Nathan<\/i><\/p>\n
By the end of the day it’s clear that what started at lunch has spread like a venereal disease throughout the entire school. Guys are smirking at me and girls are looking speculative. No one but Sinclair Pennington has the guts to talk to me. Sinclair’s a sophomore and has had a few classes with Charlotte but I never knew that they were friends.<\/p>\n
She stops me after last period before I’m headed home. Nick is waiting for me by the exit doors and by waiting, I mean he’s got one hand on same random’s ass while his head is buried in her neck. I can’t tell from this distance who it is nor do I care.\u00a0Dad told us to respect girls.\u00a0As far as I can tell Nick’s\u00a0version of respecting females is giving each one the same amount of attention.<\/p>\n
“Um, hey Nathan,” she says as I pull my jacket from my locker.<\/p>\n
“Yeah?” I fish around the side pocket for my keys. Flipping them in my hand, I\u00a0whistle. Nick pulls his head from the girl’s neck and gives me a nod.<\/p>\n
After seeing my acknowledgment he returns to his girl, this time plastering his mouth against hers. She tries to climb him like a tree so I guess it’s all good.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs Charlotte better? Rumor has it she\u2019s coming back to school soon.” She trots alongside me because I don’t make any effort to regulate my pace to match hers. Sinclair’s an awkward girl, all limbs, braces and terrible haircut. She trips right when we reach Nick and falls into\u00a0his back. Even I cringe at this. Grabbing her arm, I set her upright. Her face is bright tomato red and I choke back a laugh\u00a0because the last thing this poor girl needs is anyone snickering at her.<\/p>\n
Nick catches his balance and tightens his grip on his companion who I now see is senior Abby Halifax. She\u2019s a friendly sort of girl and one that probably doesn\u2019t mind that Nick\u2019s attention is shorter than the lifespan\u00a0of a\u00a0lightning bug.\u00a0They both turn to look at Sinclair whose eyes in pinned to the floor. She wishes that it would swallow her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch were you\u2019re going,\u201d Abby spits out clearly unhappy that her time with Nick has been interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry,\u201d Sinclair mumbles into her shoes.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo worries.\u201d Nick gives Abby another quick kiss and a pat on the ass that is clearly designed to signal her departure but she sticks around, leaning against his body as if he\u2019s her personal\u00a0resting post. But her eyes aren\u2019t on Nick; they\u2019re roving over me and I feel a little uncomfortable as she rubs herself against one Jackson while stripping the other mentally. I allow my jacket to fall forward, covering half my chest and my crotch.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpoilsport,\u201d she mouths.<\/p>\n
Shaking my head, I brush by all three of them. I want to get home and see Charlotte. Behind me I hear murmurs and then two\u00a0sets of footsteps. Christ I hope Nick isn\u2019t bringing Abby home with us. Spinning around, I open my mouth to\u00a0confront him only to see Nick and Sinclair. There\u2019s a worried look on her face and since she mentioned Charlotte, I figure I better find out what it is.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you have something you wanted me to tell Charlotte?\u201d I ask.<\/p>\n
Sinclair grimaces and blurts out,\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s all over school that she\u2019s pregnant and doesn\u2019t have cancer at all.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick and I exchange looks filled with equal parts anger and alarm.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not. And the assholes that say she doesn\u2019t have cancer are sick in their heads.\u201d Other words, ones that were more profane sit on the tip of my tongue. The rumor mill at North Prep is crazy. From Charlotte and I having sex to her being pregnant and faking cancer in under three hours? That must be some kind of fucked up record.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought\u2026\u201d she trails off.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah?\u201d Nick prompts, not so visibly angry like me. Sinclair melts under the heat of his smile so before she turns into go, I snap my fingers. They both jerk to attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d I bark. This flusters her again and Nick glares at me. I gesture for him to take over.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s more bark than bite,\u201d Nick tells her in soothing tones.\u00a0\u201cBut we all care about Charlotte. What\u2019s going on?\u201d<\/p>\n
