CHAPTER FOUR: LEO

So, while looking for places outside of Mikey's radar, I discovered a small town called Anwood, where their high school had a basketball scholarship for me and their junior school was ideal for Shane and their fees were reasonable.

I sold the house Uncle George left us and left New York a week after we received the necessary documents for our new life in Anwood, with enough money in my bank account to last us until we got settled and I found a job in Anwood.

Shane didn't ask many questions about why we were leaving New York because he liked the idea of moving to a new town. I guess New York held a lot of painful memories for him and me, so we'd just like to leave everything behind and start over in Anwood, where no one knows who we are.

Present day…

I unloaded our belongings from the car before waking Shane. We then proceed to ask the woman standing outside the building for directions to the superintendent's office. Based on her casual attire and the fact that she was smoking in front of the building, I assume she is one of the tenants.

We followed her directions and found the superintendent's office in the waiting area's corner. When I knocked on the glass door, a muffled voice said, "Come in!" I pushed open the door and peered into the cramped space. When I walked in, the place smelled like stale alcohol and sweat, and holding my breath didn't help.

"Hello Sir, I called about a free apartment a week ago," I said, trying hard not to gag from the foul odor in the room.

"I'm Riley Miller, and you must be Leo. You only need to sign a few papers before I hand over the key." Mr Riley stated with a bored expression on his face as he rummaged through the files on his desk; he was a large man who looked like he hadn't bathed in a while, his clothes were rumbled, as if he'd slept in them.

"No problem, Mr Miller. Where should I sign?" I inquired as he handed me the papers. He gave me an annoyed look as I read through the document he handed me.

The questions and conditions seemed reasonable to me, so I signed and returned the document to him. He stashed the documents without looking at them and handed over the key.

"Thank you," I said, but I only got a short grunt in return, so I left his office, taking the keys with me.

Shane and I climbed into the dilapidated elevator with our belongings, and when the door closed, I pressed the button that flashed number two; the elevator shook and began to ascend. After a few minutes, I heard a bell ring and the door opened.

We made our way down the hallway in search of apartment 202 because that was the number written on the key given to us by the superintendent. The apartment was on the right at the end of the corridor. When I inserted the key into the apartment door, it refused to open, so I had to push it open with my shoulder. The musky smell assaulted our nostrils as Shane and I entered the two-bedroom apartment. The living room was small and extended all the way to the kitchen. The kitchen's central part was a small round-top dining table with two folding chairs. The stove atop the worktable looked worn and old, as did the fridge, but they both worked.

We entered the first room, and I turned to face Shane, saying, "Hey buddy, it's not much, but what do you think of your new room?"

"It's all mine; we don't have to share it."

"Yes, mine is just down the hall," I said, and his face lit up as he tossed his bag on the bed before rushing to embrace me.

"Thank you so much, Leo; I looooove it."

"There's no need to thank me; I'm just glad you like it, buddy. Let me drop my stuff before we start cleaning "I replied as I went to my room to drop my bags before joining him in cleaning his.

After we finished with his room, I went to clean mine before going to clean the kitchen and then the living room while Shane unpacked his belongings and assisted me in unpacking mine.

Shane came up to me later to let me know he was hungry. 'Damn it!' I cursed silently. I seemed to have forgotten I was supposed to get some groceries or even snacks on our way here. I stopped what I was doing and went to take a shower, changing into a pair of sweatpants, and a black hood. I sat down to wear my black Jordan.

"Hey Shane, I'm going to get us something to eat, don't open the door for anyone except me, and lock the door after I leave," I yelled from the sitting room.

My phone rang, indicating that someone had just texted me; I took it out and entered my password. I opened my messaging app and saw a new text from Shane. I opened our chat and read the text he had sent in response: "Okay Leo, don't stay out too late."

As soon as I read the text, he came out of his room. He smiled as he approached me, his phone in hand and headphones around his neck. I checked my phone and saw that it was getting late; however, it was still worthwhile to try to find something to eat for us tonight.

I waited for Shane to lock the door before making my way down the confusing maze of a hallway towards the elevator. Mr. Riley was closing his office door as I reached the ground floor. Maybe he was done for the day, I reasoned as I waved at him, but he ignored me.

'Rude much,' I thought as I walked out of the complex and towards my truck. I started the car and drove out of the parking lot onto the now deserted road. 'Small towns,' I grumbled exasperatedly.

I found an open diner called Rudys a few blocks away from the apartment building, so I packed the truck at the end of the road and walked up the sidewalk into the diner.

The place was packed, and I wondered if it was always this way, if I had walked in on someone's private celebration, or if it was just a busy time for them. As I approached the counter to place my order, the thoughts crossed my mind.

Before taking my order, the lady behind the counter attended to an older gentleman. While I waited, I looked around the room, eventually settling on a girl my age. She was dressed in a waitress uniform and smiled at the family she was attending to.

The diner then fell silent for a moment as two men in all black entered; one was much larger than the other, so I assumed the slightly smaller one was the boss, well, and because the big guy didn't look too bright to be the boss.

They sat in the back of the diner in a booth, waiting for their order to be taken. The attractive waitress who initially caught my interest was about to take their orders when an older man grabbed her and placed her on his lap. He leaned in and whispered something into her ear, and she tried to get away, but he wouldn't let her.

I wanted to intervene, but I was hesitant because I didn't want to draw undue attention to myself. I was so preoccupied with my internal conflict that I didn't notice when the smaller man from before stood up and walked over to the assholes table who was harassing the little waitress and pulled out a gun. He brought the muzzle dangerously close to the man's temple before saying something I couldn't quite understand from where I was sitting.

But whatever he must have said caused the other man to turn pale, and he pushed the little waitress off him and fled the establishment.

The man tucked the gun into his waistband while his massive companion helped the waitress up before they sat down as if nothing had happened. She trailed behind them, clutching her notepad. She was trying her hardest to hide her emotions and put on a brave face, but I could see the all-too-familiar emotion in her eyes: fear. That was nothing new to me. Every day, I see it on the faces of the fighters at the Void. I dare to say I'm so used to it that I can smell it from a mile away.

She left their table after taking their order and proceeded to what I assumed was the kitchen. As she walked past me, I got a better look at her. I thought she had a striking profile, and as if she sensed my gaze, she spared me a glance, and my heart skipped a beat.

She lowered her gaze almost immediately and continued to walk away, her packed ponytail dangling behind her slim swan-like neck. It happened so fast that I thought I was hallucinating. Although I could be mistaken, I believe her eyes were gray - an enthralling sight. The name tag on her chest said Athena, after the Greek goddess of war.

I'm not sure if she'd be as expressive, but she certainly had the looks. I desperately wanted to speak with her and even moved to do so, but I was reminded of my orders and had to focus on completing my payment. She was gone by the time I looked up. I sighed and dashed out the door. I realized I had left Shane alone for far too long. I hoped silently that I would see the lovely Athena again. My lips were framed by a small smile.

Upon my arrival at the apartment, Shane literally leaped on me to grab his food. He must be a starving, poor little guy. My Hero Academia, one of our favorite animated films, was playing while we ate dinner. Shane, who claimed he wasn't tired, was already dozing off by 10:30. I pleaded with him to go to bed before he finally did so. I turned off the TV and went to bed after tucking him in because tomorrow was a big day for me and the little man.