New Beginnings (Charlie Bartlett Fanfic Starring Robert Downey Jr.)

Chapter 18 - Heartache and Kung Fu

Nathan sat behind the desk in his study, his eyes closed and his face serene. He didn't notice when Susan walked into the room and was unaware that she had been trying to get his attention for the last minute or so.

"Dad!" she finally shouted and Nathan jumped a little, startled. He plucked out his ear buds and came back to reality.

"Hey, Susie Q," he said brightly. "Sorry, I was," he motioned to the iPod in front of him, "well, I certainly don't have to explain that to you, hm?"

Susan studied her father. "Dad, are you okay?"

He smiled. "Yeah, I'm great."

"That's kind of what I mean." She cocked an eyebrow in jest. "You haven't gone from alcohol to pot, have you?"

Nathan laughed. "Which me do you like better, this one, or the one from last year - and so many before it."

"Don't get me wrong, the new you rocks and all, I'm just trying to figure it out."

He chuckled. "I am an enigma, trying to figure me out would be like trying to..."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been having sex," she interrupted, laughing.

Nathan didn't flinch. "My teenaged daughter just thought about my sex life, I'm the one who should be worrying about you. I'm sure there's another reason you wanted to talk to me?"

She smiled. "Yeah, can you drop me at Rodine's tonight on your way to class? We have a science thing."

"Of course, honey. Do you want to maybe..." He was interrupted by Susan's cell phone.

"Hey, Charlie." She waved at her father and left the room.

"...grab some dinner?" A few months ago, Nathan would have been irritated at how quickly his daughter's attention could be grabbed from him, but things had changed and he was honestly grateful for the alone time. He thumbed through Sydney's music, curious to see what else was there. He was caught up in a Sting tune as soon as he turned on the device.

Aside from a noticeable affinity towards Maroon 5, an admitted guilty pleasure of hers, he found her taste to be surprisingly eclectic. Sprinkled between some other vapid pop tunes, very obviously mood lifters, he found classic rock, jazz, and orchestral pieces, but he took notice of another trend altogether. There were countless songs of heartbreak, some that he knew others that he didn't.

He found his heart breaking as lyrics flowed behind his closed eyes. "...Too afraid to go inside, for the pain of one more loveless night. But the loneliness will stay with me and hold me 'til I fall asleep. I'm a ghost of a girl that I want to be most. I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well..." He hadn't realized that the song had caused a couple of tears to fall from his eyes until it was over. When the first chords of "Coconut" cut into his thoughts, he took out the ear buds and thought about everything Sydney had conveyed to him. She was desperate to avoid being hurt again and it was more than evident that she meant it when she said music would help him to get to know her better.

He shook his head. "She might really never let me all the way in."

Later that evening, Sydney walked into martial arts studio – she wasn't quite sure if dojo was the correct word in this case – and found herself hoping that she wasn't intruding upon Nathan. The building seemed empty, despite the smattering of cars in the parking lot, and eerily quiet as well. The main part of the building looked like a well-padded gymnasium, though she did notice doors splitting off in various directions. She began to hear a few grunts and footfalls coming from some of them and she realized those must be where private sessions were taking place. She peered awkwardly into a couple of rooms before finding the one where Nathan was training.