Friendship's Overrated

Chapter Ten: Summer Break

Heavy content warning; mention of rape, child abuse, and suicide. Just thought I should let you know. I will not be detailing any upsetting scenes, just some talk. Thanks.

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"Lev," Todd's voice came and Levon looked up, jolting in surprise, as Todd entered his room. Levon quickly paused the show he was watching on his laptop, putting the device on his night table.

"Todd? Are you alright?" Levon frowned in concern. Todd didn't say anything, just stared at Levon looking so broken. Levon stood and Todd closed the door behind himself, dropping his bag to the floor.

Todd looked awful. He wore cargo shorts and a t-shirt. There were sweat stains, but he also was covered in goosebumps, shivering ever slightly. His hair was a mess, his eyes were red rimmed and wild. He was pale, his Adam's apple jumping in his throat.

"What happened?" Levon's voice had lowered, as soothing as he could while he slowly approached the man of his affections as though Todd were a wounded animal.

"Can I see your phone? Mine died." Todd spoke, voice hoarse. Levon quickly grabbed his phone and passed it to Todd. Todd took it and worked for a few seconds on the small screen. Then he held the device next to his face, screen facing Levon. "Do I look like this man?"

Levon squinted at the phone. The man in the picture was handsome. Strong, straight features. Styled, black hair and dark eyes, and deeply tanned and fit. He smiled in the picture like he was posing, straight white teeth. Levon recognized him immediately, having searched for more information on Todd's father when they were kids.

"There are some similarities," Levon spoke cautiously. Todd was clearly related to this man. But Todd was softer, his presence quieter than the man in the picture. Gentle, blue eyes. A scattering of freckles over his nose. Hair messy and soft smiles genuine and tinted with warmth. "But I wouldn't mistake you for each other."

"I look just fucking like him," Todd argued harshly. He tore his own phone from his pocket and chucked it on the bed. "I stared at his fucking face the whole walk here and we look like carbon fucking copies."

"You walked here?" Levon's eyes widened and Todd ignored him, glaring with so much hate at the image on the phone screen. "Todd, what the fuck? I would have come and get you? How long have you been walking?"

"Like three hours," Todd mumbled disinterestedly. "I needed out of the fucking house." He looked at Levon, a desperation in his eyes that made Levon's heart clench. "She told me I looked just like him and I don't know how I didn't fucking see it. I can't believe this."

"Your mom said you look like your father?" Levon asked wishing, not for the first time, that he could punch Todd's mother.

"She's right, Lev," Todd snapped, shoving the phone to Levon, his father's face taking up the whole screen. "We look the same."

"No, you don't," Levon argued. Todd glowered at him and Levon gently took one of Todd's hands in his own, trying to convey his honesty through his eyes. "You don't look the same. You barely look alike enough for people to think you're related."

"You're not seeing it then," Todd muttered. Levon made some coaxing noises and tugged Todd from the room, down the hall into the bathroom. He flicked on the light and placed Todd in front of the mirror. Todd dropped his eyes, refusing to look at the glass and Levon wrapped an arm around Todd's shoulders.

"Look at your face," Levon murmured and Todd grudgingly looked to the mirror, meeting Levon's stare in the reflection. "You don't look like Andrew Jameson. You don't look the same as him. You are not him. You are Todd and you look like you."