"Are you hungry?"
Nate glared at Erik from across the counter, fidgeting in his seat anxiously. "Cut the crap and just show me the letter."
"You know, Nathaniel, most people would appreciate the efforts of another to be hospitable."
"Yeah. Okay, well get on with it. I'm not hungry. I'm not thirsty. I don't need anything, except to see that letter."
Erik let out a sigh of resignation before nodding his head. "Very well."
Dissapearing into the room Nate knew to be Erik's bedroom, he emerged a few seconds later with the envelope in his hand. To Nate's aggravation, however, Erik stopped a few feet away from him.
"I show you this on one condition."
"What?"
"You ask nothing pertaining to the contents of what you come to know as a result."
Nate's eyes narrowed. That was a hell of a promise to make considering he had no idea what the letter said. He really didn't have much of a choice, though.
"Fine." Erik covered the distance between them, handing the envelop to Nate.
With shaky hands, Nate tore the letter out of the envelope, skimming over the words eagerly.
I must confess, you've proven to be quite disappointing.
Shaming your mother from her grave...
Not very nice of you, Erik.
And Sacrificing your Queen for a pawn?
I would have thought you wiser...
Perhaps I've misjudged you,
Though only time will tell.
I would strongly recommend that you correct your unrepentant ways.
You know how troublesome family ties can be.
And no visitors, under any circumstances.
Jealousy and I do not play well together.
This is, of course, for your eyes only
I'd hate to think you'd share something this personal between us with someone else.
Nate's brows furrowed in confusion as he dropped the letter onto the counter. What the hell? None of that made any sense.
"I thought you said you didn't have any ex-boyfriends I needed to worry about?"
"This is not from an ex-boyfriend."
"And you told me I was the only one you ever told about your parents." Nate didn't mean to sound like he was accusing Erik of lying, but he didn't know any other way to say it.
"You are." Erik responded calmly.
"But then how-"
"No questions, Nathaniel, remember? I've already answered two, with was more than I had agreed to in the first place. All I can tell you is that everything that I have told you has been the truth, and that there are still things you don't know that make this situation...much more complex."
"Then why don't you explain them to me." Nate shot, feeling completely frustrated.
"There is a time and place for everything, Nathaniel. And doing so would...making things difficult."
"So freakin' what. This whole situation is already difficult."
Erik met Nate's gaze, studying his face for a second before looking away. "I have to be sure of something."
Nate let out an exasperated sigh, trying to keep his frustration in check. So this was all he was going to get out of him? God damn it, all he had now was even more unanswered questions.
"Just answer one more question for me." Nate pleaded, glancing down at the letter once more.
Erik paused, a contemplative look spreading across his face. "You may ask me, but I'm not making any promises as to whether I can answer you or not."
"What does it mean....'shaming your mother from her grave'?"
Erik's mouth twitched, his jaw tightening slightly. Right, dead parents. Sore subject.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up, but-"
"No, I believe it involves you, actually."
Nate's brows creased in confusion. "How?"
"My mother, she only believed in traditional unions."
"As in, like, homophobia?"
"Yes."
Nate fell silent. Man...what could he say to that?
"Don't hold it against her, though."
Nate shifted his gaze back up to Erik. He had an odd look on his face, something that looked like a cross between careful reminiscence and...regret?
"She had her reasons." Erik finished, picking up the letter from where Nate had dropped it on the counter and stuffing it back into the envelope.
"How can someone have any good reasons to pass judgment on people and their personal lives?" Nate asked, his voice coming out harsher than he had meant it to as he remembered all the homophobic threats Sean had made to him.
Erik's eyes narrowed slightly, his grip tightening on the envelope. "Nathaniel, things are not always black and white. There is not always a right or a wrong perspective."
"Yeah, but there's no excuse for passing judgment like that."
"That's exactly what you're doing."
"What?"
"Your passing judgment on my mother. You have no idea who she was, or why she felt that way. You've simply decided it must be out of sheer ignorance, and that her opinion is inexcusable. Nathaniel, I understand where you're coming from, better than anyone. As her son, I know first hand what it feels like to face such unfair scrutiny. But believe me when I tell you she had her reasons."
Nate looked down, focusing his gaze on the floor. Crap. He was being such an asshole. Had he really just told his boyfriend that his dead mother was ignorant and had no right to feel the way she apparently had?
"I'm sorry, Erik. I shouldn't have said that."
"It's alright, Nathaniel."
"No, it's not. I'm just....this whole car thing, it's about you being with me, isn't it? I mean, it's about us being together or whatever. It's just, we've barely even started dating, and we're already having to deal with all this shit."
"The best things in life are the ones you have to fight for, Nathaniel."
Nate sighed, looking back up. "I know. I just hate that it has to be like this."
