Another upload less than a year apart from the last? Wild.
Never in her life had Jazmine hated someone. She never saw the point in spewing hatred into the world, not even toward her enemies. She never even hated Veronica, who seemed to torment her for years and pick her apart at every slight chance. Not even her ridicule was enough to make Jazmine hate her, because Jazmine was the 'nice girl'. She was the 'understanding girl'. She was the 'good girl'. Good girls don't hold grudges, and they don't have it in their hearts to hate people.
So for the first time in her life, Jazmine felt hatred.
It boiled and festered inside Jazmine's heart, shaking her to the core. She felt the hatred in her blood, in her bones. It was what kept Jazmine hidden in her room most days, locked away in the dark, cloistered behind pink walls, wrapped underneath pink blankets, like today. Her makeup went untouched, she donned the same black leggings and purple t-shirt she'd been wearing for days. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail that hadn't been taken down from it's perch at the nape of her neck.
She couldn't bear to get out of bed and look in a mirror, so she didn't. She couldn't stomach the idea of having to see what had been done to her, because when she did, it only fueled the hatred she felt inside her.
It was out of character for Jazmine, the Jazmine Dubois, to be angry, and she knew her friends were starting to see through her facade. Even Huey was beginning to question her emotions and well-being, and it took all Jazmine had to lie and say she was okay.
The therapy sessions weren't helping, either. Her parents insisted she talk to someone once every few days, and the visits were becoming more frequent the longer Jazmine stayed hidden in her room. Of course, she knew this, she knew that the longer she stayed shut away, the more she'd have to see a therapist, but Jazmine didn't have the strength to even try and pretend at this point.
It took all of her energy to go back to school before the winter break, which she questioned the point in doing. Her fellow fallen friends weren't going back to school until the new semester in January, so why should she?
"You have to show your strength."
"You survived."
"Everyone just wants to know that you're okay."
"It'll be okay."
It hadn't been okay.
All day long at school, Jazmine heard nothing but questions, questions about her attack, about Cindy and Riley, about Huey. The ones about Huey made her the angriest, because it was always about his violent side, and how much of that part of him she'd seen. Everyone now wanted to know about Huey Freeman, the new kid from the South-side of Chicago that had a violent side to him that no one knew about until now. It was a narrative painted over Huey by the other students at their school. Huey was the hero to some, but to others, he was a villain waiting to emerge.
The conspiracy theories and false statements were enough to drive Jazmine over the edge, and it took everything she had to bite her tongue and ignore everyone around her.
Jazmine was thankful for her final day of school, and the next day, she holed herself up in her room, which was her usual spot if she wasn't having to visit Cindy or Huey. Her mother brought her breakfast, which went untouched, and by noontime, Cindy had called and asked if she would be coming by.
Jazmine lied, which was something she rarely did, about her head hurting and not feeling well. Cindy seemed to buy it, so she left her alone.
When Huey called a few minutes later, Jazmine knew it was because Cindy had probably told Riley something, who in turn relayed everything to Huey. So much for lying to her. It was harder to lie to Huey, but she told him the same thing she'd told Cindy, and it was enough to get him to end the call.
It was nearly one when Jazmine forced herself out of bed when her bladder began practically screaming at her. She trudged into her too-bright, too-cheery bathroom, and sat down on the toilet. A few minutes later, she stood, flushing it, and moved to wash her hands when she made the mistake of looking up into the mirror.
Jazmine still refused to keep her bandages off. The only time she had was with Huey, and that was only for an hour or two before she needed to put them back on. Jazmine couldn't bear to see what had happened to her...what he had done to her. That thug.
Her lip was pretty much healed already, although if she thought about it too much, she could still feel his knuckles ripping into her skin. The thought made her shiver, and she shook her head. Then, her eyes trailed to her cheek.
Slowly, Jazmine raised a hand to touch the bandage on her cheek, and she gingerly peeled back the tape that kept the piece of gauze in place. The stitches she'd been given were taken out now, so her body could heal naturally, but she knew she was probably always going to have a scar there, a permanent reminder.
She stared at it, as if that would make the scarring somehow disappear. However, her watery green orbs moved from her cheek to the left side of her head, where her biggest problem lie.
Slowly, Jazmine reached up and began prying the bandage off. The air around her seemed to stiffen as she let the bandages fall onto the floor. Her heartbeat was very prominent to her now, and she could feel her pulse all over her body.
The stitches in her head were now gone, too, but the scar was still very prominent. It definitely wasn't a pretty thing to look at, although it wasn't as bad as it initially had been. Jazmine remembered what it had been like to see herself for the first time a day or two after she'd woken up. She had her gashes completely covered up, her lip was busted and bruised, there were dark, prominent bags under her eyes, and she had more bruising along her arms, torso, and legs. It looked like she'd been in a car crash or some kind of accident; it was astonishing that it had all been done at the hands of another person.
Jazmine was assured over and over again by a number of cops that they would find out who did this, and she even agreed to do a line up when they caught the guy, as she remembered what he looked like. His face was forever ingrained into her mind, now, and she knew she'd be able to spot him in a heartbeat. However, that was weeks ago, and there were still no leads on the thug.
That was what made Jazmine the most upset; they still hadn't caught him. They knew he had to have been in some kind of gang or group, but they couldn't figure out where they could even find the gang. It seemed like he'd just vanished, disappeared into thin air.
