Chapter 15

Hotaru's P.o.V

'This could have easily been avoided if you listened to me and stayed at home,' Kiyo spat with a judgmental tone. I rolled my eyes as I ran back to my house. The sound of my shoes against the wet pavement got faster as I sped up.

I was on my way to meet Katsuki and Eijirou for another study date but I realized I had left my bag at home. So, I was forced to run back. I was also forced to listen to Kiyo's I-told-you-so's.

"Sorry..." I mumbled. I soon reached the familiar red-bricked building. Surprisingly, the front door was unlocked. I was sure I had locked it before leaving. It made sense when I walked in and saw my mother glaring at me while holding two wine glasses and a champagne bottle.

"What are you doing here?!" she spat in a hushed voice. I shrunk a little, intimidated by her furious look.

"I thought you were supposed to be out...doing whatever the hell it is you do," my mother raised an eyebrow. I looked to the ground.

"I forgot my stuff..." I mumbled. My mother stopped for a second to stare at me.

"Satomi? Everything alright?" a male voice called from the living room area. My mother sighed.

"Yes! The neighbour's daughter just came by to grab some misplaced mail," she said with a somewhat cheery tone.

'Most definitely false.'

My mother glared at me for a few seconds with an expectant look, "Don't just stand there. Get your shit and leave."

"Right," I began walking towards the staircase. Suddenly, my mom grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Her grip was so tight that her knuckles had turned white. I

"If you jeopardize my fun, I will make sure you never see any of your so-called-friends ever again," she said quietly. She was so close to me that I could practically smell the booze she had downed that morning. I nodded.

"Go," my mother threw my arm back towards me as if she was ridding herself of filth. I quietly crept up to my room, the sound of my mother and her new friend's laughter reaching my ears. I closed my eyes for a moment.

'Are you okay?' Kiyo spoke up. I nodded slowly.

"Yeah...This is just...Well, it's not new," I couldn't come up with a word to describe the situation. The blank expression on my face showed how deep in thought I was as I put my back against my bedroom door.

'You're better off without her,' Kiyo said before going silent again. I narrowed my eyes. Maybe she was right...In fifteen years, I had never once seen my mother smile or laugh. At least not while I was around. She was downstairs having the time of her life with a man who doesn't know I exist. Considering the fact that he managed to get invited into our home, the mystery man must have piqued my mother's interest.

"For a church-goer, you can handle your liquor pretty well," I heard the man chuckle. My mother giggled.

"I can handle a lot more than that," she said in a sultry tone. I shook my head as I walked over to my bed.

"Good for her, I guess," I mumbled as I grabbed my bag. I silently stood for a moment. There were some bad thoughts flooding through my head, so loud that it was like standing next to a raging river. This was different than Kiyo. This was bad...I felt it...My grip on my bag tightened, knuckles whitening and hands shaking as the voices grew louder.

She doesn't need you. In fact, she hates you.

She wants you dead.

You should be dead.

Why aren't you dead?

I shut my eyes and tried to ignore them. A long time ago, I had learned to push the toxic thoughts to the back of my mind. It was a skill I used often. It wouldn't silence Kiyo, but the negative thoughts could always be pushed away with it.

'Hotaru.'

"Yeah..." I had been snapped back into reality by Kiyo. I sighed before walking back downstairs. While dodging my mother and her date, I slipped outside. It was no longer raining.

"That's a good start..."

Later...

I looked through the window of the restaurant Katsuki, Eijirou and I had decided to study in. I was watching the two boys; monitoring how they act when I'm not there. It's pretty much the same. Katsuki was hitting Eijirou over the head with a book. Of course, the redhead put his arms up and tried to defend himself. I couldn't hear what they said but I knew Katsuki was yelling because people were staring. I sighed as I made my way to the door.

'Focus on studying. Don't get off topic,' Kiyo ordered. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, mom," I said, using more sarcasm than I intended.

'I don't think I'm anything like that witch. Hardly comparable,' Kiyo spat. A small smile made its way onto my face. As I walked in, the little bell above the door announced my arrival. A few heads turned towards me and a waitress asked how many people in my party. I simply pointed to Katsuki and Eijirou. The look she gave me seemed to ask if I was aware of what I was asking. I nodded with a smile. She gave me an unsure glance as she let me pass. I approached the table that seated the two boys and apparently went unnoticed.

"Seriously?! It's easy! You should be getting this, you spiky-haired dumbass!" Katsuki shouted at Eijirou. I looked to my right to see a worried waitress who was probably questioning if she should interfere.

"I got it," I put a hand on her shoulder. She stared at me for a bit before giving me a nod. I walked towards the table.

"Come on, Spiky-Hair! How can you be a man if you can't understand the easiest question on the goddamned paper?!"

"Bakugou, chill out!"

"Katsuki, if you keep hitting him with that book, I'm gonna burn it."

The two boys froze. They looked over to me with shocked expressions. I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Put it down," I ordered in a polite tone. It took Katsuki a minute to realize I had aimed my words at him. He frowned.

"You're not-" "Put it down before I cook you," I narrowed my eyes. Katsuki dropped the book onto the table and furrowed his eyebrows.

"Happy?" he grumbled. I paused.

"Satisfied."

"Thank you," the worried waitress whispered from behind me as she passed by. I gave her a wink before sitting down next to Katsuki. There was a moment of silence between us.

"What happened, Hotaru? We figured you'd bailed on us," Eijirou forced a short chuckled. I laughed nervously.

"Yeah...Sorry about that. Something happened at home and I lost track of time," I could see Katsuki narrow his eyes at the mention of my home.

"Is everything okay?" Eijirou asked. I nodded.

"Yeah," I gave him a reassuring smile. With that, our day went on. We were just studying but the boys didn't understand how much it meant to me. I honestly don't think they ever could...

...

Oh? What is this? A short chapter?

I actually needed to stop this here so I can have a head start on next week's chapter. Trust me, it will be worth it. I hope you guys are enjoying this! Look out for Chapter 16!

Special Thanks To...

breeswalkingaway

CWyse23

AkzMoMo

Reviews...

breeswalkingaway-Aw, thanks, Love! I'm so happy you like my little Lizard Girl. She's currently my favourite Oc so I'm glad you enjoy reading about her adventures. Please continue to do so!