Three years earlier...

Grey

"What's your problem, man!? He was sitting right there! We had that game! We had it!" My sister, Julie, was jumping up and down on the couch, throwing a fit over the lost game of Fortnite.

Earlier that day, we had carried her TV and PS4 down to the living room so that we could play with each other. I always thought it was a shame that less and fewer games allow you to play multiplayer.

"He had me pinned! What was I supposed to do!? And I ran out of ammo because someone else picked it up!" I shouted back at her and she scrunched her face up in disapproval.

"You only have control over yourself," She stated with a serious face which caused both of us to bust out laughing.

Julie was my twin sister. My best friend, guardian, and supporter. We did everything together and knew what the other was thinking. She had taken that line from her therapist, but the execution was what really drove it home.

Julie suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks. It was rare to have a day where she wasn't irritable or hidden away inside of her own mind. I had grown accustomed to her barging into my room in the middle of the night because she felt an attack coming on.

She was getting help. She needed to or else she was going to be taken away from me.

"What in the world are you guys playing?" My mom came around the corner into the living room. The look on her face was so epic that we busted out laughing again.

Present Day...

The girl that I had yet to learn the name of flew out of the bathroom before I could even ask if she was okay.

She had a panic attack because of me.

When she had pulled away as she did, I had thought that I had hurt her, but she had zoned out for a good fifteen seconds before turning around to look me in the eyes. She must have had a flashback and then ran to the restroom to have her attack.

Ms. Farr motioned for me to leave the bathroom, but before heading to her class, I decided to ask her who the girl was.

"Ms. Farr, what was that girl's name?"

She looked at me and sweetly smiled, the way that I had seen countless times in class.

"Leona, dear," Ms. Farr said with a soft smile.

I nodded and slipped past her to try to find Leona, but once I reached the hallway, it was filled with loud germ infestations getting their slimy hands all over the walls.

"Hey! James." I turned to see who had called my name to see that it was Jay, who I had met on my first day of school. He was a Junior, but we were the same age. I was always the youngest in my class, being one day over the cut off date.

After we had received our lunches, we sat at our usual table. I pushed around my food for a few minutes until I heard my name being called. I looked up to see six sets of eyes on me.

"We just asked you what the snow was like," Jay said with a wide smile.

"Oh, it's cold and wet." Everyone laughed at my lame joke. It was always the same everywhere I went. People always tried so hard for me to like them.

"So, James, do you have a date for Prom?" Erica asked me from across the table. My head jerked up to look at her. Her eyes were gleaming with confidence.

"I don't think I'm going," I answered her honestly. If I hadn't said no, then she would have without a doubt asked me in front of everyone at our lunch table.

"What can you tell me about Leona?" I asked the table of my newly acquired friends. Jay looked around at everyone at the table first before speaking. Erica gave the girl next to her a look of distaste.

"Nothing, man. She keeps to herself, disappears during lunch, some say she goes to Ms. Farr's class and is like really young. She skipped a few grades or something." I nodded my head as I listened.

"So does she have any friends?"

"No, the girl's a freak." I shot my eyes over to Erica.

"Don't call her that." As soon as the words left my mouth, Erica's face fell and she looked down at the table, her hair falling forward.

I had only just met the girl, but the urge to defend her was overwhelming. She was intriguing, to say the least.

I pushed the tray of food towards the edge of the table and stood up. I didn't need to be associated with people who got off on making fun of others.

I took off with my tray and headed towards Ms. Farr's room which was on the other side of the school.

As soon as I knocked on the door, it opened just a few inches. I was met by one of Ms. Farr's wide eyes.

Was she afraid of me?

I mean I knew I was bigger than most people my age, but I wasn't a bad guy or anything.

I smiled so she knew that I came in peace and she relaxed her grip as she widened the doorway for me to enter the classroom.

"She's not here." I nodded and shoved my hand in my pocket. My other hand held my tray of food.

"I saw that fight. When you beat up those two boys." My head whipped up to meet her kind, but suspicious eyes.

"You saw? ...But you didn't turn me in."

"I believe that some times a good ole punch is what someone needs." She took a seat behind her desk with a small smile on her lips.

I sat down in one of the chairs and picked up a French fry. I popped it into my mouth as I thought about how I never noticed she was a little witty.

"So does Leona eat lunch in here with you?"

"She doesn't want you as her protector, she just needs a friend." The sweet teacher said, ignoring my question. I opened my mouth and closed it, not sure what to say.

Ms. Farr reached into her desk and pulled out a piece of paper. She laid it on the desk next to me. I read the words scrolled across the top. Only A Monster.

"You know your stunt on your first day got a lot of people talking." I had no idea because everyone seemed so nice to me. The girls flirted and the guys wanted to get to know me.

"Did Leona write this?" Ms. Farr stared at me for a moment before answering.

"It fell out of her backpack that day. I'm guessing that it's about you, dear. She's so talented, yet she only shares fluff pieces. This is one of her more defined works and I just loved it," She said with a soft smile.

My fingers felt along the ripped edge as I took in what Ms. Farr had said. 'She doesn't need a protector, she needs a friend.'

I had an overwhelming desire consume me when I had seen Leona collapsed on the floor having her attack; a desire to comfort, encourage and protect. She had been gasping for air and all I could think was how could I be her breath? I wanted to protect her from every dark situation this broken world may throw at her, but I also just wanted to be near her- with her.

What if I could be both?

This feeling was what I had expected to feel for Val, the love of my life; not some girl I had met a few weeks prior.

What if Leona was Valeera?

No, because what were the odds?

Shaken by my own thoughts, I thanked Ms. Farr and folded up the ripped poem and took it with me.