The Bright Side

Twenty four

I stand rooted in my spot, staring at what I thought was a homeless man.

What the fuck is he doing here?

And how the fuck did he end up in New York?

"Luna...you good?" I feel Owen gently tugging on the sleeve of my shirt.

I continue staring at my dad, sound asleep on the bench.

"Why are you staring?" Madeline snaps at me, her friends look towards me.  "Weirdo." She murmurs.

I turn towards Owen. He is looking at me with concern.

"Yeah...I'm okay." I give him a weak smile.

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

I'm not sure why I feel the need to cry.

I always thought that if I saw my father on the street I would walk right past him as if he was just another person. Except I guess things may end up differently than you originally thought when they actually happen.

My father has hurt my family and I, but it still hurts to see this. It hurts to see your dad sleeping on a park bench clutching a bottle of rum as if it's a prized possession and the world is falling.

"You know him?" Owen says quietly to me as he leans his head down towards mine.  Concern laced through his tone.

I turn to look at dad again, still asleep. We look a lot alike but I don't think anyone has noticed since his hand is covering part of his face.

Closing my eyes for a second I turn back to Owen.

His feathery brown hair is messy and falling on his forehead. I want to take my hand and push it out the way.

"C'mon, let's keep walking." He looks at me wearily before nodding.

We continue walking down the path. The sound of Madeline and her friend's voices making fun of my fathers current condition drown out as we steer further away. I clench my fists.

~

I'm silent as we walk. The only sound is the noise of the city around us. A mixture of cars, talking, some yelling, kids laughing, and the leaves of trees rustling from the wind.

"Are you sure your okay?" I see Owen looking at me from my peripheral vision. I don't meet his gaze.

"Yep!" I muster out.

I really don't want to talk right now. If I do I might start burst out crying in front of everyone.

I tend to embarrass myself a lot, but that would be humiliating.

"I don't believe you." His voice is hushed.

Over the time I've known Owen I've realized how quiet he is.

He really only talks to Levina and I, from what I know. All he does is read and is kinda of rude to everyone he meets.

I don't think he is a huge fan of people in general. They seem to get on his nerves very easily. I'm one of them.

Hell, we've been going to school together for years and I never noticed him.

He keeps to himself. I like that.

"Why not?" I say trying not to sound sad. My tone sounding too jolly instead.

"You're acting weirder than usual.  And your voice sounds happier than usual." He lets out a pathetic laugh.