Love is Beautiful (She's so Ugly)

Chapter Twenty Eight

"Why are you trying to help him?" Brandon suddenly asked as they left the orphanage. He had been so quiet earlier that Leo almost forgot he was there.

"It's up to you if you want to tell Merida about the plan," Leo replied instead. "It would actually work to your advantage."

"Bro, why don't you just do it yourself?"

Leo stopped walking and turned to face him. "Alright, I'll tell you a secret. But you can't tell anyone."

Brandon hesitated. This felt like a trap. Still, he muttered, "Fine. I swear on my life."

Leo smirked. "If you had only thirty minutes to read a sixty-thousand-word novel, would you start at the beginning and stop where time runs out, or would you skip straight to the ending?"

Brandon groaned and ruffled his hair. "What the hell kind of secret is that? It doesn't even make sense!"

Leo chuckled.

"I'm dying," he said calmly.

Brandon froze, staring at him with wide eyes. "What the hell did you just—? No way. You're kidding. You look completely fine. You're... you're messing with me!"

"Am I?" Leo asked with a challenging smirk.

Brandon was speechless. If Leo was telling the truth, it was terrifying—and sad. "H-how are you so calm if that's true?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Leo shrugged. "Think about it. There's nothing anyone can do to avoid death. Whether you panic or try to 'live to the fullest,' the result's the same. And anyway... what does 'fullest' even mean?"

Brandon started to ask more, but Leo broke into loud laughter.

"You actually fell for it!" Leo doubled over, clutching his stomach, laughing so hard tears streamed from his eyes.

Brandon cursed under his breath, glaring at him. "You son of a—"

It took a while before Leo finally calmed down, wiping his eyes.

"So, what about you?" Leo asked. "Planning to give up?"

"Yes," Brandon said honestly. "I don't stand a chance with you two around. I'm just happy I got to walk her home once."

"You're such a loser."

"Yeah. I know," Brandon admitted with a shrug.

"Let's get a drink with Jacob," Leo suggested.

Brandon grinned and nodded. "Now you're talking."

By the time Jacob arrived at the bar, Brandon was already completely drunk, partying wildly with strangers.

"What the hell happened to him?" Jacob shouted over the pounding music.

"He's celebrating giving up on Merida!" Leo shouted back, smirking as he handed Jacob a drink.

Jacob took it reluctantly. He couldn't believe they were drinking when school was tomorrow. "We went to the orphanage and—"

"Go back tomorrow," Leo interrupted. "Tell her the orphanage agreed to take the kids. But make sure you're back after college. Don't waste the chance."

"You went there?" Jacob's eyes widened.

"I knew you'd mess it up, so yeah. I took care of it," Leo said, locking eyes with him. "Don't mess this up. Tomorrow, spend real time with her—before the ball, before graduation. Don't waste it."

Jacob clenched his jaw. "You could've done it all yourself. Why the hell didn't you?"

Leo let out a sarcastic laugh. "Because she loves you." He jabbed Jacob in the chest with a finger. "Not me." Then he downed an entire glass in one go.

"I'm sorry... and thank you," Jacob muttered. Then his eyes hardened. "But you could still turn everything around if you wanted to."

"I'm not interested in twisting her feelings," Leo hissed. "I'm thankful she still loves you. So shut up and love her."

"You're a coward!" Jacob snapped.

Leo laughed bitterly. "No. I'm not selfish. Forcing her to love me would only hurt her worse." He forced a grin and walked off toward Brandon.

Soon, Leo and Brandon were lost in the music, moving with the pounding beat. When you lose, it doesn't mean you can't celebrate. It hurt, yes—but Leo was already used to hurting.

"Wake me up before you leave!" they both screamed, voices hoarse, when All Night by The Vamps blasted through the speakers. They shouted along, wild and reckless: "I've been up all night, no sleep!"

The night ended with Jacob dragging both of his "brothers" home. He dropped off Brandon first, who, even drunk, mumbled at him to take care of Merida.

Next, he drove Leo to his mansion. After ringing the bell multiple times with no answer, Jacob noticed the gate was open and let himself in, Leo's weight heavy on his shoulder.

Inside, the maids rushed to help. "What happened to him?" one asked.

"He drank too much," Jacob said.

They unbuttoned Leo's shirt to make him comfortable—and Jacob froze. His eyes widened. What he saw beneath that shirt stunned him.

"Thank you for bringing him back," the head maid said quickly. "We'll take it from here, young man."

Still unsettled, Jacob left. Even once he got back in his car, he couldn't shake the image from his head. He realized... he had never really known Leo at all.

The moment Jacob drove away, Leo's eyes opened. An evil grin spread across his face, startling the servants nearby. He stood, clutching his head against the coming hangover, and made his way to his room.

Collapsing onto his bed, shirt discarded, he whispered to the dark:

"Now you know why, Jacob..."

Then he closed his eyes.

That night was Leo's way of pushing Jacob forward. Jacob understood—and kept trying harder for Merida.

Meanwhile, Leo quietly pulled away. Whenever Merida asked him out, he'd excuse himself with something came up. He wanted Jacob and Merida to have space.

So he spent more time alone, or with Brandon. Sometimes he'd talk to Lisa, or even Yuri. Lisa had become a close friend to both Yuri and Merida, while Candice stayed the same as ever.

Leo was withdrawing, step by step.