Do You See Me Now? ✔

Chapter 24 - The Reaction

Tuesday, October 30th

     Mrs. Milonas had taken Jesse to see a doctor for his ankle, and now he was walking on crutches with a splint around his ankle. He didn't break any bones, but he did have two torn ligaments. 'Nothing too bad' according to the doctor, it would heal on its own over time. For the time being, Jesse needed to give his ankle as much rest as possible.

He didn't sulk a second over the fact that he wasn't able to play soccer for a while, but it did make him feel shitty when he found out how disappointed Calix was over the fact that 'he didn't have his buddy' with him on the field.

As soon as Calix had shown his disappointment, Jesse felt bad. Even though he knew it wasn't entirely his fault. Loek hadn't even warned him about the ditch or told him that their way to run required him to jump the ditch in the first place. If Jesse had known, he could've made the jump since he would've run at full speed.

Yes, this was all Loek's fault.

Jesse was tired and lounging on the couch after he had a meeting with someone who explained the consequences of his arrest. He would indeed get community service, but he wouldn't start until after his ankle healed enough.

The woman had seemed caring and forgiving, which calmed Jesse down a bit. That was until she started asking questions about the bruises on his face and arm, and why Mrs. Milonas was with him, and not his actual parents.

Initially, Jesse had refused to tell her, but since she kept prying, he spilled the tea, and told her everything that was going on in his life.

And to his luck, she was taking the stressful situation into consideration when she decided on a punishment. He wouldn't serve 12 hours of community service, but 8. She had also called in child support, since he was still a minor, and they were going to intervene.

Jesse didn't want them to start meddling in his life since he wasn't even living with them, but according to Mrs. Milonas, they needed to make sure Jesse was in a safe and supporting environment, with parental figures.

He felt like a complete bother to the Milonas family, but Mrs. and Mr. Milonas said they didn't mind. They were willing to talk to child support and let them visit to see he was in the right place.

Jesse was alone with Calix' sister Iris, while Mr. Milonas and Teddy—their youngest son—were picking up Jesse's stuff at home.

At the same time, Mrs. Milonas was picking up his stuff at Loek's and Mees' place, so Jesse would have access to all of his clothes and belongings while he was staying with them. They had offered the guest bedroom for him to use during his stay.

Calix went to soccer practice, and Jesse wondered if Loek would be there, and how he would react as soon as Calix would demand an answer as to why he left Jesse behind. It could become an ugly fight if Loek didn't show signs of remorse.

Iris, who always acted shy around Jesse whenever he visited, was hiding in her room, when Jesse's phone started buzzing.

For a second, Jesse thought—hoped—it would be Loek, calling to apologize. But when he took his phone from his pocket, he saw his brother Ivy was the one calling him, and that surprised him.

Mostly because he didn't know Ivy had his phone number in the first place. He wasn't that caring about Jesse.

But Jesse, curious by nature, couldn't ignore the call, wanting to know why Ivy contacted him.

"What do you want?" Jesse asked as soon as he answered the call.

"Jesse," Ivy said, sounding relieved. "Calix' parents just picked up your stuff. Don't tell me you're moving out?"