Wednesday Briefs #13 The Hollow: Soul Seekers

Copyright JC Wallace 2014

Each week a group of authors participate weekly in Wednesday Briefs Flash Fiction. Each installment is 500-1000 words long and is posted to our blogs each week. After you read the latest in my story, click on the link at the end to visit the other flashers.

 

 

 

Levi managed to avoid further interactions with his mother and father for the night. Sleeping with a broken rib was harder than it sounded. When his ringing phone startled him from a dead sleep, Levi was surprised to see the sunlight filling his room. He snatched up the phone and pulled the covers over his head. Gia screamed at him through the other end. Even with the phone six inches from his ear, Levi heard her loud and clear.

“Levi! What the hell happened? You’re in class one minute and then gone the next. Then I find out you fell into the goddamned lake and broke your rib? And I have to find out from Noah Macy that he brought you to the hospital?”

“I’m fine,” Levi grumbled. Noah was quite the blabbermouth wasn’t he? Levi rubbed his head. It was way too early for this.

“Now spill all of the details and leave nothing out.”

Levi knew if he didn’t spill something juicy that Gia would be at his bedside within twenty minutes. He gave her a story about a panic attack, the unplanned trip to the lake, tripping over his own feet, falling into the lake, cell phone and all and a heroic rescue by Noah. Hopefully, that would satisfy her but apparently she was hoping for a more exciting explanation.

“Are you sure you weren’t at the lake hit it Noah but the hot and steamy love-making burned with such intensity that your only saving grace was to jump into the freezing lake?”

Close with the reason for jumping into the lake but not the cause.  “Wait. What?” Levi exclaimed, crawling out from beneath his blanket cocoon. “ ‘Hit it’ with Noah as in hit that with Noah? Noah Macy?” Maybe she was as crazy as Levi was.

“No, I mean punch him in the friggin’ face. Duh.” She did sarcasm so well.

Levi rubbed at his eyes. Was he still asleep. “Noah’s not even gay!”

“Ugh! Do you even live on the same plane as the rest of us? Jesus Christ, Levi, last week at lunch Noah stopped and talked to us. When he left, I told you he had his foot out of the closet.”

Levi remembered something about Noah and a closet, but he hadn’t thought Gia had been talking about that kind of closet. “Gia, when you tell me a hot, sports jock like Noah Macy has stepped up to bat for my team, and my jaw doesn’t scrape the floor and my eyes bug out of my head, then you can be fucking sure I’m not listening no matter what plane I’m currently visiting!”

So, Levi hadn’t been wrong about the signals. Could be interesting if he was still hopped up on endorphins, but thinking of Noah Macy did nothing for at all.

“You are the worst gay person I know,” Gia huffed.

Sub-par at everything else, so why not the gay part as well.

“When you just shrugged your shoulders I thought you weren’t interested because, well, you’re never interested,” she grumbled.

But fucking lonely.

Shit, where had that come from.

“So just a foot out of the closet? How does that work?” Either in or out right? Who knew there were shades of being in or out of the closet?

“Again. Worst. Gay. Person. Ever,” Gia said emphatically, but Levi could hear that underlying warmth few people got from her. “It means he’s told a few people he trusts, but he isn’t advertising. I think he told me because you and I are friends.”

“But why would he...oh.” Levi realized his stupidity. Shit, had “pretty boy” been a compliment?  That so wasn’t important right then. “Wait, how does he even know that I’m gay?” It wasn’t anything Levi had ever advertised.

“I don’t know. Maybe because you’ve never been out with a girl.”

“I’ve never been out with a guy,” Levi retorted.

“Sweetie, what that screams to most people is a guy in the closet.”

Technically, Levi was in the closet since he knew he was gay, hadn’t told anyone, and didn’t hook up or date. Therefore, there hadn’t been a reason to tell anyone. He couldn’t get into the dating/relationship part since you needed emotions for that.

 “Only you, Gia.”

“A girl can have hope for her best friend, right? So speaking of hope, Noah asked me for your cell phone number but…”

“Don’t you dare give him my home phone number! I don’t need a stalker.”

“Hell, Levi, when a sweet piece of meat like Noah Macy asks for your number you rent a billboard to make sure he knows it. My God, he saved your life and all.”

“Whatever. And now I’m going to do something I promised myself long ago I’d never do in a million years because your Italian ego is big enough for ten people. I agree with what you said. I’m not interested in Noah Macy.”

“While I revel in your coming to your senses and agreeing that I’m always right, I don’t want to be right about this.” A long silence and Levi wondered if she’d hung up. Wouldn’t be the first time she’d been pissed enough to hit the “end” button. When she spoke again, her tone was uncharacteristically and scarily soft for Gia. “Sometimes I really worry about you Levi.” And he knew she did.

Get in line. “Really, I’m fine. And I never said you were always right. Just this time.”

“Your delusions are your own. Whatever about Noah,” Gia said but Levi knew it was far from over with her where Noah was concerned.

Levi ended their call assuring Gia that it was pointless to visit him, giving the excuse that the pain meds made him tired. Today, Levi was hiding from the world.

A short while later, there was a soft knock at his door. He sighed heavily. If only the world would leave him alone. “Yeah?”

“Levi, I…Levi? Where are you?”