Jazmine knew he was still out there somewhere, people don't just disappear like that. Who knew what else he was doing. Had he done this before? Surely he must've brutalized a few people before Jazmine, he was very efficient at making sure he left a lot of damage. He was definitely strong, his knuckles were sharp enough to cut into her skin and leave permanent damage.
It was odd to everyone that they hadn't struck again, which led the cops to believe that he must've been in a small, localized gang versus a larger, widespread one. They must've not had a whole lot of manpower on their side, and they were smart enough to lie low and allow the initial shock to die down.
But for Jazmine, it wasn't just going away.
As she stared at her scars, her eyes narrowed. She sniffed, wiping away a few tears that slipped down her cheeks. Her eyes were red and watery, and her lips quivered as she swallowed a sob. She didn't have the energy, nor the desire, to let out full on helpless wails.
Jazmine didn't really know what to do with herself. The only thing she could think of to do that was comforting was lay in bed all day and sleep. For a while after the attack, Jazmine suffered from frequent nightmares, which made sleeping even harder. However, recently, the nightmares seemed to be dwindling, at least that's what she was hoping. She didn't know what she would do if they suddenly came back and gave her more sleepless nights.
A part of her was angry at herself, too. If she had only been paying closer attention, she would've seen the threat. If only she'd gotten to the hospital sooner, she might've not run into that thug. All these thoughts swirled through her mind every time she thought back to what happened, which was what her therapist was warning her against doing.
"It's not your fault, Jazmine."
"You did whatever you could do to survive."
"You're strong, you're a survivor."
"I don't...feel like one,"
It was hard to say it aloud, but once she did, she felt a few more tears slip down her face. She'd been afraid to say it, mainly because everyone around her was trying to convince her that she was strong, that she was a survivor. She felt like she couldn't say what she really felt, or else face the consequence of having everyone back in her face, going on and on about things Jazmine didn't really want to hear.
She didn't feel strong, not in the slightest. She didn't feel like she was this amazing, strong survivor that everyone was so desperately trying to convince her to believe in. She felt weak, she felt vulnerable, she felt…
"Alone."
"Huey, is Jaz okay?" the concern in Cindy's voice was very prominent, and Huey sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Honestly, I have no idea." he answered.
Cindy called Riley a few hours previous and had been talking to him about something, but surprisingly asked if she could speak to Huey. Her reason was Jazmine: Cindy confided in Huey that she noticed Jazmine's deteriorating happiness, and was asking if he noticed anything different about her.
"She's been goin' offline," Cindy continued, "which is so not like her. You know that Lela's been defendin' you at school, right?" Huey sighed again, nodding his head, "Yes, I know, I heard about it through Hiro."
Huey had no idea why Lela was still trying to get into his orbit. They hadn't really spoken in a while, and he wasn't really interested in pursuing a friendship with her, especially since he knew what her motives most likely were.
"Jazmine hasn't even said anythin' about it, and I know she knows what's goin' on," Cindy was convinced that there was something wrong, and Huey was starting to believe it, too. He knew why Jazmine would be upset, they all did. But the change wasn't getting any better, from what he'd seen.
"She hasn't said anything to me," Huey went on, "but maybe she'll talk to someone else? Someone she hasn't seen in a while, maybe someone who can give her fresh advice."
There was a pause, "I'll call Venus." she said, and then she hung up.
Huey placed the phone down onto his bed and turned to stare outside his window at the freshly fallen snow. He'd been sitting in his bed the entire time; his body felt oddly sore for some reason, and he just wanted to lay down.
Truthfully, he knew they were all feeling some type of way. Riley confided in Huey that Cindy was depressed about not being able to play basketball in the spring semester, Rile was depressed because he couldn't play with her, Huey was depressed that he was going to be seen as a freak at school, and Jazmine was obviously depressed from the attack.
Meanwhile, Cindy had texted Venus, telling her about the situation. Venus was more than willing to help in any way she could, and when she texted Jazmine about seeing her for a little bit, Jazmine agreed. Now, the only thing she needed was a ride. And since Vera wasn't home for the day, and Caesar was at a family function, she only had one person left to ask.
"Veronica, I need a ride somewhere."
Veronica wasn't too pleased at receiving a phone call from her little cousin. She had boxed herself in her room and was content with watching movies and eating ice cream for the rest of the break. Venus called, sounding desperate, and Veronica sighed, "A ride to where?"
There was a pause, "To see Jazmine."
Veronica sucked in a breath; she hadn't seen Jazmine since her one visit to the hospital, and they'd barely interacted. She avoided her at school, and judging by the 'no' vibes Jazmine now constantly emitted, she didn't think she was going to be welcomed.
"You don't have to go inside," Venus continued, "Just drop me off."
Veronica looked at her phone briefly for the time. It was almost three. She then glanced up at the movie she'd been watching, Legally Blonde, which was paused. She didn't have any more ice cream, either.
"Fine, I'll be there in a minute."
Hastily, Veronica went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up. She dragged her brush through her tangled hair and slapped on some deodorant and perfume onto her neck before returning to her room to change. She swapped out her large shirt and pajama shorts for a pair of leggings and a long sleeved blue shirt, over which she threw on a thicker jacket. She pulled on some socks and pushed her feet into some boots before grabbing her wallet, keys, and phone and making her way to her car.
