The Unforgettable Echoes Of Love

Chapter 17

He must've noticed how I was staring at him and he frowned at me before looking at himself in the rear view mirror. His eyes kind of widened before he frantically started rubbing his face. I laughed at him and playfully  shook my head.

He looked back at me, sniffing. "I was not crying."

"Whatever makes you sleep better at night, sweetheart," I teased, prompting him to nudge me with his elbow before unlocking the car.

We engaged in a little race as we sprinted up the driveway, and, of course he couldn't resist teasing  me about how slow I was in running and in general. Which was very offensive, if you ask me.

I pushed the front door open and Levi and I frowned as we were met by loud screams, probably coming from the kitchen.

Our nosey asses smirked at each other and removed our shoes before walking as quietly as possible and hiding behind the wall that separated the staircase and the kitchen entrance.

I peeked in the room and saw my mom, dad and Julian arguing. I whispered that to Lev who nodded before focusing on the fight.

"Julian, you are 26! You need to get a job and get your life back on track! There are 4 other children living here who need to be taken care of! We cannot afford a fifth one anymore!" My dad yelled angrily.

I saw how my mom tried so desperately to seize the screaming between the two but my dad was determined to speak what was on his mind. "It's not because your girlfriend broke up with you, that you have to give up your entire life! Go back to Michigan and ask Lara's husband for a job! He succeeded in life and I'm sure he'll be more than happy to help you." Dad finished, this time a little more calm but by the way his fists balled up, I knew something else was coming.

"Don't you think I'm trying, dad? I'm fucking trying to get everything together but it's not fucking working! I was already struggling in Michigan, so how do you expect me to continue knowing that I'm a fucking failure?!" Juju beamed and I could hear the destruction in his voice. It cracked with very new word he started and I knew that there was a lot weighing on his heart.

"Why didn't you tell us about your struggles before?" My mom asked softly. "To avoid this! All of this! Him screaming at me and you feeling so pitiful for me." With that being said, Juju stomped out of the kitchen and I pushed Levi away so we wouldn't get caught.

Thankfully, he was too angry to notice us and made his way upstairs before slamming the door shut, startling both Lev and I.

My mom let out a loud sigh and so did my dad. "I told you to go soft on him Dimitri." Mom said, sadly.

"I know. I should've listened to you honey, but it needed to be said." My dad answered on a cold tone.

I agreed with my dad but I still felt like he had been too harsh on my brother. Julian would've understood if the facts were presented to him calmly, I know he would've. It was my dad who tended to be quick-tempered and occasionally overlooked other people's feelings.

I looked behind me, at Levi who was just smiling. I frowned at him and he scoffed before throwing his arms around my shoulder. "Julian got dad super mad which means that he'll be mad at the whole house for at least a week which means that I'll get to go out more." Levi explained, smiling proudly.

He was right.

That meant that I would get to see Zyran more. Thinking about Zyran, I missed him so much already.

******

...

...

...

I could feel it, the presence. It was something bad. It wanted to harm me and all I could do, was sit there and prepare myself to get hurt.

I could almost smell it too. It smelled like fire.

My heart started beating faster as it approached me and I could feel it breathing on my neck. I abruptly turned around but...nothing.

"It's okay, it was just an illusion." I muttered to myself.

I let my head hang low as I sat with Levi and his friends in the cafeteria. Lev turned to me and frowned. "You okay?" He asked worriedly as he ran his hand over my back. I nodded and gave him a small smile which he returned.

"Take a deep breath, you'll be okay. I'm here." He whispered and my smile grew wider. I knew I couldn't lie to him because he knew me so well. I did what he said and his presence next to me, put me at ease.

"So, Raya, who are you going to Homecoming with?" Mason asked.

Homecoming? It was already mid October.

"Isn't it a little too late for that?" I said confused. Cameron shrugged. "My sister said that the school's organisation team was planning on doing it in a week or so."

"Who are you gonna take Lev? Dominica?" Mason laughed, but he was the only one doing so. He attempted to hit Cameron's arm to elicit laughter, but instead, he was met with a dull look and a side-eye.

Glancing at Levi beside me, I noticed him clenching his jaw. "Shut the fuck up, Mason," he said, then pushed the table away before storming out of the cafeteria.

I watched as he pushed past some people, almost knocking them over.

"What did I do?" Mason asked innocently.

Cameron and I didn't spare him a second glance, standing up and leaving Mason alone.

While I wasn't completely siding with Lev, as cheating on Dommy was his choice, I couldn't help but feel that the joke was unnecessary.

******

The bell rang and I said goodbye to Cameron before heading to my class.

Realising I forgot something in my locker, I groaned and jogged to it. I grabbed my biology book and shoved it into my Nike backpack.

As I wanted to make my way up the stairs, someone grabbed me from behind and covered my mouth, muffling the screams I was letting out.

"That's the moment where I die." I thought.

What did you think of this chapter?

Also, I'm still doing a lot of research about how people with schizophrenia live. The stuff that I write might not be 100% accurate, like I've already said, but it's really just for the plot so bear with me 😔✊🏾.

(14/01/2023)