Chapter 22: {21}

Nate walked out of the room without looking back, walking down the tight corridor until he reached the main lobby. He then took a right and ended up in another hallway. This hallway was different to the one he had just walked down, this one was more open, a larger walkway with deep red painted walls. Artwork lined the walls in bright colours, and Nate somewhat admired them as he strode down the tiled floors. He hadn’t even noticed the artwork the last time that he was in the hallway, instead he had been chasing after an angry Brody.

That was his missed chance. He had an opportunity back then to show to his mate how much he trusted him, and yet he threw the opportunity out the window. He should have sided with him, he should have listened back then, and maybe things would have been able to turn out differently.

Yet, Tye and Jace would have still have been using him for his money, and so things probably wouldn’t have been that different.

All roads led here, he decided.

He arrived at the reception for Mr. Woods’s office. At the large desk sat the same man that had been there that morning, this time a phone was pressed against his ear by his shoulder and his fingers typed against the keyboard at the same time.

Nate slowly walked up to the desk, impatiently waiting for him to have a free moment.

The man hung up the phone after a few moments, his other hand’s fingers stilling on the keyboard and he looked up at Nate, ‘How can I help you?’ he asked in kind of practiced yet still genuine politeness.

‘Is Mr. Woods in his office? Would it be alright if I see him for a moment?’ he asked, hoping that the man sensed the slight urgency in his tone.

The man nodded, ‘Oh sure, he just walked into his office a few minutes ago.’

‘Thank-you,’ he told him quickly.

Nate walked past the desk to face the door and knocked against the wood. He didn’t feel any fear or worry as he waited for a reply from inside. Instead he radiated confidence, so sure of himself and what he ought to achieve in the next few minutes. There was no question of maybe. He knew what he needed to do, and he was going to make sure that he was the one who held the power. In this determination and power he sensed a bit of his father in himself. There weren’t many moments where Nate felt a connection to his father, but in this one he did. His father was strong and knew what he wanted, exactly like Nate in this moment.

‘Come in,’ he heard Mr. Wood’s say.

Nate opened the door, taking a step inside.

‘Nate?’ he seemed surprised to see him. ‘What can I help you with?’ he asked as he sat up a little straighter in his chair.

Nate took a seat without waiting for an invitation to sit. Instead, he sat casually in the chair, one arm strung carelessly around the back. He had a plan, a good one at that, and he hoped that it went the way that he had intended.

‘I have a deal for you,’ Nate offered in a tone that seemed to toe the line of threatening and casualness at the same time.

‘A deal?’ Mr. Wood’s posture changed, and his face hardened. ‘What sort of deal are you proposing Mr. King?’ he asked in a way that told Nate that Mr. Woods was somewhat worried about what he had to say.

Nate leaned back into the chair further, ‘I won’t tell my father one word about what happened today, including the fact that you tried to cover up a student’s injury for the sake of reputation, if you promise to never hide anything from the council again, and transfer Tye and Jace to another camp. Immediately.’

Michael looked taken aback, ‘I don’t understand what has changed since the last time we spoke only a little while ago.’

Nate tried not to let his emotions show on his face, ‘A lot has changed,’ he muttered. ‘These are my terms,’ he stated with resolve.

Mr. Woods leaned back in his much larger chair, his hands resting casually on the oversized desk he was situated at. ‘I don’t make a habit of making deals with children,’ he said derogatorily, his demeanour changing in such a short amount of time. Nate was almost surprised by it.

Nate pulled his phone from his pocket, flipping it around in his hands casually, ‘And what happens if this child calls his father and tells him to inquire into the camps documents, see where the discrepancies lie. I’m sure that this isn’t the first time that you have buried things that you didn’t want the council to notice. What happens then? How many of the councils rules have you broken?’ he leant forwards intimidatingly, ‘How much do you value your job, Mr. Woods?’ he asked.

Michael bit at his lip, obviously backed into a corner with no other options. ‘Deal, Mr. King.’

