"How you feeling?"
"Less pain than yesterday but, I'm ok"
"You sleeping ok?", Blair asks
I plaster on a smile, "Mhm"
"We miss you", Indiah pouts
"I miss you guys too"
"Everyone's wondering where you've been, we've had to say the flu"
I sigh, "Hopefully I'll be in next Monday"
"Miss Campbell, am I going to have to confiscate your phone?"
Indiah looks away from the camera, "Uhhh no"
"We love you", They both then whisper up close
I blow a kiss, "I love you too. Go on before you get in trouble"
"We're coming over after school, bye"
The call ends and I put my phone down, looking towards the window. I've never been so bored in my own house until now.
I hear a knock on the door before it's opened by my father, "Morning"
"You mean afternoon"
"Same thing"
I notice that he's in his work clothes
"Starting a bit late aren't you?"
"Technically I can go in whenever I'd like. Come downstairs" Dad gestures
I slump against my pillows lazily, "Do I have to?"
"Well no, but I mean your mom didn't make waffles for nothing-
"Sold", I lift up my arms and he tilts his head
"Aren't you the same person that rejected my help yesterday?"
I just pout
"So bipolar", My dad rolls his eyes as he lifts me up and carries me out of my room
"You're the best", I smile
"I know I am"
As soon as we got downstairs I could smell something heavenly, crepes and waffles....and nutella. Oh I'm about to be eating good.
The thing is I could smell it but not actually see it
I frown, "Have I been tricked?"
He chuckles whilst steering me by the shoulders, "Patience"
I was led to the dining room, the sound of paw patrol was playing as we entered. There are two plates on the table, one with crepes and the other with waffles....and then there was my boyfriend sat at the table with my little brother on his lap. Aidan was watching paw patrol on his phone.
It was an adorable sight
"Zay", I say surprised
His dimple appears as he smiles, "Hey"
Dad takes Aidan from him, "Come on. Let's leave sissy and Xavier"
"Bye bye", My little brother waves as he's carried away
"Bye"
I wasted no time in hugging Xavier happily, I feel so relieved now that he's here. He buries his face against my neck whilst hugging my torso, "I missed you" I murmur
"I missed you too baby"
I just stay like that in his arms for a while, appreciating his comfort. I made eye contact with dad from the front room at some point. "Thank you", I mouth
He winks a your welcome before leaving for work and Xavier kisses my face multiple times before finally pulling away.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming"
"What and ruin the surprise?"
"Fair enough. So my dad just changed his mind?"
"I don't fully know why but I just heard him tryna convince my mom over the phone cause she still doesn't trust me to step foot out of the house", He replies as we start eating
I make a yikes face, "I've been a bit of a bitch"
Xavier chuckles, "I know"
Honestly I don't know how my dad deals with me sometimes because I can be quite mean, I'm really tryna work on that.
Anyway Zay and I discussed other things because I think we can both agree that talking about this whole situation is just draining, we talked about the charity ball which he will be coming to and we also talked about him finishing school. I was happy when he said he would because I know how much he hates it, although he's quite intelligent and before all this nonsense started he was doing well with his studies.
"You done eating?"
"Wait", I swipe a piece of crepe piece against some Nutella before eating it
He shakes his head with a smile, "When are you going back to school?"
"Monday hopefully, I'm bored at home"
"You sure you're ready?"
"What'd you mean?"
"You still need to deal with everything"
I shrug, "I'm fine"
"Ree you're not. I see how you react to loud noises"
I don't reply
"Did you tell your dad?"
"No"
"Why?"
"Because it's my own fault anyways-
"It's not. And regardless you shouldn't have to suffer in silence", He replies softly
"Morning", Our conversation was cut short by my mom as she came downstairs
"Hi", I reply
"Thanks for breakfast", Zay says
"You're welcome sweetie"
"Where you off to?", I ask whilst assessing her attire
She wipes something off of Aidan's eyebrow, "Got some last minute prep for the ball. How you feeling?"
"Good"
"Mommy, croissant?", My brother asks
"Yeah in a bit, we're gonna go to the store"
he's obsessed with them
Xavier looks at me as he gestures to my mom with his head, I shake my head and he gives me a look which basically says if you don't tell her I will. I roll my eyes before turning back.
"Actually, ma can you call the doctor"
"What's wrong?", She asks with a little worry
What do I even say
"I need something to help me sleep....and to just get me through the day" I answer carefully
"Are you having PTSD?"
