The Lion and the Rebel

During their time apart Leona felt like there would be a growing distance between her and Asani. Now that she has entered high school and is in the bottom of the food chain again, she linked herself with the twins as much as possible. Being anti-social didn’t have its perks and she struggled in school more than what she hoped for.

Leona hated that she is dyslexic. She remembered the first time she was diagnosed, during the first grade when she couldn’t even spell simple words like chair or bowl. Her parents spent extra time with her, Lucy spent less time at the bakery just to help her get over her problem.

Whenever she was stressed it would come back in full force and she couldn’t read anything at all. Now was one of those times, it has been months since she has seen Asani. The teenage boy is off exploring a whole new world and being independent while she is stuck being treated like some misguided stupid child that can’t spell worth a damn.

She blamed the blue eyed boy that is returning home for winter break to send her mind into a frenzy. Leona kept rereading Macbeth for the seventh time not fully grasping the material. The only one that fully understood things like this is Uncle Tom.

He should know, he majored in the bloody thing.

Tucking the book underneath her arm she excused herself from the twins who were too busy counting down on the arrival of their older brother to focus on the homework that is assigned during their break. Squeezing herself into Uncle Tom’s library as she would like to call it, she saw him quietly reading a book his eyes burning through the pages deep in thought.

Suddenly Leona felt intrusive seeing how attentive he is to the book. “Don’t be shy, Lee. I know why you’re here.” The soothing voice of her beloved uncle halted her foot from backtracking, the ball of her right foot stood still as his eyes peeled off the page and onto her.

He beckoned her to come forward which she did within seconds. “Need some assistance?” Tom smiled gently, his kind eyes always gave her comfort. The eyes that reminded her so much of Asani; he had the same look whenever he helped her.

Nodding her head shyly, she nibbled on her lip explaining, “I can’t concentrate. The words are all jumbled up a-and I just—I feel so lost and stupid. Why am I even in school? I’m just a student with average grades.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, darling. Dyslexia is a difficult thing and can be conquered when you apply yourself. You know that we are all here to help you, day or night no matter what. I consider you as one of my own.” Tom ruffled Leona’s light blond hair before flipping through the book. “Let’s start from the beginning, yeah?”

Leona agreed as Tom helped her break down the acts. The frustration of not able to read some of the parts got to her, but Tom patiently discussed what she missed and how she can avoid missing it with simple memory techniques.

Notes were scribbled onto her notepad, placing stickys all over the book for quick notes. Leona didn’t realize it was hours into deciphering the text until Naima popped in and announced she was going to pick up Asani at the airport. Leona’s feelings tumbled into the ground as nerves started to kick up again.

Fiddling with her pencil, Tom noticed the quirks the young girl had whenever his son’s name was uttered. Right when he was about to say something, Chris entered the room.

“There you are. I was looking all over for you. Having fun?” Chris smiled easily, sitting down next to his daughter.

“Could be worse.” Leona joked. “Uncle Tom was giving me the backstory of Lady Macbeth.”

Chris laughed seeing the displeasure his daughter was having when Tom went on his usual rants on his love of literature. “Yes, well no one can escape Tom when he goes on about Shakespeare except for Nai. She has a knack for escaping his clutches.”

Leona giggled as she watched the two men playfully taunt one another. She enjoyed the time they all spend together everything felt so natural and light. It was easier to forget her struggles when she is around her family. Before she knew it, she heard screaming. The three perked up before the two men grinned.

“Looks like Sani has made it back.” Chris said.

Tom nodded, “Let’s go before the girls rip him apart.” A chuckle left his lips remembering how mental the twins can be when they have been separated from their older brother for too long.

Leona glanced at the both of them, a huge lump in her throat as she shakingly followed right behind them. Her footsteps were small and hesitant. The poor girl could easily hear her heart thundering in her ears as she walked down the corridor and stood at the top of the stairs staring down at the twins hugging their brother rambling how much they missed him.

The shy girl felt their joy as the twins broke down happy that they got to see their brother again.

“It’s been too long, Sani!”

“Yeah, way too long!”

Asani looked at the girls with a small smile, “I’ve only been gone for five months.”

“That’s too long!” The twins whined at once.

While Asani’s attention is focused on his sisters, Leona took the liberty to quietly walk down the stairs as the family greeted him. She stood in the back observing the entire scene before everyone was escorted into the kitchen for dinner. Leona didn’t say much and she is grateful she didn’t have pushy parents and left her alone.

