one missed call

one hundred - eleven

"kale, cut the crap and tell me what you know."

"it's none of your damn business, rita." he shoves her out of the way and makes his way upstairs.

but she chases after him and blocks his way to his bedroom. "something bad went down, didn't it?"

"leave me the fuck alone!" he shouts.

"don't you care about north? don't you care what it did to her or do you not know what's been happening to her because you've become to self-centered?"

he gives her a heated glare, "you're so goddamn nosy."

"you're so goddamn stubborn."

he sighs. "you're impossible—but you're not going to leave me alone, are you?"

"not until you tell me everything—and mind you, the truth."

"fine," he growls, "let's talk in my room and keep your voice down."

she moves aside and they enter.

"so what do you wanna know?" he lights up a cigarette.

"how nathan died."

he purses lips, "well i can't tell you that."

rita frowns. "why not? i thought you just said you'd tell me it all."

"i can't tell you how he died because he didn't."

"what the hell do you mean he didn't die?"

"he's very much alive, rits, is what i mean. and he's in town too."

her eyes nearly bulge out of their sockets."what the actual fuck?"

he nods gravely before puffing out some grey smoke. "he has really big family problems, rits. makes ours look like an episode of fucking desperate housewives so i guess you can imagine it's pretty big."

"see, he had his dad, had his mom and had a sister when he was a year and a half old. but get this, she's his half sister. means the mom went to another man and well, i think you know what. eleven years later, the dad finally founds out. don't know how he did, but he was pissed. and i mean really pissed. so he starts beating his mom everyday, his the sister as well since she's not even his child. only one he doesn't beat is nathan because he's the only one who never screwed him over and that he's his true flesh and blood. this is why north never saw any bruises on him when they were kids so she assumed all things were fine and dandy."

he takes another hit at his cigarette. "3 months later his mom can't take it anymore so she packs up, takes all that she has and leaves town with her two kids. then the next day in the news there's a report of a car accident in the woods with the car at the bottom of the river along with the woman and two kids inside, dead. but guess who the police officer who handled the case was."

she creases her eyebrows "who?"

"gordon james emmett."

she gasps, "no,"

"yes, my dear sister. gordon james emmett, head of the downtown police department and also the brother of nina grace emmett. nathan's mom. there was no car accident in the woods. no one died but that's what everyone else thinks. including nathan's dear best friends, north and leo."

"so what happened to nathan and his family?"

"his dad never believed the bullshit, was suspicious ever since he heard that gordon was the one who handled the case. so his dad leaves town to look for them but was only ever after nathan since he had no care for the sister, her not being his anyways. so nina left the daughter in town to live with gordon. that way she's safe with him being a cop and all but ever since, she and nathan have been on the run. until now since he's back in town but i didn't see his mom with him so i don't know what happened to her."

she stares in silence for many long passing moments.

"you're not shitting me at all, are you, kale?"

he shakes head, "wish i was."

"poor north, thinking her best friend was dead all these years."

he nods sadly, "yeah."

"i have one last question, kale."

"shoot."

"how did you know he was back in town?"

he scratches the back of his neck.

"i've been dating his half sister for a month now."

"so that's the mystery girl you've been seeing all this time."

he chuckles uneasily "uh--yeah. guess you could say that."

she smirks, "what's her name?"

"mellany emmett."