Chapter 24: Leo Calls His Parents (Leo in Ava’s Body)

Chapter 24: Leo Calls His Parents (Leo in Ava’s Body)

I’m curled up on Ava’s dorm bed, my knees, her knees, tucked under her chin, my shoulder in a sling from yesterday’s ER trip. The room’s quiet, just the hum of her mini fridge and the faint buzz of her phone on the nightstand. Ava’s text from an hour ago sits unanswered: Noah’s still pissed about you skipping rehearsal. Blackwave’s coming again tomorrow. You okay after the ER? My heart, her heart, aches, not just from the shoulder but from the weight of everything: the trial in five days, Battle of the Bands, our pact to confess if we don’t switch back. And now, Jade’s latest text: Ava, you’re not answering. I’m coming over if you don’t reply. I toss the phone aside, my hands, her hands, shaking. I can’t face Jade, not after collapsing at practice, not with Ava fighting my band drama in my body.

But it’s not Jade I’m dreading most. It’s the voicemails I’ve been ignoring, the ones Ava found on my phone, my parents, begging me to call. I’ve been dodging them for months, hiding behind my rockstar mask, but after seeing Ava fight for me yesterday, risking Blackwave’s deal to get me to the ER, I can’t keep running. I grab her phone, open the contacts, and find “Leo’s Mom” under my emergency list. My thumb hovers, then presses call before I can chicken out.
The line rings twice, and my mom’s voice comes through, cautious but warm. “Ava? Is everything okay? Is Leo with you?”
I swallow, her throat tight, my voice, her voice, shaky. “It’s… not Ava. It’s me, Mom. Leo.” I wince, realizing how insane that sounds. “I mean, I’m calling about me. Leo.”
A pause, then her voice sharpens. “Leo? Why are you using Ava’s phone? What’s going on?”
I stand, pacing the small dorm, her ponytail swinging. “I… lost my phone,” I lie, gripping the sling. “Ava’s letting me borrow hers. I’m okay, just… wanted to talk.”
Another pause, longer. “You’re okay?” she says, softer now. “You haven’t called in months, Leo. We saw your open mic video, the ‘Echo’ one. You looked… tired. Are you taking your medication?”
My chest, her chest, tightens. Ava warned me about the heart skips she’s been feeling in my body, and I know she’s been pushing through them for rehearsals. “Yeah, I’m on the new beta-blockers,” I say, trying to sound like me, not her. “Dr. Mercer’s on my case. I’m… trying, Mom.”
“Trying isn’t enough,” my dad’s voice cuts in, gruff, like he’s grabbed the phone. “You’re throwing away everything we gave you, Leo. The lessons, the equipment, the connections. You can’t just ghost us and expect us to cheer you on.”
I flinch, her shoulder twinging. “I’m not throwing anything away,” I snap, her voice sharp. “I’m fighting for it, Dad. The band’s got a shot with Blackwave Records at Battle of the Bands. But it’s… hard. My heart’s acting up, and I’m, ” I stop, my voice, her voice, cracking. “I’m scared, okay?”
Silence. Then my mom’s back, her voice softer. “Scared? Leo, why didn’t you tell us? We’re your parents. We want to help.”
I sink onto the bed, her eyes stinging. “Because you only care when I’m winning,” I say, quieter now. “When I’m on stage, killing it. When I’m… perfect. I’m not perfect, Mom. I’m messing up, and I don’t know how to fix it.”
Her breath catches. “Oh, honey. We don’t need you to be perfect. We just… we miss you. You shut us out after the last hospital visit. We thought you didn’t want us around.”
I wipe her eyes, my eyes, with her sleeve, the sling awkward. “I didn’t want you to see me like this. Weak. Falling apart.” I laugh, her laugh bitter. “I’m not even in my own… never mind. I just needed you to know I’m trying.”
My dad’s voice comes back, less gruff now. “We see that, son. We’re proud of you, even when you’re struggling. Just… let us in. Call us, okay? And take care of that heart.”
