Chapter 6: 6
As Nathan pulled himself together, Stacy and Penny walked around the room. The former was slowly taking note of everything in her vicinity; the framed family photos, the little bobbles and memorabilia, and the old fashioned furniture all made the home feel a bit cozy to her even though it was the first time she'd seen it. "Where are you two going to study?" Penny asked, walking over to a table and picking up a knickknack to dust it off.
"How about here?" Stacy asked, setting her things on the table as she opened up her bag. One by one, she pulled out notebook after notebook until the entire tabletop was hidden under their covers.
"That's a lot…" Penny mumbled, looking over at her brother as he finally regained composure; a small smile formed on her face. "Why not study in his room, you'll have more space and some silence." She suggested, winking to Nathan as he tried to dissuade his classmate.
"I don't mind." Stacy smiled, quickly packing up and following Penny over; much to Nathan's dismay. Entering the room, she took in her surroundings again. Crumpled up scraps of paper littered the floor as a desk overflowed with paint that ran down its side. She brushed that aside, pulling over the chair by the desk and taking a seat as she put out her materials again. Nathan looked over at Penny as she closed the door, silently cursing his sister for putting him in this situation.
He shakily walked up, taking a seat on the floor as he could feel his heart start to beat faster. "Where do we start?" He said to try and ease his nerves.
"How about history? Stacy suggested, pulling out her book on the subject to flip to a particular page. They spent the next few minutes going back and forth to make sure that the information stuck, repeating for every new lesson that they needed to learn; all in all, they were done in less than an hour. "That was faster than I thought it'd be." She said, surprised. "What do we do now?" She looked over as he pulled out his phone, playing the game he had just gotten into recently. "Really?"
"What? We're done studying, might as well enjoy my free time." He retorted, setting himself up on his bed with his eyes glued to his phone. He heard a sigh from her as she looked around at all the crumpled sheets of paper. She flattened one out on the desk, revealing a sketch of a man in the front seat of a car. "Can you not?" Nathan asked, looking at it with a frown.
"Oh, sorry. I was just a bit curious. After all, you do things like this so well, I just wanted to see more of it." She said, setting it down on the desk as she walked over. "Why do you draw?" She asked as she watched him switch off his phone and get up.
"It's a long story, but if you want an answer…" He paused as he made his way to the door. "It's because I want to. That's the short answer." With that, he left the room with her in tow; Stacy following him out of curiosity. The two of them made their way into the garage, where Nathan's latest project was out for them to see.
He sat down, quietly getting his things together as he started working on it again. "Because you want to? It must be nice to have that much time to goof off and do things like that." Stacy's voice turned a bit cold as she uttered those words, her gaze drifting downward as she took steps toward the easel to get a better look. "Is that game fun, the one on your phone?"
"It's enjoyable." He said; his focus solely on his painting. "Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. It was just a silly question to fill the silence." She said, walking around and noticing the other paintings in the garage. "What does your sister think of this? She told me that you don't really like talking to people, but by the looks of things, you seem to spend most of your time here."
"What does it matter?" Nathan stopped his brush, setting his palette down on the floor. "I mean, I know she means well by worrying, but what she thinks of it doesn't really affect it, does it?" He asked with a smile.
"Of course it does, she's your family. You should at least consider her opinion on things." Stacy retorted, her hand hovering over her bag.
"Stacy. I'm not going to let other people decide how I live my life. It's my life, after all. And I'm not doing anything bad; it's just a hobby anyway." Nathan smiled. "What about you? What do you even do other than study?"
"I…"
"Hmm? Sure, sure. Studying is great and it will help your future. If you like that, then good for you." Nathan started pacing around her. "But think about it, who are you working so hard to please? Is it you, or someone else?" He took a step toward her, getting her to take a few steps back and toward the door.
"I think I'll be going home now. My work here is done." She said, hastily walking out of the door as Nathan saw her off. After a few minutes of painting after she left, Nathan returned to his room and thought about what had happened.
"Fuck…" He mumbled to himself. "Why did I say that?" He flailed in his bed, screaming into his pillows as he repeatedly slammed his head into his mattress. "She's gonna think I'm some kind of weirdo now, is she?" He mumbled again. His thoughts ran wild like that over the next hour, slowly lulling him to sleep as he wore himself out from worrying too much. He tossed and turned in bed, his heart rate going up more than usual as he woke up in a cold sweat the next day. He opened his eyes, wiping his face with his hand as he groaned.
