Nate's story chap. 1

Chap 1- The Truth
Nate's P.O.V. (point of view)
The morning sun had just started to rise but I had been up way earlier than dawn. A dream had awoken me fron my slumber halfway dead in the night. Realizing I wasn't going back to sleep anytime soon, I snuck out to the lake for some solitude.

I was wrapped in a warm blanket but a slight chill in the air still touched me. I pulled the blanket closer and watched as the clouds broke away in the sky while the sun rose higher still. A perfect day to play tennis but the game didn't seem to matter much anymore. Nothing did.

It has been two weeks since Cody and I broke up. Two weeks since Adena told me Cody was going to break up with me. Yet I ended the relationship so I wouldn't be crushed inside. Turned out my plan backfired because my whole world seemed to be crashing down around me. I wanted so bad to forget Cody but that was turning out to be an impossible feat. Even my dream had been about her. I had been kissing Cody in out favourite reading spot on the bridge. Waking up had been so hard because I had to libe with the fact that that wasn't my reality anymore and I was forced to live without the beautiful face of Cody.

Far off the sound of horrible trumpet playing reached my ears. I winced, realizing it was Rick trying to wake up Cascadia with his "wonderful" music. All the students hated it except of course my dad who felt all Cascadians could use the early time to excerise and work on their tennis performance. Only my Dad would think of tennis at this nauseam. I wondered if all president's of tennis academy's were like that.

My muscles ached in protest as I stood up to go for an early breakfast which hopefully was cooked by Rick. I really didn't feel like facing anyone and going through wannabe emo jokes, especially from Squib. Figuring it was my best bet to grab some food and eat in my room, I started up the hill toward the cafeteria in Cascadia's main building.

As soon as I reached the cafeteria I realized my plan wasn't going to work. It seemed everyone had heard and awoken from Rick's trumpet calls and were now sitting around waiting for breakfast to be served. I spotted Squib, Cody, Jesse, Adena, Cassidy, and Sunny all sitting at a table, looking tired but still talking fiercly away; probably about tennis. I turned to leave quietly but Squib spotted me before I had the chance.

"Hey library boy why are you looking scared to join us? Think you're too cool for us or something. Cause you're wrong." Squib called out. Then he high-fived Jesse. I saw Sunny and some other kids laughing. Typical.

I winced. Those word's stung but I couldn't show I was hurt and get teased even more for being a pansy. So I retaliated.

"That's great Squib. Did you make that insult up in kindergarten?"

I got some grins of my own. Squib turned bright red in anger of my wit. I walked towards the table in mock triumph.

"Look , just come sit beside your precious girlfriend and shut up." Squib said a little more quietly.

I saw Cody freeze while I groaned inwardly. It was unbelievable that squib still didn't know about the split-up. cody looked over at me and I knew what she was thinking. Regardless of how much she wanted to keep the break-up a secret so Squib wouldn't come on to her, the secret couldn't last forever. It was time to tell Squib. I nodded slightly in silent agreement at her thoughts. Cody turned to Squib.

"Squib...Nate and I well we broke up."

Man those words hurt. To my surprise Squib started laughing while everyone else just looked shocked. Except of course Adena who had known about it all along. Anyway Squib started to speak.

"Ha I knew it couldn't last. I knew you were just rebound boy. I guess people can be too alike, hey Nate? You didn't mean anything, that's the truth."

O.K. that was way too harsh. I couldn't believe Squib could even be that mean. Words echohed from my past and I hurt so much inside that I ran out of the cafeteria not caring anymore what people thought.

Squib's P.O.V.

"What a wimp" I thought as I watched Nate run out with pleasure. A twinge of guilt passed through me as I maybe saw some tears in his eyes but I shook it off. Nate Bates would never cry. I turned my attention to the table.

"Why do you have to be so mean to Nate all the time? Shove everything in his face? Bring him down all the time?" Adena asked me.

I shrugged. "He deserves it. He does the same thing."

Adena opened her mouth to say something probably in defense but I had already turned my attention to the oddly quiet Cody.

"When did you dump him?" I asked excitedly. I could finally have Cody again. This was so great! " Did you break the news to him sometime this morning?" I went on in zeal. "Why did you do it. I bet he's still crushed?"

Cody wouldn't look at me as she spoke. "He dumped me about two weeks ago. I don't know why.

I was surprised. "He dumped you?" All the while I was sharing a dorm with Nate he would go no about how great she has and how much he loved her. There must be some logical explanation. "And two weeks ago? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because" Cody answered.

"Because why?"

"Just because Squib. Gosh, leave it alone for a while. I'm going to get some food." Cody snapped.

My mouth hung open as I watched her storm off across the room towards the food line.

Nate's P.O.V.

I ran into my room, slammed the door, and collapsed onto my bed in a crumpled heap. My eyes were shut tight trying to stop oncoming tears because I knew crying doesn't solve anything. This was useless. A tear leaked out of my eye and then another and then another. They were unstoppable.

Everything seemed unfair. Why was I always picked on? Why did Cody and I have to break up? Nothing was making sense. Turning over I let my exhausted body lure me to sleep.

Adena's P.O.V.
Sitting in my room with Cassidy trying to finish math homework before class started, a nagging thought came to my head. Turning to my roomate who was sitting at her desk I asked my concerning thought.

"Hey Cassidy do you think Nate's ok?"

She looked up. "Why wouldn't he be?"

"I don't know. But look at him. He looks so tired these days. He barely eats and he picks at his food at meals. He always seems distant and preoccupied. He doesn't talk to anyone anymore."

"Nate's probably just upset over his break-up with Cody. Believe me I know how crushed you can get even if you do the dumping. It takes a while to get over. Besides if something is terribly wrong President Bates will notice won't he?" Cassidy said wisely.

"I guess." I replied, not throughly convinced.

Squib's P.O.V.
"Hey Jesse wanna rally?" I asked. I could see the back courts through the window and being such a beautiful day, I thought why waste it?

"Sure let me grab my racquet." he called from the bathroom.

It took Jesse a while but we headed out successfully.

"Do you think I was too hard on Nate this morning?" I was thinking out loud again. Jesse looked at me knowingly.

"You were a little harsh. He just broke up with a girl remember. That hurts a whole lot. Just tone down the teasing a bit, that's what I'd do.

I nodded. "Yeah you're right. Thanks man."

"No problem."

We went off to play another marvelous game.

Cody P.O.V.
They say the truth can set you free. If so why do we sometimes feel so trapped with it.