The Call chapter 4
I'm sorry for the long waits between chapters, but I literally have nothing planned for this story. As I've said before, this was supposed to be a one-shot that I decided to continue, so I never planned the plot. I have a few ideas, but it will still be a while in between updates. Maybe.
The summer flew by for Nick. He spent the days hanging out with Jeff and the other Warblers, and the nights staying in his room and avoiding his father. Although he was still beat up, and his bruises never seemed to fade, Nick was the happiest he had been in years.
Jeff helped with that a lot. He was always able to make Nick smile and laugh, even when he just wanted to curl up and forget the world.
Currently, the two boys sat in the local coffee shop, sipping their drinks and trying to stifle their laughter. They had already been warned to quiet down or they would have to leave.
"We should probably get going before we actually get kicked out," Jeff told Nick, still giggling.
"Probably," Nick replied, laying a few dollars on the table for a tip.
The boys left the coffee shop and walked to Jeff's car, throwing their empty cups out on the way.
"So are you excited for school to start next week?"
Nick thought for a moment before answering. "As excited as I could be. I'm glad we're roommates again."
Jeff nodded. "Me too. At least we know what to expect from each other. We don't have to go through the awkward first weeks like last year."
"It was a very awkward week, but I guess we both got something pretty good out of it."
Jeff smiled brightly and said good-bye to the other boy. Nick waved as Jeff drove away and got in his truck and headed home. Once there, he didn't know what to do, so he decided to start packing for school. He drug his duffle bag and backpack out of his closet and started to neatly fold and pack away his clothes. He packed most of what he was taking, thinking he wouldn't need many outfits in the remaining week before school started.
Nick did not often come home on weekends so he didn't leave much behind, preferring to take it all in one trip. In the backpack, he packed away some of his personal items, mostly a few books, CD's, movies, and a few knickknacks. The rest of his stuff would have to wait.
By the time it was the day Nick was leaving for school, he was ready to leave the house. He was sick of his father's abuse, and missed his friends. It seemed they had all been on radio silence since Nick and Jeff's trip to the coffee shop. He supposed they were spending time with their families before they had to go to school later that week. Nick mostly spent his time on his laptop watching movies and shows and counting down the hours until he left the house.
He was just packing the last of his stuff in the backpack when he came across his razor in a box underneath his bed. He hadn't cut since before the day he finally talked to Jeff on Facebook. He had an inner debate with himself, trying to decide if he should take it with him. He was doing really well, about two months free of self-harm. But Nick somehow knew it wouldn't last. He set it back in the box, defeated, and laid the box next to his bags.
He ran downstairs and wrote a note to his father, reminding him he was going to school and that he no longer had to buy food for him. He hung it on the fridge and checked outside to make sure it wasn't raining. He didn't want his luggage to get wet on the drive to Dalton. He then put his bags in the bed of his truck and went back upstairs to grab the box and the suit bag that held his uniforms. Just as he was about to leave, he turned around and, looking back, a foreboding sense of finality washed over him. Shrugging off the weird sensation, carried the rest of his stuff to the truck, locked the door and began the drive to Dalton.
As Nick pulled into Dalton's driveway, he saw a group of Warblers waiting around on the benches and talking. When he turned his truck off, they rushed over and gave Nick hugs before grabbing his bags and uniforms from the truck, leaving him with only his box.
"I could have gotten it myself, guys."
"Nonsense," David replied. "Why make you walk up twice?"
"Haven't you guys all been up at least twice then?" Nick asked.
"Yes, but we're all unpacked and we were bored!" John led the way up to the third floor, where all their friends' dorms were located. They had been lucky that this dorm is typically where the music kids lived. Returning Warblers, band kids, and vocalists lived here, along with many mid-year transfers.
Nick came out of his thoughts as he heard Thad yell for Jeff to open the door. As soon as it opened, the boys with Nick's stuff barged in with Nick following.
"They got you too?" Jeff asked with a smile.
"Yep, it was nice though. Less work for me."
The others waved goodbye and left as quickly as they had come, no doubt to attack whoever was next to pull in.
The layout of the room was the same as last year's, so the boys had no trouble choosing their beds and desk. Jeff took the area by the window, leaving Nick to take the other bed. They both unpacked their stuff mostly in silence, occasionally asking questions about how the last week of summer had gone, or what time they wanted to go to dinner.
"I'm sure the Warblers will come barging in here when they are finished helping and insist we go with them to dinner," Jeff told. "By the way, did you notice our room number?"
Nick shook his head. "What is it?"
Jeff smiled widely. "36."
