The Brightest Star

64. Leo

Leo's POV

Throughout the next week, King and Kiki had been acting weird. Sneaking downstairs and whispering between themselves when they thought I didn't notice. I even catch King doing the same with his uncle once and twice. I kept telling myself it had something to do with their work, but they never acted this way before, and it was getting to me.

Was it about what happened last week, when I smashed the mirror? Did King tell Kiki I nearly hurt myself with the glass in my hand? Were they going to lock me up in some hospital and leave me there? I wouldn't blame them if they did. I wasn't myself anymore, and I couldn't shake myself out of the empty darkness that clouded around me.

It wasn't that I wasn't happy being here with King or the others because I was. Curling myself around King every night took the numbness inside me away for a little while, but as soon as he left for school or did something for his uncle, it hit me hard. I mainly just stayed in bed most of the time, letting myself get swallowed deeper and deeper. I didn't know how to pull myself out or get better, but I didn't have the strength to fake it anymore like I used to.

King walked into the room, flipping on the light as I lay in bed. Slowly, l pushed myself into a sitting position, flashing him a small smile before rubbing my eyes. "Hey."

"Have you been in bed all day?" King asked, putting his backpack on the floor. "Are you feeling okay? I texted you a few times, but you didn't read them."

"I'm fine," I told him so he wouldn't worry any more than I knew he was. "I just wanted to relax today and didn't hear my phone go off. I love you. How was school?"

He sat down next to me with a sigh. "I love you too. It was okay. Glad to be here with you." He leaned his head against my shoulder. "Only one more week to go. Where do you want to go after I finish school?"

I laid back, moving his head from my shoulder to my chest to hold him against me. King immediately wrapped his arms around my stomach and back, letting out a hum.

"I'm not sure yet. I'll think of something."

King asked me the day after everything happened if I wanted to go with him after he finished school for a week or two. Somewhere away from the city, just me and him. He told me to pick where we should go, and I've been trying to, but it's been hard to get out of my head. I didn't realize the day was coming up so soon.

"Take all the time you need. We don't have to rush it. After graduation, we will have all the time in the world." He snuggled closer against my side, kissing my cheek. "Sadly, I have to do some things for my uncle, but I'll be back in a few hours. We can cuddle more than, or maybe take a shower together. How does that sound?"

I tried not to show my disappointment as he got up and started unbuttoning his school shirt to change.

"I was thinking of that burger place for dinner. You know, the one a few blocks over. How does that sound? I'll pick it up on my way back."

"That's fine." I couldn't tear my eyes away from him as he stood in front of the dresser in only boxers.

"Did I tell you my dad and I used to stop by that place whenever we were around the area? They had this..., I don't remember the name of it now, but it was a huge burger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms. Ugh, I hated the smell of it, but my dad would get it every time."

King kept talking, but something clicked as he talked about his dad. The first time he told me about his dad, he said couldn't travel out there much after he moved here. It's been a year since his last visit. I've seen letters he gets in the mail from his dad, but that was it.

I waited until King left to go into the living room with his uncle. I wasn't sure this was a great idea, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to go with King, plus King was always doing things for me. I wanted to do something for him in return.

"I think that would be a great idea. King and his dad have always been close. I think King would love it," Uncle Ben said, smiling ear to ear. "And there are great hotels in the next town for you both to stay at. I'll book it for you."

"That's something else I wanted to talk with you about. I was wondering if you had any jobs for me to do when King wasn't around so I could pay for it myself. I wanted to surprise him with it."

Uncle Ben looked around the room in thought before turning back to me with another smile. "King would kill me for this, but I think I have a few things for you to do. You just do the work for me, and I'll do everything else so King won't find out. I'll message Miles to fill him in on what's happening. I don't want him skipping the visit, thinking it's Sarah again. Sound good?"

"That would be great. Thank you so much for all the help." I started to walk away before turning back around. "Who... Who's Sarah?"

Uncle Ben's eyes grow wide before clearing his throat. "Oh... um... Sarah is King's mom. She's been trying to see Miles for years. Miles never sees her, and yet the idiot refuses to take her off his visitation list. I don't know why. Don't tell King about that, though."

It felt wrong to hide something like that from King. It was his mom, after all, but I nodded and walked back to our room. I knew King didn't care about her. He never talked about her besides that one time I asked long ago. Even when he told me about his childhood, it was only stories he and his dad shared. Was she truly never there for him growing up?

The thought of not having my mom around when I was growing up made my stomach turn. She was a big part of who I am today. I wouldn't be the same without her and the thought that King didn't have a mother like that hurt, but at least he had his dad and they had spent long enough apart. I had to do something.

**********

A/N: Thank you for reading! Support me more on Patreon and get up to two months ahead! (that's 8 chapters)