The Picture Perfect Son-

'Smile,' Levi thought as he exited the limo, flashing the surrounding people a boyish grin. His mother followed behind him, then her husband of sixteen months. The reporters swarmed, arms extended, yelling questions, trying to get the family's attention.

'Don't speak,' he reminded himself, 'no need to embarrass your family.' His mother, Chloe, tilted her head toward him, a sickly-sweet smile on her face.

"Stand-up straight!" She hissed quietly, sending him a subtle glare. Levi scolded himself, straightening his shoulders and adjusting his tie. His step-father, Richard, being the... lovely man that he is, rested his hand on Levi's shoulder and squeezed.

"Get your hands out of your pockets." He whispered, releasing his step-son's arm, and holding Chloe around the waist. Levi continued to smile at the cameras as he pulled his hands from his pockets.

"Mrs. Skytrot! Ma'am!" One reporter weasled his way to the front of the crowd. Chloe batted her long eye-lashes at the young man. The other reporters instantly quieted to a low hum of whispers.

"Is it true that your husband is getting split custody of Levi Skytrot?" He nodded toward Levi, who waited for an answer with interest.

"My ex-husband," she emphasized, "will have no rights to even see my son." She replied in a clipped tone, looping her arm around Richard's as the yelling started again.

Levi sat in silence as his mother ordered for him like he was a child, not a fourteen year old teenager.

After ordering, she looked at him in distaste,

"Didn't I tell you to get a haircut before this dinner?" Levi's smile faltered, he hadn't heard anything about a haircut. He liked it at the length it is, just brushing the collar of his black polo. But with the glare his mother gave him, it wouldn't stay that way.

When Chloe went to the bathroom, Richard was too busy staring lustfully at the young waitress to notice that Levi had poured salt into the man's Pepsi. Richard was the kind of man who worked all day, sun-up to sun-down, only coming home after Chloe and Levi were asleep. When he actually does speak to Levi, it is to judge him or to tell him to do something. Richard treats Levi like a personal slave, Chloe is almost as bad.

Over the past years, Chloe had been shaping Levi into the perfect child.

"Richard," Chloe said, "why don't you tell Levi about your news?" Levi glanced up from his plate and slowly chewed his last piece of steak.

"Well, we're moving." He grunted, not going into depth about it. Levi choked on his steak, his eyes snapping from Richard to Chloe. He let out a strangled sound, wanting to protest against it, but with the look in Richard's eyes, he went quiet.

It was not his place to give his opinion, his opinion doesn't matter.