What's a day in the life of Nate Merrick like? Eventful, yet incredibly boring all at once. On a typical day, I wake up with my dad pretty early to work-out, then I shower, eat a healthy breakfast and head to school the moment Jack pulls in the driveway. Most days at school are pretty lame as well. I hang out with the same group of kids, though I don't think they even realize I'm there half the time. Probably my own fault, as I'm quiet like everyone says my father used to be. It's not that I don't have anything to talk about, it's just that I'm not like the rest of them.

I'm not a manager of sorts like Tom, so even though he's my one of my closest friends, when it comes to common intrests we're sort of lacking. Stella and I get along pretty well, but she keeps her mind mostly focused on fame or Jack Junior. Sometimes I feel like if I were to talk to her more than I do, we'd butt heads for the simple fact that she's too concerned with fame, while I just enjoy making the music. Next, there's Jack. He's always been upbeat like his own dad and quiet the flirt. When we do talk, it's typically about guitar and chicks. Lastly, there's Aubree. She's always been a sort of queen. She's gorgeous and she's bubbly, so we click pretty well. Probably also helps that we're close to the same age. I grew up closer to her than the rest, so all-in-all, I'd say she's my best friend.

Sometimes it's hard being so different from my friends. They focus all their time on either playing music, or another person in the group. Music always came natrual to me, as my dad says it did to him, so I don't really invest much time into it. I do as I'm told and I nail it. I like a good challenge, so I'm constantly trying to keep up with my dad when he's home so I can learn something new. That alone sets me apart from my friends. They'll never understand me, and in a way, I'm sort of thankful for that. I'm not one to be understood, I'm just thankful to have friends who love me, and who I love just as much.

In my almost fourteen-years of life, I've learned a few things that those guys haven't learned. For instance, I was forced to grow up much quicker than my friends were, so I found my favorite escape was the female gender. I think aside from Jack, I'm the only one in my group who has had sex, though we would never mention Jack's old flings to Stella. It took her a while to notice him, I think, she actually wants to believe he's perfect, even though the rest of us know he's not. My dad told me I was too young to be having sex, which he's right, but I've got nothing else going for me. All the girls seem to want me because I'm mysterious, who am I to deny them? Be that as it may, I've only slept with one girl. She was a Summer fling and she wanted to make sure we never forgot each other, and now, we never will. Other than that, I do everything but hit a home-run. I once heard Aubree say it's gross when a guy has been with too many girls. That keeps me focused on being sensable.

There's another thing about me that no one understands, and that thing is my mother. If I'm not at band practice or out on a date of sorts, I'm at home helping my dad take care of my mom. Natrually, when he's not here, I wait till mom is asleep to do anything other than band practice. It's a good thing I don't care much about my grades. See, my mom is still a really good mom.. When she can be. Not long after she had me, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I remember, when I was young, watching her struggle with a cane, but eventually she got so bad she had to be placed in a wheelchair. Because of her disease, my mom has also become pretty depressed. She tries not to let me see it, but I know it's there. That's why she never lets my dad take her out very often and she refuses to come to social events. I'd love to have her around more, but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't understand why she was so stubborn.

All around, I have a beautiful family and beautiful friends, the only problem is that I'm such an loner that I don't expect much from any of them, which is probably why I don't get very much. Sometimes I wish I knew what it was like to be a lead singer like Stella, or a romantic like Jack. But then I wouldn't be me... And I kind of like me. Kind of.

Lucky for me, it was a weekend and dad was home. This meant that the cute redheaded gymnast that just so happens to live right up the street from me was currently lying next to me in the grass. She was a couple of years older than me, around Jack's age, but she seemed to like me pretty well from what I've gathered. She says I'm adorable because I'm so young, but also that I'm the most mature boy she's ever met. Oh, sometimes it is nice to be me.

"How bad do you think your dad would lecture you if he knew you were out with me?" She giggled, lifting her upper body up on my chest so that she could clearly see my face. "I mean, I'm like three years older than you and all."

"He wouldn't lecture me," I shrugged, grinning down at her. "He'd tell me to be careful."

"What? Afraid you might fall in love with me?"

"I'm not," I smirked. "But he might be."

She rolled her eyes playfully and laid her head down on my chest again. My right arm was wrapped around her body, so as a natural reaction, I began to rub circles around her lower back. I could feel chills spread across her exposed flesh, since her shirt was riding up, and her hot breath tickled against my wife-beater.

"So, I know you'll be turning fourteen shortly," her voice had changed into what I assumed she thought was sexy. I'd heard better, but I'd never say anything. She remembered my birthday, that was something to be grateful for in itself. No one ever remembers my birthday. "You might be a little young, but.. Ever had a rim job?"

To tell the truth, or not to tell the truth?

"Let's just say if you gave me one, it'd be the best birthday gift ever."

