Heart's Melody

Chapter 2

"I haven't decided yet," Nathan replied. When silence followed his answer, Nathan opened one eye to see Will staring at him expectantly. He sighed. He wasn't going to get to nap, was he?

"You?" Nathan asked, pushing himself into a half-sitting position.

Will grinned now that he had Nathan's full attention. "I'm pre-med." Nathan's eyes widened, causing Will to chuckle. "I don't look the type, do I? I know. I get that a lot."

Nathan shook his head. "That's really cool. Good luck, man."

"Thanks," Will said as he plopped on his bed as well. Nathan followed his lead and resumed his previous position, both of them staring up at the ceiling. "My brother's friend was pre-med here and he said it was grueling but also extremely helpful. To be honest, I'm a little scared already."

"Understandable," Nathan said even though he didn't really understand. He was pretty much aimless when it came to his career.

He knew he had to go to college and make his parents proud. And everyone around him said that going to college was necessary to have a career but that was all he knew. He figured he'd find his path eventually. Maybe seeing what other kids his age were doing would give him some idea of what to do. So that was his plan for now. Observe and learn.

"What brought you to North Castle?" Will asked.

"Basketball scholarship," Nathan replied. And also because it's far away from home.

He didn't say the last part, however. No one needed to know that.

"You play basketball? You're kidding?" Will exclaimed, shooting up from his bed. "Damn! No wonder you are so ripped."

Nathan couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not a big deal."

"It is man! Do you have any idea how popular the basketball team is around here?" Will asked, incredulous. "You're gonna be pulling chicks left, right, and center." He sighed and fell back on the bed. "You have to, have to become my wingman. I bet you'll have a girlfriend within the first month of college."

Nathan didn't know what to say to that. It wasn't like he hadn't been with girls before. He had. Two to be specific. But the situation he was in right now... that didn't seem like a good idea.

He had all these issues and all these things he needed to look out for, dating just didn't seem right. He needed to focus more on getting his life back on track and staying out of trouble.

"Let's exchange numbers," Will said suddenly, snapping Nathan out of his thoughts. "If you ever bring a girl over, I'd very much like a heads up so I don't witness anything I'd rather not see."

And so they exchanged numbers even though Nathan knew he wasn't going to text something like that to Will ever. They continued to chat about mundane things then. Hometown, family, college life expectations.

Mostly Will talked and Nathan listened. And before he knew it, Nathan had dozed off to sleep, dreaming about colorful sticky notes and candies.

When he woke up hours later, the room was plunged into darkness. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and noticed the bed opposite to his was empty. With a groan he rolled over, staring at the ceiling as he got his bearings back.

Nathan reached out for his phone to check the time, the brightness of the screen nearly blinding him. It was ten past eight. He also had a series of texts and three calls from Will.

Will: Wakey wakey roomie

Will: Seriously bro you're gonna miss dinner