Erik shrugged, a small smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Oddly, Nate felt at ease seeing the familiar expression on Erik's face, relaxing slightly.
"I guess it's a good thing I like you so much. If it had been anyone else, you know, I would have simply moved on and concluded that they weren't worth the trouble."
Nate flushed deeply, rolling his eyes. "Yeah. Whatever. I'm sure that's what you tell all your boyfriends."
Erik shook his head. "No. I've never really had a boyfriend before, not like this. I've had guys that I've explored a sexual relationship with, but nothing further."
So, that's what he had meant when he'd said he had none Nate needed to worry about. And that was probably also why he seemed so sure one of his ex 's wasn't behind this. Whoever was doing all this definitely had some type of emotional attachment.
"And you're sure you don't want to take this to the cops?"
"No." Erik's response was swift. "I will handle this myself."
Nate's eyes narrowed. He knew this had reached an all new personal level when this guy, whoever he was, had taken a low shot at Erik's dead mom. That worried him, though. He didn't want Erik losing his head and getting all caught up in revenge.
"Don't do anything stupid, Erik."
Erik tilted his head to the side, a crooked grin spreading across his face. "You don't think I'd act brashly over a few words, do you?"
Nate wanted to say no. He really did. But he knew if it were him, he'd make sure that when he found whoever was doing this, they got what they deserved and then some, no matter what.
Amber made her way over to her hot pink slug bug parked at the end of the block. She was too cheap to buy a permit to park in the school's designated parking lot. A total waste of money, as far as she was concerned.
Rifling through her purse for her keys, she found them after a few seconds of digging, glancing back up and-
"Holy Shit! What the hell, Sean!"
Sean was leaning up against the back door of Amber's car, his arms crossed in an awkward position as if he was making a pathetic attempt to flex at the same time.
"Hey, Babe."
"I told you not to call me that."
"No, you told me not to call you Baby."
Amber rolled her eyes, chewing her gum loudly in an attempt to annoy her unwanted admirer.
"How 'bout this, then. Just call me Amber. Nothing else. That should be easy enough for you."
Amber moved to open her car door, only to feel it being pushed back shut from behind her. Wheeling around, Amber glared at Sean, who was now in front of her, his right hand pressed up against the car door to keep her from leaving.
"You know, I think I've had just about enough of listening to you bitch."
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I somehow give you the impression that I care what you want."
Sean's face reddened, his eyes flaring behind his sunglasses.
"You'll shut the fuck up right now if you know what's good for you."
Amber lowered her right hand into her purse, feeling around for her pepper-spray. Crap. Where the hell had she put it?
"Get the hell away from me, Sean. I'm friends with Erik now, and if you even touch me, he'll kick your ass."
Sean let out a menacing cackle. "Oh, well now, I guess that means I should just go back to being your little bitch, then, right? God, your such a stupid girl. Erik is the reason I'm doing this, him and your best friend. So when you wake up in the hospital, you know who to thank."
Flattening herself as best she could against her slug bug, Amber braced herself, closing her eyes. Except nothing happened. Squinting, she opened one eye, and then the other. Sean was sprawled out on the sidewalk, some tall guy pinning him down.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" The guy on top of Sean asked.
"Get the fuck off me!" Sean growled, trying to overpower the guy and failing.
Something else was said, so quietly Amber couldn't make it out, before the guy got off of Sean and shooed him away. Shooting Amber one menacing look, Sean regarded the guy with the same evil glare before heading off in the direction of the school.
"Are you alright?" The blonde said, finally turning towards her.
Amber blinked, recognizing him from the picture Nate had sent her.
"Yeah. Thanks."
"No problem."
"Listen, I think I might know you. Are you friends with a kid named Nate?"
The man's brows creased in confusion, though he nodded his head. "Yeah. Why? Do you know him?"
"Well, he's sort of my best friend."
A wide smile spread across the man's face as he stepped forward. "Well, any friend of Nate's is a friend of mine. Listen, you seem a little shaken. Maybe I should take you home."
Amber nodded in agreement, not wanting to be alone after what had just happened. Walking with the man back to his car, Amber made small talk with him, sliding into the passenger's seat.
"Hey, listen, you wouldn't by any chance be hungry? I was just going to grab a bite to eat."
Amber nodded, feeling her stomach growl. She always got hungry when she was nervous, or scared.
"Cool. Yeah, that sounds fun."
Maybe her luck had turned around. Maybe this guy was straight, and Nate was just his exception. He certainly seemed straight. And he was cute, too. Besides, it was time for her to get over her little crush on Erik and move on, seeing as he was, after all, dating her best friend now. And Nate had told her he didn't even like this guy, so what harm would come from a little dinner date?