The Exceptionals

Chapter 20: It's You. Just a Head's Up, It's Always Gonna Be You

The outside chill frosted his lips. It created small snowflakes that decorated the windows in frost. The air carried a spiky cold as it slid down his ruddy face and escaped his lungs in sluggish, white puffs. He rubbed his hands together, his gloves didn't offer nearly enough warmth.

Louis sat on the porch, knees to his chin and his gaze locked on the lonely street. Every time a car whisked by, his heart pounded crazed against his ribcage. Sadly, none ever stopped at his house.

A hand gripping his shoulder brought him out of his stupor.

"Louis," she whispered. He turned around to stare at his mum. "Come inside, you've been out here long enough." His hard glare remained on her face before he turned back around, pushing her hand off and hugging his knees instead.

A long pause swallowed the air before, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw his mother sit beside him. They didn't speak, only sitting in fretful silence as they watched cars fly by. "He's not coming, honey."

"Of course you would say that," he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "The great know-it-all knows it all, per usual." His remark was met with silence. "He's coming," he spoke. "I know he's coming."

"You have to be open to the possibility that he might not want to-"

"And whose fault would that be!" He rubbed his eyes so hard he saw spots. "I mean, can you blame him?" When he turned to her, all he saw were melancholy eyes. "You don't let me have him inside the house, and for what?" He shook his head, his lips trembling with anger. "You say you're scared for me, but I think you're just scared of what they'll think of you," he snapped. "You're no better than dad. At least he could say it to my face, you can't even look at mine."

"Louis-"

"Why did you do it?" His voice cracked. "Why did you shut the door in his face when he brought you roses?" His mother's gaze fell to her hands. "You claim to love me so much, but then why was it so easy to turn your back on me?"

She didn't answer.

The silence stretched, thick as the frost in the air. Somewhere beyond the backyard fence, a dog barked once. The wind stirred and sang lullabies through the trees, rattling the last brittle leaves distressfully clinging to the branches. Louis blinked hard, swallowing. His breath fogged in front of him.

For a long time, they just sat there. His fists were clenched at his sides. She stared at the bluebell chipped polish on her nails, the space between them too wide to cross. A car drove past the house, its headlights throwing shadows across the snow-dusted lawn. Then it was gone, leaving only the sound of winter.

Johannah cleared her throat. "When I was little, I fell in love with a boy." Louis turned his head toward her. "It was the type of love you see in the movies." She stared at the sky, starlight dancing in her eyes. "But this one was real"-she turned to him-"and it was ours."

Her voice carried like a whisper, threatened to be whisked away like a dandelion. "We ran away together and built a life of our own after high school. We were poor, but it didn't matter because we had each other. And when you're young, you think all's alright as long as you have each other.

"I would defend him to my parents all the time... much like you. Everything I had, I gave to him. And for a while, it was beautiful. I couldn't have asked for a better partner." She breathed in, the kind of breath that shakes a little at the end. "As time went by, I stopped recognizing this man as the love of my life, and thought of him like a stranger in my home. Your father and I lost our translation-I don't want that to happen to my sweet, stubborn boy."