"Neilson?" Bradley asked.
"Hey, what are you doing up?" Neilson asked hastily wiping his tears away trying to conceal them.
"You okay?" Bradley asked.
"Yeah I'm fine" he said managing a tearful smile and looking up at him.
"No you're not" Bradley said to him "I take it things didn't go so good with Nat tonight huh?" he asked sitting down next to him.
Neilson smiled sadly and turned to him "She uh...she broke up with me" he said trying to hold back his tears.
Bradley looked at him shocked "What? What are you talking about? What do you mean she broke up with you?" he asked.
"She said we've been fighting a lot lately and that it's just going to get worst and we'll probably end up hating each other and that she cares too much about me to let that happen" he said as his face scrunched up. "It's over...the girl I've loved since I was twelve is gone" he said as he began to sob.
Bradley looked at him sadly "Come on" he said grabbing the back of Neilson's neck and wrapping his arms around him "It's okay" he said softly as Neilson lied his head on Bradley's shoulder. Bradley held him tightly as he began to weep openly "It's okay" Bradley said softly trying to comfort him.
Orange mist began to ascend into the sky, rising over the horizon, the wee hours of the morning began to creep in on them. They both still sat parked on the floor leaning up against Neilson's bed.
"I just don't get it" Neilson said "I went to her house, I apologized...she made it seem like everything was okay, she told me everything was fine and then she just...drops this bomb on me like last night never happened" he said in confusion. "I just don't get where any of this came from" Neilson said. "And I really wish I could stop crying about it like a little bitch" he said smiling as he wiped more tears away. "
"Hey, come on, you just had your heart broken, you're allowed to be hurt and upset" Bradley said to him.
"You didn't have to sit here with me all night you know, you can go back to bed if you want" Neilson said to him.
"No, it's cool, I can sleep anytime" Bradley said shrugging , Neilson lied his head on Bradley's shoulder, Bradley rested his cheek against Neilson's head.
Bradley could feel his every fiber being filled with rage, all the pain and all the misery Neilson was feeling and all because of one person, Natalie, his blood began to boil at the thought of her.
The day went on, Bradley finally emerged from his room in the late afternoon, bounding down the kitchen stairs.
"Morning" Bradley said coming down to the kitchen later that day.
"It's one in the afternoon" Brian said.
"Oh...fine, whatever" Bradley said pouring himself a cup of coffee.
"What do you think you're doing?" Brian asked.
"Having some coffee with my old man" Bradley said to him.
"A. Don't call me old man, B. You're seventeen, you're too young to be drinking coffee" Brian said "What's wrong didn't you sleep last night?" he asked.
"Nah, I was up all night with Neilson" Bradley said.
"Why?" Brian asked.
"Nat broke up with him" Bradley grumbled.
"What? Why?" Brian asked.
"I don't know something about how they've been fighting a lot lately and if they kept fighting they would end up hating each other...I don't know something stupid like that" Bradley said.
"How's he doing?" Brian asked.
"About as well as can be expected" Bradley said to him.
"Poor kid" he said sadly.
"I'm going to get dressed I told Neilson I'd get us something to eat" Bradley said going back upstairs.
Nick came into the kitchen "What's with him?" he asked.
"Well I guess you're going to hear about it anyways so I might as well tell you" Brian said. "Nat broke up with Neilson last night" he said.
"You're kidding" Nick said.
"Unfortunately I am not, Bradley said he was up with him all night" Brian said.
Nick sighed deeply "What happened?" he asked.
"Bradley said Nat told Neilson they had been fighting a lot and she said if they stayed together they would end up hating each other, supposedly she wanted to protect him from that, I don't know" Brian said.
"This really sucks" Nick said.
"Imagine how Neilson feels" Brian said.
"I do know how Neilson feels" Nick said "She was his first love, he probably feels like his world is falling apart". "I guess it's time for a little father-son chat" he said.
"Yeah I'm sure he'd appreciate it" Brian said.
Neilson lied in his bed, his face red and blotchy from hours of crying, he sniffled, listening to Steven Tyler croon on his stereo as he listened to Aerosmith.
but your love made me a prisoner, yeah my heart's been doing time
You spent me up like money, then you hung me out to dry
It was easy to keep all your lies in disguise
'Cause you had me in deep with the devil in your eyes"
"Neilson?" Nick asked opening the door, Neilson hastily wiped his tears away.
"Hey" he said sitting up "What's up?" he asked.
"I heard what happened" Nick said sitting on his bed next to him.
"Yeah...well...what's done is done, you probably think I'm a complete bitch for crying like this" he said.
"I think you're a kid who just got his heart broken by his first serious girlfriend" Nick said "And I think you're allowed to grieve...so, want to tell me what happened?" he asked.
Neilson sat up "She said that we were fighting a lot and if we stayed together it would get worst and we would end up hating each other" he said "She said she cared too much about me to let that happen" he said sadly.
"I'm sorry, I know how much it hurts" Nick said, Neilson nodded sadly as more tears began to fill his eyes, Nick pulled him close and held him, letting him fall apart in his arms. "I know you don't think so now but everything's going to be okay" he said rubbing his back as he sobbed.
"I just wish it didn't hurt this bad" Neilson sobbed.
"I know, I know" Nick said soothingly.
"But you know what? The pain does go away".
