Ch. 3: Part 1

Ouch. That last slap stung. Good. Leo delivered smack after smack to his warm cheeks. “Wake up, Leo. C’mon.”
6 AM was early. Leo pulled on the red hoodie over his worn T-shirt as pink crept up over the edge of horizon. Leo’s yawn was muffled by the bright red fabric as it went down over his face.
He hoped the manager’s attitude toward him hadn’t taken a turn for the worst. He was afraid he might change his mind. Leo slid his arms into his coat. He squeezed his eyes and silently prayed that no one would notice his wings.
He mentally prepared himself as he made his way down the side of the highway toward the site. He could hear the loggers shouting over the trucks and machines and going about their work. “Guess it’s not early for them.” Leo muttered.
He winced remembering what happened on this same highway last night. He shook his head to clear it. He couldn’t stay focused on stuff like that. This was how his life was going to be and he just needed to accept that. He let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders. His palm came up and smacked him hard in the forehead. “Accept it, damn it!” He furrowed his eyebrows and huffed at himself. He shoved his fists into his pockets and stalked the rest of the way to the site.