CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

Aurelio's therapist frowned at the challenge. "Okay," she said. "I'll call them." She nodded again, turning back towards her desk. She glanced at Aurelio over her shoulder. "I'll call them, and they'll freak out. I thought you didn't like being a burden? Because you will definitely scare them with this."

"Yeah. You're definitely not real," Aurelio said. "Because that's the type of shit I tell myself. What kind of therapist says that to her client? Imagine knowing that your client constantly feels like a burden, and what you do is reinforce that insecurity. Bye."

"We'll see about that."

Aurelio had started walking away. He stopped for a moment, shook his head, then kept going. He walked along the sidewalk and headed home. At a corner, near the entrance of the skatepark, he spotted Matt and Leslie and her boyfriend. The sight pulled a long, tired sigh out of Aurelio, but then he frowned when he registered the angry atmosphere: Leslie's hands were flying all over the place while she talked to her boyfriend, and Matt was frowning up at him, looking very well ready to fight.

So Aurelio hurried over, and he arrived in the nick of time; just before Matt could swing a punch or maybe even in spit in Leslie's boyfriend's face, Aurelio caught his arm and pushed him back, keeping an arm in front of him to make sure he wouldn't attack again.

"What's going on?" Aurelio asked.

"Ah, there he is!" Leslie's boyfriend said. "That's who you're leaving me for?" He looked at Leslie with raised brows, and Aurelio realized she had tried breaking up with him. "Seriously? If you couldn't last with me, you wouldn't last with him either, Leslie. I don't know what makes you think he's any better."

Aurelio made a face. "You have so many loose screws," he said. "Please go cry about this somewhere else. I can't handle more bullshit right now."

"I didn't leave you for Elio. I left you because you're an ass," Leslie said, but the boy was looking past her, at Aurelio.

"I have loose screws? This is really funny coming from you, Elio," Leslie's boyfriend said, moving closer to Aurelio. Aurelio resisted the urge to step back. "We're exactly the same. We both can't stand Matt, for example."

Aurelio tilted his head. "Where do you get your information from? I was literally bonding with Matt over hating you last time."

"It's okay, Elio. You can be honest," Leslie's boyfriend said, his voice so uncharacteristically low and soft--like he was cajoling Aurelio into agreeing. "Tell them what's inside. What's in here." He jabbed a finger in Aurelio's chest. "Tell Matt how much you hate him. I know you do. Tell him that being his friend is so exhausting. There's no point in caring about someone like him. Life is so much easier when you're honest, Elio. I'm just trying to protect you."

"Okay, now this is too far, asshole," Leslie said. "I don't even understand your motive anymore. The hell are you trying to do? Come in between Matt and Elio? Or me and Elio? Or are you just trying to piss Elio off? I just don't understand."

"You know what?" Aurelio mumbled. There was no point arguing with this blockhead of a guy. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I hate Matt. Whatever helps you sleep at night. Now get lost please."

Matt glanced at Aurelio, then looked at Leslie's boyfriend again. "Just in case you're too dense to understand," Matt said, "Elio agreed with you just so you'd leave us alone." Silence. Then Matt turned to Aurelio, leaning towards his ear. "...Right?"

Aurelio furrowed his eyebrows. "Dude. Obviously."

"Okay cool. Because if you actually hate me I'll throw myself off a cliff."

"That's concerning," Leslie said.

Matt replied with something Leslie didn't like and they started bickering. Aurelio got distracted, regarding Leslie's boyfriend. Brown hair. Brown eyes. He narrowed his eyes. "You know what's more concerning?" Aurelio asked, touching Leslie's arm to grab her attention. "Your boyfriend. No, your ex...He looks awfully a lot like me."

Leslie's boyfriend was walking away now, and Aurelio took a few steps forward. "Hey. Hey!" he shouted into the distance. "What's your last name?"

Leslie's boyfriend stopped and turned back. "What do you want with it? New hallucination?"

"Answer me. What's your last name?"

"I think there's something more pressing right now," Leslie's boyfriend said as he approached Aurelio again, then tapped his shoulder. He pointed somewhere behind Aurelio. "Look. Aren't these your parents?"

Frowning, Aurelio craned his neck and looked back, only to find a small metallic car approaching. He spun around entirely and squinted at it. Through the windshield, he spotted his parents inside. Perhaps they were just passing by the street. Perhaps they were headed somewhere else.

But no--the car slowed and his dad parked it by the sidewalk. Aurelio flinched, stepping back. "What..." he mumbled. "Mom? Dad?"

The door flung open, and Aurelio's mom hurried out and towards Aurelio, her brows set in a worried frown, her eyes glistening. She took his arms as soon as she was near him. "Oh my God, Elio. What happened? Your therapist called and-and she told us that you were saying that she's not real and you just left the office? What's wrong?"

Aurelio's heart dropped.

"That's...That's not possible," Aurelio said. "She's not real. I know she's not. She couldn't have called you."

"What are you talking about? She's real. She called us, that's why we're here," Aurelio's mom said, her voice shaky and fearful. "Elio, please tell me you're joking. Please tell me you didn't actually tell her she's not real." No answer. Aurelio only stared back at her blankly. She put a hand on her mouth, and a glassy layer concealed her eyes. "Okay. It's...It's okay." She let out a breath, as if to compose herself. "We'll figure this out. Maybe you need to change therapists again, right? Maybe you just don't like this one. Let's just go home first. Come."

