Chapter 3 - The Silent Tears
School offered no refuge for Leo during that agonizing week.
He sat in the back of his classrooms, his eyes dark with exhaustion and his mind clouded with anxiety.
His teachers noticed his sudden drop in participation, but Leo was too terrified to answer their concerned questions.
During lunch, he sat alone on the bleachers, hiding the small bruises on his arms beneath a heavy sweater.
He picked at his meager sandwich, unable to find his appetite while his stomach churned with dread.
His best friend, a perceptive boy named Sam, sat down next to him and gently nudged his shoulder.
"Hey man, you have been acting like a ghost all week," Sam said, genuine worry reflecting in his eyes.
"I am just tired from studying," Leo lied quickly, forcing a fake, unconvincing smile.
Sam frowned but did not press the issue, sensing that Leo was guarding a heavy, dark secret.
When the final bell rang, Leo felt a massive weight drop onto his chest.
Walking home felt like marching toward an inevitable execution.
As he opened the front door, the heavy stench of cigarette smoke and cheap alcohol greeted him.
Mark was sitting at the kitchen table, shuffling a deck of playing cards with an irritated expression.
"You are exactly four minutes late," Mark stated coldly, not even bothering to look up from the cards.
"The bus was delayed, Uncle Mark," Leo stuttered, dropping his heavy backpack by the doorway.
"Excuses are the language of failures," Mark replied, standing up and towering over the trembling teenager.
"Go outside and mow the entire lawn, and do not even think about coming back inside until the edges are perfectly trimmed."
The sun was scorching hot, and the humidity was thick and suffocating.
Leo pushed the heavy lawnmower across the overgrown grass, sweat pouring down his face and stinging his eyes.
His blistered hand throbbed painfully against the vibration of the machine’s handle.
He looked up at the blue sky, letting a single, silent tear mix with the sweat on his cheek.
He wondered if he truly was a burden to his mother, just as his uncle constantly claimed.
Mark's toxic words had begun to infect Leo's mind, planting dark seeds of self-doubt and worthlessness.
He finished the lawn just as the sun began to dip below the horizon, his body trembling from severe exhaustion.
When he finally stepped back inside, Mark simply pointed to a cold plate of leftover rice on the counter.
May you like
"Eat your garbage and go to sleep," Mark commanded, walking back to the television.
Leo ate the cold food in total silence, the taste of ash and sorrow lingering in his mouth.
