Electric Love

Chapter 12

The food Mrs. Mary cooked was amazingly delicious, and Nathan and I scarfed it down quickly. The chatter around the table was uneventful, mainly school and the midterms. Every now and then Nathan would catch my attention from across the table and cross his eyes or stick his tongue out, causing me to laugh.

"What's so funny, Reese?" Mr. Nadeau asks.

"Oh, uh," I stammer. "I was just thinking about how much I was overreacting about the the stitches. I was acting pretty silly, wasn't I? I can't even feel them!" I laughed.

Mr. Nadeau chuckles. "Don't feel bad, a lot of people are scared of needles. You just need to look away or not think about it."

Mrs. Mary jumps into the conversation. "I remember the first time Nathan got stitches, he almost passed out! He-"

"Mom! Ugh!" Nathan bangs his head on the table.

"Hush!" She waves him off and continues her story, much to my amusement. "He was six and he ran straight into the edge of the countertop. There was blood everywhere and a gash on his forehead, just like yours actually! He still has the scar, show her, Nathan!"

A muffled "mhm-mmm" comes from the table where he is still burying his head.

"Whatever, it was very messy, and when his father picked up the suture to thread the cut closed, he hit the floor! He can be around needles now, but he still gets a little queasy around them."

"Are you done embarrassing me now, mom?" Nathan picks his head up.

"Yes, Nathan." She rolls her eyes at him.

I catch a glimpse of the night sky through the Nadeau's window.

"Oh my gosh! Is it really that late? I need to go now!" I say.

"Oh, sweetie, we loved having you over for dinner!" Mrs. Mary opens her arms for a hug. I scream mentally. I have to hug her, if I don't, she will suspect I have a different charge! I close my eyes and walk over to her.

"Reese, you better hurry, it's dark out!" Nathan calls out in a panicked voice from the doorway.

"Sorry, I've really got to hurry, it was great tonight meeting you both!" I let out a sigh of relief and rush to the door.

"Thank you so much," I whisper to Nathan as we step onto the porch.

"It was nothing." He says, but I can see a blush creep across his cheeks. In the porch-light, I can see the small white mark where he ran into the counter from the story his mom told. I reach out to touch it. Nathan leans back away from me.

"What are you doing?" He asks me.

"We have to find a way around this-this charge thing! Maybe if I'm weak, like in the hospital, it won't hurt me, will it?" I already know his answer before he opens his mouth.

"I don't know."

I step close fast and grab his hand. He tries to yank his hand back but I hold it tight. I feel the strength draining from me in seconds, and I try to fight the darkness.

"Reese?" I hear Nathan calling me but he is starting to sound farther and farther away. I am about to fade away when he rips his hand away from mine. I almost fall on top of him, but I catch myself.

"Don't you ever want to fix this?" I say, swaying back and forth. "Because I do. we have to find a way."

"Listen to me, Reese." Nathan says, looking into my eyes. "I want to fix this. I do. But what good is it fixed if you're dead? I am perfectly fine with loving you from afar if it means you are still alive. I'm sorry if you don't feel the same."

"We're a regular Romeo and Juliet, aren't we? Only instead of feuding families, we have feuding charges." I laugh weakly.

He smiles at me. "Can you make it home on your own?"

"Yes, I can. It's not that far."

"Okay then," He says awkwardly.

"Bye."

"Goodbye, Reese."