BuzzNovelIt was as if the air had turned to stone, freezing them both in place.
Ivan’s lower lip trembled, caught between tears and stubborn silence. York, on the other hand, began to panic.
He was used to pulling pranks on kids older than himself-never on someone his own age, let alone younger. This
was supposed to be harmless fun, just a bit of mischief to pass the time. He had never meant for things to get so
out of hand.
Swallowing hard, York scrambled to gather the scattered books, stacking them into a neat pile before thrusting
them into Ivan’s arms. When Ivan didn’t take them, York grabbed Ivan’s hand and pressed the books into his
palm.
“I didn’t mean to, honestly! Don’t cry, okay? I'll buy you a new one. Or terr.ew ones! Or a hundred if you want!
Please, | swear | wasn't trying to be mean-just don’t cry.”
York looked ready to burst into tears himself. “If it's really that bad, then go ahead. and cry, but you can’t tell
Alessia, alright? If she finds out, she’ll wipe my account for sure.”
He remembered, with a shudder, the last the'd picked on someone his own age. Alessia had deleted every
last one of his gaccounts without so much as a warning, and dragged him by the ear to apologize in person.
He'd learned his lesson-never again had he bullied anyone younger than or as young as himself.
Now, seeing Ivan so silent, York was overwhelmed with regret. Even Rex, their golden retriever, circled Ivan once
before nudging him gently with his nose.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThat little gesture finally got a reaction. Ivan stood up, put the books carefully back on the shelf, and-without a
word or a tear-sat back down at his easel. He picked up his paintbrush. The single yellow flower he'd painted
was now being smeared over with black, the whole canvas dissolving into a wild, messy blur.
York watched, growing more anxious by the second. He reached out to touch Ivan’s arm, but his finger caught
the edge of a line, dragging it out of place.
Ivan glanced at him, eyes rimmed red but empty of any real emotion.
York quickly looked away. “Don’t be mad, okay? | really didn’t mean to. It’s just a notebook-tomorrow I'll bring
you a hundred if you want!”
Ivan ignored him, and York bit his lip, clearly wrestling with himself before making
an enormous concession.
“Or-or maybe you can borrow Rex for two days? Or three! Three days, that's the
1/2
1317
most, though. I've never let anyone else borrow Rex before.”
As if understanding, Rex nudged Ivan’s hand again.
But Ivan only pressed harder with his brush, sending another wild streak across the page.
Then the door slammed shut with a sharp bang. Karen, hearing the noise from the kitchen, poked her head out
and found a boy and a dog standing in the hallway, staring at each other.
“What's going on, York? Did you and Ivan get into a fight?”
York couldn’t answer. The words just wouldn't come.
Karen had raised five children of her own, and unless blood was spilled,
usually
let them sort out their squabbles on
their own-maybe offe(ing advide’
[
lager ose@tnpers had cooled. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
This time, she decided to stick to her tried-and-true method.
“Want to chelpin the kitchen?”
York glanced up at Karen. There was
a warmth in her eyes he'd never once
seen on his mother Yvonne's face. In
his memory, Yvon nea atways!
poked distarfE-her face setina
stern mask, always rushing in and
out of the house, never lingering. He
could count on one hand the number
of meals they'd shared together; he
couldn't even remember if the last
twas when he was three or four.
Even when The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
he'd gone to Merovia, Yvonne had never visited, not even when he’d fallen ill...
“Okay,” he mumbled, nodding almost imperceptibly.
In the kitchen, Karen pulled up a little
stepstool for York so he could help
out. Truth be told, V¥irkSpmpered
HerbiRh Wasn't much help, but as
long as he didn't break any dishes,
Karen was satisfied. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
Visit our social media platform to read fascinating stories every day and connect with the community!
