Angel Boy

Attraction.

   I had skipped school, too tired and too hungover to get out of bed. And during lunch, the boys visited me. 

   “Why aren’t you at school, missy?” Reinhart asked me in a mocked voice of a strict parent. 

   I held my head in my hands, my elbows resting onto the cold marble counter top as Alistar and Quinn raided the fridge of its contents. I peaked an eye open, my head pulsating. “Do you see me? I’m fucking hungover.”

   “Weren’t hungover the other day?” Alistar asked with his head still in the fridge. He chewed on a piece of bologna.

   I froze, racking my brain. Almost too easily, I came up with an excuse. “I drunk water that night, and there's nothing wrong with drinking two days in a row.”

   “What the fuck does drinking water have to do with a hangover?” Quinn said, stealing the slice of bologna Alistar had eaten. 

   I sighed, watching Alistar punch Quinn in the arm, calling him something that rhymed with “ducking grass-mole.” 

   “Water replenishes the lost electrolytes you lose while drinking alcohol,” I explained, closing my burning eyes again. “You get dehydrated and your liver uses water to flush the alcohol out. If there isn’t any water in your system, the liver pulls excess water from other organs, including the brain. Hence the massive fucking headache.” 

   “Fun fact,” Reinhart added smugly, as if he knew the fact the whole time. 

   “Why didn’t you drink water?” Alistar asked, stuffing a piece of bread into his mouth.

   Quinn watched him in disgust. “Bread makes you fat.”

   Alistar narrowed his eyes towards Quinn. “Bread makes you a little bitch.” Taking another piece of bread in his hand, Alistar threw it into Quinn’s face, who in turn, let it drop to the ground.

   Sighing, I didn’t bother answering the question.

   Reinhart turned towards me, dipping his finger into the peanut butter container. “We’re gonna go to the movies tonight. Wanna go?”

   Today was Friday, meaning everyone usually goes to the movies considering it was the only remotely fun thing to do in the wearisome town.

   “Uh, can’t,” I lied. Truth was, I wanted to stay home and read the book I had recently gotten from the library. 

   Reinhart shrugged, closing the peanut butter jar and placing it back into the cabinet above the stove. 

   When the boys left, I went back into my room and dreamed about flying away.

Nighttime had rolled around.

   The book that I held in my hands had a crack on the spine. The pages had yellowed after many years, the smell of dust radiated out of it. The forest green cover had faded out black swirl designs, the title in written in gold cursive. 

   I was hunched over the book, one hand holding it open and the other played with my lip. My eyes drank in the words, finding this sort of thing actually interesting. But deep down, I felt guilty.

   And that’s why when a knock sounded on the balcony door of my room, I nearly jumped out of my skin. Quickly snapping the book closed, I whirled around to look at the glass doors. Again, the curtains were drawled closed, hiding the view of the person who knocked.

   But I already knew who it was. 

   Standing from my bed and placing the book sloppily under a blanket, I marched over to the doors and yanked the curtains aside. Anger coursed through me as I looked at him. His broad shoulders were caving in around him, his hands shoved into his SW jeans. His soft blue shirt fluttered in the wind, his hair rushing out of its place.

   My arms crossed over my chest as I stared into Levi’s eyes. “What the fuck do you want?” I asked bitterly, still remembering his ditch he preformed yesterday.

   His eyes flicked down to the ground then met mine. He visibly swallowed. “Can we talk?” he asked, his voice sounded muffled through the glass. 

   I stood my ground. “What’s there to talk about, Levi? You left me stranded on a fucking cliff, then you flew away.”

   He ran a hand through his hair, seeming to be irritated with himself. “Tyde, just . . . Please?”

   My mouth open to harshly reply, but at that moment I saw the dark circles around his eyes. Or the way his limbs seemed to heavy for him, or how the muscles around his mouth seemed tight. His features had grew taunt.

   I sighed, my argument dying on the tip of my tongue. I unlocked the door and held it open as he walked in. His scent wafted over me, momentarily dulling my senses.

   Without a word, Levi strolled over to my bed. He sat at the edge, clasping his hands together. Closing the curtains, I sat beside him.

   A beat passed. Then another.

   “I’m sorry, Tyde,” he said quietly.

   A scoff escaped my throat. “You should be. Do you know how I got home? I walked through the damned forest for three fucking hours then finally found civilization, and walked another hour just to get home. All the while in the dark and in the cold.”

   He remained quiet, his eyes looking distant as they stared at the ground. He wringed his hands together. “I-I don’t even know what to say, Tyde. I’m sorry, so damn sorry. It’s just--” he paused, as if he was about to say something he shouldn’t. He turned his head to look at me. “My parents keep fighting and I can’t take it. It’s driving me insane. They fight and argue over nothing, the simplest things.”

   I swallowed, knowing how he’s feeling. I half wanted to tell him it’s always easier being alone. But, I was surprised at the same time. I had always expected the Bird's life were carefree and easy. I didn't expect them to have real world problems like humans. “Why are you telling me this, Levi?”

   “’Cause you’re the only person I can. Angels are suppose to be happy and cheery all the time, not arguing about stupid shit. I can’t tell my friends, I just can’t.”

   My heart tightened in my chest. I looked away from Levi’s intense stare. “So I’m basically your dirty little secret holder? You come to me when your perfect life is hitting a rough patch, right?”

   Levi let out a frustrated sigh, he ran his hands through his hair harshly. “You’re not getting it.”

   “Then tell me what I need to get, Levi,” I snapped at him. 

   Levi’s hand found mine, his warmth spreading through my limb. I tried jerking my hand back, but he held tightly. I looked into his endless eyes, getting lost in the vibrant color. 

   “Tyde,” he started, making shiver course through me, “you’re the first person I think about. Every time I wake up, every time I go to sleep. When my parents argued yesterday, this was the first place I came to. I didn’t even know where your house was, something just told me to home here. I hadn't mean to leave you yesterday, but what you said cut deep. I don't want you to think of me as a “Bird.” I thought everything was going good, but I guess I thought wrong.”

   A paused passed over us, the air in the room suddenly feeling heavy.

   “I can’t explain it,” Levi said, looking away from my eyes but his hand still held mine. “There’s something about you. The way you walk, the way you talk, the way you carry yourself. It’s like you have this invisible attraction that keeps drawing me back to you.”

   I swallowed, something pulled in my chest. A wave of emotion crashed over me. My mouth grew dry, enabling me to speak a word to Levi.

   “And,” Levi continued, his hand coming up to cup my cheek to look at him. I gazed into his eyes, his pupils dilating under the lights of my room, “you just make me happy.”

   At the end of his sentence, his lips coaxed mine.