The next morning, Nate was gone by the time I woke up. I checked my phone to see a text from him, informing me that he left to go work with his dad for the day and learn a few more ropes of the business.
I finished all of the unpacking and did my homework. When I was making lunch at two o'clock, Nate strolled back in.
"Hey, Evie," Nate greeted. "How was your morning?"
"Pretty good. How was work?"
He told me it was fine, but didn't seem very enthusiastic. I knew that it couldn't be easy, spending the day with his dad when he knew they were numbered. But I wondered if Nate even liked the business, if taking over the company was a choice or force.
I pushed those thoughts aside, deciding he must want to take over. He wouldn't have gone through all of this for nothing.
"My dad invited us over for dinner at their house. That's cool with you, right?" Nate said.
"Yeah, of course!" I agreed instantly. There was no reason to say no.
Nate told me dinner was at seven o'clock, so I spent the afternoon working on homework and getting ready. I knew Sunday dinners were a big deal for the Kellers, so I wanted to dress to the occasion. Instead of wearing my normal jeans and a t-shirt, I put on a nice sundress and sandals.
"Evie! You ready?" Nate called from downstairs.
"Yeah, I'll be down in a minute!" I finished swiping on mascara before grabbing my purse and hopping down the steps. Nate looked cute as ever, in his Polo and khakis.
"You look nice," Nate said. I smiled and returned the compliment. "Did you put your rings on? You know our mothers will want to see us wearing them." As he said it, he hell up his left hand to show me the simple band around his ring finger.
I groaned. "No, let me go get them." I dashed back up the stairs and slid the rings on my finger quickly before running back to Nate. It was just before seven when Nate and I grabbed the batch of snickerdoodles I had made a few days before and left.
The short drive over to the Keller's we spent chatting and laughing. We'd been getting along better than ever lately, our easy childhood friendship falling right back into place.
We pulled up to their mansion of a house. I still find myself in awe every time I look at it. I by no means grew up in a struggling family, but the Kellers' wealth was excessive compared to my family. In a fashion that reminded me vaguely of movie, Mrs. Keller stepped out onto the porch as we climbed out of the car, her arms spread wide in an eccentric, welcoming manner.
"Nate! Evie! So glad you two could make it." Mrs. Keller cheered. She wrapped Nate in a tight squeeze as Mr. Keller took the plate of cookies from me. When Mrs. Keller released Nate, she turned to me and gave me a hug with as much force. She herded us to the front door. "The girls are all here. We've set up out back." Ushered through the house, the sliding glass door was already opened and waiting for us to walk through.
The back deck of the Kellers house was like a dream. The smooth wooden deck was high above the grass, with multiple sets of outdoor furniture and a fire pit occupying the space. For October, it was a warm night. The sun sinking below the horizon shined brightly in my eyes.
My parents and and sister sat with the rest of Nate's family. I took one look at Nate's dad and my heart faltered. He didn't look terrible, but I saw him withering. Thinned out hair topped his head and his shirt fell loose on his body, the tell tale sign of losing weight. I glanced over to Nate. He saw it too. I reached over and squeezed his hand once, in comfort and support. His eyes flicked to me quickly and I gave him a slight nod of my head to confirm that I was hear for him. Then, we plastered on smiles and went to greet our families.
"Evie!" My mom stood up from the table and wrapped her arms around me. She's been struggling, not having me around the house all of the time. I missed my mother of course, but she was always giving me hugs like she hadn't seen me in years and texting me whenever she wasn't with me. It was a bit suffocating.
"Hi, Mom." I greeted. When Mom released me, I gave my dad a hug and said hello to him too.
Kate smiles cheekily at me before pulling me into a hug. In my ear, she whispered, "Hey, Bitch." I laughed and whispered the same back. The words were with love, and I missed the banter I shared with my sister. I felt detached since living truly apart.
Just as we all got seated around the table, Mrs. Keller bustled back outside, carrying an outrageously large container of pasta salad. "Well, that's all the food. Dig in!"
The spread of food looked so delicious and colorful. My stomach growled in anticipation. Nate laughed next to me, and I blushed, realizing somebody else had heard. But there was no judgment from Nate. Instead, he picked up the container of pasta salad and scooped some onto my plate. I thanked him. He still knew me all too well.
The rest of the night flew past. The hours passed quickly, with dinner and dessert and games. I helped clean up the kitchen with Mrs. Keller while the men chatted about business. Before I even realized, it was nearing two in the morning. Anna and Jo had long since passed out on the couch, and the night had been winding down. I gasped when I looked at the time. "Oh my, Nate and I need to get going. We have school tomorrow."
I peeked out the sliding glass down and summoned Nate, bidding a quick farewell to all of the adult before heading out. I didn't even realize how tired I was until I was sitting in the passenger seat of Nate's car. The quiet hum of the radio lullabied me to sleep.
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I'm excited for you all to read the next chapter. Thanks for reading this one :))
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Weight
Teen Fiction"Whatever happens, we're in it together," he murmured softly. I gulped, feeling the impact of his words. We were bound by law. And though we weren't in love, we were still in a relationship, however dysfunctional it may have been. *****************...