“I know Charlotte would never lie about anything like this but some girls are jealous of how protective of her you are. How both<\/i>\u00a0of you are so careful with her and that maybe now that everyone is older she\u2019s worried she\u2019s losing you so she made up this story to tighten her hold.\u201d She barely takes a breath through the whole\u2026what. Confession? Warning?<\/p>\n
\u201cHer hold?\u201d I stare at her incredulously. This conversation is over. Behind me Nick is thanking Sinclair and telling her that everyone will get their turn with him. That <\/i>makes me laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s pretty fucking strange,\u201d Nick comments as he catches up with me.\u00a0\u201cYou telling Charlotte or you doing it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not telling her jack.\u201d I shake my head. There\u2019s no reason for Charlotte to ever find out about this crap.<\/p>\n
Nick frowns.\u00a0\u201cIf we don\u2019t tell her\u00a0she\u2019ll hear it from someone else and it\u2019s going to be even more distorted.\u201d<\/p>\n
I hit the locks and we both climb into the Audi that is designated for our use. Dad has told me a hundred times this isn\u2019t my car. He thinks we\u2019re going to end up completely worthless if we are given everything but since we\u2019re the only ones that drive this car, it seems like an empty lesson. But I get it. Ever since I was a sophomore people have been asking me where I\u2019m going to college but a degree in business has never held any interest for me. There\u2019s a way for me to live up to my dad\u2019s expectations but it doesn\u2019t involve more school when I graduate.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d I\u2019m emphatic.\u00a0\u201cShe\u2019s got three more weeks here. By the time she gets back from Switzerland, they\u2019ll have moved on to something else. I want her to be able to enjoy her last years at North Prep without this hanging over her head.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nick screws up his face but while he might disagree with me, we\u2019re a unit. He\u2019ll back me one hundred percent.\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ll keep my ears open. If anything changes\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreed. If something changes then we tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
At home, Nick starts in on his homework and I open my emails.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve made contact with your local recruiter. He\u2019s expecting a call from you. Appreciate it if you\u2019d let\u00a0your parents know. Don\u2019t like keeping this from your old man.<\/i><\/p>\n
GP<\/i><\/p>\n
I send a quick response.<\/p>\n
Thanks! I\u2019ll call ASAP. \u00a0Situation with Charlotte tense. She leaves in three weeks. Will tell them after.<\/i><\/p>\n
NJ<\/i><\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not tell us now?\u201d I whirl to see Nick standing slightly behind me and obviously reading my emails.<\/p>\n
With an apologetic smile, I say,\u00a0\u201cBecause if I tell mom and dad, they\u2019ll tell Bo and AM who\u2019ll tell Charlotte and I\u2019m not ready for her to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she\u2019ll go ballistic.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah.\u201d I grab the football and throw it to Nick. He\u00a0catches it, settles back into his chair\u00a0and tosses it back. This is how we think.\u00a0\u201cI figured I\u2019d have all this time with her but with her going away, the most I\u2019ll have is seven weeks. Three now and four when she comes back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf she comes back by then.\u201d He points out.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a little more heat on the return pass I send Nick\u2019s way and he grunts when the ball thuds against his chest.\u00a0\u201cWhen she comes back.\u201d Because if she doesn\u2019t come back by her birthday in May I might not see her until I\u2019m done with Basic. And from there I\u2019ll be shipped out to who knows where.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll be here.\u201d Nick reminds me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I want to be.\u201d I hold the ball and flip it in the air and catch it myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don\u2019t go.\u201d<\/p>\n
As if it\u2019s so easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to go to B school. I\u2019m not interested in sports like you. Serving like Dad did or Bo or Gray is the right way for me to do something meaningful. Otherwise I\u2019m sitting on my thumb taking advantage of\u00a0everything that Dad and Mom worked so hard to achieve.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could do AmeriCorps or volunteer for a year instead of doing something that might end up with you dead. Not easy to protect Charlotte if you\u2019re not around.\u201d<\/p>\n
I scoff.\u00a0\u201cNot gonna happen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n