Jeff was woken from his sleep by a hand shaking his shoulder. He tiredly pushed the hand away and nuzzled against his pillow. He muttered a quiet protest and tried to fall asleep again.
"Jeff... come on", Liu's voice said, "it's breakfast time."
Jeff grunted quietly. He knew that Liu wasn't going to let him skip breakfast, but he didn't want to go downstairs. He didn't want to look at his parents, while they avoided him as much as they could. He didn't want to try and talk with them, only to get indefinite mumbles as an answer.
"Jeff... they'll get used to it", Liu said quietly, "just like everyone else will, too."
"How would you know that?" Jeff asked, "People hate me just because I look like this!"
There was a moment of silence. Jeff still refused to look at his older brother, knowing that whatever the brunette would say, he couldn't hide the pity in his eyes. And Jeff didn't want to be pitied.
Then, slowly, Liu sat next to him. He put his hand on Jeff's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Hey... your face is fine", he said quietly, "People are just too excited to judge and gossip. They'll get used to you, sooner or later."
When Jeff kept quiet, Liu let out a heavy sigh. "... Billy came here yesterday", he said, "he said that if you wanted... he would like to play with you again. Like you did in the party."
"Well Billy hasn't seen my face, has he?" Jeff snapped. He didn't get an answer. Instead, he felt Liu's arm wrapping around him, pulling him into a hug. "I'd bring you something to eat here, but you know mom and her rules", the older boy said. Jeff stayed quiet, but let himself smile a bit. Liu seemed to notice this, since he chuckled and pulled Jeff up from the bed.
"Come on", Liu said, "you won't feel so grumpy after a few sandwiches."
---
Soon enough the two of themselves were sitting at the table with their parents. It wasn't like their usual breakfasts had been, though; their mother was reading somekind of magazine while texting someone and their father was a bit too focused on his newspaper to actually be reading it. None of them said a word. None of them looked at each other.
Jeff stared at his breakfast blankly, not wanting to eat. He only wanted out of this situation, this horrible, awkward situation.
Then, suddenly, the silence was broken by his mother slamming his phone case closed. "Jeff", she said with a serious tone, "your father and I have decided that it's time for you to go back school."
Jeff looked up at his mother in disbelief. "You said you were considering home schooling", he said. She had to be joking... what kind of school would even let him in?
"We've decided that you'll do better in normal school", his mother said, "you're going with your brother. And that's final."
Jeff opened his mouth to protest, but his mother gave him a stern look, that made it clear she wouldn't be changing her mind. Jeff let out a quiet sigh and got up from his seat. "I'm done", he muttered and walked back upstairs, leaving his untouched breakfast on the table.
---
For a moment, the table was silent. Liu stared at his younger brother's breakfast, while his mother returned to her magazine. His father hadn't even looked up from his paper. It was so silent, that Liu could hear his parents' breathing. He could hear Jeff's quiet footsteps from upstairs. He could hear his own thoughts screaming for him to do something.
But he couldn't. He couldn't do anything. He couldn't and he wouldn't. Jeff needed to understand that even though his face was completely different, it wouldn't change anything. He'd have to continue his life, just like before. Life wouldn't stop just because he had been set in fire. He could still start over.
Of course, Liu understood that Jeff was in pain. That he would need a lot of time to get used to the situation. And no matter what, Liu would be there to support him. He had sworn that the exact second he had heard that Jeff had been hospitalised.
And he wouldn't break that oath he made. No matter what happened.
YOU ARE READING
"It's not that bad" - a Jeff and Liu Story
Fanfiction"Jeff...", said Liu, "it's not that bad..." ---- After the accident at the party, Jeffrey Woods has to learn to live with his new face. He knows that it's not going to be easy; his mother doesn't talk to him nearly as much as she used to. His father...
