Unbroken

Loraine threw her hissy fits, and Leo continued to refuse. On this, he had made an oath to himself, he would not back down. Four years away at a private school was not an option. Skye and Hunter would move on, maybe even together.

He couldn’t let that happen.

No, no, no.

Skye was his sunshine; Hunter was his brother.

He needed them.

In normal fashion, Loraine retreated for a few days, calming down, formulating a new strategy to manipulate Leo into changing his mind. He’d seen it happen many times—Loraine had a way with people. Her charm, her sweet nature—she was a performer; the star of her own show. So when she came to him one evening, smiling in that sweet way that won everyone else over, Leo saw through her bullshit.

“Sweetheart, I want to look after you,” she cooed as he sat in bed, reading through a book on Darwinism. He felt her hover there, peering down at the book in his hands. “Oh, I hope you’re not letting that stuff get to your head. You should have a spiritual side, too, Leo. You keep throwing yourself into these religious bashing agendas.”

Without looking at her, he replied flatly, “I’m not opposed to religion.”

“No?”

“I’m opposed to ignorance.” He flipped the page casually adding, “Whichanyonecan wield.”

She made a humming sound, but he felt her impatience. “That is very true. You’re such a bright boy, Leo.” He wanted to roll his eyes. “When you’re not around your…friends…I notice you withdraw in your father’s library. I also enjoy a good piece of literature.”

“That’s nice,” he replied flatly.

“Are you lonely, honey?”

“No.”

She made another sound, and honestly, Leo would have been happy to grab those sounds and run a pitchfork through them. “I notice you got awfully cosy with Candice on our trip. She’s beautiful.”

“She’s vapid.”

“You kissed her.”

“I know.”

“Did you enjoy it?”

Leo shrugged. “Her lips were dry.”

“I can get you her number—maybe we can bring her out.”

“No.”

“Leo—”

“No,” he repeated, this time tightly. “It was a mistake.”

“Nonsense, she was lovely.” When he didn’t answer, she sighed. “Look, I’m a little concerned. I feel—I feel like maybe you need to broaden your horizons. More specifically, diversify your tastes. I’m worried you’re stuck in a small corner and you’re not seeing the entire room. There’s more to life than—” than Skye and Hunter, she probably wanted to say, but she was smart enough not to; instead, she paused, letting her words trail off.

Leo let out a long breath, shutting his eyes for a brief moment to regain his calm. His mother was frustrating, she didn’t shut up—whatever she was aiming to do, he hoped she’d get it over with before he said something rude.

From his peripheral, he caught her placing something on his nightstand. “I know boys need their privacy. I’m the kind of mother that wants to support that journey. Perhaps you’ll find this useful, and you’ll understand what I mean when I say there are more diverse…tastes…to immerse yourself in.”

She left promptly after that, and he sat there for several minutes, staring at the words on his page but not reading. He didn’t want to fall for her manipulations, but he was curious what she left behind. What could she think might work to derail his intent on going to that high school?

He put the book down and shuffled to the edge of the bed. He grabbed the thick black folder she left behind and settled it on his lap. Then he opened it—

His heart pounded in his ears, and he had to blink several times from the shock of it.