Bruises and Bitemarks

by Mikuxmew85

Summary:

A misunderstanding causes two unlikely people to end up moving in together. How will they cope with the extreme clashing personalities? What will they do when they start not... hating each other's company?

Notes:

• Inspired by Train Food by gnarlybastard

Well hellllllllllo beauties and gentlebeauties. Welcome to this new fledgling fic. It's my first time publishing an AU. I'm a little nervous about it, but I decided to say fuck it and go with it. I hope you guys end up enjoying it!

Chapter 1: New Roommates

Exhaustion hit like a tidal wave. It wasn’t the classes nor the teacher’s monotonous lectures that never seemed to end. It wasn’t the weight of the bag on her back. No. It was the ramifications of her idiotic decisions. She wanted nothing more than to head home and plant herself face first into her bed and fall asleep. That was the issue though. She had absolutely no idea where home was. Gnawing at her lip, she scrolled though her e-mails, leaning against one of the school’s stone walls. Reading the address over and over did nothing to help her with the location.

“Move in the middle of the week, I said. It’ll be a great idea, I said. It’ll be fine.” Lailah berated herself.

Lailah Collins wished that she could throw herself off a cliff. A couple of months ago, she had made the decision to move closer to school. It was only two towns over, but it might have been in another country. Outside of the few friends she had in class, she knew no one. Except the person that she was going to be rooming with. Kind of. For two weeks, she had been hammering out the details of moving in with this girl that needed a roommate. Apparently, her old roommate graduated and left suddenly.

The thing was… she had never met the girl. Nor had she actually been inside the apartment. Pictures had been sent to her e-mail showing her the modesty of the apartment. From a safety point of view, the Stranger Danger was real; but she just needed to live somewhere where she wasn’t paying a second tuition in gas. Every other ad wanted too much for a security deposit or required too much in rent; or both. Everything sounded great, until she got the call as she left class.

Apparently, the movers took down the wrong address for her apartment and now were in some complex about forty five minutes away. To top it off, they had tried to argue with her that she was going to have to pay extra to make up for the extra gas used from their mistake. Arguing with them for a good thirty minutes resulted in her winning, a few choice words from the drivers, and a threat to be sued. Lailah was going to have to make sure to count each individual thread on her blankets to make sure they didn’t take anything as simple as a thread. She was serious about the suing thing.

As if it couldn’t get any worse, her car was having a hard time starting. The gas needle had been on E, but she knew her car. At least… she thought she did. Pulling up the address on her phone, she saw it was a five minute drive away from the school. That was great. Walking though… not so much. The screen displayed fifteen minutes with current traffic. Not to mention, it wasn’t exactly cool outside. She could just call her parents and have them bring her some gas, right? Lailah sighed and looked up at her car’s ceiling. No. She had told herself that she wouldn’t bother her parents. This was a step in her life that she needed to take on her own; good and bad. Failing this early would only make her parents worry more.

Lailah sighed and grabbed her keys, got out of her car, and placed her bag on her back. Trying to focus on the positives, she sorted through the pros and cons of the situation. Yes, she’d be gross by the time to the apartment. Yes, she’d be tired. Yes, her day wouldn’t even be close to being done. But! This would give her a chance to learn the town better. Learning shortcuts would come in handy in case she needed to get somewhere faster; like if she was late for school. Locking her car, she looked around. Everyone was going about their business. Some were heading to class, others were heading in their cars to go home or whatever other activities they had planned.

Not too far from her, a guy was sitting on a stone wall surrounding one of the school’s buildings. Lailah headed over towards him, gripping onto the straps of her bag. He looked scary; black hoodie, camo pants, and a buzz cut. Whatever was on his phone had amused him as he smirked and let out a laugh. A quick look over him and he was the exact type of person she tried to stay away from. Desperate times called for desperate measures though.

“Um… hello?” Lailah called out. The smirk on the guy’s face remained until he looked up and saw her; instantly turning into a frown.

“What?” His tone was harsh; bitter.

“Can you—”

“Not interested.” The guy dismissed her with a wave.

“Not… inter—huh?” Lailah blinked. That conversation went south really fast. “I just need your help—”

“Don’t care!” The guy sounded completely bored and hopped up, heading off without a word.

Un. Believable.

Lailah watched the guy walk off with a dropped jaw. How could someone be so rude and dismissive to someone they had just met?!

“What. An. Ass.” Lailah sighed and looked down at her phone. “Looks like I better get to walking.”

What should’ve been a twenty minute walk went severely wrong. On her way, she was met with an accident. In hindsight, it was probably a good thing that she didn’t drive for that, but it took the police officer what felt like forever to give her the right away. Part of her had been tempted to find somewhere else to cross, but with three officers around; she didn’t feel like testing her already shitty luck. By the time she reached her apartment complex—“The Promenade”—around forty minutes later, she was on the brink of death. Okay, clearly dramatic, but she was sweating. Profusely. It would be a wonderful way to make a good impression on her new roommate. Making girl friends were hard for her, and she didn’t want to screw up before she was even given the chance.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, startling her. Heart beating faster, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. Turning up her nose, she ran the sweaty screen along her sweaty pants. Taking a deep breath, she swiped the green phone button.

“Lailah! Hey!”

“Hey Mom!” Lailah tried to sound as enthusiastic as her mother. It was great to hear from her. Really it was, but it was hard to sound as happy as she was when she was trying to hide from her mother exactly how hard she was fighting for her life right now. “W-What’s up?”

“We just wanted to call and see how you were doing—”

“Hi, Lailah!” Her dad screamed in the background.

“Hey dad…”

“Hold on.” Her mother said and then sounded like she was a little further away.

Speaker phone. Great. Now Dad’s going to know I’m dying.

“So, tell us all about it. Did the movers get there okay? Have you settled in?”

Please stop making me talk.

“Oh yeah… They got here a few minutes ago. Settled in… fine…”

“How’s your roommate, is she nice?”

“Oh yeah… She’s-She’s great!” Lailah bent over, resting on the fence of the complex.

“Lailah, you sound out of breath. Everything okay?” Her father asked.

“Oh, yeah. Just… moving all that furniture. A lot of work.”

“What? That’s what the movers are for!” Her mother exclaimed.

Shit.

“W-Well… I just couldn’t help it. I uh… there were stairs and they looked t-tired from all that walking and lifting. I wanted to help.” Lailah explained.

“Of course you’d help…” Her father said.

“Hey uh… Can I call back later? I need a shower.” Lailah asked.

“Yeah, of course.” Her mother said. “Bye. We love you.”

“Love you too.” When the phone went dead, Lailah let out a loud groan. “Holy shit… I’m so out of shape. Almost there though.”

Lailah headed to the apartment. Dropping by the office, she asked for directions to 1416. The woman at the counter instructed her to continue following the sidewalk past the pool and dumpsters. It would be on block J. Her shoulders visibly slumped. Why? Why did she have to live so far back? After a quick thanks, she headed further into the complex. 1416 had never been a more beautiful number. Lailah expelled a loud sound of relief. Finally! Her legs were burning. The death grip on the stairs’ bannister was the only thing keeping her upright. She shed the bag that had been weighing her down and knocked on the door weakly. Music could be heard on the other side of the door. She knocked harder.

“Goddammit… Come in!” Lailah heard a garbled voice.

“I can’t!”

Hard footsteps came closer, flinging open the door.
“What do you mean you—who are you?”

Lailah blinked. Standing in front of her was the same person that she had tried to get directions from back at the college. What the hell was he doing here? More importantly, how did he not remember her? They hadn’t even talked an hour ago.

“What? You and I just… just met at the college. I asked for directions… or tried to.” Lailah tried to sound pissed, but she sounded pathetic more than anything. The guy raised a brow and looked up.

“Huh…” He mused. “Oh… right. Well, nice seeing you again. Bye.”

“W-Wait!” Lailah put her foot in the doorway.

“What? I’m busy!” The guy groaned.

“Can I talk to the girl that owns the apartment?”

“Huh…? What are you talking about?” The guy asked, furrowing his brows. “I own the apartment.”

“…Huh?” Lailah blinked. She peeked at the number on the door. 1416. “U-Um… are you sure?”

“What?! Of course I’m sure!” The guy kicked her foot out of the doorway. “Now leave.”

“Wait!” Lailah stuck her foot in the doorway just in time enough for it to be slammed in the door.

Ouch…

“You’re starting to piss me the fuck off. What do you want?!” The guy yelled.

“I’m supposed to live here…” Lailah whimpered out, trying not to sound too much in pain.

“Live here?” The guy scoffed. “You have the wrong apartment, Lady—”

“Lady?!”

“Yeah. Lady.” The guy scoffed again and looked at her leg, most likely ready to kick it instead of her foot this time. “I’m not gonna tell you again. I’ve got business to take care of, I’m expecting someone. Now leave before I kick your leg so hard I break it.”

Realization dawned on her. She looked at the door and then at the guy. Her face paled. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t be.

“Me. You’re expecting me.” She said softly.

“Wh—”

Lailah held up a finger; somehow silencing him. She dug in her pocket and pulled out her phone. Quickly, before he could slam some other part of her body in the door, she pulled up her e-mails and showed him. His brown eyes scanned over it and looked at the pictures. He sighed and looked up at the sky.

“Fuck…” The guy groaned out.

How could this big of an understanding happen? Everything was already in the process of getting changed. From the corner of her eyes, she saw a moving truck pull up and park. Lailah pursed her lips and looked down at their feet. She was sure that he wanted to tell her to move out, but she had already put her name on the lease and gave a security deposit. Legally, he couldn’t kick her out. Stepping to the side, still clearly unhappy about it, he let her inside.

The air conditioner was a welcome relief. It was a little too cold if she was being honest. It could also be because she was sweating so much. Part of her was hoping that this was a huge misunderstanding and she hadn’t actually signed up to live with this… rude asshole. But the photos matched completely. He even recognized the pictures. This was her life now.

The whole moving in process was awkward. Her roommate stayed completely out of the way and didn’t help even a little bit. In fact, he was reclined on the couch the whole time, watching them walk in and out. By the time everything was in the apartment, Lailah was ready to sleep face first on the floor. The main moving guy held out his hand at the door. Was he really expecting a tip? After all the hell they had put her through?! She slammed the door in his face and looked at her items littering the living room. His eyebrows were furrowed as his brown eyes scanned each item; scrutinizing it.

“I can’t believe they didn’t put it in my room…” Lailah mumbled. She turned to her roommate.

“Nope.” He said without hesitation, crossing his legs and putting them on the coffee table.

Was this really what she was going to be dealing with? She had just moved in, but she was going to have to start trying to find somewhere else to move; fast. Lailah would almost rather spend the money in gas than live here with him. Almost. She parted her lips, but her roommate simply pointed to a room with his thumb. She huffed and hung her head for a moment, taking a deep breath before she started pushing her mattress.

After what felt like an eternity later, her room was set up. It was small. But it was homey. It would be a nice apartment if it wasn’t for the thing listening to music in the living room. She slammed her bag on the desk chair. Lailah hadn’t even lived with him for a full 24 hours and she wanted to stab him. Exhaling, she moved to her window and pulled. It stuck. It was nice and cool in there, but she needed some fresh air. It took three more times before the window released and opened.

I can do this…

She walked outside of her room and saw her roommate leaning against a large window, his hand outside. Between two fingers she saw a cigarette. Her roommate was listening to some music on one of those TV channels that only played a specific genre. For him it seemed to be rock and alternative. He flicked some ashes and Lailah walked closer. If they were going to be living together, she would need to try and at least have somewhat of a civil relationship. Even if this had all been a misunderstanding, perhaps some good could come out of this.

“So…” Lailah trailed off, rocking back and forth on her heels.

“So.” Her roommate repeated, not taking his eyes off the traffic.

“We should probably get on a first name basis.”

Her roommate took his gaze off the traffic and turned it to her; raising a brow.
“Why?”

“Uh… because it makes sense?” Lailah said. “We’re living together. Whether the situation was what we had intended or not.”

Her roommate looked her up and down and rolled his brown eyes; scoffing. She wanted to pluck them out and turn them back to him and move them in her palm that way he would see what it would look like when his eyes were rolled. But… Lailah resisted the urge to say—and thankfully—do any of that. She needed to focus. Civil. That’s what would get her through this until she was able to find somewhere else to live. He took a deep drag of his cigarette and raised a brow.

“Lailah Collins.”

A smile; devilish and evil creeped to his lips. He blew the smoke from his cigarette blatantly in her face making her cough and wave it away.

“Frank Morrison.”

I hate you already.

Chapter 2: Personal Space

Summary:

“Are you sure that you’re okay living there? Is he some psycho crazy person?”

Notes:

Welcome back! <3 I hope you enjoy this chapter. Their dynamic is so fun to write.

Three days had passed since Lailah had moved in with Frank. Usually spending time with someone would bring the people closer. However, she was just as close to leaving as she was the day that she had gotten there. She could count on one hand how many times he had been kind to her. Even then, it wasn’t what was the normal definition of “kindness”. For most, it was just common courtesy. Putting the cap back on the toothpaste. Putting the plates from his dinner in the sink. Not leaving his shoes directly in the center of the floor. That last one she thought was most likely a mistake, but she was going to write it off as Frank not wanting her to trip.

In the three days that she had lived there, she had gotten to at least know a little bit about him. Frank played basketball. He was good at it. He spent most of his time either in his bedroom or in the kitchen; eating some food. Where he put it all, she still couldn’t comprehend. She supposed all the basketball playing would have something to do with a high metabolism. She knew that he was almost insufferable to live with. He made sure that her experience was just good enough to make it so she didn’t move out. He had threatened to kick her out a couple times; but they both knew that he couldn’t do that. He needed her half of the rent to remain here, but he’d never admit it. They were stuck with each other. Both ultimately hated it.

Classes had almost put her to sleep. Math had made her almost start to drool on the hand she was resting on. While Biology was an interesting enough subject, the five-page essay with an annotated bibliography was not. Due the next time they had class really put the pressure on. Teachers didn’t seem to realize that their class wasn’t the only one that students had. No, that wasn’t quite right. They knew. They just didn’t care. To them, their class took priority over the others. Grading scales were steep and the slightest mistake on a test could send her GPA in the unsavory direction; making her feel like a failure. To put it bluntly; Lailah was stressed.

Once she arrived, she took off her shoes and tossed her bag into her room and headed into the living room. Frank wasn’t in the usual spot on the couch. Now that she looked around, she didn’t see him. No Frank time was the best time. Lailah decided to take advantage of it and got dressed in her pajamas and went to rest in the living room. Sliding one of her favorite DVDs into the player, she laid on the couch cuddling her pillow. When she was stressed, she had two go to movies. Each one had the wonderful gift of relieving stress. Comedy was one of her favorite genres. Laughter could cure a lot of things. While she didn’t think it was the best medicine, it was pretty damn close.

Just as the menu pulled up, her phone rang. Lailah reached into her little cocoon and pulled it out. Displayed across the screen were two words ‘Asshole Roommate’. She had no desire to have Frank Morrison’s number. However, they had both agreed—shockingly—that it would be in their best interest to exchange them. Lailah had no intention to contact him just to chit-chat, but he had felt the need to reiterate it once she saved the contact. It had taken about two minutes of constant reassurance that he had nothing to worry about, she wouldn’t talk to him unless she had to.

“What?” Lailah answered the phone, letting it rest on her face.

“If you wanted to go get food, where would you go?” Frank asked.

Lailah pulled the phone away from her ear and checked the contact again before putting it back.
“Huh?”

“You deaf?”

“… Probably the little Mexican food truck that’s usually parked by the college.”

A huffed laugh came from the other end of the line.
“Thought so.” He said, sounding unimpressed and bored. Silence. A loud sigh. “Later.”

“Hey, wait—” Lailah clicked her tongue, listening to the call hanging up. “The hell was that about?”

She continued to stare at her phone for a few more moments before placing it back under the pillow. Feeling a slight chill, she went and grabbed her blanket and returned to the couch. Was Frank really going to grab her some food on the way home from practice? Was this the breakthrough that she was hoping for? Hating someone took a lot of energy and work. That energy could be redirected through more productive activities. Hobbies. Did Frank even have hobbies other than making her life miserable and basketball? She had been so buried in her schoolwork and her worrying about finding a place that she had started to wonder what her own hobbies were. Other than watching comedies when she was stressed. Shaking her head, she started the movie.

Halfway through the movie, the door opened and in walked Frank. In his arms, he was carrying quite a few bags from the Mexican food truck. The scent of enchiladas, crunch wraps, chicken tortilla soup, and quesadillas filled the air. They mingled, dipping in and out of each other; wrapping together to create scents that she wasn’t aware even existed. Lailah leaned up and watched him close the door behind him with his foot and kicked off his shoes. They locked gazes and Frank raised his brows.

“What?” He asked, tossing his keys on the small table by the door; completely missing the bowl she had set there for their keys.

“… You brought food?” Lailah asked, peeking at the bags.

A light of hope filled her. Was food what was really going to bring them together as roommates? She doubted that she’d ever become friends with him, but civil acquaintances would be good enough. They both loved food, but if something has simple as food would cross even a bit of the gap, she was a little angry that she didn’t think of it sooner.

“Yeah.” Frank said and brought the bags towards the kitchen. “I got hungry.”

“Oh. Yeah, it happens.” Lailah cleared her throat. “So, um… what did you bring me?”

The sound of the bags crinkling stopped and she glanced behind her, seeing Frank looking at her with raised brows.
“What makes you think any of it’s for you?”

“Wait… what?” Lailah asked; incredulous. She had to have heard that wrong.

“Why would I buy you food?” No. No, she hadn’t heard it wrong.

“You asked me what I’d want to eat!”

“I wanted to find some place that I knew you liked.” Frank said, returning to unpacking everything that was in the bags.

“Why’s that?”

Frank shrugged,
“Wanted to try some place new. Figured since you ate a lot, you could recommend some place good.”

Lailah’s jaw dropped. She searched his face for some hint of a joke, but there was none. No, that wasn’t necessarily true. She was the joke. It figured. The one time that she had thought that Frank had some semblance of a good person in him, he did something like this. His sole purpose in life right now was to make her miserable. And her stomach apparently, as it let out a deep growl when she inhaled some of the food. Hatred. Anger. Embarrassment. It all filled her, bubbling up inside the container that held her emotions. Without saying anything else, she laid back down and turned her attention to the TV. It took all that she was to focus on the story instead of the crinkling of the bags and opening of the take-out containers. While she hated the sound of Styrofoam, it made her stomach jump with glee knowing what was inside.

The credits started rolling. Behind her, Frank could still be heard chewing and crinkling more bags. Lailah took the remote and went back to the main menu, pressing play again. Frank adding to the stress just by being himself was enough to warrant another watch. Just as the opening credits started, listing all the actors and actresses that played the leads, Frank disappeared to his room. Part of her wanted to go and grab some of the food and shove it in her mouth, just to prove a point. Stooping to his level would only make her as low as him. Trying to keep her cool and be the better person was harder than it sounded.

Finally getting used to the scent of the food behind her, she was able to focus more on the movie. A small smile came to her face and she huffed a small laugh. Her phone rang once more and she grumbled. If it was Frank again from wherever the hell he had went, she was just going to decline the call. He could be stranded with no way home and she wouldn’t care. However, ‘Mom’ was displayed on the screen. Lailah’s smile widened as she answered the call and rested it on her ear.

“Lailah!” Her mother said, the smile evident in her voice.

“Hey Mom. How are you?”

“I’m fine, Sweetie. How are you?”

“Fine.” Lailah lied.

When her parents had found out about the mix up and that she was currently living with a man that she hadn’t met before the day she moved in—even worse that she thought her roommate was supposed to be a girl—she had gotten a lecture for about three hours. Her parents had said that she was careless and should’ve double checked. Asked more questions. They had been wary about her answering an online ad for a roommate as it was. During the lecture, her father had said he was going to come and get her. But she refused to tell him the address. She hated Frank. Absolutely hated him. Hated living here. Hated the situation. However, if she let her parents fix the mess that she made, then she would end up being a burden again. Not the most independent by any means, this was her chance to live through her mistakes and be a better person; grow. Pouring out her heart was the only way her parents had lessened their freaking out. She made sure to answer the phone whenever they called, not wanting them to worry any more than they already were.

“You sound stressed.”

“No, I’m fine.” Lailah lied again.

A door opened and closed from the other side of the small apartment.
“Are you watching Spy?”

“No, I’m not watching Spy.” She said, watching the main character and her unreciprocated love interest eating dinner together. That food looked good too.

“Are you sure that you’re okay living there? Is he some psycho crazy person?”

Honestly, it wouldn’t really shock me.

“No, I don’t think so.” Lailah answered, furrowing her eyebrows.

She looked up from her pillow to where Frank was at in the kitchen; rubbing his eyes and his nose. He must’ve been tired having changed into his pajamas as well.

“Hey.” When Frank looked at her she continued. “Are you going to murder me because you’re a stranger I met on the internet?”

“Yes, I am.” He said without hesitation and leaned against the counter, stabbing some of his food with a fork.

“He says ‘no’.” Lailah cleared her throat and looked back at the TV. Her mother’s sigh let her know two things: she didn’t believe Frank or her for a moment, and she had heard the conversation. No matter how much she told her mom he was kidding, Lailah knew it wouldn’t set her mind ease. At least… she thought Frank was kidding.

“Lailah, just… be careful. Okay?”

“Yeah Mom. Of course.” Lailah said, keeping her eyes on the TV.

“I’m just glad to hear your voice. Call me if you need anything. Anything at all.”

“Yeah, I promise.”

I’m sorry Mom. I wish I could ease your worries. I’m not sure how. I’m not even sure there is a way.

“Text us too. Just… anything.”

“I will Mom. I have to go get something for dinner.” Lailah said, ignoring Frank clearing his throat in the background.

“Okay… I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Lailah hung up the phone and tucked it underneath her pillow once more.

The familiar pang of being homesick set in her stomach, pushing away the hunger for the moment. Should she have taken her father up on the offer to come and get her? Living with this thing was a pain in the ass. Her desire to become more independent outweighed her yearning to go home. Not by much though. One of the hardest things to do in this house was becoming comfortable. It wasn’t because Frank made her necessarily uncomfortable, it was primarily because it wasn’t her home. Having him close by didn’t help though, but just because she didn’t like him. Despite everything against her, she had managed to get comfortable. Just as the main character was putting one of the snide agents in his place as he had a tendency to call her degrading names, footsteps came around to the couch.

“Move.” Frank said.

“What? I was here first.”

“Don’t care. My feet hurt. Move.”

“No!” Lailah exclaimed.

Frank looked from her to her feet. He blinked and that same strange smile came to his lips. He turned towards the TV and plopped down on the couch, right on top of her legs. Frank wasn’t necessarily heavy per se, but he was definitely toned. The weight on her already injured foot made her squirm. Frank paid it no mind and continued to eat, staring at the TV.

“Ouch! Hey!” She kicked. Wiggled. Finally, she pried her feet from under him with a loud huff.

I can’t believe he just sat on my feet. That’s a lie. Yes. Yes, I can.

Lailah frowned and huffed again. This was less than an ideal situation. Living with someone that was clearly stronger than her had more cons than she had originally thought. Yes, there were things that could go horribly wrong because of his strength, but she had next to fear of him doing anything like that. They couldn’t stand to be in the same room for too long without splitting to a separate room. Hesitating for a moment, she raised her legs to try and put her feet on his lap. The couch was small. There really was no other option. They hadn’t even had the chance because as soon as the blanket touched him, he pushed her feet away. Strong enough to almost knock her off.

For that, she really couldn’t blame him. That would’ve looked rather intimate. But the couch was small. Curling up, she managed to get comfortable and have her feet outside his thighs. He took a bite of his crunch wrap. Cool. Close, but not too close. Definitely not touching. He reached over and shoved her feet off the couch again.

“Really?!” She exclaimed, looking at him in disbelief.

“Too close.”

Lailah clicked her tongue and stood up. There was no point in trying to reason with someone who thought the world revolved around them. So much for thinking that they could even get remotely close to each other. Idiotic for the thought to have even crossed her mind. His attention was turned to the DVD. Wow. He was actually enjoying it. On a scale of one to ten on how much she cared, it was a shame she couldn’t go lower than a 0. Lailah ejected the DVD, earning a grunt and a gesture at the TV. Lailah shrugged her shoulders and grabbed onto the disc, her pillow, blanket, and phone.

“Not my problem. Get your own.”

“Are you serious?!” Frank called as she left earning nothing but a shrug in return.

Dressing her bed back to normal, Lailah resigned herself to watching the movie in her room. Was she really going to have to stay in her room the whole time she lived here? There was no way she could bring friends here either. Lailah sighed and hung her head. First, she’d actually have to have friends to invite. Yes, there were “friends” in classes, but it was just for those classes. Lailah had been so hopeful that she was going to be able to be friends with her roommate when they talked. They had gotten along so well through messages. Frank was a great actor. Lailah plugged up her phone and looked around, letting the DVD play so she had background noise.

Even though she had already dressed in her pajamas, the stress made her crave a shower. Might as well just dirty another pair of everything. She frowned and grabbed clothes, underwear, and a towel before heading to the bathroom. Their apartment was strange. Out of all the things they had to share, the bathroom was one. Both of their bedrooms were connected by the bathroom. Two girls wouldn’t really have an issue with it, hell maybe two guys wouldn’t either. A man and a woman though? This was a terrible thing to have. Lailah locked Frank’s side and her own. Not that he would come through her room, but it still set her mind at ease.

The hot water melted her the instant it touched her skin. It seemed the shower and her room were the only places that she could find solace in the whole apartment. From her shower, she could hear the muffled sounds of her movie playing in her room. If she closed her eyes and thought hard enough, she could trick her brain for a little bit to let her think she was back home with her parents. Only once the water started to turn lukewarm instead of scalding did she quicken her shower. Hopefully he had planned to use it right after her. She’d use up all the hot water she could.

Back in her room, Lailah shoved her clothes in her hamper and gathered her books and laptop and put it on her bed. She had taken her remote and put the movie on repeat. While she would start to tune out the actual words after a while, it was nice to hear the background noise; something, anything other than Frank Morrison. Exhaustion or not; she still had that paper to do. Maybe if she focused hard enough, she could get lost in her paper and forget about Frank and his shitty attitude, terrible personality, and her growling stomach. Lailah made it a point that she wouldn’t get food until Frank had already went to bed, or at least retreated to his room. She wasn’t going to let it show how much his prank—if she could even call it that—had hurt her. Perhaps embarrassed was the better word.

Lailah flipped through her book, highlighting passages that would help compose the paper better. Staring at all the words and diagrams, her eyes got tired and she could feel the bloodshot coming on. She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Scouring through the internet, she managed to find a couple credible sources. If she pulled an all-nighter, she might be able to get the paper done in one night. Then that way she could have the rest of her weekend to work on the small assignments and relax. As much as she could with Frank Morrison sharing a space with her.

She stretched and bent, grunting when her back popped. The thirst was real. Lailah—with book still in hand—headed from her room and to the kitchen. Keeping her eyes on her book, highlighter between her teeth, she fished around in the fridge for the gallon of tea that she had made earlier. It was one of the few things that Frank didn’t like. Though, she wouldn’t put it past him to drink it all just to spite her or dump it out for some stupid reason. Lailah took her highlighter from between her teeth and highlighted an extra important passage about the mitochondria before sticking it back between her teeth.

“Who the hell are you?”

Lailah turned and blinked. Three people she had never seen before were standing in the entryway. Each of them was looking at her. All with a different looking gaze; the only guy out of the new group had raised eyebrows and a smirk, a girl with pink hair looked confused, a short haired girl held a scowl. When the hell had they gotten here? Had she been so focused on her books that she hadn’t heard three people enter the apartment? It would seem so.

“Uh… hi.” Lailah waved awkwardly after setting down the gallon of tea.

“Didn’t you hear me?” The short haired girl asked. “Who the hell are you?”

“This is my new roommate.” Frank interjected with a sigh; gesturing tiredly.

“Huh? She don’t look like a guy to me.” The other male said.

“Yeah, there uh… was a misunderstanding.” Lailah cleared her throat. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Frank frown.

“Well, you can leave.” The short haired girl said.

Lailah huffed a laugh and scoffed. She was already getting treated like shit on a daily basis by Frank. The last thing that she needed was for this person that she didn’t know to come in here and start doing the same. From the closeness they were all standing to each other, it was safe to assume they were all close. Frank and the rude girl may have been even closer than that. God. There was two of them. What had she done in a past life to deserve this? Was this a test? If it was, she was sure that she was failing.

“My name is on the lease and I already gave a security deposit. I received a piece of mail here yesterday. Legally, I don’t have to leave until removed by someone of authority and with the proper authorization. You don’t have that.” Lailah said flatly.

“Julie—” The pink haired girl began.

“No Susie, I don’t want Frank living here with a girl.” “Julie” spat. “Especially someone like her.”

The other male scoffed and rolled his eyes. He gestured to her.
“What? A straight A student? What she gonna do? Raise his GPA? Ooh, scary shit Julie.”

Lailah cleared her throat, trying to hide a smile. Especially when Frank rolled his eyes and looked away. Was his GPA really that bad? Or was it just the fact that this guy was antagonizing Julie that made him act like that? Either way, the other guy and girl didn’t seem to be too bad of people.

“Shut the fuck up, Joey.” Frank sounded exasperated. “My GPA is fine.”

Joey let out a single, loud laugh.
“Okay. Sure, bro.” His attention turned to Lailah. “So, ya got a name?”

“Oh. Sorry, I’m Lailah.”

“You don’t mind if we grab Frank and head out, do ya?”

“Not at all.” Lailah sat her book down and poured herself a glass of tea. “If you were coming to grab him, you should’ve come sooner.”

“Stay outta my room while I’m gone.” Frank said, pointing a finger at her. “Hear me?”

“Oh please. There’s nothing in your room I could possibly want. It was nice to meet you Joey and Susie.” Lailah grabbed her glass and book. She looked Julie up and down. “Julie.”

Whatever Julie was going to say in retaliation was cut off by Lailah shutting her door. Finally. Frank would be gone. Their schedules were pretty close together so they spent more time in the apartment together than they did separated. Frank’s door opened and closed. Then, the front door. With a loud sigh of relief, she opened her door and headed into the kitchen again. Now that he wasn’t there to make fun of her for the prank he pulled on her, she was able to actually find something to eat. Inside, a familiar Styrofoam container sat. In awkward, borderline terrible handwriting was her name; sort of.

Lila

To be fair, she hadn’t really corrected him and explained how to spell her name. It was the thought that counted though, right? A small smile came to her lips. He really had left something for her. She grabbed the container and furrowed her brows. The smile that had come to her lips instantly left when she saw the inside. Half of the tortilla soup was eaten. The crunchy bits were now soggy and left on top. It was like he ate half of the soup, and deliberately left the would-be crunchies to get soggy. The more she looked at it, the more she reached the conclusion that was exactly what he did.

