BuzzNovelHe had attended preschool before, but he never liked talking. Making friends was impossible for him; he could
only watch the others play from the sidelines. Eventually, he began to fear interacting with anyone at all. The
more tpassed, the more withdrawn he became. Before long, he was the one left out, the boy everyone
forgot.
So he just kept drawing, over and over-because as long as he had his sketchbook, he didn’t have to talk to
anyone. If he kept drawing, it didn’t matter that he was always alone.
“Ivan?” Eddie's voice was gentle, pulling Ivan from his thoughts.
Ivan blinked up at him, a flicker of hope in his eyes. But it faded just as quickly, and he shook his head before
picking up his pencil again.
Eddie's heart ached for him, but he didn’t push. Instead, he quietly left the studio, closing the door softly behind
him so Ivan could have the space to himself.
Just one window away, Ivan sat in silence, focused and serious as he worked on his drawing. Meanwhile, outside,
York was grinning from ear to ear, his laughter echoing through the yard.
“What are you doing out here?” Alessia sounded surprised when she saw Eddie step out. “How's he doing?”
“Much better than before. You can tell his mood’s improved a lot lately,” Eddie replied, setting a fresh cup of tea
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtin front of her. “He’s even started using bright colors-yellows, oranges-colors he never touched before. The
whole feel of his artwork is lighter, not as dark or heavy as it used to be.”
He paused. “Has anything happened recently? Anything that might have brought about this change?”
Alessia frowned, thinking back over the past week for anything significant.
“Rex, are you an idiot? Givethe ball! Get back here!” York's exasperated shout rang out from the yard.
That snapped Alessia back to the present. It wasn’t just Ivan who had changed-York seemed different, too. The
gloom and defensiveness that used to surround him had faded, and even the old chip on his shoulder-the sense
that the whole world was out to get him-had softened.
Their childhoods had been unhappy in different ways, but that had shaped them
Chapter 16.
into complete opposites. Strangely, though, they complemented each other perfectly.
“I think maybe just having someone their own age around makes things easier for them than dealing with us
adults,” Alessia said.
Eddie nodded. “That's why | asked Ivan if he wanted to try school again. He clearly longs for it, but he shook his
head and refused.”
“School? Isn't that a bit risky, with so many people?” Alessia asked, worry creasing
her brow.
“If he had someone familiar by his side, he'd probably feel much safer,” Eddie hinted.
Alessia gazed out the window at York, who was playing without a care in the world, and sighed.
“York,” she called.
At the sound of her voice, York abandoned his tug-of-war with Rex and bounded over. “What's up?”
Alessia beckoned him closer. He hurried to her side.
“Would you like Ivan to go to school with you?”
York narrowed his eyes, sensing a
trap. “What do you wantte, qet’
For all Rg goofinebsiiielvas sharp
whe it counted—a true Tate, through
and through. The content is on
novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
“Didn't you tell us you wanted Ivan at
your school? That yguidlogk outfor
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him?{ AlsSiabressed.. The content
is on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
York paused. That had, in fact, been exactly what he’d declared at the Morton family dinner table.
“What's wrong? The great York Tate,
going back on his word? If you GRO
keep a Rice a¥c@nacel
stop to ig over for dinner at the
Mortons,” Alessia teased, a sly
glimmer in her eyes. The content is
on novelenglish.net! Read the latest
chapter there!
She'd been around at least a decade longer than York-and she’d learned a trick or two in that time.
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