Tangled Souls: Shards Of A Broken Life

Acquainted

"Barry! Where's Leah?" I asked while biting into an apple I picked from the fruit basket.

"She just left with Levi. She's getting him enrolled in school." he replied with a smile.

"oh" I walk away.

For supper today, Levi joined us. Strong boy, he seemed to be putting everything behind him now.  He looks so better in his normal state now. Someone could not keep her eyes off him. He was still very quiet and only spoke if someone spoke to him first. I've known him for two weeks now and haven't spoken to him before. I seemed invisible to him. ouch.

..........

It's Monday and Leah is driving all four of us to school. I sat in the back with Josh and August who was finishing off his homework as usual. Levi had the front seat. 

Halsey wasn't passing her sarcastic comments today so I figured something was wrong. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey. My mom says i should give up either ballet or gymnastics and get a math tutor because I am failing." She pouts.

"Oh. So what are you going to do?" I finally sit down.

She shrugs. "Psst, isn't it obvious that I would give up gymnastics?" she rolls her stupid eyes at me. And there was the Halsey I knew.

I hurriedly run out of the class when it was lunch. I was too tired of sitting. My eyes met August's in the hallway. "hey." I waved at him.

He just nodded and walked past me like I was bothering him. Realization hit me and I stopped in my tracks. I went to the library hoping no one was there and I sat down with my head on the table, looking at the aisle between two bookshelves.

The sound of footsteps approaching me echoed the room but I did not care as whoever it was probably had no business with me. The person passed by me and came back.

"It's you, from the house." Those were Levi's first words to me. Yes it's me, and it took you so long to figure that out. I rolled my eyes in my head.

I looked up at him but didn't answer.

"And of all places why are you sulking in a library?" he asked, closing the book he was reading.

I didn't want to tell him anything but gave up and finally answered. "It's August, he just acts like he doesn't know me in school."

"So here you are, sulking. Only because someone who doesn't know what it feels like to be alone ignored you?" with that, he shook his head and was walking away.

"Don't say it like that. He's lost a parent before." I replied sternly.

He stopped walking. "And I've lost both." He readjusted his glasses and walked away. What was that? How could he be so cold at his first conversation with me. 

 .........

Shenanigan. I came across this word that was new to me in a book I was reading in the study. I had to know the meaning before most of the rest I was going to read would make any sense to me. With much hesitation, I go to my room for my dictionary.

And all of a sudden, "No, no please stay...I'll get help soon. Don't die on me, I need you!" I'm pretty sure this is what I heard, alongside strange noises of someone struggling and groaning.

It was coming from Levi's room. I barged in and grabbed a towel off his bedside table. He was restless in bed, the same way I was whenever I had a nightmare of my awful experiences.

I climbed into his bed and straddle him, trapping him between my bent knees and gripped his shoulders. I shook him repeatedly to wake him up. Finally he opened his eyes and looked like he had seen a ghost. I wiped his sweating forehead and fluffed his pillow. "It's okay. It's okay to be scared." I whispered to him till his eyes closed again.

As I was leaving, a warm hand tugged on my pinkie finger. "Can I come with you?" he asked with voice and eyes of a scared child. I nodded.

In silence, with him still holding on to my pinkie, we walk together to the study and sat at the table where I was reading.

Finally done with this chapter! What do you think? I'm really glad I found someone who matches Levi's description.

The picture at the top is playing Levi :-)