Today. Today is the anniversary of Levi’s death. August 21st. Elijah stood there, in the cold, wet, green grass. In front of his deceased friend’s grave. Staring vacantly at his design with his dull chocolate-brown eyes. The only sole writing on the stone was Levi Hall. There is no here lies Levi Hall, a brilliant son. Not even a Levi Hall, a beloved brother, and son. Not a single loving memory of Levi Hall. Just Levi Hall. No big wording, fancy fonts, bolding, or italicized words. The only thing written is Levi Hall. Marking the spot, where the depressed teenager who killed himself, exactly one year ago now lies.
“Well, it has been a year.” Elijah started saying, “You know the last time I cried, was the day you died. ” He let out a slight chuckle. “I got into fighting. Well not necessarily into fighting it’s just…” Elijah trailed off. “They still say things about you. Even after, you’re six feet under. Talking about how you’re a coward for taking the easy way out. Some even snickered and said something like, he’s finally gone. The world is tremendously magnificent without him. And so on. Honestly, if your note didn’t say to live on. I would be next to you, six feet under.”
“Who are you?” Elijah instantly turned around his fists up in the air. “Woah. Calm down, tiger. You shouldn’t be fighting when your knuckles are purple.” A girl about his age stated. Eyes. Midnight Blue. Eyebrows. Don’t exist. Skin tone. Tawny. Skin. Smooth looking. Face Structure. Oval. Nose. Thin. Lips. Cracked. Hair. Long, glossy, looks like it’s naturally curly. Hair color. Brunette. Body type. Tall and lanky. Elijah thought to himself, making a mental note of what the girl in front of him looked like if she said something grim about his childhood friend.
“But seriously. Are your knuckles completely bruised from fighting? I automatically assumed because-” she attempted to say before getting cut off by an enraged Elijah.
“It’s none of your business.” He said. “Rude much?” She asked. “You think you would be a bit more decent.”
“Shut up. I’m not alive to entertain you. So buzz off.” He abruptly interrupted her once again. “No wonder you were friends with him.” With that being said, Elijah clenched his fists together, provoking pain to course through his body. “Excuse me. I don’t think I heard you correctly. What did you say?” Elijah said through clenched teeth. “I said. No wonder why-” SMACK! “Ow!” The girl shouted after Elijah struck her, being unable to hold back his rage any
longer. “Don’t. Ever. Talked. About Levi again.” The girl smirked, letting out a breathy laugh.“Levi huh? Let’s get something straight here. You. He never cared about you. You’re the reason he’s dead. You’re why-”
“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Elijah repeated, taking a deep breath. “He did not kill himself because of me!” Elijah declared.
“Yes, he did.” Remarked the girl. “ He had a friend named Elijah who he despised. I’m guessing that is you-”
“Shut up!” SMACK! Once again, the girl’s face was smack. “Ow!” The girl yelled once again. “Stop. Talking. About. Him.” The livid man said, with an icy-cold look in his eyes. With that, he ran off. Once he grasped the fact, he was out of sight, the waterworks started.
“I’m not why you died. Right? I’m not the reason you splint your wrists. Right? It is not my fault. Right?” Down and down the burning tears came. Faster and faster. No matter how hard Elijah tried, he couldn’t stop them. The tears. They were like a waterfall. Eventually, he sat down, up against some random gravestone. He hugged his sore knees and cried. He quit trying to stop the tears. His wounded heart hurt more than normal. All Elijah merely desired was to see the only person who had ever been there with him. The only person who cherished him. His coarse hands gripped tighter around his knees.
An hour later, the girl found Elijah and nudged him with her foot. “Hello?” She asked as she nudged a sleeping Elijah with her foot. About twenty minutes ago he passed out, drained from all the sobbing. His hair was unkempt, and his pale face was coated in dry tears. His eyes were still swollen from all the crying. The small, fragile body curled up into a ball, trying to keep warm as it was brisk outside. Looking at him like this, you wouldn’t be capable of even telling him he was constantly fighting. “Hey. Wake up.” The brunette tenderly disclosed feeling sorry for Elijah. Also, he fell asleep right in front of a gravestone. “Come on. It’s cold out here. I bet your parents are concerned about you.” Elijah didn’t budge an inch. He was exhausted. His ‘parent’ as the exquisite brunette called them, had him on his hands and knees scrubbing all the floors and the house all night long. His knees are injured, just like his knuckles. It doesn’t help when they deliberately spill things on the floor.
