Nathan stretched out on his bed and threw a shoe at the wall. There was
silence for exactly three seconds then the occupants of the adjoining room
broke into rowdy laughter. He had honestly never thought he'd live to see
this day.
Kayla smiled at him lazily and yawned.
"You know my mom would be very upset if she discovered that you were running around throwing shoes at her walls."
"She won't find out."
"No. No, I guess not. I mean it's not as if the dirty shoe print would lead her to suspect something."
Nathan looked at the wall and realized that; yes, there was a mark where the shoe had hit it.
They both laughed and quickly a something bumped into the same wall but on the other side of it.
They hushed each other until their laughter was only hysterical spluttering and Kayla stood on shaky legs.
"I'd better get going. You need to pack too, don't you?"
"Yeah. But I think I'll wait a bit. We aren't leaving before Monday and I don't need two days to pack. But I do need to make a phone call."
"Alright." Kayla stretched and bestowed a kiss on his forehead before leaving the room.
He stared at the ceiling for a while then turned and picked up his backpack from the floor. He rummaged in it a little and rolled his eyes when he heard another burst of laughter from the other room and Ryan screeched something incomprehesible, before he finally found a crumpled note.
He picked up the phone Kayla's parents had most graciously loaned him and bit his lower lip.
Then quickly he dialled as if afraid that he would lose his guts.
He waited almost with baited breath.
"Hello?" a hoarse voice said on the other end of the line.
"Hi," he said slowly: "This is Nathan."
"Nathan?"
"Yeah, hi. Can I speak to Keenan?"
"Sure." The other man said in confusion and the phone was put down. Nathan could hear him turning and a voice said 'Benjamin, this'd better be important'.
Then the phone was picked up gruffly: "Keenan Jacobs speaking" another man said grumpily and Nathan could hear the other man laughing in the background.
"Hey, Keenan." He answered.
There was a small pause then: "Who is it?"
"It's Nathan."
"Nathan?"
"From school."
"From school? Fro. oh my God, Nathan?"
"Hi." Nathan laughed. Keenan was still himself A late sleeper, grumpy when awakened and a bit slow to catch on in the morning. Nothing had changed.
"Oh my God. Where have you been? Where have I been? What's happened? How did you get my number? Why are you calling?"
The guy in the background yelled 'stop babbling' at the same time that Nathan said it.
"I've been where I always were. How about you?" he said sarcastically.
"Don't tease. You know I speak nonsense in the morning."
"It's nearly noon."
"It's morning, now tell me how you've been. How did you get my number?"
"Er. Lyle."
There was a long silence.
"Oh. You talked to Lyle." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah."
"Then you heard.."
"Yeah."
"Calling to be a bitch?" Keenan asked with no small amount of bitterness and Nathan nearly smiled.
"No, sir. My bitching days are over and my son and his boyfriend were the ones who had to joyfully ride them out. You were lucky."
"Your son. And his boyfriend." Keenan said weakly. Then he laughed. And laughed hard. And at some point Nathan started laughing as well until he was lying on bed once more, clutching the phone and his stomach.
"What did Lyle say?" Keenan heaved.
"They didn't tell him. Are you insane?"
"Oh my God! This is really not funny at all."
"Not really but who cares."
"Where are you, Nathan?"
"I'm in Tennessee."
"Tennessee?! You moved all the way to freaking Tennessee?"
"No! We're visiting a friend. That's why I'm calling. I'd like to hear if we could come and visit when we drive home in a couple of days."
"Of course, of course. We'd love to have you. When are you coming? Or. when are you here?"
"I'm not exactly sure yet. We have to go to Annapolis first. There's someone there my son wants to meet."
THE END
A.N. There. Done. Well, thank you to everyone who's reviewed. You've been a great help. I thought about making personal thank yous but I suck at that so: Thank You! (and an extra big thank you to The Seer who has been really, really great).
