She Was Ugly

Chapter 14: The Birthday Party Part 2

Leo's POV

For some reason Athena closed her eyes as I leaned into her. That's when I realized I shouldn't be doing this. She only sees me as an older brother figure. Sighing, I got off the bed and backed away. I like her, but I'm not ready for her to find out just yet. If she ever finds out, I want it to be at a point in her life where she sees me as more than a brother. When she sees me as a possible boyfriend.

Now, is not that time. I'm not sure there ever will be a time, but I'm crossing my fingers. Athena opened her eyes and sat up. She looked a little dazed and confused. "Thank you for carrying me home. You didn't have to do that," she whispered. Her hair fell around her face as she looked down at her ankle. Once again, I was struck by how beautiful she is. How has some other guy not snatched her up yet?

She is the perfect girl with her wavy brown hair, emerald green eyes, and her not too curvy body. Every guy should want her. Although, the though of my AJ having a boyfriend who isn't me is enough to make my blood boil. Hopefully, I will be her only boyfriend in the future.

"No problem. Just remember to keep it elevated, ice it constantly, and only walk to the bathroom and no where else. You don't want it to get worse. If it isn't better by Monday morning, I'm going to take you to the doctor. Okay AJ?" Athena looked a little surprised by my sudden interest in taking care of her but she didn't comment on it.

I told her that I was going to go get her an ice pack and help her get settled in before I left. She nodded her head as she scooted back on her bed. As I was walking into the kitchen, I was looking at all the family portraits and I noticed that Athena's mother and brother weren't in any of them. That's odd.

Before I left they had countless pictures of their entire family hanging up. Some of the were painted by her father. Her father was an amazing artist and her mother would use any chance she got to show it off. It's weird that they weren't in any. There's one photo that has her entire family plus my family. It was taken at some picnic thing the elementary held when we were in kindergarten.

I can ask her about it when I get back. A minute later, I was back in her room with a bag of frozen peas in my hand. In the time I was gone Athena had propped herself up using pillows and had plugged her phone in on the charger next to her bed.

"Here you go," I said as I handed her the bag of peas. "Thanks," she mumbled. "I have a question for you. Why is there no pictures of your mother or brother hanging up. Before I left for France you guys had tons. What happened?" I asked. Her head snapped up at me and she looked scared for a moment. Then, she put on a mask that concealed whatever emotions that just passed through her face.

I could see the wheels turning in her brain. Why doesn't she remember? Typically when you are missing pictures of half your family you would know why. You think she would know the exact reason there weren't any up, but I guess that's not the case.

"Our mother left us 2 years after you left for certain reasons and she took all the pictures of my brother with her. My father took all the pictures of her down because they were too painful for him to look at everyday."

My eyes widened in shock. To say I was surprised was an understatement. A mother leaving her family? That's wrong in every single way. Poor Athena. Via never told me that Athena's mother left her. Why would she do something like that? Leaving your family is just wrong. I know how painful it is to lose your mother and even though her mother is dead, I get the vibe that Athena isn't ready to forgive her mother anytime soon. I didn't say anything for awhile I just kind of stood there awkwardly.

Having your mother abandon you is just as painful as your mother dying. Most of the time when they die they don't have a choice but when they abandon you they always have a choice. They could've stayed with you and raised you but they chose not to. My mother didn't chose to leave us. She had to.