"Yes"
"You should've told me", Mom says softly
I just shrug
"Would you consider therapy?"
"No"
"Are you sure? I don't wanna resort to pills right away"
Everyone has their preferences, me personally I'd rather just receive a prescription. That whole therapy thing isn't for me.
"You can keep ahold of them if you're afraid of me overusing but I don't want therapy"
She sighs, "Alright I'll call the doctor. Let me clean your stitches whilst I'm still here-
Her phone starts ringing
"One sec-....hey, you ok?"
I wonder who called
"At the firm?", Mom asks after a moment
Must be dad
She ends the call momentarily, Xavier and I look at her expectantly just in case somethings wrong.
"Everything alright?", I ask
"Yeah, I just gotta go to the firm real quick. GG and Zuri are there"
"Is it about Marty?..."
"Assuming so"
She puts her phone in her purse before looking over at me, "Let me-
"Mom it's fine, go on" I say softly
"Fine.....-she points her finger at me*....Listen to Xavier and let him help you"
"That's gonna be hard for her to do", My boyfriend snorts
"I know right?"
I roll my eyes and she smiles a little, "Alright I'll see you guys in a bit"
"Bye", Aidan waves whilst holding her hand
I give him a kiss and Xavier high fives him, "See you"
Eventually it was just us
Zay went and took our plates to the kitchen, instead of loading the dishwasher he just hand washed them since it was only two plates and some cutlery.
"Do my eyes deceive me or are you washing up"
"Ha ha, funny"
I smile whilst wrapping my arms around him from behind and resting my chin on his shoulder, "I love it when you clean"
"You know what I love?"
"What"
"You"
I scrunch my nose, "You're so mushy"
"You love it"
"You're right I do", I murmur whilst standing on my tip toes to kiss his neck
He gives me a gentle squeeze before finishing with wiping down the sink area, once he's done with that he dries his hand. "I got you something"
"Really? What?"
"It's in the dining room"
"How did I not see it?"
"I'm surprised you didn't actually"
He led me towards one of the shelves in the corner, there was a bouquet of roses and a teddy rested on the very bottom shelve. I look at them in awe as he hands them to me, "Omg"
I instantly fell in love with the stuffed teddy because it was the character stitch from the film Lilo and Stich.
"Aw, you didn't. Baby this is perfect" I kiss face and he grins
After admiring my new baby, I read the card that was rested on the roses, it contained a heartfelt message which only made me aw even more. "Awww Xavier this is so cute"
"Just don't start loving that teddy bear more than me"
I laugh as I hug him, "I can't make any promises. And his name is Stich, get it right"
It was medium sized, the perfect size for cuddling
"Yeah yeah"
I hold his face as I kiss him, "I love you. Thank you, this is really sweet"
"No problem"
"I'll put them in the kitchen for now"
That card is getting added to my collection.
"Alright lemme clean your stitches"
I lift up my shirt, leaving me in just my bra and Xavier sits in front of me before gently unravelling the bandage from around my torso. He hasn't actually seen the stitches but once he did I could see guilt and sadness flash in his eyes, "Xavier" I say knowingly
"You don't know what it was like", He says quietly
"I'm ok now"
"But you're not. This shouldn't have happened to you in the first place, it should've been me-
"Stop it. It's not your fault" I say softly
"Sure feels like it...", He kisses my stomach before starting to clean around the wound
"I think we can both agree that if anything like this happens again we go straight to our parents"
"Mhm"
We should've trusted them right from the start but because we didn't, I had to learn the hard way. I try not to wince as he touches me but I'm not very good at hiding my pain.
"Sorry mama, I'm almost done"
"It's alright"
He applies a thin layer of petroleum jelly before putting on a fresh bandage and I exhale with relief once he's finished, "How's that feel"
"Better"
"Good"
I put my shirt back on, "You gonna keep staring at my tits or come watch something with me?"
"I can do both", He replies as he follows me to the front room
I laid against him on the couch after reaching for the remote, "We're watching gossip girl by the way-
"No"
"Yes. We are"
"I'm not watching that shit"
"Aw, you make it seem like you have a choice" I say amused
He just looks at me but I'm putting it on anyway because I don't care if he doesn't want to watch it lol. Anyway I watch what he chooses sometimes and we always pay attention to the things we each put on.
Unless it's basketball, I simply do not care.
I look up at him, "Have you spoken to Jamila?"
