Chapter 14 - A Chat in the Locker Room

I did not think that the boy’s locker room was too great a place to have a private conversation, but Nate assured me that he could lock the door and no one ever came in there at lunch, anyways. I agreed after only ten short minutes of protesting, and a promise that he would buy me a sandwich.

 

So we were sitting cross-legged on the cool, tile flooring of the locker room--which smelled awful, by the way--both waiting for the other to start speaking. I munched on my sandwich dutifully, and Nate stared at me, his eyes gleaming.

 

“You gonna talk or what?” I asked with a mouthful of turkey and bread.

 

“I’ll get to it. Don’t rush me.”

 

I rolled my eyes, but said nothing else. I went back to my sandwich.

 

He started speaking right out of the blue, about five minutes later. “I asked my grandpa about the ghombies.”

 

My ears perked up. “You did?” I spat a little food out of my mouth accidentally. I don’t think he noticed.

 

“Yeah . . .” He took his time, collecting his thoughts. “They’re really real?”

 

“As real as you and me.”

 

He swallowed. “I can’t process that.”

 

“Try to, because now that you know, it’s your world, too.” I was hesitant to do it, but I placed my hand on top of his for a brief second, just to give him a sense of balance. I knew what it was like to have the world be pulled right out from under your feet.

 

“Can I tell you something?” I asked.

 

He instantly turned to face me, his gray eyes a storm of emotions. The colour fit perfectly. I inhaled sharply, realizing why he was so alert: he thought I liked him. Or something. I shook my head, letting my gaze drop to the floor.

 

“Ghombies are invisible to anyone who isn’t a ghombie whisperer, as I say. It’s just someone who can, well, see ghombies.” I was rambling. D****t.

 

“Uh, okay,” he said, disappointment in his voice.

 

“And, well, the person who attacked me the other night was a ghombie.” I forced myself to look back up at him. He had moved closer, his face dangerously close to mine. He seemed to be in the habit of invading my personal space.

“And you saw it.”

 

He looked confused at first, but eventually, realization dawned on him and his features twisted into disbelief.

 

“No. I’m not . . . I can’t be, can I?”

 

Poor kid was so panicked.

 

“You have to be. There’s no other explanation.”

 

“Oh my God.” He backed away and his face turned a sickly green.

 

I almost wanted to save him from the terror of reality and tell him it was all a joke, but that wouldn’t fix anything.

 

“Yeah.” Was all I said.

 

Nate laid down, pressing his cheek against the floor. At first I had no idea what he was doing, and was about to tell him that that was very unsanitary, but then I remembered when I had done the same thing. Except I had been on a bathroom floor. It was a way to cool yourself off, a method of calming.

 

I watched the back of Nate’s head for about ten minutes, and said nothing. The bottom hairs on his head had slicked from his sweat. His breathing was shattered and ragged, and he sounded scared.

 

Something in me drew me towards him, and I scooted over so I could feel the heat radiated off of him.

 

“I know it’s bad now, but trust me, it gets better.” I thought it sounded helpful, but he didn’t respond.

 

“Nate?” I whispered a minute later.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

He sat up, and I was surprised to see no red, puffy eyes. He hadn’t cried. “What do you think?”

 

I looked down at my legs self-consciously, knowing I had asked the stupidest question I could’ve. I traced a circle with my finger on the blue material of my worn jeans over and over again, until my finger was hot with the friction.

 

A gentle hand touched my cheek. I froze, and I knew I was blushing. Nate grazed my cheek with his fingertips, letting them rest of my face for a few seconds before moving them ever so slightly, brushing a strand of hair out of my eyes.

 

“There.” His voice cracked. “That was bugging me.”

 

I glanced up, and opened my mouth to say something rude and snarky, but stopped myself. Looking into his eyes, I saw right through him. He was breaking on the inside, and I couldn’t be the final crack that tore him apart completely. Those were the thoughts that pushed me to do what I did next, and I always felt a little guilty about it. I had given him hope that would be squelched later anyways.

 

I leaned forward, just slightly, and put my lips on his cheek. He had to be blushing, because no one’s skin was naturally that hot. Then I pulled away and smiled lopsidedly at him.

 

“We should talk more. Really talk.” His eyes lit up the second I said it.

 

“Yeah, okay.”

 

I grinned at him, and he grinned back.

 

Someone banged obnoxiously loud on the locker room door. “Yo, Nate! Let me in! I want some one-on-one time with Andrea, too!”

 

Wilson. Had to be.

 

My grin shifted into a scowl. “You told Wilson you were taking me here?”

 

Nate looked shaken. “I had to tell him why I wasn’t going to be in the cafeteria today.”

 

I looked away, feeling betrayed for some reason. “How long do you think he’s been standing there listening?”

 

“I’ve heard everything from something about bugs to now,” yelled Wilson. “Nate, boy, let me in!”

 

I glared at Nate. “Don’t you dare.”

 

He looked stuck. Listen to the scorned woman or the best friend?

 

“Wilson, I can’t. Not yet.” A wise choice.

 

“Dude.”

 

“Wil, I can’t.”

 

“Whatever, man.” He sounded peeved.

 

I felt kind of guilty, so I said to Nate, “I should go. The bell’s gonna ring.”

 

Nate tried to hide it, but I saw his hurt. “Oh, yeah. Okay.”

 

I got up, brushed off my jeans, and headed for the door. I yanked it open, sending Wilson flying to the ground. He must’ve been leaning againt the door, listening.

 

“Oh, hey, Andrea,” he said coolly, and raised an eyebrow at me.

 

I rolled my eyes and pushed past him. I was so not in the mood.

 

“Where’re you going, beautiful?” he called after me.

 

I cringed. Really, kid? I didn’t say anything, and just kept walking. He didn’t call after me again, and I was grateful. I did hear Wilson and Nate talking a bit, though, just as I was turning the corner. All I heard was, “she’s so unpredictable.” Hah. They didn’t know the half of it. 

Author's Note

what?! two chapters in one day?! heh. i liked this one, it was interesting. i love writing about Wilson...he's a fun character:)! anways, tell me what you think! happy reading!

Reviews

[Ness of Love]

This was good :) I loved it. When Nate was in denial, then when he was laying on the floor, I thought those were the two best parts