No Filter

Chapter XL (40)

For the next couple of days, Liam and I sent Bear to the park after school. Some days, Liam or I would play with him, but never at the same time. And after playing, he would get tired and sleep on the way back home. When he slept, he looked like his father when he was younger. I can remember how round his cheeks were before he turned thirteen. Everything about him change. He was taller and a lot cuter. Now, he's more mature.

As I stare at him, I realize a couple of things about his features. He started growing his facial hair back, and they were barely visible. Maybe a millimeter long. I wonder if he still has the crinkles in his eyes. I never saw him truly smiling ever since I arrived. It makes me wonder how he got like this.

After a moment, he sighs and leans forward. His eyes stare at the ground. Then he stands up and asks me to watch Bear for a moment. He walks away, and I look at Bear, playing. This was my chance to talk to the boy. Once I gesture for him to come, he walks up to me, looking dirtier than the other days.

"Woo! You must be loving it, aren't you?" I tease. He smiles and wipes the sweat off his forehead. "Bear, do you know what day it will be?"

He shakes his head. "No."

"It's going to be your father's birthday," I said enthusiastically, but he wasn't enthused. "Aren't you excited?"

He shakes his head. "No, I am not. He doesn't deserve a birthday."

My brows crease, and I shake my head. "Hey, don't say that about your father. He loves you very much."

"If he loved me, then why does he smoke?" He questions, and I widen my eyes.

"Where did you get an idea like that from?" I ask.

"My mom told me that if he loved the two of us, he would've stopped smoking and drinking by now," he says.

"Your dad does love you," I told him, but he shakes his head in disbelief. "He does."

He pouts, "You don't understand. I thought you did." He walks backward, but I try to persuade him to come. But he disobeys and runs back to the playground.

I sigh heavily and stand up. I turn around and see Liam standing by a tree with his back facing me. I trudge through the leaves to him. A small faded white air flow up in front of him. I squint my eyes and see that it was smoke. The smell fused in the air, and I cover my mouth. I rush forward and walk around him.

In his hands held the cigarette lit. He let out another breath of smoke, and I cough at the smell entering my throat. I swat the air and feel my inside burning up. "So it is true?" His eyes widened with innocence, but he was guilty as ever. "This was what you came to do?"

He drops the cigarette in his hands and raises his hands in defense. "I thought I told you to watch Bear," he says.

"I did, and I had a strange conversation with him," I explain. "He told me that you were a smoker. I didn't believe him, but now..." I look at him in disgust. "This is bad for you."

His eyes grew furious, and he spits back, "And what? You assume I do this for fun?! Listen, Ms. Hernandez, you have no right to tell me what is wrong and right."

I shake my head in disbelief. "What happened to you?" I question.

"Nothing happened," he says. He points back at the playground without looking. "Now, go watch Bear."

I bite my tongue and shift my eyes to the playground. I skim at the swings where I last saw him, but he wasn't there. I look at the slide and the sand, but he wasn't present. "Um, excuse me," I said. I run down to the playground and check everywhere that he could be, but he wasn't there. Where could he be?