Venus was now just wearing a brace, and when Veronica arrived, Venus practically ran out of her house and jumped into the car, shivering. She wore a pair of dark blue jeans and a large, purple sherpa jacket with one single black boot, as her injured leg was in it's brace.
"Just dropping you off," Veronica repeated, and Venus nodded, "And picking me up." Veronica frowned slightly, but she sighed; she wasn't in the mood to argue with Venus at the moment.
The drive there was extremely silent, and when they pulled up to Jazmine's house, Veronica could feel her heartbeat quicken slightly. She pulled into the driveway, deciding on backing out to turn back down the way she came. Veronica put her car into park, "Does she know you're here?" she asked.
Venus nodded, "Yeah, she said to just come inside." Venus had been looking at her phone, and she pocketed it as she opened the car door and jumped out. As she closed the door, she looked up, and Veronica watched her eyes grow slightly wider.
Veronica felt her body cringe as she followed Venus's gaze, which was fixated on the front entrance to the house. Standing at the opened door was a tired looking and very disheveled Jazmine, her arms folded over her chest. She wore a pair of pink pajama pants and a matching long sleeved shirt, and she wore a pair of fuzzy socks and ankle high Ugg boots. It looked like she'd just gotten out of the shower; her hair was still damp. Veronica could see the bags around her eyes, and her eyebrows were narrowed slightly.
Veronica could feel the animosity oozing from Jazmine, which was very off putting, considering she'd never felt such anger from Jazmine before. In the time she'd known her, Jazmine was a bubbly and bright, somewhat obnoxious, cheerleader, not this depressed, angry, standoffish loner.
Something compelled Veronica to turn off her car and step out, which she unknowingly did. Venus was shocked to see Veronica exit her car and close the door, and was even more dumbfounded as Veronica took a few steps toward Jazmine, who had a look of confusion on her face.
Veronica didn't really know what she was doing, and when she was standing about four or five feet away from Jazmine, she spoke, "I-I hope you're feeling better." it was a sincere statement, but when Jazmine's brow furrowed deeper and a frown replaced her blank expression, Veronica knew speaking to her was a mistake.
"Oh, what do you care?" the snappy reply was surprising, coming from Jazmine, and it made Veronica frown a little in response, "What, I just said I hope you're doing better." she replied.
Jazmine rolled her eyes, "And again, since when do you give a shit about me?"
Cursing, Jazmine rarely curses like that. Something's definitely wrong.
"I can just take it back," Veronica quipped, coming out of her thoughts. Jazmine scoffed, "Just the thing you'd do." her tone was harsh, and it almost cut through Veronica's weakening defenses. Veronica only shook it off, "What's your problem?" she demanded.
At this, Jazmine laughed aloud, "My problem? You've bullied me for years, and now suddenly I have a problem?"
Veronica groaned inwardly, "You've had all this time to come at me for that, why now?" she prodded, trying to convey the annoyance in her voice, "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"I don't know, getting my ass kicked kind of made me wake up a little," this come back was harsher than the last, and it took Veronica aback. Even Venus was shocked at the reply, and she moved to try and stand in between the two girls, "Wait now…," she tried, but Veronica only stepped passed her, ignoring her pleas to stop.
"Made you grow a pair?" Veronica challenged. Jazmine clicked her tongue and stepped out of her house onto the front porch. She placed her hands on her hips, "Something like that."
It was then that Veronica noticed the scars. The first one she noticed was the one on the left side of her face, and the second was the one on her cheek. They still looked rather fresh, and were noticeable in the light outside. Jazmine realized Veronica was staring, and her face flushed. She took a step back inside the house, crossing her arms over her chest once more. She was trying to hide the scars in the shadows, but Veronica had already seen them.
Veronica felt her voice become caught in her throat, and she swallowed hard. She licked her lips, "I-I'm sorry," she mumbled, averting her gaze to the ground.
Jazmine scoffed again, "Sorry? Since when does Veronica Lizaben say sorry? Especially to some half breed like me?" the words stung, but those were the words Veronica had once said to Jazmine.
Veronica shook her head, "I'm sorry for that, too."
Jazmine rolled her eyes again, shaking her head now, "Since when did you become so apologetic? Last time I checked, I wasn't worth your time or niceties."
Veronica wanted to reply back with something smart, but she bit her tongue, "I shouldn't have been so mean to you," she began slowly, "and you have every right to be mad at me."
"Mad? Oh, I'm not mad," Veronica could hear the tension building up in Jazmine's voice, "I'm not mad, I'm furious."
Veronica now looked up to stare at Jazmine, who had stepped out of her house and was marching over to Veronica. Veronica was ready for her to attack, but she didn't, she merely stopped a foot or so away from her and had her fists balled up at her sides, "You tormented me and made fun of me for years, and what, I get beat up in a parking lot and now you're apologetic?" she was practically yelling now, her voice getting louder with each word, "And you know, my friends have been begging me to stand up to you for years. They've been begging me to tell you off since you first started saying all that shit to me, but I didn't."
She laughed softly now, taking a step back, "I didn't, I didn't because I didn't think it would be right to fight fire with fire, I didn't want to spew the same negativity back at you and stoop to your level." her softened stare resumed being an angry glare, "But now I don't care!"
