Superhero Crash Course

20- Life through a toilet paper roll

"Hey, I haven't seen the Les kid for a long while." My dad said.

Les was a good actor. He would not converse with me but, with my parents, he acted the exact same way he did four years ago.

So, I didn't inform my parents about how he pushed me away. I didn't want either of us to get into trouble over friendship issue.

Them being oblivious to this sort of assured me that he would eventually come back.

Nothing's official until it's reached my parents.

"I guess he's busy." I shrugged. "Has to look after his sister and Aunt Amelia. Don't know if it's the other way around but no doubt he's a lot of things to handle."

"Well, how's he doing?" Dad asked. "You never brought him up in age and we haven't met him in awhile."

"We're not neighbors anymore, that's why." I replied, swallowing hard. "Why you're asking though?"

Mom chuckled. "I don't think you both are just neighbors. He's like a nephew to me and your dad. Of course, we would want to know how's he doing."

"You could talk about the kid all day long, J." Dad added. "And mom said if you start to avoid the subject, that might mean you like—."

Mom judged him in the arm.

The spaghetti stopped halfway to my mouth. Les made me promise I wouldn't tell anyone about his condition. We shared our secrets all the time when we were younger. Even our embarrassing moments. Like that time I thought grape juice was wine and hid inside the barn all day because I was scared the cops would arrest me for underage drinking. The cops did come in the end but to search for me, not to arrest me.

But this wasn't that kind of secret we could laugh about while the adults gave us puzzled look.

"He's doing fine and, no, dad, I didn't talk about him all day." I said defensively, earning myself amused look from my parents.

"I thought you like him." Mom teased me, taking a sip of her orange juice. 

"Okay, let's change the subject." I raised my glass.

Must she bring that up every time we talk about Les? 

Okay. I may have slipped and told her I liked Les.

But in my defense, I was only a 3rd grader at the time and like to me simply meant not hate so that shouldn't count, right?

That moment, of course, didn't make it to the list of secrets I shared with Les.

"She just changed the subject, Laurel." Dad whispered to mom. "Does that mean.."

"He's a friend, dad. We're friends. Friends could goes years without mentioning each others to other people." I chuckled, covering up my awful lying skill.

I know this spaghetti is high in calories but there's no need to burn them off right now by jumping to conclusion, dad.

"He was the one who noticed you went missing." Mom said, her voice etched with concern.

Dad tightened his grip on the fork and stopped eating. "I have to thank that kid." He sighed. "He waited at the police station till we arrived. With little Gale. They've grown a lot."

Les wasn't the little boy with a cowboy hat and cunning smirk anymore but a young man fighting a losing battle against cancer while the responsibility of looking after the family he had left was weighing down on him.