What Life Holds

Chapter 92

Nathan's POV

It's crazy. It's really more than crazy. How you imagine certain things in your head. And how life screws you over.

Freshman year. Was supposed to be a piece of cake. Was supposed to be about basketball, getting laid and having fun. And it was like that. For a while. Not that much to my preference.

And now we come to how life screw it over : I found out my mom was cheating on my dad, my team got disqualified way too soon, I was supposed to tell my dad my mom was cheating on him, my dad found out my mom was cheating on him by chance, my sister of age 8 thinks our whole family is breaking apart, Vanessa. Yes, and Vanessa. Too many problems for a freshman guy who just wanted to live a little.

It's a good thing this damn year comes to an end soon. All I want to do is get over with my exams and get the hell lost from everywhere and everyone. I just don't want to think about anything at all. It will all be over in a couple weeks, so I got to be patient.

And for that time to pass as painlessly as possible, I got to hang out with people that I can actually tolerate. I am seeing Joseph tonight, who I haven't really seen lately since, well... He's in a relationship now. Brand new into that kind of game. It's frustrating not to have anybody reliable to talk about the things that had gone wrong. Reliable, meaning someone who could find himself in my shoes and totally get the shit I am going through. Joseph has said goodbye to his bachelor days and seems pretty committed to his girlfriend. I guess deep down it's nice to see your friend like this, since he sort of looks happy. And Joseph is still Joseph as he insists. So I can hang out with him and enjoy for real the fact that I am hanging out with him. Frat brothers are too much to handle sometimes.

It's past 20.00 and we're meeting downtown to grab a bite. The weather is great and it tricks you it's almost summertime but there are not many people out. Studying and all. People need to chill a bit. I study but I don't make a big deal out of it. I get into the place Joseph texted me and it doesn't take me long to find him. He is sitting lax at the corner table. The best and largest table. He is good at this stuff.

"How do you manage to always get the best table?" I drag the chair opposite from him and get comfortable in my seat.

"I have my connections." He smirks. "I don't like reminding you I am living longer than you here."

"Yeah, you're definitely ahead of the game when it comes to Silver City. All good? How come your girlfriend let you have dinner with me tonight?" I emphasize on the word girlfriend just to tease him.

"Alice is very lenient. She lets me go out with whoever I want, two days a week from 20:00 till 22:00. Isn't she great?" His sarcasm on full glory and as I result I crack up laughing.

"So you're really doing this? The old fashioned way? Devoted to one and only lady at this time?"

"I don't like the expression old fashioned, but I guess that's a way you can call it." Joseph shrugs. "But to be honest I don't feel like laying my eyes on any other woman. I find it strange myself, but it's true."

"Strange things happen as it seems." I grab the menu from the table to give it a look.

"I don't know how to explain it properly, but no matter how different Alice and I may seem, we have some basic things, you may call it, in common. We don't want to lose ourselves in the relationship. That's why I was against getting into one, but I think it works with Alice. Better than I expected." Joseph speaks calmly. I never thought I could hear such things coming out of his mouth but as I said, strange things all around me.

"If you think so." I respond to his sort of confession with a raise of an eyebrow. The waitress comes by our table and we pass our orders. Ginger hair, nice ass, average boobs. I am the only one flirting which is cool, not having competition, but it was fun too back in the days when Joseph and I were both into the game. The waitress leaves our table smiling and I bet Joseph hasn't paid attention to her at all. "I don't know how it happened, but in my opinion you and Alice are much alike in some things. Both stubborn, independent, never losing a chance to party. I think maybe it could work." I tell him shrugging and drink some of my water. I am no good at this kind of conversations.