“If I could push you down the stairs and not have consequences, I totally would.” Lailah muttered aloud and put the half eaten soup in the microwave. Clearly Frank was not going to return to the soup as he’d written her name on it. Might as well eat what was left. Wouldn’t want it to go to waste.

Each moment that Frank was out of the apartment, she felt was a relief. A huge weight lifted off her shoulders. She could deal with this for the rest of her life and never get tired of having Frank Morrison. What was with his friends though? Why would Joey and Susie want to be friends with someone like Frank and Julie? Opposites attracted though. That could be why. Had Julie been more polite to her, she would’ve tried everything she could think of to try and calm her worries. Absolutely nothing was going to happen between her and Frank. In a way, she could understand the worry, however. But! Being rude without even letting Lailah tell her side and assure her started a relationship on the wrong foot.

Powering through, Lailah managed to finish her paper. It was late into the night however. She hadn’t heard anything about or from Frank since he had left. Not that she was really worried about him or anything like that. She reached over and checked her phone. It was almost three in the morning. Where the hell were they going to where they would stay out there that long? Frank was 23, so it’s not like he couldn’t do what he wanted. Just seeing the type of friends were in his group, it was safe to assume that he was at a party or something like that. Julie didn’t seem like one for parties though, but then again, Lailah didn’t really know her other than the shitty first impression that she had gotten. Saving and printing three copies of her paper—just in case—she shut off her laptop and put it on her desk and replaced her books. It would be a lie to say that she was anything but aggravated and exhausted. She had spent all day on that stupid paper, but, at least it was done. The stress from the apartment life and the paper had bubbled to the brim of her emotional container.

“Come… the… fuck… on!” Lailah heard screaming from outside. Loud banging followed.

“…” She got out of bed and went to the door.

“Hey!”

That sounds like…

“Frank?” Lailah opened the door and saw her roommate standing outside. Well, standing may be giving him too much credit. “What the hell—”

“Took ya long ‘nough.” He said and staggered inside.

He was dirty and looked slightly scuffed up. Clearly drunk. She was sure that there was some more alcohol in the bag dangling at his side. So not only was he an asshole, but a party animal? Someone who would go out at random hours of the day and come back completely wasted. An athlete. A drunk. An ass. What a combination. The exact combination of things that she hated. And yet, the exact combination of things that she had inadvertently forced herself to live with.

“Why didn’t you just open the door?” Lailah asked, raising her hands up.

“D’ya think I dinna try that?”

“I uh… I’m not sure.”

“Well, I did. Couldn’t get the key in the motherfuckin’ lock.” Frank sighed and kicked off his shoes and tossed his keys behind him. They landed on the floor. He didn’t care.

“You need to go to bed, Frank.”

“Huh?” He turned to her. Lailah scrunched up her nose. He reeked of alcohol. How much did he drink? Internally, she was giving him kudos for being able to even stand. But she’d never tell him that she was impressed. “Whatcha say?”

“Ugh…” Lailah grumbled, feeling his breath against her face. “I said you need to go to bed.”

“Night’s still young.”

“It’s morning, Frank.” Lailah said.

“Oh. S’fine. Mornin’s still young.” He shrugged.

Lailah reached down and tried to pull the bag from his grip. He would probably be sick as it was in the morning… or later in the day whenever he decided to get up. Frank pulled it away, surprisingly still strong in such an inebriated state.

“Give me that.”

“Stop.”

Lailah tried again, but he moved it away again.

“I said ‘stop’, dammit. S’mine.”

“And you can have it.” Lailah said. “But you don’t need anymore right now.”

Despite what it looked like; she wasn’t worried for his health. Not in the least bit. He was athletic. Clearly he was doing something right for his body to be in such good shape. No. She was looking out for herself. If he was sicker than a dog the next day, then it would affect her studying and sleeping. After the paper, she needed some sleep. He might even try to get her to take care of him. Maybe. If he tried that, she’d just call Julie. It would involve either going through his phone or getting the number from him, but he was her responsibility; not Lailah’s.

“So, I’m just going to take this—”

Her back was pressed against a nearby wall. A staggering Frank was holding himself up from an arm resting on the wall above her head. He tilted his head, his breath brushing against her face; still as laced with alcohol as before. This was extremely too close. If Julie happened to see this, she would brutally execute Lailah where she stood; regardless of who clearly started it. Lailah wanted to push him away, but she couldn’t get her hands to move. With his condition, there was no telling how the hell he’d react with being touched anyway. Touching him to begin with wasn’t very appealing.

“How many times I gotta tell ya ‘no’?”

Notes:

There you have it! Let me know what you think! <3 have a good day/night and see you next time!

Chapter 3: Productive Member of Society?

Summary:

“…That wasn’t nice.”

Notes:

Hello! Welcome back! Here we are with chapter 3! I had a lot of fun writing this. I hope you enjoy reading it.

“How many times I gotta tell ya ‘no’?”

Lailah scrunched up her nose. His forehead resting on his forearm brought their faces even closer together. His body was so hot from the alcohol raising its temperature, practically making him a walking radiator. Their close quarters did nothing to cool the fevers and before she was aware of it, her own body’s temperature was rising. Unable to deal with facing him anymore because of the intense alcohol content on his breath and tongue, she turned her head from him. If they stayed like this for too much longer—even the ten seconds was too long for her—she was worried she might become drunk from secondhand alcohol intake. Blockaded in the small corner, Lailah had to duck underneath his arm to escape the confines of his prison. Fresh air!

It must’ve taken Frank a couple seconds to realize she was gone because he looked down where he was and tilted his head before looking at the floor; like he was following footprints that only he could see his gaze eventually traveled from the floor and up to her eyes. Another small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. If he was expecting some sort of mental telepathic connection, the only channel she was receiving was white noise. Drunk or not. Well, it wasn’t the exact same when he was sober. She picked up some rock music with that white noise whenever she looked at him.

His arm slid down the wall and he stood up, staggering a bit. Geez… how much did he have to where he couldn’t even stand up straight without looking like he was going to fall. Normally, she would try and help someone get in bed safely when they were drunk. She had to do it with her mom a couple of times when she came back from a reunion with some friends she hadn’t seen in a while. Him though? She hoped he would fall. And break the bottles. Well, maybe she shouldn’t go that far. After all, if he broke the bottles, she wouldn’t be able to have any later. After tonight, she was going to need some.

“Just go to bed.” Lailah waved him off.

“Aw c’mon, Baby!” Frank said with a laugh. “I hate it when we fight.”

Lailah scoffed. The sarcasm was just oozing from him. He looked like shit. Clothes completely covered with remnants of dirt and grass. Some was even on his face. Dilated pupils. Swaying like he was on a tightrope. And yet, somehow, he stood there with a stupid smile on his stupid face. He was an enigma. One she didn’t want to spend any time of her short life trying to figure out. It was a waste of him. He was a waste of time and space.

“Whatever, Frank.”

Ignoring whatever retort he was attempting to think of—must’ve been hard for him to try to use his two brain cells—she closed her door and got back into the warmth of her bed. Turning off her TV, she pulled up the blankets, and turned over trying to go to sleep. It wasn’t the easiest in general to go to sleep while living in an apartment with someone like him, but the rustling of bottles and something else she couldn’t make out didn’t help matters. Pulling up an app on her phone for background noise, she clicked on campfire and turned it up to the max, put it by her pillow, and focused on the sound. It was one of her favorite things; sounds of a crackling campfire were always welcome. Later rather than sooner, she ended up falling asleep.

Sleeping was a sin here. While the campfire was enough to bring her to sleep, it did nothing to prevent her from being woken up by loud music. She looked at the window. It was still mostly dark outside. The fledgling beams of light were just starting to peek their way through her curtains. Flinging the blankets from her body, she stood up in a fury. It couldn’t even be 7 AM and she was already being forced to wake up? Hell no. This was the last straw. The complete last straw. Why? What did she do to make him hate her so much? It was just as much of his screw up as it was hers. Lailah groaned, every thought in her mind was telling her to rip Frank limb from limb and toss the rest over the balcony. She was sifting through to find the most brutal one when she flung open the door and stopped with a shocked sound.

Standing right in her doorway was Frank. Clean. Dressed in pajamas. Some sort of food sticking out of his mouth. He was holding a large Bluetooth speaker that was beating to the sound of the bass in whatever song he was listening to.

“What now?!” Lailah exclaimed, rubbing her eyes and trying to stifle a yawn so she could properly yell at him just like he deserved.

“Get up. Sun’s up.” Frank said. “And I’m hungry.”

“Wh—the sun isn’t even really up yet! Besides, I don’t have classes today! I want to sleep! Go back to your room and turn it down!” Lailah slammed her door. Then opened it again. “And I don’t care if you’re hungry! Go get some food then!”

Frank moved whatever was in his mouth from the right to the left and raised his eyebrows. He heaved an exaggerated sigh and shrugged his shoulders. Lailah slammed her door and was about to turn and go back to bed. Loud. Anger. Louder. Rage. Loud. Bass. She jerked open the door and saw that Frank hadn’t moved. His finger was slowly turning the volume button up. On his stupid face was that stupid smile returning. A devious look pointed at her direction from underneath his lashes. Definitely the incarnation of evil. Complete evil.

That’s it! She tore the speaker from his hands and threw it into the living room where it landed on the floor. The thought that she could’ve broken his speaker didn’t occur to her nor his reaction until his gaze turned from her and to the speaker that was on the ground, speaker side down in the carpet. It was the first time she had ever felt really afraid of Frank Morrison. He hadn’t attempted to harm her, just poke and prod her to get a reaction. Did he really think that she didn’t have a breaking point? Not to mention that he had been drunker than a sailor when he came home. Alcohol was a depressant, what if he took whatever was bothering him out her? He was strong. Athletic. He could easily kill her. Murder her just like he had said he would when she was on the phone with her mother.

“…That wasn’t nice.”

That’s it?

Lailah’s frantically beating heart started to calm and she released a deep breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. Frank went over to the speaker and picked it up. He looked it over like he was expecting it to be cracked or shattered. Lailah wanted to berate him, tell him it landed on the carpet and was obviously fine. She didn’t want to test whatever good grace had saved her from getting reamed out or physically harmed. He sighed and brushed off whatever imaginary shit he was seeing. She wiped her hands down her face. As angry as she was that he had woken her up, she really hadn’t wanted harm to come to his possessions. If it were reversed, she’d kick the shit out of him for breaking her things. Or at least try to kick the shit out of him.

“…Sorry.”

“Still hungry.” Frank mumbled, continuing to dust off his speaker.

“Eat cereal. We have some in the kitchen… if you had looked.” Lailah turned away and then went back and pointed at him. “Don’t fucking wake me up again.”

“Cereal…” Frank whispered like she had just told him the meaning of life.

What the hell is with you, Weirdo? You’re acting stranger than normal.

“Uh… yeah. Sure.” Lilah said, closing the door behind her. “Fucking weirdo.”

Frank didn’t wake her back up.

When Lailah woke up, the sunlight was blaring through her curtains. Hair was plastered to her face from drool. It was the best night of sleep she had gotten there since she moved in. She made sputtering noises and pulled out some hair that had made its way into her mouth while she undoubtedly snored. It was going on noon. Satisfying pops erupted from her back as she stretched. Complete rest had eluded her for so long she was sure that she was never going to get it again. It felt good to know that she was wrong. From beyond her door, she heard some talking and Lailah instantly sighed. It was more than one person. That meant his friends. That meant Julie. So much for her good morning. Maybe she could just wait until they were gone. But… she had no clue how long that would be. And she had to pee. Hanging her head in defeat, Lailah might as well try to make the best of the situation.

Before she left her room, she put her hair up in a bun. Julie would take shots at her anywhere she could. Might as well try and give her less ammo. Making sure that she was at least somewhat presentable to the world, she left her room. Eight eyes turned to look at her making her recoil. She blinked and cleared her throat, giving an awkward wave and a smile. Susie and Joey both gave a smile back. Just as expected though, Julie looked like Lailah had just murdered her puppy in front of her. Frank on the other hand had neither of those emotions and had sighed and tilted his head back to rest on the couch. Lailah wished that she could express just how much she felt the same, but she said nothing.

“So, like I was saying Frank, that was a lot of fun last night.” Julie said, louder than she really needed.

I could not care less about what you did or did not do last night Julie.

“Yeah.” Frank chuckled, moving on the couch.

“Not gonna lie man, I don’t remember half the fuckin’ night.” Joey admitted with a shrug.

“Same. Not even sure how I got home.” Frank laughed.

I wish you hadn’t come home at all, but I can’t get what I want.

Lailah grabbed the milk out of the fridge, covering her cereal in it. A few flakes fell from the bowl and she scrambled to put them back in. From the living room she heard a scoff and a laugh. She had just woken up and she was already getting made fun of?

“How did you sleep?” Susie asked.

Lailah popped a few pieces of her cereal into her mouth. A loud throat clearing made her jump. All eight eyes were looking at her. Oh. She was being talked to? That was… strange for them.
“Uh… fine.”

“We know Frank can be a little loud when he’s drunk, so I just wanted to make sure.”

A little?

“Thanks.” Lailah said. Susie nodded.

No matter how much she wondered, she couldn’t think of how they all could be friends much less how Joey and Susie could tolerate being around Frank and Julie. They were completely perfect for each other. Compatible in every way. Both as evil and rude as the other. A regular Bonnie and Clyde—except without the illegal activities. As Lailah put the milk back in the fridge, she watched Julie’s dirt covered shoes bounce at the edge of the couch. Bits of dirt and what looked like crinkled leaves that had once been lodged between the rubber tracks of her shoes were on the carpet.

“And he—”

“Julie,” Lailah interrupted the girl. “Can you take off your shoes please? I cleaned the carpet the other day and there’s a lot of dirt on them.”

Without missing a beat, Julie’s gaze bored into her. Her shoes stopped bouncing and for a mere second, she had a glimmer of peace. Lailah smiled a small thank you while Julie adjusted herself in Frank’s lap. The smile faded. Julie had taken her shoes and tapped the sides together roughly, knocking everything from the bottoms onto the floor all the while staring at her. Lailah pursed her lips and looked away; blinking with a shaking sigh. Retreating was her only option as no one stuck up for her—so much for her thinking Susie and Joey were nice and rational. Sticking up for herself was suicide in this position, she was completely outnumbered. They had no problem with gaining up on her. Without another word, Lailah went to her room and closed the door.

She placed her bowl on her nightstand and popped her other stress relieving movie in the DVD player; Just Go With It. Lailah sat against the wall with her cereal bowl in her lap. Why? What was Julie’s issue with her? There was absolutely nothing going on between her and Frank. They both hated each other. Surely that was evident. Was this how she was to every other girl that she came into contact with? Susie and her seemed to have a good relationship; who would want to be friends with that? Pressing play, she tried to drown out the conversation continuing in the living room. All she had to focus on was what she was doing. Living in peace wasn’t an option here it seemed. No matter what she did, she was met with some other type of bullshit.

While she munched, she grabbed onto her phone and furiously typed. She had to figure out some way to prevent them from being in the apartment too much at the same time. With classes and them living together, they would always be together during those times but if she could dwindle down the time by just a couple hours, that was a big help. Scrolling through her phone, she managed to find some listings that were nearby for a job. Having enough money saved up, she was going to be able to pay her share of the bills until about summertime. During break, she was going to get a job and save up again. It never hurt to have some money to fall back on, just in case. But… plans changed. Putting in applications to every single opening available, even some that were almost bordering on the next town over, she would get some sort of relief. Hopefully, just hopefully they would call her. Laliah turned back to look at the TV and ate at her cereal. A tightening gripped onto her chest and she started sniffling.

No. Don’t. Don’t let them effect you like this. Don’t let them win.

Despite her monologuing pep talk, tears gathered in her eyes. In no time at all, it was difficult to see the TV. Her chin quivered and she hung her head. All she had wanted to do was be independent. All she had wanted to do was help her parents by not being such a burden. Once her eyes were unable to hold anymore tears, they started overfilling and falling down her face. It was a good thing that she had turned the TV up so that her roommate and his friends wouldn’t be able to hear her crying and use it against her later. They continued to fall. Wiping them away was futile as they were just replaced with more. Her small hiccups were quite frequent, and she ended up accidentally choking on one of her cereal pieces. Between coughing and crying, she was ready to just go back to sleep. Once she was able to breathe again, she put the now empty bowl onto her nightstand. The door closed. They had left. Lailah put her face in her hands and cried.

It’s just like middle and high school all over again. Except I live with it now.

Once she was sure that Frank and his friends were gone, she switched the movie to the living room. In a closet between the pantry and the kitchen was another door that contained the cleaning supplies. Before she had moved in there was simply window cleaner and a rag that needed to be tossed out inside. Glancing at the spot where Julie had deliberately made her mess, she sighed. All of it had been ground into the fibers of their gray carpet. Naturally. Deliberately, she was sure. Grabbing her supplies, she ended up on her hands and knees at the spot.

“This is some real Cinderella shit…” Lailah mumbled.

It wasn’t her job to clean up after Frank’s girlfriend. Hell, it wasn’t even Frank’s job. However, she couldn’t live in an apartment where it was completely filthy. Especially if the cleaning was in her power. There had to be some way to get Frank back. Even if it was Julie that had wronged her this time, she could still make her roommate’s life a little harder since he didn’t defend her. Yes, it was his girlfriend. But she wasn’t perfect. Clearly. Lailah wondered if he even stood up for himself when it came to a fight with Julie or if she wore the pants in the relationship.

From her room, she could hear her phone ringing. It wasn’t an assigned ringtone. Her brows furrowed when she looked at the number. Normally, she wouldn’t answer calls from a number she didn’t recognize. Bill collectors were relentless. However, she had just put in applications. Throwing caution to the wind, she answered the call.

“I am—I just—give me a few minutes.” A woman with an accent was on the other side of the line.

“Um… hello?” Lailah asked.

“O-Oh! Yes, hello!” The woman sounded frantic and Lailah had to slightly pull the phone away from her ear. Whoever it was, they clearly were not used to talking on the phone. To be fair, neither was she. Unless it was to her parents. And to Frank. But their conversations were short and one usually ended up hanging up on the other.

“…”

“…”

A voice spoke in the background that she didn’t understand spoke.

“Right! Hello. Is this Lailah Collins?”

“Yes… Who’s this?” She hoped that she didn’t answer a call from an awkward bill collector.

“My name is Feng Min from Tea You Again. I’m calling about your application.”

“M-My application?” Lailah brightened and looked at her phone and then put it up to her ear again.

“Yes… You did put in one, right?” The woman called Feng Min asked almost borderline frantically. Lailah could hear clicking, almost like she was sifting through something on a computer. She recited her cellphone number.

“Yes ma’am. I’m sorry. I was just shocked.”

“Oh. Are you still interested?”

“Yes ma’am.” Lailah said, holding her breath.

“I’m sorry about the sudden call. We’re just in desperate need of someone and we saw your application and—” The same voice in the background spoke again. “Oh. Right. Well, are you available for an interview?”

“An interview? Uh. Yeah, I am. When?” Lailah was about as frantic on the phone as Feng Min.

“Huh?” The voice in the background spoke again. “Now?”

“Now?”

“Um, yes. If that’s possible.”

“Yes ma’am. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” Lailah said.

Once Feng Min disconnected the call, Lailah screamed out in joy. While she didn’t have the job yet, she had gotten an interview. That was a step in the right direction. If she could get an interview at one place, then maybe if this didn’t go well, she could be get another interview somewhere else. Lailah went to her room and looked inside her closet. She didn’t have a lot of dressy clothes. A couple tops and a pair of pants that looked proper enough to wear for an interview. Putting on a white flower shirt and pulling up her pants, she hopped to grab her hairbrush from her dresser. With a quick brush through her hair and a little bit of lip gloss, she was ready to go.

Lailah grabbed her keys and headed for the door. On the table where the bowl was, she saw Frank’s set of keys. A small smirk came to her face. She took the keyring and twirled it around on her finger. With definitive steps and a new fire growing in her stomach, she walked to her room and tossed the keys in a box that was underneath her bed for miscellaneous items and shoved it as far under her bed as it would go. No. They wouldn’t have that power over her.

“If your girlfriend can’t act like a decent human being; I guess I’ll just annoy you instead!”

She left the apartment, making triple sure to lock both locks before she headed down the stairs. A quick look at her phone’s GPS let her know that the shop was less than a mile away from her house. It was perfect. The interior from the posted pictures was mostly a deep brown wood. There were a couple couches. Potted plants were tastefully accenting the shop. Lined against the walls were countless amounts of teas. Loose leaf. Bags. In a small container at the counter had some pastries in it. There was something else, but she couldn’t quite make it out. On the store front Tea You Later was written in a cute, slightly cursive font with a cup of tea by the R in ‘later’.

Not only was the place cute, but she would save a ton of gas if she got the job since she wouldn’t have to drive there. Lailah followed the directions to the store and looked inside. A couple people were inside and Lailah walked in and looked at the young woman behind the counter. She was short; about her height, and had black hair tied into a bun. The smile on her face was awkward, but sweet.

“Hello.” Lailah said as she walked to the counter.

“Hello, what can I do for you?”

“Um, my name is Lailah Collins. Someone—”

“That was me, I called. I’m Feng Min. Nice to meet you.” The young Asian woman said and held out her hand. “Call me Feng though.”

“R-Right. Yes.”

“Sorry about the call earlier. I’m not used to talking on the phone.” Feng admitted. “Let me get the manager.”

Feng peeked around the corner of a room that went behind the counter. Probably to the kitchen.
“Yui!” She called. “Lailah’s here.”

A taller Asian woman with blonde hair and goggles hanging around her neck came from the back. She sized Lailah up and down with a stoic look on her face. For someone that was around the same age as her, she cast a huge level of intimidation. The woman—Yui—put on her gloves.

“Okay.” She said, her voice almost as stoic as her look.

“Sorry, Yui is usually more expressive than that. She’s just tired.” Feng Min assured. “Welcome aboard!”

“Wait… what?”  Lailah asked. “I came here for an interview.”

“Yui just gave you one.” Feng smiled.

“That… was an interview?”

“Yui’s an extremely astute person and a good judge of character. If she thinks that you’re good for the job. You are. Yui, when should she—”

“Tomorrow. 10 AM. No uniforms. Dress comfortable.” Yui said from the back.

Lailah looked at Feng Min and then the arch that Yui had disappeared through. All the anger had paid off. She had really just gotten a job that simple. Some place that had no uniforms. She somehow aced an interview she didn’t really do. There were no uniforms. She got to come in pretty late in the morning. Was this a dream? She had cried so much had she actually cried herself to sleep and dreamed of a better place. Lailah parted her lips to speak, but Yui emerged from the back. This time, there was a different look on her face. It looked contemplating. Worried even. Was she going to take back the job that she had just given out? Yui checked the clock and then looked at Lailah again.

“Do you have plans?”

“Um… no, not that I can think of.” Lailah admitted.

“Feng. Get her started.”

“Wait, I thought you said she was starting tomorrow Yui.” Feng said.

“Aya and Sonny texted me. They’re not coming in. I figured they weren’t going to. Aya’s been sick for a week and Sonny… well… never mind.” Yui looked over at Lailah. “I’m sorry, but there’s going to be a lot of on the job training for you. You think you can manage?”

“Y-Yes, I’m sure that I can.” Lailah nodded.

“Cool. You’ll have a nametag tomorrow.” Yui said and returned to the back.

It was rather funny. Feng Min was terrible at talking on the phone, but when she’s met in person she was quite the chatterbox. Feng probably didn’t have a lot of friends, just like her. There were many things that she needed to learn; types of teas, leaves, origins, flavors, and the boldness levels. It sounded like too much to learn. But… Yui had told her that it was a lot easier than it sounded. That was probably easy for her to say. She was born in Japan; it was the most common of common knowledge. Feng Min was familiar as well. Although they had both repeatedly assured her that she would be fine, she still had her doubts. If there were a little bit of failures, it wouldn’t be for lack of trying.

Lailah learned not only a lot about the hot teas that she’d be making and recommending, she leaned a lot about Feng Min and Yui Kimura. Feng Min and her parents weren’t talking because she spent most of her time playing computer games. Yui Kimura used to street race in Japan, but she ended up getting into an accident that left her unable to race any longer. Interestingly enough, both of them were attending the same college that she was. It shouldn’t have been much of a surprise. The town was rather small, but she couldn’t believe how smooth everything was going despite the rocky start to the day.

They had both found it interesting and slightly hilarious about the mix-up that turned her and Frank into roomies. Lailah wished that she could share in their humor. They wouldn’t be laughing if they were the ones that had to live with him and deal with his weird girlfriend. Yui had agreed that Lailah was right. She had rung up twenty customers that day. Feng was by her side the whole time to guide her while Yui guided her in the back where the kitchen was. It was back there that she learned how to make boba tea—or bubble tea—as it’s called in some countries. It was one of the oddest and most strangely delicious things she had ever tasted it. The tea was based with milk and cream. At the bottom were these chewy tapioca balls. Her job back there consisted of learning how to properly make the boba and the different flavors of tea. One thing that didn’t take too long to explain was the packaging. Putting it in the cup and sealing it with a plastic seal covered with cute designs and handing them the cup with straw was simple enough.

By the time Yui was allowing Lailah to make the boba tea mostly unsupervised, the sun had already set. Her feet were a bit tired. Flats weren’t the best choice for footwear when she was working. Noted. When the clientele had calmed down, Lailah was in the middle of wiping down the counters when Yui sat down at one of the tables. Feng had taken a spot at one of the booths and both were looking at the TV. Lailah leaned on the counter and watched the story on the news about group of teens cooked over a hundred meals and donated it to the closest soup kitchen.

“In other news, a local convenience store was robbed less than an hour ago by four young adults. The store owner was threatened with the promise of being stabbed if he didn’t give them the money that was in the register. After taking the money, the group made a swift getaway on foot and disappeared into the woods.” The announcer said, her face stern. “We talked to the owner of the store for his eyewitness account. Colby?”

At the bottom of the screen; Martin Sanchez: store owner was displayed on a banner. The man looked clearly distraught. He let out a deep sigh and looked at the reporter.

“They came in and instantly demanded for me to hand over the money. I tried to press the panic button, but one woman said that if I ‘touched the button, she’d slit my fucking throat’.” The man’s curse word was bleeped out. “I handed them all the money that was in the register. All four of them looked at me before leaving. I couldn’t see their faces though. They were wearing masks.”

The news announcer returned to the screen and a grainy black and white picture was displayed on the large screen. There were four people in hoodies. It looked like two girls and two guys. One person had a smiling mask and had his face turned towards the camera. Two fingers extended towards the lens as if he were shooting it. They didn’t seem to be worried in the least that they were caught on camera. Although, if she were them… she wouldn’t care either. After all, the only thing that was even remotely distinguishable were the masks. Two masks were smiling. One had smears on the mouth while one had some that looked like on the eye. With the shadows, it was hard to tell. One mask looked like flesh and was held together with something that looked like pins. She was the one that was holding the bag of money in her hands. The furthest down was a man that was in a skeleton mask. The woman in the smiling mask had her head tilted back. The flesh masked girl was looking over at the skeleton masked man that had a hand on top of her head.

“If you have any information that could lead to the capture of one or all of these young adults, contact the Ormond Police Department immediately.”

The news switched to sports and Yui switched the channel.

“That’s so crazy.” Feng Min said. “And that happened less than an hour ago?”

“That’s what she said.”

“…Wow.” Feng Min sighed.

Yui closed down the register and Lailah was taught how to clean the machinery. Taking that time, Yui decided to clean the bathrooms. They all wanted to get home as quick as possible. While home wasn’t an impenetrable force, at least they had more defense. And she had a guard dog. Or a guard Frank. Whatever you wanted to call him. Making sure to confirm her time for the next day, Lailah exchanged numbers with Yui and Feng before heading back home. She’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t a little scared. After all, they could come in and hold up Tea You Later while she was working. What would happen then? Would she die? Lailah sighed and shook her head. No, she couldn’t think of that. All she needed to do was get home and take a shower. That would make her feel better. Those guys were trying to instill fear in everyone, but… she wouldn’t let herself be afraid. Or at least… she wouldn’t let anyone see it.

Lailah looked around every so often on her way home. She stayed as close to the light and in the most populated areas of the roads as she could. Don’t show fear. Their kind could sniff it out. What if she did something that they didn’t like and she eventually ended up getting killed just for crossing paths with them. A case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She shook her head and borderline jogged all the way back home.

Police lights cast a red and blue light along block J. In the middle, a police car was parked horizontally blocking all the other cars from leaving. What the hell had someone done? Did they come here?! Yeah, all that talk of fearlessness was out the window when she was faced with the reality that she might be seeing them. Of course, with the cop car here they would be in the car, but she didn’t want to see the faces of someone that would threaten to kill someone. They had to be absolutely terrifying. Some of the other residents of block J were standing outside. Some were on their phone, others had peeked out and went back to their business like they were used to seeing this sort of thing, and others were just watching.

“Ouch! Watch it!” A loud voice screamed.

“Put your hands behind your back, I said!”

A loud thud sounded against the hood of the car. Had they really caught them here? Were they coming to rob someone here next?! Lailah rounded the car towards her apartment so she could see what was going on. Disbelief crossed her features. A policeman had Frank in handcuffs with his chest against the hood of the car. Despite the losing position, her roommate was still struggling against the cop who clearly had it out for him. For whatever reason.

“I’m telling you I—hey. Hey hey hey!” Frank called, momentarily stopping his struggle against the cop. “You’re home.”

“…”

“Who’s this?”

“My—ouch! My roommate!” Frank exclaimed.

“Ma’am do you know this man?”

Lailah blinked. Frank’s fate was held in the palm of her hand. One word could let him go or send him to jail for… whatever dumb shit he did. Whatever it was, she was sure that he deserved it. Would serve him right too for treating her like shit since the moment she knocked on his door—hell, before that even. She looked at his brown eyes, clearly pleading for her. That look in his eyes. It was desperation. It was nice to know that she had some sort of power over him, even if it’s just a little bit. She sighed,

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” She frowned. Her frown remained as the police officer undid the handcuffs. Frank stood up and rubbed his wrists. “C’mon, Frank.”

“Have a good night ma’am.” The officer said.

“You too, Sir.”

“Keep an eye on him.”

“Yeah, I will.” Lailah lied. She wanted to look anywhere but him most of the time.

She sighed and unlocked the door and walked inside with Frank. He closed the door behind them and pulled off his shoes. Lailah tossed her keys in the bowl and took off her shoes and started to head back to her room but was stopped. Looking back, Lailah saw that his hand had gripped onto her wrist and pulled her back slightly. He was stronger than he must’ve given himself credit for since she ended up almost falling. A hand reached out to steady her.

“Oh, uh… sorry…” Frank mumbled.

“… What do you want?” Lailah pulled her wrist from his grip.

“Thanks. For out there.”

“What happened?” She asked with a sigh.

“Okay, so I was at Julie’s house. She—”

“Short version, Frank.” Lailah cut him off.

“I came home. Door was locked. You weren’t home. I remembered that I left my window unlocked. So, I tried to climb over to it and open it to get in. Well, I guess some dumbass saw it and called the cops thinking I was trying to break in.”

