Uprising

Chapter 6: The Beach And Secrets

Eren

Seeing Levi so badly beaten and hurt really got my blood pressure going high. I bet if I payed enough attention at school, I could possibly deduce who did this to him. Sure, not a lot of people liked Levi. Actually, no one really likes him outside of our immediate friend group. Levi was hard-headed, egotistical, stubborn, and sometimes just a plain dick. But, it's something you learn to deal with and accept. Sometimes, Levi could be nice. He was nice to me more than he was a douche, so that's something I suppose. He also did admit to having feelings for me, which we haven't talked about. Did he regret telling me? Did I get it mixed up with him just thinking I was a really good friend? No, he kissed me. Friends don't really do that, right? Should I bring it up soon? What if he got angry with me? Emotions are so confusing.

After Levi started falling asleep on Skype, I told him to go to sleep. He had a long day, you know? Eventually, he accepted his fate and hung up. My ears perked and honed in on my surroundings. Was my father awake? Was he even home? I didn't hear anything, besides Mikasa in the room across from mine. Cautiously, I creaked my bedroom door open. Looking up and down the hall, I saw no sign of the drunken father I've come to expect. I walked across the hall and knocked on Mikasa's door. Quiet shuffling could be heard beyond the door, soon it opened enough for me to only see half of Mikasa's face. I smiled softly.

"Hey, dad's not home, and I think I have some money. Do you want to go to the park and get ice cream?" She opened the door all the way and smiled. She rarely smiled, so I was glad to have done that by the small promise of a frozen treat.

"Yeah, let me change real fast." I nodded and replied that I would be downstairs waiting. I found my wallet and did indeed have ten dollars to spend on Mikasa and I. Shoving my phone and wallet in my back pocket, I waited patiently for my sister. Soon, she came bounding down the stairs, a slight skip in her step. The red scarf bounced along with her. It was almost seventy degrees out, but there was no point in telling her that it was too warm for a scarf. She was never seen without that thing. I'd given up long ago trying to talk sense into Mikasa, which was a lot more like trying to tell a dog to meow.

We began walking up the road. The park wasn't too far, if my memory served right.

"So, how has school been?" Mikasa asked, while we continued our journey.

I shrugged. "Alright, I guess. There are certainly a lot nicer kids here than in Shiganshina. Those kids were ruthless." I shuddered at the memory of how many times I'd been picked on, beaten and insulted in Shiganshina. Mikasa gave me a sympathetic look that I saw from my peripherals. "Except..." I knew what I was about to say, so I stopped.

"What?" Mikasa asked when I trailed off.

"...Nothing." I was going to say how Levi had been attacked after school today, but he probably wouldn't like it if I said something. "It was about Levi. Forget it." I sighed.

"Oh, yeah. I almost forgot about that shorty. Are you guys getting along alright? I noticed Levi isn't exactly a man of compliments." She crossed her arms. The park wasn't too far off now. We could see it in the distance, waiting for our presence.

"We're fine... I think..." I mumbled my confusion, making Mikasa want to dig more. Usually, I would brush her away and ignore her interests in my life. She seemed livid and pleasantly surprised at my cooperation.

"You think?" A sigh of frustration passed my lips, letting Mikasa know it was more complicated than it seemed.

"Well, you see... He.. Well, he kissed me. At first I was torn to all hell on what to do and how I felt about it, but soon I figured out that I liked Levi more than a friend. We kind of talked about it and he said he liked me, and I agreed but... Neither of us has said a word about it since. I don't know if we're a thing or if we're just two people who happen to like kissing each other and completely disregard it." I really hoped Mikasa wouldn't make a big deal out Levi and I so close to being something.

"If he won't step up to the plate and talk about something he started, he's a wuss. Maybe you have to do it. Tell him how much it's screwing you up. The least he could do is care about your welfare." We got onto the biking path on the edge of the park and continued in. Kids played at the old and rusty playground, which really wasn't safe. Couples sat on benches or blankets on the lawn. I agreed, but still felt unsure of the situation. We found the ice cream stand and decided on what to get. I got a medium peanut butter-vanilla swirl on a cone and Mikasa got two scoops of raspberry in a cup. We carried on with some lighter topics and sat on a bench to eat.

"Oh! I forgot to mention. Armin wants to hang out this weekend with the both of us. It'll be just like old times, right?" Mikasa took a bite of ice cream from a plastic spoon, nodding.

"Of course. That sounds fun. We really should all go do something instead of just sitting, doing nothing." I was about to suggest the mall, when I recalled the last time I went to the mall. I swear my clothes will smell like Sierra Mist forever.

