The Hallway

Part 3

Nathan was soon laying on his own bed in the same manner Jacob was. They were mindlessly watching a program on the TV while they assumed Josh slept. It was relatively silent until Derek came in from the other room.

"Has anyone seen my toothpaste? I can't find it," he said a little too loudly. Jacob shushed him, motioning towards Josh with his head, Derek looking guilty after realizing what he insinuated. He whispered a short "sorry" before Nathan spoke quietly.

"You can use mine, it's on the far right of the counter in the bathroom," he said. Derek smiled and went to retrieve it. Just a moment later, Jacob seemed nervous again, touching at his mouth and pursing his lips repeatedly. He swiftly got up, grabbed his phone, and walked to the balcony. Closing the door to the balcony, conversation was soon heard. It was calm at first, getting more heated by the second, then cooling down again in the five minutes he took to talk on the phone. When the call could be heard getting confrontational, Derek walked out of the bathroom, giving a worried glance to the silhouette on the balcony. He made a start towards him, then strolled into his own room with a tube of toothpaste. Nathan lay in silence for the remainder of the phone call until Jacob walked back inside. He looked even more distraught, as if someone had just told him terrible news. Nathan took empathy for him and stood alongside.

"If you don't mind me asking, who were you talking to?" he said.

"Solomon," Jacob said softly. Bewildered, Nathan almost asked what happened, but he continued, choking out, "It's-it's nothing that he said or anything, it's my fault."

"Are you-" Nathan said, but was cut off by Jacob turning around to face him, eyes a strangely dark color as he glared. His pained expression returned as he turned his face away and walked to the bathroom. Not a second after he took a step, he halted and whimpered.

"Ow, bit my lip," he said, turning back around. As Nathan approached, he saw that Jacob's lip was bleeding as if it had been punctured. Jacob backed away hurriedly towards the door, hastily putting his right hand over his mouth, the other searching behind himself for the door handle. Nathan stopped in his tracks at the strange reaction, slightly raising his arms from his sides in a gesture of confusion and letting them fall back. Jacob, hand still over mouth, banged loudly into the door, rousing Joshua from his half-asleep state on the foldaway. Both Joshua and Nathan were now staring at the fearful-looking, wide-eyed Jacob.

The silence, tense with anxiety and unspoken words, was interrupted by a tired looking Derek coming through the joining door.

"I'm... sorry, I'm just putting Nate's toothpaste back," he sheepishly said, shuffling over to the bathroom and back, all eyes on him until he disappeared back into the other room. After he had left, Jacob brought his hand down from his mouth and turned his head to the side, breathing hard out of the intensity of emotion a moment earlier. Joshua looked up at Nathan and back. Nathan sighed deeply.

"I don't know if I have to apologize or not," Nathan said.

"No, you don't," Jacob said darkly, meeting his eyes with an unusually chilling glare. He turned the door handle, mumbled about going to go get something, viciously eyed Nathan one last time, then departed. Joshua looked up at Nathan again, seeming to fear for his friend and bandmate's life through his facial expression.

"If looks could kill, you'd be dead right now," Joshua said to Nathan, "and if you go out there, who knows what'll happen."

"He gave me the same attitude earlier and I didn't die," Nathan said, "He even laughed at something I said. You're right in saying that this problem he has is serious, though. I'm worried too."

"Just don't go out there, okay?"

"I can't promise that."

"Why?"

"...Because I think I left something on the bus that I need."

He stayed in the room for a patience-testing half an hour, until he impulsively got up. Next thing he knew the room door automatically locked behind him and he was out in the open.