He arrived. Mystery Nate.
At well over six feet tall with broad shoulders, he towered over my dad and me.
And that hair. Thick blonde locks fell in waves to his shoulders. It looked better than when I tried to create the beachy wave look. I swear, if I see it in a man bun, I will rage.
He was dressed in black pants and a neon pink golf shirt, tucked in neatly. Preppy.
"You're up!" my dad was surprisingly chipper as I entered the kitchen, still not fully awake. "Jordan meet Nathan Thorpe. He'll be staying with us for the baseball season."
It was 7 am. And I was not in the mood to play along with dad's fake happy family charade.
Why was Thor in my kitchen at 7 am? Couldn't he arrive at noon like a normal human being? Not to mention, he was fully awake, like he'd been up and at it for hours.
"You have a tee off time with Tiger Woods or something?" I looked him up and down.
He turned to look at me and the corner of his lip twitched into a smirk.
There I was standing in my pajamas, which consisted of one of Nicholas's large varsity t-shirts and a baggy pair of basketball shorts. My messy black hair was half in my ponytail, half out.
All I wanted was a coffee and a bowl of cereal and instead I was being forced into an introduction that I hadn't been planning on being a part of in the first place.
Awesome.
Without saying a word, I made an about turn and headed back to my bedroom and shut the door.
Maybe I could hide here all summer and come out when it's September. Scotty, the Ditzy Duo and I would all be gone to different colleges. Thor would be gone. And maybe my body would be fully healed by then. Sleep is good for healing. I'll just sleep all summer.
Instead, my dad was back, being as annoying as possible. Pretending he was normal.
He knocked on my bedroom door.
"I'm going to bring Nate around to get him acquainted with the town. Maybe you could bring him out with your friends later?"
"Hmmrrpphhh," I grumbled into my pillow.
There was no way I was taking that giant anywhere. Did my dad just expect me to be all friendly and welcoming to some stranger posing as a son/brother figure? Sorry pops, that's not going to happen.
"She's not a morning person. We'll just give her some space. I'm sure she'll be ready to meet you properly later today. Why don't we go get some grub? There's a great breakfast place around the corner. Are you hungry?" I heard my dad asking.
"Always," Thor replied in the deepest voice I've heard out of a teenage boy in my life. How old did they say he was? First year university – eighteen. That's not the voice of an eighteen year old.
A minute later I heard them leaving the house.
I could feel the anger rising from within me. Not once since I had come home from the hospital had my dad ever offered to take me out for "some grub." Heck, he didn't even offer to make a homemade meal. And here he was acting like a real dad to a kid who wasn't even his son. How dare he?!
Sleep wasn't going to be enough of an avoidance tactic. I got up and showered, put on my leggings and racerback and headed out the door. I didn't know where I was going but I wasn't coming back to be buddies with the imposter brother.
I wandered aimlessly through the town. Despite the fact that I had seen all of these places before, it was like I was seeing it from a new perspective. I wondered what an outsider like Nate would think of our small town.
When you really stopped to pay attention, the buildings were old and weathered. Pat's Hardware Store needed a fresh coat of paint on the faded siding and Marina's Camera Shop's sign had faded from a vibrant red to a dull pink from the sun damage.
The tourists along the boardwalk were filing onto the beach, getting out early enough to stake an ideal plot of sand. This was the busiest time of the year. People came to flock to the ocean and many came to catch a Cape Cod Baseball League game. Townies called them Summer People. The Ditzy Duo tried every summer to have a Summer People Fling. I wouldn't be surprised to see them hanging out at the water's edge with their skimpiest suits, trying to scope out the ones that looked worthy of pursuing. And by worthy, I mean rich.
In the distance was one of Nicholas's favourite hangouts – the bowling alley. I have no idea why he liked it in there so much. From what I could remember, it smelled like dirty dish water and smelly feet. But he said the people who worked there were interesting to talk to and they made the best fries in town.
I never understood how he could just strike up a conversation with complete strangers. I never talked to anyone in that place if I could help it. I used to spend my time hanging out with Kari and Holly on the beach, ogling the boys and stupidly flirting by swishing my hair around like an airhead.
"Jordan!"
I heard my name called out from the beach. I knew immediately it was Scotty's voice. My stomach clenched and I could feel the blood draining from my face.
Pretending not to hear, I continued to walk towards the bowling alley, picking up my pace. When I heard him call my name a second time, I quickly popped in through the side door of the building.
"We're not actually open for another two hours, hun," a raspy voiced woman said as I sat down at one of the dining tables inside. She had black hair streaked with greys, pulled into a messy bun that sat almost directly on top of her head. Her face was weathered, and her blue eye liner was applied thick and uneven around her eyes. She wore a black bowling shirt with her name embroidered in hot pink thread about the left breast pocket. Barb. She was chewing a wad of gum and polishing bowling balls.
"Sorry. Is it ok if I just sit here for a little while? I don't want to bowl or anything. I just need to get out of the sun for a bit."
"Sure, hun," she continued on her task, putting down the ball she was polishing and starting on another. "I'm Barb, if you need anything, ok?"
I nodded.
Despite the sunny day outside, the bowling alley was quite dark inside. It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust. The main source of light were the coloured neon signs above the end of each bowling lane. The walls were painted pale tan with brown and ochre lines stretching horizontally across each wall. There were faint lines on random diagonals stuck on the walls. Nicholas used to love to come late on a Saturday night, when they turned on the blacklights, which caused those stickers to glow.
Some of the brown leather in the booths had worn so much they were tearing. Holes were patched up with glow in the dark duct tape. I guess it worked with the whole blacklight thing.
Blank screens hung above each lane, waiting for someone to come along and plug their name into the computers on the desks below.
A long bar ran across the back of the alley, with stationary stools evenly spaced two feet apart in front of it. On the left side was the shoe rental desk.
I moved to a booth in a darker corner of the dining area and sat.
All day I watched as patrons came in and out. Some were families with small kids, coming in off the beach as a break from the sun. Others seemed to be regulars that Barb had drinks and food ready for, before they even sat down.
I couldn't decide if it was pathetic that they came in so often that someone knew exactly when to have their food ready or if it was nice to have someone expecting them and even looking forward to their presence there regularly.
"Can I get you anything, hun?" Barb approached me sometime around dinner.
I shook my head.
Barb walked off and returned with a plate of fries and a hot dog.
"Oh, I don't..." I opened my hands to indicate I didn't have any wallet on me.
"It's on the house, hun," Barb winked and walked away. "You've been sitting there all day. You've got to be a little bit hungry."
"Thanks."
Fries and a hot dog wouldn't be my first choice for a meal but hey, it was free, and I guess I was a little hungry. I picked at the fries, slowly eating one at a time. They were hot and a little over-salted but it had been a while since someone else actually made any kind of food for me and I suppose that made them taste pretty good.
I watched one family with young children eating together. A boy and a girl, both about eight years old, were drawing on one of the paper placemats together, laughing. The mom and dad happily chatted. The dad must've said something funny because one of the kids looked up and scowled as their mom acted surprised and laughed.
Enjoy it while you can, fam. Times like that won't last forever.
‿‿‿‿﹌﹌﹌‿‿‿‿
Thanks for reading! Please don't forget to vote, comment and add the story to your library!
Nate has arrived! First impressions?
I'm excited to connect with you and hear your thoughts and commentary as you read through.