The Ugly Duckling

Chapter 8: Home

The moment he walks in through the door, his mother assaults him with a big bear hug. It doesn't take long for his father and the rest of his siblings to join in. He can feel his shoulder dampening from his mother's tears. It looks like everyone cares about him more than he thought. He sees his grandfather sitting in the other room giving him one of his famous glares. That infamous glare normally bothers him to no end, but for some reason today it feels more bearable. He expects his grandfather to say something nasty but before he has the chance his grandmother lightly smacks his grandfather's arm and, to Felix's surprise, William Faulkner's glare softens. Before his grandfather can even say a word, the family ushers him to the dinner table. No one asks where he went. All they care about is that he is home.

Soon, it is time for his grandparents and Peter to take their leave. Peter gives him a big hug before getting into his car and driving back to Harvard. He watches his grandparents give all of their grandchildren hugs. Naturally, he doesn't expect anything, but then he sees his grandfather head in his direction. What's he doing? Before he can react, his grandfather grasps his hand and gives it a firm shake. He then mutters something about taking care and turns around to leave. Felix doesn't finish processing this action until his grandparents are well on the road. Isabelle pats him on the shoulder and tells him that his parents had a strong word with his grandfather. It's not much, but it's a step in the right direction.

Felix comes back to school only to remember Luke's antics are still ongoing. However, his snide comments no longer have as much of an effect on Felix. Finally, Alice proposes an idea to combine his art skills with her talent in technology. The result is a popular photo-shopped meme of Luke that goes around the school for weeks. Whenever anyone sees Luke, they can't help but laugh. This shuts him up for a while.  

A few weeks go by and Felix finds himself standing in front of hismailbox. Maybe he shouldn't. Chase stands next to him saying that he promised.With a huff, Felix slips the large, orange envelope into the mailbox. With aproud expression, Chase pats him on the back. Now, he can only cross hisfingers and wait.