“…You better be thankful that I came back when I did.” Lailah said. “You would’ve been screwed.”

“Yeah. I am.” Frank said with a sigh.

“…”

“I uh… tried to call you. But you didn’t answer.”

Lailah took out her phone and saw ten missed calls from ‘Asshole Roommate’. She cleared her throat and looked over at Frank and shrugged her shoulders.
“Sorry.” She said.

“You’re uh… you’re usually home.” He cleared his throat.

“Yeah.”

“And… you weren’t.”

“Astute of you.”

“So uh… where were you?” He asked.

“Out.” Lailah said bluntly.

“Right.” Frank looked down at the ground. Was he… really nervous right now? Frank Morrison? Nervous? Nah. Something was odd here.

“I’m getting a shower. Night.”

Lailah headed away, but Frank grabbed her wrist again. She turned around and sighed, brushing some hair from her face.
“What man?!” She huffed.

Frank cleared his throat.
“Hey, uh… don’t worry about Julie. She’s a bitch most of the time, but she doesn’t mean anything by it.”

“I don’t care.”

I’m not going to let you know your girlfriend gets to me. Then you can all use it against me.

“Right.” Frank let her go and sighed.

Lailah headed back to her room to get everything she needed for her shower. She opened the door and was stopped by Frank’s voice.

“Hey. Thanks again… Lailah. Night.”

A small smile came to her lips and she went into her room.

Notes:

There you have it! Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 4: The Deal

Summary:

Kill me please.

Notes:

Welcome back beauties and gentlebeauties! I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter. Happy New Year by the way!! I was actually supposed to have a couple more chapters out before the New Year, but I ended up having life nip at me.

The soft piano tune that gradually got louder pulled Lailah from her sleep. It took a few seconds for her to remember why an alarm was set on her phone. A gasp left her lips when all the memories from yesterday came flooding back. That’s right! Today was her first day! She sprung up and threw the blankets off her body. She had made sure to set the alarm leaving her enough time to grab a shower and some breakfast. After her unexpected shift yesterday, she realized it was important to eat before going to work. Yui had said to dress comfortable. Lailah looked at the clothes in her closet. One by one, she placed shirts and pants against her body and looked in the mirror. Comfortable, but professional. Not really having those requirements before; she was stumped. Feng Min and Yui had been wearing clothes that were rather unconventional for a business. Being the new girl, she wasn’t sure if she was granted that luxury. By the time Lailah had decided on a black blouse with a cat motif at the neckline, some shorts, and black socks that matched the cat motif her shirt; a large pile of clothes lay on her bed. If she kept her current pace, she would end up doing fine. The shower, no problem. As much as she wanted to stay in the shower and revel in the nice, hot water she was more excited for her job.

After dressing quite possibly the quickest she had in her whole life, she headed for the kitchen. Her stomach started bubbling with nervousness. There was nothing to make her worry about her first day. Mistakes would be made she was sure. However, Feng and Yui were pretty good at teaching. They were understanding as well. Having been granted this opportunity, she wanted to do everything that she could to make sure she kept it. Lailah stopped at the kitchen. Frank was leaning against the counter with a box of cereal and a gallon of milk besides him. In the sink was a skillet and two plates. Before she went to bed, there was nothing in there. Deciding to be polite, she raised a hand in greeting. Her roommate tilted his head up and froze mid chew. Milk dripped from his lips and Lailah found herself looking around trying to figure out what he was looking at. Whatever had made him falter left and he turned back to eating his cereal, shoving another big bite into his just as big mouth.

“Can you hand me the milk and cereal?” Lailah asked. She almost smacked herself in the head with the cereal box expecting it to be heavier than it was. Yesterday the box had been almost full. In fact, she was the one that had opened it. She shook the box and peeked inside. Incredible. There was enough for about half a bowl of cereal. “What the hell happened to all the cereal?”

“Dunno.” Frank said with a shrug, his mouth still halfway full.

“…” Lailah glared at him, earning a smirk and a look back with reddened eyes. “Why are your eyes so red? Did you not sleep well?”

“Where’re you going?” Frank ignored her; shoving more food in his mouth.

“Out.”

Lailah grabbed the milk and poured what was left of the gallon into her small bowl. It wasn’t much of a breakfast, but it was better than nothing. She still had a few dollars in her wallet. Perhaps she could grab something from work to eat. Whatever Frank left her wasn’t going to keep her full until lunch. Oh. Lunch. She should probably pack something too. Trying to tune out Frank’s crunching so close to her, she opened the fridge and scoffed. There was hardly anything in there too! She felt some heat close to her face and looked seeing he had bent down so they weren’t too far apart.

“Looking pretty barren.” He said.

“… No shit.” Lailah sighed and grabbed some things for a sandwich.

Sighing, Lailah worked hastily on her sandwich to make sure that she’d still be able to get to work with time to spare. Waking up, she had been all bright eyed and busy tailed, but dealing with her roommate always took so much energy. Quickly, she grabbed a plastic bag and put her sandwich in, stuffing it into a paper bag. It reminded her of high school.

“Make sure you do the dishes.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. Clean up your girlfriend’s dishes too.” Lailah said as she rolled the top down for her sack lunch.

“Julie’s?” Frank looked confused. “What are you talking about?”

“The dishes in the sink.”

“Those are mine.” He snickered. “If Julie was here, you would’ve known.”

“What do you—?”

Lailah stopped and looked at him in complete disbelief. Her face turned red. How could he just say something like that so candidly with no regards or embarrassment? If she didn’t help him eat the food, then, he really must’ve eaten it all by himself. Her eyes traveled down to his abdomen. Where the hell did he put it all? No matter how much she looked, she couldn’t figure out where in the hell all that food would go to. Despite it, she couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.

“You’re such a pig.” Lailah laughed. She reached into the fridge and grabbed her cup of water.

“You got a date?”

“What?”

“You know. A date?” Frank sighed and sipped from the bowl. “Ooh, actually… you might not know.”

Lailah’s face flamed red. How dare he say something like that?! Yeah, she wasn’t swimming in guys like he was sure that Frank was doing with women. They always fell for someone like him; a complete asshole with a… not so bad body. An athlete only added to most women’s desires. Thankfully, she was not one of those women.

“And if I do?” Lailah tried to remain level toned. Showing him that he had rattled her would give him more ammunition. Even worse, he might end up telling his friends. Joey and Susie probably wouldn’t do anything with the information. Juliet though? There was no telling what weird things could be concocted in that fucked up brain of hers. She sipped through her water hoping to cool down her flaming temper. Frank snorted a laugh and sighed, tossing the bowl in the sink with a loud clank, knocking over the others.

“Right. I never pegged you for a comedian.” He said, licking whatever remnants of milk was on his lips.

Lailah grabbed her cup and sandwich. She didn’t have to stay here and listen to this? In fact, she needed to do the exact opposite. She looked at her phone. She had thirty minutes before her shift started. That was a load off her shoulders. Being late the first day was a way to make a bad impression. It would also make Yui look like she had terrible judge of character. Trying not to stomp out of the apartment was one of the most difficult things she’d ever had to do. Living with him was just difficult in general.

“Hey, do you—” Whatever Frank was going to say, she cut it off by closing the door.

Lailah headed towards Tea You Later. Leave it to Frank fucking Morrison to make her feel like shit on the day she had woke up actually feeling really good. Last night, she thought that they had gotten even a little bit closer. Yes, he had annoyed her then. Had she known this was going to happen then, she would’ve told the cop that she didn’t know him and enjoyed the peace and quiet that would come from him being booked and held for however long that would be.

“Thanks. For out there.”

“…You better be thankful that I came back when I did.”

“Hey. Thanks again… Lailah. Night.”

She sighed and took her phone out, awkwardly balancing her food in her other arm. In her unlit screen, she looked at her face. Pursing her lips, she turned her head side to side. Up. Down. She widened her eyes and then relaxed. A smile. A grimace.

“You know. A date? Ooh, actually… you might not know.”

“Right. I never pegged you for a comedian.”

Quickly, Lailah shoved her phone in her pocket with a disgusted look on her face. Not everyone could be blessed with a lucky break in life. Just once, she wanted one day to go well for her. Thinking today was going to be that day was a mistake. Letting Frank get to her the way that he did was stupid. He shouldn’t have a hold on her like this. They weren’t even friends. She wanted nothing to do with him. Perhaps it was because she… wanted to be friends with her roommate that it hurt as bad as it did. Maybe it was because it just reminded her of almost every grade other than senior year and college? Sniffling, she cleared her throat and shook her head.

“Stupid pollen…”

Tea You Later came into view and she exhaled a shaking sigh. This was it. Her first day. She would do good. She would force herself to be as perfect as she could be; mentally taking notes and watching Feng and Yui with everything she was. Speaking of Feng, she greeted Lailah with a bright smile when she walked in. It was nice to have someone be happy to see her for once without any inkling of making her feel terrible. Yui waved at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. A few customers looked at her as she passed by them being taken to the back by Feng so she could sign into the computer and watch the required videos—only three of them—and learn her sign in information to keep track of her hours. Come to think of it, she hadn’t even discussed the pay that she would be making nor whether she would be paid weekly or bi-weekly. Asking would seem rude, so she would just power through it and the curiosity until the right opportunity presented itself.

Lailah watched the videos, almost falling asleep. They were simple; safety—both with cleaning and the machines, theft procedure, and delivery instructions. A few questions were at the end that common sense was all that was needed to pass them. In no time at all, Lailah was out and behind the counter with Feng Min. She had a sticky note that had her sign in number on it. Customers were sitting scattered about; reading the paper, watching videos, doing work on a laptop but she couldn’t help but feel that everyone was looking at her. Being the new person was always awkward, and even though she knew no one was truly looking at her she still felt anxiety rearing its ugly head. Most likely sensing it, Feng Min gave her a small pat on the back and a reassuring smile. She followed her mentor’s instructions and she was signed into the register.

Yui came from the back discarding some gloves in the nearby trashcan, holding a few items in her hands. Her goggles were placed on her head and she smiled bright. It was the first actual smile that she had seen on the Japanese woman. Truthfully, she was wondering if she was even capable of it. Even when she had found her situation with Frank hilarious, she had only given a half smile. It was nice to know that she was wrong. Yui reached out and nodded. In her hands was a nametag that had Lailah displayed on it in pretty letting. A cute apron was handed to her. The neckline was in the shape of a cat and rested just at her thighs. It was red and black with two pockets; each adorned with a white pawprint.

“I saw you looking at cat photos just before you headed out.” Yui said and gave a soft smile. “Since we’ve all got our own aprons, I figured that this would suit you well.”

“Thank you.” Lailah put it on and attached her nametag to it.

If this understanding and sweet as a work environment was a dream; she never wanted to wake up from it. When she told Feng and Yui about her lack of breakfast, Feng had been charged with running to the small café a few doors down to get some food for them. Why were they being so sweet to her? It couldn’t just be because she was working there. This was something that went beyond being co-workers. Maybe they really and truly wanted to be friends with her. They did go to the same school after all. She didn’t have classes with any of them, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be friends with them. If they did become close, it would make living with her asshole roommate a little more tolerable. If things got too bad, she might even be able to crash with them. That would only be a last resort though. Being a burden was the exact reason she had left her parents’ house.

Lailah had just given a small, elderly Japanese woman her change when Yui came up behind her.
“You’re doing really well.” She said. “I knew I was right about you.”

“I’m grateful that you gave me the opportunity.”

“Here. This is for you.” Yui held out some money. “For helping us out yesterday.”

“Oh no, I couldn’t do that. I was glad I could help.” Lailah shook her head.

“It’s alright.” Yui grabbed Lailah’s hand and put it in her palm. “Just consider it your first bonus.”

She smiled and put the money in her pocket. Wow. A couple came up to the register and ordered boba tea just as Feng came back with breakfast. Not forgetting to great the customers, she came around the counter and went to the back with Yui. Once she gave the customer his change, she went to the back. Yui stepped away from the boba and the machine, watching her as she worked. It was slower than she was sure Feng and Yui would be, but it was imperative that she could do this on her own. Especially if one of them was gone and the other was in the bathroom or busy with something else.

A bright smile came to her face. It looked perfect. Just like Yui and Feng showed her. Looking at her boss, she got a nod and Lailah went and delivered the teas to the customers. Smiles came to their faces and it was nice to know that she had put them there. They looked so happy as they left and it made Lailah feel nice inside to know that she had done that. Yes, it was merely serving someone some tea… but… if they’re day was going shitty and having their tea gave them just a tiny bit of an upper, then that would be enough for her. Sometimes that’s all someone needed.

“I’m tellin’ ye, I’m not drinkin’ any tea.”

“And I’m telling you that you’ll be fine.”

Two men came into the store. One was built enough to pick her up and snap her like a twig with no effort. He had a scar across his face and black hair. By him was a shorter male. He wore glasses and a strange old time looking vest. She wondered what sort of thing he did for a living or if it was just his preferred style. The one with glasses adjusted them and huffed when the bigger one shook his head. They arrived at the counter and Lailah would be lying if she said that she wasn’t intimidated by the bigger one.

“Hello.” Lailah said and cleared her throat. “What can I get you?”

“I’ll have—hm…” The one with glasses scanned over the menu. “I think that I’ll have some peppermint tea. Hot please.”

“Y-Yes. Of course. Um… hold on.” Lailah looked at the buttons and furrowed her brows. Feng appeared next to her and pointed to a button on the screen called “specialty”.

“It’s a seasonal one.” Feng said. “Sorry, I forgot to mention that one.”

“And… what for you, Sir…” Lailah’s voice had become a whisper.

“I—”

“David, just try something. You might learn to like it.”

“Fine. What do ye recommend?” The man called ‘David’ asked.

“Um… Our boba tea is really popular.”

“Mm. ‘kay. I’ll try one of ‘em.” ‘David’ said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Which one?” Lailah asked.

“Surprise me.”

Oh dear…

“Is that all for you?” Lailah asked.

“Yes ma’am.” Glasses Man said.

“Your total will be $8.23.”

Glasses Man took out his wallet and it was pushed away by David. Sometime during the shorter male searching through his money, David had handed her a ten. She dipped her head in thanks.

“Don’t worry, Dwight. I got it. Ye were the one that wanted to come here. Least I could do is pay for it, love.” David said.

“David—”

“Pay me back later.” David said with a small smirk instantly making ‘Dwight’ go red.

“Thank you. Here’s your change.” Lailah said and handed them their receipt as well.

David and Dwight began talking among themselves as Lailah headed to the back. She reached in the box of food that Feng Min had brought for breakfast and grabbed a croissant sandwich. It had cheese, egg, and bacon on it. She probably could eat this every day and not get tired of it. When her parents came to visit, she might take them there. Her father loved breakfast and she was sure that he’d like one of those. Lailah took another bite. Would her parents want to come to visit soon? Glancing at the schedule that was posted there, she didn’t work for the weekend. Maybe her parents would want to drop by and spend some time with her. Making sure that Frank would be out of the apartment and about would make things easier for everyone. They were already worried about her enough as it was, the last thing that she needed them doing was meeting Frank and having her father causing a scene to which Frank would egg on and antagonize like he did. Yes. He would definitely need to be out and about.

“You know?” Lailah turned to see Feng Min putting some more food in her mouth. For someone so small, she sure could eat.

“Uh, sorry. What?”

“Shame that he’s gay.” Feng Min sighed. “I thought he was pretty cute.”

“Feng! Shh!”

“She’s not lying.” Yui said and shook up the cup of boba tea. With a small smile, she took them out there and delivered them. She could hear Dwight and David thanking her as the bell on the door rang.

“You guys do realize that he’s like probably in his mid-thirties or older, right?” Lailah said.

Yui shrugged,
“Still nice to look at. Hope they come back soon.”

Lailah shook her head. Yes, David—and even Dwight—were nice to look at. But still. They were quite a bit older than her. They were probably old enough to be her parent. A young parent, but one nevertheless. Of course, there were some celebrities that were definitely old enough to be her father that she thought was attractive. Scrunching up her nose, she shook her head. All she needed to do was eat her food and focus on her job. Lailah wiped her hands on a napkin and threw it out. Per Yui’s request, she went and started watering the plants that were placed around the store. They were all so pretty and well maintained. There were a few times that she had tried her hand at growing plants. It had not gone well. Either she gave them too much sun or too little. Watering them wasn’t too much of an issue. She had only drowned three plants. She learned from her mistakes and now could give them the proper amount of water.

A chill ran up her spine and she looked around. Feng was sweeping up the floor, Yui was wiping the counters. Each of the customers was focusing on whatever activity that they had brought with them or looking out the window or at the TV. Something felt… odd. Off. No matter where she looked, she couldn’t get a handle on where that feeling was coming from. It was probably from the robbery yesterday. She was a little on edge because of the four young adults. They were terrible… Lailah hoped that she never had the terrible luck to meet them. Confrontation wasn’t necessarily her best suit; she could handle herself, but not against a group of four—especially that could take her down in a swift motion and kill her. That one woman had said that she would’ve slit that man’s ‘fucking throat’. Would she get killed too? What if she tried to do what they said but she didn’t do it fast enough? Would they kill her? Would she end up being buried somewhere or tossed somewhere? Would she be found? Lailah rubbed her arms and shook her head.

Stop thinking so much. Geez…

Her mother said that she had an overactive imagination. Normally she would deny it, but she couldn’t now. An imagination wasn’t a bad thing to have but when it got to the point where she was terrified just by her own thoughts, there was an issue. Whoever they were, she hoped that they got caught and put in jail. That way the streets would be at least a little bit safer. Ormond wasn’t a crime filled place, but it wasn’t exactly the most peaceful place either—clearly. Lailah walked outside and started watering the plants that were out there. The chill in her spine grew to the point where it was almost itchy. She rolled her shoulders trying to shrug off the feeling. However, she just ended up making it spread. Stop thinking about it. There’s nothing going to happen to you. You’re never going to meet them. You’re never going to come into contact with them. What would they want with a tea shop?

Yui had noticed her strange behavior when she came back from watering the plants. Immediately, she was sent on break. Her stomach grumbled when she grabbed her sandwich from the fridge in the back. That’s what it was. All she was, was hungry. She took a seat in the breakroom and opened up her baggy. It was just as comforting back here as it was at the front. There was a small wooden table with three chairs. There was a small fountain that had water continuously flowing water. A small daruma was sitting on a shelf along with other various Asian figurines that she didn’t recognize. She relaxed against the back of the chair and exhaled. It was a nice thing to relax. The chill in her spine had went away when she came back here.

A vibration came from her pocket and she frowned seeing the name.
“What?” Lailah snapped.

“Where are you?”

“Out.” Lailah said with an exasperated sigh. Yes, it would be easier to let him know that she was at work. But then, he’d want to know where. Knowing her luck, she would end up having Frank and all his friends come in there as regulars. She had gotten the job—other than the money—to get away from Frank. “Why?”

“When will you be home?”

“About an hour. Why?” Lailah asked again.

Frank clicked his tongue. She heard him sniffling and coughing. Great. Was he getting sick? She’d have to treat him more like he contained the plague more than she already did. She just started the job, Lailah couldn’t afford to call out sick. After all, Yui and Feng were depending on her.

“Just… can you fucking get home soon?”

“What’s the matter? Miss me?” Lailah said; laughing bitterly.

“I’m not in the fucking mood.” He snapped.

“…”

What the hell is with your mood swing? Did you run out of food?

“Goddammit.” Frank grunted. “Where are my keys?”

“Your keys?”

“What are you, a parrot?” Frank asked. “Yeah, my keys.”

“No.” Lailah lied. “No, I don’t know.”

“Fuck!” Frank grumbled. “Where are you? I’ll come get your key.”

“I’m busy man!” She yelled.

So much for relaxing.

“… Whatever. I’m gonna just leave the goddamned door unlocked.”

“I’d uh… really rather you didn’t.”

“…You said you’re gonna be home in about an hour?” Frank was clearly trying to hold it together.

“Yeah.”

“Fine. I’ll wait.”

“Good. Hey, we need—” Lailah sighed when the call hung up. “—to go to the grocery store…”

Lailah sighed and rubbed her temples. While Frank wasn’t nice by any means; there were clear distinctions between his personality at times. Taunting like this morning in the kitchen, and then just plain hostile like in the conversation. Had he gotten into a fight with Julie? Perhaps Susie or Joey? Was it just because he was getting sick that he was kinda off kilter? Either way, he needed to stop it. What the hell was even his real personality? Did he even have a real personality? On top of all that, she couldn’t figure out a way to annoy him that couldn’t come back to bite her in the ass. Lailah would have to put his keys back out. Somewhere where it wouldn’t look like they were taken and then put back. Knowing Frank, he did one of two things; either barely looked or turned the whole fucking apartment up and down trying to find them. If it was the latter, at least he had stayed out of her room.

The phone rang again.
“Mom! Hey!” Lailah smiled bright.

“Hey, Baby. What’s going on?”

“Oh, nothing. I’m just sitting at work in the break room.” Lailah said.

“What?! You got a job?”

“Oh, uh… yeah. I work at a tea shop. My coworkers Feng Min and Yui Kimura are really nice. They’ve been super supportive and have helped me. I worked a little bit yesterday and she gave me some cash. She paid for breakfast for us all.”

“You didn’t have breakfast at home?” Her mother asked.

“Oh, yeah I had a little something, but working got my appetite up and running.” Lailah shrugged like her mother could see her. “I’m actually glad you called. I was going to call later and ask if you and dad wanted to drop by tomorrow. I’m off. We’re not open too long on the weekends because Yui and Feng are in school too. So Yui is coming in for about four hours for cleanup.”

“That sounds lovely. I’m sure your father would like that too. He’s at work right now. I’ll let him know when he gets home.”

“Got it.”

“So, Lailah. How’s living with that… boy? What was his name?”

“Frank Morrison.” Lailah said.

“Right. How’s living there?”

“It’s uh… got its highs and lows.”

“I take the lows are larger than the highs?” Her mother asked.

“Pretty much.”

“Lailah.” Her mother’s tone became serious. “He hasn’t hit you. Has he?”

“What?! Oh no. Absolutely not. He’s an asshole who’s got a vulgar mouth, eats all the goddamned food in the house, is terrible at doing dishes, but a beater? No.” Lailah assured. “God, no. I promise Mom.”

“Okay. Good.” She exhaled.

“Have you been worried about that all this time?”

“Well, of course. And among other things. But… are you sure you don’t want to move back?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. While he’s annoying and I want to push him down a flight of stairs, he at least respects my personal space.”

“How many times I gotta tell ya ‘no’?”

Lailah’s mind drifted back to when Frank came home from being drunk. Even though they weren’t that close by any means, he had gotten way too close to her. She hadn’t brought it up because of how intoxicated he was. She was sure that he didn’t remember it anyway.

“That’s a relief.” Her mother sighed again.

“I’m sorry, Mom. I know that it seems like the worst possible situation in the history of ever. But… Frank isn’t as bad as it could possibly be. I mean, don’t get me wrong. I hate him. I can’t really stand to be in the same room too long with him. We fight all the time—”

“Aw c’mon Baby, I hate it when we fight.”

“But at the end of the day he stays in his room or with his friends and I stay in my room.”

“Promise?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Her mother chuckled,
“You know I’m still gonna worry, right?”

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t.” Lailah checked the clock. “Hey, I have to get back to work. I’ll call you tonight.”

Lailah finished her food and clocked back in and returned to work. It was nice to hear from her mother again. Many times throughout the last hour of her shift, she kept thinking about the conversation with her mother. There were many times that she had been alone with Frank and had certain moments. They weren’t necessarily great, like when he woke her up with the speaker or pushed her feet off the couch, but she did realize during their talk that he wasn’t the worst type of person she could be rooming with. He could be an abusive, druggie, a rapist, or a criminal. Of all four. Well rape and abuse were crimes, so those could be filed under the same category. Either way, she was thankful that he was how he was in those aspects—despite his horrid personality. Like she told her mother, she still hated him. With the savings that she would end up having leftover from her job, she would save up for a new place. Then she would try and find some roommates. Maybe Yui and Feng would want to room with her. If not, then she might just move into the dorms.

“I’ll see you on Monday!” Lailah exclaimed and waved bye to her friends.

The walk home was definitely peppier than it was the previous day. It wasn’t just because it was daytime either. She was going to see her parents tomorrow. It would be the whole day that she could spend with them. Wherever they wanted to go. She could show them the college, her job for the four hours it was open, or… well that was it other than her apartment. It wasn’t a bad apartment, but she didn’t want Frank to run into her parents. No matter what way she thought about it, the ending would always be disastrous. More than likely, it would end up in her trying to bail her father out of jail. Lailah sighed when her phone started ringing again.

“What man?” Lailah said. “I’m on my way.”

“I found my keys.”

Lailah stopped walking and her eyes widened.
“Oh yeah?” She hoped her voice didn’t sound as shaky and high as she thought it did.

“Yeah.”

“Where’d you find ‘em?”

“Under my bed.”

Wait. What? Under… his bed?

“You stuff a lot of stuff under there?”

“I tend to.” Frank admitted with a sigh.

“…”

“Well, it’s not my true keys, but it’ll be okay.” The clinking of keys on a ring could be heard in the background.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, this was the first key that I lost.” Frank said. “As for the one that has the school band on it and a charm—those are my primary keys.”

Oh. So those are the ones that I hid.

“Did you check everywhere for your ‘primary keys’?” Lailah asked, pressing the crosswalk button.

“That was a dumb question.” Frank said with a small laugh. “Of course, I did.”

“Well, I’ll have a look when I get home.”

“’kay. If you find ‘em, I’ll owe you.”

A smile spread across Lailah’s lips. Devious. Some good could come out of this.
“Oh yeah?”

“Sure. Doubt you’ll find ‘em though. Wish you luck though. Just stay outta my fucking room.”

“I’m not an idiot, Frank. I know.”

“Jury’s still out on that one.”

“…”

“Anyway, I figured that I’d let you know that way when you come home and I’m gone you wouldn’t get lonely.”

“…You could be gone for a whole month and I wouldn’t get lonely.”

“Ooh, that isn’t too nice.” Lailah heard a small huffed laugh.

“So?”

“For some reason, that reminded me… we need to go to the grocery store. You ate everything.”

“Me? I ate everything?!”

“Yeah. Ass.” Frank sighed.

“You want to go together?” Lailah looked at her phone suspiciously.

“Unless you trust my judgement to get you something you like.”

“… Not at all.”

“And besides, I’d need your money to pay for your things.” Lailah could hear the smile in his voice.

“Wouldn’t it make sense to have one of us spend money for all the groceries one time and then the other the next time?”

“Mm. Maybe. But, I don’t like that.” Frank said.

“Naturally, because it makes sense.”

“Now you’re catching on. Maybe you’re not as stupid as I thought.”

“… Another thing. My parents are coming tomorrow to visit.”

“Ew.”

“That’s not ‘ew’!” Lailah exclaimed.

“I hate meeting a girl’s parents. They never like me.”

Lailah scoffed and turned into their apartment complex.
“Can’t imagine why!” She said sarcasm oozing from her voice. “Anyway, you’re not meeting them. Make yourself scarce.”

“Can do.” Frank agreed.

“Really?”

“Scout’s honor. Just said I hate meeting a girl’s parents. I take back the stupid comment.”

“Whatever man.”

“Why—” This time, Lailah hung up.

Lailah headed up the stairs and walked inside. Frank was sitting on the couch, a small smirk on his face. He stood up and came close, tapping the back of his phone on his hand. The way he was looking at her was strange. It almost looked like a cross between respect and disbelief; all tied together in a bow with an evil smile. She tossed her keys in the bowl and furrowed her brows. He leaned against the wall close by. She furrowed her brows.

“What?” Lailah said.

“Just looking at you.”

“Yeah, I can see that. But why?”

“Do you have a habit of walking around in cute cat aprons, or is this a surprise for me? A nice little truce between us?”

Lailah looked down at her body and frowned. All the time she had been talking, she had forgotten to take off her apron. Thankfully, she had taken off her nametag and stuffed it in her pocket. Before he called she had been about to take off her apron, but well…

“No. To all that.” Lailah said, her tone flat.

“So, you like fighting?”

Lailah scoffed, pulling off her apron and flinging it over her arm.
“Better than the alternative you just spouted.”

“Julie never dresses up in anything for me.”

“Well, I didn’t dress up in anything for you either, so don’t look too excited.” Laila started to head to her room, but Frank moved to stand in front of her.

“Have a bad day at work?” Frank asked making Lailah stiffen. A small smile came to his face. “What’s wrong?

Lailah shoved him, earning a laugh. He was barely knocked off balance.
“Were you following me?!”

“Well, you didn’t leave the house with that little apron on and I’m pretty sure if you bought it for the house you wouldn’t wear it home; so I mean hey… a work uniform is the next option.”

Kill me. Kill me now.

“… That… makes sense.”

“Why? Did you want me to follow you?”

“Absolutely not!” Lailah moved to go around him, but he stepped in front of her again. “Frank, please move.”

“Alright, enough fucking around. Truth is, I need a favor.”

“A favor?” Frank nodded. “From me?”

“Do I need to get Q-Tips for your ears?!”

“Geez… calm down.” Lailah clicked her tongue.

“So, will you help me?”

“Tell me the favor first.”

“Uh… Can you just agree?” He asked.

“No. I have no idea what your sick brain will think up!”

“Oh please, anything I can think of from that side of my brain doesn’t involve you.” He scoffed.

Thank God. That’s just… weird to even think that you would be thinking.

“Tell me.”

Frank sighed and rolled his eyes. He looked awkward. Whatever it was, it looked like there was no other agenda behind this favor. Whatever it was, it didn’t look like he wanted to ask it. Maybe she should’ve just agreed to it. If he didn’t like it, then that probably meant she wouldn’t like it either. However, she’d deal with it if it meant that he’d be uncomfortable.

“It’s actually kinda funny that your parents are visiting tomorrow.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“My parents are visiting today. Completely out of the blue. Thankfully I got a call first.”

“Okay? I’m missing the point where this includes me.” Lailah waved her hands up.

“My parents don’t like Julie.”

“Can’t imagine why…” Lailah trailed off.

“Anyway! We were having issues before I left to move here. My parents thought that we’d break up. They thought it would be better for my grades, athletic performance, other… issues. And other shit like that. And for a bit, we did break up.”

“How much is a bit?”

“About 15 hours.”

“Um… Frank, if you have a point, I’d like you to make it.” Lailah sighed.

There was a knock at the door. Frank’s head snapped to the door and then back to her. He groaned in aggravation. She raised her eyebrows, waiting for whatever favor this was.

“I never told my parents that Julie and I got back together so they think that her and I aren’t together anymore. I told them that I had a girlfriend to calm their worries about my possibility of me going back to Julie.”

“Okay so— Wait. Wait.”

The knocking continued.

“I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend.”

“What? No.”

“C’mon, help me here.”

“Why would I do that?”

“You get something in return.” The knocking got louder.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know!”

“I’m not doing this.”

“I need you.”

“No. No no.”

“Come in!”

