Psycho Social

Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home

Nathaniel sighed as he stood in front of the house he grew up. He didn't want to go inside. Didn't want to see his father. But he knew he couldn't keep putting it off like this. After all. Evan was right. He couldn't run away from his past forever, and he needed to have this talk. He took a deep breath and opened the door slowly. He could hear the TV turned on downstairs. He snuck up to his room and shut the door, stripping out of his clothes. 

He climbed into the shower, leaning against the side of the porcelain tub and running his hands over his face. He felt his stress and pain spinning down the drain as he stood under the scalding water. He didn't want to get out of the shower, because he knew his father would be waiting for an explanation on where he had been. He sighed and washed his hair and body before climbing back out of the shower. 

He shook his hair out and scrubbed it with a towel as he threw some sweatpants on and walked out of the bathroom. "Nathaniel?" He heard his dad call from downstairs. "Yeah dad. It's me." He walked into his room, throwing the towel on his bed. He threw on a loose grey shirt and walked downstairs, flopping onto the couch beside his father. His dad looked down at his hands before looking up into his sons eyes. "I'm sorry Nate." Nathaniel bit his lip and nodded. "I know. And I shouldn't have blamed you the way I did. It's not your fault mom left. It's hers. She didn't want to be here." He sighed. "I'm sorry too." He grabbed his father and hugged him tightly. "Thank you. For staying with me all these years. Even if you didn't have to." His father nodded and hugged his son back. "I could never leave you Nate. You're my entire life." Nathaniel smiled lightly. "I love you dad."

"I love you too son."

Evan smiled at him from the opposite couch and gave him a thumbs up. Nathaniel rolled his eyes and smiled. 

"Alright. I'm heading back upstairs to finish my homework alright?" Nathaniel said as he stood up. "Sure thing son." Robert said as he turned the tv back on. 

As Nathaniel was walking away his father called out. "Oh and Nathaniel?" 

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming home."

His father was tearing up as he said those words. "I didn't think you were going to come back." 

"Of course I would come back dad." 

He walked upstairs and ran his fingers through his hair. As he opened his bedroom door, he huffed. "Geez that was stressful." 

Evan laughed as he laid on Nathaniel's bed. "It was easy. All you had to do was say sorry." He laughed and threw a basketball up into the air. He caught it and then threw it again. Up..down...up...down.

Nathaniel sat on the edge of his bed and breathed out. "I know but.. it's just weird now."

Evan nodded. "Yeah I get that. But sometimes weird is good. It's something new. Maybe now that he knows how you feel, he'll understand more when you just need time alone." 

Nathaniel looked over at him. "It's not about me needing to be alone Ev. I miss her." 

"I know you do."

Nathaniel leaned back, laying on his back. He sighed and stared at the ceiling for a long while. 

After a few moments there was a knock on the door. 

"Nate? Can I come in??" Skyler called out as she leaned her head on the door. 

"Yeah. Come in." 

Skyler opened the door and stepped into the room, her long purple hair wavy from being in a hat all day. "Look. I know you feel that he doesn't care but he does. He just doesn't know how to show it." 

Nathaniel groaned and rolled onto his stomach. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. Please." 

Skyler huffed. "You can't just keep this bottled up forever you know."

 "I know."

"Then why won't you let it out?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T FEEL LIKE IT SKYLER." Nathaniel yelled into the pillow as he pulled the blankets around him. 

She laughed. "Stubborn."

"Always." He mumbled, a hint of a smile in his voice. 

Evan threw the basketball at the opposite bed, and it hit the wall and then rolled over Nathaniel's head, back onto the floor. Nathaniel peeked out from under the blankets. "Did you just try to hit me?"

"Maybe."

He grinned and put his face back into the pillow. Skyler looked down at her phone as it buzzed in her hand. 

H. Ryoma: Hey Sky. Everything okay with Nate? He hasn't been answering my texts for a few days.

Skyler looked up at Nathaniel. "Why haven't you been responding to Hunter?"

Nathaniel sat up. "Oh.. I just didn't want to worry him with all the stuff that's been going on." 

"Well you're worrying him by not responding."

Nathaniel rolled his eyes and pulled his phone out, replying to the texts. 

S. Minako: I told him. Sorry. We've just had a lot going on lately. 

H. Ryoma: Oh sorry to hear about that. Are you guys home?

S. Minako: Yeah. Come on over.

H. Ryoma: Be there soon. ;)

"Hunter's on his way." Skyler looked at Nathaniel. 

"Alright." 

"Look. Just try to be happy alright? I know you're stressed. But let's just have fun today okay?" She grabbed his hand and smiled lightly. 

"Okay. Fun. Gotcha." He smiled back.

A/N

Hey guys :) Thanks for reading! I know I haven't been updating as much as I've been planning to. But I'll make it up to you by posting some character designs later alright? :)

-Jordan