No One Called the Devil a Liar
Never Found
“Where do you want to eat?” Leif asks. It’s a late fall evening and we are walking through downtown. I shrug.
“Anywhere,” I reply. We walk around for a bit until we end up at a small corner café. We order our food at the counter and take a seat at a small table next to the window. We make small talk while we wait for our food then enjoy our meal in silence. We finish and Leif sips on some coffee while I enjoy a hot tea. I gaze out the window when I spot a familiar face and a familiar face spots me. Leif and I are abruptly interrupted.
“So it’s true?” Alecia says while standing with her arms crossed. She’s with Craig and Michael but they are smoking outside.
“What’s true?” I ask.
“That you and Leif are like a thing!” She says excitedly.
“We’re not.” Leif states plainly. And it’s true. We haven’t even kissed. It’s not like neither of us don’t want to, but it just doesn’t seem right. It’s been almost two months since Alex and I broke up, and I’ve been staying with Leif since. We sleep in the same bed and he takes care of me like a boyfriend would. I like him, of course, and I think he likes me but it’s hard to tell. The sexual tension is unbelievable but Leif won’t make a move. I wonder if he thinks I don’t want to, which is crazy because the signs are so obvious.
“Yeah right, everyone’s talking about how messed up it is.” Alecia chuckles. “I don’t get why anyone would want to be with a sixteen year old anyways.” Leif stands up and Alecia flinches like he was going to hit her but that’s not him at all. She takes a step away from us. I stand up and follow Leif out the door. We pass Craig and Michael and say hi before walking away.
“Why is it always like this?” I ask while watching the ground pass underneath me. Leif doesn’t say anything. I glance up at him and his face looks calm. He always looks calm. We walk. I thought we were walking back to his place, but we pass his place.
“Where are we going?” I ask. He looks down at me and smiles. He’s so confusing. We walk for over a mile. We’re walking along when suddenly Leif turns. He hops over a cement barrier and down a grass lined trail to an abandoned dock. I stand there watching him. He’s graceful and makes everything he does look effortless. He starts walking on the dock when he turns around.
“Coming?” He asks with a half-smile. I start down the trail and follow him on the broken dock. He gets to the end and sits. I sit next to him.
“Why’d we come out here?” I ask and stare over the water. He shrugs.
“I like sitting out here.” He says and smiles at me. “Nobody comes out here.” He looks back out at the ocean. I follow his gaze with my own.
“It is beautiful.”
We sit there for over an hour just watching the ocean. We stay as the sun sets and the stars come out. I pull my jacket close around me, and try not to shiver.
“It is getting cold.” Leif says. “Let’s go home.” He stands up and helps me up as well. We begin walking and he doesn’t let go of my hand. I wonder if he realizes he’s still holding it. We walk hand-in-hand for a few moments. He finally lets go when his phone rings.
“Hey dude, what’s up?” He says into the phone. We continue our walk back to his apartment. I glance at my feet and notice my shoe untied. I bend down to tie it. When I stand back up its only in time to see Leif step into the street as a car comes speeding down it. I try to yell at him to move but it’s too late.
It only takes a moment for the car to slam into him and send him to the ground. I run over to him and drop to my knees. He’s not moving, not breathing, and there’s a pool of blood under his head. I hold his hand as my eyes swell with tears.
~~
“What’s your name?”
“Dyllan.”
“How old are you Dyllan?”
“Sixteen.”
“Do you have a parent to call and get you?” I look at the officer questioning me and shake my head no. He has soft brown eyes. He frowns and writes something on a notepad. “Do you have any relatives?” He asks. I shake my head no again. There’s a knock on the door and another officer comes in. I look up at him, and he looks at me. His face has grown old, his hair grey, but I recognize his soft gentle eyes. He recognizes me, too, I can tell by his expression. His face shows sadness and sympathy and I look away.
“Landon wants to speak with you.” He says to the officer questioning me. “I am going to take over here.” The questioning officer nods and leaves.
The older officer sits across from and reads the paper in front of him. He looks at me, “Do you remember me, Dyllan?” He asks. “My name is Officer Taylor.”
“I remember.”
“Are you no longer living with the…” He flips through the paperwork, “Johnson family?”
“No.”
“Where are you living?”
“Is he dead?” I ask and look Officer Taylor in the eye.
He frowns then nods. “Leif did not make it.” I look at the table.
“Were you living with him?” He asks. I don’t answer. I just stare at the table. He continues to ask questions, but I don’t answer any of them. He eventually leaves the room. A tear escapes my swollen eyes and rolls down my cheek. I wipe it with the tip of my index finger and put my hand out in front of me to look at it. I rub the tear between my index finger and thumb until it dries and disappears.
