Expression {bxb}

Part 6

    Liam PoV

We had some sort of silent agreement that Spencer couldn't go back home tonight. I took him to my house, but by the time we got there my mom and sister were both asleep, it was almost 1am. He had decided he would sleep on the floor, which I felt might be slightly uncomfortable, but I didn't say anything and only got him several quilts and a pillow to accompany him.

    We both seemed to wake around the same time, despite not being awoken by anything in particular. I sat up, "Morning."

    After rubbing the rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he turned to face me and grunted in response. His hair was sticking up in all directions and I wanted nothing more than to run my hands through it.

    He turned to check his phone, and a frown slowly made its way onto his face. "I should probably get home."

    I frowned, "Are you sure?"

    He gave me a weak smile and nodded, "Yeah it'll be fine. He's not- he's not drunk anymore." He quieted on the last part and gazed at the floor.

    I sighed and reluctantly agreed.

    The rest of the weekend flew by without any further word from him, so I had no choice but to assume he was okay. Finally, Monday came, and I saw Spencer in first period, looking as shy and bashful as ever, and I was overcome with relief as I went to greet him.

    I didn't have any other classes with him, but during third period, the vice principle came over the announcements, "Would Spencer Ensley please come to the front office." I recognized it as his last name, and I was a little worried for a second, before telling myself it was nothing, and moving on.

    About three minutes later I got a text from Spencer and I almost fell out of my seat I moved so fast,

    'come'

    I suddenly got up and scrambled out, giving a small wave to my history professor, who didn't care I was leaving. I ran down to the office, and when I got there I almost fainted from the horrible feeling that overtook my gut.

    Spencer was crouched on the ground, letting out heart wrenching sobs, covering his face with his hands. The vice principle looked at me with overwhelming pity, and there were two guys in the corner, one I recognized as the drunk man who opened the door the other day, looking nothing more than mildly annoyed.

    Once Spencer noticed I was there, he shot up and ran into me, almost knocking me over. He grabbed fistfuls of the back of my shirt, and continued to sob, only this time into my chest.

    My hand instinctively went to rub his back, and I looked at the vice principle questioningly. She signed the word mom to me, not knowing I would understand, but I did. He had told me his mom was in the hospital, and the only conclusion I could draw from this situation was the she had passed. I was trying my hardest to ignore the two men in the corner, who held no remorse for the boy in my arms.

    "Good, then we'll just leave him to you, yeah?" the man I didn't recognized said to me, gesturing to Spencer. I gave them the angriest expression I could muster, and jerked my head at the door, indicating for them to leave. They did, and apparently the vice principle decided she would too, and she got up silently and left the room, leaving just me and Spencer.

    I stroked his hair, and we stayed like that for a long time, before eventually he seemed to run out of tears, and was left breathing raggedly against me. 

    Finally, he straightened out of his own accord, and wiped his tears away. He managed to speak in between his sniffles, "I- I'm sorry. I knew this was c- coming. She hasn't b- been healthy for m- months I just..." He was close to losing it again, so he took deep breaths until he calmed himself down, and decided it best not to speak again. I didn't have anything to say either, but I knew he didn't need me for that, he just needed me to be here.

    I guided him out to my car, and we left even though school wasn't even half way over. He didn't speak, but when we got in I asked him, "Where am I taking you?"

    He shook his head before he responded, "Doesn't matter. Y- you don't have to but could you... could you tell me about your dad?"

    The request might've sounded weird to anyone else, but I knew Spencer, and I knew he needed to know that it would be okay, and me talking about my dad would be proof of that. "He was the tallest man I'd ever met, at like six foot nine. When my sister was like three, she used to say she wanted to marry him, and every Sunday we would hold a wedding in the living room," Spencer chuckled at that, despite himself. I took it as a good sign and continued, "He was an exceptional piano player, and could play something after listening to it twice. He also was a firm believer of having desserts after every meal, and if mom had said no, he would find a way to sneak a cookie to me and my sister in our rooms later." Spencer smiled and leaned against the chair, letting his eyes close. "He was also really brave, though looking back, I'm not sure it wasn't just stupidity. He used to bring me and my sister to the pond run off where snakes would stick their heads out, and hand us rocks to throw at them. And lastly, he was deathly afraid of frogs."

    Spencer snorted and sat up to look at me, "Frogs but not snakes?"

    "Yep. He said it was because he had to mow the lawn when he was little, and would run over them, and seeing their guts spit out the other end traumatized him."

    Spencer's hand flew to his mouth, "No kidding, I would be traumatized too."

    I laughed aloud and ruffled his hair and we fell into a comfortable silence, and I knew Spencer would be okay.

***

    The funeral was that Wednesday. They had apparently prepared everything a while back, because the doctors prediction on life expectancy was pretty spot on.

    Spencer told me to meet him there, and eventually I found the lot where the tent had been set up. Spencer was lingering toward the back, looking sad, but not crying. In fact, he didn't shed a single tear the whole time, nor did he leave the spot at my side.

    It took the rest of the week for him to start speaking as much as normal, which wasn't much to begin with. His demeanor had taken on a solemn tint that didn't dissipate until the end of the week. The Friday of his concert.

~~~~
I'm sorry I had to do it to 'em - you ever write so long you start forgetting how to spell? That's me rn also sorry that pic has no correlation again - okay bye ✌🏼(his mom had cancer btw)