Chapter 8

• The drive home was silent, James kept glancing at Tracy to start up a conversation but her face looked like she was in thought and her mind was not with her. When they finally stopped in front of her house, she sat up and glanced around but even in the darkness, she knew that Nathan was not there and she immediately turned to James, “he is not here, please wait let me go over to his place, okay?”
• “Sure,” he replied and she got down from the car.
• Tracy rushed over to Nathan’s house and saw Lucy coming out of the front of door, she quickly went to her, “hi Lucy.”
• “Tracy, you guys are back early,” Lucy admitted, “how was the party?”
• “Good, but um…it’s Nathan home by any chance?”
• Lucy furrowed her brows, “no, I thought he is with you, I mean, I just said you guys are back early.”
• “Yeah I know, it’s just,” she sighed, “he left early and I can’t find him.”
• “Oh my God,” Lucy exclaimed, worry clearly written on her face now, “what do you mean by that, where could he go?”
• Seeing the worry she caused her, Tracy regretted saying anything, “don’t worry,” she said with a smile, “he is probably with some friends; a lot of his classmates were at the party, I’m sure they went to somewhere else more teenage-y, you know how teenagers can be. I will call him and know where he is okay? I should have called him before asking you, don’t mind me,” she rolled her eyes.
• Lucy took a sigh of relief, “alright then,” she climbed down the stairs to her car.
• “Are you going somewhere?” Tracy asked noticing her outfit then.
• “Yes, I just received a call, I am needed at the clinic, so I will be out most of the night,” she unlocked her car and then paused on getting in, “when you find Nathan, tell him to call me, I need to know he is alright.”
• “Of course,” Tracy nodded and Lucy smiled. She waved her goodbye and she got in the car and drove off. Tracy sighed and bit her lower lip as she reached for her phone and called Nathan but this time, his phone was switched off. She rushed back to James who was still waiting in his car. “he is not home and his phone is now off.”
• “Oh, I will just have to go home and look for him,” James replied but when Tracy opened the car door to get in, he was surprised, “what are you doing?”
• “I’m going with you,” she replied as she sat in the seat and shut the door.
• “No, no, no, that was not the agreement Trace. We agreed you are going to stay home and I will look for him.”
• “Listen, you don’t understand James, I brought him out okay, and there is no way that I am going to rest unless I know that he is home safe and sound. Do you understand? You need to see how worried Lucy looked when I told her I couldn’t find him. And knowing her, she is not going to relax until she receives a call from him.”
• James exhaled, “I understand you Trace, and I am not saying you should not be worried, I’m just saying you don’t have to go back with me, I will find him.”
• “I can’t sit here and do nothing, his phone is off, don’t you understand that? If I wasn’t worried before, I am worried now. I need to see him to make sure he is okay.”
• James stopped arguing and looked out the windshield, “I have been thinking actually.”
• “What?”
• “Did you notice anything strange with him?”
• “Strange like?”
• “When Hansel and I was saying that he and Cindy are a couple, do you notice anything strange with him, with his reaction?”
• “The only thing I noticed which wasn’t strange at all is that he didn’t concur with what you guys were saying and that is Nathan for you. You can never force him to do what he doesn’t want to do, no matter what you say or who you are. That’s him, it’s been his trait since I have known him and that’s literary saying since he was a baby.”
• “Not that,” James shook his head, “I meant the way he was looking at you.”
• Tracy frowned, “what’s wrong with the way he was looking at me?”
• “You mean you don’t see it?”
• “See what?”
• “I don’t know how to say this but have you noticed that he has never been attached with any girl his age?”
• Tracy scoffed, “that’s because he hasn’t found anyone he likes.”
• “No,” James shook his head, “it’s because he believes he already has someone he likes.”
• Tracy rolled her eyes, “trust me, if Nathan has anyone he likes, I will be the first to know.”
• “No you won’t, not when you are the one.”
• Tracy frowned deeper, “what are you talking about?”
• “Trace, I have every reason to believe that Nathan likes you.”
• “You are wrong, he doesn’t like me, he loves me, just like I love him.”
• “Not as you love him, you don’t get this do you?”
• Tracy sighed impatiently, “James, if there is anything you want to say, please say it and stop beating around the bush, we are wasting valuable time here.”
• “I think you have become too involved with his life and it’s preventing him from living the life of his age. Trace, Nathan doesn’t attend teenage parties, he doesn’t mingle with girls his age. I only see Nathan outside only when you are around. I think he is clouded with the illusion that both of you are together. You might not see this but I do and I assure you that if you ask around town, you will see that I am not the only one with this judgment. I am a man, Trace, and I know when a man has a thing for a woman. Nathan thinks he is in love with you but it’s all an illusion in his head because you are constantly around. You have always been around, I believe that if you detach from him just a little bit, he would wake up from this illusion and start living like the teenager he is.”
• “What the hell are you talking about James? This is insane.”
• “You brought him tonight as your date didn’t you?”
• “Yes I did but I don’t see anything wrong with it because Nathan and I have always been attending parties’ together, right from when he was a child.”
• “But he is not a child anymore. He is seventeen; he has grown emotions like a man.”
• “Listen James, I don’t know or understand what you are talking about this night, okay? My priority now is finding Nathan and making sure he is okay.”
• “I believe that you know and understand what I’m talking about but just playing dumb.”
• “Are you helping me to find him or not?” Tracy asked, slightly annoyed.
• James sighed, “I will help you and find him,” he started the car and they drove silently to his house. Getting there, they both got down from the car and he said, “you search outside while I go inside.” Receiving a nod from her, he walked ahead and entered the house. He went straight to the pool where Nathan’s classmates were but on getting there, he spotted Nathan walking around, looking for something and he knew immediately what he was looking for or rather who he was searching for. He took a detour to him, “Nathan,” he called.
• Nathan turned at the mention of his name and when he saw James, he rolled his eyes and intended to walk away, wondering where Tracy must have gone. He doesn’t want to stay in the damned house one more minute and he couldn’t leave without her.
• “Tracy has been looking for you,” James said and he paused and turned to him.
• “Where is she?” he asked.
• “She already went home thinking you left but you weren’t home.”
• Nathan nodded and intended to leave, feeling a little angry at himself for not taking her calls when she called.
• “Nathan wait, I want to talk to you,” James called.
• “I don’t have time,” he replied.
• “I know you don’t but just hear me what. I don’t need you to tell me to know, it’s already in your eyes. I know Tracy is a wonderful woman, she is kind, she is loving, she is jovial and she is very beautiful. But I hope you understand one thing, she is way out of your league. Maybe if you were born ten years earlier before the day you were born, you might have the chance of having her. But now,” he shook his head. “Have you ever considered what people will say when they see you two together, what society will think? Listen I know you don’t really dislike me, you just don’t like me because you know I’m going after her.”
• “Exactly and that is also the reason you are spouting all these rubbish so that I will step down and you will have her all to yourself,” Nathan replied, standing straight and looking down at him.
• James understood his tactics and chuckled, “being taller doesn’t add extra ten years to your life you know.”
• Nathan refused to back down, “listen, I don’t know what you are hoping to achieve by saying all these to me but I’m going to give you a straight answer, I am not backing down without a fight.”
• James admired his boldness, “that means you are not denying what I said.”
• “Yes, I was never hiding it. I love her and I’m going to have her.”