“Anywhere,” I reply. We walk around for a bit until we end up at a small corner café. We order our food at the counter and take a seat at a small table next to the window. We make small talk while we wait for our food then enjoy our meal in silence. We finish and Leif sips on some coffee while I enjoy a hot tea. I gaze out the window when I spot a familiar face and a familiar face spots me. Leif and I are abruptly interrupted.
“So it’s true?” Alecia says while standing with her arms crossed. She’s with Craig and Michael but they are smoking outside.
“What’s true?” I ask.
“That you and Leif are like a thing!” She says excitedly.
“We’re not.” Leif states plainly. And it’s true. We haven’t even kissed. It’s not like neither of us don’t want to, but it just doesn’t seem right. It’s been almost two months since Alex and I broke up, and I’ve been staying with Leif since. We sleep in the same bed and he takes care of me like a boyfriend would. I like him, of course, and I think he likes me but it’s hard to tell. The sexual tension is unbelievable but Leif won’t make a move. I wonder if he thinks I don’t want to, which is crazy because the signs are so obvious.
“Yeah right, everyone’s talking about how messed up it is.” Alecia chuckles. “I don’t get why anyone would want to be with a sixteen year old anyways.” Leif stands up and Alecia flinches like he was going to hit her but that’s not him at all. She takes a step away from us. I stand up and follow Leif out the door. We pass Craig and Michael and say hi before walking away.
“Why is it always like this?” I ask while watching the ground pass underneath me. Leif doesn’t say anything. I glance up at him and his face looks calm. He always looks calm. We walk. I thought we were walking back to his place, but we pass his place.
“Where are we going?” I ask. He looks down at me and smiles. He’s so confusing. We walk for over a mile. We’re walking along when suddenly Leif turns. He hops over a cement barrier and down a grass lined trail to an abandoned dock. I stand there watching him. He’s graceful and makes everything he does look effortless. He starts walking on the dock when he turns around.
“Coming?” He asks with a half-smile. I start down the trail and follow him on the broken dock. He gets to the end and sits. I sit next to him.
“Why’d we come out here?” I ask and stare over the water. He shrugs.
“I like sitting out here.” He says and smiles at me. “Nobody comes out here.” He looks back out at the ocean. I follow his gaze with my own.
“It is beautiful.”
We sit there for over an hour just watching the ocean. We stay as the sun sets and the stars come out. I pull my jacket close around me, and try not to shiver.
“It is getting cold.” Leif says. “Let’s go home.” He stands up and helps me up as well. We begin walking and he doesn’t let go of my hand. I wonder if he realizes he’s still holding it. We walk hand-in-hand for a few moments. He finally lets go when his phone rings.
“Hey dude, what’s up?” He says into the phone. We continue our walk back to his apartment. I glance at my feet and notice my shoe untied. I bend down to tie it. When I stand back up its only in time to see Leif step into the street as a car comes speeding down it. I try to yell at him to move but it’s too late.
It only takes a moment for the car to slam into him and send him to the ground. I run over to him and drop to my knees. He’s not moving, not breathing, and there’s a pool of blood under his head. I hold his hand as my eyes swell with tears.
~~
“What’s your name?”
“Dyllan.”
“How old are you Dyllan?”
“Sixteen.”
“Do you have a parent to call and get you?” I look at the officer questioning me and shake my head no. He has soft brown eyes. He frowns and writes something on a notepad. “Do you have any relatives?” He asks. I shake my head no again. There’s a knock on the door and another officer comes in. I look up at him, and he looks at me. His face has grown old, his hair grey, but I recognize his soft gentle eyes. He recognizes me, too, I can tell by his expression. His face shows sadness and sympathy and I look away.
“Landon wants to speak with you.” He says to the officer questioning me. “I am going to take over here.” The questioning officer nods and leaves.
The older officer sits across from and reads the paper in front of him. He looks at me, “Do you remember me, Dyllan?” He asks. “My name is Officer Taylor.”
“I remember.”
“Are you no longer living with the…” He flips through the paperwork, “Johnson family?”
“No.”
“Where are you living?”
“Is he dead?” I ask and look Officer Taylor in the eye.
He frowns then nods. “Leif did not make it.” I look at the table.
“Were you living with him?” He asks. I don’t answer. I just stare at the table. He continues to ask questions, but I don’t answer any of them. He eventually leaves the room. A tear escapes my swollen eyes and rolls down my cheek. I wipe it with the tip of my index finger and put my hand out in front of me to look at it. I rub the tear between my index finger and thumb until it dries and disappears.