“I don’t like you fighting.” Karen was worried for her son.
He’d been distant and sullen lately, and seemed to be getting involved with the police almost every other day.
He’d been a sweet, quiet boy before but there was a sense of distance lately she just couldn’t understand.
“I don’t think I actually got to do any fighting.” She looked over, wincing at the red mark covering more than half of his face.
He was just looking straight ahead at the road, seemingly thinking about something.
She missed the days when he would tell her what that was.
“Principal Nettle said you were fighting in the cafeteria.” “And Officer Johnson said it was a clear case of assault after he pulled up the security footage.” He was even talking back more lately!
She knew the teenage years were supposed to be rough, but she really didn’t think it was supposed to be this bad.
She’d seen the security footage too, so she couldn’t completely argue with him.
She just needed to make sure he knew she didn’t approve of what happened.
And she wouldn’t admit it out lout, but she had a hard time conveying that without sounding as though she disapproved of him, too.
“I haven’t seen Tiffany come over lately.
Are you and her still friends?” Leslie and she had known each other since they were just little kids!
The two of them used to be inseparable.
“Don’t think so.” She glanced over as they pulled into their driveway.
He was poking at the bruise on the side of his face.
“Only person to talk to me today was Tommy.” “You should call her.
Make sure she’s okay after the whole…
Dave…
Thing.” And that had been a bitter pill to swallow.
She’d trusted that man, just as Tiffany’s parent did and he’d…
He’d…
Better not to think about it.
“She doesn’t want to talk to me.” Leslie reached back, grabbing his backpack.
“And I’m not going to push it.” He was the first out of the car, stumbling slightly when he fully stood up but pushing on with a minor limp.
She was right behind him a moment later.
Close enough to hear him exhale heavily in frustration when he tried the door and found it locked.
She’d never given him his own key.
“Well I still think you should call her.
After everything, this can’t be easy for her.
Maybe she’s just waiting for you to talk to her first?” She unlocked the door and stepped in.
Too dark.
Too cold.
Too quiet.
Days like these, she missed her husband more and more.
Especially with Leslie growing up and seeming more and more like him every day.
He’d been another victim of that damned clown.
Another smiling face among countless others.
“Then she can wait.” She winced at how cold he sounded, saying that.
“If she needs an emotional support pet, I know a lot of very friendly cats.
Otherwise my ribs are busted and I’m not up to listening to people complain about what they won’t fix.” He brought his hand up next to his ear and snapped his fingers as he passed by her.
She felt something strange in the air, almost warm and comforting before it was gone in an instant.
Karen stared as he closed his bedroom door behind him.
Something was very wrong with her son.
He’d never said a bad word about that girl in the past.
She hoped he’d come around, maybe she just needed to give him some time.
—– He breathed out heavily once he was back in Leslie’s room.
Five in.
Five out.
Stop.
Pause.
Think.
Do.
He needed to stop -Reacting- and calm down.
He was stressed, and he was getting pissy and short tempered.
That was fantastic when he wanted to ruin things and hammer is way into the heart of the matter, but it was distinctly unhelpful in literally every other situation.
He breathed in again and then sighed explosively as he sat down on the bed.
Everything draining out of him and leaving a hollow, empty feeling in his chest.
Pause.
Put what he’s doing, what he’s thinking on hold for a moment.
He pushed down the subject of Leslie’s stoner friends.
Former friends.
Whatever.
Shoved aside the discomfort of being in someone elses life.
The kid may have agreed to the Fae deal that had him stuck here, but that was an entirely seperate issue.
For a brief moment he pondered about Terra and the incomprehensible things watching from the dark.
Were they amused?
Bored?
Flipping to a different gamer channel?
Inconsequential.
Worrying about what he couldn’t effect would just pile on even more stress.
Alright.
Okay.
He was good now.
He was in control now.
He needed to think.
He needed to either integrate himself into Leslie’s life, or he needed to get out.
Getting out was looking more and more tempting.
He needed a plan for that.
He had healing magic.
He had a plan for that.
He just needed a safe way to market that.
Either it or transmutation would see his financial issues resolved.
Hiding away to practice was looking less and less viable, too.
He’d already had plot literally drop in on him.
He didn’t want to throw his lot in with the heroes, not directly.
They put in a lot of work to keep the world turning, sure, but it wasn’t getting any better.
It might’ve had something to do with the fact that most of the heroes worked off of physical superiority and most of the individuals who had brains were also infected with stupid-evil.
No, no, he had to stop that.
Social commentary could wait.
He needed to figure himself out first.
He just, he needed more time.
–Quest Alert!– –Your party member: Kay-Tee the cat has been captured!– –Save her or let her suffer a violent death!– –Time Limit: 12:00:00– –Reward: 4000 GP!– No, that was the opposite of what he needed!
“Son of a bitch!”