FAR FROM NORMAL ── REGGIE PETERS

22. DEAL-MAKERS

     It was Nate, a boy from the lacrosse team at school that Luca hadn't seen since he quit the team because of time scheduling issues. Luca gave the boy a confused glance for a moment, knowing how much Nate hated skateboarding with everything that made him who he was - it was all he ever used to talk about.

     "Yeah, you could say that." Luca winced again as he tried to roll his shoulder, get the muscles moving. It was definitely going to leave a nasty bruise, that was for sure. "Hell, I haven't seen you in months. What brings you to this part of town, dude? I thought you hated skateboarding with a passion?"

     For a brief moment, Nate's eyes flashed with worry, like something in a plan had gone wrong, before it was gone again, as if it had never been there.

     "Just wanted to come and see you." The boy smiled a little, but it didn't reach his eyes. "As you said, you haven't seen me for months. Can a boy not come looking for his friend? You were the one who almost crashed into me."

     "Yeah, sorry, you're right." Luca tried to ignore the fact that Nate had actually been skateboarding as he winced again, the muscles in his shoulder tensing.

     "You need something for that shoulder?" There was a slight flash of worry in Nate's eyes as he looked from Luca's face to his shoulder. "There's a pharmacy up the road, I think. We could take you up there and see if they can just give it a check? I don't trust your pain tolerance. Never have."

     Luca tried to convince Nate he was fine, that it was a pain he had felt before - even though it wasn't - but Nate was being insistent and Luca had a feeling there was more to it than the shoulder. Nate seemed to want to get Luca by himself and even though there was something inside Luca that was screaming, "Danger!" he still followed Nate without question when he started to walk down the road.

     The boy couldn't help but notice how different his friend seemed. It had been a few months but Nate looked different. He was holding himself differently, walking differently and his whole persona just wasn't Nate. It felt wrong.

     Nate didn't say anything to Luca until they were far enough away from their group of friends that they wouldn't hear them if they spoke. Luca didn't miss the smirk on Nate's face and paused on the spot, eyeing his friend with concern.

     "Nate, is everything okay?" Luca couldn't help but feel nervous.

     "Everything is just fine, Luca. At least, now we're alone, that is."

     Luca felt his insides roll when he said that. The look in his eyes when he had said it made Luca feel the most uncomfortable had felt in a long time, but there was something almost holding him to the ground like the universe had bound him to the floor. He couldn't run. He seemed to be rooted to the spot.

     "What's going on, Nate?" Luca had tried to step away from his friend but he was frozen in place. Luca didn't know what to do in that moment. "This isn't you. The Nate I know isn't freaky, for a start. He doesn't even skateboard."

     Nate rolled his eyes, cursing himself.

     "Who'd have thought that Luca Martinez would be that observant to notice such a minor detail like that." Nate's voice had changed now, less caring and tenser. "I thought I would get away with it, but apparently I underestimated you.

     "Don't get yourself in a panic Luca, your Nate is just fine, probably at home, I don't know. I, however, am here to talk to you. About Ashley, if that's okay?"

     Luca swallowed, his heart pounding. 'Your Nate is just fine'. His Nate?

     "Who are you?" Luca breathed the words out, his chest tight as he struggled to catch a breath. "What did you do with Nate? How do you know who I am?"