Page 112 of This is Me

“What happened?” I asked, and Leroy stopped walking, too, leaning up against the wall of the alley we had stopped by.

“Well, I stretched the truth a little bit, and said it was self-defence, so, I didn’t get suspended.”

“That’s great,” I said with an encouraging smile, but Leroy shrugged, and I leant against the wall beside him.

“I’m not allowed to go to the school ball.”

“I mean, that isn’t a great loss.”

Leroy chuckled at my words before shrugging again. I had the feeling there was something else playing on his mind, but he couldn’t find the words. I knew that feeling all too well.

“Still… it would be my last one before I left high school.”

“Yeah, I get what you mean. You’ll miss the fireworks.”

“Not the only thing I’ll be missing,” Leroy mumbled, and my heart leapt in my chest. “I know you said you didn’t want to talk about… stuff. That happened,” Leroy added, and my heart continued to skip several beats.

“I’d still much rather we didn’t,” I said quietly, watching Leroy nod slowly.

“Well, then, how’s your face?”

“Getting better. Your hand?”

“It was just a sprained wrist, so, all good.”

We may not have been talking about our feelings and the topic I was desperately trying to avoid, but this awkwardness between us and weird silences was not much of an improvement.

“I’m sorry you can’t come to the ball.”

“I did break his nose, Pete. We both got a week. I think that’s fair,” Leroy explained, his eyes locking onto the ground.

“Still… I wish we could trade places. I don’t want to go, but I promised Cooper I’d be his date. As a friend,” I quickly added, though, I’m not sure why.

Leroy gave me a quick smile and looked down at the ground. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t freaking out over the fact that I was hanging out alone with Leroy. The boy who I had been slowly falling in love with. Even with the short, undeserved hatred I’d sent his way for a little while, it didn’t feel like it dampened my feelings for him when it was over.

In fact, standing here with Leroy now, my feelings for him seemed to be doubling. Maybe it was because we were alone together. The last two times we were alone together a lot had happened, so, I wasn’t blaming myself if I thought the same could happen here.

“I like you,” Leroy said suddenly, and I mentally cursed.

I fucking knew something would happen.

“Roy—”

“I have for a while, and I need you to know that.”

“Is this why you came to see me?” I asked, feeling my face heat up and stomach twist and turn.

I had wanted to hear those words for so long, but not like this. Not when there was still so much that stopped anything from happening. We may have been speaking again and spending time together, but there was still so much between us.

“I don’t want things to go back to normal. Because I don’t want to ruin it,” Leroy said, looking up at me, a shy grin sliding onto his face.

It was such a stupid moment to be smiling and a stupid thing to be smiling about, but here he was, wearing that Goddamn smirk. It was perfect. It always had been. Even when he was unsure of himself and shy, it still managed to light everything up around him.

I was so fucking in love with him.

“I… Leroy.” I had no idea what I was trying to say, and his name was all I could manage to get out.

“I just—”