Endgame | A Bronwyn + Nate fanfic

Part 6

Nate's POV

September 22, 7:06 AM

I walk past my dad, who opens one eye at me as I walk past. "Son," he calls after me, and I fight a rise in my eyebrows. "Dad." I peer back around the corner of the wall. 

"What... what are you doing today?" For once, his words aren't slurred, and it sounds strange coming from his mouth. 

A few months ago, my mother decided to reappear in my life and convinced my dad to go into rehab. That was about the only time I'd ever heard my dad fully sober.

Well, at least it worked for a month.

I shrug. "I dunno. No plans," I lie, when, in fact, I plan on going to Café Contigo. Bronwyn will probably be there with her sister.

My dad nods slowly. "Okay." His eyes scan the room and for a second I'm confused, but then I realise he's just searching for the bottle of beer I threw at a wall last night. I feel no guilt for that, just frustration that my dad cares more about his beer than he does about my life.

What a guy.

"I threw it out. It was empty." I say, hoping to deflect suspicion. He sighs. "Oh," is all he says, and I feel a pang of anger. He's so... shallow. What does he even have left to live for apart from a bottle of whiskey or beer?

"Bye!" I call with a sarcastic snort as I walk back down the tattered hall to my bedroom. Stan sits in his cage, looking placid and calm and bored as hell.

"Stan, my man." I pull him out and put him on my shoulder as I sit on my bed and pull out my school laptop. "At least you don't ask how I am."

Bronwyn

8:52 AM

I shove my laptop in my knitted computer sleeve that my Abuela made for me. "Let's go!" Maeve calls. "Coming!" I call back, packing a pack of tissues, a pen and my spare notebook in the side pocket. I never go anywhere unprepared.

"Bye, Mom!" I shout up the stairs to my mother, who waves at us as we walk out the front door. "Have a good day! Be safe!" She calls, and I roll my eyes at my sister, who laughs as she climbs into the passenger seat of our car.

"Where is it, Café Contigo?" I ask, and Maeve nods. "We're meeting Knox and Phoebe will be working, so she can hang with us during her lunch break."

We arrive quickly, right on time, and I notice someone through the windows. Dark hair, tall... not Nate. I fight the pang of disappointment, until I notice that it's Luis, and I shoot a sly grin at Maeve. 

"Looks like you forgot to add someone to our little catch-up." I tease, and Maeve goes bright red. "No!" She protests. "I don't know why he's here. I mean, his dad's owns the place, and he knows Knox, and he-"

"Maeve, shush." I elbow her in the ribs to stop her talking and push her through the front door. Luis's head turns up and shoots us- Maeve- a dazzling smile. I can see why she likes him.

"Go!" I hiss into her ear as I shove her towards him. She stumbles into his chest  and her cheeks flush even brighter. "Hi!" She squeaks, covering her mouth with her hands. 

I can see behind them that Knox is smothering giggles, and Phoebe has paused ordering to watch. In fact, the whole café is watching them. Most are from Bayview high, anyway, so they all know how obsessed they are with each other.

I squeeze past to make it to Knox, scooting across the booth seat to sit next to the window and across from Knox. He opens his mouth but I press my forefinger to my lips. "Watch!" I whisper, and he smiles, turning back.

"Hi," Luis's grin spreads a little further. He flicks his hair out of his eyes, and Maeve grins a little. "Um."

I can tell everyone is just waiting for one of them to make a move as I watch Luis and Maeve fumble through their introduction. There's something so sweet about the way Luis looks at her—like he's amazed by her existence. He leans closer, casually flicking his hair away from his forehead with a charming flip.

"Are you okay?" he asks her, his brow slightly furrowing in concern as he leans forward. "You look... nervous."

Maeve bites her lip, a mixture of excitement and anxiety washing over her features. "I just didn't expect to see you here," she stammers, and I can almost see the gears turning in her mind as she tries to regain her composure.

"Yeah, I didn't really plan on it either." Luis shrugs, then adds, "But I'm glad I did."

Next to me, Knox leans forward, biting the edge of his straw, clearly enjoying this live performance. "Oh boy, this is too good," he whispers, his eyes shining with mischief. I can't help but smile at him.