Chapter 24: The Problem is not the Problem. The Problem is your Attitude about the Problem

Nora and Naomi went to the bathroom before the show. Even a Disney bathroom was a magical place. Lines and lines of stalls, usually with a Cast Member cleaning at any given time considering the amount of people who had to go, and usually there wasn't much of a wait if there was one at all.

            Considering a show was about to start, there was a line, which gave Nora ample time to cringe at her plan for the millionth time.

            "Are you okay?" Naomi asked.

            Nora squeezed her fingers together. "I thought this would be a good idea."

            "I mean, I think it's still a good idea. Levi's just..."

            "Being impossible?"

            "No. He's just not used to us. It's silly to think he's going to be himself around a huge group of people. Which is why Abby was trying to make the group smaller. I'm sure the guys might break off into even smaller groups to try to get some one on one time with him. He seems more comfortable with that, if you two hang out all the time."

            Nora bit her lip. "I didn't manipulate him here, did I?"

            "I mean, maybe a little?" Naomi said, her face a bit too innocent.

            "Ugh. I seriously don't want to be pushing him into things, but at the same time I wouldn't have made friends if it weren't for Maddie's constant nudging. I want what's best for him. And he needs more than just me as a friend. Just like I needed more than just Levi. There are so many more people out there."

            "I mean, it's not about having a lot of friends. It's just that every person has different perspectives and it's a good thing to get a lot of those. Plus, if you're ever needing help, it's better to have plenty of people to go to."

            "And you guys constantly talk about how it's not about having friends, but being a friend."

            "Exactly."

"Maybe he thinks we're a cult."

            Nora and Naomi glanced behind them to find Maddie.

            "How did you even sneak up on us?" Naomi asked.

            "Hey. I'm not loud all the time." She grinned. "But as for my opinion, which you didn't ask for, just give him some time. And I guess you can just talk to him about it and see how he feels and all that."

            Nora bit her lip. "Yeah. I just hope it goes okay."

It was his favorite thing all day. They'd gone to seek refuge at the ABC Commissary. The air conditioning was heaven and he'd even gotten a comfy seat. Samuel had his head down on the table and Kayden was checking his phone, which meant he got to sit in blissful silence.

            After a few minutes, he ended up putting his head down as well. It seemed easier to avoid possible conversation that way. He hadn't fallen asleep in the parks in years and he doubted he would around strangers.

            Which ended up being a total lie because by the time he opened his eyes, the light had shifted and Samuel had gotten blue milk, which meant he'd gone all the way to Galaxy's Edge and back for.

            "He lives," Samuel said, taking a sip.

            "We didn't want to wake you," Kayden explained.

            Levi sat up, rubbing the crick in his neck. "How long was I out?"
             "Two hours."

            His eyebrows shot up. So much for not sleeping in the parks. "Aren't the girls upset?"

            "No. We told them we wanted more time together." Samuel stirred the milk up, letting the straw go so he could watch it go in circles. "They bought it."

            "Not that we don't want time with you," Kayden said. "We just know it's a lot, hanging out with all of us."

            "Surprised you didn't sleep longer," Samuel harrumphed. "Being around Maddie always makes me need to sleep for a week."

            Levi rubbed his eyes, hoping they'd feel less dry. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep."

            "You must have needed it. I'm an introvert too," Kayden replied, pushing a bottle of water towards him. "We got this for you."

            He stared at it. "Thanks."

            Levi drank the whole thing, relishing the cold beneath his fingers.

            "I guess you were thirsty," Samuel said.

            "Dehydrated."

            "Do you like us, Levi?" Kayden asked.

            He met his eyes. "You're fine. I'm just not used to people."

            "I think it's kind of stupid that they tricked you into this huge group meet up," Samuel said. "I didn't know about it until my trip over to Galaxy's Edge. I'm kind of pissed for you, actually."

            Levi sat up. "Really?"

            "Yeah. I'm not saying it for brownie points." Samuel scrolled through something on his phone, concentrating. "I'm a believer in one on one meet ups to get to know people. Plus too many people gets to be so draining."

            Finally, someone got it.

            "I'm the same way," Kayden said. "It is nice to hang out in groups sometimes, but usually not all day. And it seems unfair to throw a new person into all of that unless they really want to be there."

            "Plus if you're a Cast Member, you might get pretty tired of Disney, or being on your feet in the sun all day, every day."

            Levi gave a small nod. Maybe they weren't so bad.

            "Levi!" He looked up, blinking groggily at the sight of Oliver, which he didn't see for long as Oliver's hands came to his shoulders, shaking him. "I have been looking everywhere for you. Do you know how hard it is to look through the entire park? I literally went to a different galaxy far, far away to find you."

            Levi tilted his head back, peering up at him. He went through all that trouble to find him? "Sorry. I fell asleep."

            "You fell asleep?" Oliver repeated, obviously in disbelief as he glanced at Kayden and Samuel. "Here?"

            Levi shrugged. "Guess I was comfortable?"

            He immediately looked at the two other guys he didn't recognize, doubtful. "Comfortable?"

            "Who's this?" Kayden asked.

            "This is Oliver."

            Oliver took a seat, not bothering to say hi. "I thought there were girls. I was on the lookout for girls." Oliver rested his hands flat on the table, then pointed at the two boys. "Not like that. I meant I was told he was in a giant group of people, not with two guys. And I know Nora, so I thought they'd be in the same group."

            What a perfect introduction to Oliver. Samuel and Kayden both stared, assessing. At least Samuel was smiling, as if trying to hold back a laugh.

            "This is Kayden and Samuel," Levi explained.