‘Nice doing business with you,’ he muttered, quickly leaving the office and closing the door behind him. He pressed his back against the hard door behind him, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes for a moment. He didn’t like this, he didn’t like what he had just done, the person that he had been. He never used his father’s influence for his own benefit, never. Yet, Tye and Jace would now be shipped off to another camp and Brody was safe, that was all that mattered to Nate.

He opened his eyes to see that the receptionist was looking at him with a concerned expression, yet he didn’t say anything. Maybe he was used to frustrated, emotionally damaged students leaving this office. It was definitely a possibility.

Nate walked past the desk and back into the hall, walking quickly out of the building. He found his way to the main doors, thankful for the cool, fresh air that hit him the moment that he was out of the confines of the monstrous building. He felt relief wash over him with every step he took away from it.

He made his way over to the accommodation building in the last light of the day, the warm glow of the sun fading even as it hit his skin. He was glad that the day was over, he just wanted to go to Brody’s room and apologise. Then he would hold his mate in his arms and let sleep take him. He hoped it would turn out that way, that things would just go back to normal between them, yet a sliver of worry wouldn’t budge. It told him that Brody could be mad, that he could blame him for not believing him in the first place, and it scared Nate.

He walked into the lobby of the accommodation building, his phone lighting up just as he pressed the elevator button.

Did you find the guys? - Lucy

He had found them alright.

Yeah, they are all okay, just lost track of time I guess. I’m going to have an early night and I think the guys are too. See you in the morning? – Nate

She replied just as the doors opened and Nate stepped into the mirrored room.

Okay xo– Lucy

Nate pressed the button for Brody’s floor, surprised when he could see Kayden leaving Brody’s room down the hall when the mirrored doors opened. He crossed the space between them just as Kayden turned around, smiling weakly at his friend.

‘Hey,’ he said somewhat awkwardly.

‘I wouldn’t go in there,’ Kayden nudged his shoulder towards Brody’s door. ‘He took a pain killer and was out like a light, you’ll have more luck in the morning.’

Nate figured that sleep wasn’t a bad thing, Brody had surely been through enough for one day, and that arm wasn’t going to heal without it. Even then, having this unresolved issue between them for an extra night made Nate want to pull his hair out, but he decided not to disturb Brody anyway.

‘Okay, that’s fine,’ he told Kayden, and they both walked back towards the elevator, taking it down one floor to three, where their rooms were. Kayden and he had been living next to each other for weeks, and yet Nate felt like he hadn’t spent much time with him at all. He supposed that he and Brody were usually doing things alone, and it made Nate feel a tinge bad that he might have ostracized Kayden a little. He and Kayden had been friends for years and the idea of making him feel left out caused Nate to feel a little guilty.

They didn’t speak in the elevator and Nate wasn’t sure what it was exactly that was looming over them, but it created an awkwardness between them that was almost tangible. Nate wished he could read Kayden’s thoughts, to reach inside of his mind and see what it was. Was Kayden mad at him for not recognising Tye and Jace’s plans? Was he upset with Nate for the way that he had treated the situation?

They walked up to their doors, Nate putting his key into his door while Kayden was doing the same to the room next to his, but Nate paused in his movements.

‘Do you want to come in?’ Nate asked his friend, switching his gaze to Kayden.

Kayden pulled his key away from the door but didn’t answer for a few moments, thinking about his answer. ‘Uh, yeah,’ he replied.

Nate opened his door and let Kayden in behind him. The room was clean, the bed made and the few objects on the almost empty desk organised neatly. Kayden took the desk chair, flipping it around to face the bed just as Nate plopped himself down at the end of his bed, crossing his legs underneath him.

‘So..’ Nate started, unsure of what to say. It seemed that the casualness and nonchalance of their previous friendship had merged into something more serious for the time being.

Kayden suddenly looked apologetic, ‘I have to say sorry, Nate.’