"Yeah, but where?" We tossed idea's back and forth, waiting for one of them to catch each others attention.

"How about the beach?" Mikasa said. I liked the beach a lot.

"Won't it be cold?" I asked. It was still only May, of course.

"Hmm, maybe. But who said we couldn't hang out and have a picnic? We won't go in the water." I smiled at this idea.

"I'll ask Armin if he's okay with it." We finished the last of our ice cream. Although, we sat and talked a for a while longer. Despite Mikasa and I living in the same house hold, neither one of us kept up with each others lives too often. It was nice to get caught up. Mikasa mentioned that we should head home soon. I frowned as well as she. No one would say it, but we both knew that when we got home, we would act like complete strangers. Relenting with a sigh, we threw our garbage away and went home. Mikasa and I stayed in our rooms for the rest of the night.

Waking up the next morning for school, I realized Dad had stumbled in at some ridiculously late time no doubt. I found the old man passed out on the couch with empty bottles of beer cascading the floor around him and the television on. I cleaned up the bottles and turned off the early morning infomercials, ready for another day of school.

I walked into Trost High, listening to music in my ear-buds. Completely unaware of the people following me so close they were basically riding my ass, until I felt someone grab my bookbag and throw it across the hall. I ripped my ear-buds out and spun around. It didn't even take that much get me unbelievably angry. The person responsible for said anger was the boy who talked to Levi at lunch yesterday.

"What the fuck was that for?" I asked. Him and two of his friends smirked like they knew something I didn't. The guy who presumably chucked my book bag stepped closer.

"My bad." He replied, feigning guilt. I was sure my face portrayed the frustration and hatred I felt towards the instigator. I scoffed and went to turn around. As much as the idea of punching the dick square in the face was appealing, school was not the place for such. The kid put his hands on my shoulders and shoved. I stumbled back, my feet tripping over one another. My ass landed on the floor. Adrenalin pushed through my vanes. I stood, ready to to fight back, when a familiar voice sounded from behind me.

"Trouble, boys?" Mr. Smith said coolly. His arms crossed. Although his features showed no hint of any kind of emotion, you could practically feel the annoyance radiating off of him. "Mike?"

The boy, Mike, shook his head from side to side. Smith looked at me, with a raised eyebrow. I tossed Mike a dirty look and also shook my head. Mike and his friends looked back at me as they walked away. I started walking away from Smith and towards my bag.

"Eren, if Mike ever gives you problems again, please let me know. He's a troublesome student." Mr. Smith offered a ghost of a smile and I nodded, anger and adrenalin subsiding.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks." I mumbled and rubbed my hand through the back of my hair. I walked to my first period class and plopped down in my seat. An irritated sigh flushed through my nose. What the hell were those guy's problems? I never did anything to them. I hadn't even spoken to them before, nor did I know their names.

Levi walked in, well, at least I thought it was Levi. He had a black eye, a bruise across his cheekbone, split lip, and cut eyebrow. He also wore glasses, which I didn't know he did.

"Hey, brat." He greeted me, sitting down.

"Hey." I smiled a little bit, trying not to show how bad of a mood I was in today already. Silently, he stared at me with scrutinizing eyes.

"What's wrong?" He said, not missing a beat.

"Nothing." I replied, playing with my fingers and looking away.

"Bullshit. Is it your dad?" He asked, turning to me.

"No." I relented, Levi managing to break me down.

"So, what happened?" He asked again. I remained mute. Levi sighed and turned completely to the side to talk to me. He grabbed my hand and laced my fingers with his. Blood rushed to me cheeks, not entirely used to the affectionate gesture. I pushed my hair back with the other hand and began to explain.

"There was this douche this morning... It's fine."

"Who? Someone fucked with you? If so, that means I have to fuck someone up in return." I groaned slightly.

"It's nothing, really. He just threw my bag is all... and then shoved me to the ground." I whispered the last part, hoping he didn't hear it.

"Someone pushed you? Tell me his name. Right now. Hell, I'll go and shove my fist down his damn throat. He can have it for lunch." Levi went on and on until he sighed and shut up. He squeezed my hand and looked at me. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, of course. I was about to fight back when Mr. Smith broke it up. It was good he did, honestly. It would suck to get in trouble at a school I just got to..." I laid my forehead down on the cool desktop and closed my eyes, fighting an impending migraine. Levi's thumb rubbed circles on the top of my hand. I really relished in his attention.

"Who was it?" He asked again, more calmly though.