"Well good, you shouldn't!" Veronica snapped back, catching Jazmine slightly off guard, "You shouldn't give a shit so much. Yeah, I was a bitch to you. You have every right to be angry at me, to hate me. I get it," she took a step toward Jazmine, who only held her ground, "But I am truly sorry for how I treated you."
Jazmine looked like she was about to say something, but Veronica cut her off, "You don't need to accept any of my apologies or even be nice to me, I don't deserve it. I know I don't deserve it!"
For some reason, Veronica could feel tears welding in her eyes, and she blinked them back, "I know I was a horrible person," her voice wavered, "and I know all of the bad shit I've been getting is karma coming to bite me in the ass. I know I don't deserve to be treated nicely by you, or any of your friends. But I swear," she mentally cursed herself as she felt a tear slip down her face, and she wiped it away. "I swear I mean it when I say I'm so sorry, Jazmine."
The silence that followed was unnerving. Veronica and Jazmine stood rigid, frozen in place, only staring at each other. Venus stood off to the side, eyes wide and mouth gaping open as she reached up to cover her open mouth with her hands, completely in shock. The wind around them had picked up slightly, rustling their hair and sending chills down their spines.
Jazmine knew she had every right to be angry at Veronica, but there was that part of her, the forgiving part, that reminded her why she shouldn't be.
She inhaled, closing her eyes for a moment before exhaling and reopening her eyes, "I know...you haven't had it easy," Jazmine began slowly. She knew she couldn't - and wouldn't - bring up exactly what she wanted to talk about, but she needed to let Veronica know something. She could see the confusion, and then the embarrassment replace the sadness in Veronica' eyes, and she looked away.
"So what?" Veronica mumbled, her tone dark. Jazmine sighed, "I know I should be mad at you, maybe even hate you…," her mind went back to her conversations with Venus and Vera weeks prior, "but I can't. Nothing that you've done to me so far can compare to what I'm dealing with now…," her eyes narrowed, "and it's not right for me to take out my anger like this on you."
Veronica glanced back up at Jazmine, the seriousness in her voice was unmistakable. She eyed her, "You're talking about...that guy," she assumed, to which Jazmine nodded in reply.
Veronica sucked in a breath, but she nodded her head, too, "You don't have to forgive me," she repeated, "I just needed to get that off my chest-,"
She was cut off by a pair of arms wrapping around her upper body, and she was pulled into a tight hug. She felt Jazmine's mass of hair hit her in the face as Jazmine tightened her grip around her, and she could feel Jazmine rest her chin on her left shoulder.
Veronica was taken aback by the sudden action, and she attempted to take a step back, but she couldn't pull away from Jazmine's grip. She raised her arms back in surprise, not touching Jazmine at all, but Jazmine didn't seem to mind. She could feel Jazmine's heartbeat, and she could hear her short, quick breaths. Jazmine was shivering slightly, which wasn't surprising considering that she wasn't wearing anything warm enough to protect her from the snow.
Slowly, as if in a trance, Veronica could feel her arms lowering down. Gingerly, she wrapped her arms around Jazmine's midsection, and she found herself returning the hug. A few more tears slipped down her cheeks and landed in Jazmine's afro, and before she could cry anymore, Veronica managed to pry herself away from Jazmine and wipe away her tears with her sleeve, sniffling as quietly as she could.
Jazmine was now only a few inches from her, and she nodded to her, "Thank you," she said in almost a whisper.
Without saying anything else, Jazmine turned on her heel and rushed into her house, leaving the door open for Venus, who only gawked at her cousin. She stumbled towards the front door, her eyes never leaving Veronica's, before she stepped inside and slowly closed the door, watching Veronica from where she stood until she'd shut the door completely.
Veronica was at a loss for words entirely. She had no idea what that hug meant, why Jazmine had said thank you, but for the first time in a while, she felt something warm spread through her chest, and her heart almost fluttered.
Still dazed, she slipped back into her car and started the engine, but she sat there for a moment as the car began to heat up, staring at her steering wheel.
That warm feeling, she'd only ever felt it with one other person before. It wasn't a romantic feeling, but a good feeling. A happy feeling. Veronica was happy to have spilled her true thoughts and feelings to Jazmine like that, even though she didn't know what the outcome would be. It was something she never really did, something she wasn't used to. There was only one other person who she'd done the same to.
Her body and mind were on autopilot, and before she realized it, she was backing out of Jazmine's driveway and exiting her neighborhood. Instead of heading back home, however, she took an unplanned detour into a different neighborhood.
She'd only been to her house a few times, and she definitely hadn't been recently, but she knew the way by heart. She passed by vaguely familiar street signs and houses, entering another well-off neighborhood a few miles from Jazmine's. After making a few twists and turns down a few streets, she found herself stopping at one particular, two story, red brick house.
There was one light on inside, from what Veronica could tell, so someone was home. She parked her car in the street and jumped out, making a beeline for the house. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, ready to jump out, but she didn't know why she was so nervous. Was she nervous? She didn't even know anymore. She just knew that she needed to settle all her qualms, while she was still in the mood.
Standing on the front porch, she knocked tentatively on the dark wooden door. She spotted a doorbell, and decided to ring it at least once, in case her knocks went unheard. She could hear movement on the other side, and then it went silent.
