Red Roses 》Valdangelo 》Book 2: The Apocolypse (DISCONTINUED)

🔹🔲▶ Nico ◀🔲🔹

I walk home in the sun. I didn't bother taking the bus, I'd rather have some fresh air and move my muscles.

No one walks with me today. Sometimes Hazel does, but she went straight to Frank for a date. I don't really mind though, I prefer to be alone a lot of the time.

I try not to think, putting in headphones to block out the world, especially since I saw Leo today.

Running on the outskirts of town
Trying not to make a sound
Don't wake the loved ones all around
But you crumble to your knees

Take a deep breath, it'll all be okay
Just lie asleep until the day
You don't have to run from this monstrous pain
It's scary, but I'll pull you to your feet

And we run, run, run together
But we won't be running forever
I've got your arm over my shoulder
Just lean on me

I'll be your crutch when the sun falls
I'll be your crutch when you face it all
I won't let you crumble but I'll let you rest
Throw your arm on me and I'll do the rest
I'll be your crutch, I'll be your friend, when you, have nothing, left

I pull out my earphones when I hear my name.

"Nico!"

I squint my eyes and nearly wince, my emotional pain so real I physically feel it. I turn and see Leo frantically running to me, nearly twenty feet away. He reaches me in a matter of seconds and huffs deep breaths.

"Leo, wha-"

"No. I talk first." he says seriously and definingly. Since when does Leo act, more less talk, like that? It startled me, and I closed my mouth immediately.

"You and I? We need to have a talk." he says, pretty much barking at me, once he'd caught his breath.

"I-"

"I'm not done yet. You, you need to get out of that thick, dark cloud of yours and pay attention to the world. Then maybe you'll see you aren't the problem, society is, and everybody else are losing people to but they're not swallowing in self-pity and aren't being unreasonable!"

I stare st him, dumbfounded. Never in my life had I let someone talk to me like that, and I never imagined Leo would. But I didn't say anything.

"Do you understand?!" he shouts, and I flinch, nearly crying.

"Y-yes." I mumble, nodding.

"Good," he nods. "I'll see you tomorrow."

He flips around quickly and walks tall the other direction.

What in the-

He flips around again, and scatters back to me. "Oh, and, I'm your partner in history now. Bye!" he says in his usual tone, and turns back around to walk, slower, to his home.

What?