Tweetie

39

"It's so weird," she said through a breath, sinking down into the cold concrete of the steps, her hand squishing into it as the tiny stones stuck to her sweaty palms, "you all seem so different now... well, not quite different. How could I explain it?

She shook her head, searching for the words, but found nothing more sufficient than,

"...I feel like you're all a little more natural. As you really are."

"I'm glad you noticed," he leaned into his palm, his eyes still on her as she stared up into the sky, her voice hushed in the night like a cloud passing above unwatching eyes. "Joel even spoke to you about things at home, didn't he?"

"He did."

"Thank you for talking to him. I think it really helped him understand and put the situation into perspective." He smiled, though she couldn't see. "He's probably been needing somebody like you for a long time. We're all very close, but there's a softness to you that we just don't have 'cause we've learned to put up a wall. It's easier to not talk about things and avoid everything."

"I'm glad he's dealing with it okay..."

Silence followed for only a brief moment as she thought, letting the conversation go into her memory properly where it would be jumbled with everything else. She was exhausted, but not as you would think. She was in a constant state of stress and it made her so tired she could barely differentiate when she was genuinely tired from a lack of sleep and when she was tired from her overworked mind.

"...You always zone out," Leo hummed, watching her as she stared down at her feet. "It's happening a lot more recently. Do you want to talk?"

"I just have a lot on my mind," she said, wishing more than anything that she could just tell the boy the truth. Tell him that she was a liar, that she was on the verge of breaking, that she was beyond stressed, threatened, and above all else, scared for theirs and her own safety? "I- I don't know. It'll pass..."

"Of course it will," he nodded, shuffling down a step so he was sitting directly beside her. "Whatever it is that's bothering you, I'll listen."

"...I wish I could tell you, I really do. It's just so... I don't know, it's so complicated and frustrating and I... I can't say it, not yet at least. Eventually."

"When you do, I'll be ready to listen," he watched as she turned, lifting her head and facing him with a small smile on her lips before he brought her into a friendly side hug which brought both of them a world of comfort.

"But Leo?" She said, her voice as hushed as it was while they were inside.

"Yeah?"

"You can talk to me too, I might not be able to speak about things, but if you can, you should. It's good to talk about them sometimes."

"Yeah... I rarely talk to the others about stuff just because they already have so much going on."

Hazel paused, considering her next words. She didn't want to push, but she didn't want to see him in a state similar to hers. She wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

"...Now would be a good time to talk... If you want."

He turned to look at her, a smile on his lips. Not his usual one, but one filled with too much emotion to really distinguish which particular emotion he felt. Relieved? Annoyed? Upset? Conflicted? She couldn't tell, but, it was a smile just the same.

"There's a park nearby," he sat up, "want to go there? I doubt the others will wake up while we're gone."

She paused, confused. It was clear as day that neither of them were tired in the slightest, even despite the lateness. But the question came from nowhere, she barely knew whether he asked. But from the way he waited for a response, it was obvious he did. So quickly, she nodded her head and soon enough, Leo stood and turned towards her, holding his hand out to help her up.