Bully?

Nathan did not notice Natalie's expression.

Right now, he was thinking as to what he should buy for the house.

Bed.

TV.

Sofa.

Kitchen Tools.

…

Nathan made a list in his head from the most necessary to the least needed.

Since he only has more than ₱250,000 on his balance now, he needs to buy only the living necessities and wait for another week or two to buy everything that he wants after he makes some more money.

At this time, Nathan also heard the topic of those girls that just got in.

Then turns to look at Natalie's clothing.

Although it's not that obvious, you can see traces of years passing on her clothes.

Because of that, Nathan added additional things on his list.

'I should also buy some good clothes this time. Our clothes are too old now and don't look good anymore. Tal would probably like a new dress too.'

Thinking of that, Nathan decided that after they leave this shop, they will go to a clothing store next and buy some good quality clothes.

Just as he was planning, a sudden loud voice brought him back to reality.

"Oh look who's this!"

Frowning, Nathan turns his head in the direction the voice came from.

Because of that, he noticed that those groups of teenage girls are also looking at their table, more specifically at Natalie.

Nathan raises an eyebrow, he turns to look at Natalie and it looks like she knows these girls.

But her face doesn't seem to fit with someone who met a friend.

While he was still thinking, the group of girls already approached their table.

"Hello, Natalie!"

It was the blonde girl who seems to be the leader of this group that called Natalie.

"Uhm… Hi Liz…"

Natalie started acting fidgety as the girl got closer.

Seeing how Natalie acts, Nathan has a rough idea of their relationship.

He can't help but remember the news about school bullying when he saw her attitude towards these girls.

'Is Tal being bullied in school?'

At the thought of that, a heavy frown appeared on Nathan's face.

Regulating his mood, Nathan calmed himself down.

To make Natalie relax, Nathan started speaking.

He asks, "Tal, do you know them?"

Natalie looks at Nathan and bit her lips, she looks pitiful in that kind of appearance.

She stealthily grabbed the corner of his shirt and tightly gripped onto it.

But she did not answer Nathan's question.

Contrary to Natalie, when the 3 girls' heard Nathan speak, their eyes turned to him. Seeing his looks, eyes started sparkling with light!

Being a good looking person will always have its perks in some ways or another.

"Hello! I'm Lizza, we are Natalie's friends."

The blonde leader enthusiastically introduced herself to Nathan.

Not responding immediately, Nathan took a look at Natalie's reaction first.

Her face looks sad as she faces the floor.

Nathan took note of that. Turning his head back to Lizza, he unhurriedly responded.

"Nathan, Natalie's brother."

Since he's not in a good mood, Nathan's tone sounded harsh.

As if feeling the unwelcoming attitude of Nathan, the faces of the 3 became awkward.

"Uh… Nice to meet you, Brother Nathan. Uhm, we'll go find our seats."

Before she left, she turned to Natalie and said, "Also, see you next time Natalie."

After they left, Natalie breathed a sigh of relief and loosened the grip on Nathan's clothes.

Because of that, Nathan asked, "Who are they, Tal? Are they bullying you?"

"Eh? Bullying? No, no, no!"

Hearing Nathan's question, Natalie was stunned at first, then after processing it in her brain, she frantically denied his speculation.

Looking at Natalie still denying it, Nathan sighed.

Placing his hands on her shoulder with a serious look on his face, he said, "You don't have to be scared, just tell me about it honestly."

From his face and the tone of his voice, it sounds that he is very certain that Natalie is being bullied.

Natalie raised her voice a little, "No, for real, brother! They're not bullying me!"

The people around them turned their eyes on their table because of the commotion.

Seeing that the people are looking their way, Natalie became embarrassed.

Grabbing Nathan's hand, she pulled him out of the pizza shop and left hurriedly.

…

In the park just opposite of the mall.

After arriving at the park, Natalie immediately took a seat and caught her breath.

Running all the way here without stopping, she was really tired. As for Nathan, with the improvement brought by the pill last time, he doesn't get tired so easily.

Fully rested, Natalie covered her face with her hands,

"Ahhh!! That was so embarrassing. I even raised my voice in front of so many people!"

Although he can't see her face, Nathan can still see her reddening ears and neck, looking like a ripe tomato.

"Pfft! Hahaha!"

When he thought of that, Nathan couldn't help but start laughing.

Peeking through the gap on her fingers, Natalie looks at Nathan.

When she heard him laughing, she became more embarrassed.

"Brother, don't laugh! It was so embarrassing!"

"Okay, okay, I'll stop."

Taking a deep breath, Nathan stopped himself from laughing.

Seeing that Nathan finally stopped, Natalie also started calming down.

The surroundings became silent.

Only the sound of the wind and the tweeting of the birds can be heard in this peaceful park.

The silence was broken by Natalie as she started telling Nathan her relationship with Lizza.

"Lizza, isn't a bully."

Saying that, she paused a little before continuing.

"She and I were actually friends back when we were in elementary school. We were so close back then."

"But when Mom and Dad died and problems kept on appearing for us, I felt insecure and distanced myself. Because of that, we slowly grew apart."

"Now, I find it hard to talk to her without feeling insecure. She has her friends now and dresses fashionably while I can only wear old clothes. I feel more insecure as time goes by."

"That's why when she approached earlier, I did not know how to respond. I don't even know if we're really still friends."

After saying that, she stopped talking. Tears started falling from her eyes as she was overcome with sadness.

She hurriedly tried to wipe it but more kept on flowing out of her eyes.

Nathan hugged her, patting her back gently.

A gloomy art seems to appear in this peaceful park.