Impact

Chapter Twenty

"Hey, Nate. How have you been?" Tommy smiled as he looked down at Nate. 

Tommy couldn't help it. There was something about seeing the nerd again that just put him in a good mood. It had been several weeks since their last interaction. He had tried to text him but Nate never responded. Tommy had been worried he'd done something wrong. He wondered, though, why it mattered. Sure, he was grateful for what Nate and his mother had done for him. But....was there something more?

I'm not a fag. He thought to himself.

"You...you're out of your wheelchair." Nate said to him, quickly looking away from his gaze. 

"Yeah." He smiled again. "Healing up alright. Cast on the arm is finally off, too."

"Wha--what are you doing here?" Nate asked him. 

"Oh, a buddy of mine lives in this dorm. He lent me a boot he had from when he broke his ankle. I don't need it anymore." Tommy lifted up the black medical walking boot. 

"Oh. That's.....that's good. Well, I gotta go."

The nerd moved passed him without looking up and the tone in his voice was almost breaking. He wondered what was wrong but was unsure how or even he should ask what the nerd was dealing with. Instead, he turned and gently pulled at Nate's shoulder. 

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked. 

The nerd turned but continued looking at the ground. Tommy waited for a moment as Nate took in a deep breath, almost to fortify the wall he was trying to keep up. Something was up and he could feel a part of him wanting to reach out and hug the nerd. However, it was a feeling he had pushed down for years. He had only felt it toward one other guy and even then, he didn't acknowledge it much. His father had made it very clear he couldn't be gay. 

But then, his father was still in the wind and he had no recollection of what he had done to cause his father to go off. 

"I...I have to go back home with my Mom. I'm taking a hiatus for a while." Nate replied timidly. 

"Is everything alright? Is your mom okay?" 

"Yeah...yeah..." Nate sniffled. "I just...I have to go home." 

The nerd turned once again to leave but Tommy slid in front of him. 

"Oh, hey! A Letterman? What do you play?" 

Tommy picked up the jacket and moved to unbundle it, but it was snatched back before he had the chance. The nerd re-swaddled the jacket and tucked it to his chest. 

"I don't play anything. It was given to me by.....someone special." Nate replied, looking up. There were tears in his eyes. 

Those eyes! Tommy was suddenly mesmerized at the color of them. They seemed to hold him and for a moment, the nerd seemed someone what familiar to him, more so that just someone that had found and helped take care of him. He blinked after a quick silence.

"Oh. Well, that's cool. Can I help you carry your stuff?" Tommy asked. 

"No." Nate almost snapped at him. "No. No, thank you. My mom's waiting and I have to go. It....it was good to see you Tommy."

Nate sniffled and turned for a final time. Desperate, Tommy called out after him. 

"Hey. Stacey's parents don't live far from your mom's place. Maybe I could come say 'hey' when we're visiting?"

The nerd didn't stop or even acknowledge the words before briskly turning the corner. Tommy decided not to follow. Maybe Nate hadn't heard him. Did he say something wrong? Was it something he said? He hadn't meant to offend. He stood for a moment looking at Nate's dorm. He wasn't sure why, but he was kind of sad that he wouldn't be seeing him every day. There was an ache that he couldn't explain. Suddenly, the ringtone on his phone blared to life. He reached into his pocket and looked at the screen. He smiled a little bit.