Ode to Bree

K A T

Untitled Chapter Four [2]

       "No," Nathan said flatly. He pressed his thumb on the edge of the wooden table; a random thing, but it kept him from staring into Seth's judgmental, crystal (beautiful) blue eyes. "Love..." he started, but swerved into a different direction, "Relationships are complicated. I don't need that complication in my life... I already have all this music stuff going on."

       "What music stuff, kid?" Seth scoffed. "All I see, if a 'too-mature-for-his-own-age' boy that knows how to play the guitar, and writes songs that he thinks is dog shit, but yet he still continues."

       Nathan felt that blow right under his chin.

       "You're right, relationships are complicated, but what's life without its complications? Abso-fucking-lutely nothing! You're sixteen years old, man. Have you never played seven minutes in heaven, or-or at least spin the bottle or something? Tell me, you've thought of a girl before," Seth sounded desperate. Like he was trying so very hard to save Nathan from himself.

       "What's wrong with me wanting to stay celibate?" Nathan questioned, throwing an accusing look over at Seth.

       "Nothing, but you took the wrong profession if you wanted to live the lifestyle of a damn monk!"

       Nathan rolled his eyes. He pressed his thumb harder against the edge of the table, watching as the blood went from his fingernail, leaving it a pale, yellow color, instead of the weird, pink tint it always was.

       "I'm not saying I want to be a monk, you moron," he spat, "it's just... girls can be so annoying and cruel sometimes. There's this one girl," before Nathan knew it, he had already said it.

       "There's this one girl."

       Seth seemed intrigued by the phrase, and so, he took a large swig of his beer, plastered a lopsided smile on his face and listened keenly as Nathan explained his dilemma.

       "She's... I don't know what she is, exactly. One moment, she's mumbling her apologies and looking like a lost sheep, and then... she's..."

       "Different?"

       Nathan sighed and nodded, feeling slightly stupid after all that. Why did he have to bring her up to Seth? Why did he have to bring her up at all? She was sitting right behind him, with her arms wrapped tightly around her boyfriend—God dammit, she had a boyfriend! So why was she the one making his palms sweaty and his mind agitated?

       Maybe it wasn't her.
       Maybe it was Kat.

       K   A    T.

       Nathan felt an itch at the nape of his neck, burning like fire. For superstition's sake, he glanced over his shoulder and saw red in the eyes of Katherine Wilder. She was seated by Bree, who was once again, entangled with King Kong.
       The moment he locked eyes with Kat, they both turned away from each other. He wanted to push whatever happened in the men's room to the back of his mind, where all the unnecessary worries of his life were kept. He didn't want to worry about breaking someone's heart.