Remember to Forget, Revised and Expanded by Ashley Royer Read Free Book Online Page A

actually only a few seconds—I collapse to the
ground. My legs are too weak and shaky to hold me up. I hug in my knees to my chest
and rock back and forth. I take slow, deep breaths to try to calm down.
    My dad sits beside me, even though I don’t want him here. I push him away, but he
stays. He grabs my wrists, and I try to wriggle out of his grip, but he’s too strong.
I kick my legs to get him to let go, but he doesn’t.
    â€œLevi! Listen to me! Relax!” he screams.
    My head is pounding, and I can hear my heart beating like a drum. It’s like my heart
has moved to my brain. I want to scream and yell, but I don’t.
    â€œLevi, please!”
    And for some reason, I obey. I look up at him, while trying to get out of his grip.
He’s still holding tightly to me.
    â€œI don’t know what just happened to you. I’m not like your mum, I don’t know how
to handle this stuff,” he says nervously. “I know this is hard for both of us. I
get that you don’t want to be here. I understand. But I’m trying. I’m trying so hard.”
    A tear falls from his eye and rolls down his cheek. I can’t believe that he’s crying.
    â€œI know I haven’t been the best dad. And I’m sorry. I’m sorry if you hate me, I’m
sorry if you don’t want to be here. But this is the situation we’re in. And if you
want it to get better, you have to at least try. We can figure this all out together.
Because this is all new to me too. And I just want you to know that you’re not alone
in this. Please, Levi. Just try. Please.”
    I breathe heavily, my chest rising and falling. My heart is finally going back to
a regular beat. I’m a little more relaxed and not as angry as I was. Though I’m still
shaking all over, and my teeth are clenched tightly.
    A few minutes ago, my dad thought this was all a game. He seemed like he didn’t care.
And now, he says this. I don’t know what to believe. My head is pounding, and I can
barely focus.
    For some reason, I reach for my phone and begin a reply to my dad. My fingers shake
over the keyboard as I type. I pass the phone over to him, and he reads it.
    I’ll try.
    He looks up and smiles at me. A genuine smile. Not the cheesy “I’m proud you got
that goal, son” or the “I’m really not happy with your choice, but it’s your life”
smile. It’s a real smile.
    I get up from the ground and feel a little bit dizzy from the sudden motion. I blink
a few times to get rid of the pain behind my eyes.
    â€œAre you all right now?” my dad asks.
    I nod, and he pats my arm awkwardly.
    â€œOkay, well, if you need anything, I’ll be in my room. We can go out another time,”
he says.
    I don’t know why I told him I’d try.
    I don’t know what I’ve gotten myself into.
    All I know is that I’m stuck here for who knows how long, so I might as well try
to make it work with my dad.

Chapter Seven
    DELILAH
    I haven’t seen Levi since what happened at the park. Considering I live only a few
houses down, I thought I’d see him daily. It’s perfectly fine that I haven’t run
across him, though. He was extremely unpleasant, and I’m not sure I want to deal
with his harsh attitude again.
    But I haven’t stopped thinking about him.
    I want to know why he doesn’t speak and why he seems so angry at the whole world.
Something must have happened to make him this way.
    So when I’m at work and see his folder lying open on the front desk, I debate whether
or not to take a quick look inside. I glance at the paper on top, but look away after
a second. I know I shouldn’t do this. I could lose my job. I can’t peek into Levi’s
personal information. But I want to so badly.
    I look again, a little longer this time. I quickly read the heading.
    Levi Elliot Harrison. 17 years old. Date of birth: July 25.
    He’s my age?