1000 Reasons To Smile

Chapter 9: As Joker Said

   I made my way through the crowd of people, searching for Nathan. Where was he? Was he okay? Finally, I saw him a couple feet away from me, closing his locker and turning to walk to his next class.

   "Nathan!" I called out, trying to push my way through some people standing in front of me. He turned his head slightly, looking at me, but then quickly continued walking. 

   I frowned. Why was he ignoring me?

   Finally catching up to him, I asked, "Nathan, are you okay?" 

   He didn't say anything, didn't even look at me, just kept walking. "Nathan?"

   Suddenly, he stopped, turning to me. "Look, you can't tell anyone about what had happened yesterday." He growled, his eyes dark. I opened my mouth to reply, but he cut me off, grabbing my arm and yanking out of the halls and into an empty classroom.

   "Listen to me, yesterday didn't happen, okay? You can't tell anyone you saw anything, because you saw nothing."

   "Nathan." I said, pulling my arm free of his grip. "You need to tell someone. They can help."

   "No," he growled. "No one has to know and no one will know."

   "But Nathan, your dad-"

   "No! You can't tell anyone!" Nathan half-shouted, his voice low but vehement. His eyes were clouded, hair disheveled, and it looked like he'd just picked up some random shirt from the floor in his room and yanked it on. In other words, he was a mess. Arguing with him now would get neither of us anywhere, and just make him even more stressed out then he already was, so just I nodded my head. 

   "Okay, I won't tell anyone." I said.

   Nathan drew in a deep breath and looked at me, as if judging whether or not I was lying to him. Finally, he nodded. 

   As he turned around to leave, I called out, "Nathan?" He stopped. "Does your dad...does he hit you guys?" 

   Nathan's eyes hardened, and for a second there I thought he was just going to ignore me and walk out, but then he answered. "No, just me. I wouldn't ever let him touch my mom or sister." Then he left.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

   Sister? I didn't know he had a sister. How many times had his dad hit him? Had his dad made any permanent scars before? Was he lying when he said that his dad only hit him?  

   I was sitting in third period, and the only thing I could think about was Nathan. I was so worried, but I told him that I woulnd't tell anyone about his family issues, and I couldn't just break that promise.

   Yesterday, I took the bus home. Mom and Dad still hadn't come home by the time I arrived, so I quickly washed up and tried to hold myself together the best I could. I ended up excusing myself from dinner, and lying in my bed, thinking. 

   Or at least, trying to think. There was a very annoying someone that had come to visit me. He goes by the name of Life. 

   "So, what do you think?" He asked, sitting on my desk.

   Not even bothering to look up, I'd answered, "What do you mean what do I think? There's nothing to think about."

   "On the contrary, there is much to think about." He said.

   I sighed. "I just don't get how people could be so cruel. Nathan and his mom are such good people, and here comes along this guy who looks like he's ready to kill."

   "He was drunk." Life said.

   "So?" I replied. "That's no excuse, at all."

   "Yes, well not everyone has a perfect life, Peyton."