-- Chapter 26 --

Sunday morning arrived with a quiet tension that seemed to fill the old house like a thick fog. As Levi lay awake in bed, he couldn’t hear any sound coming from anywhere – even the wind and the surf seemed to be quiet today – but when he eventually made it out into the kitchen, that was where he found Matt and Luke.

Matt stood by the window, looking out into the yard, his arms crossed. Only when he heard a noise behind him did he turn around, revealing tired eyes and a face set with hard lines. Luke was at the kitchen bench, after filling the kettle, two coffee mugs in front of him, his expression softer but still clearly concerned.

‘Hey,’ Levi said quietly as he stepped into the room.

‘Hey yourself,’ Matt replied. His voice was low, controlled, but the disappointment and anger underneath was unmistakable.

Luke switched on the kettle and turned around, then after seeing Levi he reached up and pulled down another mug. Levi pulled out a stool and sat down at the kitchen bench, waiting for the verbal bashing he knew he deserved to finally come.

But it didn’t come.

There was only silence, broken by the rising sound of the boiling kettle. Matt’s eyes bored into him. Levi stared back, not defiant, just . . . waiting. Expecting the worst.

And still it didn’t come.

‘I think we need to talk,’ Levi said eventually, his voice far steadier than how he felt.

‘That would be a good place to start,’ Matt replied. ‘I know a place . . .’

Despite everything, the corners of Levi’s mouth turned up slightly. Matt had taken him to the town lookout before, when they had needed to talk through hard things. It was just like the lookout back home, but with better views, and it had become their safe place.

‘Yeah . . . but I think there’s someone else I need to talk to first, if that’s okay?’

Matt studied him. ‘Brooke?’

‘No. It’s Sunday . . . and I need to talk to God. Or at least to His representative.’

Matt gave a slow nod, a wry smile tugging at his lips. ‘Fair enough. I can drop you off if you want? Then we can go for a drive afterwards.’

‘That’d be good. Thank you.’

Luke finished making their coffees, just how everyone liked it – even Levi had started drinking it since he had moved down to live with them – and then placed them on the bench. As they sat down to drink it, Levi and his father studied each other across the kitchen bench in heavy silence.

‘I just need to know that you’re okay,’ Matt said finally, ‘and that you’re not in any other trouble.’

‘I’m not in any trouble . . . and I think I’m going to be okay. I’ve hurt people I care about, and I have some bridges to mend, but I’ll get over this.’

‘I’m glad to hear it.’ Matt’s voice softened just a fraction. ‘You’d better hit the shower. Then I’ll drop you off at the church.’

***

At 10 am Matt dropped him off outside the small community church as the congregation were moving inside, and just before Mass was about to begin. Father Costas smiled warmly as Levi approached the door and reached out his hand.

‘It’s good to see you, Levi.’

‘You too, Father. After Mass . . . can we talk?’

‘Of course, my son.’

Levi nodded, then went inside, finding a pew at the rear of the church, close to the doors.

The Mass passed in a familiar rhythm, but Levi barely heard the words, barely recognised the message of the sermon. His mind was elsewhere – replaying the crash, the hurt on the faces of family and friends, the kiss, the laughter that had chased him home. When it was all over and while Father Costas finished greeting his parishioners outside, he remained seated in the back pew, trying to wait as patiently as he could, but with his heart beating loud enough for him to hear it.

About twenty minutes later, the priest returned and beckoned him to follow. They walked past the altar and into a small side room, where Father Costas began to remove his outer vestments. Levi managed a small smile at the sight that was revealed, of Father wearing a plain black t-shirt – with the logo of an old rock and roll band on it – and black pants underneath.

‘So, how have you been, Levi?’ Father Costas asked as they both sat down. ‘I’m sensing there is something heavy troubling you today.’

Levi twiddled his thumbs, while staring at the floor.

‘If you’ll pardon the language, Father . . . I’ve really fucked up,’ he eventually said, while daring to look up to see the priest’s reaction.

Father Costas smiled gently. ‘You’re sounding more and more like a local every day, my son.’

Levi smiled, then slowly continued talking. This time, he didn’t hold back. The words came slowly at first, bit by bit, but then began pouring out in a rush. This time, he told Father almost everything.

The secret friendship with Casey. The growing pull he couldn’t explain. The joyride. The crash. The burnt-out wreck. The parties. The drinking. The kiss with Casey. The terrible, confusing attraction he still felt despite knowing that it was wrong. The way he had lied to everyone. The way he had hurt his father.

‘I don’t know who I am anymore, Father,’ Levi whispered, his voice cracking. ‘I keep trying to be good, but I just keep messing up. I’ve hurt my dad. And Luke. My friends. I’ve hurt everyone.’

Father Costas listened without judgement, his expression calm and compassionate. When Levi finally fell silent, the priest leaned forward.

‘You are not the first young man to lose his way, Levi. What matters is that you are here now. That you want to make it right. God does not expect perfection overnight. He simply asks for honesty, repentance, and the courage to choose better.’

Levi wiped at his eyes. ‘I don’t know if I’m strong enough, Father.’

‘You are, Levi. Even the fact that you are here tells me that. And you will never be alone on this journey.’

When Levi finally stepped out into the morning sunlight a short while later, accompanied by Father Costas, he felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He breathed in the clear air, listened to the birds in the trees and the distant sound of waves. For the first time in weeks, he felt as if he could see a path forward.

When he looked toward the gates, he noticed Matt’s black Navara parked by the edge of the road, with both his dads waiting inside.

