Loved By Levi

Nineteen

Mylee

"Matt decided to kick me out today."

"You're kidding, right?" I stared at Levi through the darkness with my mouth hanging wide open as we trudged through the sand in what I hoped was the general direction of town. We'd been walking in a comfortable silence for long enough that the party was out of sight, and that was certainly not how I'd expected him to break the ice.

I could vaguely see him shaking his head. "Nope, dead serious."

"What the hell, why would he do that?"

He picked up a hand to run it through his soft dark hair. "Apparently he's sick of having to act like my mom."

I scoffed at that. "Matt acts like your mom? Levi, I've only hung out with you guys once and I know that he would've fallen over if it wasn't for you. Plus, I know you went and got him from the party after I left. If anyone acted like a mom then, it was you."

"Yeah, I know. That doesn't change the fact that he kicked me out, though." His shoulders lifted in a helpless shrug that made my heart ache. "The way he put it, kicking me out has been the plan for a while. It's not like he pays for the house, anyway. I pay my half of the rent and his parents pay his. It's not like this will hurt him at all."

"I'd say he sounds like a spoiled little jackass, except my dad pays for my rent," I responded quietly, feeling ashamed of the fact.

"Maybe he pays for your rent, but you work in the summers and cover at least part of your tuition, right?" Levi countered. I blushed a little in realizing he'd remembered those small details about me.

"Yeah, I do secretarial stuff for a vet clinic in the summers, plus work for dad in my spare time."

"Sounds like you keep busy."

"Yeah, usually. What do you do in the summers?"

For a moment the only sound was that of the sand crunching under our feet. "Whatever I can find, mostly. I've washed dishes, bussed tables, delivered parts, cleaned boats... Pretty much anything that'll pay the bills."

I nodded even though he probably couldn't see me in the dark.

"I met with a Marine Corps recruiter this morning." Again, I was blindsided by the randomness of his topic, enough to even hurt a little bit.

"How did that go?"

Even though it was too dark to see, I sensed him running a hand through his hair again. "Fine, I guess. They want me bad. Gave me a bunch of pamphlets and paperwork."

I felt myself frown, one; because the idea of sweet Levi joining the Marine Corps confused me, and two; because the very concept of him putting on that uniform and risking his life for people like me scared me to death. "How much paperwork do you have to do if they want you so bad?"

I held my breath while he through his answer through. "Not that much, really. I just decided to take it home with me."

"Why? Isn't it easier to just do everything there, with help?"

By that point we were walking on pavement instead of sand and there were even streetlights placed often enough for me to see his face. He looked pensive. "Probably."

I reached a hand out to pull him to a stop. "Levi, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." His expression was still sober.

"If being a Marine is really your dream, why haven't you signed yet? I mean, I don't know a whole lot about it, but shouldn't it be a pretty simple process?"

He just shrugged and stared at the ground for a while. I began to wonder with baited breath if I'd pissed him off.

"I don't know, Mylee. It's just not that simple. I mean, I really want to be a Marine, but I need to finish the semester, and I don't really know if I'm ready yet. Physically, y'know."

I let my voice go soft. "Levi, you can run ten miles easy and your arms are as big as my head. I'm pretty sure you're way ahead of anyone else when it comes to being in shape."

He just stared at me for a bit. "Maybe I am ready, I don't know. I guess I just feel like I need to get my shit together before I actually sign up and go. Is that so crazy?"

Sensing the frustration in his voice, I backed down. "No, Levi, it's not crazy. I think you're smart to be prepared instead of just jumping in head-first. I was just wondering, is all."

He gave me a short nod and we continued on in silence until he pointed out a one story gray house. It sat in the middle the block, surrounded by other, similar homes. None of them were particularly fancy and I guessed college kids lived in the majority of them from the menagerie of couches and other strange furniture decorating the lawns.

"This is my place, er, it was. I doubt Matt will be home tonight but I figure I'll have to start hauling stuff out tomorrow. Luckily I don't have a whole lot."

My eyebrows drew together as he made his way slowly up the front steps, almost like he was afraid to go inside. "Where will you go?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I can live in my car until the semester's over. There's what, two weeks left?"

I confirmed with a nod and continued to watch him. Finally, he dug a key out of his pocket and swung the door open, inviting me in.

The inside of the house looked about like the outside. None of the furniture matched, and the living room was decorated only with ripped movie posters, a huge beanbag chair, and a massive TV. One wooden chair sat between the kitchen and living room. It was almost entirely covered in men's clothing. The place smelled so strongly of weed my eyes started to water.

"I'm so sorry, it's a frickin' disaster in here," Levi apologized, shoving a different pile of clothes to the side so we could walk down a narrow hallway. "I wouldn't have even brought you in here except my car keys are in my room."

"It's okay," I murmured, following him through the maze that was the hall.

"Most of that crap isn't even mine. Matt's the pig here."

Finally, he opened a flimsy door and lead me into a much neater room that smelled only faintly of pot. There was a chair, a bed, and a dresser that had a dinosaur of a laptop charging on its surface. One pair of shoes that looked like they'd been kicked off in a hurry sat next to the bed, and a set of workout clothes very similar to the ones he'd been wearing when we first met were crumpled on the hastily made bed. Other than that, the room was relatively clean and bare. The sparsity of it all compared to my place made my heart hurt.

I'd known for a while that Levi was basically alone in life, but I never knew just how well off I was in comparison. It was incredibly sobering to see.

"Levi?"

"Yeah?" He looked up from the drawer he was digging through.

"Are you serious, about staying in your car?"

"Yeah, why?"

My brows furrowed and I felt my stomach drop at the thought. "That's not much of a way to live, even for a few weeks. How about you come home with me? You can crash on my couch, at least for a few weeks. And maybe when I head back home for the summer you can stay there in my room, at least until you find something better."

He stared at me, blue eyes hopeful for the first time all night. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am. C'mon, I'll help you grab your stuff."