"Nah"
"Talk to her"
"Don't you hate her?"
"Hate is a strong word"
I then wave him off "And besides we were bound to meet anyway cause I wanna know the other person that my man is letting touch his head, don't think I forgot that you named her as backup on my phone"
He smiles a little, "Came in handy though didn't it"
"Yes. I like her, and say what you want but you can't blame her for what happened. Don't be stubborn"
"I ever tell you how bossy you are?"
"A couple times, I see it now"
"Mhm"
"You love it"
"I do", He admits
"And you're changing the subject"
"I am"
"Baby I'm serious, don't let this one thing ruin your friendship" I reply softly
He kisses my head, "You're right. Thank you"
"You're welcome. I'm always right"
He looks past me, "There's a large spider-
I scream as I flinch, "What the fuck where"
"Behind you, wait don't move"
No joke, I started panicking
"Kill it, no for real kill it-
"Stop moving then-
"Hurry up"
I can feel myself tearing up as I move away from him, this right here is not a joke. I do not fuck around with spiders, they scare me so much and I physically cannot deal with seeing them. If I see one in my room then I sleep downstairs or get one of my sisters to kill it for me, I hate them.
"Is it gone?..."
"It keeps moving, it's not a small one-
"Why are you trying to scare me?"
He lifts his finger towards me and I scream, "Stop it!"
The bastard is laughing at me, literally dying of laughter and that's when I realise that he's playing with me. Just like old times, him and Malik used to pretend they had caught a spider and chase me around with it like the pricks that they are.
"That's not funny"
He holds his stomach as he continues to crack up, "You should've seen your face-
I stare at him blankly, "That wasn't funny at all"
"Just a little"
I sit away from him and he watches me with amusement, "You gon be petty with me?"
I don't reply and just scroll through Netflix
"Aw you were actually crying"
"You were actually crying", I mimic
Since I don't come to him, he shifts over and puts his arm around me. "Come, don't be mad at me"
I screw him as he kisses my face, "I didn't think you'd cry"
"I didn't cry", I mutter
"You did", He replies amused
"It's dusty in here"
"Mhm sure. It's ok you're a cute crier", Xavier says whilst wiping my eye
"I know that"
He lifts my chin, "Don't be petty"
I eventually accept his kiss and we make out slowly with tongue, it was a bit of a loud one. Obviously we can't do much because of my current state but I'm always happy with the smallest amount of physical touch.
Despite his annoying self, he makes me so happy
**
Xavier left a couple of hours later but I'll be seeing him in like two days because that's when the charity ball is. I was surprised to see that West had actually texted me, he asked why I wasn't in school.
I just told him I wasn't feeling well, then I also remembered that I've been telling him that he could come over but I haven't been living up to that promise. So today he's coming over with Indiah, Blair and the boys.
"Hey"
"Hi", I reply with my phone to my ear
"Just wanted to check on you", Dad replies
I roll my eyes, "Mom told you didn't she"
"Yes. But I pretty much figured it out myself anyway"
I frown as I chew on a couple of grapes, "What? How"
"I've noticed your behaviour. And you've been avoiding going to sleep"
"I'd rather not relive that moment over and over again everytime I close my eyes. But look can we talk about it later? My friends are gonna be here in a minute"
"Which friends?"
"Indiah, Blair, and like three guys in my class-
"Guys"
"Daddy aren't you past the stage of freaking out?"
"I'm not freaked out, I'm questioning you" He corrects
"Yes it's three guys, mama knows already and they are just my friends. Although this should be quite obvious considering that my boyfriend was just here?"
"No need to be a smart mouth"
"My bad. I'll see you later"
"Hm"
"Love you, bye" I end the call after seeing a couple shadows approach the front door, I can actually hear Blair's voice from here
I walk towards the door before unlocking it and smiling, "Hey"
The girls hug me immediately, "Hi" Indiah murmurs with relief
"I missed you guys"
"We missed you"
"Wait does this hurt?", B checks
"Nah you're good"
Behind them was West, Cj and Archie. I noticed they were holding paper bags in their hands.
"Aww, now what's this" I say amused
CJ grins, "Food of course"
I lift up my nose with intrigue, "Wendy's?"
"Wendy's", He confirms
I open the door wider, "Perfect"
They were all still in their uniform, Indiah mentioned that they were coming straight from school.
"Hi"
"Hey", I reply to West as he comes in
"You alright?"
"Not bad you?"
