Lost Boy || Leonardo DiCaprio

Chapter 18: He's Never Done That Before

"Hey, happy birthday," Leo's dad positively said with a nice smile.

Leo merely pressed his lips together though, not seeming to know how to react as his mom stood awkwardly off to the side. She had her hands in front of her, staring at the floor as she seemed like she wanted to leave.

"Thanks, Dad," Leo eventually responded, getting a hug from his father.

"I thought if you weren't full from your party, I could take you out for dinner. Your girlfriend could come too."

Leo ran his fingers through his hair as he nodded slightly. "Yeah, I really care about, Alyssa. We can go out to eat."

"Great! I'll just start the car and get the heat blasting. It's so cold out there today." His dad left the house, Irmelin finally lifting her head.

"Go and have a nice dinner with your dad," she urged, but I could tell it was tough on her.

"Thanks. I'll be back soon, Mom." Leo gave her a reassuring hug, rubbing her back for a little bit.

"Maybe you should just go out with your dad by yourself. I really don't mind just going home," I spoke up.

"Alright," he simply reacted, me surprised he was that quick to respond.

I kissed his cheek before watching him leave, going to my house once they were gone. I sat up in my room all evening, listening to New Kids on the Block and thinking about Leo. I hoped everything was going to be okay. I understood his relationship with his dad was strained with how much his mom avoided him. Eventually around eight o'clock I saw that Leo had returned, saying goodbye to his father before smoking by the garage. He didn't look up at my window like he usually did though, causing me to frown. I even lifted it up and waved in his direction, but I swear he was pretending I hadn't. I broke down and called Clementine on Sunday, since he was still ignoring me.

"We don't do enough together anymore. I'm sorry I've been so stuck to Tobey. It's just the high of a new relationship. Like I can't stop kissing him. It's addictive," Clementine sighed a bit dreamily. We had decided to spend dinner at McDonald's, but it made me sad as I reminisced about the previous time with our whole group. "I love how when it's just us we always order the Big Mac meals. No question. That's just our thing."

"Yeah, me too," I absentmindedly answered, dipping my fry in a glob of ketchup in the lid of my sandwich box.

"Look, I'm sure that Leo will talk to you tomorrow. It's probably hard dealing with his dad and the divorce. Seeing his dad again probably brought it all back up. I mean, he's started a new life with his mom here."

"Yeah, that's probably it," I murmured, not feeling much better.

"At least it's sunny today. It's a perfect fall day with the clear blue sky. It's just so crisp and clear."

"It's getting dark out now," I observed.

"Oh yeah, well it's still a pretty night. You want me to stay over at your house tonight? You look like you could use company."

"Okay, that would help me to feel better. We'll probably have to stop by your place though first, right?"

"Yeah, but our houses are fairly close to each other. It's no big deal. Actually, what if you came over to my house? That would distance you even more from everything."

"Okay," I agreed. "I wouldn't mind playing your gaming system with Hazel."

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you. We finally got a third controller again, so we could all play."

"That sounds great. What character have you been picking for Mario Kart?"

"Bowser. I mean, he's like my least favorite character, but he wins a lot. He bumps everyone else out of the way easily."