The Jock, The Nerd and The Geek

27

To hide his shame, and because he couldn't stand her, he locked her up in the house, telling everyone else she was too sick to leave, or just didn't require people's attention. Something that permanently destroyed whatever relationship Elise with her family, and friends.

Yet, on the day she delivered, she had surprised Sebastian.

Twins.

Two boys that couldn't be any different. One with blond hair and blue eyes, looking like the fairest thing to ever exist that was sweet and quiet, and the other with black hair and green eyes that was fiery even from birth.

Sebastian, of course, took to the one that came out first, and called him Zephyr, and since he never cared for two children from Elise, as he didn't love her even to begin with, gave her the choice to name her child and she gave him Paris.

The first months of their life, Sebastian let Elise be, allowing her to even start a garden and take care of the twins, and though it was clear that Zephyr was his favorite child, and heir, Paris, the second one, was clearly smarter.

He crawled faster, learnt quicker, and was the first to walk before Zephyr did. It seemed as if the child did all of this, just to prove to his Father that he was worthy of his love and attention just as his twin was, but Sebastian could barely give one fuck about him.

It had been on their first year birthday when tragedy struck. Paris had ran away when his caretaker was cleaning him, going to the stairs and managing to go two stair below before his caretaker caught up with him, but his twin had seen this, and Elise... Elise had just looked away for one second, just a second and the next thing she knew.

Zephyr was down a flight of stairs. Dead.

It was obviously no one's fault, but Sebastian didn't care about that. He cleared out every existence of Zephyr and punished every single person, Elise never being let out of her room, and Paris—

Paris was ignored, learning how to grow on his own. Survive as much as he could by himself.

The boy stayed silent, his head bowed down. Tears threatened to fall from his eyes but he didn't let them as he looked at his Father, his voice steady but under it, tired. "For as long as I can remember, I have sought after your approval, but now, now I know nothing I ever do will be enough. You'd never— Forgive me for something I had no control of, and that... That is fine," Then his green eyes flared. "But I have nothing to prove to you anymore, and after I graduate, you'd never have to bother with me anymore. I promise," And walked out of the office.

~

Paris stood outside Marcos' house, watching as his Mother tried standing from her wheelchair, an effort that had the now platinum blond with blue and pink tips haired male clapping happily causing him to let out a small chuckle.

Elise had only found it hard to walk because she had bedridden for a long time, but lately, she seemed to be doing better, walking around the house with Marcos and Maria, Abuela always cheering her on with some Spanish dish that she knew his Mother liked.

Everything seemed peaceful. Quiet. But... But it didn't feel complete.

Looking at them, he realized many times that it felt like they were glamoured, that this was what everyone saw, felt, but deep down, they knew things wouldn't be the same, and what made it truly worse was the fact that they all knew she was alive, and well.

But they could never reach out for her.

It drove him crazy, and he knew Marcos felt the same, but it was okay for a while. Except now, with everything that had happened today, he needed her.