Love Me, Again?

Chapter 29: Hidden Meaning

Chapter 29: Hidden Meaning

Leila’s parents gave her more time to take in her brother’s death. They gave her a week off from school. Leila knew that she couldn’t miss any more of her classes. She decided to attend it two weeks after her brother’s funeral.

Leila only had months left till summer, so she decided to finally try catching up with everything. She took her backpack from her bed and made her way down the stairs.

“Hey honey, are you finally going to school?” her mother smiled as she handed her a piece of toast.

“Yup,” Leila replied before munching on her toast.

“Oh well that’s great,” her father exclaimed, pulling her into an embrace. “I’ll see you later, princess.”

Her parents have been there for her for the past two weeks. Her father quit some of his other jobs and spent more time at home. Her mother did the same thing. They would visit her brother’s grave every day.

The drive to the school was very silent and quick.  Before she knew it, she came face to face with the school’s entrance.

“Can you believe that? She is such an ugh!” one girl whispered.

Leila looked at the girl, fearing that they were talking about her. The girl had her back turned to her, meaning Leila wasn’t the topic of their discussion. Heaving a sigh of relief, Leila turned to go back to her locker. She grabbed her books and headed for her classes. The classes were easy with Mary Joy around to keep her company.

Mary Joy jumped in joy and excitement that her best friend was finally back in school. “I missed you so much! It’s really not fun without you in here. Jason is really boring,” she rambled on.

“Speaking of Jason, how are things with him?” Leila gave her a small smirk.

“I ended it with him,” Mary Joy shrugged like it was nothing.

“What!? Why?” Leila asked in shock. She really thought they would make a great couple.

“I don’t like him like that and besides, he’s interested in someone else,” Mary Joy rolled her eyes.

“Don’t tell me it’s Abigail! It’s her, isn’t it? Boy, when I get my hands on her I’ll-“ Leila was cut off by Mary Joy’s barking laugh.

“Gosh, Leila! You don’t need to go ape on Abigail. It’s some other girl. I don’t even know her, but yeah. I just have a big feeling about it,” Mary Joy pulled her out of the class as the bell rang. They went back to their lockers.

Leila looked over at the popular crowd to see Abigail surrounded by the girls. Her smile looked forced. Abigail hated hanging around those girls. She was always with Louis, smiling and laughing without a care in the world. Leila felt her chest constrict at the thought of her brother. Now that he’s gone, things are never going to be the same.

The rest of the day went painfully slow. Leila hated being in school more than ever. She hated the sympathetic glances given to her and the memories it held. She missed her brother so much.

It was great that Mason was suspended. She didn’t want to deal with him at all. The final bell rang; Leila dragged her feet towards the exit of the school. She looked around for her mom’s car. Louis would usually be there too. She got into the backseat and glanced at the empty passenger seat. That was where he would usually sit.

Her mother caught her staring at the passenger side. She reached out for her hand and squeezed it lightly. She whispered, “We’ll get through this together. I miss him too.” Leila nodded as they drove out of the school.

As she got home, something mouthwatering made its way up her nose. She stumbled into the kitchen to find her dad pulling out a tray of lasagna from the oven.

“That smells delicious!” Leila exclaimed as she sat on one of the stools.

“I made it myself,” her father winked as he handed her a plate of lasagna and a cup of water. “How was school?”

Leila stiffened at that question. She stabbed her food with a fork and shrugged. “Could’ve been better.”

“Are you sure you want to attend it? You can take a break you know. Becky is actually a professional tutor now. I know she needs the money, so I can hire her for you,” her father offered, causing her to choke on her food. She coughed and took a sip of her water.

“Are you serious? But it might be too much of a hassle,” Leila took another forkful of the food. She knew that her parents were still trying to cope with her brother’s death and she didn’t want to be much of a bother to them.

“It’s fine. We want you to be comfortable first. We know it’s been very hard for you lately,” with that, months of nothing but home schooling began.

Leila spent the remainder of the school year burying herself in books. She had some tutoring sessions with Becky and still had enough time to read novels. Jason would also take time to visit her whenever he can. They would go out for ice cream, hang out in the park, or visit her brother. Over those couple of months, she has forgotten about Mason and has gotten closer to Jason. He seemed like a second brother to her already.

“I’ve got something for you,” Jason handed her a small card.

Leila smiled and opened the card. Her eyes went wide and a gasp escaped her lips at the sight of the handwriting. It was none other than her brother’s! She looked back at Jason and inquired, “How did you get this? Why did you only give it to me now?”

“Abigail… Louis has given her these cards before he died. He told her to give it to the people it was addressed to,” Jason paused, letting Leila take it all in. Then he continued, “She gave one to me, Mason, Abigail, and to you. Oh! And for your parents too!” He handed her another card.

Leila looked down and read the message.

‘My precious,

In brightest day, in blackest night,

 No evil shall escape my sight.
Let those who worship evil’s might,

Beware my power… Green Lantern’s light!’

Leila chuckled at her brother’s weirdness. He used to run around with the green lantern ring, screaming that oath. “Is there some kind of hidden message behind this whole thing?” Louis has always been smart and giving out riddles and puzzles was one of his expertise.

“I guess so. I know mine was,” Jason smiled as he stared off into space.

“Okay then. I’ll try to figure this one out on my own,” Leila sighed as she read the message again.

---------------------------END OF CHAPTER 29-----------------------

A bit boring, but tell me what you think?