[sequel to Na]
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"No." was the first thing Lead said to us, quite rudely at that. I couldn't believe this. I heard that he was a nice senior, who was willing to help his fellow students with basically anything.
Nat spoke up, a pleading look in her eyes. "... I just lost my powers, I really need your help, please! You know this kind of stuff."
"Look, I really am sorry, but... this whole thing, it... it ruined my life. With that storm out there growing, I... I can't do anything about that, and... and neither could my old friends." he answered solemnly, a little bit shakier and more anxious with each word.
"I don't believe this. You all just... gave up? Really?" I shouted, catching him off guard. "Then I guess you aren't the kind of senior everyone says you are. Come on, Nat... we should ask someone else."
"Please do..." Lead added, an extra weight in his words. "I can't help you... I... I can't help anyone. These element issues, I'm of no use... I've ruined friendships, relationships. If it wasn't for me they would have all been happy, enjoying their lives."
His eyes looked big and sad, as if he had made the greatest error of his life. As if he was ashamed of his own existence. While I was listening to his words, Nat's eyes fell on something else. A page lying on the floor, with just an end projecting from under the bed. The words said, "Just quit elements..." in big red felt tip pen letters. The page was a bit wet on the sides, probably tears.
She carefully bent, picking up the paper and reading the content. It was a journal entry, probably written on a very bad day. "You... you're dropping out?!" she gasped softly, "What's going on? Are you all right?"
"Nat," I warned. "Come on, we need to go. Let him get ready for his date." I wanted to add, 'Tell your friend that her crush is a bad senior, and he's a quitter.'
"No, Cal," she answered, then her eyes shifted to Lead. "You... you say here that you feel worthless, like you ruined your friends' lives."
"That's none of your business. You guys need to go, curfew will start any minute now, and Natalie, if you're in here you will be in for some trouble." Lead advised her, and then before she could open her mouth in retort, he took the paper, and crumpled it.
"It's 4:04 pm, way outside of curfew. Look, she got zapped by electricity and lost her powers, okay? We'll get it back, thanks Lead. Now come on, Natalie, we really need to leave soon."
My anger rose. I never call her anything besides Nat unless I'm mad at her. And right now, I sure was. At her, at Lead... at all of it.
Her eyes widened as if we were seven years old and I had just said a swear word on the playground. "You... called me..." she whispered, her voice trembling.
I took a deep breath, trying to rein in my anger. “Yes, I did. Because you’re not listening to me. We need to go.”
“But Cal, he needs help,” she insisted, her eyes pleading with me.
“And so do you,” I shot back. “But he’s not going to help us. We need to find someone who will.”
Lead looked at us, his expression a mix of guilt and frustration. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I really am. But I can’t help you. I can’t even help myself.”
Nat’s shoulders slumped, and she looked down at the crumpled paper in Lead’s hand. “I just… I don’t understand. Why would you give up?”
“Because sometimes, giving up is the only option left,” Lead said quietly. “I’ve tried everything, and nothing works. I’m just… tired.”
I grabbed Nat’s arm, gently but firmly. “Come on, let’s go.”
She resisted for a moment, then reluctantly followed me out of the room. As we walked down the hallway, I could feel the tension between us growing.
“Why are you so mad at me?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Because you don’t get it,” I replied, my voice tight with frustration. “You always want to help everyone and I appreciate that about you, but sometimes, people don’t want to be helped. And you can’t force them.”
"But Cal,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “We can’t just leave him like this.”
I stopped and turned to face her, my anger melting into sadness. “I know, Nat. But we can’t save everyone. Sometimes, we have to let people go.”
She looked at me, her eyes searching mine for answers. “I don’t want to let him go.”
“I don’t either,” I admitted. “But we have to. For our own sake.”
We stood there in silence for a moment, the weight of our words hanging in the air. Finally, Nat nodded, wiping away her tears.
“Okay,” she said softly. “But I’m not giving up on him. Not completely.”
I sighed, knowing that was the best I could hope for. “Alright. Let’s just get through this, one step at a time.”
A Few Days Later:
The tension between Nat and me hadn’t eased. If anything, it had grown worse. We barely spoke, and when we did, it was strained and awkward. I could see the hurt in her eyes, and it mirrored my own.
One evening, as we were studying in her dorm room, Nat finally broke the silence.
“Cal, why do you always have to be so controlling?” she asked, her voice trembling.
I looked up, surprised by the accusation. “What are you talking about?”
“You always have to be in charge, always pushing me to do things your way,” she said, her frustration boiling over. “I can’t take it anymore.”
“I’m just trying to help us succeed,” I replied defensively. “You know how important our grades are.”
“But at what cost?” she shot back. “I’m tired of feeling like I’m not good enough, like I have to live up to your standards all the time.”
“That’s not fair,” I said, my own anger rising. “I’ve always supported you.”
“Have you?” she asked, her voice breaking. “Or have you just been trying to mold me into your idea of perfection?”
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I had never seen it that way, but maybe she was right. Maybe I had been too focused on my own goals, too blind to see how it was affecting her.
“I’m sorry, Nat,” I said quietly. “I didn’t realize…”
“It’s too late for apologies,” she interrupted, her voice cold. “I need some space. I can’t keep doing this.”
There it was... wasn't it?
This was it.
The assassination which sparked the great war.
The final band-aid we had to pull off.
The last straw.36Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEVG4IQ9Wh1