The titles of the four last chapters, the ones that start with love, form a poem. Unfortunately I don't remember who wrote it, but it wasn't me.
Kayla smiled at him lazily and yawned.
"You know my mom would be very upset if she discovered that you were running around throwing shoes at her walls."
"She won't find out."
"No. No, I guess not. I mean it's not as if the dirty shoe print would lead her to suspect something."
Nathan looked at the wall and realized that; yes, there was a mark where the shoe had hit it.
They both laughed and quickly a something bumped into the same wall but on the other side of it.
They hushed each other until their laughter was only hysterical spluttering and Kayla stood on shaky legs.
"I'd better get going. You need to pack too, don't you?"
"Yeah. But I think I'll wait a bit. We aren't leaving before Monday and I don't need two days to pack. But I do need to make a phone call."
"Alright." Kayla stretched and bestowed a kiss on his forehead before leaving the room.
He stared at the ceiling for a while then turned and picked up his backpack from the floor. He rummaged in it a little and rolled his eyes when he heard another burst of laughter from the other room and Ryan screeched something incomprehesible, before he finally found a crumpled note.
He picked up the phone Kayla's parents had most graciously loaned him and bit his lower lip.
Then quickly he dialled as if afraid that he would lose his guts.
He waited almost with baited breath.
"Hello?" a hoarse voice said on the other end of the line.
"Hi," he said slowly: "This is Nathan."
"Nathan?"
"Yeah, hi. Can I speak to Keenan?"
"Sure." The other man said in confusion and the phone was put down. Nathan could hear him turning and a voice said 'Benjamin, this'd better be important'.
Then the phone was picked up gruffly: "Keenan Jacobs speaking" another man said grumpily and Nathan could hear the other man laughing in the background.
"Hey, Keenan." He answered.
There was a small pause then: "Who is it?"
"It's Nathan."
"Nathan?"
"From school."
"From school? Fro. oh my God, Nathan?"
"Hi." Nathan laughed. Keenan was still himself A late sleeper, grumpy when awakened and a bit slow to catch on in the morning. Nothing had changed.
"Oh my God. Where have you been? Where have I been? What's happened? How did you get my number? Why are you calling?"
The guy in the background yelled 'stop babbling' at the same time that Nathan said it.
"I've been where I always were. How about you?" he said sarcastically.
"Don't tease. You know I speak nonsense in the morning."
"It's nearly noon."
"It's morning, now tell me how you've been. How did you get my number?"
"Er. Lyle."
There was a long silence.
"Oh. You talked to Lyle." It wasn't a question.
"Yeah."
"Then you heard.."
"Yeah."
"Calling to be a bitch?" Keenan asked with no small amount of bitterness and Nathan nearly smiled.
"No, sir. My bitching days are over and my son and his boyfriend were the ones who had to joyfully ride them out. You were lucky."
"Your son. And his boyfriend." Keenan said weakly. Then he laughed. And laughed hard. And at some point Nathan started laughing as well until he was lying on bed once more, clutching the phone and his stomach.
"What did Lyle say?" Keenan heaved.
"They didn't tell him. Are you insane?"
"Oh my God! This is really not funny at all."
"Not really but who cares."
"Where are you, Nathan?"
"I'm in Tennessee."
"Tennessee?! You moved all the way to freaking Tennessee?"
"No! We're visiting a friend. That's why I'm calling. I'd like to hear if we could come and visit when we drive home in a couple of days."
"Of course, of course. We'd love to have you. When are you coming? Or. when are you here?"
"I'm not exactly sure yet. We have to go to Annapolis first. There's someone there my son wants to meet."
THE END
A.N. There. Done. Well, thank you to everyone who's reviewed. You've been a great help. I thought about making personal thank yous but I suck at that so: Thank You! (and an extra big thank you to The Seer who has been really, really great).
The titles of the four last chapters, the ones that start with love, form a poem. Unfortunately I don't remember who wrote it, but it wasn't me.