“What? No! No! I’m not—” Lailah harsh whispered.

“Frank! Hi.”

Turning to Frank’s parents, a forced smile came on her face. Then fell.

Fuck me.

David and Dwight from the tea shop were standing there. Frank let them in with what appeared to be a genuine smile. He closed the door behind them. Dwight looked at her with a small smile.

“Is this your girlfriend?” Dwight asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Yeah.” Frank said, almost too quickly. “This is Lailah.”

Say something! Tell them the truth! Call him out!

“Hello. It’s nice to officially meet you. Frank’s talked so much about you.”

She glanced from the corner of her eye and saw Frank visibly exhale. The skull tattoo on his neck looked to be laughing at them. She wished she could join in the laughter.

Kill me please.

 

Notes:

There you have it!! I hope you liked it! Let me know what you think! And Happy New Year again.

Chapter 5: Meet and Greet

Summary:

“You alright, Babe? You look a little… distressed.”

“… I hate you so much.”

Notes:

Welcome back! I actually wanted to have this chapter out a little sooner, but life happened. I hope you enjoy it either way! I want to give a huge shoutout to gnarlybastard for not only making the story that inspired this one, but for letting me have her versions of Kingfield appear in my story.

Well, here we go! I hope you enjoy!

Smiles could hide any things. Anger. Hatred. Plotting. Scheming. For her? It was worry. David and Dwight were both looking at her. Smiles were on their faces as well. What was hiding behind theirs she wondered? All plans to throw Frank under the bus so fast he had track marks on his back had left without her own conscious decision. Now she had just dug a hole for not only her, but Frank as well. What were they going to do if they found out the truth? Dwight seemed like he would only be disappointed. The one that she worried about the most was David. He would yell. Would Frank yell back? Which was worse; disappointment or yelling? Having just met them, she had no clue what their dynamic was.

“Oi, you’d be the girl from the tea shop, wouldn’t ye?” David asked. Lailah pursed her lips and held her hands in front of her hoping that no one would know how much they were sweating.

“Yes. I would be.” Lailah answered, trying not to pay attention to Frank stiffening and relaxing in the corner of her eyes.

So much for keeping my place of work secret from Frank.

“It’s so nice to see you again.” Dwight smiled. “Has our Frank been treating you well?”

Terrible actually.

“Y-Yes, of course.” Lailah had to force the words out. They were such good people. She could tell. Lying to them felt… wrong. Lying wasn’t right in the first place, but this felt even more wrong especially since she was covering for something that they didn’t condone. “He’s been great.”

Frank cleared his throat next to them; calling Lailah’s attention. Despite the stoic face, she could see that he held a glimmer of thanks in his brown eyes. Better believe he was going to cough up a lot for this whole thing. What could she get out of him for blatantly lying to his parents like this? Something juicy, that was for sure. Something he was going to know each time he saw it that she had done him such a big favor. You know what?! Julie should owe her too! Lailah was covering for not just the bitch she lived with, but that bitch too.

“You guys want something to drink?” Frank asked.

“That’d be great.” Dwight said.

Lailah looked over at Frank. Even though she didn’t know him very well, she could tell that he was on edge. One small misstep and not only would they be caught in their lie, any hope of Frank’s parents liking her would be out the window. It wasn’t necessary that it would be world breaking if his parents didn’t like her. After all, they weren’t anything truly more than roommates, but they were good people. Fucking it up would make her feel horrible.

Frank headed to the kitchen and Lailah followed. Dwight and David began talking amongst themselves. The TV was on some random channel that David had picked. She dipped out and followed Frank. He had just grabbed some tea from the fridge.

“I can’t believe you made me do this!” Lailah harsh whispered making sure his parents wouldn’t hear.

“I didn’t force you to do anything!” Frank whispered, closing the fridge door back. “You were the one who said with your own mouth that you were my girlfriend!”

“I was put on the spot!” Lailah grabbed some glasses from the cabinet one by one as she continued to whisper at him. After they were gone, she would definitely yell at him. For now, though, he’d have to deal with her pent-up rage. “I panicked!”

“Well now you’re stuck with it!” Frank poured the tea as he continued to yell at her. “So don’t fuck it up!”

“Me?!” Lailah exclaimed, her jaw dropped when Frank put back the tea. Unbelievable! “You’re the one that doesn’t know how to tell the truth!”

“If you want that reward, you better fucking stay in character…”

“… I hate you so much.”

Lailah walked to the two men on the couch and forced a smile as she handed each of them their glass. David was apprehensive to try the tea—sniffing it first before downing some. He sounded English, how the hell did he not like tea?! Yes, she was sure that was stereotyping, but any English person she had ever run into had loved tea.

“It’s not going to kill you, David.” Dwight said. “Drinking something besides beer is good for you.”

“… Yeah, I s’pose.” David mumbled. His expression changed when he sipped at the tea.

Frank and Lailah sat on opposite legs of the chair that he had bought from a thrift shop so that Susie and Joey would have somewhere to relax while him and Julie were taking up the couch. It was rather awkward since his parents were taking up the couch. They were supposed to act like a couple, but didn’t want to be anywhere near each other to where they could be mistaken from one.

“So, how long have you two been dating?” Dwight asked, setting his glass on the table.

“Seven months—”

“Nine months—”

Frank and Lailah had spoken at the same time. They looked at each other; then back at Frank’s parents.

“Nine months—”

“Seven months—”

Lailah cleared her throat and smiled; looking back  over at Frank to see he was already looking at her with a smile as well. It was a strange smile.

“Not too—”

“Not too—long...” Frank cleared his throat and turned back to look at his parents.

“Oh. So ye got together shortly after ye moved here.”

Lailah just realized that she had no idea how long Frank had been living here. All she knew was that his old roommate apparently graduated and then moved out. Living with him, she was wondering if that was the full story. She’d have to ask eventually. If they were supposed to be dating, then she’d need to know more about him. It wasn’t some on the job training that she could get like she did at Tea You Later. This was something that needed to be fleshed out. How did Frank even think that they’d be able to pull this off without any warning? She could improv, but this was more difficult than a simple show.

“Yeah.” Frank nodded.

“How did you meet?” Dwight asked, leaning forward. He was clearly interested in the couple.

“We uh—well, go ahead and tell it. It’s always better when you tell the story, Frank.” Lailah smiled.

“Oh? Well, we met at… one of my basketball games.” Frank said. Lailah hoped his parents didn’t pick up on the slight hitch in his voice. “It was halftime. I was going to get some food. Because I hadn’t… eaten before the game. And she was at the concession stand. She had just gotten her food and ended up turning around and someone ran into her and it went all over the floor. I offered to buy her more. At first she refused, but… I persisted, and she let me. I got her number later after the game because she stayed behind to thank me.”

Lailah stared at him. That was a really eloquently thought out story. Was that how him and Julie met? If it was, then his parents would pick up on it. If not, then that was good on the fly thinking. She would have to give him kudos for that. Maybe she might end up paying for some food for them tonight. Wait. No! He should be the one buying her food. Yeah! That’s right!

“Yeah. It was… really sweet of him.” Lailah said. When Frank looked at her, he ended up giving her an awkward smile. “I remember thinking it was shocking a jock was nice enough to do that.”

“I’m glad that you’re doing so well, Frank.” Dwight said.

“Ain’t gon’ lie. I was a bit worried when ye decided t’ leave for college. Thought you’d get so distracted by ev’rythin’ else that you’d forget ‘bout keepin’ your grades up and bein’ in basketball.” David said, putting an arm on the back of the couch behind Dwight.

“I told you I’d be fine, Dad.” Frank said.

“Shoulda had more faith in ye.” David said and took a sip of his tea.

“Don’t let David fool you. He’s been worried about you every day since you left.” Dwight muttered.

Even though the circumstances weren’t exactly the best, she was thankful that she had met his parents. There weren’t too many genuinely nice people on this planet anymore. Before she started working at Tea You Later she was surrounded by bitter and angry people. Now though, even though her and Frank weren’t truly dating, they had to get along. It was nice to see a somewhat nicer side of him even if it was for show. His parents were great. Ironically the exact people that she was anxious about meeting were ones that she’d be excited about meeting.

Lailah was listening to David and Dwight talking about Frank’s basketball prowess and his grades. A grunt left him when they brought it up. It’s not like she had ever seen his grades. However, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that they weren’t exactly the best. She wondered if he’d ever seen anything above a C before in his life.  Frank didn’t exactly look like the type that would necessarily be sitting in the library or in his room studying the periodic table or the different lobes of the brain. That wasn’t to say that he wasn’t smart. She was sure that he was… in something.

“So, what are you studying Lailah?” Dwight asked.

“Oh, I—” Her phone went off, cutting her off. She looked down at the contact and saw ‘Mom’. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Lailah got up and went to the kitchen. It would be far enough away to where she’d be able to talk. But close enough to where it wouldn’t look suspicious. The whole situation was strange right now and adding her to the mix would only bring bad news. She was sure. As much as she was thankful that her mother called, why did it have to be now? Was it something about parents? Did they all have some sort of collective unconscious to where they’d call at the most inopportune times?

“Hey. What’s up Mom?” Lailah answered.

“Hey, Li.” Her father’s voice was on the other end of the line.

Dad… Shit.

“H-Hi, Dad!”

“I missed the call earlier, so I wanted to call and talk to you.”

“Oh… that’s great.”

“Is now not a good time?” He asked. She wanted so desperately to tell him ‘no’, but he sounded sad.

“No, no it’s a great time.”

Lailah looked at the ceiling and prayed to whatever higher power that there could possibly be that the universe would stop testing. School was hard enough with multitasking. Trying to keep up appearances and telling the truth at the same time would give her an aneurism. Could people her age even get them? She’d have to look that up later along with any other conditions that could erupt from excessive amounts of stress.

“Oh, you got a hold of her?” Her mother’s voice came from the background.

“Is there anything we can do for you, Frank? Don’t be afraid to ask.” Dwight said from the couch.

“Who’s that?” Lailah’s father asked.

“Oh, Frank’s parents are here.”

“His…parents?”

“Yeah. They came to visit. Isn’t that a great surprise?” Lailah tried to sound enthused, but more than anything she was becoming more and more exhausted.

“I suppose they’d like to see their son.” Her mother said.

“Yeah. I’m happy I got to meet them. They’re nice people.”

“Despite them raising someone like him?”

“…Yeah.” Lailah said, furrowing her brows.

That… rubbed me the wrong way a bit.

“You know you can’t blame someone for the way someone turned out. We’re adults.”

“Hey, Babe?”

“You’re not necessarily wrong, Lailah.” Her father said.

“Babe?”

“Yeah, I know you guys are worried but it’s okay.”

“Lailah?”

Lailah turned her head and saw Frank was obscenely close. He practically towered over her with the intimidating aura he was exuding at this moment. Her mouth went dry and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

“Hold on Mom. What is it?” She blinked. Frank leaned down slightly. It wasn’t too much to look like anything… really suggestive. Even if it did his parents thought that they were dating so they wouldn’t mind or get suspicious. Her edging away from him or vice versa would actually be rousing more suspicion.

“You alright, Babe?”

“Who’s that?” Lailah froze. Her father’s voice had taken a steel razor edge. She hadn’t covered the receiver quick enough.

“You look a little… distressed.” A devilish smile crossed his lips.

“Lailah? Who is that?”

“No. I’m not.”

“You sure, Baby?” Frank got closer. “You have that little wrinkle between your brows that you get when something’s wrong.”

“…”

“Lailah! Answer me.” Her father prodded.

Everyone shut the fuck up!

“Yeah, Frank. I’m fine.”

“Frank?!” Her father exclaimed.

“What?!” Her mother joined in.

“I was gonna ask if you wanted me to get you something to drink. I’ll just grab you some. I didn’t realize you were talking to your parents.” That devilish smile grew and he patted her head. It took everything that she had not to smack his hand away and push him away from her as hard as she could.

You. Are. Such. A. Liar.

Frank grabbed four beers from the fridge. With another smirk on his lips and a small laugh from his nose he left the kitchen; returning to the living room. If looks could kill, he would’ve dropped dead then and there. With her not answering him, she could hear her parents screaming into the receiver trying to get some sort of answer from her. All this time she had been boosting her parents up, letting them know that she was alright. With a few simple sentences all of that work had been pulled out and she was left with parents worrying even more. Even though she was terrified of bringing the phone back to her ear; she knew that she had to. Clearing up this misunderstanding while keeping their lie intact was needed. Quickly.

“Lailah Collins—”

“Sorry about that.” Lailah apologized before her father could start a lecture.

“What was that all about? You’re dating him?” Her mother threw in.

“No. I’m not.”

“Really? Because that sure as hell sounded like you’re dating to me.” Her father threw out.

Usually, her parents weren’t like this. They were understanding people. With every interaction she had seen them give people the benefit of the doubt. They had never judged. Now, they were acting completely different. It was because they were worried about her, she knew that. But… she could take care of herself. She had to. That was the point of leaving. Frank wasn’t even her type. But… she couldn’t say that right now. After she got off the phone, she’d have to text them the whole entire deal that way they wouldn’t freak out. Well… they wouldn’t freak out as much as they currently were.

“It’s really not.” Lailah tried to assure them.

“Then what the hell is going on?” Her mother asked, trying to keep calm. But her voice was bordering on anger.

“Don’t worry. It’s not that. I’ll message you later. Okay? I love you. Bye!”

Getting off the phone with her parents had never felt so sweet. It was decided that tonight she was going to take a hot bath and relax in bed. Maybe she’d watch one of her favorite movies or she’d read until she fell asleep. Whatever it was, she needed it now. It seemed like his parents hadn’t seen Frank in a long time, so they probably wouldn’t be leaving for at least a couple of hours. Then again, she wasn’t quite sure what Dwight and David’s schedules were like. So, it wasn’t like she was able to give an accurate estimation. One thing was for sure, there was going to be a lot of explaining to do. Her parents weren’t going to be too keen on her lying to nice people; but maybe when they found out that it was more of a job that she was going to get paid for they would be more accepting. Whether they were on board or not, the ship was going to sail. A favor depended on it.

Exhaling and wiping her sweaty hands on her shorts, she headed back into the living room. David had his feet crossed on the coffee table with a beer to his lips. He looked like he was in his natural habitat. Dwight on the other hand looked like a new animal in a foreign environment. His nose scrunched up and he smacked his lips before chasing down the alcohol with the tea. Frank was sitting on the chair, sipping on a beer of his own. Before his parents had come in, the skull tattoo on his neck seemed to be mocking both of them. Now that he got his bearings, she was sure that it was just her that it was ridiculing.

“Ev’rythin’ alright?” David asked.

“Oh. Yeah. Totally.” Lailah lied. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Frank lift a can to her and tap the top with his nail. Trying to hide behind the can’s lip, she watched a triumphant and devious smile creep onto his own lips. Trying her hardest to remain polite was difficult, and she slightly failed. She ended up snatching the can from her ‘boyfriend’s’ grasp and plopping herself on the arm of the chair. “Thanks.”

About fifteen minutes later, the coffee table was littered with beer cans. Lailah let out a sigh and slammed another one on the table. Dwight blinked, but she earned a chuckle from David. It was a pain in the ass to try and keep food in the house, but naturally they were packed to the brim with alcohol. When they ran out of some that were in the fridge, Frank had disappeared to his room and came back with more. It hadn’t been her intention to get drunk—albeit slightly—really… it hadn’t been. But the more that she was in such a close proximity with Frank and his parents, she couldn’t stop herself. Without missing a beat, she cracked another one open and sipped at the foam that escaped from the top. Now all she desired was to sleep and remember nothing about this night when she woke up.

“Now I’m seein’ why ye ended up pickin’ her, Frank.” David said, taking another sip of his beer.

“Oh yeah?” Frank asked, watching her tilt her head back to down more.

“I’ve seen many o’ things in Manchester, and I’ve been to a lotta pubs, but… I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman that drank like that. Could probably drink some of those poor souls under the table.”

“Mm. Maybe.”

No matter how much she drank, she could still hear his parents talking. It was nice that they were so accepting, but… it just reminded her of her predicament. Now she regretted reacting to her panic the way that she did. Could she take it back? No… she had given her word. That was law. Until something was done that would end up crossing a line, she wouldn’t go back on her promise. Frank knew. Somehow, he knew. And he was going to take advantage of it. Dwight also seemed to be surprised. He had stopped at half a beer and ended up giving it to David to drink. Trying to compete for first wasn’t the plan, but David seemed to take it as a challenge. Rather funny in a way. If she wasn’t battling her morals; listening to the angel and devil’s sides of the story on her shoulders, she might have actually taken David on for a contest but she was more enveloped in what she was doing. Making it into a challenge was probably just a pitiful reason and excuse for allowing himself to get drunk.

Spending time with Frank’s parents wasn’t all bad. There were a few things that she had learned about her roommate. David and Dwight had adopted him when he was nineteen years old. The conversation had went silent for a couple minutes after that announcement. They had had a rocky start, but… Frank had accepted it. From what little he had spoke about the conversation, he appreciated them and was better for having them as parents. His parents had been together for about nine years—if she had recalled correctly—and married for seven of the nine years. Frank had been troubled in high school, but that was obvious just by looking at him. David and Dwight seemed to believe that Frank was out of his troubled state. While he may not be as bad as he was in high school, he was still bad. Just from living with him, she could see that there were some issues; his mood swings, his tendency to wake people up and not have regards for others, staying out super late and being black out drunk, partying with friends doing who knows what. Although, Frank was just her roommate, it didn’t really concern her.

“What do you think?” Dwight asked.

Frank tapped her shoulder,
“Did you hear him?”

“Huh?” Lailah asked from behind her can. “No, uh what? Sorry, I spaced.”

“We was wonderin’ if you’d want to come to dinner with us sometime. Eat out like a family.”

“Yeah. Sounds pretty nice.” Lailah said.

Lailah tilted her head back and sipped some more alcohol. She slid down from her spot on the arm of the chair. A hand steadied her and she was sat up. Her eyebrows rose when David slapped his lap and stood up.

“Well, sure was nice meetin’ ya. Good to know that Frank’s got someone around that’s got half a brain to support him.”

Lailah couldn’t help but give a small laugh. Frank didn’t laugh.

“Would you like some help cleaning up?” Dwight asked.

“Nah. S’fine. It’ll be taken care of.” Lailah waved a hand.

“Oh, before we go; let me get a picture of you two.”

A photo?

“Dad, I uh… don’t think that’s a good idea. Lailah’s drunk.”

“Oh… maybe you’re right.”

“C’mon Frank. She ain’t that bad off.” David waved off the concerns.

Frank didn’t seem like one for pictures. David wasn’t wrong. There were many times in her life when she was drunker than what she was right now. Lailah wasn’t really fond of taking or being in pictures, but Dwight and David had come all the way out here. Might as well let them take something back that way they wouldn’t worry too much about Frank.

“It’ll be nice to have for us.” Dwight said.

“Well yeah, but—"

Lailah slammed her can on the table and exhaled shaking her head.
“Fuck it. C’mon Baby. Let’s do it.”

If you’re going to embarrass me, I’m gonna do it back.

“Wait, what?”

“S’just a photo. No need to get all weird ‘bout it.” Lailah said.

Lailah stood up and Frank followed. They stood a few inches apart. He had his hands in his pockets and was looking at the camera awkwardly. She was smiling bright waving at the camera. Okay, so maybe she was a little more drunk than she had originally thought.

“C’mon, Frank. Get closer to your girl.” David said.

Lailah looked from the camera to her roommate. Frank scooted over slightly so they were just about an inch apart. It felt like one of those photos that your parents forced siblings to take together. It was clear that he really didn’t want to be in the photo. If she was sober, she wouldn’t have granted his parents’ request; no matter how nice they were. The more that David coaxed Frank into moving closer left the sibling phase and reminded her of a couple that were getting pictures taken before prom. They were smiling, but it was awkward. For him. Dwight snapped the photo and looked at it. With a definitive nod, he put his phone away.

“It was so nice to meet you.” Dwight smiled and turned to his son. “We’ll talk to you later Frank. Get some rest okay.”

“Will do.”

“Bye.”

“Bye bye!!” Lailah waved and exhaled. “Holy shit…”

Frank looked from the door and then at Lailah, his brows furrowed. He looked… confused and somewhat… uncomfortable? Lailah cocked her head to the side and watched him. He looked from the door to the cans and then back to her. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Look. I—”

“Wassat?” Lailah asked.

“Heh. Nevermind. Get to bed. You’re drunk.”

“No, I’m—okay. Maybe a bit.” Lailah tilted her head back and sighed. “Alright. You win.”

“Geez… anyway. Later.”

“Night. See ya t’morrow.”

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever.” Frank headed back to his room while Lailah headed to hers. “So glad that’s over.”

Lailah smirked from behind her door.
“Me too, Idiot.”

There was a reason that Lailah didn’t get drunk. It wasn’t that she got so drunk that she couldn’t remember the whole night. But… there were times that she did end up having small memory gaps. The next morning was one of those times. Pounding woke her up. Not from her head. But from someone at the door. She laid up slightly and held her head. Sleeping off being drunk was one of the heaviest sleeps that she could experience. Naturally, someone had to come and ruin that. Who the hell would be coming up here at… Lailah checked her bedside clock. It was almost noon.

“Open the fucking door, Frank! I know you’re in there!”

Julie.

Lailah groaned and slammed her head back into her pillow. Why? What the hell was her issue? Had someone pissed in her cornflakes this morning? Did she wake up on the wrong side of the bed? She rolled over and pulled the pillow over her ears. Frank’s door opened and she heard him moving to the door, sniffling all the way. He really would have to get something for that cold. The door opened. The loud voice that she equated with Julie was released into the apartment. There weren’t enough pillows in the world to rid her brain of the feeling.

“Julie? What are you doing here?” Frank asked. Loud enough for her to hear, but it was still groggy and muffled.

“I came here to talk to you.”

“Julie… it’s only noon. Couldn’t this wait?”

“No, Frank! It can’t fucking wait!” Julie screamed. Stomping footsteps entered the apartment and the door slammed.

She’s gonna fuck up my floor again.

“What’s your issue? Why are you so angry?”

“Is there something you need to tell me?”

“Uh…” Lailah could practically see the gears turning in Frank’s head. Normally, she would make fun of him. But her brain was muddled too. She couldn’t think of why Julie would be angry at him. Yes, he was an idiot, but—

“How long have you been fucking your roommate?”

“…What?” Frank’s voice was confused. So, so confused.

“You heard me!”

“Yeah, I did. The whole complex did. But what the hell are you talking about?”

“How long?”

“What the fuck makes you think her and I are fucking?”

“I saw what your dad tagged you in!”

“What?”

“That fucking photo!”

Lailah’s eyes shot open. She scrambled for her phone. Unlocking it with shaking hands, she pulled up her social media account. Sure enough, there was a notification. Lailah had been tagged in a photo. Her jaw dropped when she looked at it. Her and Frank were close. Extremely. A hand was against his chest while the other rested against the side of his neck. His arm was wrapped around her waist, clearly pulling her closer. Perhaps the most worrisome thing about the photo was their faces. Her face was mere inches from his, her head resting in the space between his neck and head; nestled almost under his jaw. His head was slightly turned to look at her. His lips were dangerously close to hers. If she moved her head upward, they would’ve been a mere breath away. A single false movement from either party and they would’ve locked.

Oh shit…

Notes:

There you have it! I hope you liked the chapter. It was super fun to write. I hope you don't mind that this chapter was primarily dialogue. I tried to write it many different ways, but... I wasn't sure exactly how to do that without making a fuck ton of dialogue considering that there were like five people in one room.

Let me know what you think!! Have a great day/night! <3

Chapter 6: Confrontation and Companionship

Summary:

“Frank?!”

“I love her.”

Notes:

Chapter 6!!!! I hope you guys enjoy.

Lailah continued to stare at the photo while Frank and Julie went back and forth at it. No matter how many times he tried to assure her that they weren’t having…sexual relations, she wasn’t grasping it. In a way, she could understand where Julie was coming from. After all, if her boyfriend had been tagged in a photo with a picture that was—let’s face it—pretty intimate she would have an issue too. But not having faith enough in her boyfriend to tell the truth was a huge issue. If they were having relations, then having it put on social media for everyone to see wasn’t the best way at going about subtly cheating. Trying her hardest to remember that moment last night proved no results. All she remembered was that Dwight wanted a picture. They were both pretty awkward about it. David forced him to get closer and then—nothing. Why in the hell had Frank even let that sort of picture be taken. He had drank too, yes, but nothing in comparison to what she did. He should’ve been well aware of his actions. While he was a lot of things, she never pegged him for a cheater. So, there was a reason. She just didn’t know it. Trying to figure it out provided zero results as Julie continuously screaming was rousing her headache; rising not only her anger but her inability to think straight.

Lailah looked at the photo again and dropped the phone like it had burned her hand. That had to be deleted. She had to somehow get Dwight to take that photo down. With the caption ‘My wonderful son and his beautiful girlfriend. I’m so proud of you Frank and Lailah’, it didn’t seem he would be keen on the idea. Telling them that Julie didn’t like it would only make them want to keep the photo up more and would expose their lies. There had to be some way that they could figure this out and keep everyone happy. Get the picture taken down. Keep Julie happy. Make sure she was headache free. Any plans on how to achieve all that were eluding her. Not wanting to face the fact that was right in front of her, she headed to her door. This would all blow over, right? It had to. For both of their sakes. Cracking open the door and peeking her head out just enough to see, her eyes widened.

Frank was towering over Julie but looked to be on the losing side of the argument. He was rubbing his temple. Even from only seeing primarily the back side of his head she could see the rage seething off him. Trying to explain your side of the story without being interrupted was cause for anger. Frank had swings in his mood than a swing set, but even he deserved to have the ability to explain. Julie—although shorter—was as nose to nose as she was able and chest to bare chest. Her finger was poking him. That picture had really fucked them up. And mostly… she felt like it was her fault. She was the one that had forced Frank into the picture. But… he could’ve made it look less intimate.

“For the 800^th goddamned time, Julie, the photo isn’t what it looks like.” Frank said. “If you give me a chance to explain then—"

“What is there to explain?” His girlfriend screamed. If they didn’t get evicted for this event, she would be surprised. Julie had probably woken up the entire complex with her fuming, primal rage.

“Lailah isn’t even my type.”

Julie scoffed. Not backing down in the least bit. Communication was one of the key factors in a relationship and she was depriving him of that opportunity.
“Could’ve fooled me with the picture! She’s all up on you and you didn’t even stop her! You two looked like a millisecond away fucking in the frame.”

“Oh, for the love of—”

“But I bet you’d like that. Yeah, I’m sure you like it when this dumb, preppy bimbo moans your name as you fuck her. Huh?!”

Lailah’s face turned a bright red and she almost choked on air. What was it with everyone being able to say such things candidly like that?! Frank looked at a complete disbelief of his girlfriend’s words; almost, if not more than she was sure her own face looked. It was just what Julie wanted. A strange smile curled to her lips and she shoved him.

“Am I right?!” Frank didn’t retaliate. “Well?!”

Lailah took a deep breath and left the safety of her room into the warzone.
“Can you keep it down? People are trying to sleep.” She said, trying to sound aloof and confident. With the blood pumping in ears however, she was unsure how it actually came out.

Julie instantly stopped yelling and turned to Lailah. A crazed look crossed over her face.
“You!” Julie’s attention immediately turned to Lailah and it took everything that she had to not turn tail and run. But this was for hers and Frank’s peace of mind. Hopefully after this ordeal, he really would break up with Julie. She stomped her way over to her, stopping so close that their noses were practically touching. “Come out here to brag? Huh?!”

“No, I—”

Julie pushed Lailah. Still being somewhat hung over and caught by surprise, she staggered backwards.
“Huh? Speak up.”

“Step off, Julie.” Lailah warned.

“Hm?” She pushed Lailah again. “Or what?”

Lailah tried to move back and away so that she could talk to Frank’s girlfriend like an adult. It was only polite. Only sensible.

“Look, I’m warning you now. Back. Up.”

“Sorry, I don’t speak little bitch.” Julie taunted. From behind Julie, she could see Frank with a face she couldn’t explain. Was it thankful? Worry?

“… Don’t touch me.”

“You think you can just go around touching other women’s men, hm?” Julie pushed her again. “Think that you’re so important that every man will fall for you? Hm?” Push.

“Frank isn’t even my type.”

“So you just go around touching and fucking every guy that comes around?” Push. Push. “Hm?”

Calm down. This is your roommate’s girlfriend. Keep your cool.

“We’ve both told you it isn’t like that.” Lailah’s voice was taking on a new tone; hard. Steel. Sharp. Distant.

A hard shove slammed Lailah’s back into the wall. Panic filled her eyes. Her ears rang. Filled with a bell. Others laughing. Smiling. Jeering. Poking. Prodding. Antagonizing. Touching. Footsteps ran across the hallway. Slamming against the wood flooring. Shoes squeaking. Gathering everyone else. All in a circle around her. There were so many voices. So. Many. Voices. All around. All buzzing like a swarm of bees. The people in the background wouldn’t stop. Stop. Stop. Stop! Laughing.

Just stop talking. Stop laughing. It isn’t what you think! Why won’t you let me tell you? Why won’t you let me plead my case! Don’t touch me!

“Ever since I met you, I knew.” A muffled voice from in front of her chuckled darkly. “You’re nothing but a slut.”

Laughter. Pain. Tears. Anger. Not sadness. No! That voice. It knows nothing! Lailah pushed back against the voice. Against the laughing. The jeering. Against the touching. The… the touching. Stop the voice. Stop its ringing. With everything she was, Lailah raised her hand and it connected. A muffled sound followed by a thud. Thank goodness. It stopped. Finally.

“Heh… so you’re not a complete bitch.”

Huh? The glossiness left Lailah’s eyes and she looked down. Julie was on the ground holding onto her jaw. Between her fingers was a bright red mark slowly turning deeper. It would probably be a dark purple by the time the trauma was done setting in. The laughter had stopped. The touching. All of it. Lailah blinked furiously. The thundering heart calmed. Frank was in the background, clearly unsure of what to do. Slowly, she walked closer until she was the one towering over Julie.

“You know nothing.” Lailah said. “Before you start accusing people… let them speak. Let them tell their side. It might prevent you from ending up on the floor again.”

Frank went over to Julie’s side and held out a hand. But, truthfully, she hardly saw it. His girlfriend shoved his hand away and stood up, dropping her hand. The glare shared between the two was heated enough for spontaneous combustion to occur. With her big mouth finally shut, now would be the perfect time to explain the situation. Lailah didn’t. Frank didn’t. The only thing between the group was that glare.

“We’re not fucking finished. You hear me?” Julie pointed to Lailah. “I’m outta here.”

Julie sneered at Lailah and looked at Frank. His brows were furrowed, but his girlfriend merely clicked her tongue and pushed past him to the door; slamming it shut behind her.

