Heal you

Chapter 3 - On Top of The World

Timo rolled his pen between his fingers, wondering what to write. There was so many things he wanted to say, and so many things he couldn't.

On the first letter, he decided to lay down everything weighing on him, then burned it. The second letter wasn't good enough. The third one didn't make any sense. How was it so hard? He didn't have any problem writing those before. Maybe it was because it seemed all too real now that he was about to face them soon, making it harder to lie.

Why did he even take this decision anyway? They were clearly better off without him. Still, he missed them so much...

Them, as well as Erzsébet, were his only escape right now. Where they lived, the only place he could go to and feel right again.

- - -

Even though Matthew was supposed to tell Timo about the school, all they ended up talking about was hockey as soon as he mentioned his club – which really didn't take long – but it was far from bothering him. Mattew was easy to talk with and seemed really nice and friendly. A bit shy, at first, but all restraint had vanished as soon as he saw Timo show the slightest bit of interest for his sport, to the point that the teacher had to calm him down a few times with a surprised look on the face – it seemed like his new acquaintance didn't get carried away that often.

Sometimes, his gaze would wander to Lukas. He didn't really know what caused him to react like that, but he didn't seem as happy to see him as he would have thought. He appeared surprised earlier, but didn't they get his letter? He delivered it himself, after all. Did he get the wrong address? It would be very embarrassing to have a stranger read that, even if he didn't write much in the end. A letter was something personal, after all.

Anyway, he had to talk to Lukas as soon as he got the chance – after all, he seemed more confused than hostile. Or maybe would it be better to give him some space first? But it would be a shame to start off as complete strangers when they had the chance to be in the same class. In the end, the best course of action was to ask the interested party how he felt about it first, right?

« So, do you want to join the team? Oh, but you would need to pass a small test first.

- Yes, of course! I would be thrilled to. I'm sure the test will go fine.

- Somehow I feel like I can trust you on that. I'm eager to see you join us, then. »

He stopped for a moment, pondering whether or not to continue.

« Um, do you have someone to eat with at lunchtime? I'm usually eating with a friend, but you can join us if you'd like.

- Thank you very much but I think I'll decline for today. I would like to see if I can join some old friends first.

- Okay, but don't hesitate to join us if you change your mind.

- Thanks a lot!

- It's really no problem. That's part of my duty as a class representative, after all, and I would like to talk about hockey some more.

- Is it? I think most people don't go that far.

- Eh, you think...? Was it weird?

- Not at all. I think it was very nice of you, on the contrary. »

Politely, he left Matthew with a smile before going to see Lukas.

« Hello, Lukas? »

How should he approach him? What should he start with? Maybe something simple was best.

« Do you remember me? »