Chapter 5
The first thing Nate felt in his mind was a numbing dizziness, unsure of where he was or what had happened to him a while ago. He slowly opened his eyes, seeing he was in a white room. He looked up, seeing what was, to him, an angel looking down upon him.
"Nate, you're awake..." Stephanie said softly, being that "angel" that Nate envisioned in his mind. She had his hand in hers, hoping to God that he would be alright. "Are you doing okay?"
"I...I'm okay." Nate seethed in pain as he tried to sit up. Steph placed her other hand on his back to support him. "Where am I?"
"You're in the school nurse's office...You passed out during the volleyball game and hit the back of your head pretty badly." Steph sighed. "How are you feeling right now?"
Nate shook his head, trying to get rid of the dizziness clouding his mind. "I feel like I've been hit by a really big truck..."
"Well, you're gonna feel like that for a while, the nurse says. Until we can figure out what happened out there..." Steph said gently, laying him back down on the bed. "Just try and rest yourself...You'll be okay."
Nate nodded slowly and looked up, seeing DJ, Michelle, and Jesse walk into the nurse's office. DJ had her hands on her baby sister's shoulders for comfort while Jesse tried to look strong, being seen as a pillar of strength in a sense. "Hey there, guys..."
"How are you feeling?" Michelle asked quietly, remembering her own experience in a sort of medical room.
"I'm doing better, Michelle, thank you." Nate replied quietly, cracking a tired smile. "You guys can all go, if you'd like...I need my rest anyway."
Steph's gaze shifted from Nate to the others. "I'll stay and keep him company. Just go home, I'll have Dad pick me up."
"You got it, Steph." Jesse nodded. "C'mon, guys, let's get going." He then beckoned DJ and Michelle out of the office, leaving Steph and Nate together.
"I just wonder, though..." Steph spoke softly.
"Wonder what?" Nate cupped his hands on his stomach and looked up at her.
"How come you fainted back there..."
DJ, Michelle, and Jesse continued to navigate through the halls of the school, until they came up to some sort of snickering sound. They turned a corner, seeing Rich and Paul standing at the doorway, talking amongst themselves.
"That could not have went any better than we planned..." Rich laughed to himself. "Did you see that?"
"Thompson dropped like a ton of bricks. I guess all it takes is some drugs to slow down the star player." Paul folded his arms over his chest.
"I'll be right back, girls..." Jesse broke away from the girls and approached the two boys. "Hey, did I just hear you right?" He questioned, trying to not show his anger. "Were you guys responsible for Nate's accident today?"
"Yeah, what are you going to do about it, old man?" Paul scoffed, not intimidated by Jesse in the least.
"It's not a matter of what I'm going to do...It's a matter of what you two just did." Jesse said, his anger slowly getting the better of him. "Nate's in the nurse's office, laid up in bed. Did you know that he could've been worse off than he is! He could've been dead right now because of you and your drugs!"
Rich's eyes narrowed. "You're not gonna tell anyone...Not without knowing what else we can do to him." He said coldly. "You think this is all we can do? You're dead wrong, man. If you squeal, we'll make sure Nate's life is hell."
"Now you listen here...Listen right now." Jesse's eyes began to reflect his anger towards these two teens. He stood over Rich and poked him in the chest. "Nate is a good guy and is someone Steph cares about a hell of a lot. And what matters most is my nieces' happiness. Nate makes my middle niece happy...And I will bring down whoever tries to hurt Nate Thompson..."
Rich growled lowly, knowing that he and Paul hit a road block in their twisted efforts to hurt Nate. He then took Paul by the shoulder and lead them away, walking out of the entrance of the school and down the road. Jesse shook his head, not sure what to say now.
"Jess...Are you sure they meant what they said?" DJ asked quietly as she and Michelle went over to their uncle.
"I really hope not." Jesse's fists tightened. "Because if they try any other stupid crap like this...Just wait until I get my hands on them..."
Steph kept her word, staying by Nate's side while he rested. She took a minute to take in his facial features; he looked very peaceful when he slept. She reached over, stroking his hair gently, seeing that his paleness was beginning to fade and his regular skin color was coming back. Nate opened his eyes again and looked up at her. "I think I'm ready to go home..."
"You sure? Would you like my Dad to drop you off at your place?" Steph offered.
"Nah, I'm fine...I'll just call my dad." Nate shook his head and swung his legs around, sitting up at the edge of the bed. "Got to explain to him why the game ended early..."
Steph nodded and stood up from her chair, going over to the door.
"Steph, wait." Nate stood up slowly and walked over to her. "I was wondering...Maybe you'd like to come over? I mean, you've been wanting to know how my family is." Steph thought about this for a moment and then smiled.
"Of course...I'd love to see your house."
"Awesome." Nate smiled, putting an arm around Steph, leading them out of the nurse's office. Steph didn't really know what to expect at Nate's house, but she had somewhat of an idea.
