Sequel: Back 2 Good ›
Status: Finished! Look for the sequel soon! :)
Mutiny Below
Bad Moods
Natalia
"Natalia, hurry the fuck up! We don't have all day."
I could hear Nick yelling at me through the bathroom door, even with the shower running. I finished rinsing the suds out of my hair and turned the water off, grabbing my towel and leaving the bathroom so that he could have it to shower.
He's been staying with Eric and I for the past three days and he's been in a terrible mood the whole time. I'm sure it has something to do with Jayce but I don't know for sure because he won't talk to me. He won't talk to anyone. Not even Eric.
He mumbled a sarcastic "Thanks" as he went into the bathroom with a towel and I heard the water running again as I went down the hallway to my room to get dressed. After I threw on some comfortable clothes and ran a brush through my damp hair, I went into the living room where Eric was slouched down on the couch with the remote control in his hand.
"Eric, you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah yeah."
"Liar. Move over."
He scooted over to make room for me on the couch and I sat down right next to him.
"Now, tell me what's going on in that head of yours."
"It's nothing really. I'm just trying to figure out what Nick's problem is."
I scratched my neck awkwardly. "What do you mean?"
He rolled his head over to look at me. "Are you kidding? You know how much of a bitch he's been since he's been here."
"Maybe he's-....Well, I don't know."
I felt bad that I was lying right to Eric's face but I promised Nick I wouldn't tell anyone.
Nick came down the hall into the living room and grabbed his wallet and cell phone off of the table. "Natalia, are you coming with us or not?"
"Well that depends on where you're going."
Nick went outside without saying another word and I looked back at Eric, who raised his eyebrows. "See?"
"I guess if he wants us to know, he'll tell us." That or make the mistake of letting Eric catch them going at it on the couch in plain view.
Eric shrugged and got to his feet. "So are you coming?"
"If you tell me where."
"Nat, did your brain die? We're going to the same place we go every single week. "
"Oh right! 8123 today. Sorry. Forgot."
"Yes, silly. Now come on before your brother has a bitch fit in the car."
I followed him out the door to his car, where I got in on Eric's side because I didn't want to ask Nick to move his seat up. The ride was quiet, with nothing but the sound created by the open windows. When we got there, everyone had already arrived. I clung to Eric's arm while Nick went off by himself. Eric went to talk to Kennedy and Pat so I pretty much stayed by his side the whole time.
Eventually, I got thirsty so I left Eric to talk and went to get myself something to drink. As I was walking away, Eric called my name and asked me to "pretty please with sugar on top" get him a beer. I should've been paying attention to where I was walking because I stumbled right into someone. I knew who it was before I even looked up into his tired green eyes. He grabbed my arms to steady me since I'd almost tripped.
"Sorry," I mumbled as he dropped his hands.
He didn't say anything after about five seconds so I simply walked around him and continued on to get my drink and Eric's beer.
When I returned to Eric's side, John was standing with them in the circle. Eric snaked his skinny arm around my shoulders and planted a big kiss on my cheek as I handed him his beer.
The guys continued their conversation about something that I wasn't even remotely interested in and I noticed John didn't say a word. I stole glances at him every once in awhile. and I could tell he was upset about something. He looked sort of...sad. I looked away for a few minutes but when I looked back at him, his eyes met mine. I silently nodded my head away from everyone and started walking away from Eric and the others. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps behind me so when I got far enough from everyone, I turned around to face him.
"Hey"
"Hey"
He looked down at his feet and kicked a loose stone, not saying anything else.
"John, are you okay?"
He ran a hand through his gorgeous dark hair and loosely grabbed my elbow. "Let's go over here."
I followed him over to the opposite side of the parking lot, away from everyone where the cars were parked. He went over to the backside of his car where no one could see and sat down, leaning his back against it so I did the same. He just sat there for a few minutes while I silently tapped my fingertips against my knees.
"I don't know what to do," he finally said, looking out in front of him.
"About what?"
"Jayce."
I automatically tensed. Here goes the second time in one day I have to lie to someone's face about the situation.
"What's wrong?"
"Truth is, I don't even know. She hardly does anything. She's been in a bad mood the past few days and she won't tell me why. She just keeps pushing me away. I can't fix the problem if I don't know what it is."
I just nodded silently because I didn't know what else to do.
"I mean, she tells me everything. We don't have secrets between us. Well, we usually don't. I just don't know what's going on and it frustrates the hell out of me."
"Maybe she just needs some time alone, you know?"
He shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head back against the car door. "I don't know why. I thought we were fine and now she needs time away from me?"
"I didn't say she needed time away from you. I said she needed time alone. And I also said maybe."
"Time alone equals time away from me."
"It equals time away from everyone. And you don't even know that's what's going on."
"Yeah, I guess."
"You should just give her a couple of days. Then if she needs to talk to you, she will."
He sighed and I looked over at him. He just looked so distressed over it all and even a bit vulnerable. I don't know where my boldness came from when I reached over and grabbed his hand where it was resting on the ground between us, giving it a soft squeeze. He picked his head up and looked at me obviously as surprised at me as I was.
"Just give it time. It'll all work out."
He stared at me for a moment before practically tackling me in a bone-crushing hug. I couldn't help but notice how he smelled like a mix of axe body spray and beer. I didn't mind when he didn't let go right away.
"Guys, what's going on?"
John let go of me and we both turned our heads to see Eric and Jared leaning over the hood of the car, staring at us.
"We were just talking. Come on, Natalia."
John stood up and held his hands out to me to help me off the ground. I dusted the dirt off my shorts and we went back over to rejoin everyone while I ignored the strange looks I was getting from my brother.
