Chapter 65 A Sentimental Talk
Finally the limo arrived at Emily’s apartment. She was on edge the whole time, and unsure of how to approach Nick without coming across as too much of an authority figure.
“Sometimes our dad can be a little overbearing,” she said to Byron as they got out of the limo, “Nick and I turned out more like our mom, calm and sensitive.”
“Calm and sensitive?” Byron laughed. “That’s a good one.”
“What?” Emily asked.
“I see you more as a firebrand,” he explained.
“Well, I may have gotten more feisty over the years. But Nick is very sensitive. That’s why he tends to retreat into himself. If I say the wrong thing, he’ll just not want to talk to me at all.”
“Let’s talk to him together,” Byron suggested.
“Okay.” Emily felt reassured by the idea that she wouldn’t be alone.
When they entered the apartment, Emily expected to find a mess, but things were much the same as she left them. Nick was there, playing a video game on his computer.
“Oh hey, aren’t you back early?” he said. “Is everything okay?”
Emily decided to play it cool and not accuse him of anything.
“Yeah, we decided to come back since we heard you had a breakup.”
“Oh, Katie told you, did she?”
“I’m sorry to hear about it,” Byron said.
“Yeah, but maybe it was a long time coming,” Nick said.
Emily thought he might be masking some deeper emotions even though he tried to appear unconcerned.
“I have an idea,” Byron said, “why don’t we go for a walk?”
Nick looked from one of them to the other, a little suspicious. “You guys just got back from a long trip, and you want to go for a walk? Aren’t you tired?”
“Not really, no,” Emily said. “We sat around for a long time on the plane.”
“Okay then.” Nick still seemed a little wary, but at least he was going along with it.
They walked to a nearby park, choosing a small gravel path between the trees.
“I hope you haven’t come back from your vacation just to give me a sentimental talk,” Nick said.
“No, why would we get sentimental?” Emily replied. She was not sure how to begin, so for a while they just talked about everyday matters and entertainment.
Finally, she tried to approach the subject. “Nick, I heard some things from Katie, and I did want to talk to you about them.”
“Oh no, is this about school? It’s just a waste of time for me. I don’t learn anything useful. Why would I spend hours in a classroom when I could be working on something worthwhile instead?”
“Like what?” Emily asked.
“Working at the juice bar is not super exciting, but at least it makes money. And working on my music, that’s my true passion, and it’s going to make me more money down the road.”
Emily struggled for something to say. She didn’t want to sound like she was crushing his dreams by telling him music was an uncertain career choice.
“School is not just for career,” she advised, “You meet people there, make friends.”
“I think you’re smart enough to finish school with flying colors,” Byron jumped in, “but you’re probably bored because the courses don’t go at the speed you want them to.”
“Exactly,” Nick said.
“I’ve been there,” Byron said, “but I made it through alive, as you can see.”
“Yeah,” Nick said. “You’re much more patient than me, though.”
“I’m also concerned about other things you might be doing with your time,” Emily added, “You seem a little strung out.”
“Look, Nick, we all resort to some kind of substances once in a while,” Byron began, “I mean alcohol is a drug, and sometimes I’ve used it to dull the pain of a broken heart.”
“Yeah right,” Nick said, “Like anyone would ever break up with a guy like you.”
Byron smiled wryly. It did seem hard to believe that anyone would break up with him. “I’m flattered that you think so, but I was definitely dumped, more than once.”
“Wow,” Nick pronounced.
“And we all have our ways of dealing with it, but Emily and I are concerned that you may have turned to some hard drugs. I wouldn’t want to see you do that because... and here’s where this might become a sentimental talk... I care about you.”
Nick gave a small chuckle. “You really have a way with words. Thanks, man. I understand where you’re coming from, but I’m not into any of the hard drugs. You don’t have to worry about me.”
Emily wondered why Katie would say that about the drugs. She didn’t think the girl would just make up a story, but she also didn’t want to believe that Nick was lying now. Maybe he had done some drugs, but it was all in the past. She wanted to believe it was over.
Luckily, it seemed Byron got through to him and convinced him to attend school even if it wasn’t his favorite thing in the world.
