9. Leo
CHAPTER 9
Leo
Two Years Later
I inhale my first breath of freedom.
Walking through the door from the prison to the parking lot is surreal.
I have been waiting for this day for three years: 36 months of waiting to get my life back, 1,095 days of missing my family, 26,280 hours of behaving, 1,576,800 minutes of replaying the worst decision I ever made, and a whopping 94,608,000 seconds of plotting how to get my revenge on Veronica.
But revenge is the last thing on my mind right now.
I peek over my shoulder, seeing the guard hasn’t followed me. He remains at the door, watching my movements, but he doesn’t need to escort me to my father. Knowing I’m not being followed, I feel lighter—a spark of relief, a calming sense of hope.
The May heat feels especially warm today, with the bright sun on full display in the sky, but I couldn’t care less how hot it is. It could be below freezing, and I’d be happy to step into the chaotic snowstorm.
I’m free.
It could have been five years sitting behind bars, but thankfully, taking notes from Walter's silence paid off. I didn’t get into any fights, kept to myself, and always did what I was told, so I was released on good behavior. When I wasn’t being a goody two-shoes, I was planning ways to get revenge on Veronica.
When I was brought to prison, the only personal items I had were my phone and wallet. That is all I left with—that and a journal I bought from the commissary.
Since I was taken straight from the hospital to prison, I had arrived in the hospital clothes they provided me. There was no way I could have put the clothes I arrived wearing back on. Not with them having blood all over them.
Thankfully, the woman at the release station was kind enough to give me clean clothes, so I didn’t have to leave here in my jumpsuit.
A decent pair of jeans with a navy blue crewneck sweater. Seems like I can’t escape that damn color just yet, but the fact that I am still wearing the same jumpsuit color doesn’t get my mood down as I walk happily into the parking lot.
With the sun shining brightly, I lift my hand over my eyes to shield the light as I look for my father’s car. He is leaning against the hood, arms crossed over his chest. A slight smile plays on his lips as I approach him.
He pushes off the car and paces towards me, throwing his arms around me when we crash into each other. We hug each other tight, not wanting to let this moment slip away.
“It’s good to see you like this, Leo,” he says.
“It’s good to be out.” Tears form in my eyes while I stare at my father’s face. Hearing his voice clear as day.
Face to face. No window between us. No muffled sounds through a dingy phone.
“I meant happy. But seeing you out of that place is great, too,” he says as he unwraps his arms from me. Stepping back and grabbing my shoulders, he looks me over before asking, “Tell me, what is the thing you missed the most?”
“All of you—you, Chloe, Myles, Carter—I missed every single one of you…” I say as he lets go and turns around, ushering me towards the car. “And maybe tacos from that Mexican place we love,” I joke, earning me a chuckle.
“Let’s get you out of here. Some more people are excited to see you.”
We pull up to my parents' house. Chloe’s car is sitting in the driveway, making me immediately happy that she is there. After a year of being locked up, she finally agreed to visit me. At first, it was only once a month, but after three months, she came more often. My dad, however, visited me weekly.
Dad walks through the front door first, kicking his shoes off to the side before I step into the house for the first time in three years. A wave of mixed emotions hits me once I step through the threshold—sadness, anger, grief.
There are murmurs from the kitchen, and the television is on in the living room. I stand still in the entryway. The last time I was in this house, my mother died right beside me.
For the past three years, I’ve tried pushing it from my mind because I couldn’t bear the reminder that she was gone. I also couldn’t deal with how disappointed in me she must be. There were nights when I couldn’t sleep, and I allowed myself to cry silently at the thought of the loss of her.
Now, though, standing in my childhood home, where I grew up, loved my family, and watched my mom wither away to nothing, the guilt hits me hard.
I know I shouldn’t have shoved my mother out of my mind the way that I did. I should have sat there in prison in sadness as I served my punishment.
The laughter from the kitchen pulls me from my thoughts, and I realize Dad is already halfway down the hall. I take off my shoes, tucking the small journal into my back pocket before heading towards the kitchen.
When I turn into the doorway, the laughter stops. Chloe rushes me and practically jumps into my arms. I lose my balance and stumble backward, but I catch myself on the wall so we don’t fall.
“I’m so happy you are home!” Her arms wrap around my neck, squeezing hard enough to make me lose my breath.
“Me too.” I hug her tighter before finally letting go.
Myles makes his way over with a huge grin. “Man, I’ve missed you!”
I laugh as we clash together for a hug. “You literally saw me last week.”
