Prehalia's Demons(Completed) I #Wattys2019

20 I BETRAY

Leonardo must've lost his damn mind to do something like this. He didn't want to choke her, he was just there to talk.

If he wanted to kill her, he has the resources to do so without spilling blood on his own hands.

After he exited the bathroom with tears streaming down his face, he couldn't remain out of people's view. How can you miss a sobbing boy who casually comes out of the female bathroom? You don't.

A bunch of students were confused as to whom the hell Leonardo was, but a few recognized him after a little bit.

He heard Joey, who used to be in his chemistry class, shout his name from his right side and Cathy from P.E, as well as some other people who he did not remember anymore. The only one who he didn't want to see was Jessica and she was nowhere to be found, which he considered luck.

Without causing any more trouble for himself, he runs out of the back door again. Just like last time, he stops at the sight of the familiar stairs that he spent so long sitting on with Keely before the disaster happened.

This time, way more shaken than the last, he just has to take a second to catch his breath so he sits where he always used to before. On the right side of the stairs, one hand propped steadily on a bony knee and staring at her with curious eyes. Only that there is nobody to look at— his eyes meet the cold cement.

He remembers how he always kept her in the shadow, protecting her from the burning hot sun, especially during the hotter days when the weather was unbearable. He wouldn't care that his pale, sensitive skin burned with every movement. He wouldn't care that I'd hurt.

He wouldn't care that he had to sleep in that darned barn with a red, blistering back which ached to the point where he sometimes cried himself to sleep.

He lied to Keel on multiple occasions to make sure that she doesn't think of him as someone worthless. His worst lie was the one that she doesn't know about to this day.

Or so he thought.

Still sitting on those steps, he grabs the bunched up white paper that he strategically gave empty to Keelian.

He knew that she would use it to break his heart once again and as strange as it sounds, he wanted her to do so. Because if she does, he wouldn't feel as guilty for doing what he's doing.

He wouldn't feel that by making up to her for what she did, he's only getting lonelier and sadder.

Mr. Lawrence told him that hatred is not a path to happiness and at this moment Leonardo can't agree more.

"But what can I do now that I'm already the bad guy, Jim?" He murmurs under his breath, still not daring to open the paper and reveal its secret.

Closing his eyes and exhaling loudly, he finally flips it with one swift movement and just as he thought, he's left hurt. So hurt, that not only his heart breaks but his usual headache comes back.

Mr. Lawrence isn't as loyal as you'd want him to be, orphan boy.

He stares at the words and the hatred radiates off the writing. There is no doubt that Keelian Samuels despises Leonardo, but he doesn't mind. If her hatred means that she'll continue to push him away when he comes back, then he's fine with it.

A small voice in his head tells him that if he was in her place, he'd hate himself, too.

But still, at this moment, he realizes with a scary apathy that he is indeed alone and he can't trust anybody that's around him, especially those who he thinks are there for him.

He goes back to every memory with Mr. Lawrence and how much of a father figure he had been for the past year to the orphan boy.

Maybe Leonardo Sanchez was weak for trusting somebody so fast, but how can you blame the kid inside of him that craved the long lost affection of a parent?