“Come on. It's chilly outside. You’re going to get sick.” The girl said once again, regretting the fact she listened to the rumors about Elijah. The rumors like how Elijah remains nothing but a brutal killing machine, he’s the reason Levi killed himself, he’s supplying drugs to the people on the side of the street. Elijah has been to Juvenile Justice Corrections Services on numerous occasions. On top of that, he used to physically and mentally abuse his previous girlfriend, Harper Lee. Elijah executed her dog after she had left him. He would rob stores at gunpoint. These were all just rumors of course.
Looking at him now. Looking at the dry tears plastered on his pale face, his tangled hair, the peaceful look on his face, the way he’s curled up. She realized he wasn’t some, brutal, vicious, drug seller, or dog killer. He’s just a melancholy boy who lost his friend. “Wake up. I’m sorry. I gave in to the rumors.”
“Mm. What about rumors?” Elijah sluggish asked with his deep, raspy, drowsy voice. Elijah’s exhausted voice made the girl let out a brief laugh. “My name is Everlee. Everlee Martin.” Everlee answered with an immense smile on her face. “I shouldn’t have listened to the rumors. I’m sorry. So let us start over.”
“First what is your relationship with Levi Hall?”
“He’s my twin brother. You see our mom was having an affair when she got pregnant with us. However, we are twins but we have different dads. Now my father who my mom is actually married to didn’t want Levi because he wasn’t his son. They agreed to abandon him on the street. I didn’t know who he was until about 6 months ago. It took me about three months to find out he had killed himself. I moved here, to find out where he lived, to ask around. Who was he? I want to know. I had lost my brother before I even knew who he was. I obtained pictures of him as a baby online. After Levi was abandoned. He’s my twin brother. I found his birth certificate. The mysterious thing is, we don’t look anything alike. I mean at all. It’s unusual, no doubt about it.
“Oh. Well, I’m sorry Everlee Martin. I shouldn’t have gotten so harsh with you. My name is Elijah.” He said faking a smile, remembering how he and Levi met kind of like this. Elijah gradually started to sit up in his spot. “Wait, you already know that. Well, my last name is White.” Elijah said awkwardly, remembering that Levi and he first met kind of like this.
They were loud, yelling, shouting, their lungs out. In the middle of the hallway. A tall male with a burly body, azure blue eyes, jet-black hair, blue jeans, a red t-shirt, and red shoes. And a medium height male, who was shorter than the other male. He had a skinny body, too skinny, dull chocolate-brown eyes, medium ash brown hair, an ancient pair of blue jeans, a ripped, old, black t-shirt, and decrepit dollar store shoes.
“Shut up!” Elijah, the smaller male hollered. “Excuse me! At least I’m not some dog murder! Who murders a dog!” The taller, more muscular male yelled. “At least I’m not someone who believes everything they hear! I never killed a dog!” Back and forth they continued to yell. At least, no one knew what they were bickering about. What nobody knew, however, was that Levi and Elijah were going to wind up being inseparable.
“Yeah.” She said. Pulling him out of his flashback, of the first time he ever had an encounter with Levi.
Then came the silence. Not comfortable either, more of a gauche type of silence. Neither of them wanted to break it either. “I have to go. I have to work soon.” Everlee spoke up first, breaking the silence. To which Elijah merely nodded and stood up with Everlee. “Um. Okay, well, bye then.” As Everlee walked off towards the exit, Elijah walked the opposite way. Towards Levi’s grave.
Later that day, when Elijah returned home, later than his curfew. “Where were you!” Elijah’s mother hollered at him over the roaring music. “I was out ma’am. I’m sorry I returned late, it won’t happen again.” After saying this he got down on both of his knees, just like always.
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