Veronica could feel her heart sinking inside her. What if she knows its me? She thought, what if she doesn't open the door?
Sighing softly, Veronica turned around to face the front lawn, her back to the door. She could feel so many emotions running through her, and she couldn't calm herself down enough to pick one. Jazmine's 'thank you' had sounded understanding, forgiving, even remorseful, like she felt bad for Veronica. Veronica didn't want the pity, but even so, Jazmine still had the heart in her to forgive Veronica after all these years.
It may have been too late to ever have even a high school friendship with Jazmine, but it couldn't be too late to fix the relationship she only recently shattered.
After a few more moments of silence, Veronica's hopes continued to slip away from her. She fiddled with her fingers absently, trying to ignore the growing need to cry.
Behind her, the door lock clicked, and it creaked open.
"Veronica?"
Veronica whirled around, and was met with a dreary, depressed looking Lily. Her brown hair was pulled back into a messy bun on the top of her head; it looked like she'd slept that way. Her eyes looked glazed over, like she'd just woken up, and she wore a pair of blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt with fuzzy socks. She rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands, "Veronica, what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice hitching slightly.
Despite the cold, Veronica could feel her face grow warm. Without thinking, she closed the space between herself and Lily, staring up at her with tears brimming in her eyes. Lily looked surprised, somewhat bewildered.
"Veronica?" she repeated.
Without saying anything, Veronica reached up to cup Lily's soft face with her hands, savoring her warmth. Gently, slowly, she stood up on her tiptoes and captured Lily's lips with her own in a steamy, passionate kiss.
She could feel Lily respond to her instantly, wrapping her arms around Veronica's waist and pulling her closer. The wind wrapped around the two, almost pushing them closer together, as they continued to kiss on Lily's front porch, surrounded by the never-ending snow.
Christmas was coming, and Woodcrest was becoming more alive with the holiday spirit. Stores started decorating for the season the moment December rolled around, and the oncoming snow was turning Woodcrest into a winter wonderland straight out of a Christmas movie.
Everyone you looked now, there was something to remind you that the holiday season had arrived. There were wreaths and trees, lights and candy canes. Lampposts in the downtown area were covered with bright Christmas lights, and most of the buildings had some kind of Christmas garb on them. All of the major stores and the Woodcrest Mall were now always busy with people buying gifts and stocking up on food for Christmas dinners. Sales were starting to hit some areas as well, leading to floods of customers vying for the last item on a shelf and bargaining for the cheapest price.
To some, it was a wonderful, cheerful holiday season, the best of the year. To some, like Huey, who was a skeptic, it was an unnecessary and frivolous event meant to drain the pockets of hardworking customers and capitalize off of the unsuspecting masses.
But most people would agree that Christmas was a time for family, a time for getting together and appreciating each other during a long, maybe even difficult, year.
But for one member of the Freeman group, it was a time for mourning.
Ming sat in the guest bedroom of Lauryn's house, where she'd been staying since she'd been kicked out of her house. Despite her and Hiro never actually officially breaking up, Ming chose to stay with Lauryn and her mother, who was rather understanding and gave Ming a spare bedroom.
Hiro told Ming that his family knew about Ming being pregnant, and they wanted to talk to both of them about the situation, but Ming wasn't ready yet. She hadn't been ready since finding out she was pregnant.
However, a few days before the Christmas break, Ming decided to finally face what she'd been avoiding, and she agreed to speak to Hiro's parents about her pregnancy for the first time.
The conversation hadn't been long. Truthfully, it was a rather awkward one, but Ming confirmed to Hiro's parents that she was planning on keeping the baby. She also informed them about her current situation with her parents, but she denied their offer to stay at their house with Hiro.
Hiro had taken this as a breakup, but Ming had to assure him that it wasn't, she just needed a little more time to think things over.
But now, finally, Ming was moving out of Lauryn's guestroom...and was going to stay with Hiro and his family, at least for the time being.
She could fit her belongings in the bags she'd taken from her house when she'd first been kicked out, and Huey had driven her and Hiro to her home so they could grab things for her. She'd been in such a distraught daze that she still couldn't remember what exactly happened after leaving the clinic, but they'd at least grabbed the majority of the things she'd owned.
Hiro was currently loading her stuff into his car, and from here they'd leave to his house, where his parents had set up their spare room into her room. They'd also taken the liberty to buy a brand new cradle, from what Hiro had told her, and his mother was even planning out a baby shower for Ming in the spring.
Ming was undeniably grateful for Hiro's parents, but her heart was also laced with envy. Hiro's parents seemed to be so much more understanding than her own. From what he'd told her, they were angry at him initially, but had come to terms with the situation and were more than happy to welcome Ming into their home after learning that she'd been disowned from her own family. They seemed more excited for the baby to come than she did.
Hiro had been going with her to her doctor's appointments and whatnot, but it still didn't feel real to Ming. After everything she and her friends had gone through up until this point, Ming barely had any time to process her own dilemmas. None of this really felt real until recently.
Of course, Ming knew she wasn't even prepared for the spring semester, because by then, she would be showing. Word of Lauryn's pregnancy had spread throughout the school like wildfire; there weren't that many girls at Wuncler Academy that were pregnant. Ming didn't even want to think about what would be said about her.
