BOUND BY DESTINY

CHAPTER EIGHT

Leon, Arielle's brother

......................................................................................

Tues, 14 MAY 2019

When I was younger I always felt like the odd kid.

I was excellent at academics, very good at socializing with others, member of every club and sport team I could found and the co-captain of the cheerleading team at our school. I was what most books called the 'popular kid' because I got invited to all the parties, mates at school hosted.

But even with all that popularity - which some would have killed to get - I always felt odd, like a counterfeit among the originals, a fake note of pounds amidst authentic bank notes.

Because in reality, I hated all of it; the parties, the clubs and... even cheerleading, but I felt like I had to do it, to gain my parents' attention, as each time I won a new trophy or got the best records at school, they will smile at me with so much pride...until the next trophy or record.

I always thought of it as the curse of the 2nd born and in my case the middle child. I wasn't at all into mechanics and fixing up things like dad and Charlie, neither was I deeply interested in fashion week magazines and gardening as mum and Leon. I was the middle child with no real interests and no personality, who did everything to gain her parents approbation but failed every time. The odd child.

Fortunately, it all changed after I met my outspoken bitch best friend - who didn't care about what people might think of her - at the start of 5th grade.

She literally changed my life, made me realized that I had to live my life for me and no one else, not even my parents. Thanks to her I could discover my real interests and live my own experiences, even when I sometimes got in trouble because of those.

It is because of these experiences that I had discovered a long time ago that my body could not handle alcohol in the slightest, even the smallest amount. And however, liberating and stress reliving alcohol could be, I had decided that the little reprieve was not worth the headache and world cursing of the next day's aftermath, talk less of the lack of control over your own existence. I liked being in control.

But last night I had loss myself into what alcohol could offer, seeking the relief from the pain I had been carrying along with me for more than a week. I had wanted to forget...about the hurt, the anger and the fear and confusion as to why the love of my life could have left me...

I wanted to forget all of it. Downing margaritas like ice tea on a sunny day as if there was no tomorrow, and now the aftermath sucked.

I woke up the next day with a searing migraine and soreness all over my body from sleeping on the couch. I felt like I had been knocked over by a car; my head throb and my neck hurt. I sighed as I rose from the couch, into a sitting position. My headache was worst now that I was seated and I cursed.

"Bloody hell!".

"Oh thank God you're awake. I thought I'd have to wake you up myself if you slept any longer."

Someone who sounded much like my brother, said from the kitchen entryway, much too loud for my liking. I blinked a few times and my eyes finally settled on Leon's smiling face. I tried rising again but felt like someone had slapped the back of my head. I cursed falling back on the couch.

Leon immediately came to my side and helped me lay back on the couch.

"Hey slow down tiger. Take this for the headache" he said handing me a glass of water and a couple of pills and knelt before me as I took the pills into my mouth and drank them with water. He took the half-filled glass from my hand and placed it on the table.