Lailah looked from where Julie had left down to her hands. They were shaking. Trembling. Her knees were the same. If she moved, she would fall. Her throat was closing. Her eyes darted back and forth along the carpeted flooring. Thundering started in her ears. The blood pumped. It wasn’t the hangover that was making her nauseous. Bile rose and coated her tongue. Her nose scrunched up. She could already smell the vomit working its way up her throat; tasting it on her tongue. A shaking hand reached up and covered her mouth as she gagged. Something warm touched her arm making her jump with a small scream. She backed up and slapped the feeling away. Her eyes searched like a spotlight for whatever touched her.

Frank was standing close to her with his hand up in surrender.
“Hey, you alright?” He asked, confusion cast in his voice.

“D-Don’t.” Lailah said, trying to breathe normally. “Just… don’t touch me.”

“Yeah… Sure. ‘kay.”

A quick glance up at Frank made her eyes burn. Her lip quivered and her nose burned. Without a word, she turned and hightailed it to the bathroom, locking both of the connecting doors swift as light. Gripping onto the counter with shaking hands, she took deep breaths staring at the sink. Desperately, she tried to focus on something there that she could trace or examine deep enough to where she would relax. The shine of the faucet did nothing. The roundness of the sink failed her. The knobs marked with a H and C seemed to laugh at her. The acid in her stomach bubbled like a volcano. A lump rose in her throat causing her to gag again; her back hunching and her abdomen curling inwards. Sweat beaded at her hairline. Her fingernails dug into the underside of the counter. Inhaling through her nose and exhaling through her mouth was usually a surefire way to calm her down. Repeating consoling words to herself over and over helped… usually.

Her gaze traveled from the sink to the medicine cabinet. It was closed. She was met with her reflection. Lailah’s lungs worked in overtime, contracting and expanding too fast. Skin red and blotchy; eyes filling with tears. Slowly, she turned her head side to side and up and down trying to find any place that was normal to look at. None was found. Retching, she moved to the toilet and knelt down in front of it. Her body didn’t take long to accept the signals and within seconds she was expelling the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. Just when she thought she was alright to stand up, a burp escaped her. Whatever the reason, her body didn’t like it and proceeded with round two. Taking a few deep breaths once she was able, she wiped the water that had fallen from her eyes and leaned her head back. It was difficult, but Lailah managed to push herself up to where she was standing. Spitting out the remnants that was in her throat she flushed the toilet.

Her clothes were a mess. Even though she had plenty of warning, she hadn’t positioned herself quick enough. A fair amount had ended up on the front of her shirt. With a sound of disgust, she peeled off her disgusting clothes. She grabbed two towels from their cabinet and tossed one on the counter; the other she covered the medicine cabinet with. She couldn’t… She just… She couldn’t. Lailah got into the shower and turned the water on. Gradually turning it on would normally help the body adjust; desperate times called for desperate measures. As fast as her shaking hands would let her, she jammed the hot water on.

Ouch…

The continuous pain against her skin from the water paled in comparison to her desperate need to get cleaned. It felt like there wasn’t enough soap in the bottle and that she couldn’t scrub hard enough. All together she washed her hair… four times? Her body was on its fifth time getting cleaned. Even though the water had gotten a little cooler, it still hurt against her now raw skin. After the six scrub of her body, she sighed and dropped her puff. Her hands rested on the wall and her head fell. The water covered her; blanketed her in its painful warmth. It dripped from the ends of her hair and her chest. Slowly, her eyes closed. Breathing was a little easier now.

“D-Don’t touch me. Just… don’t touch me.”

“Yeah… Sure. ‘kay.”

Lailah sighed and rested her forehead against the wall. Tighter she squeezed her eyes, but it didn’t matter. Her shoulders started shaking and tears fell. The only good thing was that she didn’t have to feel the sadness on her face as the water washed it away. With everything, Lailah wished the water would wash away everything. Just wash her away too. Let her start over. Naturally, that wouldn’t happen. She would have to deal with the actions and the consequences there of. Apologizing to Frank was a top priority. While they weren’t close, she hadn’t meant to get him in trouble with Julie. Or punch his girlfriend. And smack his hand away. All in all, while she had done some things for him, she was a terrible roommate.

Once the water’s temperature turned lukewarm, she reached down and turned off the shower. How would Frank react when she apologized for all her recent actions? Would this make things even more difficult to live with him? Even if it did, it was something that she had to do. She got out and wrapped the towel around her. Moving to unlock Frank’s connecting door just in case he had to use the bathroom, she heard something from his room.

“Yeah, I did it for you.” Frank said. “My parents still think we’re broken up. I don’t want to cause a big scene because I’m just trying to get through school Julie.”

Lailah pressed her ear against the door, hoping to be able to hear Julie’s part of the conversation. Eavesdropping was a terrible thing to do, but… in a way this did concern her too.

“I’m not smart, Julie… You know that.” Frank’s voice lowered.

“Do you really think that…?” Lailah whispered.

“I just need to focus the best I’m able. No… there’s nothing between Lailah and me. We’ve got an agreement to make things easier and appease my parents.” Frank gave a short laugh. “No. Yeah.”

Lailah gnawed at her lip. Hopefully he set everything straight. While she probably would never apologize to Julie since she really did deserve it, at least everyone would be on the same page. That would make this job a lot easier in the end.

“It does. But it’s just a picture. I can’t force my dad to take it down. It’ll make things suspicious.”

Frank huffed another laugh. Lailah adjusted to where she was able to hear the conversation better. Ever since she started living with him, she’d started to do things that were completely out of character for her. The jury was still out if it was a bad thing or a good thing.

“I’m sorry, Babe. It’ll have to stay up. Yeah, I know. How’s your jaw?” Frank laughed again. “Shit. You’re right. I’m sorry. Sorry. Hey, come back over. Let’s talk.”

Lailah scrunched up her nose. Did she really have to deal with Julie again? Would she be able to? Maybe she could ask Feng or Yui if she would be able to come over and spend time with them. Or maybe even spend the night. But… they were busy. Yui had a paper due, and Feng had to practice for the upcoming gaming tournament. She’d end up being nothing but a bother. They’d told her to call them any time that she needed, but she knew that was just a figure of speech. It was only if they were free or if it was desperate. Facing Julie was something that she wouldn’t be able to run from forever.

“Tonight?” Frank finally spoke again. “Yeah. I’ll be home. ‘kay. Yeah. Bye.”

Lailah made an escape to her room as quiet as possible. They were just getting to the point to where they could stand to be in the same room for more than five minutes. If her decking Julie didn’t bring their progress back to zero—which it should—then him finding her eavesdropping definitely would. She locked both her doors. Taking her blanket, she tossed it over the mirror in room before starting to dry off. Lailah looked around her room, trying to get her mind to drift to anything other than her shitty morning. Wincing here and there because of the towel rubbing against her skin, her eyes scanned over her bed and saw her phone sitting in the middle.

“Shit.” Lailah sighed.

When she had practically hung up on her parents the previous night, she had promised that she was going to call them back. But with everything else that happened, she had forgot. Too mentally exhausted to talk, she went and sat on her bed and sent a quick text to both her mother and father explaining the whole situation between Frank and her. While her father was extremely unhappy with the agreement, he made her promise to stop if anything became too weird. Lailah’s mother on the other hand wasn’t entirely convinced. They had seen the photo that she had been tagged in. They were coming over today. She was positive that she’d receive a lecture from them on how she needed to be careful and that the picture could be taken wrong, etc.

A knock came at the door making Lailah jump so high she dropped her phone.
“Hey.”

“… Yeah?” Lailah wrapped her arms around herself like Frank could see through the door.

“Can I come in?” His voice was soft, honestly softer than she ever thought possible for someone as rough as he was.

“No.” Lailah said. “I uh… I’m not decent.”

“Oh. Yeah. Um, I’ll wait out here.”

“’kay.” Lailah’s voice was a mere whisper. She wondered if Frank had even heard it.

Only once the footsteps got further away did Lailah stand up. She grabbed her phone and looked at it. The drop had switched the windows back to her social media where the picture that Dwight had taken was still on the screen. Eyes scrutinized each spot. How could Julie think that something was going on between them with this photo? Everything could be written off as some other reason. Clearly, she looked drunk. The hand on her waist was keeping her steady. Her hand on his neck was to make sure she didn’t fall backwards just as the one on his chest was to keep her steady. The closeness of their faces and the look he was giving her? Dwight just captured it at the exact wrong time. He had just pulled her from falling down and was looking at her to make sure she was alright. That was all. That’s why he was looking at her… like that. Worry. Because if she fell or something happened… he would’ve had to take care of her. That would’ve been annoying. It was preemptive help. She closed out of the app and turned her phone face down before getting up and getting dressed. Only once she brushed her hair did she exit her room.

Frank was sitting on the couch with his feet on the coffee table just like his father had done the previous night. The TV was going, but he was looking at his phone. Just like when she first met him at the college, whatever he saw on his phone made a smirk come to his face. Hugging herself tighter, she walked further towards the living room. But she made sure to stay far enough away just in case of… she didn’t know. Just in case she needed to make an escape for whatever reason. He was intent on his phone so Lailah had to clear her throat to get his attention.

“Hey.” Frank said, putting his feet back on the floor.

“Hey.”

“I was—”

“Sorry.” Lailah blurted out, keeping her eyes to the floor.

“Uh, okay?”

“I’m sorry for yelling at you and smacking your hand away. I’m also sorry for uh… y’know… hitting your girlfriend.”

Lailah didn’t know what she expected. Frank to yell at her. To scream at her. Those were two of the top ones, the one she hadn’t been expecting was for him to start laughing. It wasn’t a robust laugh, but a lower one almost like he was trying to hide it. Shock on her features, she looked up at Frank who sighed and raised his eyebrows; standing up. Lailah grabbed onto the fabric of her shirt’s sleeves.

“Don’t be sorry.” Frank told her. “I’m not gonna lie, Julie did deserve it. She shouldn’t’ve pushed you.”

“…”

“Also, I’m impressed. I didn’t think you could hit that hard.”

“…There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Lailah whispered.

Frank smirked and tossed his keys in the air and caught them all the while watching her.
“Yeah, I see that now.” He said and looked at her making sure to lock eye contact. While Lailah felt like retreating slightly from his brown eyes, she didn’t feel scared. “Can’t wait to find out more.”

“…”

“Put your shoes on.”

“Why?”

“Unless you wanna head out with cold feet.”

“We’re going somewhere?” Lailah asked, curling her toes into the carpet.

“Yeah. We need groceries, remember?”

“Oh. Right.”

“So go put on a tit sling.”

“Wh—Uh…” Lailah didn’t dignify a response and turned; rushing back to her room.

A tit sling? That was the first time she had ever heard of a bra being called something like that. While it had thrown her for a loop, she’d be lying if she said she didn’t think it was funny. A small smile came to her face. It wasn’t the conventional way to make someone happy, but… he wasn’t a very conventional person. She put on a “tit sling” and met him back out into the living room.

“Okay.” Lailah said and folded her arms across her chest.

“You’re not going to get dressed?”

“Huh? I am.” Lailah looked down at her pajamas.

“Uh… okay.” Frank held her shoes out for her. “Hurry up. I’m hungry.”

Frank locked the door behind them. She followed him down to the parking lot. Without missing a beat, he headed to a car. She had to visibly hide her shock. All the time she had been living with him, she had wondered whose car was sitting there looking like it was ready to die. Of course, it was Frank’s. It wasn’t that the car was rusted or anything like that. The car had been through a few accidents. Some looked pretty bad. The windshield was somehow still intact as was the headlights. He unlocked the car and she hesitated for a moment before getting in the passenger’s seat, having to pull the door harder than normal since it was slightly off track.

“Put your seatbelt on.” Frank said, sticking the key into the ignition and putting the car in reverse.

“I am.” Lailah mumbled, doing as he said. “You put yours on too.”

“Hmph. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” He said.

Lailah was about to protest when Frank’s hand was placed on the back of her seat. He looked around and in one swift motion whipped the car from the tight parking spaces. Putting the car in drive, the palm of his hand circled the wheel steadying them before they started moving. Frank Morrison was the one surprise topped with a bow. Constantly filled with little surprises and riding with him was no different. Despite his uncaring attitude and rough appearance, he was a smooth driver. Another was the type of car he was driving. Stick shift. His brown eyes were focused on the road, occasionally checking the mirrors; flawlessly shifting between gears. His jaw was set in concentration. He flicked the turn signal and changed lanes. Frank came to a stop and relaxed.

“Hey.” He said, checking the rearview mirror.

“Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“…” Lailah looked down at her feet. “Yeah.”

“Hm.” They started to move again. “’kay.”

Lailah glanced over at him. Frank was a curious person. To a fault. Annoying. Yet, he left it alone. He didn’t continue to interrogate her. He shifted and turned heading them further into town. She wouldn’t ever be able to express to him how thankful she was for that. She scratched the back of her neck and looked from her window over to Frank’s profile. His pinky flicked a turn signal on and they switched the lanes. For someone that looked like they’d break the law any moment; he sure was obeying it. A small smirk quirked his lips.

“Something on your mind?”

“Huh?” Lailah looked away. “Oh, sorry. No, I was just spacing off.”

“Alright.”

They sat in silence for a little bit longer. Lailah mentally berated herself for staring too long. Frank would think that she was thinking things that she wasn’t. She was just trying to figure out how to adequately thank him for not pressing issues that she didn’t want to talk about. She looked down at her hands. Was the grocery store this far away? She could count on one hand how many times she had visited Ormond’s grocery store. Living here for almost a year, he seemed to know where he was going. It looked like muscle memory at this point.

“I know what it is.”

“Hm?”

“My car.” Frank smirked and looked over at her; taking his eyes off the road for a moment. “Everyone that rides with me is shocked about my car.”

“Oh. Yeah.” Lailah admitted.

“My dad is a bad driver.” Frank turned his gaze back to the road.

“Which one?”

“David.” Frank snorted. “He likes to pretend that he’s good, but Dwight’s the better one. We all know it.”

Lailah couldn’t help but smile. The thought of Frank’s parents arguing over who’s the better driver and David desperately trying to save his position as not being shitty was hilarious. She wondered if the image she conjured up in her mind was about how it went.

“When dad number one got another car, dad number two wasn’t sure what to do with this one.”

Lailah smiled.
“Yeah?”

“Mm. I ended up with it, because hey—free car.” Frank shrugged. “I got my license later in life… so I couldn’t really turn down help. David taught me how to drive stick shift. He was a little bitter that I did it better, but also proud.”

Lailah smiled.
“That right?”

“Damn right. So hey, I ended up with a car. I can eventually save up for another one.”

“Yeah.”

“But I’ve grown attached to this one.” Frank admitted.

Lailah smirked and shrugged.
“Keep it as a keepsake.”

Frank snorted a laugh.
“I might.”

Lailah relaxed into her seat as Frank drove. Now that the tension was out of the air, it was nice and peaceful. It rode smooth despite the many dents in it. Riding with Frank wasn’t actually as bad as it sounded when she first saw the car.

“Thanks.” Frank said after a few minutes of silence.

“For?”

“Not making fun of me.”

“Uh… why would I do that?” Lailah asked, looking over at him.

A sad smirk crossed his face and he raised his brows with a shrug.
“David and Dwight adopted me when I was nineteen. I… wasn’t very nice to them in the beginning. I was a senior in high school then. It was hard enough just being adopted in general. Got made fun of for that by some guys on the basketball team. Being the son of a gay couple, well… you can only imagine what sort of shit they said. I took my anger at the team out on my dads. The only people that didn’t make fun of me were Julie, Susie, and Joey. So, they’re really the only people I’m comfortable around. It was part of the reason that I was so worried about them coming over. I didn’t want to get laughed at again. I had gotten out of it… I didn’t want to go back in.”

“I’m adopted too.” Lailah didn’t miss Frank looking over at her. “My biological mom had an affair with a married man. I came out of it. He paid her hush money to keep her quiet about it. He was an important man in the government. It would be all over the news if he was caught up in a scandal. She eventually got married again. Her and her husband got pregnant and well… I became a liability. They sent me away. I used to be bitter about it, but… I was adopted by my parents when I was five. My mom couldn’t have kids and they were depressed about it for a long time.”

Frank smirked. He didn’t say anything else and eventually pulled into the grocery store. He pulled into a parking space; whipping the car around with no issues and pulling perfectly into the spot. Frank got out and put his keys in his pocket. Lailah scampered to follow him.

The inside of the store was small. It was the kind of store she preferred to be in. Having people walk all around and bump into her was no fun. Especially when there were so many of them and they needed to get groceries. Frank grabbed a cart and tapped the handle. She took it and followed him. Either his stomach was guiding him or he had already made a list because he guided her through aisles, pulling at various items. Previously, the thought of going grocery shopping together was difficult and felt like a chore. Right now, they just worked as a team to gather everything they wanted. It was almost like they were friends. But… she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. She knew how friendships could be; how fragile and manipulative they could be.

Frank moved to the cereal aisle and pulled some from the boxes from the shelf. He scanned the boxes’ names.

“I like—”

“I know.” Frank interjected, tossing about four boxes of cereal into the cart.

Their shopping trip was primarily Lailah watching Frank toss things in the cart that she liked as well without even having to tell him. They passed the fruit and Lailah started to grab some.

“I like—”

“I know.” Lailah interjecting, grabbing a few bushels of bananas and a few oranges.

“Hmph. Copycat.” Lailah simply shrugged.

They reached the registers with a full cart. If she was living with someone that had a normal appetite, there would be much less in the cart. It looked like they were going to a party and they were in charge of picking up the food. The woman at the counter instantly brightened when Frank started putting the items on the conveyor belt. She was blonde. Green eyes. Long eyelashes. She would probably the type of girl that was a bully in school. Of course, Lailah could be wrong. However, the way she watched him putting the items on the counter without any consideration of Lailah handing him the eggs and bread that was in the upper part grated on her gears. Her and Frank weren’t dating. But the woman didn’t know that. Having someone gawk at someone else’s potential significant other showed a huge amount of disrespect.

“Hello.” The woman said.

“Hello.”

“How are you?”

“Pretty good.” Frank’s tone was flat; completely uncaring and clearly only being polite.

Lailah handed Frank the last bushel of bananas. His brows furrowed. She looked over and saw Frank was trying to find somewhere to put it. She was momentarily confused. He realized what was happening first. Lailah wished that she did.

“You gonna scan our groceries anytime soon? Or are you just gonna stand there and stare?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, Sweetie.” The woman said; her voice so coated with sugar that she was already starting to get cavities. Lailah was positive that Willy Wonka would be jealous of all the sugar in her tone.

“…Don’t call me that.”

The woman—her nametag said Rhonda—started scanning the groceries. Lailah hadn’t worked at a grocery store, but she was sure that she could scan them quicker. The cashier was chewing her gum and looking down at each item. Rhonda must’ve recently got a manicure as she was making sure that her nails were taken care of; which clearly took longer. Frank began putting bag after bag into their cart. She yawned. They were going to anywhere else but Rhonda the next time that they came to the grocery store. Lailah rubbed her hand down her face. Frank’s jaw was set. He was getting so aggravated. They had made such good time grabbing the groceries that now restlessness was setting in.

“$125.62, Sir.” Rhonda said, a strange tone to her voice when she said ‘Sir’. Next thing she knew, she was going to start calling Frank ‘Daddy’.

Lailah tapped her pockets and panic set in. Frank had surprised her so much by randomly wanting to go grocery shopping that she had forgotten to grab her wallet. Her gaze turned back to her roommate. That familiar smirk was on his face. He pulled out $150 and handed it to Rhonda. When she made his change; taking forever to get it because of her nails, she handed it to Frank and he shoved it in his wallet.

“Have a good day, Sir.”

“Mm.” Frank turned to Lailah and winked. “C’mon, Dollface.”

Lailah was internally screaming. They headed away from Rhonda’s register and towards the customer service counter. For whatever reason. Frank didn’t say. Once they were out of there, she was going to ream a new one. What if someone was around that knew him? It could go back to Julie and she’d end up having to deck her again. They were in line behind an older couple.

“Sorry.” Frank leaned down close to her ear. “I hate girls like that.”

“Oh, yeah. No problem.” Lailah said.

“Thank you, have a nice day.” The old couple turned to leave.

“Oh look, Henry. There are still men like you around.” The older woman said and smiled fondly at Frank who had an arm on the other side of her on the cart effectively boxing her in.

“Young love.” The man called Henry said and grabbed his wife’s hand. “Have a good day.”

“You too.” Lailah said. Correcting two strangers was too much work and she was already exhausted.

Frank was still close just in case Rhonda decided to break her neck trying to see them. A quick peek in her direction showed that Frank’s judgement in women was correct. Her line was empty and she was trying her damndest to find them. She was going so far as to stand on her tiptoes to try and see them.

“What can I do for you?” The woman behind the counter asked.

“Pack of cigarettes.”

“Um… which ones, sir?” The woman asked.

“Du Maurier Signature.” Frank said, flipping through his wallet.

Lailah watched the woman grab the red and silver pack of cigarettes. Frank told the woman to keep the change and grabbed his cigarettes. He tore the plastic off and threw it in the trashcan. She followed him and watched as he tapped the box against his hand. Once they were outside, he distanced himself from her. He said nothing and shook a cigarette out of the pack. He pulled it out with his lips and settled it right before lighting it up and taking a deep breath. She shook her head and started heading to his car.

“Something on your mind?” Frank asked.

“No. Not really.” Lailah admitted, watching him release smoke from between his lips.

It was funny because the last time she saw him smoking was when she first moved in there. Then he had blew the smoke deliberately in her face. Now, he was standing on the opposite side to make sure none of it got on her. They arrived at the car and Frank opened the back. They put the groceries in the back and got back in the car. He started it and took a deep drag from his cigarette. He snuffed the cigarette out between two fingers and placed it back into the pack.

“What?” Frank asked, noticing her face.

“Are you a psychopath?”

“Not to my knowledge.”

“You just put that out with your fingers!” Lailah’s eyes widened.

“Yeah…?”

“That was fire!”

“Yeah…?”

Lailah raised her hands up. How was he not getting it? Fire is hot. Fire is bad. Not supposed to touch fire with your fingers. Yet, here he was just casually putting his cigarettes out between his fingers.

“I mean… fire is hot. So, wouldn’t that hurt?”

Frank chuckled and backed the car up.
“When you’ve been smoking for as long as I have then you don’t feel it anymore.”

“How long is that?”

“Let’s see…” Frank mused, driving down the road. “Little over ten years now.”

“That’s illegal.”

“Didn’t get caught. So it doesn’t matter.”

“Heh. Right.”

Frank took a different route than he had before. Lailah wanted to ask where they were going, but he knew Ormond better than Lailah did. They were probably taking a shortcut. She leaned back and occasionally glanced over at Frank. He was focused completely on the road. Why did he put his cigarette out in the first place? This was his car. She leaned back and watched as the college came into view. What the hell were they doing there?

“Out.” Frank said as he turned off the car.

Lailah followed. He walked around the corner, making sure she was following before continuing onwards. In the distance was the tiny Mexican food truck that Lailah loved. Another smirk came to his face and he jutted a thumb at a stone bench. She nodded and went to sit. Lailah took a deep inhale. The food was so good. Her stomach roared with hunger. Frank came back a few moments later and plopped down next to her, holding out a small container and a spoon. She took it and looked inside. It was the tortilla soup.

“Full this time.” Frank said and lit his cigarette again.

“Thanks.” Lailah opened the top and blew on the steaming liquid in her spoon.

“No problem.” He said and flicked off some ashes from the edge. “I figured it’s the least I could do for you after what Julie said to you.”

“… You don’t have to keep apologizing for her.” Lailah assured, looking over at him.

Frank chuckled and scratched his lip with his thumb.
“She’s my girlfriend.”

“Julie is her own person. You’re not responsible for her actions. She is.”

“Yeah, but…” Frank shrugged. “I can’t help but feel responsible in a way.”

“I guess.” Lailah sipped at the soup. “But… I still don’t understand why though.”

“Frank?!” The woman from the food truck called.

“I love her.” Frank chuckled and headed to the truck. Lailah watched him leave with furrowed brows.

Are you happy though?

Notes:

There you have it. Let me know what you think.

Before you get shook at me for places in this chapter let me let you know.

No. I do not kink shame. Although, it is awkward if someone is called 'Daddy' in the sexual sense in front of you.

Not every blonde with nails is a bimbo. I'm also aware of this. There are however ones that are. Which is the type I put in here.

Chapter 7: The Family

Summary:

“But I don’t really see Frank as a man, and he doesn’t really see me as a woman. We’re just two people that live in apartment that are trying to make things work and not end up killing each other.”

“Oh, but you enjoy fake dating me?”

Notes:

Here we go! I hope you like this chapter!

“I love her.”

Lailah looked down at her tortilla soup. A thick film covered her tongue and a lump rose in her throat. The cup rested in her lap and she had no desire to finish the contents. Her brows furrowed. Absent-mindedly she dipped her spoon into the broth. The crunchy tortilla strips were cooling down and were absorbing the broth Lailah was dumping on it; making them become soggy. It was strange. This soup was one of her favorite things. But she couldn’t bring herself to be excited enough to devour it. In fact, just looking at it right now, her appetite began decreasing. Since coming to this college and discovering the truck, she had eaten it more times than she could count. All those times must’ve been catching up with her. As painful as it would be to admit it, she must’ve burned herself out on her favorite food. It wouldn’t be the first time that she had beat her favorite snack or meal to death, but it was the first time that she had reacted so adversely to it.

“Did I order the wrong one?”

Lailah looked up from the food. Frank was standing with a white bag wrapped at the top. There was confusion tinged in his brown eyes along with worry. Being brought back into the present state, a smile came to her lips and she shook her head. How could she end up telling him that she was burned out on her favorite food especially after he had gone out of his way to buy it for her?

“No, it’s the right one. Thanks.”

“C’mon. Let’s get home. It’s starting to get cold outside and you don’t even have a coat on.”

“Yeah. Sure.”

Lailah put the top on her soup. Frank ended up gently taking it from her and putting it in the bag that held the rest of his food. One of these days she’d have to ask him how the hell he ate so much. He’d probably just come back with the typical man answer of ‘I dunno’ or ‘just my metabolism’. They got into the car and she put on her seatbelt and sat the warm food in her lap. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and smirked at whatever he saw on the screen. He typed his reply with a thumb before lifting his hips and putting the phone back in his pocket.

The ride back to the apartment held a different air than it did when they were heading out. She was trying to sort through all the events of the day. Her breakdown. Punching Julie. The grocery shopping. Getting the Mexican food. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Frank switching gears and pulling into a turning lane. Her brows furrowed again and she turned her attention back to the windshield and occasionally at the passing scenery from her window. It was crazy how the weather could change in Ormond. The first day she had moved in with Frank she was sweating by the time she got to the apartment. Now it was chilly and staying out too long without a coat could really let the cold set in.

Warm air blew on her cheeks. Lailah looked over to her roommate. Frank stopped mid turning of the heater knob and cleared his throat before returning his hand to the gearshift. A small smile came to her lips. Despite his looks and personality, she could tell that Frank was a good person underneath all the issues that he had or some that he still has. After all, she couldn’t really judge. She had a few issues as well. They were just starting to get from hating each other to tolerating each other; burdening him with her issues and problems would only make him start to hate her again.

Finally, they pulled up to block J and Frank clicked his tongue. Someone had parked in his parking spot. Even though it wasn’t official, everyone in block J saw that his car was parked there and always just stayed to their spaces. It was like in high school when you hated when the teacher gave you assigned seating, but then you’d pick a spot in college and when someone came in and was sitting in the spot you did, you just kept wondering what made them think they could sit in your seat. He put his hand behind her seat again and reversed the car and put it in drive, whipping into a parking space; fluid and fast. He sighed and turned off the car.

They shared a glance for a moment before Lailah opened the door.
“I’m going to put this in the house. I’ll be back.”

“’kay.”

Without another word, she headed up into the apartment and unlocked the door with the keys he had handed her. She flipped on the light switch and looked around. Her hands felt a little clammy. Gnawing at her lip, Lailah kept her eyes on every shadow that she saw and every space just in case before she sat the bag on the counter and turned, chancing another look over her shoulder before she headed back outside. Frank had carried most of the bags in one trip complaining he ‘was lazy and didn’t want climb the fucking stairs again’. The only thing she managed to grab before he made his exodus was the cereal and fruit. She placed the bag on the counter.

“I… put the food there.” Lailah pointed to their bag and rubbed her red nose.

“Alright. Thanks.”

Lailah started to pull cereal out of the box and place them in the cabinets when a knock came at the door. Instantly, she froze. Who was that? A quick glance at the stove; 8:05 pm. Her hands started getting sweaty. Julie, Susie, and Joey always came and went as they wanted. They’d try the doorknob and nine times out of ten they’d just end up walking in together. Frank looked at the door and didn’t seem worried in the slightest. He looked aggravated more than anything. He scoffed and walked to the door and opened it.

“Yeah?” Frank asked; rude and uninterested. “Whatever you’re selling, I don’t want it.”

“Mom! Dad!” Lailah exclaimed and pushed past Frank and went to hug them. “Come in. Come in. It’s kinda cold outside. Just… for the love of God, please take off your shoes.”

It took a lot of convincing over the few weeks that she’d lived with Frank to make sure that her father wouldn’t cause an issue if he came to the apartment. For days she had assured them that she was fine and that Frank hadn’t put his hands on her; in an intimate physical manner nor in an abusive way. Parents would always worry about their children though. Both her mother and father gave Frank a glance as they came in and took off their shoes. None of them were smiling. Awkward.

“How have you been, Li?” Her father asked, sitting down on the couch but kept his eyes on Frank.

“I’ve been fine. Sorry, we just got back from grocery shopping.”

“You want help putting it away?” Lailah’s mother asked.

“I can do it.” Frank said. “Why don’t you spend some time with your parents?”

“Oh… Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.” Frank said without hesitation and headed into the kitchen.

Lailah gnawed at her lip and felt the desperate need to sleep. This was one of the most awkward positions she had been in in a long time. Her father’s glare followed him all the way to the kitchen and continued to watch him as he put the groceries away. Frank never looked in her father’s direction. Whether he was watching him out of the corner of his eyes or if he just truly didn’t care wasn’t evident. Frank had said that he was used to girls’ parents not liking him, so he probably just let it roll off his shoulder like water on a duck.

“I’m not even going to lie. I… kinda forgot you were coming tonight.” Lailah admitted and played with the fabric of her pants.

“We figured as much.” Her father said with a small smile; finally taking his eyes off her roommate.

“…Sorry.” Lailah whispered and gripped onto the fabric of her pants.

Lailah’s parents shared a look and her mother touched her hand. She recognized that face; worry. Fear. Helplessness. There had been many times where she had felt that same combination of emotions. Especially the last one. Her father touched her other hand. Making sure to lock eye contact so they would know that she was telling the truth; she simply smiled. Her father darted a glance at Frank and Lailah made a look of disbelief and shook her head. No. Frank wasn’t hurting her. Even though she had told him so many times; she knew that she would have to continuously tell them. Until she was blue in the face; and then some.

“It’s alright.” Her mother smiled. “So we decided it would be easier to just drop by.”

“Have you eaten?” Her father asked.

