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

He seemed to be at least nineteen years old. He definitely doesn’t look,
or act, seventeen years old.
    I quickly look again, this time at the diagnosis section.
    Severe depression. Violent mood swings. Anx—
    â€œLevi, you can come in now,” someone says, which causes me to jerk my eyes up quickly.
    Is Levi here?
    I see him walk across the waiting room, his hands shoved deep into his pockets and
his head down. He’s dressed in all black like the last time I saw him, except this
time he’s not covered in sand.
    How did I not notice he was here?
    My heart rate speeds up as I realize that Levi may have seen me reading his information.
I could get into so much trouble. I didn’t read much, though. It’s not a big deal;
I’ll be fine.
    But I still want to learn more. I didn’t get to finish reading his diagnosis. What
if there are reasons for his mental health in his files? There has to be. He can’t
be a giant secret to everyone.
    â€œDelilah?” I hear Candace ask.
    Oh no. I’m caught. If she knows I was reading Levi’s files, I’m going to be fired.
What if I end up going to jail? Did I violate the law? All I did was look at his
birthday and some of his diagnosis. I’m not a criminal.
    â€œCan you come here please?” she says with the same cheery smile she always has.
    Here it comes.
    My stomach gets queasy as I walk over to Candace, and I rub my sweaty palms on my
jeans. I never should have looked in that file.
    â€œY-Yes? What do you need?” I say, trying not to sound as nervous as I feel.
    â€œLevi’s folder,” she says.
    This is it. She knows. She saw.
    I am going to die.
    Tell my parents I love them.
    â€œI seem to have misplaced it,” she says. “Would you happen to know where it is?”
    I feel my heart rate slow down, and I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
    â€œIt’s on—” I start to say. But this is my chance to find out about Levi firsthand.
“No, I haven’t seen it. Do you want me to look in your office?”
    â€œThat’d be great! Thank you! Come on in!”
    I smile at Levi when I walk past him, but he doesn’t even look my way. He stares
up at a painting on the wall, his gaze frozen on it.
    He’s the same as he was the first time I saw him. I guess I should have expected
that. I’d just thought maybe he’d be different now that we’ve talked.
    I go over to the desk in the corner and start slowly rummaging through the drawers.
I listen to what Candace is saying and look up every minute or two to see Levi’s
responses. I don’t want to make it too obvious that I’m eavesdropping. I really shouldn’t
be here.
    â€œSo, Levi, how have you been?” Candace asks him.
    He shrugs.
    â€œYour father told me about last night. Has that happened before?”
    He nods.
    What happened last night, and was it something bad? There are so many possibilities.
    â€œWant to tell me how you feel when it occurs?” she asks. Her tone is like the typical
therapist. It’s overly perky.
    He shakes his head no.
    â€œHave you ever told anyone when it happens?”
    He shakes his head no again.
    â€œWell, I can’t help you unless you tell me.”
    He cracks his knuckles nervously and chews on his bottom lip.
    â€œYou’ve got to try if you want to get better, Levi.”
    Levi glances over at me, and I quickly look into the desk drawer. I hope he didn’t
catch me watching him.
    I look back up to see him writing on the whiteboard. Candace smiles and seems surprised
that Levi is actually writing.
    He lifts it up to show what he’s written.
    When it happens, I hate everything and everyone, and I just want to ruin everything.
    â€œWhy do you want to ruin everything?” Candace asks.
    He thinks for a second and rubs the back of his neck. He hesitantly writes something
on the board.
    Because everything has ruined me.
    Candace