WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?

(29)

Landon typed a short text on his phone before putting it back in his pocket.

"He'll be here soon..." He then said and I understood that the message had been for Nate.

We didn't have to wait for long before my brother appeared at the top of the wide staircase that was standing in front of us.

His eyes lit up when he saw me and he ran down the stairs like a mad man. When he finally reached us he crashed his tall body against mine and hugged me so tightly that I would have stumbled down had Landon not wrapped his arm around my shoulders to keep me on my two feet.

"I don't think that everything you do for me is useless, Pops." He cried against my chest. "I...I just would like the two of us to have a normal life...That's all..."

"Our life's not that bad, Nate..." I muttered, as new tears ran down my face. "We have a roof above our heads, food, more money than we've ever had. I know you miss Marty and Steven, but you have Leo, now... It could be way worse, you know... We could be sent to different foster families, have some horrible disease... So many people have it way, way worse than us, Nate..." I added, full on sobbing now. "The only thing that matters to me is your well-being. Is that so bad?" By then, Landon was hugging me from behind so I was literally sandwiched between them.

"You deserve so much more..." Nate muttered.

"I don't know..." I shrugged. "Maybe..." I added. "But right now, I'm ok as long as you are ok, so..." I finished between two hiccups.

"How about Tyler?" He said tentatively.

"What about him?!" I shot back more coldly than I'd intended. I didn't want to talk about him, not now not ever. "Listen, we need to go or we'll be late... See you tonight after practice?" He nodded sadly and went on his tiptoes to brush a quick kiss on my cheek with a whispered "Love you, Pops," before running back up the stairs.

Landon and I walked back to our building in silence.

"Where are you going?" He asked me when I headed to the gym.

"To my double PE..."

"You've been transfused yesterday and have fifteen stitches behind your head, you're not seriously thinking of doing any type of exercise, are you?!" He asked, staring at me as if I had grown another head or something.

"I'm already feeling bad enough as it is, take away the only thing that helps and you'll soon be visiting me at the loony bin." I pointed out blankly.

"I can't believe he f*cked up that way..." He growled and it was the first time I heard him bad-talk his best-friend.

"Don't you know the saying bros before hoes?" I mumbled, unwilling to be the cause of a discord between the two best friends.

"Ah! But you're no hoe, Poppy..." He interjected teasingly but I didn't miss the hint of sadness in his steel-colored eyes.

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It took a great deal of groveling but I was finally allowed to practice with a ball on my own while the others played rugby, which Mr. Eriks had deemed too dangerous for me with my stitches.

I wondered who'd told him about what had happened but didn't have the guts to ask him.

Study Hall was pretty quiet, yet I was still glad when the final bell rang.

Keira was at my locker when I got there.

"Hey..." She said hesitantly.

"Hey..." I replied while sorting the books I'd need to do my homework tonight after practice.