Lauryn walked into the guest room, wearing a pair of leggings and an over-sized shirt. Rico had come by for a visit, and he was currently helping Hiro move Ming's belongings into his car. She caught Ming sitting down on the now made guest bed, staring at nothing.
"Ming?" Lauryn's voice cut through Ming's thoughts, startling her. Ming glanced up from the spot in the carpeted floor she'd been staring at to gaze up at Lauryn, who stood a few feet away from her at the edge of the bed.
"Sorry," Lauryn apologized when she realized she'd scared Ming.
"No, it's okay," Ming assured her, shaking her head, "I just wasn't paying attention."
"What were you thinking about?" Lauryn asked casually, coming over to sit by her.
Ming sighed, shaking her head, "I've...just been thinking about school."
Lauryn waited a moment, and then she prodded Ming with an elbow. Ming turned to look at her, and Lauryn cocked her head to the side slightly, giving Ming a small, warm smile, "Thinking about it how?"
Ming smirked softly; she knew that Lauryn already knew the answer to that question, but she wanted to hear Ming say it. "I've been thinking...about what's going to happen when I got back in the spring."
Lauryn nodded solemnly, but she could tell that there was something else bothering Ming, "What else?" she continued.
Ming shrugged, "I don't know."
"C'mon Ming," Lauryn placed a hand on Ming's shoulder gently, "You know you can tell me anything, and I know there's something else on your mind besides school."
Ming smirked again as a tear fell down her cheek, and she tried to wipe it away before Lauryn could see it, but of course, she did anyways, "Hey, it's okay," Lauryn began, now wrapping an arm around Ming's shoulders, "Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll all be okay."
Ming inhaled shakily, and Lauryn could feel her trembling underneath her arm. Ming shook her head, "It's not okay," she said in a shaky voice, "It's...about my family."
"Ah," Lauryn whispered, nodding gently.
"It's just...it's not fair," Ming went on, more tears streaming down her face, "Hiro's family is just so happy, they're so much more understanding. Why couldn't my family be that way?"
Now she was crying; big, full tears fell onto her lap as she brought her hands up to cover her eyes, her body shaking as Lauryn pulled her a little closer, hugging her now with both arms, "M-my mom w-won't e-even c-call me," she stuttered through her sobs, "sh-she's t-totally erased m-me from her l-life!"
"It's okay," Lauryn repeated again softly, trying to comfort her, "It'll be okay."
Lauryn didn't really know how to comfort Ming, because she knew that nothing she said was going to bring Ming any peace of mind. This was something that no one could really fix for Ming, it was something she was just going to have to get through and move on from. No one could just go to Ming's parents and force them to accept Ming back into their lives, and even if Ming did return home, her life would probably be a living hell under her mother's rule. She'd probably get kicked out again the moment she turned eighteen, which was now less than a year away.
"I j-just want t-to go h-home," Ming cried, leaning into Lauryn's hug.
There was a soft knock at the door, and it opened, "Ming?"
Ming sat up, wiping away her tears as she spotted Hiro at the doorway. Lauryn rubbed Ming's back one last time before pulling away and standing up, walking over to Hiro, "She really needs you right now," she whispered to him. She turned around to smile at Ming, who nodded in return, before exiting the room, closing the door behind her as Hiro stepped further into the room.
Hiro slowly approached Ming, who had her head turned down, staring at her tear-stained jeans as she tried to rub the rest of her tears away and force herself to calm down, to no avail. She could feel Hiro hovering in front of her, his body inches away from her own.
Gingerly, he knelt down in front of her. He placed his hands on her lap, and then moved one hand up to touch Ming's cheek softly. He then hooked his index finger under Ming's chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. She tried to look away, but he wouldn't let her, "Ming," he said softly, his voice pained. It caught her attention, and she stared into his eyes with her own tear filled orbs, "Please, just talk to me."
His voice was filled with pain, with sadness, and Ming had no idea how long he'd been carrying these emotions around. Her body trembled slightly, and she choked back a sob, sniffing loudly. Hiro smiled sadly, softly, at her, bringing his other hand up to cup her face gently, "You can tell me," he whispered.
Ming sighed, pulling away from him, "I think I...made a mistake," she admitted now, her voice wavering.
"How so?" Hiro moved to sit beside her on the bed, taking Lauryn's place.
"I should've listened to my mother," Ming's voice was suddenly filled with a seriousness, a deadness, an emptiness Hiro had never heard, and it scared him, "I should've just done what she wanted me to do."
"No, Ming," Hiro placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her upper body towards him, "Your mom shouldn't have tried to make you do anything. She should've just talked to you-,"
"That's easy for you to say!" her reply was sharp and icy, and she pulled away from him, "Your mom didn't even try to kick you out when you told her about me!"
"Because that's not what a mom does, Ming!" Hiro shot back, his brow furrowing slightly, "A mom doesn't just turn her back on her kid during hard times,"
Ming crossed her arms over her chest, "Well, my mom did." she quipped.
"I know, and she shouldn't have," Hiro now sighed, his brow relaxing as he rubbed his head slightly, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened between you and your family. I know I can't make it better, and I know...I know you blame me."
"Blame you?" Ming sounded genuinely surprised by his statement, and he nodded.
"I know you blame me...for getting you pregnant." Hiro couldn't hide his sadness as he spoke.
