Chapter 69 : A cringy realization
After making that grand speech to Henry—promises about justice, resilience, standing tall despite adversity—Alex felt like he'd just acted out the final scene of some B-grade hero flick.
He stared straight ahead as they walked, trying to maintain his dignity, but internally?
Cringe.
A full-blown secondhand embarrassment directed at himself.
'What the hell was that performance?' he thought, mentally smashing his head against a brick wall. 'You're still standing, aren't you? That means you haven't given up.' He groaned inside.
'Seriously, Alex? You sounded like a righteous dad from a bedtime moral story. All that was missing was dramatic background music and a slow zoom-in on my face.'
He glanced sideways at Henry, who was still wide-eyed and clearly moved by the speech.
'Great,' Alex thought. 'At least the audience of one appreciated it. Thank god no one else heard me or I'd have to dig a hole and jump into it headfirst. Maybe seal it shut while I'm at it.'
Trying to recover his mental balance, he exhaled and decided to shift gears.
"So," Alex began, his voice more casual now, "what's Lorenzo's deal anyway?"
Henry blinked, clearly still in awe. "What do you mean?"