Who We Are

"You guys are so wrong! Symba would make a great king, as is!" Dean shouted, pointing to the small lion as he jumped around the screen.

"Are you kidding?" Emily shouted at him, tossing a handful of popcorn past me so that it would hit him. "Symba is so immature! It's good that he goes off with Puma and Symone so that he can get his act together!"

Dean scoffed and grabbed a piece of popcorn off of his shirt and popped it into his mouth. Emily made a disgusted noise and folded her arms over her chest.

I just laughed and reclined my chair back so that I was laying down and staring at the huge screen. I grabbed the of popcorn from Emily quickly and scarfed down and handful happily. The other two eventually forgot about their little fight and enjoyed the rest of the movie.

"So..." Emily trailed off as the three of us hung out downstairs near the bar. I sat on the floor, having pulled a beanbag chair out of the closet. I snuggled into the "chair" and looked at Em with strange eyes.

"So, what?" I asked bluntly.

She grinned at me and shook her head. "I was just wondering what's going on with you and Ronnie Radke. I mean, I heard people talking about the two of you in the bathroom today?" She crinkled her nose.

Dean shot up out of his bar chair and looked at me with wide eyes. "How'd you manege to snag the sexiest guy in school?!"

I rolled my eyes. Of course Emily had heard about what happened, she was the gossip girl, the one to find if you wanted to know anything about anyone. I never understood why she'd care or how she'd know everything but there was never a shortage of rumors when it came Emily. "Who'd you hear that from?" I asked her as I raked my tongue over the back of my teeth. "No one worth talking to, I'd reckon."

Emily shrugged and looked away. "Just a couple of freshman."

I nodded like I actually believed her. "And what did they tell you exactly?"

The brunette bit her lip and shrugged. "It's not important." She shook her head and slid off of her chair. "Do you guys want to bowl?" she asked with a grin on her face, motioning towards the lane. "When Nate gets home it can be boys against girls!"

"Aw man," I groaned, "I'm stuck with you?"

Emily huffed and smacked my arm. Dean and I laughed as we started setting up the automatic score keeper, knowing that Nathaniel would be home within 20 minutes.

We were all sitting around downstairs when we heard footsteps pounding on the stairs as someone descended. I grinned and hopped up as the brown head of Nathaniel Henderson emerged from there. "College boy!" I shouted as I raced over and threw my arms around his neck. He held me up by my thighs and spun me around. I screeched happily and held onto him as tight as I could. "I've missed you!"

When he set me down I got a good look at his face. In the last few years his jaw line had become very prominent and his nose came to a rounded point. When he was in high school last year people hated me because I always hung out with him. He was attractive and people adored him. His brown hair was cut at his eyebrows and had slight curls on the back of his neck. His eyes were caramel colored and were really bright, even in the dark.

Nate pulled me in for another hug. I hadn't seen him in awhile because he'd been staying with his girlfriend downtown. "How you doing?" I questioned as I took his arm and led him over to the lanes.

He shrugged and smiled at me, "Alright, I guess."

I winked at him. "She was a loser anyways. Forget her."

Nate laughed and yanked me to him. Emily crinkled her nose at us and huffed again. We bowled and I ended up on Nate's team when we begged like children. The two of use ended up beating Emily and Dean by only a few points seeing as Dean and I weren't too good at bowling.

Nate offered to drive me home later and I agreed so that we could hang out a little longer while Colette wanted to leave when she got off work. Dean left with her since he had to be home before his curfew. Emily didn't seem to be enjoying the fact that Nate and I were hanging out so Nate and I went to his bedroom to get away from the calculating glares of Nate's baby sister.

Nate's room was a typical teenage boy's room. There walls were navy blue with large windows and pristine white curtains. On the wall that had the door there was a large king bed that had gray sheets and pillows. A black and slanted t.v. hung on the slanted wall next to it. There were black couches in the middle of the room that faced each other and on the other side of the room was a mini-fridge and the french doors that lead to the balcony that he shared with Emily.

I crawled onto his bed and stretched out on my stomach, giggling when he climbed in beside me and laid his head on my shoulder. "I've missed you," I murmured as I nuzzled my face against his soft comforter.

