Chapter 170: Chapter 180

Chapter 0180 +25 BONUS One thing was for certain, though: having their Luna come to visit seemed to be the highlight of the day. By the time the kids all caught on to the fact that I was there, I was practically swarmed with small hands and homemade cards and requests to play games.

Throughout the day, however, I noticed one boy who didn’t join in with the others. He was sitting by the window in a wheelchair, just staring up into the sky. At first, I thought that maybe he was sleeping or maybe even catatonic, but when I caught him looking over every so often, I realized that that didn’t seem to be the case.

“Who is that boy?” I asked the nurse, curious.

The nurse sighed. “That’s Tom.”

“Is he sick, or..?”

“He’s very shy,” the nurse replied softly. “Doesn’t like hanging out with the others. Barely talks in group therapy. We’ve tried everything.”

I frowned. “May I?”

The nurse shrugged. “Sure, you can try to talk to him. He might not answer, though.”

With a nod, I cautiously walked over to the boy’s wheelchair. As I drew closer, I realized he must have been about sixteen. He seemed anorexic, his legs so thin that he must have been bound to that wheelchair for most of the day.

I just stood there for a moment, following his gaze, until I realized what he was looking at: a bird’s nest in the tree by the window.

There were babies inside, and the mother had seemingly just returned with dinner “You’re watching the birds?” I asked, The boy shot me a look but said nothing. Sighing, I sank down cross-legged onto the floor beside him. Together, we just watched the mother feed her babies until she was finished, and then she flew away again.

“She’s always feeding them,” Tom suddenly blurted out. “Back and forth all day.”

“I wonder if she gets tired,” I replied.

Tom shot me a sidelong glance. “I doubt it. Birds are wired for that sort of thing.”

“They still get tired, though,” I replied. Tom smirked, and I scratched my head before continuing. “Don’t you want to come and play a board game with us?

For a moment, the boy stiffened-but then he glanced over at the others, grimaced, and shook his head. Nah. I don’t fit in.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged, then gestured at himself. I’m a guy. And I’m anorexic. Look at me.”

“So?” I asked as I eyed the boy’s thin arms. “What’s that got to do with anything?” “Guys aren’t supposed to be anorexic. It’s...

weird.”

Chapter 0160 “Who told you that?”

+25 BONUS For a moment. Tom was silent. Then, turning his head, he bit out through clenched teeth, “Everyone.”

I frowned deeply. “Well, I don’t think that’s true. Plenty of guys have eating disorders, anorexia included.”

Tell that to my parents,” Tom said with a scoff. “My anorexia was ignored until I was almost dead. No one believed me, and now look at me. And now no one wants me around while I’m in this damn wheelchair.”

Lout a retos My lips parted to the teenager’s poor attitude, but I stopped myself. He was right, men were often overlooked for eating disorders. And now he was in a wheelchair, feeling alienated because of his disorder, “Do you think your peers think that?” I asked, gesturing to the others. “Have they told you that they don’t want you around, or have you just assumed that?”

Tom opened his mouth, but then shut it again. His eyes, a deep blue, met mine-and it was in that moment that I made a decision, With a huff, I grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and spun it around, pushing it back toward the games table.

“Hey!” Tom shouted. “What the hell-”

“We’re playing Monopoly,” I said, “and you’re joining in By the time I walked out of the youth center, the sky was already dark. I stifled a yawn as I said goodnight to Sophia; somehow, we had spent the entire day there. After I had pushed Tom over to the games table, I had convinced him to join in on a game of Monopoly-and before I knew it, we were three hours into the game with no end in sight.

I promised to come back, of course. How could I not?

But it was as I opened the car door, about to tell the driver to take me home, that my phone buzzed. A text from Viona illuminated the screen.

“Meet me at Crescent Pub. NOW.”