• Nathon Power's Journal Entry #14
    March 24, 2010


    tab "Nathon, what's going on?" We were in the car, mom and I. I was so glad of that fact, regardless of the actual reason it was happening.
    tab "What?" I was kind of in a daze, staring out the window, just marveling over the fact that I was no longer an orphan. And just like before, I didn't even think of the consequences of my actions; bringing mom back.
    tab "You told me you were suspended for the rest of the year because of a fight? Nathon, what's gotten into you?"
    tab "What?" I blinked, and finally regained my senses. "Oh, that. It's, uh, nothing."
    tab "Well," she cried, "it damn right better not be nothing, because otherwise, that's absolutely inexcusible!" Her hands were gripped hard on the steering wheel, so hard, in fact, that I could see the pale white in her hand. And she swore at me. That just further proved how angry she was.
    tab "Evan...He was bad talking about Jenna. So I pounced him." Her grip loosened on the wheel, as she said much softer,
    tab "Jenna...How's she doing?" Suddenly, I just got the urge to talk, and words came spilling out of my mouth,
    tab "Not good."
    tab "Oh?"
    tab "Yeah. There's been a lot of rumors floating around the school about Jenna. Like, Evan called her a slut." It was sad how I was getting used to saying that word. My mom, on the other hand, must not have been very used to it, as she screamed,
    tab "He called her a--!" She calmed down a bit, and said, back in her soft tone,
    tab "I see..." She cleared her throat, and went on,
    tab "How about dad? How's he?" That was one thing I couldn't so quickly answer. Dad was dead. So what was I supposed to say to that?
    tab "Dad?" I echoed. "Dad's...dad's doing fine." I knew she would find out eventually, inevitably. But I couldn't bring myself to tell her. No way.
    tab "Really? That's good to hear. Did he get a job or something?" One question leading to another...I didn't know how to answer all of them. Was I suppose to tell the truth? Or was I suppose to lie to my own mom?
    tab "Uh...uh..."
    tab "'Uh...uh...' what?" she pressed. "Did he get a job or not?"
    tab "I'm not sure," was my very lame and stupid answer.
    tab "You're not sure? How are you not..." She paused, thought for a second, and then answered her own question,
    tab "Though I suppose, it being your dad and all, I suppose it's not too far-fetched to believe he simply is "keeping it secret"."
    tab "I guess..." I agreed quickly. There was a brief, awkward moment of silence after that, when my mom said,
    tab "When we get home, I'm gonna to have a talk with dad."
    tab "No!" was my immediate, not thought through reply.
    tab "What?" she asked, eyebrows raised through the mirror as she made a hard break at a red light, the tires squealing hard against the concrete. She turned around, her arm rested on the shoulder of the seat.
    tab "Do you know something you're not telling me?" You could always count on a mom to catch someone in the middle of a lie. And right then, my mom had my trapped in a corner. I took a deep breath, looked out the window again, and whispered,
    tab "You'll see for yourself when we get there." And that was all I could say. She raised her eyebrows, and looked back at the road. I could see a sort of scared expression on her face. But whether she saw what was coming or not, she was less than happy when she saw it all with her own eyes when we got home.