"I don't really know. Some kid named Mike? I think it was the kid who gave you shit at lunch yesterday." Levi stopped and gripped my hand a little tighter.

"Mike, that fucking asshat..." He mumbled. "He can beat the hell out of me but as soon as he lays even a finger on you, that's probably around the time I'll be going to jail." Wait, what? My head snapped up to look at him.

"He's the one who kicked the shit out of you?" I couldn't say I was surprised, but suddenly the rage I've come to know pushed through my vanes again. Levi looked at me, surprised. I assumed he didn't mean to say that out loud.

"Damn it. It's nothing, okay? I'm going to handle it. He won't touch you, or me for that matter, again. I promise." I sighed and turned my attention to Mr. Smith who walked in as the bell wrung.

Today was going to be a long ass day.

Armin laughed as I threw the football his way. He caught it, but fumbled with it ungracefully. I chuckled ran down the sand, shells and pebbles poking the undersides of my feet. The ball sailed through the salty sea-spray air. I jumped and caught it with precision.

"Oh, come on! After all these years, how are you still perfect at sports?" Armin complained, but smiled.

"I guess I'm just that good." I replied and spiraled the football back through the air.

"Food's ready, guys!" Mikasa yelled from the blanket a few feet away. We stopped and began running over, kicking sand up behind us. Armin and I sat down on the blanket, ready to eat the food Armin brought. We all chose sandwiches and picked hand-fulls from a bag of chips. Mikasa talked about a lot of things and asked questions concerning of how Armin was after they left. Armin smiled and sighed, signaling not as great as hoped.

"For a year or so, I was the loner again, but then Jean started talking to me like we were friends. I knew you never liked him, so I was confused as to why he was talking to me when he knew we were close. So, since then, I got pulled into Jean's group of friends. They're all really cool, right Eren?" Armin asked, hoping I was okay with them.

"Of course, they're great. Levi and I were talking the other day how-" I was interrupted by Armin, who began hounding me.

"Levi? You guys hang out outside of school?" Armin asked, squinting his eyes at the sun.

"Hang out? That's all Eren does anymore. He's always either at Levi's house, on Skype with him, or texting him." Mikasa told him and then looked at me and sighed. Her eyes explained how sorry she was for even mentioning it. Armin looked at me.

"Really? You're with him that much?" He seemed surprised. "I mean, you guys are always together at school, so..." He played with the ends of his blond hair.

"Levi can be nice, really. He's not that bad and he doesn't scare me at all. He likes old movies and listens to good bands. His parents are really nice and his house is so warm and inviting. We went to IHop and had pancakes then drove to the beach, and we talked for a while. I hurt my knuckles and he wrapped them in bandages for me. He's so... nice, sometimes." I was rambling so I made myself stop. Armin looked at me with an odd expression. Mikasa looked at me and shook her head.

"Idiot..." She mumbled so quietly I almost didn't hear her, but there was endearment in her voice.

"Eren, do you like Levi? Like, more than a friend?" Armin asked, setting his sandwich on the plate in his hand. My eyes went wide.

"N-No! Of course not, I'm not like that." I chuckled nervously.

"Eren, your ears are red." Armin said, pointing at my ears. How did he know about that?

"I dont know what you-"

"Eren, I've known you for too long." Armin laughed. I stayed silent and avoided his eyes, feared he'd be angry for some reason. "That's cute, Eren. Levi can be a nice person I suppose, but he gives a bad vibe sometimes. I'd threaten him if he hurt you, but Mikasa would take care of that way before me." I gulped and looked at Mikasa. She had a small smile, not denying anything. Things got lighter in conversation. My phone interrupted us, which let out a shrill wring, I looked at it and saw my father was calling me. My stomach dropped and nerves frayed.

"It's dad." I told Mikasa, trying to sound passive. Her eyes widened a bit before she began playing with the end of her scarf. I answered and held the phone up to my ear.

"H-Hello?" I said, then clearing my throat.

"Where the fuck are you?" His strangled and drunk voice said on the other line. I winced in the slightest and closed my eyes.

"Out...Why?" I asked gently.

"You better be home in ten minutes." He growled. "I didn't say you could go out."

"You were sleeping so I just thought..." He interrupted me, screaming.

"Are you arguing with me? You know you never argue with me. Be home in twenty minutes, and I might not beat the shit out of you." He yelled and hung up. I swallowed, noticing he didn't say anything about Mikasa. I flinched and hung up, standing on shaking legs.

"I have to go. But I have to be home in twenty minutes." How is that going to happen? It was an hour's walk from here to my house. We didn't bring a vehicle. I looked at Mikasa, not knowing what to do. She shrugged, her hands shaking slightly.