Ming, however, only smirked softly and shook her head, "Hiro, I don't blame you," it was sincere, and before Hiro could argue against it, she spoke again: "I don't blame you for me getting pregnant. This was a two person job. If anything, it's our fault."
"Then why have you been so distant with me?" Hiro inquired, "Ever since you got pregnant, things between me and you have been nonexistent. At first you were angry at me, then you were telling me that you missed me, and then you just shut yourself off from me and wouldn't tell me anything!"
Ming nodded, biting her bottom lip softly, "I know," she said, "I know, and I know it hasn't really been fair for you...but I don't know what to do, Hiro."
Her voice was filled with pain again, and her shoulders slumped as Hiro moved to wrap his arms around her, catching her from falling to the side, "I don't know what to feel or what to do. I thought that if I kept the baby that it would motivate me to do better, and at first I thought that's what I felt, but now I just feel...empty."
Hiro was at a loss for words; he had no idea what to say to her as he felt her body begin to shake again as she cried. She was so sad, it seemed like she was inconsolable. She was feeling so many things at once, it was a wonder she wasn't breaking down like this all the time. Then again, maybe she was in the privacy of this guest room when she was alone, and she just didn't tell anyone about it.
"I...I don't really know what to do, either," Hiro began slowly, trying to sound comforting, "I don't know what to tell you to make you feel better, and to be honest, I don't know if there's anything I can tell you, or if there's anything I can do to make you feel better."
Ming now sat up, looking up at him. Her cheeks were stained with her tears, and her eyes were now red and puffy, "Then...what happens now?"
Hiro thought for a moment, taking a rather long pause, "We go to my place," he finally said, breaking a cold silence, "we move you into the guest room we have."
"And then what?" she prodded.
Hiro placed a hand on her cheek again, rubbing his thumb against her damp skin, "And then we take it day by day." he gave her a small smile, "I can't promise you that everything is just going to get better soon, and I can't promise you things are going to be easy. But I can promise you that I'm going to do everything I can to make you happy, and I'm not going to let you deal with this alone anymore."
Ming chuckled softly, wiping away the tears on her face, "But you have to promise me that you won't shut me out like this again," he added, which caught her off guard.
She stared at him for a good minute, as if contemplating what he'd said. Finally, though, she nodded, "Okay," she agreed shakily, "I'll try."
Hiro nodded, "I understand...if you don't want to actually be with me," his voice caught in his throat slightly, and he felt his heart tightening in his chest, "I know a lots happened between us...I'm not going to not support you, though. You can still live with me and my family, I'll help you with the baby as much as you need me to, but if you don't want to be with me anymore...as my girlfriend...then I understand."
Ming exhaled softly, shaking her head, "Hiro, I don't want to break up with you," she replied, the corners of her mouth quirking into a sad smile, "I've never wanted to break up with you. It's...it's just been hard for me, these past couple of weeks, and I just don't know what to really do."
Hiro felt the tension inside him release as relief spread over him, "I understand," he smiled at her now, and he stood up. He took her hands into his and help her stand as well, "But we can deal with this together now."
Ming held onto his hands with hers tightly, and she nodded, "Okay."
He led her down to the living room, where Rico and Lauryn were waiting. Lauryn's mother had left for work earlier that morning, which was when Ming had said goodbye to her. Now, she was saying goodbye to Lauryn, hugging her, "I'll text you when I'm there." Ming promised, to which Lauryn nodded. Ming even gave a brief hug to Rico, who moved to stand by Lauryn as they saw the couple out.
Ming pulled on her coat and shoes, and then followed Hiro to his car, which was filled with her things. She slipped into the passenger's side as Hiro jumped into the driver's seat, and when they were settling in, Hiro started the car and they backed out of the driveway. Rico and Lauryn stood at the doorway, and Ming waved to the two of them as they waved back before Hiro took off down the street.
Hiro didn't live too far from where Lauryn lived, conveniently, and it only took about fifteen minutes to get to his house. Hiro lived in a nice neighborhood as well, and his family owned a comfy, newish looking two story home. Ming spotted the tan brick house as they approached it in the car, and she spotted two cars in the driveway, and one parked in the street in front of the house. It was a small, red car, and her heart stopped when she saw it.
Hiro saw the distress, and her face grew unsettlingly pale, "Ming?" he said her name, but she didn't answer him, "Ming, what's wrong?"
He pulled into the driveway, passing the red car in the street. He noticed her eyes followed it as they drove by it, "Do you know whose car that is?" he prodded as he parked his car.
Ming was very, very still, her face only growing paler. Now, Hiro was worried, "Ming, what's going on?" he questioned more urgently, "Whose car is that?"
"It-it's…," she trailed off as they heard the front door to Hiro's house open and shut, and they both turned to stare at whoever had come out of the house.
It was an Asian man. He was probably around Hiro's height, and had thinning black hair and a worn, slightly wrinkled faced that was currently etched with worry. His dark brown eyes were staring directly at Hiro's car, and Hiro knew he was staring more specifically at both him and Ming. The man looked like he was dressed for work; he wore a dark suit underneath a long, black coat, black shoes, and he had on mittens.
"...Ming?" Hiro repeated.
Ming didn't look at him, but she spoke: "That's my dad."
