"Hey, wait for me!"
Nathan turned around, knowing it was Vale, his best friend. They were in different classes, so Vale usually came to Nathan's class for lunch or to ask him to hang out.
"Are you going straight to the cafe?" Vale asked, walking down the school hallway.
Nathan nodded.
"I'll tell Daniel you'll be late. Let's go to the stadium! Gerry is playing today!" he said excitedly. Everyone knew that the boy was crazy about his handsome junior, the basketball player from the second grade. Luckily, his love was returned. Gerry accepted his feelings wholeheartedly.
Vale wasn't bad himself. He was handsome, tall, had a charming smile, and was rich.
Nathan scratched his head. "Well, I got into trouble last night. I'm not sure I can be late today, or Daniel might actually fire me. You know, with Christmas and New Year coming up, the cafe is always busy."
Vale looked at Nathan. "A problem? What happened?"
Nathan was reluctant to talk about it, but he finally told him what had happened.
Vale took a deep breath. "Damn, there are always jerks like that. Can't they just stay home?"
Vale then looked at Nathan again, more seriously. "But you're okay, right? Did he hit you?"
"No, I'm okay. About Gerry, I don't think I can come with you." He felt guilty.
Vale immediately patted his shoulder. "No, it's okay. Don't worry. I don't want you to get into trouble with Daniel. We can meet this Sunday. We'll eat out. But you don't mind if Gerry comes along, right?"
Nathan grimaced. He didn't mind, because he wasn't paying for anything. The meal was free. Gerry was also very nice.
"Come on, get in my car. Don't refuse today," Vale insisted, since Nathan always refused rides.
Nathan had no choice but to accept. He saw many packages in the car and asked about them as they drove to the cafe.
"I want to give them to Gerry. He's been working hard," said Vale.
"He won't refuse, especially since it's a game console," chuckled Nathan. Vale just laughed.
They never ran out of things to talk about, so the trip from school to the cafe felt short.
After saying goodbye, Nathan immediately ran toward the cafe on the side of the road. It wasn't very crowded, with only a few tables occupied. But Daniel was already standing by the counter when he arrived.
"Nathan, he wants to see you. He has been waiting for a while," said Daniel, pointing to a table at the end of the cafe.
Nathan turned his head and saw a young man wearing glasses. He had bright blue eyes. When Nathan approached, the man immediately stood up.
"Go meet him," Daniel urged.
Nathan was apprehensive, but he walked closer. He was surprised when, as soon as he reached the man, the man hugged him tightly.
"Damn, you look just like Nael!" he said, confusing Nathan. Nathan immediately pushed the man away.
"Excuse me, who are you?" asked Nathan.
The man smiled warmly. His eyes gleamed mysteriously behind his glasses. "I'm Leo. Can we talk for a moment?"
Leo asked Nathan to sit in front of him. After they both sat down, the man showed him some photos.
"I want you to know that you are the son of Dante Salazar. This is you as a baby," said Leo, pointing to a photo of two babies being held by a beautiful woman, apparently in a hospital.
"And this is your twin, Nael."
Nathan frowned. A twin?
"You must have the wrong person. I don't have a twin, let alone a family," Nathan said quickly, before the man could waste more time explaining.
Leo adjusted his glasses. "That's why I'm here. I want to tell you that you have a family. Parents and six brothers, including me."
Leo explained so calmly that Nathan didn't know whether to laugh or take the man seriously.
"You said you're my brother?"
"Yes. Look at this." Leo showed another photo, which seemed to have been taken recently, because everyone in it looked grown up. And a young man looked exactly like Nathan.
Nathan stared at the faces Leo pointed to. "This is me. This is Alexander, Roger. This is Malvin, Lucas, and your twin, Nael."
Nathan stared at the photo. They looked like a happy family. Everyone was smiling broadly, looking so cheerful. Seeing that, for some reason, his heart felt tight.
He stared at the two figures in the photo that he remembered. The men who had followed him last night. So they really were his brothers?
But why?
"If I really am your family, how can you live so happily while I had to live in misery in an orphanage?" Nathan asked softly, his voice trembling.
Leo looked at Nathan, sensing his emotions. He cleared his throat.
"I know this doesn't make sense. But I'll explain it when we get home. Come with me," said Leo.
Nathan pushed the photos roughly toward Leo. "I don't have a home. My only home is the orphanage, and soon I'll be kicked out of there too. So, go away, and don't ever show up in front of me again."
Leo widened his eyes, completely unprepared for Nathan's response. He was sure the boy would be happy because he was the son of a rich man. But now the boy was staring at him with hatred. Was there something wrong with his explanation?
"Nathan, come with me. I want you to listen to our explanation properly at home. Maybe I didn't explain it well," Leo pleaded.
Nathan stood up. "If I really am your brother, consider me lost since you threw me into the orphanage. So don't show up in front of me again and make me angry."
Leo was silent, unable to speak. He immediately stood up and grabbed Nathan's arm. "Let's go home, okay?"
But Nathan roughly pushed his hand away. "I never had a home!"
Leo stood still. If he could not take the boy peacefully, he would have to take him by any means necessary.