Luke waved from the passenger seat. As Levi and Father Costas walked over, Matt and Luke got out to greet them, meeting them at the church gates. The men shook hands warmly and exchanged pleasantries – the weather, how Levi was doing, general thanks for the priest’s guidance.

Afterwards, they set off and headed out of town, along Three Bridges Road. Levi winced as they passed the site of the crash, and again when they drove past the campground where the bonfire party had been held. Matt said nothing, but his hands tightened on the steering wheel.

They turned off and began the climb to the town lookout. Thankfully, when they reached the top, there was no one else around. For a few minutes the three of them stood at the railing, pointing out familiar landmarks below – the lighthouse, the hospital, the school, the lake, even the quarry where the last party had been. They looked for the roof of their house, but it was obscured by trees.

Finally, Levi spoke.

‘I need to tell you something.’

‘We hoped you would,’ Matt replied quietly, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder.

Levi gave a small nod and walked over to the nearby picnic table. Matt and Luke followed and sat down opposite him.

He started slowly, but the words eventually poured out, like a flood. The secret friendship with Casey and how he couldn’t seem to stay away no matter how hard he tried. The joyride. The crash. The parties. The drinking. The kiss with Casey. The rumours at school. How Brooke, Jimmy, and Dan had all distanced themselves. How he had hurt them. He left out some of the deepest confusion about his feelings, but he was honest about the rest. The guilt simply poured out of him.

Having already told this story once today, it came slightly easier this time.

Matt listened in stunned silence. When Levi finished, the disappointment on Matt’s face, before he looked away from his son, was crushing.

Into that yawning silence, it was Luke who asked a question.

‘So, one thing has me slightly confused,’ he said. ‘How did you get home after the accident? And how come the keys were hanging exactly where they should be on the Sunday morning?’

Levi looked at him for a moment, then shook his head.

‘I have no idea,’ Levi replied. ‘I can’t recall anything between the accident and the following morning when the policeman arrived. Not a thing. All I know is that I had a bangin’ headache when I woke that morning.’

Luke nodded, before Matt turned back to face his son.

‘I trusted you, Levi,’ Matt said, his voice quiet but firm. ‘After everything we’ve been through these past months . . . you lied to us. You stole the car. You could have been killed. You could have killed others.’

Luke placed a hand on Matt’s arm, but his own eyes were sad.

Levi’s voice broke. ‘I know. And I’m sorry. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it right. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I can’t be that person anymore.’

The conversation lasted for well over an hour. There were tears. Anger. Long, painful silences. But there was also love. Luke, ever the calming voice, reminded Matt that Levi was still just a boy trying to find his way in a world that was very different to the one in which he had grown up. Matt, though deeply hurt, eventually pulled Levi into a rough, fierce hug.

‘We’ll get through this,’ he said gruffly. ‘But son, there are going to be real consequences.’

Levi nodded. He was ready to face them.

For the first time in a long while, he felt like he was finally choosing who he wanted to be.

Not who Casey wanted him to be. Not who his fear demanded he be. But someone trying – however imperfectly – to be better.

‘So what are you going to do about Casey now?’ Matt asked as they stood up to leave.

‘He’s history . . . but I need to tell him face to face.’

Casey had tried to message him several times that day. Levi had ignored every one of them. Now, he pulled out his phone and typed a message, then hit send.

After that, he sent two more messages, to two more people he cared about and had hurt deeply. He knew that this was where his path to redemption would begin.

***

Levi had made his final choice, and that Sunday afternoon he found Casey and a small group of his closest friends on Main Beach.

The sun was setting, painting the water in deep oranges and pinks. They had a driftwood fire burning and were all sitting around it, laughing and drinking. Casey saw him approaching and stood up with that familiar half-smirk on his face.

‘Finally,’ he said. ‘I thought you were ghosting me.’

Levi stopped a few metres away. His hands were shaking, but he shoved them into the pockets of his shorts, and his voice came out steady. That was all that mattered right now.

‘I’m done,’ he said. ‘And I’m not coming back. Not to the parties. Not to any of this.’

Casey’s smirk faded. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘I mean it. This – us – it’s not right for me. It’s not what I believe in . . . not what I want to be involved in. I can’t keep lying to my family. I can’t keep hurting the people who actually do care about me.’

Casey laughed, but it was sharp and ugly. ‘So what, you’re going to run back to your church and your two fag dads and play happy family again? After everything? After you kissed me back?’

The words stung, but Levi stood his ground.

‘That’s rich coming from you,’ Levi said.

He looked at the others. There were no reactions. Nobody appeared to be surprised at all. And thinking back to the quarry, Levi finally realised that everyone had known exactly what was going to happen. Casey had been putting on a show for them all, and they had lapped it up.

He was a Thompson after all. And everybody just knew the sorts of things those Thompson boys did.

Levi swallowed hard. He wondered just how far it might have gone if he hadn’t come to his senses last night.

‘I made a mistake. I’m owning it. But now I’m choosing something better,’ Levi said.

The rest of the pack began to gather behind Casey. Their laughter and taunts soon started to rain down – cruel jokes about church boys, about Matt and Luke, about Levi being weak. Casey’s face twisted with contempt.

‘You’ll come crawling back,’ he sneered. ‘They always do.’

‘They?’ asked Levi.

‘Yeah. You’re not the first, and you damn sure won’t be the last.’

‘Don’t expect me to be the one crawling back, Casey. I’m not interested in being another notch on your bedpost,’ Levi replied.

With that, Levi turned and began walking away. The taunts followed him down the beach, but they grew fainter with every step. He knew he still had other bridges to rebuild – starting tomorrow at school. But for now, for the first time in weeks, the weight on his chest felt a little lighter.

End of Act Two

To be continued . . .