Lionheart

Chapter 14

                The moment Nick wakes up to a drab and chilly Saturday morning, he pushes any and all thoughts of Seth and friendship in favor of his school books. There are things to be done and if he can't pull himself together, his grades will suffer. Nick will probably die inside if they do. And so, with nothing else in his mind except for those A's he's been shooting for, he takes a quick, hot shower, gathers his things in a backpack and exits his room. Lisa is sitting at their little dinner table and typing rather rapidly on her phone.

"Are you spending the day in the library again?" she asks as her son approaches. Lisa sets her phone down on the table and gestures to the untouched plate of eggs and bacon (one of the few meals she knows how to cook). "Your coffee is still hot," she adds when Nick takes his seat across from her.

Nick mutters his thanks, sets his bag on the cold floor next to him. Thankfully, he didn't forget to wear socks; sometimes wooden floors are unforgiving. "Not really," he says, "I'm spending half the day... probably." He has reviewed a few lessons in advance during his free time.

Lisa lifts a hand to her chest and swoons jokingly. "My son is so studious. I'm happy you're not tiring yourself out. You're smart enough as it is; I don't see why you should worry."

The bacon is just slightly burnt, but it's still an improvement, so Nick doesn't bother pointing it out to his mother. He takes a bite. She watches him chew. Reading his mother is probably the easiest things he's ever had to do. "It's good," he comments honestly. A bit too salty, and yes, a little burnt around the edges, but good. As expected, Lisa grins and adopts an expression of utter bliss. Nick takes this chance to continue speaking. "I'm not worried." Not really, at least. "I just have nothing better to do." Nick remembers his bike, then, and wonders if it would be plausible to use it for mailman duties. Lisa doesn't want him applying for jobs, but if Nick has to do it behind her back, he will.

"Friends?" Lisa presses again, but when Nick looks at her and holds her expectant gaze for a second or two, she slumps back in her seat and sighs with an amused smile. "No friends. Okay." Nick is grateful for the respect. If he ever decides to socialize again, it will be once he's comfortable.

Nick finishes his meal in five minutes and excuses himself from the dinner table to wash his plate. Afterwards, he picks up his bag from where he left it previously and heads for the front door, but not after he watches Lisa blow a kiss from where she sits. "Don't forget to bring an umbrella!"

The walk to the library should normally be quick, but on the way there, Nick finds himself nearly slipping on the pavement from a water puddle that is certainly doing its very best to get him to crack his skull open. He gathers his wits and twists away from a woman who gives him a fierce glare for the unbidden expletive he may or may not have accidentally yelled. This day is starting off pretty bad; Nick is lucky he doesn't have any errands to run today.

"Nick?"

Oh, shit.

The blonde in question turns around, withholding a sigh. The very person he is trying to forget stands before him, dressed in a dark sweater and equally dark jeans. For some reason, Seth's cheeks seem a bit rosy. It certainly isn't because of... that—rather, the dark-haired teen eyes him with both mortification and wonder. Nick bites the inside of his cheek. It is cold, it is raining, and the bottoms of his pants are wet from his earlier (literal) slip up. If Seth is going to stare like that, Nick is going to leave.