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“Come on, it’ll be an adventure!” Nathaniel’s friend, Alix coerces.
“No, it’s dangerous .”
“You go there all the time!”
“Yeah, during the day, when it’s not dark, ” Nathaniel argues, “What if I get kidnapped again?”
Alix sighs, “It’s literally right across the street, just go in and out.”
“Why can’t you go instead?” Nathaniel grumbles.
“I told you, I got banned!”
Nathaniel curses her under his breath, but ultimately gives in. Nathaniel… is a pushover. So, he sighs, ignoring Alix’s cheers, and goes out the door to go to the store across the street for snacks.
And, of course, someone kidnaps him right after he leaves. It’s a serious problem.
“I told you I would get you back for what you did, you ba- you’re not Stephen.” A voice growls next to him before cutting off in surprise.
“No, I am not Stephen,” Why does everyone keep thinking he’s Stephen? And why does everyone hate Stephen!?!
“You got the wrong guy?” He hears a different voice call from the alley. A voice he had heard before. Of course.
“Hey, Marc!” He calls out to his… huh, what is Marc to him? It’s hard to put a label on their relationship. Marc keeps kidnapping and letting him go. Nathaniel and Stephen must be long-lost twins for how often they get confused for each other.
“Nathaniel? Again?”
“Yeah, I’m not Stephen this time either!”
“How do we keep getting the same guy?” The girl who still has a knife on his throat asks.
“He looks like Stephen,” Nathaniel is starting to hate Stephen considering all the times he’s almost gotten kidnapped because of the guy.
The girl holding him sighs and lets go of Nathaniel.
“Bye, Nathaniel!” Marc says, “We’ll probably see you soon!” Nathaniel can hear the wink.
“When is he going to find out that Stephen isn’t real?” Blemir asks as they walk home.
“When we’re dating.”
“You can’t just invent someone so you can keep ‘accidentally’ kidnapping your crush.”
“Well, it’s working isn’t it?”