Remember to Forget, Revised and Expanded by Ashley Royer Page A

don’t have to go through this alone.”
    He takes in a quick breath and collapses onto me, his head resting on my shoulder.
It takes me by surprise, and I slowly wrap my arms around him. He cries into my shoulder
for a while, his tears soaking my shirt. I don’t say anything, I let him cry.
    I didn’t expect this from Levi. He seemed unbreakable to me. But in reality, he’s
hurting every single day. Today it was all too much for him, and he broke down. It
seems that every time I’m with Levi, I see a different side of him. He’s a giant
mystery waiting to be uncovered.
    I wonder how long it’s been since he’s actually cried. I think he tries to hold it
all in and not think about his sadness. He tries so hard to be strong and tough,
but he’s just like everyone else. In fact, he feels emotions even more than others.
    Suddenly, my phone rings. Levi picks his head up and wipes his eyes. I take my phone
out of my pocket, and see it’s Aiden.
    â€œAnything?” Aiden says the second I pick up.
    I look over at Levi, who is sniffing. I reach for a tissue and hand it to him. “Yeah.
I found him.”
    Levi looks over at me. He looks so young and fragile, like he could crumble with
the slightest touch.
    â€œYou did?!” Aiden asks. “Where is he?”
    â€œHe’s at the park. Just give him some space, okay? He’s all right. I’ll bring him
home, and we’ll meet you guys there.”
    â€œOkay. I’ve gotta let Anthony know! Bye, Delilah!”
    Aiden hangs up, and I look over at Levi.
    â€œThat was Aiden. Do you want to head home now?”
    Levi shakes his head. He’s looking at the cut on his leg, trying to wipe off the
dirt.
    â€œDoes it hurt?” I ask him.
    He shakes his head.
    â€œDoes anything hurt?” I’m not sure if he hurt himself anywhere else when he fell.
    He nods and points to his chest.
    â€œYour chest hurts?”
    He shakes his head. He hesitatingly reaches for my hand and brings it up to his chest.
I can feel his heart beating.
    I realize what he’s telling me, and I nearly start crying too.
    Levi’s heart hurts.

Chapter Fourteen
    LEVI
    D elilah and I walk back to my house in silence. I feel awkward after what happened
in the park. She just saw me cry like a little baby, and the worst part is that I
cried into her shoulder. Her shoulder. Guys aren’t supposed to be the one crying
on the girl; it’s supposed to be the other way around. I’m such a loser.
    When Delilah found me, I just wanted to be invisible. I wanted Delilah to turn around
and leave, like maybe she didn’t see me. But of course she found me among the trees,
sobbing.
    Why did she have to be the one to see me cry?
    I don’t know if I’m so emotional because of the pills, or because of what’s happening
to me. I’ve been taking them every day, and I’ve just been feeling so much. It’s
like everything inside me is changing. Or I’m just hormonal. I feel like if guys
had periods, this is what it would feel like.
    I take my pack of cigarettes out of my pocket and light one almost immediately. I
bring it up to my lips and inhale slowly. Delilah glances over at me and sighs, looking
disappointed but understanding at the same time. I toss the cigarette to the ground
after awhile and squish it onto the pavement. Delilah looks down at it and continues
walking.
    I honestly thought Delilah would make things worse when she sat down beside me. I
thought she was going to yell at me or say something horrible, but she didn’t. She
actually helped me. She comforted me a lot. It was nice to know that she was there
for me. I still feel uncomfortable around her, just because she reminds me so much
of Delia. She looks exactly like her, and I’m starting to see similarities in their
personalities. It scares me.
    â€œWhat are you thinking about?” Delilah whispers. She must’ve noticed my pace