“Kind of. Frank got me some food.” Lailah smiled. “It’s that tortilla soup that I tell you about from that food truck by the school.”

“That so?” Her father asked.

“Mm. Yes.” Lailah stood up. “Since we were supposed to go out to eat and I’m… kinda dressed inside for the night, how about I cook something?”

“That—”

“You can cook?” Frank asked from the kitchen, interrupting her mother.

“Just a little bit.” Lailah said with an awkward laugh. “I didn’t say anything?”

Frank clicked his tongue and huffed. He ended up tossing one of the plastic bags in aggravation, but it just floated down to the floor. The effect of his aggravation completely lost. Lailah had to hold back a smile from having just watched a plastic bag beat Frank Morrison.

“Man… how much money would I have saved if I known that…?” He muttered.

“Probably not anything. We may have spent more with how much you eat.”

Frank shrugged.
“Can’t really argue there.”

“If you would’ve tried, you would’ve lost.” Lailah shrugged. She couldn’t help but smile when Frank huffed a laugh and grabbed the bags and placed them inside their pantry inside a container that they used to keep them just in case they needed use of a bag. “So, does that sound okay Mom and Dad?”

“Sounds good to me.” Her father rubbed his hands together and leaned back in the couch.

“Cool. Go ahead and turn the TV on.” Lailah said. “Mom, wanna help?”

“That’d be great.”

“Well, it was nice to meet you two.” Frank said. His tone was slightly disinterested and awkward. It was clear he wanted to be anywhere else but out there with them. “Later.”

Frank retreated to his room and closed the door behind him. A sigh escaped her. It wasn’t necessarily that she wasn’t okay with being in the same room with Frank. After all, they lived together. It was the tension that hung in the air when he was in the same room with her parents. They were all in a rush to get away from each other. It made the night a bit difficult, but it wasn’t her job to make her parents and Frank liked each other. They weren’t dating so their relationship didn’t need to be anything other than acquaintances. It would be nice if they weren’t like this each time they were together. But, she would be alright as long as no one attacked each other.

With everything that she had been doing since she moved into the apartment, she hadn’t thought about telling him that she could cook. Granted, she wasn’t a master chef or anything like that. In fact, most of her food was quite terrible tasting. There were only a few that she could actually make. Opening the fridge, she took in the ingredients they had. Most of it was processed or just snacks that they could eat in a pinch. With how much Frank ate; their fridge was hardly ever this full. It would be dwindled down to almost nothing within three days, and that was on the generous side. Scanning over the food; she ended up pulling out some vegetables and the bit of beef that they had bought and handed it to her mother. She placed it all on the counter. After making sure that her hands were washed and everything else was; her and her mother began.

“Nothing’s going on between you two?” Her mother asked as she chopped up some food.

“Absolutely not.” Lailah assured.

“You guys seem to be getting along more than you were a few days ago.”

“Well, I mean… yeah.” She cleared her throat. “Some… things happened.”

Her mom instantly froze.
“What do you mean ‘things’? Lailah Collins, if you—”

“Okay calm down. First of all, Mom don’t talk with your hands when you have a knife. Second of all, it’s just… this happened.” Lailah took out her phone and pulled up the picture. Her mother scanned over it and sighed.

“And… I mean, I wouldn’t go so far as to say that we’re friends, but we don’t necessarily hate each other because of this favor I’m doing for him. I told you about that.”

“Yeah, but Lailah… this picture—”

“I know what it looks like. And trust me, I’ve already gotten an earful.”

“From him?”

Lailah scoffed and shook her head,
“No. His girlfriend, Julie.”

“He’s got a girlfriend?”

“Yeah. And a psychopathic one at that.” Lailah sighed and put the cut up vegetables in the pot. “I mean, that’s not really nice. I don’t know that for sure, but… she’s got some issues.”

“…”

“But I mean, we all do. And in a way, I can understand where she was coming from. After all, if the situation were reversed, I don’t think I’d want Frank living with a girl either.” Lailah sighed.

“That is true.”

“But I don’t really see Frank as a man, and he doesn’t really see me as a woman. We’re just two people that live in apartment that are trying to make things work and not end up killing each other.”

“…Has his girlfriend ever touched you?” Her mother asked, the cuts on the vegetables becoming further apart. She was trying to focus more on her daughter than the actual prepping.

“…Yeah.”

“What—”

“I took care of it.” Lailah cleared her throat. “I uh… kinda punched her. Knocked her to the floor.”

Lailah’s mother laughed, a smile retaining on her lips when she stopped.
“Good. That takes a little bit off my shoulders to know you’re standing up for yourself.”

The conversation turned to the food. Every now and again her mother would ask questions about Frank and the way things were in the apartment. They talked about how things were at home. Apparently, it was lonely without her at the house. Some mornings they forgot that she didn’t live there anymore and would only remember when they tried to wake her up for breakfast. It had been especially hard on her father the first few days. He had barely slept any. She found out that he was sent home because he was getting sick at work because he tried to work through his exhaustion. A weight of guilt pressed on her shoulders. Lailah hadn’t had the foresight to think that her departure would affect her parents too much; definitely not that bad.

Lailah reached into the pot with a spoon and tasted the stew. It was getting colder outside. The best thing to have on these colder days was soup or stew. Considering how much of an appetite that Frank had, something more substantial—such as stew—would be more effective. Although, this was the first time cooking she was a little… worried to say the least. What would happen if she had put something in there that he was allergic to? Well… if he was allergic to something then he probably wouldn’t by it to begin with. Then again, this was Frank after all. Sighing, she grabbed a bit and went over to his door and knocked. From the inside, she could hear sniffing and a bit of coughing.

“Y-Yeah?” Frank coughed again.

“Um… it’s me. Can I come in?”

“Huh?” He coughed again and groaned.

“Can I come in?” Lailah repeated.

“No.”

“Um… Then can you come out here?” Silence. “Frank?”

“Yeah?”

“Can you come out here?”

“Oh. Right. Yeah.”

Lailah watched the doorknob turn. Frank opened the door and for just a brief second his room was revealed to her. It wasn’t neat. His dresser was littered with things she didn’t recognize. His bedside table was in the—

“What is it?” He asked, having opened the door just enough to get himself out and closed it behind him.

Lailah blinked and gave a small smile and held out the spoon to him. Frank furrowed his brows and looked between Lailah and the spoon she was holding with her other hand underneath it. He blinked, focused on the spoon.

“I want you to try this. Let me know if it’s okay.”

“That so?” Frank asked, still staring at the spoon.

“You seen a spoon before?” Lailah couldn’t help but laugh.

“Uh. Yeah. Right.” Frank held his head cleared his throat. He reached out for the spoon.

“Just open up man.” Lailah said and sighed. “How is it?”

“You made that?”

“Well… me and my mom.” Lailah admitted.

“Huh. I’m kinda angry you didn’t tell me you could cook sooner.”

“Well, it’s not like you and I have been on the best of terms.” Lailah shrugged.

“Pretty good.” Frank admitted.

“I decided to make stew. It’s getting colder out and I’m pretty sure you’re getting sick.”

“… Maybe.” He said and cleared his throat.

“I’ll…come back and get you when it’s done.” Lailah looked back at him for a moment before heading back to the kitchen.

“He does look like he’s getting sick.” Her mother said.

“Yeah… I think he’s got a bad immune system.”

“…”

Lailah made sure to work quickly but diligently. The faster that he got something in his stomach, he could relax and focus on getting better. The hunger that had started to rise in her stomach was outweighed by the worry for her roommate. It was strange for him to get better and then get worse again. Was there some sort of terminal illness that he had that she was unaware of? Once her parents were gone, she was going to end up having to keep a better eye on Frank. What if she was just in the other room and he ended up having a heart attack and dying or some other shit because of some disease he had? If her worry didn’t kill her, Julie would.

Once the stew was done; Lailah kept it on a simmer and dipped out some for her mother and father. A bright smile came over her face when she watched them light up. She was never really confident in any cooking ability that she had, but when it came to making sure that she wouldn’t freeze to death, stews were something she was used to practicing with her mother. Lailah went over to her roommate’s door and frowned. Letting him know how worried she was would only lead to teasing. Giving the door a quick tap, Frank came out from the room as he had done before.

“Hey, it’s uh… done.” Lailah muttered.

“What is?” Frank rubbed his hand on his face.

“The food? Remember?”

“Oh, right—”

“You made something?”

Lailah looked down and saw Frank had his phone. On the screen was a video call with Dwight and David. Both men looked happy that something had been cooked for their son. She looked over at Frank and he looked away. How was he going to video call them when he knew the situation in the rest of the apartment?! Lailah exhaled out of frame and then smiled once she was in the frame.

“Yeah. It’s a little cold out. So… I figured stew would be the best.” Lailah said.

“That’s sweet o’ ya.”

“I knew she was a sweet girl when I laid eyes on her.” Dwight said sounding… genuinely happy.

I am so sorry… You’re such good people. I hate to lie to you.

“Lailah? Who’s that?” Her father asked from the living room.

“Oh! Dad!” Lailah purse her lips and her eyes widened, trying to seem like she was happy. “These are Frank’s parents! Go ahead and say ‘hi’!”

Now that you’ve fucking called me out.

Lailah took the phone over to where her parents were sitting. They looked momentarily shocked that both his parents were men, but they didn’t say anything. Neither of them minded gay people, but someone would be lying if they said that it was something that was expected.

“You’re Lailah’s parents?” Dwight asked.

“Yes, we are.” Her father said.

“D-Dwight. David. Let me introduce my parents; Darryl and Amelia.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Sure is.”

Lailah looked over at Frank and pointed to the bowl that was full of stew. She went over to the kitchen while the two pairs began talking. It was mostly getting to know each other. Frank coughed again and grabbed onto his bowl; almost dropping it. Had Lailah not been there he would have. A worried look crossed her face, but she didn’t say anything. Her eyes scanned over his face. His brown eyes were looking down at the food; pupils extremely dilated. He kept blinking and furrowing his brows like he was having a hard time seeing. Was he going to pass out? He shook his head.

“Lean against the counter, okay?” Lailah said and slightly guided him.

“I’m fine.” Frank said. He looked down at the bowl again and licked his lips.

When he took a bite and looked at her, she relaxed. He liked it. That was good. She reached into the fridge and got a couple cans of soda. She popped one open for him and handed it to him. Slowly, he seemed to be getting his bearings. It was good that he was getting better. Maybe he was just weak from not eating anything. He was an athlete that needed to eat every 20 seconds or he’d start whining. And waking her up with music. Or banging on her door. Or making any other large bit of noise.

“Sorry. They called.” Frank said.

“It’s alright. They’re just checking on you.”

“They’re starting to call more frequently.”

“Wonder why?” Lailah looked over at Frank and looked away when he gave a wide smile. “What man?”

“Clearly because they’re happy for me and like my ‘girlfriend’.”

“Geez… You shouldn’t be too happy about lying to your parents.” Lailah huffed.

“I’m not really, but it beats the alternative.”

“Getting what you deserve for lying?”

Frank pointed a finger at her.
“Exactly.”

Lailah snorted a laugh.
“What if I sold you out?”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

“Oh yeah? You’re sure about that?”

“Positive.” Frank muttered with a mouth full of food.

“What makes you so sure?”

“You’re enjoying it.” Frank said and gave a short laugh when Lailah glared at him.

“I don’t enjoy lying to your parents.”

“Oh, but you enjoy fake dating me?”

“I never said that.” Lailah said.

“You didn’t say ‘no’.”

Lailah frowned.
“No, I don’t.”

“Aww, well that isn’t nice.” Frank smiled and put more food in his mouth.

“Well I’m not nice.”

“Heh.” Frank grunted and blinked causing Lailah to look over at him. “You know something?”

“I know a lot of things.”

“True. You know—"

“You know, we originally invited Lailah and Frank to a dinner that way we could get to know each other.” Dwight said.

“’n’ we’d like to invite both o’ ya too.”

Frank ended up coughing. It looked like some of his soda ended up going down the wrong pipe. Lailah had better luck and ended up spitting it out into a fine mist. Both her parents looked over at them. Frank had turned away and was having a coughing fit. He had put his bowl onto the counter and gripped onto the edges to steady himself. Lailah looked at her parents and made an X with her arms and shook her head repeatedly while Frank was dying behind her.

“What do you think?” Dwight said.

Lailah put her hands in a prayer gesture and kept mouthing ‘no’ and ‘please’. Her mother sighed and looked over back at the frame.

“I think that’d be lovely.” Her mother said.

Lailah dropped her hands and hung her head. Finally, she turned around and patted Frank on the back until he wasn’t dying anymore. He took a deep breath and both him and Lailah looked over at her parents. Both of them had a smirk on their face, but her mother’s was worse. This is what she got for lying. She knew it. This was punishment. If they were going to pretend, she’d put Lailah in the most awkward situation that she possibly could to make her think about what she’d done. All through her life, that had been her punishment for lying. Lailah had learned at an early age not to lie.

“’ow does next week sound?” David asked.

“I think that’d be great. Her mother said.

“We’ll get all the details from Lailah and Frank. It’ll be great to meet you in person.” Her father added.

“Alright. Frank!” Dwight exclaimed.

Lailah watched her roommate go and grab his phone like he was walking to the electric chair on death row. He picked it up and forced a smile at his parents. Heart thundering realizing that they’d have to put on this act in a public place terrified her. What if someone saw? What if word got around that Frank was a cheater and Lailah was a slut? No. It would be fine. They could go somewhere that things would be okay. She just had to find somewhere.

“’ey. You’re—where’s Lailah?”

“L-Lailah.” Frank called. She took a deep breath and went to his side.

The weight of her guilt continued to grow each time that Dwight and David would look at them. They both looked so happy. How would they end up getting out of this situation without breaking his parents’ hearts? Adding her own parents’ desire to see them suffer didn’t help matters any.

“Hey David. Dwight.” Lailah waved hoping to look convincing.

“How are you doing?”

“Oh. Good. How are you guys?”

“Pre’y good.” David answered. “We jus’ wanted to call and talk to ya two.”

“T-That’s great.” Lailah said. “We’re glad to hear from you too.”

“I’m sure you heard, but we made plans with your parents to go to dinner next week.”

“Oh yeah… I heard.”

And I’m really wishing I would just go into a coma right now for the unforeseeable future.

“I’m sure it’ll be a nice family gathering.” Lailah’s mother said.

“She’s right. It’s only natural for the parents to meet each other.”

Right. Natural.

“We’ll call you a couple of days before, because I know Frank will forget.”

Lailah gave an awkward laugh and patted Frank’s chest. It was awkward. She hoped it looked normal to them.
“Oh yeah. That’ll be nice.”

“Bye you two.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

Lailah and Frank looked at each other and then back at his parents. They waved until they disappeared from the screen. After Frank made sure that they were truly disconnected he sighed and gripped onto the edge of the counter. She hung her head.

“Why did you do that?!” Lailah exclaimed to her parents.

“It’s important for the parents to meet each other.” Her father said.

“You know what I mean! Him and I aren’t really dating! Why?!”

Lailah’s mom shrugged.
“It’ll be interesting to see how far you guys can take this before you break down and admit the truth.”

“…I can see where Lailah gets her deviousness from.” Frank said. “Related or not; it rubs off.”

“True.” Her father said. “It’ll be an interesting dinner.”

“It was great to see you Lailah. We love you so much. Nice to meet you Frank.”

Her parents left and Lailah closed the door and put her face in her hands.

“Your parents are evil.” Frank muttered from the kitchen.

“I know!” Lailah exclaimed, putting the leftover food in containers and putting it in the fridge.

Frank said nothing and watched her move in the kitchen. She handed the dishes to him, tossing around the spoons and plates. This couldn’t be happening. It couldn’t. Her parents were trying to sabotage them? It would be pure entertainment to them. At least they were honest about it, it was just a lesson to be taught and they didn’t care. They’d make both of them uncomfortable for it. What the hell was she thinking even agreeing to this whole ordeal?

“So… we’re having a dinner with both of our parents.” Lailah managed once everything was put away.

“Seems like it…”

“…Dammit. I’m sorry. My parents aren’t usually this bad when it comes to teaching lessons.”

Frank waved her off and leaned against the counter.
“Fuck. I can’t believe this.”

Lailah began pacing.
“Maybe one of us can be sick or something.”

“They’ll just reschedule.”

“One of us could go to the hospital?”

“Reschedule.”

“One of us could die.”

“…Why did you look at me when you said that?” Frank asked, raising a brow.

“Because I’m ready to kill you for putting me in this situation!”

“You agreed to it!”

“I panicked!”

“Doesn’t matter! We’ve already been over this!” Frank exclaimed once more and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Fuck me man.” Lailah sighed and leaned against the fridge.

“…”

“…”

“What?”

“Nothin’.” Frank folded his arms and shook his head. “I have no idea what the fuck to do.”

“I know.”

“One thing is for sure.”

“What’s that?”

“You and I… are gonna have to start acting more like a couple.”

Lailah turned to look at him. Despite the lack of desire to do what he said, his lips were curled into a smile. He wasn’t fooling anyone. He didn’t want to do this. Not just the dinner; but this whole idea. No good could come out of this.

“Oh yeah?” Lailah scoffed. “And how are we supposed to do that.”

“Practice.” Frank said softly. He stood in front of her with a smirk quirking his lips.

Notes:

I hope you like this! I had a fun time writing this.

Chapter 8: Practice

Summary:

You give me so much indigestion, I swear.

Notes:

Welcome back!! Chapter 08!! I hope that you enjoy this one.

“You and I… are gonna have to start acting more like a couple.”

“Oh yeah? And how are we supposed to do that?”

“Practice.”

Out of all the things that she had expected Frank to say, that had not been on the list. Out of all the things he could’ve said, why did it have to be that? No, he wasn’t some sort of English major or a language savant but saying that? Really? Perhaps the most disturbing thing about the whole thing was not the words, but the actions afterwards. He had taken another step closer. A stupid smile was on his stupid face. She wanted to punch it, just as hard if not harder than she had punched Julie. No amount of glaring made him back down. If anything, it spurred him on. Forget the relationship gradually getting better. It spiraled back down to the negatives. Lailah was starting to hate him again. It was his inability to tell his parents the truth and deal with the consequences that put them in this position. Grasped as a whole, it was all Frank’s fault. Yes, Lailah didn’t help matters but it was mostly his fault.

“Practice?”

“They say ‘practice makes perfect’.” Frank’s voice held just as much a smile as his face did.

Practice makes perfect, huh? There were many things that phrase could be used for. Any that had Frank Morrison behind the helm was a bad idea. Anything concerning the both of them with that phrase was a recipe for trouble. Her curiosity was going to be the death of her. Her parents had said it many times throughout her life. It wouldn’t shock her if her insatiable need for the truth ended up leading her straight to her demise. Right now, she would welcome it with open arms. Lailah sighed and put her hands on her hip; shifting her weight so she was resting on one foot. Didn’t she have to deal with enough as it was? More was going to be heaped on top of this? Really?

“Alright.” Lailah tossed her hands in the air. It had been in the form of a request; a suggestion. But she knew that it was anything but. For this job, it was a requirement. “What are we practicing?”

Frank cocked his head and raised his brows. Either the gears were having a hard time turning or she had taken him by surprise. Neither was something that she wanted to deal with. The smile only grew on his face so wide that she was wondering if his face would snap at the jaw. That thought was rather… disturbing. Without saying a word, he brought a finger up to his lips and tapped them.

“…?” Lailah blinked. It only took a heartbeat for her mind to click. “What?! No!”

Frank feigned shock.
“I thought we were going to practice.”

“Not that!” She exclaimed, fighting her face trying to turn red. It was only going to turn red from anger. How could he just suggest that so easily?

“Well, you’re sending mixed signals here.” He sighed.

“How am I sending mixed signals?! I just blatantly said no!”

“My coach always told me ‘when practicing something new; start from the basics’.” Frank said.

Lailah huffed. He probably did. But this was anything but a normal situation. Fucking around or not, if Julie caught of wind of him fucking around with her then she’d try to come at Lailah again. Which would earn her another punch, but still… getting into a fight with his girlfriend again was something that she’d try to avoid if she could. But, now at least Julie knew that her and Frank were just doing this so they could end up having a better and more satisfying relationship; she seemed to be placated. For now. Eventually, her and Frank would have to ‘break up’. It would probably crush his parents, but, that would just be something that they’d have to deal with. From there, they could just say that Frank ended up getting back with Julie. It wouldn’t necessarily be a lie, but… it would crush his parents. They were the only reasons that she hadn’t called this off yet. They looked so happy for their son.

“The basics are not kissing, Frank.” Lailah frowned.

“Then what would you consider ‘the basics’, Lailah?”

Lailah furrowed her brows. What were the basics? Usually it was talking. Check. Becoming friends. Kind of check. Catching feelings. Definitely not a check. That one was not required. Not ever having been in a relationship, she could’ve been lying and maybe kissing was the basics of a stable relationship. But, from the way that Frank had been smiling, she felt that there was something more to it. If anything, she could just go by what she saw in movies and TV shows.

Clearing her throat, she took a step towards him. Frank looked relatively confused. ‘The basics’, huh? There had to be something that didn’t require them to kiss. Lailah reached over and awkwardly grabbed his hand. It was large and had some callouses on it. Did basketball end up giving someone that many callouses? Well, it was hard telling what he did before they met. Trying to distance her mind from the act, she huffed. It was a big step for her to reach out and voluntarily touch someone. It wasn’t really right to touch someone by surprise like that. But… he had asked what she considered the basics.

“…” Lailah could feel Frank looking at her. She couldn’t look up at him. Her stomach started to churn.

“Hand holding huh?”

“You said the basics.”

Frank huffed a laugh.
“I did, but uh… you have held a guy’s hand before, right?”

Lailah looked up and was met with that same smile. His eyes were even touched with that stupid smile. It was accusing. Reaching. Trying to prod around for some sort of crack in the armor to tear the complete set off. It was trying its hardest to explicitly have stated what it already knew. It was accusing her. It was right.

“Of course, I have!” Lailah defended with a scoff.

“So, uh… is it a habit of yours to hold all guys’ hands like that?”

Lailah looked down at her hand wrapped around his. The accusing was back. Baring into her back. A hole being dug deeper and deeper trying to bore right through her whole body. There had to be something there. He wasn’t just taunting her right? Yes, he was that type of person… but… this needed to look convincing. If Frank was bringing it up, what she was doing was anything but.

“L-Like what?”

“Like you’re a little girl that’s worried to lose her daddy at a theme park.”

Out of all the people that he could’ve ended up asking to be a pretend girlfriend, why did it have to be someone that had no real idea what they were doing? Stinging behind her eyes started to rise. Could this be any more embarrassing? It really was obvious. Her eyes focused on their hands. He was right. It did look like a little girl was trying to make sure that she didn’t get lost at a theme park. Lailah’s stomach started to churn again.

“…”

“Never had it done, but I might like to be called ‘Daddy’.” Frank shrugged.

Lailah tore her hand from Frank’s and wiped it on her pants. Her palm felt tingly and she could feel a bit of sweat start to rise on it. Why did his body have to be like 100 degrees higher than anyone else’s? Seriously! He was the only person that she knew whose body ran at such a higher temperature than normal. Maybe he was always bordering on a fever? He did seem to get sick easily.

“Whatever, Frank.”

All she was trying to do was help. Getting embarrassed was not in the job description. Lailah spun around and headed back towards her room, but he grabbed her hand. She tried to tug it back from him, but his grasp was iron. It wasn’t enough to harm her, but it was enough to let her know that he had no intention of letting her go. Her shoulders slumped and she turned around to look at him with a defeated sigh. Frank’s smile was gone. His brows were furrowed, and his eyes were focused.

“Alright. No more fucking around.” Frank said and nodded. “Seriously.”

“…” He did sound serious.

“Fine.”

“Good.” Frank exhaled and locked eye contact.

“So, hand holding.” Lailah explained flatly. She was ready to go at any sense of needless conversation.

Frank kept their eyes locked. He pulled their hands up next to their heads and let go. His fingers trailed along her palm until they were palm against palm. Lailah watched their hands. The tips of her fingers were a little above the second knuckle. His hand was wider than hers. She glanced over at Frank and saw he was watching her. He looked over at their hands and when she felt his fingers move; she looked. His fingers slid in the spaces between hers slowly until they were completely locked together. Frank brought the hands in front of them.

“Hand holding.”

Lailah looked at their hands. Her eyes were completely transfixed. Neither said anything. It was unknown how long she had spent staring at their hands before she looked over at Frank. His gaze was transfixed on her. When they settled into eye contact, a small smile quirked on his lips. Not taunting. Not accusing. Accepting?

A severe pain tore its way through Lailah’s abdomen. She pulled her hand from Frank’s and leaned on the counter. Doubling over in pain; she hugged her abdomen. Her brows furrowed and she clenched on her jaw. A wave of nausea swept over her. It wasn’t anything in comparison to the pain that now encompassed her pelvic region. Her face scrunched up. Once the pain dulled slightly, she stood up. From the corner of her eyes, she watched Frank. He looked somewhat worried.

“…You alright?” Frank asked, bending down.

“Yeah.” Lailah huffed an awkward laugh. “Just you know… girl time.”

Frank hissed through his teeth.
“Yikes. That sucks.”

“…Yeah. Well, being a girl sucks too.”

“I don’t doubt it. Hey, why don’t you get into bed? I’ll clean up here.”

“You sure?” Lailah asked, holding onto her abdomen slightly as she stood up.

“Yeah. Julie gets pretty bad cramps too. She wants to rest when it happens. So yeah, go ahead.”

“Thanks.”

It was shocking—pain or not—that Frank had decided to actually let her rest for the remainder of the night. Sighing, she went to the bathroom and then got in bed. Cleaning was usually a job that she took upon herself, so she wondered if Frank even really knew how to clean other than taking out the trash and washing dishes. Her body was in too much pain to care. Getting a good night’s rest would be great and would give her body time to relax as well. Grunting, she pulled the blankets up to her shoulders, turned on the TV, and let the sounds of her movie and the awkward fumbling from the kitchen lull her to sleep.

Morning came earlier than she expected. She hadn’t even thought to check the time before going to bed. All she wanted to do was relax and sleep the pain away. Now as she was brushing her teeth she was sure that she didn’t go to bed until late into the night; perhaps early in the morning. One of the positive things though was that the pain was gone. Lailah decided that she’d just wear her pajamas to school and end up changing after her classes to head to work. Groaning, she sighed and grabbed her apron and stuffed it in her bag with some jeans and a T-shirt. Lailah put her hair tie in her mouth and tried to prepare her hair for a bun and leave her room all at the same time.

“Does she always look like a hobo in the morning?”

Lailah turned her tired eyes to the commotion. Julie. Brandishing a huge bruise on her cheek that spanned to her jawline. Shrugging her bag onto her shoulders, she grabbed her hair tie and wrapped her hair up into the best bun she was able to.

“Come back for round two?” Lailah asked, raising her brows.

“… You got the jump on me last time. Don’t think you’re better than me.”

Lailah scoffed and went to the fridge to grab a bottle of soda.
“Mornin’.” She said to Frank and then turned back to Julie, her face instantly dropping to a frown. “Later.”

“Hey, I’m heading to the college. You wanna ride with?”

“No—”

“No—”

Julie and Lailah spoke simultaneously. They locked eye contact and she rolled her eyes. For once, they agreed on something. A shame that it had to be something about her presence. Well, perhaps it wasn’t so bad. Under no circumstance would she voluntarily spend more time with Julie than was absolutely required. She yawned again and waved at Frank and grabbed her keys before heading out of the apartment. It would be hard for her to get up and move, but she needed to be bright when she went to work. She hadn’t even had the job for a week. It didn’t matter how long she really had it though, failing Feng and Yui wasn’t an option. Especially since she found out that Yui had fired an employee that worked there. Apparently, it was Sonny from that first night she had helped at Tea You Later.

As Lailah headed down the sidewalk headed to the college she saw Frank’s battered car turn. Frank gave her a small smile and Julie ended up slamming her hand against the window trying to stick her middle finger up even higher than it already was. Julie was starting to truly remind her of a kid that was out of control on a road trip that was angry they didn’t get the juice box they wanted at the last drive-thru. How Frank could ever deal with that was a mystery. Lailah was thankful that she would at least be able to walk in peace. Had she took Frank up on the offer, it would’ve been nothing but yelling and screaming all the way to the college. Yes, it was hardly five minutes away, but… that would’ve been the longest five minutes in her life.

With no issue, Lailah managed to head to school and get inside her class with five minutes to spare. She was hoping that her walk would’ve woken her up more than it did. Listening to the teacher drone on about math wasn’t going to help her tiredness levels. Her fears were confirmed when he started his lecture. It was like the voice on the computer that would do text to voice. Monotonous. Tiring. Somewhat annoying. His movements were slower than a sloth. Her phone vibrated, startling her a bit. From behind her backpack, she opened the group message and smiled.

Yui, me, Feng-Feng

Feng-Feng: I’m so bored…

Yui: You shouldn’t be texting during class.

Me: You’re here too, Yui.

Yui: …

Feng-Feng: My teacher is going on and on about how ‘video games are ruining youths’ minds’.

Yui: Is the teacher employed by your parents?

Feng-Feng: Wouldn’t shock me.

Me: Don’t worry, Feng-Feng. Yui and I know that you’re smart even with all the games you play.

Feng-Feng: My hand-eye coordination is fucking amazing.

Yui: True. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone catch six different falling containers of tea without spilling a single leaf.

Me: Huh… impressive.

Feng-Feng: Oh! That reminds me, for some reason. You wanna meet up after class?

Yui: Yeah, that sounds good.

Me: Can we stop for coffee. I’m so tired.

Feng-Feng: Coffee sounds amazing.

Me: How late were you up?

Feng-Feng: Last time I checked at the click is was about 6:30 this morning. T_T

Me: No wonder you’re tired! :O

Yui: Lailah’s right.

Feng-Feng: But… the teacher doesn’t help… T-T

Yui: Alright. Deal. We’ll all go out for coffee after class is over. Meet by the fountain. That’ll give us time to talk and hang out before we get to work.

Feng-Feng: You’re buying, right Yui?

Yui: …

Me: Don’t worry about it. I’ll buy.

Feng-Feng: …I want food too.

Me: Alright. Alright. Deal. See you two in a bit.

Lailah smiled and locked her phone. It was a pain to listen to, but she would endure the lecture with the thoughts of spending time with her friends in mind. It was so wonderful to have friends.

After what felt like an eternity, her teacher let out the lecture. Early too! Glad to be rid of it, she tossed her calculator and notebook into her bag and headed for the fountain. Lailah sat on the edge of the fountain and waited for her friends. The breeze was nice and cool. The cold front that had come in the previous night still had the weather a little nippy, but not something that couldn’t be combated with the sweater she kept in her backpack. Fishing it out, she wrapped it around herself and looked in the distance. From beyond the fence in the distance she a group of young men on the basketball court. She wondered if Frank had basketball practice today. If he did, she hoped that he remembered to bring adequate food. Coming home hungry would result in her having to deal with no leftovers and a potentially emptied fridge.

