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Chapter 2: Don't Look Too Close
Levi hated being watched.
Especially by people who looked like they saw too much.
He sat across from Milo in the back corner of the auditorium. Their "rehearsal space." The teacher had handed them a printed scene from Ordinary People, and Levi scanned it with half-interest, underlining random lines just to look busy.
"You ever act before?" Milo asked, voice low and rough like he didn't talk much—like every word had to fight its way out.
Levi shrugged. "I fake it every day. Close enough."
Milo's lips curled into a smirk. "Cute. But I meant real acting."
"I guess," Levi said, not looking up. "Last year I played a tree. Got standing ovation."
Milo gave a breathy laugh. Levi looked up, startled by how it changed his whole face—softened it. Made him look like someone who hadn't built a wall around his heart.
Milo leaned back in his seat, legs stretched out, notebook resting on his knee. "Look, I rewrite scenes sometimes. Helps me feel it. You good with that?"
Levi narrowed his eyes. "You mean you rewrite published scripts?"
"I mean," Milo said slowly, "sometimes what's on the page isn't what people need to say."
That quieted Levi. Because somewhere deep down, it made sense.
"Fine," he muttered. "As long as I don't have to cry."
Milo flipped open his notebook, scribbled something down. "No promises."
They sat in silence for a while, papers between them, a thousand unsaid things in the air. Levi didn't know what bothered him more—that Milo wasn't talking, or that he wanted him to.
Then Milo said, barely above a whisper, "You're in pain, aren't you?"
Levi stiffened. "What?"
"Your back. Or ribs. You keep flinching when you twist." He looked up. "I notice stuff."
Levi's defenses went up fast. "You a doctor now?"
"No. Just someone who pays attention."
Levi stood. "Well stop."
Milo didn't flinch. "Too late."
Levi left before he said something he'd regret. But Milo's words stayed with him. Like a match lit in the dark.
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Author's Note:
Still with us? Drop a Power Stone and help this story rise—one feeling at a time.
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