Nathan Meets World | Lucas Friar

Nathan Meets Brother

Just a short little chapter before things get good again. Trust me when I say that next week things are going to get really good. I'm so excited for y'all to read those chapters.

Nathan is sitting in the car looking out the window when he feels his phone vibrate. Thinking it's a text from one of his parents  he opens it, but instead it's a text from Maya.

"Look at this picture, Uncle Shawn," Nathan says handing over his phone to show off the text message he received from Maya.

"Your sister finally made the cheer squad? You didn't tell me that."

Nathan snorts, "That's because she's didn't. She and Maya stole the uniforms after tryouts this afternoon."

"And Maya is...?"

"Riley's best friend."

"Right. I knew that."

Nathan is spending the night with his Uncle Shawn who is only town for twenty four hours. He came to wish Nathan's parents a happy anniversary and then whisked Nathan away right after school.

"So, how is your sister?"

"She's alright. But you'd know that if you did more than nod at her."

Shawn groans as he pulls into the parking lot of the hotel, "Don't tell me how to live my life."

"I'm just giving you some advice Uncle Shawn."

"Hey, who's the adult here?"

"You are," Nathan says before smirking. "Do you want me to grab the stuffed pig?"

"Nobody touches Little CJ but me," he says practically lunging into the backseat to get it. "In hindsight I see what you did there. But don't joke about touching my pig."

Nathan laughs as he unlocks the hotel room. It's not bad. It could definitely be worse.

"So why didn't you go to the cheer tryouts with your sister. I could have picked you up later."

"I tried out during the summer. Riley wanted to wait," Nathan replies plopping down on the sofa.

"They hold auditions separately like that?"

"The entire school is really backwards so I don't ask questions."

Shawn hums, "Yeah, I know what that's like. Hey, did your parents tell you that your Uncle Eric was a cheerleader too?"

"Really? No, they never told me that. Was he any good?"

"Not really. He and Jack were only in it for the girls."

"Who's Jack?"

"My older brother."

"You have a brother, " Nathan questions shocked. "How did I not know you had a brother?"

"We don't talk that much."

"Why not?"

"He's made a lot of money being a big businessman."

"And what," Nathan says angrily. "he thought he was too good for you or something?"

"Actually no. I'm the one that stopped calling."

"Why would you do that?"

"It's complicated, squirt."

"That's a stupid excuse," Nathan says frustrated. "I don't care how big I get or how big Riley or Auggie gets when we get older. I'm always going to make time for them."

"It's not that simple."

"Do you have his number? Or any other way to contact him?"

"Yeah."

"Then it is simple. All you have to do is pick up your phone and call him," Nathan says pointedly.

"What right now?"

"No time like the present, Uncle Shawn."

"And what do I do if he doesn't pick up?"

"He will," Nathan says confidently.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm an older brother. And If my siblings called me I'd answer. No matter how long it's been."

Shawn shoves Nathan with a small smile before leaving the room with his phone for some privacy. Coincidentally he wasn't gone for very long before Nathan's phone started to ring.

"Hello?"

"Riley is a bad babysitter," comes the voice on the other side of the phone. It sounds a bit distant though. Nathan must be on speaker phone.

"Auggie? Why is Riley babysitting?"

"Because she wanted to be mature. But all she's done is watch tv with Maya."

"Maya is very important to Riley, Augster."

"But what about me and you?"

Nathan sighs, "Riley loves us, Auggie. Sometimes she just gets loses her way."

"It doesn't matter," Auggie says and Nathan can hear the pout through the phone. "I gave her to Maya."

"I hate to break it to you, Auggie. But you can't do that. Family is forever."

"So what do I do?"

"You trust me when I say that Riley is going to find her way back to you."

"I already did," comes Riley's voice.

"You got this, Riles?"

"Yeah, Nate," Riley says confidently. "I've got this."

"Well in that case. I'll see you both tomorrow."

Nathan exchanges 'I love yous' with his siblings and then hangs up. He can hear his godfather in the other room speaking to someone so he turns on the tv to give him some extra privacy.

Halfway through the second showing of the Red Planet Diaries season finale Shawn comes in. He sits on the sofa and pulls Nathan into a side hug.

"Good idea, squirt," he whispers during a commercial break.