Nathan ventured to a restaurant where he had picked up a temporary job as a waiter. While he wasn't a fan of working multiple jobs (for he was also employed at the mall), he was in dire need of money. Supporting himself, and paying for his apartment, food, bills, and all such things required a massive cash flow, or at least one that's massive to a teenager. A few weeks ago he had been pushed to borrowing from a loan shark who called himself 'Dante.' Every instinct in Nathan screamed that this could only end badly, but getting evicted from his apartment was not exactly good either. Now the star basketball player was trying to pay back Dante, support himself, and save some cash to get Lucas a worthy birthday present. If he was honest, his once-brother's birthday was the real incentive for the job.
The revelation that he and Lucas were not brothers had changed everything. It was as if they were now free from whatever invisible forces were preventing their friendship from taking off. There were no obligations of hate from an ill minded father, and no obligations of compassion from a familial bond: they were able to be friends because they wanted to, and this meant a world of difference.
When Nathan arrived at his apartment that night, he found Luke sitting on his couch, completely engorged in the basketball game on Nathan's massive television (a necessary commodity that an unnecessarily large amount of money was wasted on). The Charlotte Bobcats, Luke's all time favorite team, was currently dominating the court. Nathan didn't inquire as to the reason Luke should stray to his humble abode: over the past few weeks, the blonde has been spending an increasing amount of time at the apartment. With Karen working all the time, and no girl hanging off his arm, he was able to find refuge and entertainment with Nathan, when Nathan wasn't off working.
"Dude," Nate began, "don't you ever go home?" Luke looked up.
"Do you want me to leave?" he asked, slightly self-conscious, afraid that he was intruding. Nathan shook his head with a smile: for someone so very intelligent, Lucas really let things fly over his head.
"How's the game?" The brunette inquired.
"Great," Luke said looking up again, "We've almost won!" He smiled his winning smile. Lucas followed his team obsessively. Nathan really wanted to get him something special for his eighteenth birthday, and when he heard that the Bobcats were going to be playing just a few hours away, he knew he had to get tickets.
Said tickets had been purchased, and a hotel room booked. While Nate was excited to be able to do this for Luke, it also meant another chunk of debt. Each day he saw the black sedan whose tinted windows hid the sinister face of Dante and his crony; it was a silent reminder of his debt.
Back in the present, Nate sat next to Luke on the couch to watch the last few minutes of the game. After the older teen had cheered his team to victory, the two began to duke it out on the PlayStation. It was a close match, but Nate always beat his pals at NBA live.
"I'm starving man," Luke said, turning to Nate, "have you eaten dinner yet?" Nate shook his head.
"We could order a pizza," Nate began, reaching for his wallet. He opened it to find three dollars and a car wash coupon. He paused, and was about to say something when Luke, who saw what was going on, interrupted.
"You won the game, it's my treat." The blonde said, trying hard not to make it look like charity, so as to preserve Nate's dignity. After the pizza had arrived, and the boys had subsequently stuffed their faces until they feared a rupturing of their stomachs, they plopped down on the couch.
"So," Nate said, turning to the blonde, "what's your dad like? Eric, is he cool?" When Lucas didn't respond, Nate feared that he had treaded into personal territory. "You don't have to answer," he began before Lucas shifted on the couch to face him.
"I don't know. I liked Eric, we got along great, until he told us…" Lucas's eyes stared off into space as he thought. "Why would he wait?"
"Huh?" Nate asked.
"Why would he wait…seventeen years, to tell my mom? Why would he do that?"
"I don't know Luke," Nate responded, he didn't know what else to say. A sudden dark cloud passed across Luke's face, as his mind traveled to unhappy places. Something was clearly troubling him, and he fell quiet.
"Maybe there's something wrong with me," Luke said, looking down.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, I had two different fathers, and neither wanted me…" Luke was clearly troubled, and Nate could tell this was something he had been thinking about for a long time.
"Eric came back for you Luke, he was probably just afraid." Nate had a feeling his words did little to comfort Luke, but he didn't know what to say. This was not like Luke, he was always happy, and he had gotten even happier when he learned about Eric. Luke looked up to meet Nathan's eyes.
"Yeah, I don't think that it had much to do with me, more with my mom, but you'd think that at least one in two males could make a suitable father." Luke attempted to laugh the whole thing off, and it was in this moment that Nathan realized that Luke wore a mask. His smile wasn't always a beacon of his emotions. The blonde seemed perturbed by his sudden moment of vulnerability, and got up to leave.
"I've gotta get home," he began. "Homework…"
Nathan said goodbye, wishing there was something to do, some words to say, to cheer Luke up, but he knew that right now, Luke wanted to be alone, so he watched the sullen blonde walk out of his door.