Chapter 17

Lior and Ivex sat on opposite ends of the room, avoiding looking at each other. Jai sighed, resting her chin on her hand, shifting her gaze from one boy to the other. "You two need to make up. It's annoying and awkward for all the rest of us. We have a party to go to tonight, and I don't want you two being weird in front of my favorite person in the world."

"Your trainer is that cool?" Ivex asked, taking a small bite of one of his pancakes. "That he is your 'favorite person'?"

"Yup!" Jai crossed her arms. "Now, as I said-"

Lior pushed back from the table. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back later."

Jai frowned after him, her shoulders slumping slightly. Guy set a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry Olos, I'm sure he'll come around. 'E's a good guy."

Jai smiled lightly up at him. "You think so?"

Guy nodded. "Of course!"

Ivex scowled in their direction. Jodi patted his arm. "Have a little competition, do you, Man-Baby?" she whispered. Ivex winced, his hand tightening around his fork.

"Am I that obvious?"

"One hundred percent."

Lior rested his head against the railing of the bridge with a sigh. He knew that he should listen to Jai and forgive Ivex, but he didn't really want to. Ivex had made him so mad-

Lior scowled down at the stream that ran under the bridge. I was overreacting. I still am, I guess, he thought, rubbing a hand over his face and exhaling. Maybe the party tonight will relax me. He laughed to himself. "As if," he muttered.

"You sound stressed." A voice caused Lior to startle, and turn quickly. A middle aged man stood with his hands in his pockets, a wan smile on his face. The man walked over and leaned on the rail next to Lior. "You seem awfully young to be so stressed," the man said, grinning a bit.

Lior raised one shoulder in a half shrug, looking away from the man.

The man chuckled. "You aren't from Vale, are you?"

Lior shook his head. "Just… visiting."

The man nodded. "I could tell. Atlas? No, Mantle!" He grinned as Lior raised a sharp eyebrow at him. "Hey, don't give such a cold look, kid." The man laughed.

Lior pressed his lips together. "Who are you?"

The man held out his hand. "You can call me Christopher. I live down the street. I honestly forgot that other people come to this bridge."

"You out here a lot?"

Christopher nodded. "All the time. Sometimes, my son comes with me, but most of the time it's just me."

"It's a nice place." Lior ran his hand along the wood of the railing. "Peaceful."

Christopher hummed. "It is. Based after a Mistralian spring garden." He smiled at Lior. "So what's your name, kid? What you visiting Vale for?"

"Lior. Me and my team got the highest grades in Haven, so we got a vacation for a week."

"You seem like you need it," Christopher said, smirking at him.

"That's about right," Lior muttered.

Christopher patted his shoulder. "Face your problems head on. If you're mad at someone, take your anger out on something and keep walking. Test you're worried about? Study until you drop. Girl problems? Just ask her out." Christopher shoved his hands back in his pockets. "Though, that advice has failed me a couple times. See you around, Lior." He waved and walked away.

"Take your anger out on something and keep walking," Lior mumbled, frowning thoughtfully. He shut his eyes, putting an earbud in and turned on his metal playlist on his Scroll. He stretched his legs a bit, then took off, his feet pounding against the pavement in rhythm with his music.

"Hey, Ivex?" Jodi elbowed Ivex in the side, making him gasp in surprise. He looked up, shielding his eyes against the sun. Jai stood over him and Jodi, her hands on her hips. "Do you know where Guy is? I needed his help for something."

Ivex sighed, sitting up completely. "Why am I supposed to know where he is?" He stood up and stretched his arms. "I'm sure I could help."

Jai hummed, tapping her finger against her chin and studying him. "Nope!" she eventually declared. "You're too short, Guy is taller than you. I was going to Micheal's to help set up for the party, and they needed the tallest person I could bring."

"I think I saw him out on the training grounds with Jordan, Norse and Darcy." Jai, Ivex and Jodi all looked over at Lior, who was walking by. He caught Ivex's eye, and looked away with a sigh. Jai nodded in thanks to him, then jogged off to continue her search for Guy.

Lior walked over, tapping his earbud to pause his music. "You got a second, Ivex?"

Jodi rolled to her feet. "I'm going to help Jai find Stray. I'll see you later, Vex."

Ivex watched her go, fidgeting nervously with his key chain. "So…"

"I get your stance about your dad," Lior said, leaning against a tree. "I can see how you would lose hope after so many different times of him going back. It's just…" Lior shut his eyes. "I would do anything to have my dad back, even if it meant him being a bastard all the time."

Ivex looked down at his feet. "I don't want him dead, you were right to call me out on that. You were probably right on a lot of it, but I don't think I'm capable of forgiving him, no matter how long he stays sober." He pushed his hair back, revealing a scar that ran across his forehead. "When I was ten, he did this. There are other scars too, both visible and invisible." Ivex clutched a trembling hand to his chest. "He hurt my mom a lot too, but she still forgives him every time. I guess I'm more like him than I am like her."

"That hurts to say, doesn't it?" Lior studied his friend. "That you're like him?"

Ivex felt his nails digging into his palm. "Yeah, it does. Makes me feel ill."

"You don't have to forgive him." Lior stared off into the darkening horizon. "You don't have to treat him like he did you, either. You can just ignore him, or act like he's a stranger or something."

"I- Thanks, Lior." Ivex grinned. "For coming back and supporting me, and-" Ivex threw his arms around Lior. Lior patted his back and laughed.

"Anytime, big guy."