Music Videos can have a deeper meaning, you know? (NateWantToBattle story)

And we'll pretend, we'll just pretend...

Cristina, Andy and Hunter sit in the living room. Distracted by different things. Andy writes lines for a new song, Cristina looks through Twitter, and Hunter plays on the PS4.

"Uh...guys...do you think that he will find out?" Andy nervously looks around, to see if Nate is still in his room. But no sign of him.

"Find out what?" Hunter raises his eyebrows.

"About that what we have done to him, dummy!" Cristina sighs and gives Hunter a hit at the back of his head, still regreting all what she has done.

"Oh...that thing..." Hunter pauses the game and looks down in shame. He already forgot that all this, was partly his fault.

"I don't know if he will find it out...he will remember what happened, but we only can hope, that he doesn't remember that the masked people were us..." she burries her face into her hands, in fear. She doesn't know how Nate is going to react, when he finds out, that all that, is his friends' fault.

"Hey, Cris, everything is going to be alright...we'll pretend, we'll just pretend..." Andy gives her a hug.

"...pretend that day would never end. You have always been good in quoting Nate's song lyrics, Andy..." Hunter lets out a little laugh and continues to play.

"Hey, at least I'm thinking about a plan. If he finds it out, it'll be too late." Andy raises his eyebrows and looks at Hunter with an angry expression

"If I find out what?" Nate voice appears behind them. They don't noticed that he had left his room. But they just pretend of watching Hunter playing games. Nate is standing behind them, his can tightly in his hand.

"Oh, nothing! We are planing a little surprise for you, and we don't want to spoil it!" Hunter brings out a fake laugh and smile, while still playing the game. All of them are concentrated at watching him playing.

"Ok...I just wanted to take a bath...is that ok for you?" Nate isn't really convinced, that they mean the "little surprise". 

"No, go for it! It's not a problem. Should we help you?" Hunter pauses the game again and all of them look at Nate, which wasn't a good idea...because now a picture flashes in front of his eyes.

The masked group that kidnapped him. All of them staring at him. The picture quickly flickers in front of his eyes. He can't what's real or not. Then three of them stand up and start to get over to him quickly.

"NO, STAY BACK! DON'T HURT ME, PLEASE!" he presses himself against the wall, causing him, because of his left leg, to fall to the ground. He quickly sits up and curls himself up into a ball, with his arms covering his face. He feels that the people are around him.

"NO! GO AWAY! PLEASE, I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I'VE DONE NOTHING!" he yells again.

"Nate, calm down, it's us, Andy, Hunter and Cristina..." Nate slowly removes his arms from his face, seeing Hunter, Andy and Cristina kneeling in front of him, holding him carefully.

"Nate...you're alright...you're save..." Andy slowly puts a hand on Nate's shoulder as he notices his shakyness.

"A-Are you sure?" Nate still doesn't really know what's real and what's not.

"I'm your friend...I'm your friend...You can trust me 'till the end." Andy slowly puts his other hand on Nate's arm.

"Everything they did to me...everything haunts...in my dreams...in my real life...everywhere!" Nate burries his face into his hands and breaths heavily. Still scared of what just happened.

"It only hurts a second, there's nothing to fear, Nate. You're here, you're safe." Cristina hugs him tightly.

Hunter looks to Andy desperated, Andy gives him the same look. How could they tell Nate that all that what he makes through is all their fault? That his best friends have betrayed him, at caused all that pain that he feels right now. How can you teach that to one of your best friends? HOW? 

"You're okay now, Nate?" Cristina carefully helps him to stand up.

"Y-Yeah...It should be better now..." he tries to pick the can up, but he still struggles with that, because of his left leg. Hunter picks the can up for him and hands it to Nate.

"Are you sure that you're okay, Nate?" Cristina asks him as she notices that he still shakes.

"Yeah, I just had some kind of halucination...I'm fine." Nate takes a few deep breaths and his shakyness instantly disappears.

"So, what do you want to do now?" Hunter raises his eyebrows.

"Like I said, I'm going to take a bath, if you don't mind. I think, some fresh water can help me of understand what just happened..." but isn't going to take it. At least not yet...his friends...seems suspicious to him...why would the halucination show them behind the masks? This isn't just a random coincidence, there must be something else.

"Of course, do you need any help?" 

"No, no. I take care of that by myself. You three, sit back, relax, and please, stay in your seats!" Nate puts on a fake smile and walks to the bathroom.

"And Andy..." Nate stops in front of the bathroom and looks back at Andy with a big smile on his face.

"...I know that you're quoting my songs." he lets out a little laughter and walks in the bathroom. As soon as he closes the door, the others let a sigh of relief.

"How are we going to do this?" Andy throws himself on the couch.

"I really have no idea..." Hunter sits down on a seat, next to the couch.

"We can't lie to him forever! He will find it out, somehow! He isn't dumb, guys!" Andy runs with his hand through his hair.

"Be happy, that he doesn't hear this right now." Hunter rolls his eyes. 

But what they don't know, is that Nate heard every word. He entered the room and closed the door. But didn't close it completely. And now he hears every word that his friends say, loud and clearly.

"Wow, that's the only positive thing here..." Cristina sits down of the couch, next to Andy.

"I mean...what if we explain everything to him?...Maybe he will understand and forgive us..." Hunter carefully throws this argument in the ring.

"And how do you want to tell him that? Hey Nate, I know we are friends, but I accidentaly kidnapped you?" Andy rolls his eyes and covers his face with his hands.

"Do you really think that I'm THAT dumb? Or that Nate is that dumb?"

This hits Nate in the heart. His past forms in his dream said the truth, his friends have really something to do with his fate. 

He slowly closes the door and undresses himself quietly. He lets warm water in the bathtub and he sits into the tub when the water almost swaps over the edge of the tub. He slowly lets himself sink into the water. His tears, that he didn't notice, mix themselfs with the warm water. He just feels a mixture of sadness, anger, dissappointment and disbelief. He just can't believe that his friends have done that to him...

Maybe all of this is still a lie? Maybe they are still after him? They maybe just let him feel safe, to hit him hard when the time has come?

So many questions, and no answers...