Falling for September

2 | A While Back

/Three weeks before Aries' house party/

"Get in" shouts Aries. Leo dragged his feet into the convertible.

"I told you that this car is too cliché" says Leo.
"Nah, man. I think it suits us well"

Aries revved up the engine and drove themselves to Greenfield High School. Aries was already greeting students while parking and there were already several girls waiting for him from the benches.

"Your fans are waiting" remarks Leo.
Aries laughs and pats his best friend on the shoulder. "Come on, you know you've got more groupies than I do" and he points to the small group of underaged girls whispering to each other at the side of the school's open parking lot.

Leo rolls his eyes and gives Aries a sharp look.
"Hey! Don't be pissed at me, you're the one with a cool reputation. We all know, girls looove bad boys" teases Aries as he makes a full stop on one parking slot. They got off the car and one of the girls squeal, obviously excited to see them.

"What's up clowns" greets Archer.
"Waddup dude" responds Aries and the two fist bumps.
Archer turns to Leo, "Gloomy in the morning eh?" But Leo ignores him.

"He never did like me, didn't he?"
"Nah man, Leo's just being Leo. You know he's
always been like that" defends Aries.

The three walked past the anticipating girls. The girls started to push each other toward the boys when one of them accidentally tripped and held on to Aries. The girls gasped as Aries held out his hand to help her get up.

"I'm so sorry Aries" she says fixing her gaze on him.
"No problem. Just be careful next time" his ocean blue eyes dancing in daylight.
The girl's eye widened and her cheeks blushed. She backs away quickly but is still apologizing. Archer chuckled beside him knowing that Aries will be going to class with a handful of gifts again.

Another girl hands Aries a small present wrapped in blue paper with glitters. Leo shakes his head and says, "We're going to be la-" he was cut off by one girl from the group who's also giving him a handmade gift. Leo looked at her expectant face and said, "No thanks"

Aries and Archer laughed at Leo's surprised face. He knew that girls pined over him but only a few of them actually hands him gifts. They usually just leave them by his locker.

Leo looked at the preteen girl and just patted her head. "Go to class" he tells her. Her disappointed face brightened and smiled at him. The group of girls giggled and said yes repeatedly before going inside the school building.

"I'm sure thar personal gift of hers will be left by your locker" says Aries smiling. "And you thought I was the only one"

"Well, it seems like Leo is the teenage dream!" exclaims Archer. He and Aries burst into laughter.

"You guys really enjoy mocking me" says Leo while pushing back his hair.

The school bell rang just in time as the three friends entered the front entrance of the building. Archer who has math class as his first subject, bade the dashing duo a farewell.

"Laters, losers!"

Aries gives him a nod and walks ahead of Leo.
"We better hurry if we don't want to be late" he says.
"You go ahead. I'll just take a piss"
Aries gives Leo a suspicious look, "Whatever it is you're planning to do, don't."

Leo just raises his eyebrows and walks away, leaving Aries calling out for him and trying to stop him.

Leo doesn't like going to class. He thinks it's a waste of time. He believes that life can't be learned inside the four corners of your classroom. And that's why he cuts classes often.

He leisurely walks to the stairs going to the rooftop. The place is actually off limits but he had a spare key modeled just so he could access it. He half-smiles to the memory of him stealing the original key and having it duplicated before returning it. The school janitor didn't even notice it missing.

He pulls the key from his pocket and unlocks the rooftop door. He moves a rock from the floor and uses it to prevent the door from closing and locking.

Leo reaches for a cigarette in his bag and a lighter. He takes a puff as he sits with legs stretched at the ledge of the roof. He looks at the sky and then down at the ground below. He could see some students still roaming around and the school maintenance staff.

The serenity and the stillness calms him. He never liked mornings - full of stress and...

"What are you doing here!?"
Leo drops the cigarette and steps on it.
"Students aren't allowed at this part of the building!" shouts the guard.

Leo takes one last look at the top view of Greenfield and walks away ignoring the furious guard.
"Hey!" he pulls Leo on the arm.
"You shouldn't be rude to adults, you punk! I'll have you reported to the principal!"

Leo just stared at the man and pulled his arm away, "Don't touch me. He opens the door to leave but was again stopped by the security guard. "You stay put" says the man as he radioed his colleague, telling the person to go to the faculty room and pay the principal a visit.

"What's your name, boy?" asks the guard. But Leo looked away. "I said, what's your name?"

"Get off me!"
The guard tightened his grip onto Leo's arm which made him furious.
"I said get off me!" he shouts then pushes the guard hard, causing him to fall to the ground. Leo sprinted his way out of the rooftop and down to the school's hallways.

"I see him!" shouts another guard and chases after Leo. Leo laughs and runs faster until he reached the front door entrance and leapt down the stairs.

"Leo? Leo!" shouts a teacher who happens to have just arrived.

The guard stumbles at the entrance, Leo turns around to laugh and then manages to outrun him. He was gasping for air when he finally stopped by the town's playground.

"That was fun" he tells himself propping his body to the sand. He winces at the sun's rays and covers his eyes with his hand. When his eyes adjusted to the light he stared at the moving clouds above him.

It wasn't long before he fell asleep.
~

Leo was jolted up from sleeping. He tried to open his drooping eyes to see who was dragging him away from his nap.

"What the fuck, man!?"
The man turns to look at Leo with such anger.
"Dad?"
"You seriously didn't think I wouldn't find you cutting class again, did you!?"
"I-I.." Leo struggles to get words out of his mouth.
"Shut up!" shouts his father while he continued to pull Leo to his car. He opens the passenger door and pushes Leo inside.

Leo fell silent. He clenched his teeth and balled up his fists.

His father hops in the driver's seat and looks at Leo, watching him do nothing. Leo could feel his father's eyes piercing through him. The engine starts and they drive home.

Leo was confused, he thought he was being taken back to his school. He looks at the few people walking in the neighborhood then glances at his father.

"Why are you taking me home?" he asks but his father ignored him.

When they finally parked in their garage, his father immediately gets off and walks to the passenger's side. He opens the door and pulled Leo out then drops him to the floor.

"You worthless piece of shit!" 
Leo pulls himself backwards as his father gets closer to him.
"You fucking humiliate me all the fucking time!" his father shouts. "You motherfucking trash!"

Leo's eyes widened as his father's anger grew. He backs away but felt the wall behind him, he turns his head towards his father who's now ready to punish him.