She tried pushing him towards the car, but Aurelio remained stoic in his place. He glanced at his dad; sadness twisted his expression too, but words never came out. Aurelio let out a quivering breath. He looked back at Matt and Leslie, and he realized her boyfriend had left.

Another push. "Come on, Elio. Let's go."

Aurelio looked around, completely heedless of the his mom still urging him into the car. He pushed her hand off. "Where is he?" he asked. "The other Elio." He cut his gaze to Leslie. "Your ex."

Leslie shrugged. "I guess he left. Why?"

"I need to know his last name."

"Why?"

"We have the same name. And he looks like me. And when you were describing him to me, his quietness and his personality before he changed...it sounds like me," Aurelio mumbled to himself more than to Leslie; she was frowning, unsure how to respond. "And the shit he told me. That you and Matt are getting tired of me." Aurelio knew no one could make sense of what he was saying, and yet he continued mindlessly. "The same thing happened with my therapist. That's why I figured she wasn't real."

Silence. Or not. There wasn't any silence--everyone was saying something. Aurelio vaguely noticed their lips moving, but all he could focus on was Leslie's boyfriend. He wanted to talk to him. Right now. So he pushed forward, but someone grabbed his arm and this time it wasn't gentle. This time it was harsh. Everyone was still arguing over Aurelio's head but he couldn't make out a single word.

Aurelio was in the backseat of his parents' car now, and the world was still muted. Still hazy. Looking to his right, he found his mom closing the door for him. Leslie opened it again and leaned inside.

"Elio," she said, her voice like a needle that pricked Aurelio's bubble. His clogged ears popped, but his tongue still felt knotted and useless. "Why aren't you saying anything?"

"Do you want us to come with you?" Matt asked, peeking over Leslie's shoulder. "You don't look well."

Aurelio nodded.

"No," Aurelio's mom said. "Matt, Leslie, thank you, but you two can go home now. Let us handle this."

And she shut the door. The engine revved, and then the car took off. Aurelio's mom kept twisting in her seat, glancing back, occasionally shaking Aurelio's knee, trying to get him to speak.

It didn't work.

What did work, however, was the ring of smoke that came from the driver's seat. Aurelio's eyes widened, and he jerked forward in his seat, peeking in at his dad. There was a cigarette in his hand. He was smoking.

Aurelio wanted to flip a table.

"I don't get it," Aurelio finally spoke. "I don't fucking get it. One second, you smoke, then you don't, then you do, then you don't, and now you do. How the hell is that possible! Mom and Uncle Ian said you don't smoke. Why does it keep changing!"

"Dude," Matt said. "Why the hell would your mom and uncle know that I smoke? You and Leslie and Blair are the only ones that know."

Matt.

Matt?

Aurelio took off the seatbelt and scooted more to the middle so he could get a better look at whoever was driving.

It was Matt. Matt was driving, and Matt was smoking, and Matt shouldn't have been here.

Neither should Leslie.

She was in the passenger seat. Aurelio's parents weren't there anymore.

At this point Aurelio's brain was reduced to mush. "What in the world are you two doing here?" he said. "How? We just left you there. My parents took me."

"You wanted us to come," Matt said, shrugging. "So we came. We're not about to leave you alone looking so shocked. Your parents might be good, but I don't think they know how to handle any of this."

"Where do you wanna go?" Leslie asked, glancing back at Aurelio.

"I..." Aurelio's heart thumped. "This isn't right. My parents were right here a second ago." He looked around and above him, still frowning. "It's still my parents' car. We're still in it. Why would you be driving their car, Matt? This doesn't make any..." Aurelio straightened, a realization slowly setting in. "...sense," he mumbled.

Parents' car...which was a small, metallic Toyota.

Small metallic Toyota.

Aurelio's heart skipped a beat, and a shiver crossed his spine. He stared out the window, and then a second realization stole the breath from his lungs.

For a moment all he could muster was a pathetic, weak whimper.

Fifth Street.

They were about to drive through Fifth Street.

In a small metallic Toyota.

Now all that was missing was a black Jeep speeding down the wrong lane, and the three of them were as good as dead.

"Matt," Aurelio finally managed, reaching for Matt's shoulder. He shook it. "Stop the car. Please. Stop it right now." When there was no answer, he shook his shoulder harder, then patted it violently--anything to grab his attention. But Matt wasn't even listening. "Matt! We're in a small metallic Toyota and we're about to pass through Fifth Street! Doesn't that sound familiar!"

Leslie twisted back and reached for Aurelio's hand. "Elio." Her voice was soft and sad, and her eyes flashed with pain when he pulled away from her touch. "We'll be fine. There are so many silver Toyotas out there. Not everything is connected to that accident."

Aurelio shook his head. "You don't get it," he said, fear and anxiety nearly rendering him breathless. "This is the consequence. The punishment. For leaving Blair. For letting things go back to normal. I had a dream about it, I-I swear. The word consequence kept ringing in my head." Talking wasted what little time he had to dodge this disaster, so he shut up instead and reached between the front seats, desperate to stop Matt--

An engine sounded ahead. Aurelio glanced up for a second with wide, horrified eyes, and there it was: a Jeep speeding towards them, an accident re-enacted, a tragedy repeated.

They didn't have time to scream.

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