Aijikan
Active member
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2024
- Messages
- 188
- Points
- 43
"Did something happen at that party?”
Nathan froze mid-bite, his spoon trembling as he stared into his cereal. Across the breakfast table, his mother’s gaze was sharp, her tone edged with suspicion.
Lily had been skipping meals, staying locked in her room except for the occasional midnight trip to the bathroom. Their father had dismissed it as “teen drama,” but their mother wasn’t so easily fooled.
“I don’t know,” Nathan mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed on his bowl.
His mother’s gaze lingered. “Nathan, you were there. You’ve barely said two words since. What’s going on?”
“I said I don’t know!” Nathan snapped, his voice louder than he intended. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
“Don’t raise your voice at me,” his mother said coldly.
“Sorry,” he muttered, pushing his chair back. “I’m going to school.”
As he grabbed his bag and headed for the door, he felt his mother’s eyes boring into his back.
---
If Nathan had hoped for a reprieve at school, he was sorely mistaken. Derrick and his friends seemed to have doubled their cruelty, sensing some unseen weakness in Nathan’s demeanor.
“Hey, Everhart!” Derrick called across the cafeteria. “How’s your sister doing? She seemed... popular the other night.”
Nathan’s grip on his lunch tray tightened, his knuckles white. He forced himself to keep walking, ignoring the laughter that erupted behind him.
He found an empty table in the corner and sat down, shoveling food into his mouth mechanically. But the jeers followed him, low murmurs and snickers spreading like wildfire.
“Everhart’s sister—”
“She was begging for it—”
"Dude, she was holding 3 at once—”
“Wonder if he watched that—”
Nathan slammed his fork down, his chest heaving. He wanted to scream, to fight, to make them shut up, but he knew it wouldn’t help. They’d only enjoy it more.
Instead, he grabbed his tray and dumped the untouched food into the trash, heading for the library where no one would bother him.
---
That night, the tension at home reached a boiling point. Nathan was in his room, headphones on, trying to drown out his thoughts with music, when a sharp knock on the door startled him.
“Nathan, open up,” his father’s voice commanded.
He hesitated, his heart pounding. Slowly, he pulled off the headphones and opened the door.
His father stood there, his face grim. Behind him, their mother looked equally stern, her arms crossed.
“We need to talk,” his father said.
Nathan’s stomach churned. “About what?”
“About Lily,” his mother said. “She’s not okay, Nathan. She won’t talk to us. She won’t eat. And we know something happened at that party.”
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to us!” his father snapped, his voice rising. “You took her there! You were supposed to look out for her!”
“I—” Nathan’s voice cracked. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. “I didn’t do anything. She was fine when I left.”
His father’s expression darkened. “You left her there? Alone?”
“I—she said she was fine,” Nathan stammered.
“And you believed her?” his mother interjected, her voice thick with disbelief. “What were you thinking?”
Nathan had no answer. He stared at the floor, his mind racing for an excuse, a justification—anything to shift the blame away from himself.
“It’s not my fault,” he mumbled.
“What did you say?” his father demanded.
Nathan looked up, his eyes burning. “It’s not my fault!” he shouted. “I didn’t make her go! I didn’t tell her to stay! She could have left if she wanted to!”
The words hung in the air, heavy and bitter. His parents stared at him, their expressions a mix of shock and disgust.
“You’re unbelievable,” his mother said finally, her voice trembling. She turned and walked away, leaving his father to glare at him one last time before following her.
Nathan shut the door and leaned against it, his chest heaving. He told himself they didn’t understand. They couldn’t understand.
“It’s not my fault,” he whispered again, but the words felt hollow.
---
Days turned into weeks, and Lily’s condition worsened. She barely left her room, and when she did, she avoided Nathan like the plague.
One night, he found her sitting in the living room, staring blankly at the TV. He hesitated in the doorway, unsure whether to approach.
“Lily?” he said softly.
She didn’t respond.
“I’m... sorry,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
That got her attention. She turned to look at him, her eyes red and swollen. “Sorry?” she repeated, her voice hoarse.
Nathan nodded, his throat tightening. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
Lily’s laugh was cold and bitter. “You didn’t mean for it to happen? You brought me there, Nathan. You left me.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said weakly.
“There’s always a choice,” she spat. “You just chose yourself.”
Nathan flinched, her words cutting deeper than he expected. “I was scared,” he admitted.
“So was I,” Lily said, her voice breaking. “But you didn’t care.”
She stood and walked past him, her shoulder brushing against his. “Don’t bother apologizing. It doesn’t change anything.”
"Ughhh.. What do I even say to creepy bastard like you?! I just don't even wanna see you in this universe!" she said making a horrifyingly disgusted face.
Nathan watched her disappear down the hall, his chest aching.
“It’s not my fault,” he whispered to the empty room, but for the first time, even he didn’t believe it.