Sneaking out to the backyard, Leona sighed feeling the weight being added into her heart again. It felt longer than five months since she has last saw him and she was right. He changed a lot during those months away.

Physically he didn’t change much. He was still the abnormally tall, blue eyed teen she saw five months prior, but his eyes just screamed experience. Asani had college experiences whether or not he is sleeping around or partying a lot it as changed him. Her heart dropped at the thought of him sleeping with girls, a beautiful girl with flawless skin and just a fit body any boy would fawn over.

Twirling her light blond hair with her finger she didn’t notice Asani glancing at her from where he was sitting wondering why she hasn’t spoken to him.

The tension between the two grew, slowly drifting apart more than usual. During the years, Leona barely said more than two words to Asani. Just the typical detached greetings and farewells. Asani didn’t understand why she has become so distant and she even created more distance when he brought home a girlfriend during one of the breaks.

The girl was average looking, charming in every single way and had a Brooklyn accent from what Aunt Naima has commented on. The girl had long beautiful tight curls flowing down her back and a beaming smile that matched her sparkling blue eyes.

What was her name?

Ariana. How can she forget a girl that Asani dated since his freshman year of college. Leona was heartbroken when he shared that little bit of information with everyone when he introduced her. They were still going strong for three years when Leona turned seventeen.

That year Leona changed dramatically.

Her parents didn’t know what to say when Leona chopped her beautiful white blond locks into boy cut. Leona started to wear dark make-up and dark clothes to suit her style. The girl started to become her own person as she got her piercings in her ears multiple times along with the twins. She was still introverted, but physically she isn’t the same.

What upset her is that she still had her baby face, she blamed her round face that still made her look innocent despite her having a darker look.

Flattening her red and black plaid skirt, she leaned against the wall watching people pass by her towards the baggage claim. A few pictures were taken of her and the twins whom she disregarded as she was taken away by the twins and their excitement. They were still the same bouncy girls when he first visited home except they didn’t wear pigtails and more dresses and skirts.

“Look! Look! He’s right there!” Antoinette pointed into the crowd.

Isolde stared in the same direction with the same beaming smile, “And Ari is with him too!”

Leona trailed behind the twins once they took off, watching them tackle their older brother before bombarding Ariana. When Asani turned to look at the small blond girl standing to the side, it took him a few minutes to figure out who she was.

“Leona?” His eyes widened in shock. “Holy—shit what happened to your hair?”

Her cheeks went ablaze as she ran a hand over her cropped hair and before she could answer the twins intervene.

“She cut her hair, Sani, isn’t it obvious?”

Asani rolled his eyes, “I know she cut her hair. I just…you don’t look-”

“I think she looks lovely.” Ariana but in saving Asani from making a complete ass of himself. She shot the teen girl a charming smile. “You look adorable with that haircut. I wish I can rock a shorter hairstyle.”

“Babe, I don’t think you would want shorter hair.” He mumbled.

Arian nodded, agreeing before linking her arm with Leona. “How have you been? It felt like we missed so much.”

Leona felt sick to her stomach. Over the years, the I’s became we’s when the relationship progressed into something serious. Word has spread that Ariana and Asani are going to last forever, the twins already envisioned them having kids and being married. Leona can’t deal with the sight of them together and seeing that she is so reserved, Ariana being the polar opposite of her tried to loop her into their group when they came to visit.

Leona felt like she can finally breathe as she found some peace and quiet at her home. Sitting at the back stoop she closed her eyes for a few seconds to grasp everything that has come together.

“You’ve changed.”

Opening her eyes, she turned her head to see Asani standing a few feet away from her with a frown on his face as if he is disappointed in something. “Yeah.” She whispered. Turning back to look out into her yard, she felt Asani joining her not questioning why he was there in the first place.

“Why are you so distant from me?”

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are.” Asani breathed out a dark chuckle. “I feel like you have been setting yourself to the side since my freshman year of uni. I don’t understand why you became so cold and this new getup. What’s with you?”

Leona frowned, no one really questioned her why she is the way she is. Biting her bottom lip she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m trying to find myself like every other teenager. People change, Asani.”

