The Tuition Fee

Chapter 11: April, Year 1

Alina

I walked into the townhome after taking my last final, breathing a sigh of relief that I'd managed to get through this semester somewhat intact. The classes were only marginally harder, but I was confident I maintained my President's List status. 

Even better, I barely saw Nathaniel. He got heavily invested in his soccer team but dropped the fraternity after the whole mess with Will. We had our schedules pinned to the fridge so we knew exactly when to avoid each other and it worked great. We posted pictures when his mother bothered us about our radio silence, tolerating each other for the five minutes it took for Reese or Marissa to snapshot a piece of our life to make it look like we were in a happy dandy, nothing-is-wrong-what-so-ever relationship. If we could fool Mr. Francis, we could fool the rest of the internet. 

I dropped my backpack on the ground and heard a small sniffle coming from the direction of the living room. I froze and looked down at my watch. Nathaniel was supposed to be in a final right now, why was he home? 

"Hello?" I called, stepping cautiously around the corner. I caught Nathaniel rubbing at his eyes before he turned away from me, frantically trying to gather his study materials. "Aren't you supposed to be at a final right now?" I asked, watching him stuff his textbooks in his backpack. 

He shrugged, movement's growing more frantic. "I got home early. I'll get out of your way." His voice cracked and he coughed, trying to mask it but I knew what I heard. Nathaniel was crying. Part of me wanted to walk away and let him be alone. The other half walked forward and held out the tissue box. 

"What happened?" 

His whole body stilled before he reached out and took a tissue, wiping at his eyes and nose. "I failed," he whispered. 

I sat down next to him, a cushion between us. "Failed what?" 

"Chem. And Orgo. And history. The better question is what did I pass?" He gave a sharp laugh and dabbed at his eyes again. "I have to retake them next semester in order to keep going with my program or change my major. And probably take summer courses." 

"Didn't you study?" I blurt. His hands ball into fists and he lets out a sharp breath. 

"Yes, Alina, I did. And it wasn't enough. I wasn't enough. So if you'll excuse me, I'll just go in my room and figure out how to tell my mother her son isn't going to be a brilliant doctor and leave it at that." He stands abruptly and tries to walk past me but I reach out and grab his arm, standing up to look at him better. His face is splotchy, eyes red and swollen and he looks like he's in so much physical pain it starts to hurt me. 

I knew Nathaniel loved sports, it was his whole life. Being in sports medicine and nutrition would give him that access to sports to be able to help athletes and players keep playing their sports like he hadn't been able to. Junior year his ACL got destroyed and with it any goal he had of playing professionally. Club soccer was all he had left besides his major, and now that was getting taken away from him too. 

"Nathaniel, wait, hold on. I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Please, hold on." I squeezed his wrist and his shoulders slumped forward and he doesn't turn around to look at me. "Have you talked to anyone else about this?" 

He shakes his head, turning to me but he refuses to look me in the eye. "No. I just found out before you came home."

I tugged him back to the couch and he landed with all his dead weight onto the couch cushions, head in his hand. "I don't know what to do," he muttered. "I can't be a physical trainer because of my knee, I don't know what else to do. I'm not good at anything else."