‘For what?’ Nate asked. ‘You weren’t the one trying to use me for my family’s money or kick my friend out of camp. What do you have to be sorry for?’

Kayden shrugged, ‘Brody and I, we kept you out of it and I should have come to you first, you are my best friend and I didn’t come to you for help.’

Nate realised then why there was that indescribable feeling looming over them. It was that Kayden had feared that he had betrayed him just like Tye and Jace had, and that Nate wasn’t going to be able to forgive him.

Nate would have been lying if he had said that he didn’t mind Kayden and Brody going behind his back, but it was the truth that he didn’t blame them. He knew that he saw people in their best light and that he always chose to see the good in people, that wasn’t news to him. He couldn’t blame Brody and Kayden for going about this on their own, not sure how Nate would take it, and yet even knowing their reasons, it still hurt Nate a little. It was like a tiny cut in his heart, that the two of them had felt the need to do this, that they hadn’t believed he would trust them.

Nate was quiet for a long time before meeting the gaze of his friend, ‘I would say that you should have come to me first, that I would have done everything I could to help you, but I don’t know if that’s true anymore. I didn’t believe Brody when he told me what he saw and I may not have believed you either.’

Kayden rushed to lift any blame from Nate, ‘That’s not your fault-’ he tried to say but Nate cut in, shaking his head.

‘It is my fault. I like thinking that everything’s fine, that people are trustworthy and yet my blindness has allowed this to happen. Imagine if they had really hurt you or Brody? What if Brody really was kicked out of camp and it would have been my fault.’

Kayden shook his head, ‘You weren’t to know. You trusted people who you thought were your friends, no one can blame you for that.’

Nate shrugged, ‘I still feel guilty for not seeing it. Brody never trusted them, he’s going to hate me for not believing him.’

Kayden laughed slightly, ‘Brody could never hate you,’ he assured Nate.

‘He’s probably mad though,’ Nate said half-heartedly, but he felt the despair in his chest at the knowledge that it could be true.

Kaden shook his head, ‘He thinks that you must hate him for going behind your back. I just gave him the same speech before he passed out on pain meds.’

Nate chuckled at the irony, ‘really?’

‘Yep.’

Nate’s face softened, ‘I’m sorry that you got caught up in all of this, I hope that you didn’t get in too much trouble, I can talk to Mr. Woods and clear it up if you would like?’

Kayden shook his head, ‘It’s alright, I didn’t really get into much trouble. What’s going to happen to Tye and Jace now?’

‘I spoke to Mr. Woods and got them transferred to another camp,’ Nate explained.

‘That’s great,’ Kayden said, but his tone didn’t match his words.

‘You’ll miss them,’ Nate stated gently. If he was being completely honest, Nate knew that there was some sliver of him that would miss his friends, but then he thought back to what he had seen today, back to the all too vivid image of Tye’s fist flying towards Brody’s face. ‘I don’t blame you,’ he assured Kayden, because it was different for Kayden. Kayden may have been the fall guy, but that was an accident. The guys hadn’t meant to have thrown him under the bus, and Kayden knew that. His friends may have been awful people, but they really had cared about him, Kayden had trusted them, and that was why it was going to be much harder for Kayden to let go.

Kayden shrugged, ‘We have been friends with them for years, and after everything they have done, it just hurts.’

Nate nodded, not sure what to say to his friend.

After a few moments, Kayden stood up from the chair and looked down at Nate, ‘I’m going to turn in.’

Nate nodded, ‘Sleep well,’ he told Kayden, knowing full well that he probably wouldn’t.

‘I’ll try,’ Kayden assured him, letting himself out of the room.

Yet again, Nate was left all alone in his room, and he wished that he had Brody with him.

He tore his clothes off until he was only left in boxers and pulled back the covers of the bed, crawling inside their warmth.

He wished that Brody was asleep beside him so that he could see the rise and fall of his chest, knowing that he was safe and protected, to see the thin lines of ink that decorated his pale skin and to run his finger along the edges of the vivid tattoos.

