Lost But Not Forgotten | ✓

Chapter 9

Walt's POV

The next two weeks went by very fast. I noticed that Nat and Liz rarely talked; Nat now spent her time with two new girls. Even Lucas seemed to have lost his position with Nathalie. Tryouts were coming up and nobody could afford to be distracted. Anyways, Cali had calmed down because her father had finally given in and bought her a new car. That meant I was going to school alone. It felt a bit weird when I found out about the new car. Nathalie was answering my question on how she arrives at school when Cali had screamed in my ear that her father bought her the new Porsche model. Awkward much?

Wednesday evening, I lay in my bed thinking over Nathalie's family. She'd never said anything about them. So I decided to go to her house and meet them. I took my Porsche and drove. That's when I realized I had no idea where she lived. Should I call her and ask? No, I'll surprise her. That’s a better idea. But, I still had no idea where she lived. I mentally groaned. So, I decided to call a friend.
"Hello?"
"Mary! What's up? It's Walt!" She laughed.
"Why are you so happy? Yes, I know it's you. I have caller ID"
I grinned, "I need your help. Think you could get into your dad's real estate system?"
"With my hands tied behind my back. Why?"
"I... Uh... Need somebody's address and I wanna surprise them so... Yeah" I heard her laugh.
"Okay, so what's this somebody's name? Cue over exaggerated wink," I rolled my eyes
"Nathalie Kallis"
"Well, there's nobody by the name of ‘Nathalie Taylor’.” What?! “But you're in luck. I know of Nathalie. Hazel eyes and golden hair, super smart?"
"Yup." I popped the 'p'. "Wait, how do you know her?"
"I have my ways... I'm kidding. She's friends with somebody I know." Oh. Mary gave me the address and I bid her goodbye. I shook my head at the thought of Mary.
Mary Janos was my cousin. Our mothers were sisters. She was short, with black hair. She hated her hair so she always kept them in a pixie cut; she usually kept the gothic look. She was older than I was, and was in her last year of college. A computer genius, she spent most of her time in her room listening to punk music. All in all, she scared people with her fierce expression and her attitude. After Mom passed away, she was the one who told me about Dr.Ayman. Mary had visited the therapist when she was diagnosed with depression. She and I were pretty cool with each other. We got into fights but it was usually in joke. I shook my head again and drove off to Nathalie's house.
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My car pulled up in front of the address. A nice, brownstone building. I locked the car and walked up the steps. Looking around, I found the door bell and rang it.
"Coming!" A voice cried out. The door opened to reveal an old lady wearing an apron. I blinked.
"Um... Is this Nathalie's house?" She looked at me once before ushering me inside.
"Wait here," she said, showing me the living room. "Nathalie! There's somebody here to see you."
I looked around the room. It was a nicely done. White walls with a few paintings and a dining table next to the windows. The sofas were brown and the room was modestly decorated. All the time I spent with Mom decorating the house had given me knowledge of interior design. Too much knowledge for a guy. I realized the old lady was talking to me.
"Would you like anything to eat dear?" She smiled sweetly.
I got up. Mom had told me it was impolite to talk to your elders while you were sitting down. By elders she meant senior citizens.
"Oh... Um. No thank you. I'm alright." I heard a pair of feet come bounding down the stairs.
"Yes, Gran?" That's when Nathalie saw me. "Walt?"
"Err... Hi. Sorry, I didn't call or bring any house warming gift. It was unplanned actually. Me showing up here." I rubbed my neck. 'Gran' had raised her eyebrows.
"Walter Smith. Bless my soul, it's been a long time. You look just like your father." The old lady said. "Excuse me dears. I have to get back to the kitchen"
Nathalie smiled at her. "Walt? What are you doing here?"
"I came to see you. And your family."
"Oh! Sorry. Where are my manners? Do you want anything to eat or drink? Can I get you anything?" She seemed nervous and kept tugging at her shirt. That's when I realized what she was wearing. A sleeveless, crop t-shirt with Mickey Mouse on it and shorts. Her hair was tied in a messy bun. I think my jaw dropped to the floor. She was stunning! I blinked at her twice.
"Uh... Nothing. I'm... Uh... Alright." I blushed. I couldn't believe I was staring. How pathetic. She probably already thinks lowly of me with all the rumors going around in school and I just made it worse.
"Sorry, I was studying and I would've worn something a bit more modest if I knew you were coming..." She blushed. And all I did was stare at her.
"Um... Sorry for dropping in like this." I said lamely.