Born With A Single Motive (On Hold)

|4| Barrington The Ugly

Nathan's POV

"Nathan... Nathan honey, wake up."

I stir awake involuntarily, staring blankly at the woman standing over me for a good three seconds.

Ms. Cole chuckles when I calmly lower my head in recognition, then ruffle's my hair. "It's six in the morning, you should go home and get ready for school."

I slowly sit up from the couch with my hand on my neck as she walks away. I swear it feels like I've been hit with something, I can barely even feel my neck anymore.

With all my attention on my numbing neck, I slowly get up to make my way to wherever Mrs. Cole went, but instead, I end up tripping over something.

"Fu- ouch!"

My hands go out in an attempt to stop myself from falling after stubbing my toe, but unfortunately, I still land sharply on my knees. It doesn't take long before I realise I'm now practically hovering over a sleeping Vienna. I stare at her, I feel my breath hitch, she isn't like anything I've ever seen before...

She looks like a complete nightmare!

Her hair is all over her face and every now and then she snorts in her sleep. You think everyone sleeps with their eyes close, right? Vie here has her eyes partially open, it almost looks like she can see the look of disgust on my face.

"Isn't she just adorable?"

I turn and stare at Mrs. Cole in disbelief. I'd probably be either blind, or totally love struck to call whatever this is "adorable". Slowly, I move away from her as not to wake her up and look away to her mother as she hands me my backpack.

I smile sheepishly, "Thanks a lot for having me stay the night Ms. Cole."

"Call me Tonia dear."

I roll my eyes a little, I've heard that one before, "Because Mrs. Cole makes you feel old."

"No, because it reminds me that I'm a widow and I'm going to die alone."

I gulp. We stand there awkwardly until Tonia suddenly bursts out laughing, "Relax, just pulling your strings a bit."

"Ah... Right. Well, I'll get going."

She pulls out her car keys from her pocket and makes for the front door. "I'll drop you off. My grandma used to say weird things happen during the sixth hours, don't want you died by the afternoon."

"Um, ok."

I can't help myself from smiling; Tonia has that effect on you. She reminds me of my mother, my birth mother. I can't say I remember much of anything from twelve years ago, but... they both surely know the meaning of fun.

I stare at her from the passenger seat from time to time. She's put on the radio, blasting some unknown pop song so early in the morning and singing out all the words. I wonder if the real Vienna's like this; wild and carefree.

"Left, right or straight ahead?" she asks, when we come to a fork on the road.

"Um, left."

She takes the road and soon I'm getting down a little way from my sister's apartment.

"See you later, Nathan!"

I wave back, "Thanks again Tonia!"

I watch as she speeds back the other way and slowly lower my hand. The sky's almost bright now, droplets of rain can be seen on the recently mowed grass. A single bird chirps loudly on a nearby tree, and the streetlights simultaneously go off.