However, Nate consoled himself by reminding himself that it was only two weeks before his father would arrive at the camp, and if all went well, after that they would be able to spend all of their time together. Nate truly hoped that once they left this place he would never sleep alone again.

He slept in those thoughts. There was no images of former friends and malicious acts running behind his eyes, but there was Brody. There was hope for the future and years of anticipated memories that they would make, and that was why Nate slept like a baby for the entire night, his eyes not opening again until the sun was risen.

It was just after eight when Nate approached Brody’s door with two plates of food in his hands. He passed a few curious onlookers who were obviously quite jealous that he was apparently allowed to bring food to his room, but what they didn’t know was that one of the cooks was an old friend of his fathers, and the kind man had snuck Nate a couple of plates of food just before breakfast had started.

He awkwardly knocked against the door with the two full plates balancing unevenly in his arms. Nate couldn’t hide his relief when Brody opened the door only a couple of seconds later, essentially saving Nate from having to pick up food off of the corridor’s floor by grabbing a plate as soon as the door was open.

‘Woah Nate,’ Brody laughed as he rebalanced the plate on his own hand. ‘You should never be a waiter,’ he joked with a wide grin.

‘Shut your pancake hole,’ Nate smiled back, ‘and fill it with pancakes!’ he laughed looking down at the plates, which did, in fact, hold pancakes. Two on each to be exact.

Brody laughed, ‘Come in.’

Nate followed Brody into the room, where they both sat on the floor, the plates between them. Nate pulled out cutlery from his back pocket and handed a set to Brody.

‘How did you manage all this?’ Brody asked, stuffing bacon in his mouth.

‘I am a miracle worker, didn’t you know?’ Nate replied, shoving food onto his fork.

‘Oh, sorry, must have slipped my mind,’ Brody smiled cheekily.

Nate was halfway through a pancake when he noticed that Brody was eating awkwardly, his one handedness becoming a problem as he tried to cut pancakes with only one hand. He was trying not to let the frustration show on his face, Nate could see that, but he could see that he really was struggling.

‘Do you need help?’ Nate asked, knowing full well that Brody would say no, as always.

‘No, I’m just fi-’ Brody started to reply, but in his momentary shift of concentration, his knife slipped off the plate, one of his two pancakes falling onto the ground next to his plate. ‘On second thought, yes. Yes I would.’

Nate smiled, he knew that Brody hated getting help from people, but the fact that he would accept Nate’s help was a compliment in Nate’s eyes. He pulled the plate closer to him and cut up the remaining pancake into a couple of more manageable pieces, and cut up some of the other stuff while he was at it.

‘Thank-you,’ Brody said as the plate was pushed back towards him.

Nate didn’t say anything, just kept eating.

They finished their breakfasts quite quickly, and then silence settled over them. Nate wondered what to say, deciding to start with an apology.

‘I’m sorry that you and Kayden got pulled into all of this,’ he said suddenly, Brody met his gaze at the words, a mixed expression on his face.

‘I’m not,’ Brody responded. ‘Otherwise those two would have just taken your father’s money and continued to be fake friends with you. I, for one, am glad that all of this happened.’

Nate reached out and linked his hand with his mates, ‘I won’t let anything like this happen again,’ he promised.

‘I’m just glad that it’s over now,’ Brody told him.

Nate moved so that his back was pressed up against the bedframe and Brody moved closer to him, snuggling into his side so that his head was pressed against his mate’s arm.

‘Where are we going to go once camp finishes?’ Brody asked, looking up at his mate.

Nate didn’t know where the question had come from, but if he was honest, he would admit that he had been thinking about the same thing. He also knew that he had no answer. Brody was needed at his own pack, and he was needed at his. That hadn’t changed.

Nate wrapped his arm around Brody’s shoulders, pulling his mate close. ‘Wherever we end up, we will both be together.'

The ‘I hope.’ was left unsaid, but the unspoken words hung above them, invisible and intangible, but all too real.

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