Fly High | ✅

46 | Once upon a time

◈A D R I A N◈

"Let me tell you a story about a pathetic young man named Logan Hawke."

My eyes widened at the sudden opportunity to get to know Logan a little better. Though I was feeling a little hurt that his lips only got loose from alcohol intoxication, I couldn't pass up the only chance to find out about his past given how Logan was a very private person.

He would never tell me this sober.

"I'm listening," I said just in case he mistook my silence as disinterest.

Logan stared at me for a very long time, to the point that I almost thought he fell asleep with his eyes wide open. As if he had woken up from a trance, he smiled ruefully and his rough voice filled the gaps between empty air.

"Once upon a time, there was this kid called Logan Hawke. He used to be the bright kid back in high school. Or the nerd as you would call it," he chuckled slightly. His eyes were glazed with unspoken feelings as he leaned lazily against the couch recounting his past.

"Good grades were easily within his grasp but his foster parents couldn't care less about him. They had all of their love poured into their own son, a worthless loser who partied all night and snuck girls under his blanket when his parents were sleeping."

My eyes almost bugged out of my skull as I listened to his words. "You were an orphan?!" I squeaked out in disbelief.

Logan shot me an annoyed look and clicked his tongue, "Shhh...you're ruining the story."

I flushed with embarrassment and apologized softly, "Sorry." My brain was buzzing with information overload, information I couldn't handle and process well.

He grunted in acceptance and crumpled the empty can in his fist, flinging it across the room, the disfigured metal rattled within the waste basket to my left.

I flinched instinctively at the sound, goosebumps spreading over my skin instantly. The sound of metal clanging remained as a sore spot for me. Oblivious to my reaction, Logan let out a groan before reaching for the next beer

Slowly, I scooted further away from the waste basket and leaned against the strip of wall below the window. I was now diagonally facing Logan and his features shifted as the evening sun cast long, mysterious shadows swallowing half of his face.

"Fortunately, he had a supportive girlfriend. Someone who understood him, understood his pain and struggle. They were real happy throughout the whole senior year and they entered the same college. Everything felt right on track for the first time. He was happy. Even when his girlfriend got pregnant during their first year."

My heart squeezed a little, hearing the wonderful times he had with Kara. Even though I knew how the story ended, the way he described her as an angel who had descended from heaven to save him made my lips curl in jealousy. I drew my knees closer to my chest and hugged them, suddenly feeling sorry for myself.

"That's when poor Logan seemed to have used up his happiness quota. His foster parents made it clear that they will not spend a single cent on him once he turned eighteen while his girlfriend's were livid at their daughter's sudden pregnancy. All of a sudden, it was them against the world," his voice was tainted with sadness.

I could understand why he decided to tell the story as if he was just a common reader who happened to pick up a tragic romance book. He was trying to detach himself from the painful memories.

"But you—I mean they still got married," I piped in.

His green eyes fixed on me intensely, "They did but that was hardly a happy ever after ending. In fact, things have gotten worse right after the wedding. He had to give up college since there was no way he could continue with a baby on its way. However, without a degree, he couldn't even get an unpaid internship in a company. Luckily, an old man was willing to hire him as an apprentice at a workshop after a month of painful unemployment."