Oh God, I think he knows.
"Natalia, hurry the fuck up! We don't have all day."
I could hear Nick yelling at me through the bathroom door, even with the shower running. I finished rinsing the suds out of my hair and turned the water off, grabbing my towel and leaving the bathroom so that he could have it to shower.
He's been staying with Eric and I for the past three days and he's been in a terrible mood the whole time. I'm sure it has something to do with Jayce but I don't know for sure because he won't talk to me. He won't talk to anyone. Not even Eric.
He mumbled a sarcastic "Thanks" as he went into the bathroom with a towel and I heard the water running again as I went down the hallway to my room to get dressed. After I threw on some comfortable clothes and ran a brush through my damp hair, I went into the living room where Eric was slouched down on the couch with the remote control in his hand.
"Eric, you okay?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah yeah."
"Liar. Move over."
He scooted over to make room for me on the couch and I sat down right next to him.
"Now, tell me what's going on in that head of yours."
"It's nothing really. I'm just trying to figure out what Nick's problem is."
I scratched my neck awkwardly. "What do you mean?"
He rolled his head over to look at me. "Are you kidding? You know how much of a bitch he's been since he's been here."
"Maybe he's-....Well, I don't know."
I felt bad that I was lying right to Eric's face but I promised Nick I wouldn't tell anyone.
Nick came down the hall into the living room and grabbed his wallet and cell phone off of the table. "Natalia, are you coming with us or not?"
"Well that depends on where you're going."
Nick went outside without saying another word and I looked back at Eric, who raised his eyebrows. "See?"
"I guess if he wants us to know, he'll tell us." That or make the mistake of letting Eric catch them going at it on the couch in plain view.
Eric shrugged and got to his feet. "So are you coming?"
"If you tell me where."
"Nat, did your brain die? We're going to the same place we go every single week. "
"Oh right! 8123 today. Sorry. Forgot."
"Yes, silly. Now come on before your brother has a bitch fit in the car."
I followed him out the door to his car, where I got in on Eric's side because I didn't want to ask Nick to move his seat up. The ride was quiet, with nothing but the sound created by the open windows. When we got there, everyone had already arrived. I clung to Eric's arm while Nick went off by himself. Eric went to talk to Kennedy and Pat so I pretty much stayed by his side the whole time.
Eventually, I got thirsty so I left Eric to talk and went to get myself something to drink. As I was walking away, Eric called my name and asked me to "pretty please with sugar on top" get him a beer. I should've been paying attention to where I was walking because I stumbled right into someone. I knew who it was before I even looked up into his tired green eyes. He grabbed my arms to steady me since I'd almost tripped.
"Sorry," I mumbled as he dropped his hands.
He didn't say anything after about five seconds so I simply walked around him and continued on to get my drink and Eric's beer.
When I returned to Eric's side, John was standing with them in the circle. Eric snaked his skinny arm around my shoulders and planted a big kiss on my cheek as I handed him his beer.
The guys continued their conversation about something that I wasn't even remotely interested in and I noticed John didn't say a word. I stole glances at him every once in awhile. and I could tell he was upset about something. He looked sort of...sad. I looked away for a few minutes but when I looked back at him, his eyes met mine. I silently nodded my head away from everyone and started walking away from Eric and the others. A few seconds later, I heard footsteps behind me so when I got far enough from everyone, I turned around to face him.
"Hey"
"Hey"
He looked down at his feet and kicked a loose stone, not saying anything else.
"John, are you okay?"
He ran a hand through his gorgeous dark hair and loosely grabbed my elbow. "Let's go over here."
I followed him over to the opposite side of the parking lot, away from everyone where the cars were parked. He went over to the backside of his car where no one could see and sat down, leaning his back against it so I did the same. He just sat there for a few minutes while I silently tapped my fingertips against my knees.
"I don't know what to do," he finally said, looking out in front of him.
"About what?"
"Jayce."
I automatically tensed. Here goes the second time in one day I have to lie to someone's face about the situation.
"What's wrong?"
"Truth is, I don't even know. She hardly does anything. She's been in a bad mood the past few days and she won't tell me why. She just keeps pushing me away. I can't fix the problem if I don't know what it is."
I just nodded silently because I didn't know what else to do.
"I mean, she tells me everything. We don't have secrets between us. Well, we usually don't. I just don't know what's going on and it frustrates the hell out of me."
"Maybe she just needs some time alone, you know?"
He shrugged his shoulders and leaned his head back against the car door. "I don't know why. I thought we were fine and now she needs time away from me?"
"I didn't say she needed time away from you. I said she needed time alone. And I also said maybe."
"Time alone equals time away from me."
"It equals time away from everyone. And you don't even know that's what's going on."
"Yeah, I guess."
"You should just give her a couple of days. Then if she needs to talk to you, she will."
He sighed and I looked over at him. He just looked so distressed over it all and even a bit vulnerable. I don't know where my boldness came from when I reached over and grabbed his hand where it was resting on the ground between us, giving it a soft squeeze. He picked his head up and looked at me obviously as surprised at me as I was.
"Just give it time. It'll all work out."
He stared at me for a moment before practically tackling me in a bone-crushing hug. I couldn't help but notice how he smelled like a mix of axe body spray and beer. I didn't mind when he didn't let go right away.
"Guys, what's going on?"
John let go of me and we both turned our heads to see Eric and Jared leaning over the hood of the car, staring at us.
"We were just talking. Come on, Natalia."
John stood up and held his hands out to me to help me off the ground. I dusted the dirt off my shorts and we went back over to rejoin everyone while I ignored the strange looks I was getting from my brother.
Oh God, I think he knows.