"Tell him it's not possible. He'd understand, right?" Armin asked, still eating his sandwich. Mikasa and I shared looks again.

"Um... I don't know." I said, trying to hide the rising fear in my throat.

"Levi drives. Ask him for a ride." Mikasa spoke. I could. Would I be bothering him though? I won't know until I try. I pulled my phone up and dialed Levi's number. He answered sooner than expected.

"Eren? Are you alright?" His first instinct was to make sure I was fine.

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's just... I'm all the way down at the beach with Mikasa and Armin, and my dad wants me home in twenty minutes..." My voice wobbled and I heard Armin whisper to Mikasa, asking if I was okay.

"Alright. I'll be down to pick you up then." Levi promised and hung up. I waited for a little bit, collecting the stuff I brought. Levi texted me when he was here and I left my friends. I got in his passenger side, and began taking deep and even breaths. Levi sat in the drivers side. He turned down the music playing through the speakers and turned a little towards me. I ran my fingers through my hair, relishing in completely being around everything Levi. It did nothing to relieve the anxiety I felt towards going home. Levi reached and took my hand, raveling our fingers. He was doing this a lot lately, and I couldn't say I minded.

"I'm scared..." I mumbled very quietly, sounding exactly how I felt. Levi squeezed my hand.

"I know. If I could do something... anything... You know I would. I would do everything I could to have you live a safe life, for once." He murmured the last part, probably not realizing he said it. I wasn't sure what he meant by it, but I decided to leave it be. I sighed and rubbed my eyes from the tears welling with my free hand. I heard the shuffling of Levi's leather seat and then something very soft on my cheek. Levi placed feathery kisses all aong my jaw and cheek then placed a few pieces of my hair to the side. I turned my head slightly to look at him. His face held a slight tinge of pink and his eyes were soft and concerned. I looked back towards the window, smiling a little bit.

Levi drove me home and held my hand the whole time. My grip on his hand got tighter the closer we got to my house. He pulled into the driveway with eight minutes to spare. Once, we stopped, he started talking.

"Before you go, I think we should go out to dinner sometime soon. My treat, of course. How do you feel about that?" He asked, turning more towards me. I smiled and nodded.

"I'd like that." Was he trying to get a relationship going? "I want to know you more." He chuckled.

"One step at a time, brat." He smirked. He kissed me again, not on the lips, but close to them. For once, my stomach fluttered happily, not with knots. My blood pulsed in my ears as I climbed out of his truck. He stayed in the driveway and only drove off when I was inside. It was then I remembered my dad said he /might/ not beat the shit out of me. I really hoped he magically passed out again.

Armin

Eren left quickly, seeming on edge.

"Mikasa?" I asked, confused. Why did I have to see the blood flood from Eren's face as he answered his father's call? Why did his eyes get so wide with fear? Why did he shake like a leaf in wind? "What's going on?"

Mikasa looked up. She almost bored the same look as Eren. "I don't know what you mean. Dad just wanted Eren to do some chores. It's fine." She stuttered at the word "fine". The family were never good at lying, but this was horrible.

"Are things okay at home?" I asked. They never talk about their dad, or mom. I haven't seen him at all, and they haven't asked me to come over.

"Dad's just... He's not doing so well. Ever since Mom passed away, he's been kind of different." I nodded, understanding how that could effect someone. What I thought looked like tears welled up in Mikasa's eyes, which was odd. She never cried, so it must be serious. "Damn it, I can't keep quiet anymore." She buried her head in her hands. I moved next to her and put my arm around her, suddenly feeling like we were eight years old again. "He drinks, day in and day out. He screams at Eren and I constantly. Anytime he raises his hand to me, Eren steps in. Dad beats the shit out of him almost every day and there's not a thing I can do about it." She went on, explaining everything from how Karla died to how they have to lock their doors at night to keep out a dangerous drunkard. I almost couldn't believe it, but why would she lie? Mikasa never lied. I remembered when she tried taking a candy bar from a corner store when we were nine and when they asked why she took it she said "because I wanted it".

"...He even blames Eren for our mom's death. That's not right." She was sobbing by now and I just hugged her. Two of my best friends I've known since I was a toddler were being hurt and there was nothing I could do. I couldn't go to police, Mikasa and Eren would be separated. Their backs were against the wall until they were old enough to get out of here and live somewhere else. We left and went to my house with my grandfather until late because Mikasa preferred to not go home, which I didn't blame her for one bit.