“Sit down before you hurt yourself more then, Nitwit.” Grace said, shoving his calf gently since she couldn’t punch him in the shoulder. She finally righted her own self and they sat next to each other, leaning back against the side of her bed. Nate just ate candy in silence, keeping his mouth full so he wouldn’t have to answer the questions Grace was ready to throw at him. 
                              
It was a delaying tactic that she would only let him get away with for so long. Nathaniel was weird that way, he was open and easy going about pretty much everything (even though he did have a temper that was on par with his father’s), but there were times Grace had to drag things out of him. Not because he didn’t want to share with her, but because he didn’t know how to express the things swirling around in his head. It was like Grace acted as her best friend’s translator. Only instead of helping him speak from one language to another, she helped him speak to himself. “So you’re not going to the Fall Ball. And you’re only telling me about this AFTER I got the costumes ready…” Grace started, about as tactful as a rampaging bull in a china shop. 
                              
“Can’t you just dress your date Colby up in mine?” Nate asked, and Grace felt her eyebrows shoot up to her hairline at the snarl hidden in her best friend’s tone. 
                              
“Woah, you REALLY don’t like that guy huh?” Grace asked, already knowing the answer but surprised at the blatant animosity. 
                              
Nate didn’t answer; instead he tore into one of the licorice sticks with unnecessary savagery. This was one of those moments Grace instinctively knew to keep her mouth shut and wait him out. It was hard because she wanted to prod him into speaking already but every now and again her lack of patience was a downfall and Nate was just acting oddly enough that she didn’t want to risk fallout like what had happened earlier this year. Their friendship had nearly ended when she started dating a guy who was every kind of wrong and Nate fought with her about it. It was her own damn fault what had happened after that and their friendship was patched up since then, but there were days like today where she felt like she was skating on thin ice. 
                              
“Diogenes and dissonance.” Nate finally spoke up, after half the bag of Twizzlers had been masticated into violently chewed bits. 
                              
“You’re using big words after midnight. Stop, rewind and dumb it down for the medicated red head.” Grace said, trying to follow Nate’s line of thinking. 
                              
Nate’s shoulders shook a little as her words had their intended effect and made him laugh. “Oh Graceless, I do love you. Never change.” 
                              
"I wasn't planning on it Nitwit. You're the one getting all existential on me. What's eating your bacon?" Grace asked, finally swinging the conversation back around to where she wanted it.
                              
"I know my dating habits are reprehensible. I just..." Nate hesitated and Grace wondered for the millionth time what had started him down the slutty path in the first place. He had always been a charmer but he hadn't gotten into the playboy attitude until the end of his highschool career. "There's this new regular at work. He's completely useless. And I do mean completely. Born rich, genetically gifted though not quite as handsome as I am, he just wastes time and money and screws anything that'll hold still for him. He's not just panamourous, he's a globalsexual. Want to have sex with EVERYONE. And you know I don't care about someone's sexual orientation but this guy is just..." Nate held his hot chocolate mug like the steaming liquid was a scrying pool that would hold the answers to life, the universe and especially himself. And Grace felt a strange sense that he was having a mid life crisis FAR too young. "And everyone at work is cracking jokes about how there wasn't enough room for one Nate in the club, let alone two." Nathaniel's voice had lost it's emotional timbre, a trick he used when he was feeling something he didn't want to address; he simply switched off. 
                              
Grace had seen her best friend cry when their pet dog Monster died of old age, beat her ex-boyfriend nearly to death when he tried to hurt her and laugh so hard he peed himself and she would have preferred any of those to this emotionless automoton he pretended to be right now. Because she knew he was hurting and there wasn't a hell of a whole lot she could do to help. He had earned his reputation as a lady killer and it was coming back to bite him in his well formed ass. 
                              
"So you're swearing off sex?" Grace asked, trying to keep the disbelief out of her voice. 
                              
"I know I'm a lot of things Grace. And I know even more keenly what I'm not. I think it'll be less painful for a lot of people if I just stop for a while. Sex used to help as a distraction but lately... I just can't be bothered." Nate drank his hot chocolate, once again using the simple actions to distance himself from more questions. 
                              
"Alright, but you can still go to the Fall Ball with me. We'll just hang out and have fun as best friends." Grace suggested and Nate gave a scornful laugh.
                              
"I'm sure Colby would love to have me hanging around like the third wheel. No Grace, you deserve to have a fun night. And I seem to have run empty on the fun tank right now." Nate's tone was angry but she knew it wasn't directed at her. He was all but livid at Colby though and Grace simply didn't get why. 
                              
"What is it that he did to make you hate him so much?" Grace asked before she could stop herself.
                              
Nate's laugh was cold and almost cruel sounding, but she knew it was directed at himself. He only ever got this way when he was tearing himself down inside his own head. "I don't hate him Grace. I wish I could. I hate what watching him makes me think about myself." Nate finally admitted and stood up. "I'm sorry. Thanks for the talk Graceless but I need to go... Stop by the club tomorrow and I'll buy you dinner for bailing. I just....Estoy cansado" (I'm tired) Nate shook his head and all but jumped back out of Grace's bedroom window as she tried to grab a hold of him and make him stay. But her damaged ankle and drug slowed reflexes left her gaping at the bedroom window as he vanished like some kind of Spainard ninja.
                              
"What the hell?" Grace asked herself as she just blinked at the window, half expecting him to pop back in. But he didn't and Grace waited only a short while before she started to clean up the candy and lounging pillow. Her bed suddenly looked big and cold as she set it back up to sleep in alone. Nate saying that he was tired was no surprise, that man ran himself into the ground on a regular basis. But she knew he meant something more than just being physically exhausted. Her best friend was in the midst of a crisis and Grace had no clue how to help him. Or if he even wanted her to.