I felt his arm wrap around my waist. "Same here," he muttered, breathing deeply. We just laid around and talked about his college and his classes.

"It's so much better than high school," he said with a chuckle, "But somedays I still feel like just another stupid high school boy," he sighed and shook his head with a little smile on his lips.

I shook my head. "You were never just a stupid high school boy, Nathaniel. You were the moon and the stars for every girl at that school."

By now we had rolled over and he was laying on his back. I was too but my head was on his shoulder and his arms were wrapped around me. He fiddled with my hair as we laid there. Nate laughed, "I wasn't anything but attractive to those girls."

I shrugged, "It gotcha places," I told him, "Everyone loved you. They still do."

Nate squeezed me. "They love you too, Kat."

I shrugged. Then we talked about his professors and eventually got onto the subject of his ex-girlfriend, Jacey.

"I don't know what happened," he sighed, shaking his head and shrugging. "We were fine a couple weeks ago. Happy even."

"Sometimes people just grow apart, Nate," I said honestly.

Nate nodded. "Plus, her being a year older caused her to think of me as a little kid."

He felt buff underneath me. Like he had been working out for a really long time. Nate had always been fit though. He'd always been one to keep up with his health and his appearance. He definitely didn't feel like a little kid to me.

"I love you, Nathaniel," I murmured as I sat up, offering him a smile.

He returned it and ruffled my hair. "I love you, too, Katerina."

I grinned and jumped up. I went over to his t.v. and hooked up his X-Box 360 and Kinect before tossing him one of the controllers and shouting, "I dare you to try and beat me!"

Nathaniel rolled his eyes. "Like it'll even be a challenge!"

We played video games until 6:30, Nathaniel viciously kicking my butt at everything and rubbing it in my face each and every time. It was after then that his parents called him down for dinner through the intercom. He grabbed my arm and yanked me down the stairs into the dining room.

"Oh, Katerina. We didn't know you were here," Em and Nate's father said I walked down side by side with Nathaniel. His Dad did a double check. "Were you with Nathaniel?" he asked, looking behind us as if Emily would be trailing after us.

I nodded and offered him a smile. "Yes sir," I said, "I was just catching up with Nate, uh, Nathaniel," I clarified as Nate led me over to a plush white chair and pulled it out for me. Emily can bounding down the stairs a few minutes later and kissed her father on the cheek.

We ate dinner with both of their parents and Nate agreed to take me home afterwards, upon request of his mother. When we were all finished eating Mrs. Henderson asked Nathaniel to help her clear the dishes. He got up swiftly and took my plate, nodding as I thanked him.

"Emily," Mr. Henderson called out to his only daughter, "Why don't you go start your homework. Katerina will be leaving in a few minutes anyway."

Emily nodded and walked over to me. She hugged me tightly and I hugged her back equally. "I'll see you tomorrow," I told her as she let me go and then scurried out of the room. I sat back down and waited for Nate to finish up.

"How have you been, Kat?" Mr. Henderson questioned with a smile, "I saw disappointed not to see you around the house yesterday."

I smiled, knowing that Emily had told them that she had to stay after school for a project with me and my father drove her home afterwards since Colette was already off of work by then. "Well, school is kicking my butt," I told him, watching as he grimaced at my choice of words. I bit my lip, forgetting to act less like an illiterate than I seemed sometimes.

Nate came walking out of the large kitchen a few minutes later and he nodded at me. I stood up and hugged Mr. and Mrs. Henderson goodbye before I followed Nate out of the house, waiting for him while he ran to his room to get his keys. He drove me home, knowing the way by heart.

We drove onto my street and into my driveway. I kissed Nate's cheeks and then got out of the car. "I'll see you around, Nate!" I shouted as I ran through the yard and to the front door. I banged on the door and grinned at Lisette as she pulled the door open for me.

"Oh thank goodness!" Lissy shouted, pulling me into the house. "Dad called, you're babysitting!"

I crinkled my eyebrows, "Babysitting who?" I asked.

Lisette dragged my arm down towards her. I leaned down with my ear by her lips and waited for her to tell me. Her eyes were wide as she said, "The Radkes!"