“Doesn’t mean I can’t miss you!” Myles visited me once every two weeks immediately after that first visit with my dad. He would come to see me, and we would bullshit like nothing was different between us.
“I’ve missed you, too.” I smile at him once we separate. Glancing at the island, I see an array of tacos waiting for me.
Smirking, I glance up at my father, who is grinning ear to ear. “So strange.” He laughs. “It’s like I know my own son.”
“Thanks, Dad.” I take a taco from the plate, not hesitating to bite into it. My eyes shut at the flavors I’ve been missing for the past couple of years.
Stale bread and unseasoned food had been my diet. Eating this taco… it’s as if I’m being reintroduced to food again. As I grab another one, I look at my sister watching me.
Chloe hasn’t taken her eyes off of me since I stepped into the room. Her smile is full and warm as she watches Myles and me. Tears brim her eyes, the light brown glistening under the kitchen light.
“Chlo, don’t cry.” I tilt my head to the side with a frown.
She lifts her hands, the tips of her fingers brushing away the few tears that escaped. I don’t miss how the engagement ring on her finger sparkles when the light on the ceiling hits it just right.
“They are happy tears, I promise.”
“Good. No more being sad for me. I’m out, and I’m never going back there.” I chuckle. Chloe nods, placing a hand on her stomach. My eyes drop to the spot where it is resting. “Now, is there anything else I missed since last I saw you guys?”
Chloe and Myles share a glance, which is followed by a nod. My father, who has remained quiet this entire time, smiles genuinely. Myles walks over to my sister and wraps an arm around her waist.
Once more, they glance at each other, and then Chloe turns to me and announces, “We’re pregnant!”
My eyes widen, my jaw drops, and I think I might start crying tears of joy as I rush over to them. “What? That is amazing, you guys!”
I hug them both simultaneously when I hear Chloe say, “We were going to wait until after the wedding to start trying, but it just happened.”
“My swimmers are strong and couldn’t help themselves,” Myles jokes as we part.
I shake my head with a laugh. “That’s good to know, man. You guys know you didn’t have to wait for me to come home to get married.”
One day, when Chloe visited me, she was wearing her ring, which she attempted to hide. She didn’t mention having it on until I asked her about it. She was worried that I wouldn’t be happy for them, seeing as she is my sister and he is my best friend.
My mother was right, though. It doesn’t matter what my relationship with them is; they are perfect for each other.
“Uh, yes, we did! How am I supposed to get married without my best friend standing by my side?” Myles looks offended that I even suggested they have the wedding without me. “Plus, you need to be there for Chloe.”
“There was no question about it, Leo. We were waiting for you,” Chloe chimes in. “But now, I must alter my dress because the wedding is in four months. I’ll be showing by then, and my dress will not fit.”
“Have you told Carter yet?” I ask.
“Yeah, he is thrilled to be a big brother!” Chloe beams. “He should be home from school soon. He is really excited to see you.”
I was worried about how Carter would take me being sent away. Chloe informed me that she told Carter I was so sad about Grandma going to Heaven that I needed some time away to become happy again. He was six then, meaning he thought it was the truth and didn’t question it.
But he is nine now. Does he still believe what his mother told him? If he knows the truth, will he still love me the same way he did three years ago?
Chloe never brought him to visit me, given the reason she told him I was gone. But I would write him letters throughout the years, which Chloe said he loved. I was still present in his life, just not physically.
Like clockwork, the front door swings open and slams shut. From where we are standing, we can hear the rustling of a backpack being peeled off his shoulders and tossed to the floor. Feet stomp down the hall, and we hear his voice.
“Mom! I got an A on my math test!” Carter barges into the kitchen, his eyes immediately finding Chloe’s.
“That is amazing, sweetie!” She outstretches her arms for a hug. “Looks like Myles struggling at the table with you paid off.”
Myles rolls his eyes, but I laugh. “A man who works with numbers for a living couldn’t figure out third-grade math?”
“Not with how they teach shit these days! It’s not the same as when we were kids.”
“You sound like a grumpy old man,” I tease, which earns me a smug expression paired with a middle finger.
Carter’s eyes fly open to find me standing behind him and Chloe. He shoves away from his mother and rushes for me. “Uncle Leo!”
My heart warms at his excitement. I bend down just in time for him to crash into me. His little arms wrapping around my neck and all those doubts about him not loving me as much as he did leave my body.
“Hey, bud! I missed you!”
“I missed you, too!” he says in my ear. “You were gone for so long. Does this mean you are happy again?”
My eyes fill with tears as I hold my nephew, looking at my sister, my best friend, and my father, who are watching the interaction.
“Yeah. I am happy again.”