Levitate (An Andy Leo x Dave Escamilla story)

Levitate - XVIII

My name is Andrew John Velasquez, and I wish I was dead. I wish I was six feet under, buried and being feast upon by maggots. I wish so badly that my eyes were pecked out by vultures and my brains would be splattered on pavement. I also wish I could follow through with my plans of death. Or maybe I don't want to die. Maybe I just want my father dead. Things were never the same ever since David had taken me to New Mexico. My father was hateful. He wanted me dead just as badly as I wanted myself dead. I couldn't blame him. I came home to my mother sobbing, and his blood boiling.

"Where the fuck were you?" He barked, making me flinch at the harshness, wanting David to bust in the door and take me away from the constant screaming. Once again, he began slamming me into the wall and once again, I begged him to stop yet he didn't.

He never did .

The screaming and slamming continued until my mother intervened, stepping between the two of us as my father eased his grip, my body hitting the floor with a thud. The room spun and everything ached once more.

"I'm going to ask you one more time, Andrew. Where were you?" He barked, making my temples pulse even harder than before.

"Library!" I lied, making him grow even more angry, his hands roughly yanking me up by my hair, making me squeal and scream.

"Jaime, please." My mother begged as he continued to drag me by my hair, eyes welling with tears as my scalp began to ache. Still as I write this entry, I don't know why she didn't stop him. Why she didn't stand her ground and tell him to let me go, but instead she sat there. She fucking froze while he dragged me from the entrance of the house to the doorframe of my bedroom. She sat there in silence, the only sound being her whimpers. She let him. Her silent beg and my screams only angered him more and his hand shifted from my hair to my throat, which made the hell only that much worse. His grip tightened and I felt the life leave my body due to sheer fear. I was terrified to the point of nearly mentally disabling myself of being able to form an escape. All I knew was that I wanted to breathe. I needed air. What happened next was a blur and I don't mind the uncertainty of it all. He choked me and next thing I knew, I was on the floor as my mom screamed at him, using his birth name rather than the nickname she had given him. The hearing in my ears was fuzzy, as was my eyesight so it took a moment before I was able to comprehend what was happening.

"James! Don't you ever touch my boy like that again!" She spat, hand coming up to slap the back of his head as he nodded and hissed, quickly moving away from the slaps. I watched the two from the floor before clearing my throat, eyes widening at the pain in my neck as I swallowed.

My phone buzzed as I looked over the entry, smirking at the name on the screen.

David:

Meet me at my truck before you meet up with everyone for lunch.

The message sent a small chill down my spine and I swallowed hard. I still had no fucking clue what David and myself were, I just knew I hated being home and he was the closest thing to an outlet I could find. I would walk to the nearest public space and have him pick me up when things got bad, never allowing him to actually take me home or pick me up there, the embarrassment of him seeing the real Andrew and how shitty my life truely was became a suffocating emotion that only fueled my actions. My legs at least got a constant workout from the long walks. I looked from my phone to the journal on my desk, jumping slightly as Benn exhaled loudly.

"Here." He muttered, handing me the finished homework assignment to copy. He still wasn't speaking to me, but he still made sure each and every assignment was turned in on time on my behalf.

"Thanks." I whispered, looking over the class as Ms. Rich shot me a questioning glance. I smiled in return and she did the same before she looked back to the stack of papers before her.

"Don't thank me." He muttered, pulling out the black binder from his backpack before pulling out his geometry homework, tapping his pencil momentarily as he read each question carefully. I finished copying the assignment as the bell chimed, putting both mine and Benn's papers in the tray on my way out of the room.

"Benn!" I quickly called as his tall frame began walking down the hall as he always did.

"Listen, I'm sorry, alright? I'm fucking sorry that I keep goofing up our friendship when I should really be trying. I shouldn't be fucking it up this terribly, but I'm about as lost as I was my first day. I don't understand anything anymore, and I'm just- I-" I was cut off by the sight of Brandon at the end of the hall, quickly running toward me with a worried expression.

"H-H-Hay-d-d-" He quickly stuttered, eyes wide as he tried to spit the name out.

"Hayden. What about him?" I quickly asked, nodding for him to go on, Benn's patience growing thin.

"Whatever, Andrew." He sighed, turning away from me, knocking my shoulder roughly before continuing down the hall my eyes closing at the sudden thump. Brandon gave a questioning look and I felt my anger begin to rise.

"Didn't you have something to fucking tell me?" I barked, making his eyes narrow. He sighed before beginning to stutter again, my eyes rolling in response.

"Just show me!" I yelled, Brandon quickly nodding as he grabbed my wrist and began pulling me to the closest stairwell, yanking me behind him as he weaved his way through crowds, pushing out of the side doors to the main entrance before yanking on my wrist once more, pulling me to the senior parking lot. I doubled over and began to choke and wheeze, grabbing for my inhaler as the running stopped, Dave's eyes widening as he watched me gasp.

"Brandon, you fucking idiot! You can't fucking make him run like that!" He yelled, squatting so he was looking up to me, inhaling deeply as I gasped each breath.

"Breathe. C'mon. You got it. Use your inhaler. Breathe." He murmured, just loud enough for the two of us to hear. I gave a quick nod as the sound of feet shuffling and people chattering became louder and louder, catching my attention and holding it much more than Dave was. In the center of the crowd was Hayden, fingers raking roughly through his long hair before curling into fists, one of the males who I had seen picking on Brandon in the past standing in a mirrored position to him only feet away.

"Throw the first punch, Tree! What? You too chicken shit?" The male barked, making Hayden snarl in response.

"Only a bitch asks someone else to swing first, faggot!" He spat back, stepping closer to the boy with each word before hauling back, fist colliding with the other's jaw, the familiar sound of skin being punched filling the air before being drowned out by the sounds of shouts and screams, peers clapping and egging on the actions.

"C'mon, Hayden! Kick his ass!" Dave called from my side, clapping his hands slightly before crossing his arms over his chest, not planning on breaking up the commotion.

I wish he would have.

The fight didn't stop until administration came, and by then it was too late for Hayden to plan his escape.

"Tree, back off of him!" One of the male teachers barked, only to be ignored. As fists continued to fly, and profanities spat, they managed to get the two apart, the winner apparent by visual marks and scratches. Hayden had done the opposing boy in.

He won't be back.

They pulled Hayden to the office, my jaw dropped as I looked to the boys standing around me.

"He'll be back. They go easy on him." One of the boys next to Dave suggested, Dave's shoulders rising in response.

"His parents nearly killed him last time it happened." He stated blankly. I looked over the group momentarily before grabbing up my bag again.

"Where you going?" Dave called and I shrugged.

"Geometry? Hang myself in the restroom? Guess you'll have to wait and see." I stated, although it didn't make Dave laugh.

We both knew I favored the second.