pen pal | on hold

three

                [[ L E V I ]]

        I breathe a sigh of relief, grinning madly whilst reading Wren's reply and I start to type an e-mail in response when my brother, Luke, walks up to me. "Hey, bud." I smile, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

        He sighs, looking up at me from his 5'8" height. "Hi, Levi..." He mumbles.

        I grin, rolling my eyes and taking a seat on the couch next to Luke. "What's up?" 

        Luke bites his lip, fiddling with his fingers nervously. "I drew something for you..." He says softly, pulling out his super expensive sketchbook mom and dad got him for his birthday. He flips it open quickly, pulling his sleeves down over his wrists as if I didn't notice. He opens it to the drawing and hands the pad to me with a weak smile. 

        I stare at the drawing for a few minutes of silence, aware of my brother's shaking and the annoying grandfather clock ticking from the hallway. I rub my forehead, trying to focus on the drawing and not on the other disruptions being heard from around the house.

        "It's great, Luke, honestly." I smile genuinely at the drawing of a ninja star with intricate designs around it.

       He gestures towards my possibly growing sleeve from my wrist to my elbow on my left arm. "I thought it'd be a cool tattoo idea, maybe you could add it to your sleeve... or have it be medium sized on your chest, like 3x3." Luke points to under my collarbone, on my left pectoral.

        I grin madly, nodding at my shy sixteen-year-old brother. "That'd be cool. Maybe I'll get it after graduation." 

        I'd started my sleeve shortly after my eighteenth birthday, my first tattoo on my wrist under my hand being a miniaturized drawing by my six-year-old sister, Cassidy, and the drawing was five stick figures - Cassidy,  Luke, Me, and Mom and Dad - they were badly drawn but the drawing reminds me of the family I have to take care of. 

        Luke bounces giddily, grabbing the sketchbook from my outstretched hands before rushing back into his room.

        Finally, alone time.

From: LDSport13@hotmail.com

Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2015  7:05 PM

To: ReadWriteSleep@yahoo.com

Subject: hi wren 

        HI HI HI IM SO SORRY :(

        thank you so much for replying and forgiving me, though. i know i 100% don't deserve it and i know i acted like a douche on the freaking first day [ trying not to curse because i know you'd say something about how people who curse a lot lack intelligence ] and i really ruined you and i having any type of friendship but a chance would be great, to start over.

From: ReadWriteSleep@yahoo.com

Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2015  7:22 PM

To: LDSport13@hotmail.com

Subject: hi levi

        hi, meathead. no need to censor yourself, just be your regular jock-self.

        how are you doing on this delightful thursday? i'm eating pizza currently and i will be having ice cream afterwards :) 

        p.s. - let's just put that behind us? i overreacted and i'm sorry for that... you can call me wrenny if you want. just please don't call me princess because i will end you.