It was the weekend, but he only felt tense due to his actions the previous day. After pacing around the room for a while, he entered the bathroom to stare at his reflection. For five minutes he stared; brows furrowing as his lips curled into a discontent frown. "Hey? You okay? You've been there for a while." Penny knocked on the door, opening it slightly to sneak a glance at her brother.
He was hunched over the sink, gaze directed at himself as he muttered curses and insults at his reflection. "Idiot! Why did you let this happen again?" He mumbled, slamming his hand down against the sink as he let out an exasperated sigh; stomping out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where he got something to cool himself off. "Me and my big mouth…" Chuckling at his blunder with a melancholic look on his face, he sat down at the sofa and turned on the TV. His sister would join him soon, taking a seat beside him while browsing her phone.
"What happened this time?" She asked, switching off her screen and looking over at his face.
"I talked too much and it pissed her off." He leaned back; letting his arms dangle on the sofa as he stared up into the ceiling. "I guess I'll be alone again this year."
"How can you say that she was mad? She didn't look that upset when I saw her leave." Penny interjected, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself up over something that might not even be true." She added; rocking him gently as he sat back up and looked around.
"Is it just the two of us today?" He asked, walking over to the window to see if anyone was outside."
"Yeah, just you and me. Anything you want to do?" Penny smiled, standing up and walking over to a cabinet they had. She opened it, revealing some more photos and a few old and beat up boxes.
"I don't feel like playing today. I think I'll just paint…" Nathan sighed, turning his body to make his way into the garage. He heard footsteps following behind him, stopping as he got to his chair and continued on with his painting. "You just gonna watch or?"
"Probably. This is more your thing." Penny said, taking a closer look at the painting. "I want to go back there. We had such a great time the last time we went there." She moved over a few empty paint cans and used them as a makeshift stool for herself.
"Yeah… Maybe when you learn to drive or something…" Nathan smiled, picking up his brush as he looked at what he'd done so far. He stared and stared at the canvas, his brush floating inches away from its surface as his hands started trembling. He'd finished most of the work already; the background was done, the mother and father of the painting were nearly done, and the sister was only missing a few details on her clothing, yet he couldn't find a way to tie it all together.
"You stumped?" Penny asked, chuckling a bit to herself as she got up and walked over. Nathan nodded, setting his things aside and stretching his hands. He looked around the room, eyes glossing over his previous paintings. There was one of an apple that he started with, the one that made him think that he could do this for more than just a hobby; next was one that he was proud of: a piece that looked as if it were a stained glass mural akin to those in churches, it was of a tree in fall as its leaves were drifting toward the ground. Penny glanced around as well, following his eyes with her own as she tried to think of something to break the silence. "How come you never show these to people? Some people would pay to see this or have you make art for them."
"It's not about the money, sis." Nathan looked at her, putting his hands behind his head. "And these aren't even that good. It's nothing compared to what others have made."
"You know, you've got to stop comparing yourself to others." Penny got up, walked toward him, and trapped his head in her arm as she dug her knuckles into his scalp. "And these are good. Your standards are too high." She joked, releasing him from his torture as she walked toward the door. "Want to go out today?"
"Well, I have nothing else to do." Nathan thought about what she said. In truth, he felt his chest swell up a bit as he looked around the room, but he wouldn't tell anyone that. He chose to keep his pride hidden by degrading his skills, though there are times where he believes his words more than his feelings. "Where do you want to go?" He asked, following after her as the two of them made their way to their rooms for a change of clothes.
The two walked out to the street in casual wear, riding on the bus out of the suburbs and into the town. "There's this new café I went to with my friends the other day. I'll treat you since you and your girlfriend had such a great time last night." She grinned, looking out as she tried to remember where to get off at. Nathan's cheeks grew flushed as he averted his gaze.
"One: We're not even friends. Two: It didn't go well." He crossed his arms, staring out into the sky as a bright and sunny day was ahead of him. He lowered his head a bit, gazing into the interior of the buildings they were passing by. An arcade had opened up with some new games from overseas, new clothing stores were drawing in droves of people, and an old bookstore was stocking the shelves with new releases. He smiled softly. "Do you think a museum or an art gallery would open up here if they had the chance?" He asked, leaning back in his chair as they neared their stop.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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