            Oliver slung an arm around Levi's shoulders again. It had never been stated outright that they were now the touchy feely sort of friends and he wasn't sure how to feel about it, especially considering he wasn't a touchy feely guy, they were still on weird terms, and Samuel and Kayden were staring at them. He wanted to put his head back down and wait for them all to think he was dead and leave him.

            "Clearly, Levi has a friend and thinks we're trying to steal him," Samuel mused.

            "We're not trying to steal him," Kayden said.

            "I don't know. I kind of want to see what Oliver would do if we tried."

            "This isn't Capture the Flag," Kayden muttered.

            "Still."

            "Great talk," Oliver said flatly. "So, since Levi and I are both Cast Members, we both have a big day ahead of ourselves tomorrow, you know, with our crazy sometimes twelve hour shifts, so we're going to have to get going."

            Levi looked at him, still dazed from his nap and from him showing up out of the blue as Oliver started tugging him out of his chair.

            "You sure?" Kayden asked.

            "Clearly he needs sleep if he fell asleep surrounded by strangers," Oliver said. "I'll take it from here. Nice meeting you."

            Levi frowned as Oliver grabbed his backpack and empty water bottle, as if he were a toddler that needed help doing everything, and started pushing him out the door.

            "God." Oliver jostled him again as soon as they left, starting to walk towards the park entrance. "I can't believe I've been freaking out this whole time and you were asleep."

            Levi rubbed his eyes against the sun, not enjoying the heat that started creeping up on him. "You really looked around the whole park?"

            "You didn't text me back," Oliver said, giving Levi another look, as if realizing he was dead on his feet, before slinging the backpack over his own shoulder. "I was worried about you. I had to come over and see if you'd said anything..."

            Levi rubbed his forehead. "Nope."

            "I know. You haven't had an opportune moment."

            He groaned. "Please don't quote Jack Sparrow."

            "Yeah, that was poor taste." Oliver bit his lip. "But I'm here, I've got you, we can leave—"

            Levi stopped walking. "No."

            Oliver followed suit. "What?"

            Levi didn't even know what had made him say it. "I'm going to go back and talk to them."

            Oliver blanked. "You mean about...?" Levi nodded. "But you don't even know them."

            "I know." And maybe it wouldn't go well. Maybe they were jerks in disguise. Maybe they'd stop trying when they knew him, but what did he have to lose when he didn't really care because he didn't know them?

            Oliver took a deep breath. "Okay. Do you want me to come with you?"

            Levi squished down all the self-conscious thoughts in his brain, his arms reaching in a sporadic fashion to pull Oliver into a hug. Because, despite everything, he trusted Oliver. Despite everything, they were friends and, despite his lack of knowing how to hug anyone when he wasn't wearing a fake mustache, he wanted to hug him.

            Oliver flinched, but hugged him back.

            He didn't know how to say thank you any other way right now. He pulled back, embarrassed.

            Oliver cleared his throat. "You've got this, Levi. And I promise I'll be there."

            That gave him the strength he needed. Levi walked right back through the ABC Commissary, Oliver trailing behind, finding Kayden and Samuel right where he left them. He sat himself down and, without pause, without hesitation, said the secret he'd been holding onto for months, "I'm Jack Sparrow."

            His explanation went by in a blur to the point where it was almost an out of body experience. He couldn't believe he was letting all the words pour from his mouth, to almost complete strangers, and yet they kept coming. Oliver stayed with him as he explained the whole thing, which Kayden and Samuel listened to with much more patience than he deserved or expected.

            When he finished, he was ready for bed. All his energy was gone, but he felt a little less hollow inside.

            Not that he'd told the person who really needed to hear it.

            The first thing Kayden did was reach out his hand, patting Levi's. The contact made him cringe, but it was somehow nice too. Kayden seemed too genuine for him to think it was done in pity.

            "Are you going to tell her?" Samuel asked.

            Levi nodded.

            "We won't tell her," Kayden said. "But..."

            "I know." He had to soon.

            "I'm glad you've had Oliver, at least," Samuel said. "No one should be alone. And even if you had plenty of friends, we still want to be your friends, okay?"

            "Both of yours," Kayden added.

            Oliver stiffened. Levi hadn't expected it to be such a sore spot with him. Maybe they weren't so different after all.

            "I'll talk to my sister about not doing any surprise hang outs for either of you, okay? Let's exchange numbers, though." Kayden held out his hand, gesturing for his phone. "And please don't hesitate to reach out to either of us if you need anything."

            Samuel did the same to Oliver, who hesitated.

            "It's fine," Levi said, as if it would be at all comforting. "Besides, you can always block them."

            "What a vote of confidence," Samuel said dryly. "But seriously, please do if I end up being a creepy stalker."

            "You do give off that vibe," Oliver murmured, handing him his phone.

            Samuel gave back Oliver's phone, now with new text conversations to both him and Kayden. "What about you, Oliver?"    

            "Hm?"

            "We know a bit about you being Gaston." Which Levi had asked permission to tell.
"But what's your story with why you don't really hang out with people?"

            Oliver tapped a finger on the screen of his phone. "People aren't usually real."

            "Think we don't actually want to be your friends?" Kayden asked.

            Oliver smiled and said nothing. Levi leaned a bit closer, their shoulders touching, hoping it wasn't an awkward form of support.

            Samuel wrapped an arm around Kayden, giving a hug. "It takes time, you know. And we're willing to take it."

            "Thanks," Oliver said. "We probably need to stop by and see Nora before we leave."

            "Okay. It really was nice meeting you both," Kayden said.

            Levi couldn't help but agree. "Thanks for listening to me."

            "Anytime," Samuel said. "Really."

"Well, that's progress for you." -Carousel of Progress

Sooo what are your thoughts? Feelings?

Question of the Chapter: Favorite place at Disney (or elsewhere) to hang out?

-Flips