finally spoke, [color=50c878]“I’m sorry. Despite what my reasons were, it shouldn’t have happened.”[/color] Truth was, Nate couldn’t possibly understand what this was going to do to Jasper or even her reputation, which was kind of already shoddy to begin with. But he didn’t want to make it even worse, so he wouldn’t add to it by making excuses. Not that anything justified what he did.

Jasper shrugged her shoulders. [color=BC8DBF]”Whatever. We should probably all head to class, right?”[/color] 

It is not that Millie Jean didn't see where Jasper was coming from. She understood to a degree, being intimately familiar with humiliation on a daily basis (the pitfalls of being easily embarrassed). She even felt a little bit guilty, since it was her suggestion in the first place and Nate is getting all the repercussions of it. Millie is a bit too scared to own up to her part in it, however. At the end of the day, though, Millie Jean still frowns and abhors the behavior Jasper displayed. Even if she felt humiliated, there was a way to go about talking of such things.

Millie Jean gently clasped Nate's wrist and tugged him from the vending machine lest he get his throat lacerated again. [color=CBADD9]"Let's go get some ice for your throat."[/color]

Nate felt like he was at a tug of war between his inner-desire of wanting to say something before Jasper and Ty had completely walked out of range and Millie Jean pulling at his arm. He resisted his friend for a moment, still deciding what he wanted to do. After twenty seconds of feeling his arm being jerked in the opposite direction the Delamar twins started to walk in, Nate sighed slowly and lowly as he waved at Jasper, who was still halfway facing him and went with Millie and did so in silence. At the end of the day, as much as Nate wanted to say something, his throat was killing him.

[color=50c878]“Yeah, alright.”[/color] Nate’s response came out in a scratchy tone, the effects of having two forearms pressed against his throat were already starting to become apparent. As he and Millie walked further and further away from the vending machines and closer to the cafeteria, the same thought of what this would do to Jasper weighed heavily on his mind. [/indent][/indent][/indent][/color]