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Capítulo XVII- El Colisionador De Partículas
Walking home from school, Patience's street lingered with the scent of food. Leo and Patience's stomachs would rumble before they could make it to the gate. During his days off, Dante would watch their figures through the dining-room window and open the door for them. Dante's welcoming smile he gave them and his first offer being food after a long day at school gave Leo a sense of home. They would walk into the home and remove their shoes, settling them on the rack by the door. The food would be ready, warm on the stove. All they needed was to grab their plates and serve themselves.
However, this time, Leo pedaled his bike down the street by himself. The scent of food didn't make his stomach growl. Not when his best friend was not next to him, as they guessed what food Mr. Valmorida made. He pushed his bike through the gate and propped it up. Before he knocked on the door, it swung open. The smell of food strengthened, and Dante smiled.
"Ah, Leo." He glanced at his back to find no backpack and his bike. "You didn't go to school today, either."
"No, I didn't." Leo pointed behind him. "Uh, did Patience not go either? She hasn't talked to me today."
"I'm sorry about that. She's in her bedroom." He stepped to the side and let the boy in. As Leo removed his shoes, he closed the door. He put a hand on his shoulder. "She only left her room for lunch. Other than that, I've had to enter her room to speak with her."
"Okay, thanks, Mr. Valmorida. I'll get her to come out for at least a bike ride," he assured.
"Oh, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. So if you're hungry, you can stay and eat or take some home. All right?" He let go of Leo and left to the low-lit kitchen.
He crossed the living room, passing the TV, playing a random movie dubbed into Tagalog. It was loud enough for Dante to listen to in the silent home. He wasn't used to the quietness of Patience being home. She usually lounged in the living room or helped her dad in the kitchen.
Leo frowned, knocking lightly on her door. When she didn't answer, he knocked louder and said, "Patience, it's Leo."
"Give me one minute," she replied, muffled through the door. She shuffled across her room and items clattered on her desk.
Patience opened her door. Her earbuds hung around her neck, the two plastic ends knocked faintly against each other. A smile was heavy on her lips. The red around her eyes popped from the foggy pools in her eyes. There was a wet spot on her sleeve from the tears she wiped away and her long hair was wavy from the braid she took out. It was a braid she had in for three days, but Leo didn't need to know that.
Though Patience gave a smile, the little sparkles in her eyes failed to shine as brightly. They drooped down from the amount of sleep she forced herself to have. It wasn't helping her with the swollen eyes. "Hi, Leo!"
