Mutiny Below

Natalia

"Nat, get up!"

I groaned and uncovered my head to see Eric, Nick, and John all staring at me. My cheeks burned as I got up and started making up the bed. Eric and Nick left the room but John stuck around, making me nervous.

"Hey Natalia?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh, Jayce said she wanted you guys to go out today. Girl time or whatever."

I tried not to make a face as I straightened the pillows. "Okay," I mumbled.

"I think she said something about lunch so I guess she'll be over around then."

I nodded silently and went to the dresser to get some clothes. John stood awkwardly in the doorway for a moment before leaving and I shouted Nick's name. He made his way down the hall to my room and shut the door behind him. "What is it?"

"Jayce wants to go out today."

"Yeah, I know."

My eyes widened. "Did you tell her to do this?"

"No, but she told me she wanted to try to explain."

"Explain."

"Yeah."

I shook my head. "I don't want to go."

"Nat, come on."

"Nick, I don't want to hear it, okay?"

"Please just do this. For me?"

He gave me his best puppy dog eyes and I had no choice but to cave. "I'm not promising anything."

He smiled and wrapped me in a hug. "Thank you."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Now go get ready. She'll be here in half an hour."

I grumbled to myself as I made my way down the hall to the bathroom to take a shower. By the time I dried my hair and got dressed, twenty-six minutes had passed. I grabbed some shoes and my bag then went into the living room where the guys were. I stared at the clock as seven more minutes passed before there was a knock. Eric got up and went to the door, returning with Jayce behind him.

"Ready?" she asked. I noticed she seemed to be a bit more quiet than usual.

I nodded weakly and got up to slide my feet into my shoes. Nick gave me a reassuring smile as I followed Jayce out the door.

I slid into the passenger seat of her car while she slid into the driver's side.

"I thought maybe we could get some lunch."

I nodded again and looked out the window. She sighed and put the car in reverse to back out of the driveway.

The drive to the mall was tense and awkward. We got out and I followed her inside to the food court. I decided on mexican while she went to get chick-fil-a. I got my food before she did so I went to grab a table over in the corner. She sat down a few minutes later and I unwrapped my quesadilla to begin eating. I could feel her looking at me and I knew she wanted to talk about it.

"Natalia, I just wanted to try to explain."

I took a sip of my sprite and looked at her. "Okay."

"It's just that..." I'd never seen her with so little confidence. Usually she'd have a big smile and a loud laugh. Now sitting here she looked just as nervous as I always felt. "It's complicated. I love John, I really do. He's wonderful. But Nick just...gets to me."

I just sat there. He gets to her? That's her excuse? She must've seen it in my face because she continued.

"He makes me feel, I don't know, different? I mean, it's kind of hard to explain it to you because he's your brother but he just makes me crazy. It's like I can't say no to him."

I wrinkled up my nose. I did not need that bit of information.

"It's hard, you know? They're both such amazing guys. I'm just in a difficult position."

I don't even know what happened. It was like I just snapped. Suddenly, I was very angry with her.

"You're in a difficult position? Do you know how hard it is for me to look John in the eye now? And Eric too! He knows something's up and that I'm lying to him!"

"I know it's hard," she said somewhat sympathetically.

"Don't act like you're sorry. You are the reason I feel guilty 95% of the time. And how could you be so selfish? My brother is out of his mind in love with you!"

She stared at my wide-eyed.

"And John! He would do anything for you and you're cheating on him behind his back. You have two guys who are both in love with you but you're going to sit here and say it's hard for you. Honestly, it feels like you don't deserve either of them."

I pushed my chair back and grabbed my trash, quickly walking away from the table. I threw my trash away as I passed a trash can and kept walking. When I glanced back, Jayce was still sitting there, unmoving and staring down at the table. Once I got far enough away, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed the only number on my speed dial. I didn't tell Nick what happened but I begged him to come get me. He finally agreed and I sat down on a bench to wait.

I couldn't believe I'd actually gone off on her. I didn't lose my temper that often and even when I did, I never yelled at anyone. On one hand, I was glad I stood up for Nick because he loved her and it seemed unfair. On the other hand, I was kind of embarrassed that I'd let myself get out of hand when she was only trying to explain herself.

Nick texted me to let me know he was outside so I grabbed my bag and headed for the exit. As soon as I slid into the car, he pounced.

"What the hell happened?"

"I'm sorry. She pissed me off and I yelled at her."

"Natalia, you didn't!"

I nodded my head and he sighed as we drove off.

"Why'd you yell at her?"

"I don't know. I just kind of exploded."

"I can't believe you yelled at someone."

"Me either."

The rest of the ride was quiet except for Brad Paisley playing softly on the radio. Eric wasn't home when we got back so Nick and I watched Discovery channel until he got back. The three of us ate dinner together before Nick left, mumbling to me that he was going to check on Jayce. "Don't yell at Halvo too, Nat. Once person is enough for today," he added quietly. I smacked him with a pillow as he got up from the couch and Eric replaced him. The rest of the night we spent watching Superbad and Pineapple Express. As the end credits began to roll, Eric turned to me.

"What's wrong? You're acting weird."

"No, I'm not."

"You know you've been living with me for awhile now. Your brother is my friend and bandmate. I think we've become good friends."

"Yeah..."

"So why do you feel like you can't tell me something?"

I couldn't being my eyes to meet his. I could hear the disappointment in his voice.

"It's not important, okay?"

"Natalia, contrary to popular belief, I am not dumb."

"I didn't say-"

"Just promise that if you needed to talk to me, you would."

"Eric."

"Natalia, promise."

"I promise."

"Good."

I went to put on my pjs and brush my teeth then walked back to my bedroom and found Eric sitting back on the edge of my bed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just wanted to say goodnight."

"Oh."

He stood up and I pulled my covers back, crawling in.

"Well...goodnight."

I have no idea where it came from. Maybe that guilt I had for not telling him. "Hey Eric?"

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay?"

He grinned and hopped over my to the empty side of the bed. I turned off the lamp and felt him snuggle up to my back.

"Night, Natalia," he mumbled into my ear.

"Night, Eric."