Irreplaceable

2

The door bell rang and I reluctantly hopped off the couch to go get it. My dad and brother were having a rather good discussion and I didn't want to miss it, but I had a feeling I knew who was at the door. Sure enough, when I opened it and looked out there was my best friend standing awkwardly outside. I grinned at him.

"Hey Nate. Come on in." I said to him when he didn't move or say anything. He was just like that. At six foot three and over two hundred pounds of pure muscle, it looked as though he was a mafia dude was coming over to shake us down. He wasn't Italian or anything, but his sharp black hair and cool aura made some people think he was.

He always wore black too and that definitely did not help the situation any. He was quiet to my boisterous, calm to my storm, and one chill dude. Don't tick him off though. He was scary if you made him angry. That was how we met, come to think of it.

I was being picked on by three other older boys on the playground down the street. They kept pushing me off the big slide so I couldn't go down it, saying I was too small. Nate had walked up, helped me off the ground, and told the boys that he and his friend were going on the big slide. They had laughed. Then Nate had given the biggest one a black eye and they had run to their parents crying.

He may have gotten in trouble for it, but we always got to slide down the big slide afterwards. Those boys were terrified of him after, and I learned that Nate snapped quicker than a rubber band at full stretch if you pushed him. It didn't happen often. In fact, I think I had only seen him do it a handful of times in my life.

"Do you want something to drink sweetie?" My mom asked him as he sat down on the couch. He nodded and smiled gently at her.

"Two cokes please mom!" I called after her. She waved as she left the room. She heard me. I sat closest to Greg and tried to pick up the conversation again, but they were distracted by the arrival of my friend.

"Hey Nate, how are you?" Greg said with a smile. He shrugged and looked away. My mom brought in our drinks and he thanked her quietly. My dad took her entrance as cue to start up the movie and my sister came barreling in at the last minute.

"Hey Nate. Can I sit next to you?" She asked with a grin. He never said no. He just shrugged and looked at me. I made a face at my sister while her back was turned and he chuckled. Mom snapped her fingers at me and I rolled my eyes.

The next hour was everyone staring at the television screen, an occasional jab from one person to the next during certain scenes, and appropriate responses of laughter. Dad paused the movie at half-time and everyone ran out of the room who needed to.

Mom went to make popcorn and I followed her and Greg into the kitchen. Nate came trailing in after us and leaned against the cupboards while we talked. Dad gave the five-minute warning and I helped Mom with the popcorn bowls. We did the cheesy personal container thing, and I handed them out when I got back to the living room.

The movie restarted and my popcorn disappeared really quickly. I was rooting around absently in my empty container when Nate leaned over and handed me his. I grinned and took it gratefully. He was such a nice guy. I finished off half of his container and sat back with a sigh. The movie was really good.

"Well, that's it folks. Izzy, you are on clean up duty tonight. Go help your Mom." Dad called as the credits went up the screen. Lizard groaned and began collecting popcorn bowls. I stretched and grabbed Nate's sleeve, giving it a tug.

"Come on. Let's go hang out." I said. Greg and Mark never stuck around after the movie anyways. I gave them both hugs in the front hall as they put on their coats, and went up the stairs to my room. Nate followed me silently like a big, loyal puppy.

"You done your homework?" He asked me with a tilt to his head. I flopped on my bed and groaned.

"No. I started it but got stuck." I whined. He smiled at me and nudged my shoulder.

"Go on. Get it out. I'll help you with it." He said. I hopped up eagerly and grabbed my books. He sat next to me and I pointed out which question it was that I was having trouble with. He flipped open my book and had me read one of the pages. Then he explained to me how it applied to the question.

"I wish I was as smart as Greg. Did you know he got a ninety-something average coming out of high school? I think I am sitting around a seventy-eight." I sighed as I filled in the answer. He ruffled my hair and got the next page ready for me to read.

"Don't feel bad Brad. Not everyone is cut out for academics. That doesn't mean you shouldn't keep trying hard. Maybe you should just focus on what you are good at? You got a much better mark in Mechanics II than I did." He responded gently.

"Yeah I guess. It just makes me feel dumb." I took the book from him with a half-smile.

"You aren't dumb. You are just different. It is okay to be different Brad." He said softly. I just sighed and concentrated on getting my homework done.