Her voice was filled with disbelief as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the car door, stepping outside. Hiro turned off his car and shot out of the driver's side, rushing to meet with Ming as she began walking towards her father.
Mr. Long-Dou was now staring solely at his daughter, sadness welled in his eyes, "Ming?" his accented voice was small, as if he were scared.
Ming felt her who body shake when she heard her father's voice, and she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again, "Dad?" her voice cracked as she struggled to speak, to find the words to say anything to him.
Mr. Long-Dou looked as though he were about to cry. He clenched his hands together as he took a small step towards her, "Ming, my little Ming…," he was calling to her, and Ming felt her body shake violently with a sob as she felt her legs move on their own, bringing her closer to her father, "Dad?" she repeated, almost in a whisper.
As soon as she'd stepped in front of her father, his arms wrapped around her in a warm, tight embrace, "My Ming," his voice wavered as she felt his body tremble slightly, and she knew he was trying not to cry.
"D-dad, what are you doing here?" she managed to ask in one breath.
Mr. Long-Dou pulled away from his daughter, cupping her face with his gloved hands, "Your mother and I have been arguing ever since she sent you away," he admitted, "I have to admit, I was angry at you at first, too, and I let my anger cloud my judgement in her decision. I agreed with your mother because I let my anger get the best of me...and then my anger went away."
He released her and bowed his head slightly, bringing his arms down to his side. Hiro studied his body movements, and his eyes widened slightly.
He's shameful.
"I should not have let my anger cloud my judgement over you, and I am ashamed for turning you away in your time of need," he continued, not looking up at her, "I have been a shameful father to you, Ming, and you cannot imagine how angry I am at myself for turning away my daughter."
Finally, he stood up straight again to look at her, cocking his head to the side slightly as he watched tears stream down her face, "You are my only daughter, my only child. You have been my pride and joy for seventeen years, and I shouldn't have let that change for any reason. Please," he bowed his head slightly once more, "Please forgive your father for failing you, Ming."
Ming didn't hesitate to throw her arms around him in a hug, sobbing loudly as she did so, "Bá!" she exclaimed as she cried, and he reciprocated the hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her again.
Hiro stood back as he watched, and smiled to himself softly. However, when Mr. Long-Dou pulled away from his daughter and turned his gaze towards Hiro, he stiffened up.
Hiro approached Mr. Long-Dou, who was eyeing him carefully. To both Ming and her father's surprise, Hiro stuck out a hand awkwardly, "M-Mr. Long-Dou," he coughed, clearing his throat.
Mr. Long-Dou continued to eye him, "You are the one my daughter is having a child with." it was more of a statement than a question, and Hiro nodded, "Y-yes, sir," he answered as evenly as he could.
Mr. Long-Dou approached Hiro, his facial expression relaxing the closer he got to him, "Then, I must thank you for taking care of my daughter," he caught both Ming and Hiro off guard, the latter practically gawking at Mr. Long-Dou, "What?" his voice was filled with surprise, but Mr. Long-Dou only nodded.
"While I certainly do not agree with what has happened, you have been there for my daughter during a time that I was not. I found out through one of Ming's cousins who you were, and came here to find the both of you. Instead, I met your parents, who told me about how you have been trying to support my daughter after my wife cast her out." Mr. Long-Dou bowed shortly to Hiro to show his gratitude, and respect, "I have not come here to argue or judge, I only come to ask for the forgiveness of my daughter."
He turned back to Ming, who came to stand beside him, "Unfortunately, your mother and I do not see eye to eye with what has happened, and I know that if I ask you to return home, I cannot guarantee she will be asking for your forgiveness as I have."
"I know, Bá," Ming nodded, "That's why I'm here now," she gestured to Hiro's house, "The Otomo family has offered to let me stay here, I was staying with a friend after mom made me leave."
Mr. Long-Dou nodded, "I do not know when your mother will come around, but I promise you, Ming, you will be able to come home again." he caressed his daughter's cheek softly, "My love for you as my daughter did not leave me when I was angry at you, and I know it has not left your mother, either. She is just far more stubborn than I am; it is going to take a little more talking to get her to understand, but I promise you, it will be done."
For the first time in what felt like forever, Ming felt relief spread through her body. She had her father.
Hiro now stood beside Ming, taking her hand in his, "Would you like to come back inside?" he asked Mr. Long-Dou.
Mr. Long-Dou shook his head, "I must head to work now before I am late, I wanted to come by to at least ask for forgiveness."
Ming nodded, "Of course I forgive you, dad," she hugged him again, smiling.
"I will be back to see you again," her father promised when they pulled away from each other. He fished into his coat pocket and produced a wallet, from which he pulled out a check, which had Ming's name on it, "For now, though, I want to give you this, to help with getting whatever you might need." he handed it over to Ming, who took it, "Thank you, Bá." her voice was shaky, but she smiled at her dad, tears in her eyes.
He smiled back softly at her, "I will see you again soon, my little Ming." he leaned in to place a soft kiss on her forehead. He turned away to nod at Hiro, who nodded in return, before heading back to his car.
Ming leaned into Hiro as they watched her father drive away, and he wrapped an arm around her, "It's going to be okay," Hiro assured her as she wiped more tears away. They looked at each other, smiling, "It is," Ming agreed as he placed a kiss on her nose, "It is."
Thanks for reading
xoxo, Queen