Nathan froze mid-bite, his spoon trembling as he stared into his cereal. Across the breakfast table, his mother’s gaze was sharp, her tone edged with suspicion.
Lily had been skipping meals, staying locked in her room except for the occasional midnight trip to the bathroom. Their father had dismissed it as “teen drama,” but their mother wasn’t so easily fooled.
“I don’t know,” Nathan mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed on his bowl.
His mother’s gaze lingered. “Nathan, you were there. You’ve barely said two words since. What’s going on?”
“I said I don’t know!” Nathan snapped, his voice louder than he intended. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence.
“Don’t raise your voice at me,” his mother said coldly.
“Sorry,” he muttered, pushing his chair back. “I’m going to school.”
As he grabbed his bag and headed for the door, he felt his mother’s eyes boring into his back.
---
If Nathan had hoped for a reprieve at school, he was sorely mistaken. Derrick and his friends seemed to have doubled their cruelty, sensing some unseen weakness in Nathan’s demeanor.
“Hey, Everhart!” Derrick called across the cafeteria. “How’s your sister doing? She seemed... popular the other night.”
Nathan’s grip on his lunch tray tightened, his knuckles white. He forced himself to keep walking, ignoring the laughter that erupted behind him.
He found an empty table in the corner and sat down, shoveling food into his mouth mechanically. But the jeers followed him, low murmurs and snickers spreading like wildfire.
“Everhart’s sister—”
“She was begging for it—”
"Dude, she was holding 3 at once—”
“Wonder if he watched that—”
Nathan slammed his fork down, his chest heaving. He wanted to scream, to fight, to make them shut up, but he knew it wouldn’t help. They’d only enjoy it more.
Instead, he grabbed his tray and dumped the untouched food into the trash, heading for the library where no one would bother him.
---
That night, the tension at home reached a boiling point. Nathan was in his room, headphones on, trying to drown out his thoughts with music, when a sharp knock on the door startled him.
“Nathan, open up,” his father’s voice commanded.
He hesitated, his heart pounding. Slowly, he pulled off the headphones and opened the door.
His father stood there, his face grim. Behind him, their mother looked equally stern, her arms crossed.
“We need to talk,” his father said.
Nathan’s stomach churned. “About what?”
“About Lily,” his mother said. “She’s not okay, Nathan. She won’t talk to us. She won’t eat. And we know something happened at that party.”
Nathan shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie to us!” his father snapped, his voice rising. “You took her there! You were supposed to look out for her!”
“I—” Nathan’s voice cracked. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into his palms. “I didn’t do anything. She was fine when I left.”
His father’s expression darkened. “You left her there? Alone?”
“I—she said she was fine,” Nathan stammered.
“And you believed her?” his mother interjected, her voice thick with disbelief. “What were you thinking?”
Nathan had no answer. He stared at the floor, his mind racing for an excuse, a justification—anything to shift the blame away from himself.
“It’s not my fault,” he mumbled.
“What did you say?” his father demanded.
Nathan looked up, his eyes burning. “It’s not my fault!” he shouted. “I didn’t make her go! I didn’t tell her to stay! She could have left if she wanted to!”
The words hung in the air, heavy and bitter. His parents stared at him, their expressions a mix of shock and disgust.
“You’re unbelievable,” his mother said finally, her voice trembling. She turned and walked away, leaving his father to glare at him one last time before following her.
Nathan shut the door and leaned against it, his chest heaving. He told himself they didn’t understand. They couldn’t understand.
“It’s not my fault,” he whispered again, but the words felt hollow.
---
Days turned into weeks, and Lily’s condition worsened. She barely left her room, and when she did, she avoided Nathan like the plague.
One night, he found her sitting in the living room, staring blankly at the TV. He hesitated in the doorway, unsure whether to approach.
“Lily?” he said softly.
She didn’t respond.
“I’m... sorry,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
That got her attention. She turned to look at him, her eyes red and swollen. “Sorry?” she repeated, her voice hoarse.
Nathan nodded, his throat tightening. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”
Lily’s laugh was cold and bitter. “You didn’t mean for it to happen? You brought me there, Nathan. You left me.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” he said weakly.
“There’s always a choice,” she spat. “You just chose yourself.”
Nathan flinched, her words cutting deeper than he expected. “I was scared,” he admitted.
“So was I,” Lily said, her voice breaking. “But you didn’t care.”
She stood and walked past him, her shoulder brushing against his. “Don’t bother apologizing. It doesn’t change anything.”
"Ughhh.. What do I even say to creepy bastard like you?! I just don't even wanna see you in this universe!" she said making a horrifyingly disgusted face.
Nathan watched her disappear down the hall, his chest aching.
“It’s not my fault,” he whispered to the empty room, but for the first time, even he didn’t believe it.