“Not as fast as this. I feel like you change a little bit every time I see you and I do mean daily when I’m here as well. Like your hiding something.” His blue eyes darted towards her in an intense gaze. The young girl leaned back to avoid his burning gaze and just as quickly he put some distance between them.

“Any plans after graduation? The twins are thinking about Oxford and Cambridge, possibly RADA.” Asani smirked, “Father is thrilled by that.”

Leona heard of the twins’ dreams and goals. The girls are so ambitious going for the top schools for what they want to do. It’s easy for them to apply anywhere with the outstanding scores they have. Unlike Leona who has been struggling since day one. She truly didn’t know what she is going to do after graduation.

“I honestly don’t know. I didn’t apply for any schools so I’m taking a gap year.”

Asani looked surprised by the answer, “What are you going to do then?”

“Work more hours at my mum’s bakery until I figure out what I want to do. I’m a little worried that I will never find out what I want to do.”

“You’ll figure it out. Everyone does.”

A smile was exchanged between the two of them as a small silence enveloped them both.

_ _ _

“Ahhh!” Antoinette screams running towards the ocean with zero shame. Leona shook her head as she walked beside Isolde who was mumbling apologies to the people passing by. They shouldn’t have been surprised by Antoinette’s reaction to the ocean, but after her falling asleep on the way over and then spontaneously screaming her head off was a bit of a shock.

Each person grabbed a bag as they headed for the beach, the twins came up with an idea of spending the day here after Ariana complained that she was bored out of her mind sitting at the house all day.

Leona couldn’t agree more. She could feel her brain deteriorating while they sat there doing nothing and it isn’t like she had a choice of going over since the twins dragged her to their house in the wee hours of the morning.

The sun was barely shining, clouds overcast the sky for the most part yet the group is still content with the outdoors. Finding a random spot on the beach, Leona sat down along with Isolde to see Antoinette running up from her adventures to the water and tearing off her soaked clothes to reveal her bikini.

Isolde had the same thoughts as she took off her clothes to reveal a polka dot bikini like her sister’s except hers was red and Antoinette’s was blue. Leona felt out of place seeing the curvy bodies that they had developed over the years.

They truly inherited their mother’s body, a decent chest size that is desirable by almost every man around, long torso and small hips accompanied by thick thighs and a round bum. Leona took after her mother, a small chest that can barely pass for a B cup, there weren’t a lot of curves that she had except her hips they were wide for some odd reason and a small bum.

There isn’t a lot to work with.

“Come on, Lee. Take it off!” Antoinette chirped, tearing off the clothes of the shy girl beside her.

Leona squeaked as she tried to maintain her clothes together only for it to be futile given that Isolde agreed with her twin. Now she is exposed for all to see in her small green bikini. “Let’s go! Let’s go!” Antoinette pulled on her hand, taking her towards the ocean.

Leona let her body be dragged into her skin hit the icy water which she screamed from shock. Antoinette laughed as she dives in commenting on how great it is.

The girls were having a good time in the water when Asani and Ariana show up at the spot. Isolde quirked a brow at the couple, “Where did you lot go?”

Ariana sheepishly smile, “Nowhere.”

The twin gave her an uncomfortable smile knowing that they did something before meeting up with them. “You know, I realized that little Leona has tattoos. Pretty bold for a girl like her I might say.” Ariana commented.

Isolde tilted her head, “Bold? I think it suits her.”

Asani groans, “She has tattoos now too? What is wrong with that girl?”

“Nothing is wrong with her Sani. She’s just being herself, she actually wanted tattoos for the longest time and got consent from her parents so mind ya business, eh?” Isolde glared at her older brother noticing the small groans and snips he has been taking at Leona.

Yes Leona has changed physically, but she believes the small blond is showing more character than she ever has. Isolde is proud of Lee and so is Antoinette.

When the girls in the water decide to walk onto the shore, Ariana decided to interrogate her on the tattoos. Leona blinked realizing that her tattoos were showing. Sheepishly smiling she told Ariana that each of her tattoos meant something to her, one for each person that holds a special place in her heart.

As she is discussing her body art, Asani stared at the one on her ribcage completely baffled. The Lion and the Rebel. It said, in cursive writing. His eyes flickered to her face as a small blush formed on her cheeks.

It was then that Asani discovered that Leona still cared even if she distanced herself from him and for some reason he felt something fluttering in his chest when he watched her smile.