Falling on the Court

Chapter One Point Five

[Three Years Ago]
Thirteen Years Old

Levi has only had his newly adopted gray Siberian cat for a day, but he was already in love.

He was cooing as he cradled the still nameless cat and hauled him down the stairs, trying to find his parents.

"Mom," He walked towards her as she slowly moved away from him. Levi's mom had always been terrified of cats, but agreed to get one so she could combat her fears.

Or maybe Levi and his dad were begging her to get one and she finally gave in.

"Can I go to Soren's house? I want him to meet our cat." Levi asked. Soren lived just down the street, and he could get to his house in under ten minutes.

"No, you can't," His mom shook her head. "Their family is going through a bit of a rough patch right now, but I'm sure you'll be able to let them meet him in a few days, okay?"

"Oh, okay." Levi frowned. "They're okay though, right?"

"Of course they're okay, Lee," His mom ruffled Levi's hair. "And give that cat a name soon, got it? No one wants to be referring to him as 'cat' for any longer."

"'Kay," Levi easily agreed, lifting the cat back into his arms. "Can you tell me when I can go over, then?"

His mom hummed but did not respond. Levi brought the cat back into his room, watching it fondly.

And so, he waited for his mom to tell him that he could see Soren again.

Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, but still no Soren.

It wasn't until it had nearly been half a year that his mom finally told him what had happened.

"Soren and his family moved away."

"...what?" Levi stared at her in disbelief. "You're lying, aren't you? Soren wouldn't just... leave without telling me. He even has a phone! If he couldn't tell me in-person, he could've at least told me over text!"

"I'm sorry, Levi," His mom's face was apologetic. "But I didn't know until yesterday either. I asked every month and they always said they weren't ready. Who am I to push them about personal issues?"

"But-" Levi was about to cry, he could feel it. "But he's my best friend and he never even told me that he was moving!"

"Lee." His mom tried to say, but Levi continued with his ugly cry-rant.

"We did everything together! We played volleyball together, we climbed trees together, we even begged dad to let us go hunting with him!"

"Levi," His mom tried again.

"He was my best friend, mom!" Levi knew he was starting to get repetitive, but at the point where he was at, there was no going back. "He never even told me that anything was wrong and now he's just.." A sob. "..gone."

"Levi, it's okay." His mom hugged him, petting his hair as Levi continued to cry. "Things happen, alright? You can always make new friends, it's not the end of the world."

"But he was my best friend." Levi mumbled. He felt like he was four years old again, throwing a tantrum over something stupid like being denied a lollipop.

"I know, I know," Levi's mom drew away from him and smiled. "But there are millions of other fish in the sea, okay? You'll find someone else, and they might be a better friend than Soren. You'll be fine."

She patted Levi's shoulder before exiting the room, leaving Levi to cry by himself.