The Oddities Of Life

6. Leo's Big Secret

28th April, 2017

So today I tried my level best to ignore Leo in school , but everything went in vain. His eyes are so hypnotic that they magically pull me towards him. He invited me to his apartment and I decided to stick on to the plan.

I rushed home, put on my baggy clothes and tried not to look too scrawny . I reached his place by 4:30 p.m. and he appreciated my punctuality. His dad passed away when he was 12 and so he lives with his mom. She looks very young and pretty. She gave me a hearty welcome and we had a little girly chat while Leo was sent down to the bakery to fetch some bread and other stuffs. She offered me a glass of juice which you know , I tried to keep away the most.

"It is very surprising to see any school mate of Leo in this house as he rarely brings'em. The last time he brought one was a few months ago.", she said and I gave an astonished look.

To be honest I was a little shocked on hearing that because Leo didn't seem to be an introvert. He always had a particular  bunch of people hanging around him and they seemed to be like an elite squad in school with whom no one dared to socialise much.

"Those are the prizes my boy had won when he USED to play football.", she said emotionally.

"What do you mean by HE USED TO? Doesn't he play anymore?", I asked doubtfully.

"Dear , how can he play with an amputated leg?" and she started weeping.

"I'm really sorry Mrs.Laurent. I had no idea about that.", I had my heart beating fast.

"Sweetheart that is absolutely fine. But your friend has been successful in hiding it from you huh?!", she exclaimed sarcastically.

"Sadly yes. Do you mind if I ask you what actually happened to him?"

"Why not. It all happened on his 13th birthday when he got struck with leg ca.." and she stopped suddenly as he got in. Thankfully he didn't overhear anything and as soon as he entered , he handed the bakery stuff to his mom and apologized to keep me waiting. This shows how gentle-manly he is. Well I could guess and complete his mom's statement of him suffering from leg cancer and I really feel bad for him as my condition is nothing compared to his. But seems like he is well trained with managing stuff one-legged as no one could ever doubt that he's got a fake leg in there.

His room was something which no one would ever expect from a DISABLED GUY. It was fresh and strangely neat - MUCH NEATER THAN MINE! He had an array of books , mostly French books. As I browsed through the books , he asked me to have a look at the opposite building outside the window. I did as he said and was taken aback for a moment as I saw a group of teenagers staring at us merrily. On inquiring who they are, he replied that they are his cousins.

"The blonde girl is Ella , the guy wearing the green shirt is Theo , the one with the pig nose and weird hair is Troy *laughing* and finally the one who is winking at you is Gale."

After their introduction, he asked me if he could call them over and I agreed. Those people seemed really excited to meet me and they all rushed into the room and the next thing I knew was being squeezed in their group hug. One could feel their good bond with people with just one hug!

As I was about to introduce myself, Theo quickly blabbered : "Yeah yeah, you are Aria Nair who goes to the same school as we do, you are an Indian, singing is your passion, Leo and you meet up during French classes , you are a die-hard fan of Ed Sheeran, you've got brown eyes and..." and the frustrated Leo cut him off hinting him that he's going way too much with that vivid description.

"Wow Leo, you've given way too much description about me to them! ", I exclaimed bashfully and it was funny indeed to see him embarrassed.

Ella is such a sweet little fellow who is way too cadaverous and lean than me and wears baggy clothes. I doubted if I got an anorexic twin but I didn't want to spoil my first impression on her by asking that terrible question. After spending a lot of time with these people, it was time for me to leave as I promised my mom to choose a good dress for her upcoming staff party. Once again we shared a group hug and Theo literally lifted me off the ground.

After returning from the mall, I dozed off to sleep feeling satisfied of getting a new squad. Suddenly my phone rang and it was Leo. The protective guy had called in to check if I reached home safely. I do not know if we were falling in love, but we knew one thing for sure that it was really hard for us to pass any night without calling each other! <3