Roses

Chapter 6

... Liam, I think you're kinda mysterious... you can always count on me.

Always count on me...

I can't believe she said that. Is being mysterious a bad thing or a good thing? Let's hope it's the second option.

Everyday, we walk home together as always. But now, we talk to each other. I mean we talk more often. Angela begins to be less shy and that makes me happy, because it means that we are getting closer and that she trusts me, in a way. Matthew won't leave her alone, but she ditches him to sit with me instead.

"I like to talk with smart people, you know." she once told me with a mocking smile.

"I'm smart?"

She rolled her eyes.

"What do you think, dummy?"

"You just said that I was smart and then you call me dummy. Make up your mind. Sheesh, are girls always like that?"

Angela smiled. Then I told her:

"You remind me Astrid. You know, from How To Train Your Dragon? You look like her in the second movie."

She's wide-eyed.

"Really? I think you look like Hiccup when he's twenty! Is that a coincidence?"

"Haha, I guess that means that you find me handsome?" I asked her with a wink.

And that we will eventually be fiancés like them?

She blushes violently.

"Stop!"

I laughed at this sudden change of mood.

"And who's Toothless?" I asked, teasing her.

She started to laugh too and I smiled. Did I say that I love the sound of her laugh?

***

She is also laughing right now. Because of a joke I made. Well, it's not that funny but I guess that coming from me... Actually, we are walking our way home and a few seconds ago, I just asked her with a funny accent and voice: Do you know the way? and she started to laugh. She smiles suddenly.

"I didn't know you were that funny, Liam."

"What, you thought that I was boring as hell?"

She blushes.

"N-no! Never! I meant..."

"Hey, calm down, I'm just kidding." I say with a smirk.

"Oh, okay then." she answers, relieved.

"And... there are a lot of things about me that you don't know." I reply with a bit of bitterness.

"What do you mean?"

I hesitate before replying:

"Nah... Nothing. Don't worry about that."

She suddenly stops walking.

"Are you sure about that?" she asks me with a worried look.

Gosh, that look.

It makes me wanna answer — and tell her the truth: No, Angela. Nothing is right. People are making fun of me at school. I don't fit in. I have the feeling that I don't fit in this world at all. My dad is dead. My mom cries because she misses him. Soon, we won't have enough money to pay the house. Soon, my mom and I will have to move. Soon, I'll be far away from you. And it breaks my heart because I love you. And it also breaks my heart for being such a coward and that you will probably never know about the feelings I have for you for years.

But instead, I just give her a reassuring smile.

"Yeah. Don't worry."

She is still skeptic but then, she shrugs.

"Mmmm... If you say so. Remember, you can tell me anything, Liam."

"Yeah. You too."

"See you tomorrow, Hiccup."

"See you tomorrow, Astrid."

As soon I enter, I feel that something isn't right. The usual smell of pastries is not there and my mom has a stressed look on her face. She is reading a letter and she hasn't noticed yet that I'm here.

"Hi, Mom."

"Hi, honey."

I sit in front her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... Don't you have homework?"

I sigh. Here we go again... How many times will I have to remind her that I'm old enough for this? I don't want her to carry that burden alone. I snatch the letter from her hands. She takes a fake outraged look.

"Hey! That's very rude from you, Liam Andrew Montgomery! I don't remember teaching you those manners..."

"Hush, Mom. I'm trying to read."

Gradually as I read, my anxiety deepens.

"We... we only have a month left?!"

My mom nods sadly, tears in her eyes.