“Hey!” Lailah looked over and saw Yui coming over with Feng, waving her hand.

“Hey!” Lailah returned the wave and smiled bright. “Ready to get some food and drink?”

“Yeah. I’m so hungry.” Feng said and hugged her jacket around her tighter.

“You remind me of my roommate.” Lailah snickered.

“Oh yeah?”

“Mm. He’s always eating.”

“Sounds like him and Feng might get along well.” Yui said.

“Maybe. He might take it as a challenge to see who could eat the most food.”

“When are we going to meet your roommate by the way?” Feng asked, walking with them.

“Hopefully never. I wouldn’t want his girlfriend shitting a brick by seeing him with all of us. She already thinks him and I are sleeping together.”

“Ooh, jealous type?” Feng asked with a wince.

“Yeah. It’s a pain.”

Lailah headed inside the cafeteria and exhaled. Warmth caressed and hugged her. Outside wasn’t cold per se, but it was definitely nice to be in some place that was warm. It made her miss her bed terribly. Yui opened the door for them and they made their way to the long, long line. She snuggled into her sweater and smiled.

“You know, you could just explain the situation to his girlfriend.” Feng said.

“If she’s jealous, I doubt she’ll be sensible.” Yui commented, moving up as the line did.

“Bingo.” Lailah sighed.

“It’s gotta be a little hard though. I mean her boyfriend is living with a girl.” Yui tried to reason.

“Yeah, and if we’re looking at it black and white like that, then yeah. I totally see why she’s upset. But both him and I have said multiple times that there is nothing between us. But—”

“She doesn’t believe you?” Feng sighed making Lailah nod.

“Well, I—”

“Next!”

Lailah went to the man behind the counter and ordered food and drinks for the three of them. They sat at a table and started eating talking about their classes and the lectures. After some imitations, both Yui and Feng agreed that Lailah had the most boring sounding teacher in the history of all their experiences. In no time at all, Feng was done with her food and was already trying to mooch. When they were all done, Lailah went to the bathroom and changed into the clothes she brought for work. That coffee and food was exactly what she needed to jumpstart her energy and make sure that she was fueled for work. The three headed out and went towards Tea You Later.

The interior was cold and when they opened, Yui wasted no time in going to the thermostat and turning it up. They had a longer shift ahead of them. Might as well be warm all the way through it. They signed in and put on their aprons. Lailah wished that she could convey how thankful she was to have Feng and Yui in her life as not only her coworker and boss, but as her friends too. Maybe one of these days they’d go out for some real food or she’d buy them chocolates. Or flowers. Or more tea. There was a lot of time to think about what to get them, but in truth she just wanted to spoil her friends with everything that their hearts desired.

“Oh shit.” Lailah said.

“Hm?” Feng asked, setting some tea on the counter by Lailah.

“I don’t have my nametag.”

“Oh?” Feng leaned over and looked at the front of her apron. “Hmm.”

“Do you remember where you left it?” Yui asked.

“Well, I remember that I went home and took it off. I shoved it in my pocket. I’m pretty sure that I put it back with my things though. Sorry…”

“I’ve lost more nametags than I can count.” Feng said.

“The only thing you’re good at keeping track of outside of tea is video game updates.”

“Yeah! I never miss my favorite streamers or dev updates.”

“Admirable.” Lailah commented. “I just watch the same two movies at home and curl in a corner and—”

“Argue with your roommate’s girlfriend.” Yui finished.

“When she’s over and I happen to be out of the room? Yeah. For sure.”

“Welcome!” Feng called when the bell rang.

Lailah smiled at the customer that had come in. While their establishment was small in comparison to other shops around, they had steady income. It had worried her the first night she had worked there. While the shop was beautiful, she was worried that Yui would end up going out of business. But they were rather busy. Some faithful customers would come and get some tea or some pastries before they went to work. Or after. Between classes. It was a rather popular shop. Yui had spent so much into the shop and it was her livelihood after her riding accident, she couldn’t imagine how she would react if something happened to the place. One thing was sure, Lailah was sure that Yui would beat the shit out of whoever did it if she ended up getting her hands on them.

In no time at all, the booths were full of customers drinking tea and reading papers or playing on phones. Some students were near the back or sitting at tables on their laptops with their drinks. It seemed that Tea You Later was popular among the students because Yui didn’t kick them out no matter how long they stayed. After all, she had good Wi-Fi and since Yui was a student herself, she knew what it was like to want to find someplace that was quiet other than the library to do work. Getting out into the town and taking in some fresh air was good for those that were stressed from exams, other school related things, or just life in general. Sometimes Yui would even put on small promotions for the students. If they were able to get a long assignment done—such as a paper or an exam—and prove that they met the criteria she would give them some free tea and some snacks. It was no wonder that they had repeat college customers. Some high school students even came in, but they weren’t as plentiful.

While it was a little overwhelming at times for Lailah to have so many people around at one time, Yui and Feng assured her that she was doing extremely well and learning fast. There had been a few times where she had talked a customer out of a certain tea for a different one that would suit their needs better. Sometimes it had been a little more expensive, sometimes it had been cheaper. The first time, she had been worried that she would get in trouble for lowering the money that would’ve been received from the transaction, but Yui explained that if the person had gotten the tea and it hadn’t relaxed him like he wanted then he was less likely to come back. The customer’s needs and desires that applied to the tea were the most important as meeting them would in turn give more money by them returning. Small business owners truly had a different mindset than those of corporations.

The fast pace of the workday and her coffee helped pep Lailah up and make her work faster. Reaching into the supply closet, she grabbed their small watering can and she went around starting to water the plants. The ones that were by customers she picked up and made sure they had the adequate among of water and the soil had soaked it up because it was set back in place. A couple of customers had even complimented them on their well taken care of greenery. Before working at Tea You Later, she hadn’t been the best with plants. They didn’t die just by her looking in their direction, but she didn’t touch them and instantly they would spread like a huge beanstalk either. Her friends had told her that in time it would become second nature. Feng didn’t really like plants but working there had made her want to own some and keep them in her own apartment.

Lailah had replaced the watering can after dumping out the excess water into the neighboring shop’s plants. Feng had taken over the register and Lailah was in the back with Yui. She decided to make more boba for their teas while Yui focused on the sweets. Her friend assured her that she would be able to do it with no problems and that in time Lailah would learn to do it too. It was great to know that she was being accepted and trusted to do some important work.

“Lailah!” Feng Min called.

“Coming!”

She grabbed one of the lollipops that she had been eyeing in a nearby container while she was making the boba and popped it in her mouth. They technically weren’t supposed to have any without paying for them; but if they were doing well then Yui would bend her own rules and let them have some. Because of their boss’ unprecedented kindness, her and Feng Min would work extremely hard. She wiped her hands on her apron and rounded the corner.

“What’s—”

“Knew it.”

Lailah frowned. Frank Morrison was standing in front of the counter. He looked like he had just gotten out of the shower. He must’ve had basketball practice today. The last person that needed to be here was him. The only way that it could get even worse was if Julie was with him. She would throw a fit and it could harm Yui’s business. Roommate or no, she wouldn’t allow Frank to bring any harm to the establishment either. She clicked her tongue and grabbed his shirt and dragged him closer to the register, but further away from the main floor. It would be better for her friends to see any sort of argument that they were about to have rather than the customers.

“What man?” Lailah asked. All the tiredness that had left her upon working and drinking her coffee came back with a newfound fury. Outside of their apartment was the most exhausting time to interact with him. It seemed like he always had to show his ass around other people.

“Just came to visit.” Frank feigned innocence.

You’re not fooling anyone, Frank Morrison.

“How did you know where I work?” Lailah blinked, clearly not believing his faux innocence.

“Glad to know I was right about the apron.”

“Don’t ignore me.”

Frank chuckled and reached in his pocket.
“Brought you something.”

“I don’t really want any random gift you have to—” Lailah blinked at the plastic rectangle that was held out to her. “Oh. My nametag.”

“Always thinking the worst of me.”

Lailah pinned it to her chest.
“Where’d you find it?”

“Don’t ignore me.” Frank smirked when Lailah raised her brows. “It was by your door. It must’ve fell out of your bag.”

“Oh… I knew that I had it with my things. Thanks.”

“No problem. Figured I’d come and deliver it personally. Might’ve been needing it.”

“Yeah, I—”

“So, what do I get as a reward?”

“And there it is.” Lailah sighed. “What do you want?”

“Well—”

“Frank.” Lailah said; stern.

“Calm down.” Frank looked around and pointed at her.

“You want Lailah?!” Feng exclaimed making both her and Frank turn and look in her direction. Feng had her hands over her mouth and Yui had a hand on her hip with her goggles on her forehead with a strange look on her face.

“Huh? No weirdo.” Frank snorted. “I want one of those lollipops.”

“You… want a lollipop?” Lailah raised her brows. Frank Morrison sucking on a lollipop? It was almost comical.

“Yeah.”

“Yui, do you think you can give him one? I’ll—” Lailah sighed. She was cut off with Feng Min’s squeal. She looked back at Frank who had a lollipop sticking out of his mouth. Her eyes traveled to her fingers and then to him.

“I want this one.” Frank said and smirked. “See you at home.”

Lailah was left in utter disbelief. Her face fell when she looked at her fingers.
“He really stole my lollipop…” She whimpered.

A hard tug came at her arm and she was pulled into the back. She struggled against the arm and it finally let her go. She brushed some hair away from her eyes and turned. Yui and Feng Min were looking at her with widened eyes. Feng looked like she was about to jump out of her skin.

“Is that your roommate?!” Feng exclaimed.

“Yeah.” Lailah sighed.

“He’s on the football team, yeah?” Yui asked.

“Basketball.”

“Ah. Shows you how much I follow sports.”

“Forget the sports!” Feng Min practically screamed. “That’s the way he treats you?!”

“Usually.”

“And you two haven’t… you know…”

“What? No! He’s got a girlfriend. We’re not like that.”

“Uh… I smell something.” Feng started sniffing the air.

“Shit, did I burn something?”

“Chemistry.” Yui said.

“Huh?”

“Feng smells chemistry.”

“Oh for the love of—”

“He took the lollipop that was specifically in your mouth. He came all the way down here to give you a damned name tag. Lailah, he, he—”

“He likes you. Feng’s right.”

“No.”

“Do you have another explanation?” Yui asked, leaning against the counter.

“Okay. So to make a really, really long story short. There was a miscommunication when we were e-mailing about a place to live. He thought he was moving in with a guy, I thought I was moving in with a girl. We’re both on the lease. Frank is dating this girl Julie. His parents don’t like Julie. They broke up a little bit, and he ended up telling his parents that he had a different girlfriend. So, I moved in. They visited. They wanted to know if I was his girlfriend. I panicked and…”

“You said that you were his girlfriend.” Yui finished.

“Yes. He had asked me, and I was going to say no, but… I ended up saying yes. Now I’m stuck with it. So is he. Frank is just fucking around because he knows that I’m fucking aggravated about it.”

“But you said yes!” Feng Min exclaimed.

“Don’t remind me dammit!”

“So I ended up punching his girlfriend—”

“What?!” Yui exclaimed.

“She pushed me and wouldn’t let me defend Frank nor myself when she found the photo.”

“Wait, back up… what photo?” Feng Min asked.

“Oh. Right.” Lailah fished in her pocket for her phone and pulled up the photo. Feng Min gasped and Yui’s eyes widened. “Look, I know what it looks like.”

“You… You… You’re almost—”

“I know!” Lailah exclaimed and rubbed her hand down her face. “But listen; his parents visited, and I ended up panicking and drinking. I got a little drunk and his parents wanted a picture. I was falling over and we ended up taking this photo. We tried to explain it to Julie, but like I said she pushed me and I punched her.”

“Yikes. So this is a job that went horribly south.” Yui said.

“Yeah. And my parents came over and Frank’s parents ended up calling. My parents through me and him under the bus and now we’re forced to be in a dinner with Frank’s parents who don’t know the truth and my parents that do.” Lailah took a deep breath. “And this spiraled completely out of control.”

Feng Min looked over at Yui and then both turned to look at Lailah.
“You two are gonna end up together.” Yui said.

“Did you not listen to me? He has a—”

“And you two have legit chemistry.” Feng countered.

Lailah waved them off when they heard a customer come up to the counter. She left the back and took a drink out of her coffee. A pain went through her abdomen again.

You give me so much indigestion, I swear.

Notes:

Let me know what you think! I had a lot of fun writing all these characters together.

Chapter 9: One Big Happy Family?

Summary:

“… What’s your issue?”

Notes:

Welcome back! Thanks for returning for another chapter of Bruises and Bitemarks! I'm not really sure what else to say, so let's dive right into it!

The rest of the day had gone relatively well. The customers had been friendly. She had no issues with checking them. A couple times she had accidentally mixed the order of preparing the boba tea, but it was nothing major. The most difficult part of the shift was dealing with Yui and Feng’s comments on her and Frank’s relationship. Lailah had told them many times that her and him weren’t like that. How many times to be exact? She wasn’t sure. She had lost count after 25 times. Having a guy and a girl be friends wasn’t the most unheard of thing in the world. In fact, nowadays it was rather common. Apparently, that wasn’t what was holding them up. It was her and Frank being roommates that made it ‘almost impossible to not happen’. A couple times during her shift, she had tried to think of Frank in that way and her stomach starting turning and she was getting those indigestion cramps.

Once Lailah clocked out, she undid her apron with her name tag still attached. Lailah wanted to prevent Frank from dropping by her work as much as possible. His continued appearance would only make things worse for her during her shift. It wouldn’t help matters with Julie either. There was no chance of the two being best friends. Hell, there was no chance of them being friends in general, but they should have a mutual agreement to get along for Frank’s sake. Having his roommate and his girlfriend constantly at each others throats would only grate on his nerves. Lately, it seemed he was getting sick, so avoiding anything that could set his mood over the edge was preferable. Unfortunately, her and Julie would more than likely always be on opposite sides of the coin. There was nothing simplistic about their whole situation, therefore it shouldn’t have been such a shock to have their hatred for each other.

Once Yui locked up, Lailah waved goodbye as she chewed at the boba balls at the bottom of her cup. Normally, she was excited to go home after her shift. She could get some tea, a shower, and get in bed and relax. Snice Frank had brought her nametag to her, there was no telling what she’d walk into. If Julie was at the apartment, she was sure that she’d end up having it out with her. If she wasn’t, then things would be a teasing and aggravating match between Frank and her for no telling how long. After his stunt and robbery of her lollipop, she was nowhere near being in the mood. He’d end up buying her another one. He just didn’t know it yet. After a short walk, she arrived at her apartment. Cradling her tea in her arm, she unlocked the door and walked in. A groan came from her lips and she sighed, rolling her eyes. Music was playing. It wasn’t loud per se, but it was rather late at night to be playing it. He hadn’t been completely and deliberately defiant in a while. Perhaps she could just ask him to turn it down? Or turn it off?

“Frank, I’m home.” Lailah called, tossing her keys into the bowl. No answer. Had he really left on his music while he went out to do whatever it was Frank did in his free time? “Frank?”

Lailah yawned and headed towards his door. Her stomach started churning. Before she even reached his door, she heard banging on the wall. Was he alright? Before she could knock on his door, her face paled. Creaking sounds came from inside. Loud moans and heated pants were quick and loud. Nausea boiled in her stomach and coated her tongue. Lailah about faced and headed into her room. Fuck the shower. Fuck all of that. She wanted to just get in bed and sleep. Lailah quickly changed into pajamas and got in bed. She plugged her headphones in and curled up in her bed trying to force the nausea away. No matter how much she turned up her music up, she could still hear Julie’s lust filled voice moaning Frank’s name followed by a chain of “harder”, “oh god”, and “fuck yeah”. Disgusting.

Before the nausea could take over and force her to throw up, she grabbed her blanket, pillow, and a book before leaving her room. Swallowing the bile in her throat, she grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and opened the door to the balcony. It was cold outside, but it beat the alternative. She stepped out and closed the door. Taking her pillow and blanket, she concocted a makeshift bed that was both comfortable and warm. She nestled deep inside it and opened her book to where she had left off. Her body heat was thankfully starting to keep the little bed toasty so her shivers would calm themselves. The classical music in her ears and the toasty bed worked together and pulled her into the world of sleep.

Shaking brought her back to the realm of the conscious with a groan. Pulling the blanket from her face she looked up and saw Frank standing above her with a confused look on his face. Lailah looked around and rubbed her eyes giving a great yawn. Bleary-eyed, she tried to bring Frank into focus but she was just so tired.

“The fuck are you doing out here?” Frank’s voice was bordering on anger.

“What time is it…?” Lailah mumbled, searching her blankets for her phone. The brightness made her squint. It was just about three in the morning. “It’s not even three in the morning man.”

“What does it matter what time it is?! What the fuck are you doing out here?!”

Lailah yawned and rubbed her eyes.

“You were busy when I got home, and I couldn’t sleep.”

“You’ve been out here since you got home?! What time did your shift end?”

“I think 9:30.”

“Fucking shit.” Frank muttered and kneeled down. “Get up.”

“Frank—”

“Up. Now.” He said. “I’m not going to tell you again.”

Lailah grabbed her items and stood up, staggering slightly. Frank grabbed onto her arm to prevent her from falling. It wasn’t so bad that she would’ve fallen over the edge of the balcony… she didn’t think. The gesture was nice though. The very moment that all her items were gathered, she was pulled roughly into the apartment while the door was slammed so hard she was sure the glass broke behind her. It rang in her ears and made her wince. He pulled her until she was standing in front of him. His brows were so deeply furrowed that The Grand Canyon was no match between the cavern between his brows. This whole thing reminded her of a father catching his daughter sneaking into the house and was about to lecture her.

“What were you thinking?”

“I was going to get some sleep.” Lailah retorted. “Can you lower your voice, please?”

Frank gave a short laugh of disbelief. His brown eyes looked furious as they bored down into her own. All he was missing was his hands on his hips to complete the lecturing dad look. Normally, she wouldn’t deal with this sort of lecture from him. However, she was tired. It was three in the morning. She wanted to go back to bed.

“Hell no, I’m not going to lower my voice. If anything, I should raise it!”

“… What’s your issue?”

“Hm, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you hadn’t come home—or I thought you hadn’t—so I was wondering where the fuck my roommate was. Then I look around trying to find you and you’re on the goddamned balcony?!”

“Look Frank, I don’t have to take this bullshit, alright?!” Lailah screamed back.

“Bullshit?! You were fucking sleeping outside! It’s almost 50 degrees out there!”

“I was in a blanket.”

“I don’t care!” Frank yelled and held his head.

“…”

Frank grabbed onto her arm and grunted. Lailah jolted for a moment, but when they met eye contact she relaxed.

“You’re freezing!” He said with a sigh and ran a hand down his face. “Why were you outside?”

“I came home, and I heard you and Julie…”

“You slept outside because you heard me and Julie fucking?” He gave an incredulous laugh and ran his hand along his short hair. He really was in utter disbelief.

“Yeah. I tried to put in earphones, but I could still hear her.” Lailah admitted.

“So the answer was to sleep outside?”

“What other answer is there?” Lailah muttered, rubbing her cold arm. Frank was right. Her arm was freezing. She had thought it was warm there bundled up, but it might’ve just been that she was getting used to the cold.

“Uh, I don’t know? Knock on the door and yell at me and her to keep it down?”

“… No.” Lailah scrunched up her nose.

“Why?”

“I didn’t want to interact with that at all.”

“It’s not like I said that I would’ve asked you to join.”

“I know, but it’s…” Lailah trailed off, looking down at their feet. Frank waited for her to finish, but Lailah couldn’t get the rest of the words out. She shuffled her foot along the carpet and frowned, furrowing her own brows.

“It’s what?”

“I hate it.” She whispered.

“Hate what?”

“That.”

“Sex?” Lailah nodded which made Frank huff a laugh. “You’re almost 23 years old and you hate sex?”

“… I think it’s disgusting.”

Frank blinked, truly looking like he was at a loss for words. There was no other way that she could think to describe her thoughts on the matter. The whole act in itself was disgusting. Intertwining with another person was gross enough as it was, but to the point where you both were sweaty and that was mingling together too was even worse. Her nose scrunched up just at the mere thought of it. Had she thought about it more, she would’ve just slept in her car or asked one of her coworkers if she could’ve stayed the night with them instead.

When her roommate sighed, she looked up and saw that Frank had let his hands fall to his hips. He had his head hung, and he was shaking it. Whatever was going through his mind was intense. Lailah wasn’t sure she wanted to know what sort of thoughts were going through his brain. The curious side of her wanted to know and was going to ask. But, she could tell he was still mad at her. She hated it when he yelled, which he did quite frequently. However, she believed this was the first time that he had ever truly yelled at her in rage. It made her feel terrible. That was probably the point; to feel guilty. But, she couldn’t help it. When that sort of thing happened, she wanted to be as far away from it as possible. It was just gross.

After steeling herself and gathering her courage, she parted her lips to speak, but was pulled close. Her eyes widened. His arms enclosed around her in a warm hug. Out of all the things she expected him to do, that wasn’t even on the list. It threw her for a loop and left her blinking as he held her. Lailah swallowed the lump in her throat. She was about to back up, but he held on tighter.

“Don’t ever do that again.” Frank said, but his voice was softer now. “Promise me.”

“…”

“I’ll make sure that it doesn’t happen when you’re home or coming home soon.”

“I can’t ask you to do that… this is your apartment, Frank.”

“No. This is our apartment. It’s your home too.” He said. “So, promise me.”

This was the first time that she had ever seen him so bent out of shape like this. It was also quite possible that this was the first time he had ever really referred to the apartment as her home as well. Was her disappearance that much of an effect to where he’d be freaking out like this? Truly? Did that mean that they were friends now?

“I promise.” Lailah whispered.

Finally, Frank let her go. He kept her at arm’s length and held onto her shoulders looking her up and down. It looked like he was about to say something, but he ended up shaking his head and giving another sigh. Her throat closed up slightly and she tried to look away from the intensity of his eyes. Why was he looking at her like that? He finally fully let go of her. Once he was standing back up to his full height, he cleared his throat. Rather calm and composed, it was interesting to see a distressed side of Frank. So, he really was a three-dimensional person that had feelings other than anger and teasing. Interesting.

“Go get a shower.”

“But I’m—”

“Lailah.” Frank sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Just go.”

If she didn’t do it, she knew that he would start freaking out again. Not really seeing any other option, she nodded. Trying to rid her body of the chill wasn’t the only reason she had agreed. Other than the possibility of Frank blowing up, she really did need one from after her shift. Not to mention, the balcony wasn’t really the cleanest as they walked on it. She was sure sometime during her slumber she had rolled out of her cocoon.

The hot water was a blessing that she didn’t realize she needed or wanted. Until she was surrounded by the warmth, she hadn’t realized how cold she really was. Reveling in the water, she only exited once the hot water turned lukewarm. She dressed in a different pair of pajamas and went out to the living room. It would be polite to tell Frank goodnight and to thank him. After all, she had acted a little bit recklessly, but it was all her tired brain could think of to get out of that situation.

“Frank, I—” Lailah blinked when she saw him sitting on the couch. He waved her over.

“Sit.” He pointed to the space on the floor between his legs. On the coffee table was a cup full of what smelled like tea.

“I—”

“Sit. Down.”

Lailah sighed and took a seat. The cup of tea was her favorite flavor in her favorite cup. She was about to ask Frank why the hell she was sitting when a towel was plopped over her head. Before she could speak, the towel was worked over her head. Her head was shaking left to right as he dried her hair.

“Women are such a pain.”

“Frank, this really isn’t necessary.”

“Shut up. It’s gonna be a miracle if you end up not getting sick. Sick women are more annoying than regular women. So, I’m gonna do everything I can to make sure I don’t have to end up dealing with that.”

“Oh yeah?” Lailah asked with a small laugh.

“Yeah. I don’t wanna hear you sniffling and shit all day and night.”

“Thanks.” She said and took a sip of her tea.

By the time Frank was done with her hair, it was almost completely dry. Even she hadn’t been able to get her hair that dry from a towel. He sighed and put it next to him. She got up and grabbed her cup, but Frank took it from her and with his other hand picked up what looked like a blanket and a pillowcase. Her brows raised and she tilted her head.

“Your blanket and pillow are dirty. Use these.” He said bluntly. “They’re mine.”

“Oh.” Lailah scrunched up her nose. Who knows what gross things have been done between his blanket.

“Wipe the look off your face. These are clean. Susie or Joey use it when they crash here.”

“…’kay. Thanks.”

Lailah took the blanket and pillowcase. A small smile came to her lips and Frank ended up scoffing and gesturing at the blanket.

“Go to bed. Idiot.”

It took a bit to get her pillow inside the case, but once she did she was so thankful to collapse into bed and curl up. Frank’s blanket was larger than her own and practically swallowed her and her bed. It must’ve been down or something because it was even warmer than her own. She heard Frank talking from the kitchen, but she couldn’t make out what was being said. Her face was buried in her pillow and it took no time at all for her to fall asleep.

When Lailah woke the next day, her back was hurting. During the whole night, she hadn’t gotten up once and had stayed extremely warm and comfortable. Her back popped in so many delightful places when she stretched and curled into her bed more. The sun was high in the sky and she could only imagine what time of the day it was. Her hand reached over for her nightstand and she furrowed her brows. That’s right. Frank had sent her off to bed and her phone was still out there. It was probably dead by now. Yawning, she got up and went to the bathroom. Her stomach rumbled slightly. No school or work left her with one idea. Stay in bed and relax all day. She walked out of the room and to the kitchen.

Frank was resting against the counter with a bowl of cereal in his hands. She wasn’t even sure why they had that small table. Neither one of them used it. She was either on the couch or in her room and he was usually leaning against the counter or taking up the whole couch regardless of anyone else that may have wanted to sit there. Despite their closeness now, Frank was always looking out for Frank and his interests and wants were number one. All in all, that wasn’t too bad of a way to live. If you weren’t a priority on your list, a lot of things could happen, but sometimes he took it to another level. Like when he sat on her legs when she wouldn’t move that day he wanted to sit on the couch.

Lailah opened the fridge and sighed seeing that there was no milk. She closed the fridge and was about to try to find something else when she saw Frank dangling the jug of milk from his finger. While they weren’t out, they were close. It was hard when both of them liked to eat cereal. Her craving for a glass of milk here and there didn’t help either. She didn’t have to worry about Frank doing that. He said it was ‘freaky’ that she actually wanted milk to drink by itself without cereal.

“Thanks.” Lailah grabbed the jug. Before she could grab the cereal, Frank was already holding out the box for her. She smiled. “Thanks again.”

“No problem.” He said with a mouth full of cereal. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

“You sleep alright?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.”

“About that,” Lailah began. “I wanted to know if it would be an issue if I kept that blanket of yours.”

Frank stopped mid-bite and looked at her. It was a strange request considering the bit of a fight she put up to use it in the first place.

“Uh… huh?”

“It’s a lot bigger than my own blanket and it really kept me warm. So I wanted to know if I could keep it. N-Not for good or anything like that. Just during the wintertime.”

“Well—”

“N-Never mind. It was weird to ask that.” Lailah panicked, missing her bowl slightly when she poured the milk into it.

“Yo, calm down.” He chuckled. “Yeah, you can keep it.”

“Y-You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a lot of blankets. That one’s all yours. Your other one and the pillowcase are in the drier. They should be done.”

“Hey… thanks for last night. Or earlier this morning.” Lailah said.

“No problem. It’s the least I could do considering I was the cause of it all.”

“…”

“Well, Julie helped, but still.”

“Ah, right.” Lailah cleared her throat. “I think I’m going to relax and stay inside today.”

“No classes or work?”

“Nope.” Lailah shoved some cereal into her own mouth.

“Lucky. I got practice. Three hours. After that, I should be good to go.”

“Cool.” Lailah nodded.

Faster than she thought was possible by any human, he guzzled down the rest of his cereal and milk. A small smile came to her face behind her bowl as she sipped at the milk at the bottom of it. He was such a pig sometimes. At first, she thought it was disgusting. After all, most men were when they ate. Now though, she found it… hm. While her vocabulary wasn’t small, she couldn’t put the name on how she viewed it now. Either way, it was welcoming to see. Her brows raised when he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He clasped his hands together and patted her head before heading towards his room. The sudden touch made her freeze and almost caused her to choke on her food.

It wasn’t too long that Frank emerged from his room once more with a hoodie on and some sweat pants. She tilted her head to the side and watched him head towards the door with his gym bag on his shoulder and a bottle in the other hand. Knowing him it was probably anything else other than water—which he should be drinking. Probably coffee more than likely. Or soda. He grabbed his keys from… the bowl. He turned around and waved at her. Returning it, she looked back at her cereal when he headed out.

“Hey.” Lailah looked back at him standing in the doorway. “Make sure—”

“I know, stay out of your room.” She rolled her eyes with a sigh. Didn’t he realize saying that to her repeatedly only made her want to go in there more?

“Heh. Stay warm.”

Lailah watched him. Only when she heard his car start from his parking space did she move. Did he just basically tell her to “have a good day”? Usually it was some form of “stay out of my fucking room”. She bit her lip and looked down at her cereal, her smile widening. After she finished, she scanned their apartment. It needed a good cleaning. It wasn’t terrible, but leave it alone for a couple more days and it would end up getting there. If she started now, she would be able to relax for the rest of the day. Nodding with determination, she turned to the sink. It would be great if they had a dishwasher, but… unfortunately theirs was one in the complex that wasn’t equipped with one.

The dishes weren’t too bad. There was a few from a couple of days ago that had some food caked on it, but that was pretty normal when food went at the quantity that it did. In no time at all, they were done and placed in the dish drainer. Lailah looked at the door and sighed. That’s right. Julie had come over last night. That could only mean one thing. Heading to the door, she narrowed her eyes and let out a groan of frustration. Caked into the floor was a large spot of blackened dirt and grime. She placed her hands together in front of her face and put her forehead against them like she was praying.

Give me the strength to not push her off the balcony the next time I see her…

Only when she took a few deep breaths and she was sure that she wouldn’t break something when she opened her eyes did she relax. It would be best to vacuum the entirety of the apartment before she started on detail work. The living room was the worst part. Naturally considering all the foot traffic between their parents and his friends that came through the apartment. Her room was hardly dirty and well as for Frank’s room she had no idea. She supposed that if he was that bothered by the condition of his room, he would do something about it. Maybe. Given the way he was around the apartment, his room might look like a cyclone went through it but it wasn’t really her problem.

One day, I really wanna see what the inside of your room looks like, Frank.

Lailah put the vacuum up and started to work on somehow digging all the purposefully ground in dirt from the carpet. Just once, she wished that Julie would take someone else other than herself into consideration. Maybe she should just call Dwight and David and ask them to take down the picture. Selling out Frank wouldn’t have a point right now. But, she could always say that it was upsetting his ex girlfriend and she was tired of it. But, knowing how David was… he would probably just end up taking more pictures of them together and might even go so far as to tag Julie in them as well. It wouldn’t be just her floor that was fucked up then. Her room would be next. Hell, the crazy woman might even come for her. Maybe. If her behavior in the mornings and in Frank’s car was evidence of her behavior, the woman might not even have a confrontational bone in her body once she knew that fear wouldn’t work on someone. Underhanded tactics seemed more Julie’s style.

