“No romantic comedies,” he says, as he walks to the door of the kitchen. “I'm just going to hop in the shower really fast.” The phone on the counter rings and he steps toward it, but it only rings once.
We both look toward Pierce's study as raised voices emanate from that direction. A moment later, we hear stomping coming our way and frown at each other in concern. Pierce storms in and walks to the fridge.
“Reporter?” Nate asks quietly.
“Your mother,” Pierce replies, equally quietly, though there's a hint of venom in his voice. My eyes flick over to Nate. I hope I haven't made the situation worse by taking her call that one time. He meets my gaze and shakes his head quickly as though to warn me not to say anything. “I don't know how she got this new number—it's unlisted. That bitch just won't give up.”
My mouth drops open at Pierce's language. I've never even heard him swear before, and it's so at odds with his genteel appearance that it sounds even more shocking coming out of his mouth.
“We're going to go watch a movie,” I murmur, wanting to get away from him when he's in this kind of mood. I can feel the waves of anger coming off of him. But Pierce swings around to face Nate, the Gatorade bottle in his hand.
“How many fucking times have I told you to clean up after yourself?” he growls, and I shrink back.
“I wasn't done drinking—” Nate begins.
“Don't interrupt me! You think the rest of the world is just here to serve you? That everyone else exists to make your cushy life a little easier? You've never had to work for anything in your life. It's pathetic,” Pierce spits at his son. I remain frozen on the other side of the counter, feeling like a coward, and not knowing what I should say.
I see color rise in Nate's cheeks, but all he says is, “Yes, sir.”
With that, Pierce slams the bottle back on the counter and walks back toward his office without even looking at me. Nate remains motionless for a moment, then walks over to the bottle, drinks the rest of it, and tosses it into the recycling.
“I'm sorry, you didn't deserve—” I start, feeling horrified by the scene I just witnessed.
“You still want to watch that movie?” Nate asks, tilting his head toward me but not making eye contact.
“Yes,” I whisper back, unsure of what else to do or say.
“OK, meet you in there in ten minutes,” Nate says simply and walks out. I wait until I can hear him walking up the stairs before I move. I've never heard a father talk to his son like that before, and our old neighborhood wasn't exactly full of model families. And the way Nate's shoulders slumped as Pierce was speaking to him, it was like he agreed with what his father was saying about him.
I walk up the stairs to my room and change into my sweats, before heading back downstairs to make some popcorn—food always makes me feel better. As soon as it's finished popping, I head into the den to wait for Nate. Should I tell my mom about what Pierce just did? Would she even listen? She seems to have drunk the Pierce Kool-Aid pretty heavily by this point. And now that Pierce has been the victim of false allegations, it will be even harder for her to believe anything bad about him. I glance up, frowning, as Nate walks in and sits down on the couch next to me.
“I can tell by that expression on your face that you want to talk,” he begins. I smile slightly, he knows me well. “But the stuff with my parents—it's off-limits, OK?”
But I need to tell him that those things Pierce said aren't true. “Just—”
“No, Brynn. I really want us to be able to keep hanging out. But if you keep bringing it up…”
I sigh. “Fine. I won't say anything. In exchange, though…” I walk to the wide bookcases full of DVD options.
“No romantic comedies!”
“Big Fish,” I say, pulling out the case.
“Is that a romantic comedy?” he asks, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
“Well, not really. There is romance in it, but it's more about a family,” I explain, careful not to mention the predominant father-son themes. “Hey, friendships have to have some compromise,” I add with a smile.
“OK, fine,” he says, rolling his eyes. He takes a handful of popcorn and leans against one end of the couch as I pop the DVD in. As I make myself comfortable on the other end, he pulls a blanket from the back of the couch and arranges it over my feet, because he knows that they get cold.
I feel a pang in my chest at the small gesture, but try to push it away. He's not being romantic, just thoughtful. I look up at the large TV screen as the picture comes up. I feel more comfortable around Nate than I do with anyone else in my life right now, so I have to settle for being friends with him. Otherwise I could lose him altogether.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“You and Nate head down there so we don't lose the reservation!” my mom instructs me. She planned a family outing to go rafting on the Potomac, but Pierce is stuck at the office in meetings, even though it's a Saturday. “I'll swing by and get him and meet you there.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, he said he'd only be a little longer,” she assures me.
“OK,” I reply with a shrug, and walk into the anteroom off the kitchen where Nate is slipping on his sneakers.
“My mom says they're going to meet us there,” I tell him.
“Fuck it, let’s make tracks, Sis.” he smirks.
And off we go in his Wrangler, Nate blasting some god-awful metal music.
“How do you listen to this shit? It sounds like two cat’s screwing in a trashcan.” I shake my head.
“What? This is Slayer, they’re classic trash metal, you have to have respect.” He says reverently. “I always listen to Reign in Blood before all of my games.”
“Lovely.” I screw my face up in mock horror.
He turns it up louder, nodding his head enthusiastically as the guitar riffs collide into what I assume is his favorite part of the song. It’s strange to see him let loose like this, and even though I think his taste in music is horrifying, I have to admit I like to see him enjoying himself.
Thankfully, the boathouse is just a little ways down the Potomac in the direction of the city, and I’m only subjected to Slayer for a few more minutes. The temperature on this August day is in the mid-nineties, but my mom was insistent upon doing a family activity outdoors. As we take a left on the dirt road with an old sign pointing the way, I spot an empty parking lot, and figure most people are wisely staying inside with their air-conditioning today.