53. Marshmallows

They watched Venita change her life from the back row over the heads of people who cared or who pretended to care. Some were serious, some were bored, and some had broken into tears. Thalia couldn't help but watch them with amusement. She found it interesting how people cried over something as trivial as a wedding. The couple to be weren't loving each other anymore than they already did. It wasn't a sad moment. Thalia wouldn't say it was a very happy moment, but of course Thalia wasn't really warm of heart. She slouched a bit in her chair while a man in a pinstripe suit and a long grey beard and a head of hair to match read the vows. Thalia figured that instead of saying "Will you love them forever?" it should be something like "Will you promise not to kill them as long as you live?"

Thalia smiled. If Percy had been here, she would've leaned over and whispered that into his ear and he would've laughed quietly and said something in reply that would've probably made Thalia blush as much as she hated it, but thinking about him brought her down a little. She hadn't been very nice to him before she'd come to the wedding. In fact, she'd been a total bitch and all he had tried to do was help her. She sighed and her mother glanced at her out of the corner of her. She shrugged and moved her gaze back to the couple in white.

This wasn't a fancy wedding. Venita was wearing a short white dress that showed off her belly bump. What made Thalia admire her was that Venita wasn't worried about what people would say. Venita was marrying for love, not for a baby. The child was only an added bonus. She was glowing in the spaghetti strap dress. It wasn't a typical wedding either because the groom was wearing a bleach white suit and a purple tie. Pumpkin stood by her mother in a beautiful light pink dress and a little flower wreath atop her head. All three of them were smiling and giggling as if the excitement was too much to bear. Finally, under the white arch and red roses, the man in the pinstripe suit uttered the words everyone had been waiting to hear: You may now kiss the bride.

Venita and Tristan kissed softly, but enthusiastically. Venita pulled Pumpkin up to them and Tristan leaned down to kiss her forehead. Everyone was clapping and talking, but Thalia could see Venita's lips moving. Thalia wasn't great at reading lips, but she wasn't too bad since she often read people's lips to avoid taking her earphones out. With tears rolling down her cheeks, Venita said, "We're a family now."

Among all the things that were sweet and happy, it was those four words that hit Thalia deep inside her chest. We're a family now. Thalia felt a lump in her throat and she couldn't help but glance at her mother. A family… Thalia wished simply saying "I do" would give her a family again, but she knew it would take a lot more than that to piece together the remnants of what might've been a family.

"Are we staying for the after party?" Thalia's mother asked. Thalia looked back at the happy family and decided not to.

"Let's go." Thalia wished a good day to the newlyweds and a playdate for Pumpkin before she left. They took the bus home. They sat around the middle, in front of an elderly couple.

"That was a nice wedding," her mom commented as she picked at the hem of her cardigan.

"Yeah."

"Did you like it?"

"It was okay." Her mom pursed her lips.

"You know I'm trying, right?" she said. The words took Thalia off guard.

"What?" Her mom sighed.

"Losing your father was hard on me," she said. "Not just because he left us, but because I knew it was my fault. It was my fault he left. It was my fault you stopped singing. It was my fault you lost your childhood and drinking was the best way I could handle it. I just drank until I couldn't remember why I was drinking. It wasn't a good reason, but it was the only thing I could do. I was very selfish and greedy, Thalia. I don't like to admit it, but it's true. But since I got pregnant I just- I don't know. It put all these things in perspective. It made me remember everything I had forgotten after your father. In fact…" she fiddled with her dress and her cheeks turned a soft pink.

"I'm even looking for a job now," she said. Thalia just sat there and stared at her like the words coming out of her mother's mouth were ancient greek symbols she couldn't decipher. Was she apologizing?

"No," Thalia said. "No, don't do this to me." Her mother looked confused. "After everything you did, you can't just say sorry to me like it's going to fix everything! Do you think asking for forgiveness is going to make me forgive you? You expect me to believe you just had some random epiphany and now you're a better person than who you were and I'm just going to accept it? Just like that? I'm sorry, but you're going to have to try a lot fucking harder than that!"

"Thalia!" her mother gasped.

"Yeah, like my cursing is any worse than yours!" Thalia spat. The elderly woman sitting in front of them cleared her throat and Thalia realized just how loud she was getting. The bus stopped close to their building.

"Just forget it," she said as she jumped out of the bus.

"Thalia!" her mother yelled. Thalia spun on her heel to see her mother down the sidewalk.

"Just go home. Don't wait up," Thalia said before she turned back and headed to a familiar building beside a familiar park. She didn't hear heels clicking on the sidewalk, so she figured her mother wasn't following her. Good. She pressed the buzzer and it automatically opened, just like always. Percy was already outside his door by the time she got to his floor.

"Are you okay?" was the first thing he said. Thalia felt the lump in her throat again. She walked towards him and embraced him without a word. She buried her head in his chest, the smell of the ocean surrounding her. Percy didn't say anything. He just rested his cheek on the top of her head and rubbed her back.

Her eyes stung, but she didn't cry. She felt the burning sensation in her chest, but Percy's warmth calmed her down. Her hands were wrapped in his shirt like a child holding on to their mother. The only thing separating Thalia and Percy's buildings was the park where they had met. They couldn't see each other through windows because Thalia's room was in the middle of the building, but Percy could definitely see her walking down the sidewalk. She figured he must've seen the fight between her and her mother. Thalia couldn't believe that after having been such a jerk to him, he still came out with open arms.

"Nice dress, by the way," he whispered. Thalia felt her cheeks turn red. She had completely forgotten the ruffle dress she was wearing. "Not sure it suits you, though." Thalia smiled.

"Not sure the crocs fit you either," she said, seeing the blue crocs he was wearing. He chuckled.

"Yeah, guess not. Come on, I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"With marshmallows?"

"With as many marshmallows as you want."

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter :) Sorry it took so long to come out! Thank Amazed Viewer for this chapter! You guys keep me going with your reviews/PMs. I can't even believe how long this story has been in the making. Thank you SO much for all the views and all the reviews and all the favorites! I don't think you guys know just how happy they make me :)