Levi signed and threw the covers off his head. “Right here, Mom,” he said, really wishing he were anywhere but there.

His mother frowned. “What’re you doing under the covers?”

“Nothing much.” Just hiding.

“How’re you feeling? Is the pain bad?” His mother bent over and picked up some dirty clothes.

“Just when I breathe,” Levi muttered, pulling some stray hairs off his black shirt.

“I’m sure you’ll be good as new in no time,” his mother sang in her usual upbeat tone.

If there was one thing Maggie Reed was good at, it was painting the ugliness of the world with sunshine.

She turned abruptly to face Levi. “But you are to stay in that bed until then,” she warned in her “motherly tone.”

Levi snorted but wouldn’t argue. Would a month be pushing it?

His mother disappeared into the bathroom still muttering something about having to go somewhere with someone today. As long as she didn’t bother him then Levi didn’t care if his mother went to the moon.

Emerging from the bathroom, cradling a pile of dirty towels, she continued as if Levi had been listening all along. “You know Logan is very worried about you.” His mother’s statement was so matter-of-fact that Levi had almost missed it. 

“Logan? Really?” Levi chuckled to himself. “Logan is worried” was Mom’s code word for “I’m worried.”

Averting her gaze, Levi’s mother continued. “Of course he is. Especially this whole business of you stopping your medication.”

The air hung thick and heavy. Levi knew he could end this quickly. “Well, I’m sure Logan is no longer worried since he watched me take my meds last night. He actually handed them to me,” he emphasized.

His mother’s mouth dropped open a bit then closed. “Really. He didn’t tell me that,” she said, shaking off her surprise. “Well, I’m sure he’s relieved that you took it.”

Levi nodded. “Yup, he’s the one who’s relieved.”

His mother surveyed the room unable to find anything more to tidy. “Your father is at work. Logan had to run an errand and said he would check in on you later. Need anything before I leave?”

Where should I start?

“I’m good,” Levi assured her, grateful the house would be empty soon.

Levi pulled the covers back over his head as his mother vacated the room. Sleep would have been a sweet escape, but the throbbing in his side and another knock on his door wouldn’t allow it.

“Mom, I still don’t need anything,” Levi yelled.

 “Hiding under the blankets won’t block Supermom’s powers.”

Peeking from under the covers, Levi found Logan leaning against the doorjamb, smirking. He was dressed in his usual uniform – flannel shirt, white t-shirt, jeans minus the hiking boots (because their mother wasn’t that upset anymore) and his Giants cap

 “Not even if it’s made of kryptonite?” Levi asked, wincing as he struggled to sit up.

“Not even kryptonite can stop Supermom.”

Logan stayed in the doorway. Levi surmised the distance was due to Logan’s uneasiness after the events of the previous night – and not to mention the night before that as well.

“Mom said you had to run an errand? What about work?”

Logan rarely took a day off but occasionally it happened.

Logan raised his eyebrows. “Day off so I thought I’d run out and pick up a little something for my little bro, Crash.” Logan was enjoying the resurrection of Levi’s nickname way too much.

“And what exactly dragged you out of the warmth of your bed on one of your rare days off?” Levi’s interest was definitely piqued.

Logan pulled a white plastic bag from behind his back and then, with a grin even the Cheshire cat would envy, tossed it onto the bed beside Levi.

Levi opened the small bag, pulling out a box. He glanced at Logan still looming in the doorway, the same satisfied grin still on his face.

“An iPhone? Are you serious?”

“Just try not to get this one wet…or drop it in the driveway.”

“But how did you get Mom and Dad to...” Levi bit on the inside of his cheek. “They don’t know, do they?”

Logan pursed his lips and shifted his shoulders, folding his arms across his chest. “No, and they don’t need to know another “Levi phone” bit the dust. Just consider it an early birthday present— and Christmas, Easter, Hanukah. You know all of the major ones.”

Knowing how expensive the phone was, Levi’s elation died a little. Yes, he’d wanted an iPhone for over a year, no, he hadn’t been able to save the money, and yes, here was one in his hands, and, no, he couldn’t keep it. Logan’s sanity in this house was holding on by tiny frayed threads. He’d been saving to move out. This phone must have taken a chunk of his savings.

Logan shook his head. “Jeez, I’d imagined a tad more excitement. I mean, every other word out of your mouth for the past year has been iPhone.”

Excitement couldn’t begin to cover how the phone felt in his hands and he didn’t want to appear ungrateful. “It’s just…I mean, I love it, really I do but…it’s too expensive. You need the money to move.”

Logan lifted an eyebrow and a quizzical expression crossed his face as if he hadn’t expected that reaction.

“Anxious to get rid of me?” he mused.

“You know I didn’t mean that.” No, Levi never wanted him to leave, ever.

“Enough arguing.” Logan raised his hands and shook his head. “It’s all set up with your number. Of course, yours truly is already in the contacts because, hey, I’m awesome,” he proclaimed with a cocky grin. “Just turn it on and it’s all set. I’ve only got about twenty minutes before I have to meet Melissa so we can spend some “quality time” together.” He half moaned, adding the air quotes, and rolling his eyes deeply. “I’ll check in later. May even send you a text.”

Before he could beat a hasty retreat Levi said, “Thanks, Logan.”

Logan bowed slightly and was gone. Then the house was oddly silent.

 

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