Theo wasn't surprised to find that Liam wasn't where he told him to meet him. Still, he waited a few minutes before leaving for home.
When he walked throught the front door, he headed straight for the stairs, used to the fact that at that hour no one was ever home, since his father worked until evening. So when someone called his name, he jumped, stopping in the middle of the stairs. He turned to meet Jenna. The woman smiled at him from the living room threshold. "Hi, Theo dear ... Is Liam not with you?" She asked looking around. So Liam hadn't come home yet. Theo felt a touch of guilt looking at her. "I ... I didn't see him, he's probably ... with Mason" Or Hayden.
"Well then I'll call him soon. Do you want to have a snack? I made a cake" she said cheerfully, her eyes hopeful.
"A cake?" Theo asked, as if he had never heard such a thing.
"Yeah, you don't like sweets, maybe?"
"Uh-no, yes- I like them." Theo went down the stairs again, following her into the living room. He sat at the table, waiting, until Jenna returned with a slice of cake and two coffees. He placed them in front of him, holding a cup for herself.
"How was school?"
"Well, I guess- as usual" he replied, teasing the cake with his spoon, giving a shrug.
Jenna seemed to hesitate for a moment before leaning forward on the table. "Listen, may I ask you ... a favor?"
Theo looked at her with his eyebrows raised in a questioning look. "What kind of favor?" He asked hesitantly.
"It's about Liam. I - I'm a little worried about him. He never told me, but I think he was often picked on at school, or something like that... he's so private, he never talks about himself, and he's so kind" Jenna smiled at the last adjective "It is probably easy for him to become a target." Theo felt again a wave of guilt sweep over him as he looked away from the woman. "There was ... an accident at his last school, and I don't want it to happen again."
"What kind of accident?" Theo asked uncertainly.
"I think it's up to Liam to tell you" Jenna said ruefully. "But I would like you to keep an eye on him, uhm -give him a hand"
"I ..." Theo swallowed "I don't think I'm the right person for this" He then met Jenna's worried look "But I'll try" he surrendered with a shrug.
Jenna smiled at him "Thanks, Theo" She finished her coffee and then struggled to her feet. "Well, I'll go back to unpacking. Finish the cake, please" And walked away with a gentle smile.
Once he had eaten, Theo walked towards his room. He turned to Liam's room where he could hear Jenna's movements opening the various boxes. He paused, then sighed, throwing the backpack on the ground at the top of the stairs and opening slowly the door, stopping at the threshold. Jenna turned around. "Do you need any help?"
"Oh darling - you don't have to, if you don't want to, probably you have to study-"
"Actually, no - I have nothing to do" Theo said reaching for her and taking the cutter from the ground to open a new box.
"Uh thanks then" she smiled back at work.
Theo focused on his work to distract himself, taking out various ornaments and various frames. He stopped to look at one that showed a little Liam, probably he was just 7 years old, hugging a man. Both laughed happily. Theo guessed it must be his dad. He put the frame on the ground with the others, and went back to rummaging in the box, taking out some books. He looked at them one by one, laying them down on the ground each time, until he stopped, recognizing one.
It was not a book. It was a comics. It was wrinkled and muddy. It was impossible not to recognize it. Theo looked at it speechless.
He heard Jenna approach. "Oh be careful with that" she
laughed fondly. "Liam cares so much. It was a gift from his father"
Theo lost a beat "He dropped it in a puddle by playing, it was the only
time I saw him really cry" she concluded with a sad smile.
Theo looked back at the comic book in his hands, suddenly feeling dizzy.
*
When Liam came home that night, he found his mum busy in the kitchen. He greeted her quickly before rushing to the room. Apparently Theo had not yet returned. It was almost a relief. He put his backpack on the ground, and thought of taking a shower in the meantime. He noticed that his mother had piled some of his clothes in a corner. He picked up a shirt and pants before jumping into the bathroom.
When he returned, his hair still wet, and his new clothes on, he found Theo sitting at the desk in front of a laptop. The boy looked up to look at him, but Liam ignored him, pointing to the bed.
Ignoring him was probably the best thing. I stopped caring about what Theo says years ago
Hayden was right. The only thing he could do was not giving him importance.
He heard Theo get up and move closer, and this made him reluctantly look up. Theo said nothing, but handed him a red plastic bag. Liam looked at it suspiciously without taking it. "What is that?"
Theo ran a hand over his hair, breathing out "Listen, I'm sorry for what happened before" he said reluctantly.
"Excuse me?" Liam asked, bewildered.
"You heard me, you idiot." Liam raised an eyebrow. Theo breathed out again angrily. "I'm sorry for what I said, and I'm sorry for last night. Your mum is a good person, and my dad is happy ... like he hasn't been for years. I want it to work too. So just accept this, Dunbar."
"What is that?" Liam repeated more calmly, standing up and holding out his hand.
"A peace offering"
Liam looked at him doubtfully, before slipping a hand into the bag. What he pulled out made him miss a beat. It was the same copy of the comic that his father had given him years before, the same one Theo had ruined. Liam watched it with wide eyes.
"Is this your solution?" Liam asked faintly.
Theo shrugged. "I can't go back in time, but I can fix what can be fixed"
"Fix?" Liam hissed "Do you think this is something you can fix ? Do you think this is enough-?"
"It's just a comic, Dunbar-"
"No it's not !" Liam shouted, feeling really angry for the first time. "It never was, nothing never was! You just don't understand- it's not something you can simply replace, it's not enough to apologize!" Theo winced, taking a half step back. Liam seemed to have lost control "When you crushed my stupid glasses under your feet, you crushed whatever confidence I could have in myself! When you read my stupid letter in front of everyone, you actually made fun of my feelings! When you threw this stupid comics into the mud, it's like you've thrown a piece of my dad out of the window! And when you kept calling me Dumbar , it was like I was repeatedly remembered that I was too stupid to do anything! So, you think this is something you can fix?!" Liam took a breath, his vision who blurred "The answer is no, nothing, nothing ... of what you'll do or say ... will give me back all that!"
And under Theo's shocked eyes, Liam turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him.
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