Chapter 33 Chapter thirty three

Chapter 33 Chapter thirty three
Nat's Pov

Jeremy dragged me off the field. Tyler and Marcus trailed close behind. My blood was still roaring in my ears.

“Man, I can’t believe we lost,” Tyler muttered, clenching his helmet.

“That was rough.” Marcus clapped a hand on my shoulder, then shot a look at Tyler over my head. “This whole thing is really fucking strange to me.”

“Yeah, uh… rough game though. For real, man. Sorry.” Tyler cleared his throat. “I mean, how the hell did the whale get on the field unnoticed?”

We were almost at the locker room doors when Kem caught up with us.

“Sorry about the game,” she mumbled, matching my pace easily. “She deserves the embarrassment. Maybe this will finally make her stay quiet.”

I nodded and kept walking.

“Where’s Chloe?” Tyler asked, glancing around. “Haven’t seen her today.”

“Shes sick.” She waved a hand. “She feels terrible that she missed the game.”

“Heyyy,” Kem turned toward Jeremy, flashing a bright smile. “I know you don’t remember me, but we’ve actually met. Sort of.” She tilted her head. “My family came to that fundraiser your grandmother hosted last spring and you gave an amazing speech.”

“Right, which one?.” Jeremy asked. 

“The scholarship fund for surgeons.”

“Your dad asked me about business school after, didn’t he?”

“That’s him.” She lit up. “He still talks about that conversation, actually. Said you were sharper than most guys twice your age.”

“He’s being generous.” He smiled politely and nodded. “Nice seeing you again.”

“He’s usually not.” She laughed, stepping closer. “You should come by sometime. My parents would love to have you over, and I could show you around, introduce you to people, whatever you’re into-”

“I should get inside.” Jeremy cut her off cleanly, already turning for the door.

The locker room doors swung shut behind us, leaving Kem outside. Inside, the air hung thick with sweat and the low buzz of different voices. A few guys glanced my way, then quickly looked back at their bags.

“The video is blowing up.” Someone said, the muffled sound of my own shouting drifted through the room. Jeremy patted my shoulder gently. 

I headed straight for my locker and spun the dial, desperate to get out fast.

The door swung open, and the helmet sat right there on the shelf. I stepped back my fist curling at my side. I slammed my hand on the locker and people turned and then continued to whatever they were doing.

My breath caught in my throat. I reached in and lifted it out, turning it over in my hands.

“You good?” Jeremy leaned against the locker beside mine, watching my hands shake around the helmet.

“I’m going to kill her.”

“That’s a strong word.” He took the helmet from me gently and set it back inside. “Besides, what evidence do you even have that it’s her? We should get out of here.” He nodded toward the door. “You need to cool off for a couple hours.”

Marcus and Tyler walked over from their lockers, stunned at the sight of the helmet. Before anyone could speak, Jeremy suggested, “Let’s all hang out.”

“I’m out.” Tyler shook his head, already zipping his bag. “Got a party to hit.”

“Am in.” Marcus added. 

I locked my locker and we headed out. Tyler jumped into his own car while Jeremy and Marcus climbed into mine.

We were pulling out of the lot when Kem came sprinting across the pavement, waving both arms.

I slowed down. 

“Can you drop me?” She reached the window, panting. “My ride bailed.”

I glanced at the empty seat behind Marcus, then unlocked the door. “Get in.”

“Hi Jeremy, right?” She climbed in and leaned forward between the seats before even touching her seatbelt, eyes locked on him. “You’re even better than I remembered. Do you play any sports, or is that not really your thing?”

“Not really my thing.”

“That’s hot too, honestly. Not everyone needs to be an athlete.” She reached over and touched his arm briefly. “What do you do for fun, then?”

“Still figuring it out.”

She laughed like it was hilarious and kept going the whole ride, peppering him with questions about his school, his car, his plans. Jeremy gave her just enough to keep her talking without ever really answering.

We pulled up outside her house and she climbed out slowly, lingering at the open door like she was waiting for someone to stop her.

Nobody did. She finally stepped back, turned, and started waving as I drove off.

The bowling alley was half empty, fluorescent lights buzzing over lanes nobody else was using. We rented shoes, ordered fries, and played while Jeremy and Marcus kept up the conversation.

“You’re up.” Marcus shoved a ball into my hands somewhere around the third game.

I threw it, watched it drift into the gutter, i sighed as I picked another ball.

“Rough night for everybody, huh.” Jeremy clapped my back.

We played a little longer before calling it. I drove them to their houses, then headed home alone.

“The Mira girl isn’t responding to her messages,” Mom announced the second I walked in. “I can’t miss this event.”

“Find someone else,” I shot back, reaching for Emma.

“I don’t want a new nanny.” She cried, I found her on the stairs, arms wrapped around her stuffed rabbit.

“Hey, Em.” I crouched down and pressed a quick kiss to the top of her head. “You’ll love the new one, trust me.”

“No!” She shoved me back, her whole face crumpling. “I want her!”

I didn’t have the energy to argue with an eight-year-old, so I just stood up and headed for the stairs, her crying trailing behind me all the way up.

I shut my door and sat on the edge of my bed, pulling the crumpled letter out of my jacket pocket, smoothing it flat against my knee, reading it again.

The door pushed open. Dad walked in, phone raised, the video of my confrontation playing.

“Care to explain this.” He snapped.

“Not really.”

“This is on every parent group chat in town.” He turned the screen toward me, my face frozen mid-shout. “Do you understand what this looks like?”

“I don’t care what it looks like, Dad.”

“You should.” He stepped further into the room. “This is exactly the kind of thing that undoes everything I’ve built for this family. For you especially.”

“For me?” I shot up off the bed. “This has never once been about me.”

“Everything I do is about you, Nathaniel.” he snapped, hand cutting through the air. “This is your future you are toiling with and I have worked so hard for this family.”

“You use that word a lot for someone who’s barely in this house.”

His face reddened as he clenched the phone tighter.

“Don’t turn this into something about your feelings.” He crossed his arms. “I raised you better than to make a scene like an animal.”

I couldn’t stand it anymore. At this point, staying with Chloe didn’t sound half bad.

“I need to go.”

“We’re not finished.”

“We are.” I grabbed my jacket off the chair and past him, his voice chasing me down the stairs.

I made it to the bottom before Emma appeared again, eyes full of tears, clutching her rabbit to her chest.

“Nat.” She rushed over and caught my sleeve before I reached the door. “Can you drive me to Mira’s house?”