"Yup"
I shut the door behind him before walking to the front room, "Shit. Your house is huge" Archie says impressed as he looks around
"Thanks", I reply amused
"Remind me why you don't throw parties again?"
"I like privacy, and also my mom would never say yes to that in a billion years"
"Well the day you do decide to throw one will be the best day ever"
Indiah rolls her eyes and I frown a little, noticing how those two haven't really spoken since they got here.
I sit with her on one couch, Blair and CJ sit on another and Archie and West on the other. I already put drinks on the table beforehand so they can just feel free to take some, but right now I just wanna dig in to a nice juicy burger.
"Tell me what I've missed"
CJ tosses me a burger, "Class has been shit like always. Miss Brandy's been off for a couple days, the rumour is that she's pregnant"
"Oh yeah one hundred percent, I believe that" I agree
"Off topic but have you guys found something to wear for Saturday?", Blair asks
"Tux always does the trick", West replies
"I've had my outfit planned for a bit of awhile now"
"My parents are flying in tonight" Blair says
I make a yikes face, "Your moms gonna pick your dress isn't she"
She rolls her eyes, "Yes"
Her mom is very controlling....
CJ kisses her cheek, "I know you'll look beautiful in whatever you wear"
"Thanks", B smiles in return
"De nada"
-you're welcome-
"Does she know about you two?", West asks
"Not exactly. I probably won't even have time to tell her cause I'll most likely be too busy arguing with her", She replies whilst chewing on a couple fries
To be honest, I don't know if it's a teenage thing but my friends don't have great relationships with their moms. As we know B's mom is rarely here and only cares when it comes to her diet and education so that's already one issue, Indiah and Latoya used to get along well but things just haven't been great for them recently. I don't know how it is for the boys but I know that CJ and his mom are really close, and she loves Blair.
"Dee Dee what about you?", I ask
"Literally going to pick up my dress from the tailor after this", My best friend answers
"Am I still coming or no?", Archie asks
She lightly kisses her teeth but doesn't reply and I look between them, "What have I missed. What's up with ya'll?"
"I don't know, shes been mad at me since this morning"
"Oh please", Indiah replies
Blair sighs whereas West and I frown
"Dee"
"It's fine", She mutters
"Clearly it's not, you've had an attitude all day"
"Ok so sue me then, the fuck?"
"See what I mean?", He scoffs at West
"Not gonna lie she has a reason", Blair comments
CJ murmurs something to her but she ignores it
"Well then let's hear it"
She stays lazed against the couch, "I'm already pissed off enough, stop talking to me-
"For no reason-
Indiah suddenly sits up, "Oh so you weren't checking out Rachel H at that last party"
He frowns, "What?"
West makes a yikes face as she looks at Archie expectantly, "What? Speechless?-
"What makes you think that-
"And you weren't talking bout what was next, cause you have me already so you're basically bored?"
"Indi-
"Lie to my face Archie I swear to God"
I raise my eyebrows with surprise
"It's not like that-
"Show me your phone"
"Come on this is ridiculous-
"No no no, show her" I challenge
"I can't do that"
CJ closes his eyes with disappointment and Indiah wipes her cheek before getting up and leaving the room. The bastard didn't even get up to go after her because once again he's a pussy.
"What is wrong with you?", I say annoyed
"You're not even gonna go after her", Blair scoffs
"I'm just giving her a minute-
"Bullshit, that's what you always say" I get up before going upstairs to my room and B comes with me
Indiah's in tears....
"It's always me", She cries
My face saddens as I hug her, "I'm so sorry"
"I'm so pissed, I can't even" Blair replies
"How'd she find out?"
"CJ told me, and of course I wasn't about to keep it to myself so I told her"
"This is so fucking embarrassing. To think that I thought I had nothing to worry about, I'd get so excited to see him and the whole time he has Rachel H in his DM's whilst i'm here looking like an idiot"
"No he's the idiot, you've done nothing" I reply as I continue to hug her
"Honestly you're better off without him" Blair comments
I can't believe Xavier was right....
"You wanna come back down?" I ask softly
She wipes her eye whilst sniffing "No I look like shit. Fuck sake, nothing ever works out for me"
I pass her some tissue, "You look beautiful. And Archie's gonna regret what hes done, right now hes gotta go"
"Yes, he does" B agrees
"You wanna sleepover?"
Instead of replying she cries a little more, but it was a silent cry. Indiah hates vulnerability.
Blair and I just hug her as she lets it all out