Twenty minutes later, I was standing up and zipping up my jeans. Her cheeks were red, almost as red as her hair, and she kept her face hidden from me because she was so.. Giddy, almost. I smiled to myself and glanced past her, toward the skyline. The sun was starting to sink pretty low and the sky was turning a pinkish color. Sighing to myself, I stepped close enough to her to kiss her cheek.

"I've gotta get going. Curfew and all. I'll call you, okay?"

"Okay," she smiled. "See you around, Nate."

When I made it to the sidewalk, I traded in walking for skating. Wasn't much of a thrill, though, as my house was only five minutes away when I was on the board. When my house came into view, I smiled to myself, wondering if mom was awake and in the mood eat with the family out of her bedroom tonight. My skateboard rested against the house on the front porch while my body walked into the familiar home. It wasn't anything fancy like the rest of my friends had. It was a lot more simple, only one-story. We couldn't afford much else with my mom being sick.

"Nate, is that you?" My dad called from the kitchen. I could smell some kind of meat cooking. "Dinner is almost ready. Mom is eating with us, go wash up."

And so I did. I would always go spend time with my mom before I went to bed, but on the days she was really depressed she didn't like to be bothered, so we usually sat in their dimly lit bedroom and I would read to her from some of her favorite books. It was a lot worse when dad was gone. We had a nurse that came everyday when he was on tour that would help bathe and feed mom, because it really was a lot for me to try and manage, but most of the time I wanted to cook for her myself, because I knew what foods she liked best. I would also help her with her medication, do as much of her physical therapy as I could that didn't require a specialist, make sure she was always comfortable and do whatever else she required. The only time I really approved of the nurse was when I was at school. I could focus better if I knew she wasn't alone. Sure, it doesn't seem like much of a job, but sometimes I find myself comparing my mother to a toddler. It's a constant job, but I enjoy my time with her.

When my mom did eat with us, you'd think it was a Holiday. Dad and I both showered adn got dressed in nice clothes. Mom would try and fiddle with her appearance a little more. She'd have dad put her in a dress or a cute shirt, maybe even style her hair and apply a little make-up. Even sick, she was a beautiful woman. She had medium-length honey-brown hair, gray eyes and a creamy skin tone. It's no wonder my dad fell in love with her the instant he saw her. That's something I was hoping would happen to me, too. It's one of the reasons why I never took girls too seriously. If I didn't feel something right off the bat, I knew they weren't someone I'd want to 'commit' to. Then there's also the fact that watching my dad struggle with my mom made me fear love. If something ever happened to my one-day bride, I'd lose it, I just know it. That's my biggest flaw: When I care, I care too much.

"Dinner is served," my dad grinned, sitting a plate of steak down in front of us, along with a bunch of sides and even some dessert. He'd become quiet the cook over the years. Next to Mrs. Gaskarth, he's got the best skills in town. "Are you hungry, Trace?"

"Just a little," my mom forced a smile. She'd gotten pretty dressed up tonight. "I'm afriad it won't settle right on my stomach is all."

My dad didn't speak, he just nodded and lightly filled her plate. Honestly, we were lucky mom could still feed herself and leave her room as often as she did. I often worry if her disease will make her less able to do things for herself, or if her depression will. Regardless, she's a strong woman and I'm blessed her have her as my mother.

"Mom, we're doing another gig soon," I started, staring down at my food. I could feel my dad staring at me, but I didn't care. I should at least invite her to these things, even if she'll say no. "If you wanted to come, we could clear a spot for you so you can see the stage and all..."

"You had a gig before?" She looked at me, a spoon full of corn and a concerned look on her face. Another thing that comes with her disease - Memory loss. "Why didn't you tell me, honey?"

I had told. I tried for a solid week to get her to come so she wouldn't be alone on New Year's Eve, but she declined. A part of me always hoped my mom would remember the important things, but I couldn't hold it against her that she didn't. I swallowed my sadness and forced a smile, bitterly choking on my pride.

"I must have forgot, I'm sorry mom. I'll pull up a video for you later." That didn't seem to make her much more happy, so for fear that she'd fall into a slump and leave the table, I quickly changed the subject. "You look really pretty tonight, mom. Is that a new necklace?"

"What, this?" She tugged on it, grinning widely. I loved it when she smiled. "Your dad bought me this the night I found out I was pregnant with you. Sweet, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it really is."

This? This is what life is like for me, consantly; only this was a good day, for me and for mom. I'm the kid that no one notices, the kid who feels like he only has a group of friends because it was fate, the kid who does stupid things just so I can actually feel like a kid.

I am Nate Merrick.

Notes

Okay, loves, I know this doesn't really go with the story, but we wanted you to get a feel for all the charries, not just the leading roles. I really enjoyed writing for Nate. I feel like he deserves more attention than he gets. Of course, nothing will take the place of me writing Alex's POV for this story, but even I must admit it was nice to write from a teenage POV. ;)