Luther High: Overtime

One

    Nathalia lays outstretched on the ground next to two tombstones, fervently focusing on the sky as it is before the sun sets. With her hands resting against her chest and her script hanging from between her finger tips, she thinks about the next play her school is billed to perform, tomorrow evening. She had held a conversation with the headstones to get them caught up on what she's been doing, and had even rehearsed her lines with them. Now, all she wanted to do was to rest with them and let nature speak for the moment that she was still there.

   As Natalia shuts her eyes against the wind, it instead decides to breeze its way through her loose natural curls, giving an ample excuse for a tear to escape and make its way onto the grass. Soon enough, the sun starts to set, forcing her to sit up, and then rub her hands lightly against the grass where she's sitting, curious as to what it feels like to be under the perfect beauty of nature.

   Nathalia stands up and dusts herself off as she begins to make her way home. She kisses her index and middle fingers, then places them on both of the tombstones. "I love you guys," she says, as she turns on her heels and walks out of the cemetery, as she takes the longest route towards her home.

   The further she gets away from the cemetery, the calmer she gets. She pulls out her script to rehearse her lines once more until she gets home to complete her homework and call it a night. Her mind starts to wander to tomorrow's play, in front of a bigger crowd and pictures them as they throw roses on the stage for their outstanding performance. Her imaginations become a bigger part of her walk home until she is snapped back to reality because of the sound of a basketball bouncing constantly on the floor, frightening her a tad bit.

   Nathalia takes a wistful pause, as her eyes catch the duo of father and son as they play a little game of one on one. Her heart starts to jump at the lovely sight of a family getting along and spending time together. A smile creeps up her face, as she loses sight of the fact that she's in front of a stranger's home, and she continues to stare with wonder in her eyes, at this amazing scenery. .

   The son's back faces Nathalia as the father checks the ball to him. Blocking his son, the father notices her and looks her way, trying to read the rather ambiguous girl standing in front of his home. There's not much he can get from afar; and although he wants to ask if she needs any help, his mouth seems to have a mind of its own and refuses to move. He simply smiles back at her, unknowingly uplifting the spirit of this girl which has been down for quite some time.

   His distraction causes his son to shoot the ball without any restrain. "How are you going to let me score like that?" says the son as he speaks to his dad. The dad turns around to look at his son then turns back around to look at Nathalia, but before the son gets the chance to see her, she has left.

   "You got lucky." says the father, as he proceeds to catch the ball once his son throws it to him. He stares down at the ball while he keeps spinning it around on his fingertip. "You're blessed to have your mom and I" and at this, he stops and shoots a three pointer.

   His son raises an eyebrow, "I am?" He retrieves the ball to throw it back to his dad. "Where is this coming from?"

   "A sense that someone's family couch is half way empty." His dad starts bouncing the ball to get his head back in the game.

   On reaching home, Nathalia finds it empty because others are still at work. She runs to the kitchen to grab something to eat and as soon as she gets there, her mind debates on whether to get the item on the left or on the right, strongly fighting the temptation to select the plate on the left.However, that temptation lasts only shortly once she remembers that her body requires the vegetables on the right. She slowly pulls out the bowl full of veggies, disliking the fact that her whole life has changed before her teenager eyes.