Reborn Between Two Homes, Belonging to None のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 10

The bus had already traveled several miles before I finally tore my eyes away from the rear window. Dad's old scooter had turned onto another street, with my stepbrother, Daniel Mitchell, riding on the back in his padded winter coat. He was cradling a cup of hot chocolate between his hands. I lowered my gaze to my own hands, which had turned red from the cold. That morning, my father, Thomas Reynolds, had promised he'd pick me up after school. He'd sounded so certain when he said it. "Of course, I'll be there. I swear, if I don't show up, you can hold it against me forever." Yet even after every other student had left the school gates, Dad was nowhere to be seen. I waited another 40 minutes before finally giving up and taking the bus home alone. By the time I arrived, it was almost 8:00 pm. The only food left on the dining table was half a plate of cold spaghetti, with a few pale, soggy peas on the side. My stepmother, Claire Carter, was crouched by the front door, drying D

On the day of the math competition, Dad never showed up. He called to say his truck had broken down on the highway, and he couldn't get back in time.However, when I walked out of the competition hall, I spotted his scooter parked across the street. Daniel was standing next to him, clutching a brand-new basketball. Meanwhile, Dad crouched beside him, seemingly trying to comfort him with a cake."Come on, don't be mad. I didn't mean to forget that it's been a whole month since you transferred schools." Daniel turned his face away. "Then, you have to spend the whole day with me today." "Okay. I'll spend the whole day with you," Dad agreed without hesitation. When he turned around and saw me, the smile froze on his face. "Nate?" He instinctively tried to hide the cake behind his back. "Didn't you say you'd be done with your competition this afternoon?" "I finished early." "How'd it go?" he asked. "Pretty well." Dad visibly relaxed and took a couple of steps toward me,

By the time the bus arrived in the city, night had fallen. Eleanor was waiting for me just outside the station. When she saw me standing there with nothing but an old backpack, she froze for a moment. "Where's the rest of your luggage?" "This is everything," I answered truthfully. She glanced at me but didn't press for an explanation. Instead, she reached over and took my trophy. "Your dorm room is all set. The school can lend you some necessities until you get settled." Then, she looked me in the eye and said gently, "Nathan, remember this. You earned your place here through your own hard work. You don't owe anyone anything." My nose stung, and I quietly nodded. …Meanwhile, my father returned home carrying two cartons of ice cream. The chocolate one had already started to melt. He knocked on my bedroom door several times, but when I didn't answer, he pushed it open. The moment he stepped inside, he noticed that half the clothes in my wardrobe were gone. My textbook

Even after the paperwork was finalized, Dad didn't leave the city right away. He spent the entire day sitting outside the school gates, unable to bring himself to go home. It wasn't until Eleanor came outside that he finally approached her. "Is Nate doing okay in there?" Eleanor glanced at him before answering, "He's quiet and independent. When the dorm supervisor gave him his bedsheets, the first thing he asked was how much they cost. When the cafeteria offered him financial assistance, he said he'd pay it back someday." Dad's eyes immediately reddened. "He wasn't like this when he was little," he murmured. "He used to be so attached to me." Eleanor's voice remained calm. "Children don't suddenly stop wanting to be close to their parents. They just learn that clinging to someone won't change anything."…Dad went home alone. When he opened the front door, he heard Daniel talking on the phone in the living room. Daniel hadn't noticed him come in, and there was humor in

Mom refused to sign the consent form allowing me to attend boarding school for the long term. Instead, she hired a lawyer and demanded that the school release me into her custody. When Dad heard what was happening, he rushed to the school as well. The moment the two of them met in the conference room, they launched into a heated argument. "He's barely been living with you, and you've already driven him to run away from home!" Mom snapped."That's still better than living with you!" Dad shot back. "You can't even remember his birthday! What gives you the right to criticize me?" "When he has an asthma attack, do you even know where his medication is?""And what about you? Someone crushed his medication, and you still told him to be the bigger person!" I sat quietly to the side, listening as they tore into each other.Finally, the lawyer interrupted them. "Nathan, which parent would you prefer to live with?" Both of them turned to look at me. Mom immediately seized the op