I nod, even though they can’t see me. “I will. I promise.” My voice, her voice, trembles, and I feel something shift, like a weight I’ve carried forever is lighter, even if it’s not gone.
“We love you, Leo,” my mom says, and I hear her voice crack. “And tell Ava thank you for being there. She’s a good friend.”
I smile, her smile shaky. “Yeah, she is. I’ll call soon, okay?”
We hang up, and I drop the phone, my hands, her hands, shaking. The conversation was messy, raw, but it was real, and I feel… different. Like I’m not just hiding anymore. I text Ava: Called my parents. Wasn’t easy, but… it helped. You okay with Blackwave? Midnight, music building?
Her reply comes fast: Proud of you, Leo. Blackwave’s intense, Noah’s still suspicious. I’m holding up. Midnight, yeah.
I slip into the music building’s basement just after midnight, Ava’s sling making her movements clumsy, her shoulder still aching. Ava’s already there, in my body, tuning my guitar with a focus that makes her look like me, all intensity and charm. My face, her face, lights up when she sees me, my dark eyes soft under the flickering light.
“You made it,” she says, my voice warm. She sets the guitar down and steps closer, my lanky frame towering over her, me. “How’d it go with your parents?”
I sit on the floor, rubbing her shoulder through the sling. “Awkward. Emotional. Kinda sucked, but… it was real. They’re worried, but they care. More than I thought.” I look up, her eyes meeting mine, my eyes. “Thanks for pushing me to do it, Ava.”
She grins, my grin, and sits next to me, our shoulders brushing. “You’re welcome. You’d do the same for me.” She pauses, then adds, “Blackwave was at rehearsal again. They love the ‘Echo’ vibe, but Noah’s not letting up. Keeps asking if I’m hiding a ‘mystery girl.’”
I laugh, her laugh soft. “He’s not wrong, just… way off. Jade’s on my case too. Thinks I’m, you’re, having a breakdown. I dodged her tonight, but she’s coming over tomorrow.”
Ava nods, my hand resting on her knee, my knee. “We’re running out of time. Five days till the trial, till Battle. If we don’t switch…” She trails off, our pact to confess hanging between us.
“I know,” I say, her voice steady. “But we’re together, right? Pact’s still on.”
“Pact’s on,” she says, my voice firm. She picks up the volleyball from her bag, tossing it to me. “Okay, coach. Show me a serve. Gentle, though, don’t wreck my shoulder worse.”
I catch the ball, standing carefully, her sling limiting my movement. “Only if you show me that ‘Echo’ riff. I’m not letting you outshine me at Battle.” I toss the ball lightly, stepping forward, and snap her wrist, gentle, like she said. The ball sails clean, a perfect serve, and she cheers, my voice loud in the basement.
“That’s my girl!” she says, my grin wide, and I laugh, her laugh echoing.
“Your turn, rockstar,” I say, handing her the guitar. “Play it like you did at open mic.”
She strums “Invisible Echoes,” my voice raw and haunting, and I join in, her voice blending with mine, a duet that feels like us. We finish, breathless, and she sets the guitar down, my eyes soft on her face, my face.
“You’re gonna kill it,” I say, her voice quiet. “Even if I’m still you.”
She leans closer, my hand brushing her arm, my arm. “And you’re gonna nail that trial. Even if I’m still you.” Her voice, my voice, is low, and for a second, I think she might lean in, like last night, but she doesn’t, and I’m relieved. The almost-kiss last time was enough confusion for one week.
Instead, she stands, slinging my guitar over my shoulder. “Come on. We need to get back before Jade hunts me down.”
I nod, grabbing her bag. “Yeah. And before Noah sends another angry text.” I check her phone, another message from Jade: Ava, I’m coming over tomorrow. No excuses. I show it to Ava, and she groans, my voice tight.
“We’re in deep,” she says, heading for the door.
“Together,” I say, following her out, the call to my parents still humming in me, making me feel raw but real, like I’m finally facing the world instead of hiding.