CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

The first thing Aurelio remembered was his nightmare. Leslie looking between him and her boyfriend, crying, telling Aurelio that he was her Elio.

He remembered feeling like she had been trying to identify him.

Aurelio didn't know how long he had been frowning, but when he snapped out of his thoughts, Leslie's boyfriend was still standing in front of him. Still wearing that stupid smile on his stupid face.

"Elio is not your name," Aurelio said, then turned and walked away. "It's mine. It's not your name."

"...Seriously?" Leslie's boyfriend said. "Grow up, man. You really thought you're so special?"

"It's not your name."

Refusing to hear or comprehend anything else, Aurelio made his way straight to Matt's place. At some point Leslie's boyfriend got tired of following him around and trying to talk to him, so he left--thankfully, because if he had tried to push Aurelio's limits a little more, Aurelio might have abandoned any composure and thrown a punch.

When Aurelio walked into Matt's driveway, he heard his and Leslie's voice echoing from the backyard, so he circled around the house.

Leslie and Matt were sitting in outdoor chairs, and Matt had Leslie's lunchbox on his lap as he picked blueberries and ate them. When he heard Aurelio's footsteps, he glanced at him.

"I heard a vicious monster attacked you today," Matt said.

The encounter with Leslie's boyfriend rattled Aurelio so much that, for a second, he couldn't tell Matt was refering to what Leslie's mom did.

"Dude," Aurelio said, and despite how weirdly depressed he felt, he nearly chuckled at Matt's wording.

"No, it's true." Leslie glanced at Aurelio. "I told him what happened."

"I know." Dragging a third chair over, Aurelio sat down. He glimpsed at Leslie beside him then moved his chair an inch closer to her.

"I say we riot," Matt said.

Leslie shook her head, but there was a small, bitter smile on her face. "Matt..."

"I say we protest. Let's burn tires in front of her house."

"You're talking about my mom, dude. That's my house too."

"Yeah." Matt nodded. "Let's burn tires in front of your house."

Leslie sighed.

"What?" Matt shrugged. "We're just gonna let her get away with literally attacking Elio? If Elio has some God tier patience, I don't. I wish I was there when she talked all that shit. I would've given her a piece of my mind."

"I didn't let it slide either," Leslie said. "I fought her for it, but she just left in the middle of the argument. She always does that! It's so annoying. You'd think an adult would behave like an adult."

Turning his head, Matt focused on Aurelio again. "Elio," he said with a sincere voice. "Promise me that the next time someone disrespects you like that, you will cuss the hell out of them. Or punch them in the face. Whatever you like. Okay?"

Aurelio nodded.

"Oh, wow... Didn't expect you to agree so quickly..."

"Elio, no," Leslie said. "I like the way you handle things."

"Nah," Matt said. "An eye for an eye. Disrespect whoever disrespects you. Hurt whoever hurts you." Sighing, he leaned back, frowning at the sky. "That's the only way to survive."

"But that way you will never be at peace, Matt," Leslie said. "You'll have to be alert and tense and ready to mirror people's actions all the time." She tilted her head, barely a degree. "Dude...that's probably why you're angry all the time."

Aurelio thought that they were both right. It depended on the situation, so there was something to learn from either ideology.

Matt scowled at Leslie for a moment. Then he shrugged. "Maybe. I'm happy this way."

"Are you?"

"Yeah. I literally just told you."

Aurelio had leant back, his eyes springing around, tracing the length of the fence around them. He wanted to speak, but he felt so impossibly tired. Exhaustion in his bones, weighing him down. Finally, he shifted, straightening just enough so he could look at Matt.

"Matt," Aurelio said. "Do you know what Leslie's boyfriend's name is?"

"Nope. Don't care."

"Elio. He told me his name is Elio."

Matt raised his eyebrows. "You're joking."

"I wish."

"You knew that," Matt told Leslie.

"I mean, obviously. Who doesn't know their boyfriend's name?"

"So you're going out with a guy called Elio."

"Yeah."

"Oh my God," Matt said, laughing. "You're dating the wrong Elio, idiot." He pointed at Aurelio. "There's the real one if you wanna try your luck."

Leslie's face blazed, and it made Aurelio blush even harder. "Matt," Leslie hissed. She looked around her, searching for something to chuck in Matt's face. But there was nothing, so she set her eyes on him instead, intending to embarrass him as payback. "Your ears went red when Blair pinched your cheek."

"No."

"We literally saw it."

"No."

Aurelio had noticed that too, but he knew Matt would rather die than admit.

Leslie opened her mouth to continue arguing with Matt, but she closed it instead and turned towards Aurelio again. "Wait," she said. "You said my boyfriend told you that his name is Elio too? When?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Aurelio said. "On my way here."

"Why did he talk to you? Just to tell you that?"

"I wouldn't be surprised," Matt said. "He's a literal airhead. The dumbass also thinks that the violin is for kids."

Aurelio watched Matt absently, recalling the caption ordeal. God, there was nothing Aurelio hated more than sharing a name with that idiot. And the fact that they both played an instrument.

"He thinks what?" Leslie's eyes widened. "When the hell did he say that?"

Matt told her about the pic and the caption her boyfriend posted, and for the second time this day, Leslie looked ready to fight.

"What's up with him?" Leslie said, her brows pinched with disgust. "Why the hell is everyone conspiring to make Elio miserable today?"

"There's more," Aurelio said.

"Oh, God." Leslie shook her head. "What else?"

Aurelio bit his lip lightly, and he fiddled with his fingers for a second. "He... Um, he made me feel bad about... about you guys being patient with me." He looked up just enough to catch Matt and Leslie's expressions, and the incredulity on their faces was comforting. No matter how much he trusted them, there was a part of him that still wanted their reassurance.

"Being patient with you?" Matt asked. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"You know, since the car crash on the news, I've been anxious and just... I haven't exactly been myself. And you guys are being patient with me, even if I freak out for no reason and..." He glanced at Leslie.

"Elio," Leslie said, turning in her seat, tilting her knees towards Aurelio. "First off, I never want to hear this guilt in your voice again. Ever. Okay?" Her voice was soft, and her eyes were softer, and Aurelio's heart sank. "You deserve good friends who look out for you and want to help you. And second off," she said, letting out a breath, "I'm gonna go fight my boyfriend for what he said."

"No, seriously. Elio, I'm gonna punch you if you feel this way again," Matt said.

Aurelio's mouth curved in a small, tired smile. "That's comforting."

"You know what we're gonna do now?" Leslie asked. "Elio, you're gonna go home and get some rest." Her eyes locked on his, and Aurelio understood that she wanted an update on what happened after he'd talked to Matt's mom. "And then I'm gonna meet up with my boyfriend and just..." She sighed. "I'm gonna end things with him." Matt opened his mouth, but she pointed a finger at him before he could speak. "Matt, I know you're pissed. I know you hate how he talked to Elio, but please, please don't do anything stupid. Don't pick a fight you can't win."

"End things with him..." Aurelio looked at her through a concerned frown. "Because of..."

"Not just because of what he did to you," Leslie assured. "Although that's a big part of it." She smiled at Aurelio. "Who does he think he is to mess with our Elio?"

Aurelio didn't know why but this made him feel warm inside.

"See," Matt said. "I didn't hate your boyfriend for no reason. I could sense that he's an ass. Trust my intuition next time."

"I already do, asshole," Leslie mumbled. Then she stood, looking at Aurelio, who was still sitting near her. "Let's go?"

Aurelio nodded, and when he shifted in his seat, preparing to stand, pain shot in his knee and kept him in place. Startled, he frowned at it. He tried moving again. The joint ached.

"Elio?"

"My knee," Aurelio mumbled, touching it unsurely.

Leslie turned back fully towards him. "Did you hurt it?"

Aurelio shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I don't remember." The recollection hit him two seconds late. His nightmare. Lashing his leg out to fend off that weird mist, and then a terrible ache in his knee. So he did hurt it--inside a dream. But why would that translate into reality?

"Does it hurt a lot?" Matt asked. "I can get you ice."

"No, it's fine," Aurelio said as he stood, then winced a little at the pain. "I'll just go home. I'll put my knee brace on, maybe that'll help."

Silence fell over them. "You have a knee brace?" Leslie finally asked. "Why? Is this like a chronic problem for you? I had no idea."

Matt was frowning. "I had no idea either."

"Yeah I have one--" Aurelio stopped, dark brows creasing. "Wait. What? What did I just say? I... I don't have a knee brace at home. I've never even had a problem with my knee. I just... I remember that I hurt it in my dream..."

"In your dream," Matt repeated.

"Elio," Leslie said in a low, sad voice. She reached forward, pressing the back of her hand to Aurelio's forehead. "I really think you should get some rest. You're a little warm, and..." She frowned down at his hands. "Your hands are shaking. You don't look good."

"My hands aren't..." Aurelio stared at his hands. They were shaking, for absolutely no reason. His heartbeats picked up. He didn't know why. "Leslie," he said, an undertone of panic in his voice. "Leslie. My heart, it's beating so fast. I have no idea why."

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Im really really sorry i took so long to update :( i had midterms and 2 presentations to prepare and an oral exam so i couldn't focus enough to write. Sorry again. thank you for reading/voting/commenting, it means a lot ❤️