Once she had made the apartment as pristine as she was able without invading privacy, she settled on the couch and popped in one of her favorite movies. Grabbing Frank’s blanket—or hers now—and her pillow; she returned to the couch and had just gotten comfortable when her phone started ringing. Tilting her head back, she let out a loud groan. This was supposed to be her time to relax and unwind from not having any work or school. Maybe it was Frank and he had forgotten something. Lailah got herself up and grabbed her phone off the charger that she assumed Frank had placed it on last night. On the screen ‘Yui’ was displayed.

“Oh, please don’t want me to come into work. I just want to relax.” She mumbled before accepting the call.

“Lailah!” A loud voice screamed in her ear.

“Ow! Geez…”

“Sorry, sorry.”

“Feng-Feng. Why are you using Yui’s phone?” Lailah asked as she rubbed her ear.

Some movement was heard on the other line that sounded like two people scuffling around and a loud sigh was heard followed by another clicking their tongue.

“Hey, what’s your address?” Yui asked.

“Uh… why?” Lailah asked.

“We’re coming over.”

“Oh. Um. Okay?” She plopped back down on the couch. “You know where the Promenade is? By the college?”

“Yeah. It’s practically right across the street.” Feng said from the background. She must be on speaker phone.

“Block J. Room 1416. It’s on the second floor.”

“Ugh… Stairs?” Feng said; not even trying to hide her exasperation.

“You could use a little exercise.” Yui said.

“Are you… Did you just… call me fat?”

“Uh. No. You sit in front of your computer all day. I don’t want you to get blood clots from not moving your legs outside of getting food, going to the bathroom, heading to class, and going to work.”

“Yui… you do care!” Lailah said with a small laugh.

“Of course I do.” The ever stoic Yui scoffed.

“Easy for you to say, Yui. You were an athlete!”

“… It’s not even that many stairs.” Lailah protested.

“We’ll be there in about five minutes.” Feng said. “Maybe three. Yui! You can’t just run that red light!”

“I was already halfway through it.”

“…You’re taking while driving?!”

“No, I’ve got the phone.” Feng said. “I’m glad you said ‘yes’ because we were already on the college road. I remember saying you lived somewhere here, but I couldn’t remember if you said the complex.”

“We were going to come over whether you said ‘yes’ or not.”

Lailah couldn’t help but laugh. It seemed like forever ago that she was wallowing in her loneliness of not having any friends at school. Now she had two of the best friends that a girl could ask for and a stable living situation where her roommate wasn’t… too bad. All together he was a tolerable person. It kinda made her wonder what was going to happen to bring it all come crashing down. Life could never go this well for this long.

“Okay, I’ll see you then. Bye-bye!” Lailah said and hung up.

It would be the first time that her friends were going to be coming to her apartment. She was thanking her past self that she had decided to clean the apartment. They were all college students, so it wouldn’t be shocking if their apartments were completely trashed—well Feng’s—but she didn’t want to test it. Making sure to be quick and making it look effortless, she went to the kitchen and grabbed some tea for her friends. She was sure that they were going to tell her that there’s no need to be so formal and that she didn’t have to worry about it. But she couldn’t help it, she wanted to be a good host. It was something she’d seen her parents doing growing up and following in those footsteps was a good trait to have in her opinion.

A knock came at the door and she opened it. Feng smiled bright and took her shoes off and came inside. In her arms were two large platters of food. Even though she had just ate, the intermingling scents of cultural foods was making it grumble. It was hard to make out what the hell was in her hand and what she did get a view of, she had no clue what it was. Trying new things was always a good way to broaden your horizons in the food world. It could open doors to learn about more cultures as well. Eating food was always a plus. Lailah waved and blinked when Yui came in. She was holding a square table. On top it was… well, she had no clue what it was actually. It was hard to tell when it was all smashed up like that.

“Oh gosh, I didn’t know you were bringing things.” Lailah was immediately frantic.

“Surprise!” Feng said.

“Um… you can put those in the kitchen for now, Feng.” Lailah instructed and reached her hands over to Yui. “Do you uh… want help?”

“Nah, I got it.” Yui placed the bundle of items on the floor in front of the couch. It was a lot bigger than she thought it was. It was huge. Lailah was shocked that she had been able to carry it. Ex-athlete or not, that was still a large bundle for a woman of Yui’s stature to carry.

“Um… what’s going on?”

“We brought snacks.” Feng said.

“Uh… yeah, I can see that.” Lailah asked and chuckled. “A lot.”

“We eat a lot and you know it.” Yui said and started setting up whatever that was she brought in.

“Uh, what’s that?”

“Kotatsu.”

That sounds familiar…

“I feel like I’ve heard that before.”

“You have,” Yui said. “I’ve talked about it a few times.”

“Oh. Do you need help with anything?”

“Nah, I got it.”

Lailah wiped her sweaty hands down her pants. Every bit of her frantic nature was coming back. Yui didn’t want her help and Feng was already unwrapping whatever it was that she brought. There was nothing that she could do other than look back and forth awkwardly. It was welcoming in a way that her friends had just made themselves at home. It took Yui no time at all to set up the kotatsu. She plugged it in and nodded, putting her hands on her hips.

Feng scampered over and put the dishes on the kotatsu. There were so many things on the plate that she had no idea where to even begin. Yui reached under the table and she assumed turned it on. Lailah retreated to the kitchen for a moment before bringing them the tea that she had gotten for them before. In all the commotion, she hadn’t been able to give it to them as they entered like a proper host. So, things in being a host weren’t going her way so far. However, she was sure that given some time she could do something better. Maybe she could get them refills that way they didn’t have to do it themselves and could just enjoy themselves. After all, they were her guests; best friends or not.

“So, what’s all this about?” Lailah asked.

“Well, we don’t work today and the school is closed, so we decided to come over.” Yui explained and sat down, placing the blanket over her knees.

“Yeah, we hadn’t been here before and we thought it would be really good to hang out.” Feng was looking around the apartment.

“Frank isn’t here.” Lailah snorted a laugh and sat down.

“Oh.” Feng said and sighed, sitting down. “I was hoping he’d join us.”

“So, to change the subject, what are you watching?” Yui asked.

“Just Go With It.”

“Run it back?” Feng asked.

“Oh. No problem.” Lailah grabbed the remote and ran the movie back all the way and paused it. “So, care to tell me what this is?”

“Oh! Right. Yui brought some daifuku, takoyaki, arare, konpeito, edamame, onigiri, and taiyaki.”

“…”

“And I brought some rice crust, bao zi, kao hong shu, spring rolls, and a bit of hot pot.”

“I have no idea what most of that is.” Lailah admitted sheepishly.

“Daifuku is more commonly know here as ‘mochi’, takoyaki is fried octopus balls—and no not like the nuts of an octopus—its fried dough that has octopus in it and some veggies, arare is one of my favorites. It’s just crackers that are made with soy sauce. My grandmother sent me some from Japan. Konpeito is something else she sent. They’re little candies. I’m sure you know what edamame is. Taiyaki is like a fish pancake. It’s just in the shape of a fish and it’s got all sorts of fillings. I brought chocolate and some red bean. Onigiri is rice balls; or triangles. It’s got seaweed around it—clearly—and it’s also got some meat inside. I made some chicken, pork, and some salmon.”

“W-Wow Yui.” Lailah was truly at a loss for words. “This all looks so good. 

She reached for some konpeito. It was very tiny star burst shaped candies in very bright colors. Before she could grab one of them, Yui smacked her hand away. Lailah’s eyes widened and she started to pout.

“Eat some actual food first.”

“You’re one to talk. You brought a lot of sweets and had some arare for breakfast.”

“… Not the point.”

“Not to brag or anything, but I brought some substantial food.” Feng said and adjusted herself under the kotatsu. “I made some rice last night and at the bottom there’s always like the crunchy part of the rice that we usually scrape out. It’s amazing and I wanted to share it since I shouldn’t eat it all by myself. Bao zi is just our term for like steamed buns. I brought some pork and beef ones. Kao hong shu is legit just some sweet potatoes that are all crunchy on the outside and warm on the inside. Spring rolls, well, you can pretty much get those in any ‘Chinese’ restaurant. Hot pot is like a cluster fuck of awesome ingredients. Since it’s getting colder, I figured we needed to get some actual warm food. Not just sweets… Yui.”

“… I eat other things too.”

“Wow… if I knew you guys were going to do all this, I would’ve actually made something.”

“Don’t worry about it. We wanted to surprise you with something that we were sure you’d like to try since you love trying new things.” Yui said.

“Truth.” Feng said and shoved a bit of the rice crust in her mouth.

“If there’s something that you don’t like; let us know. Don’t be polite. That way we won’t make it again in this much of a quantity.”

“Promise. Do uh… you want me to make some bacon or something?”

“No, Lailah. It’s fine. Really. You let us come over—”

“We were going to come over anyway, Yui.”

“—so we might as well supply the food.”

Lailah nodded and pressed play on the movie while they snacked on the foods. Most of them she loved. It was a little embarrassing to eat some of her friend’s native foods when she wasn’t sure if she was eating it right. The only thing that she wasn’t really crazy about was the arare. She liked it, but it was super salty. Of course, it was because of the soy sauce. Yui didn’t seem to mind and just shoved some in her mouth. It definitely wouldn’t go to waste, that was for sure. Whatever she had done to deserve these amazing friends, she wanted to keep doing it. This friendship was almost too good to be true, she wondered sometimes if they just tolerated her… but she was starting to think that they truly appreciated her and liked their friendship.

Every now and again during the movie, she would get up and refill their tea. At first, Yui had said that she would get them. But, she had seen the movie more times than she could count so she insisted that they watch it and she had no problem getting the refills. Lailah still couldn’t believe that they had brought all this food for them to eat. No matter how much they ate, it seemed like there was always more. Neither of them were “I’ll get a salad” girls, so they put down a hefty amount of food.

The door opened and all three stopped and turned. Four people had walked in and Lailah instnatly froze. Frank, Julie, Joey, and Susie all looked shocked to see the three of them sitting underneath the kotatsu eating snacks. It wasn’t that Lailah was doing anything wrong. Frank had said it himself that this was her home too. Was that just something he had said in the heat of the moment? Well, heat of the moment or not; he wasn’t wrong. This was her home too and she could end up having friends over if she wanted. It was still strange though to have all of them there and staring at each other.

“Uh… welcome home.” Lailah said.

“Uh… hey.” Frank said. “You’re Lailah’s coworkers, right?”

“And you’re the guy that took her flavored spit stick.” Feng said.

Lailah spit out her drink and covered her mouth as she started to cough. Frank cleared his throat and she could see that he was deliberately avoiding Julie’s fire hot glare. Why? In addition to wanting to toss Julie off the balcony, she wanted to push Feng too. This was going to make both of their lives even harder than it was when Julie was around. Hopefully Julie wouldn’t read too much into it. However, it was Julie after all. There would be a lot of backtracking and calming down that needed to be done later. She could already hear Frank trying to talk to her on the phone and being interrupted every other second.

Frank gave an awkward laugh and cleared his throat, taking off his shoes and putting them in an empty spot and tossing his keys in the bowl. A small smile came to her lips which she hid behind the lip of her glass. Yui was continuing to munch on the arare. Lailah couldn’t help but offhandedly wonder about her friend’s blood pressure. Those snacks had a lot of salt. Yui often said that she “was here for a good time, not a long time”. Speeding in the car, running red lights, and getting into illegal street races? it seemed like she took the motto literally. Hell, Frank obeyed the rules of the road more than Yui did. The two were proof that you can’t really judge a book by its cover.

“Pretty sure when I left we didn’t have that… uh…”

“Kotatsu.” Yui said.

“Yeah. It—”

“Holy fuck.” Lailah looked over and saw that Joey’s eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly agape. She looked around. What was it? Was there a spider? Did she need to get the hell out of the apartment and set it on fire? “Y-You’re… You’re Yui Kimura…”

“You know her?” Julie asked.

“Do you live under a rock?!” Joey exclaimed. “She’s only one of the most popular and successful street racers! She’s beaten so many leagues of just men. H-Holy fucking shit.”

“Looks like you got a fan.” Lailah said with a small smirk.

“I heard about your accident and that you retired from racing. I never thought that I’d—wow… I mean, you’re here. Like, I used to watch you on TV all the time man. I mean, ma’am.”

“No need for formalities. We’re around the same age.” Yui said and dusted some of the sesame seeds from the arare from her fingers.

“Y-Yes… Right. Uh… okay.”

“I’m sorry, but uh… I’ve never heard of you.” Susie mumbled sheepishly.

“I raced in Japan.”

“You watched Japanese TV?” Julie asked.

“It had an English speaking narrator.” Joey defended. “And subtitles when the racers would talk.”

Lailah and Feng stared at Yui in shock when she snorted a laugh. Usually their friends’ face was stoic. Every now and then she’d smile or get excited. But she was sure this was the first time she’d ever heard Yui laugh like that. The fact that Joey was an insanely huge fan of Yui and used to watch her in Japan all the way here was hilarious. Not in a funny way, but in a respectful sort of way. Most poeple would shy away from foreign sports or foreign stars, but Joey was practically jumping out of his skin just looking at her.

“It’s nice to meet you, uh…”

“J-Joey!” His voice cracked slightly.

“Joey. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Y-You too.” Joey cleared his throat. Uh… do you think I could get an autograph?”

“An… autograph?” Julie asked. “You’re serious?”

“Oh. Sure, does anyone have a piece of paper and a pen.”

“Frank get Miss Yui a piece of paper and a pen!” Joey practically screamed.

Lailah stood up and dusted her fingers off. This was the perfect chance to get Joey to calm down. It was also the perfect chance to get them to stop suspecting her of trying to get in Frank’s pants every two seconds.

“I’ll get it.” Lailah said and headed for her room. She grabbed her best pen and a piece of paper from her notebook before heading back to the living room and handing it to Joey. He shakingly handed it to Yui.

“It’s been a while since I wrote an autograph.” Yui admitted and took the pen. It took no time at all, but when she capped it; Lailah tilted her head and looked at it.

Thank you Joey for being with me through my journey and always supporting me.

Yui Kimura.

Signed next to her name was it once more in Japanese. When she handed the paper to Joey, he looked it over. The look on his face was clear; if he died now, he would die a happy man. It was hard to believe that she worked for—and was close friends—with a celebrity. Overseas, she clearly wasn’t as famous as she was in Japan. That was probably why she decided to move here. Yui wanted to start a new life away from the fame and the reminders of what she could no longer do since her injury.

“You guys wanna join us?” Feng asked.

Why are you like this, Feng Min?

“Yes!” Joey said without hesitation.

“You have food?” Frank asked.

“Always.”

“I’m in.”

“That sounds like fun…” Susie muttered and looked at Julie.

“Pass. C’mon guys. We had some things to go do anyway. Remember?” Julie sounded annoyed and aggravated. Good.

“C’mon Jules, it’s food.” Frank said and plopped down on the couch behind Lailah. She moved up slightly to make room since they were sitting on the floor.

“After the movie.” Susie said. “It looks good.”

Susie took a seat on the chair and Joey wasted no time in plopping on the couch by his friend. Julie frowned and groaned, waving Joey off and sat between Frank and him. While the situation was rather awkward as the two groups of friends couldn’t be more different if they tried, it was nice that they could all be in the same room without wanting to participate in genocide of the other group. The most unhappy of the groups was between Julie. Of course. She sat with her arms folded while Frank had his arm around her.

Due to the new people, Lailah decided to rewind the movie that way no questions would be asked. One of the biggest pet peeves would be constant, nonstop questions through a movie. Restarting the movie was a perfect way to avoid a fight since everyone was placated. The movie was a romantic comedy, so she was shocked that the others—Joey and Frank especially—wanted to watch it. What drew them in was probably the focus more on comedy than romance. Those were the best rom coms in her opinion. Lailah grabbed drinks for everyone—including Julie—who gave her a sneer before snatching it from her hand.

For the sake of the moment that we’re all at peace, I’m going to let that go. For now.

Lailah returned to her spot, but she didn’t miss Frank sighing and shaking his head. She felt the same. Being rude to her every chance that she got was getting old and she knew that they’d have to hash it out eventually. Lailah hoped that they could just do it verbally, but… she felt like Julie was going to try to escalate things. If Yui and Feng happened to be with her, things wouldn’t go well for Julie. While Feng didn’t really do much exercise, she knew that the girl was strong when she needed to be. She didn’t even want to think about the kind of damage that Yui could do with a punch or kick. Some sort of training regimine must’ve been kept so far as she remained toned like she was still racing.

“Oh, I forgot to ask. Would you guys like some?” Feng asked.

“Oh you’re right.” Yui said. “Go ahead and helped yourselves.”

“I’ll get some plates.” Lailah grabbed four plates and handed two to Frank and one to each of his other friends.

“What is it?” Joey asked.

“Some traditional Chinese and Japanese foods.”

“And candy.” Lailah commented.

“… and candy.” Yui confirmed.

“Ew. Pass.” Julie scrunched up her nose.

“Why?” Lailah asked. “It’s really good.”

“It all looks… really gross.”

“Hm.” Yui blinked lazily at Julie as she popped more arare in her mouth. “There can be some good tastes in gross looking things.”

“That so?” Julie asked with a scoff.

“Clearly.” Feng Min muttered, passing some of the sweet potatoes to Joey and Susie.

“After all, Frank found something good about you. And you’re pretty gross looking.”

“You know what?!” Julie exclaimed and stood up.

Yui dusted off her fingers and stood up as well. She let out a large sigh and kept her hands at her sides. Feng tried to pull Yui back down, but she waved her friend off. The others were looking at the two. Sparks were practically flying between the two. Neither backed down.

“No, I don’t.” Yui said. “Enlighten me.”

“I don’t have to take this shit!”

“Leave then.”

“I don’t have to! This is my boyfriend’s apartment. You two should leave.”

“And this is our best friend’s apartment. And as you said, this is your boyfriend’s apartment. You have no claim. Do you pay bills?”

“I—”

“No. You don’t. Frank does. Lailah does. They are the only ones that have a say.”

“Do they have any popcorn?” Joey asked Feng Min.

“No clue.”

The ever angry Julie and the ever cool-headed Yui didn’t comment nor did either back down. They remained steadfast as they argued. It would be really interesting if this was caught on camera, but she wasn’t sure how either of them would react.

“So you’re going to stand there and tell me that I have no reason to be angry at this?!”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.” Yui commented.

“My boyfriend is living in an apartment with a girl. It’s clear that she wants him.”

“Lailah wants nothing to do romantically or sexually with your boyfriend. She’s a better person than that.”

“Yeah right.” Julie scoffed. “I mean, look at him!”

“I’ve seen him. Frankly—no pun intended—I think he’s too good for you. But he seems to love your crazy, animalistic type. That’s his perogative. And for the record, if Lailah wanted Frank, she could have him with no problems.”

Dammit Yui…

Julie took a step towards Yui which made her friend scoff and raise her chin slightly. Lailah started to stand up, but Feng put a hand on her arm. Frank did the same, but Joey was the one who stopped him. Them getting involved would only make things worse.

“I think it’s funny that your friend can’t even speak for herself and has to have you talk for her.”

“Lailah has spoke on her own behalf many times. Yet, you continue to insist she’s someone she’s not. You’ve made things harder for her than need be. She’s polite to you because of her relationship with Frank. Relationship or not, she’s more forgiving than I am.”

“I think it’s because she’s a little bitch.” Julie snorted and glared at Lailah. “Maybe that’s why you’re friends with her. You a little bitch too?”

Finally, Yui took a step towards Julie. Shockingly enough, she didn’t back down either. It looked like she had to force herself to not do so though. Lailah desperately wanted to get up and break up this fight, but there was no telling how Julie would react and therefore no telling how Yui would react.

“If anything, you should be grateful to Lailah. She’s doing something for you to make sure that you and Frank can have no issues with your relationship. But, you didn’t think about that, did you? Everything’s all about you. I can tell why Frank’s parents don’t like you. I wouldn’t want my child dating someone like you either.”

In one swift motion, Julie came up and grabbed Yui’s jacket. Lailah and Frank tried to stand up again, but were pulled back down.

“If you hit me, you better make sure you knock me out.”

“…”

“If not, it’ll be a huge mistake. I can take more than one hit. From what Lailah’s told me, you on the other hand, cannot.”

Julie groaned in aggravation and tried to toss Yui, but it didn’t even make her friend stumble. Honestly, Lailah would be lying if she said that she didn’t want to see Yui deck Julie, but she believed she might really do some damage. Julie seemed fragile; like a chihuahua. All bark and no bite.

“Now I suggest you sit down and watch the movie, and be a good little girl. You’re going to have to get used to seeing Lailah, myself, and Feng Min here. We can visit our friend at her apartment. And will continue to do so with or without your approval. Now you can continue to cause a fuss each time, or you can be an adult and deal with it. I suggest the latter before you do something you end up regretting.”

Silence filled the room with nothing but the movie playing. It was a matter of if Julie was going to take Yui’s advice or if they were going to end the night with having to call the police or an ambulance. Worse case scenario, they’d end up having to cause both. Julie gave Yui another scoff and then glared at Lailah. If looks could kill; both of them would be dead as she was mirroring Julie’s glare. She went and plopped down on the couch next to Frank. A piano tune rang in the kitchen and Lailah hopped up, heading to her phone.

“Oh for the love of—hey mom.” Lailah said with a sigh.

“How are you sweetie?”

“Phenomenal.”

Some of the people behind her started laughing at whatever was happening on the movie. She was so focused on the conversation and the previous incident that she hadn’t been paying attention. The whole thing about “relaxing” today? Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. This whole ordeal was going to have her all riled up and tense for the rest of the day. That was for sure. 

“Who’s that? You have friends over?”

“Yeah. My boss and coworker. And… Frank’s friends are here too.”

“Oh… His girlfriend too?”

“Unfortunately.” Lailah admitted. “Have I ever told you that you call at the best times?”

“Call it Mother’s Intuition.”

“Or a curse.”

“What?”

“What?” Lailah cleared her throat.

“I called to remind you that we’re meeting up for that dinner tomorrow.”

“Wait, what? You were supposed to call a couple days before, not one day.”

“I tried to call you yesterday, but your phone was off.”

Lailah sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. That’s right. During her break, her phone had died and she ended up using Yui’s charger to bring it back to life as she worked. Now that her mother mentioned it, she did recall getting a missed call notification but she had been in such a rush to get home and sleep that she hadn’t gotten back to her. Then everything else happened.

“Alright…”

“I already talked to Frank’s parents and, actually, put him on the phone.”

“Mom, I don’t think—”

“Lailah, just do it.”

It’s just for one night. Yui can just punch Julie’s lights out. Or I can. Or both? No, that’s brutal.

“F-Frank?”

“Hm?”

“Can you… come here for a minute?”

“Everything okay?” He asked, leaning forward.

“Yeah, it’s uh… my mom.”

“Oh. Yeah, hold on.”

Lailah took a deep breath and wanted to jump off the nearest cliff. Fuck the balcony. It wasn’t high enough. She needed to be decimated and obliterated into dust. Frank came into the kitchen and stood next to her with his hands in his pockets. She pushed the speakerphone button and cleared her throat.

“Mom? Can you hear me?”

“Yeah. Frank, you there?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Aw, such a wonderful boyfriend for my Lailah.” Her mother said with a faux dreamy sigh.

Mom. Really?

Frank cleared his throat. She knew that her friends were looking at them in the kitchen. There was no doubt that his were as well. Could this really get any more worse? Wait no—

“I talked to your parents, Frank. They decided that we’d have the dinner at a nice restaurant.”

“O-Oh yeah?” Frank asked, clearly awkward.

“Yeah, so it’s semi formal.”

“S-Semi… what?” Lailah asked.

“Formal. Dress up basically.” Her mother said.

Lailah couldn’t help but give a small laugh.

“Nice joke Mom.”

“I’m not joking Lailah. Dress. Frank? Tie.”

“A-A tie?”

“A dress?”

“Well! That’s all I called to tell you. See you two tomorrow! I’ll text you the address. Bye honey! Bye best boyfriend ever for my daughter!”

Lailah watched the call end and she closed her eyes. This was horrible. Completely horrible. It had been wrong to assume that they would’ve been getting together at a small restaurant where they could just be casual. But formal enough to where a dress and tie was needed? Where the hell were they going? A five star restaurant? No, her mom said semi formal. They wouldn’t have to go over the top. All they had to do was look presentable. She could do that. Thinking on it… did Lailah even own a dress? The last time she recalled wearing a dress was in senior year. It was a bad idea.

“I am so sorry…” Lailah whispered to her roommate who had his head down and sighed.

Me too man. Me too.

Notes:

There you have it! Shoutout to cj for giving me the "flavored spit stick" line. I couldn't help it. It was so wonderful I just HAD to use it. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as much as I loved writing it. I know it may seem like this is just a day to day thing, but I swear it's not like that for the whole thing. I'm into slow burn, so I need to have a strong foundation for what I have planned.

Stick with me!! <3 Love you all, you're great!

Chapter 10: The Dinner

Summary:

“Come on! I did you a huge favor, remember?”

Notes:

Chapter 10!! A milestone! YAY! I can't believe it's already been 10 chapters. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this and kept up with it. Thanks for your wonderful comments; I love reading them, they always keep me going.

Lailah waved at her friends as they exited the apartment with Frank’s following not far behind. After Yui and Julie had their falling out it seemed that enough fire had been snuffed out of Frank’s psychotic girlfriend to where she was able to sit through the rest of the movie that they had—once more—had to rewind to the beginning so everyone could end up getting the full story. Shockingly enough, even Julie had ended up chuckling at a few parts. While the air had still remained somewhat tense, the looming thought that someone may end up being taken to the hospital that night had dissapated. Mostly. It would be a lie if they said that all the friends being in the same room together wouldn’t always carry some form of tense air with it. Her mother’s stunt hadn’t helped either.

Feng Min and Yui had both promised that they’d text her when they arrived home safely. For as long as she remembered, she would do that with her friends. It would be a requirement that they’d let her know when they ended up home. Once, she ended up blowing up her friend’s house phone since she had forgotten to call. It had been one of the scariest hours of her whole life. Once both cars left the parking lot, she closed the door and slid down the back of it with a loud groan; sinking completely to the floor and hanging her head. This was supposed to be a day of relaxation, but naturally there had to be something that would end up changing the plans. It was impossible to make plans living with this man.

A small laugh called her attention. Whatever smart comment that Frank was going to make, she didn’t feel like dealing with it. Waving him off did nothing as she just earned another laugh in response. She raised her head with another stressed out groan. Her roommate was resting against the wall with his ankles crossed and his arms folded. On his stupid face was that same smile. It was almost taunting her. She couldn’t imagine why. He had been on the receiving end of her mother’s teasing and potentially permanent relationship damaging words. From his face though, it didn’t seem that he’d hold it against her though. Thankfully. That sort of thing could make living here even more difficult.

“Your mom is a savage.” Frank told her.

“Don’t remind me man.”

“She’s gonna end up being the reason I get my ass kicked. Or yours.”

Lailah couldn’t help but scoff and roll her eyes.

“As if. Like Yui said, Julie can’t take a hit for shit.”

Frank held out a hand for Lailah. It took her a moment to process the gesture, but he ended up pulling her up in one fell swoop. She dusted off the butt of her pants and yawned. One of these days she would end up catching a break and she’d be able to have a nice, relaxing day off. It didn’t seem like it would be anytime soon though. Another look around the living room of the apartment and she ended up groaning again. Both her and Frank had been in such a hurry to get all of them out of the apartment that neither of them had accepting the help of cleaning up the mess that the seven of them had ended up making.

Beer cans were crushed on the kotatsu and some were even surrounding it. The plates that they had ate on were strewn on it as well. It was like the horror stories that she had heard of sorority and fraternity parties; just on a much smaller scale. For someone that wasn’t a fan of clutter, it was almost anxiety inducing. Frank came up behind her and patted her back with a sigh. When she turned to look at him, he smiled.

“Welp. Have fun!” Frank started to walk away. He had only gotten a couple of steps away before she reached out with the speed of lightning and grabbed his hand.

“Whoa whoa. Wait a minute pal.”

“Calm down. Geez… I’m going to help.”

“You’re damn right you are.”

Frank rolled his eyes and went over to the kotatsu and grabbed the plates and headed to the kitchen. Lailah followed behind and grabbed the trashcan and swept all the refuse from the surface. She bent down and started to gather more from the surrounding area and underneath. There was a freaking blanket surrounding the heater under the table! How the hell did they manage to get trash under there? Clicking her tongue, she got on her hands and knees and tucked her head under the warm blanket and grabbed the cans, reaching behind her for the trashcan. Lailah reached further behind her trying to find it. With an exasperated sigh, she peeked from underneath the kotatsu and saw Frank with a finger dipped into the lip of the trashcan. She looked at him confused for a moment before he tugged at it, pulling it further away from her.

“…”

“What?” Frank asked feigning innocence. “You weren’t done?”

“Do I look done?” Lailah asked, balancing on one arm while she raised another one in the air with a beer can still clutched between her fingers.

“You’re right. I should’ve assed—uh, asked.”

“You’re a pig.” Lailah laughed.

“You cut me deep just now.”

“Good!” She tossed the beer can behind her and watched it bounce off his chest and nestle its way with the rest of the trash.

“In all seriousness, though, I wasn’t staring at anything. The bag is full and I was going to empty it. Saw the opportunity to fuck with you and took it.”

Lailah glanced at the bag. Just as he said, it was in fact full to the brim. It was a miracle that it hadn’t spilled out onto the floor behind her; especially with the beer can that she had just tossed at him. Waving him off, she didn’t miss the smirk appear on his face before he went and changed the bag placing it by her. During the time he was gone, she fished the rest of the trash from underneath the kotatsu and tossed it in the new bag. A satisfied sigh left her lips as she viewed her work. It wasn’t much, but it made a hell of a difference. With the garbage can in tow, she went to the kitchen where Frank was leaning against the counter.

She raised her arms at him. He merely gave her a blank stare in response. A look of disbelief crossed her features as she gestured wildly to the mess that had yet to be cleaned up. Frank made a small sound of acknowledgement before pointing to the containers for leftovers that he had placed on the counter next to all the food. Another look; this time tired came over her face. With a roll of her eyes, she slammed the trash can down in its spot and went over to the containers.

“Calm down. You’re so touchy tonight.” Frank muttered with a smirk.

“All that time you didn’t clean this up? I thought you were supposed to be helping!”

“I changed the trash bags.”

“…”

“Okay. Okay. Before you blow up, I didn’t know what should and shouldn’t go in the fridge and I didn’t want to ruin anything. Or what I could condense and put in one container without screwing up your friends’ hard work.” He admitted, folding his arms.

“I’m just going to keep Chinese with Chinese and Japanese with Japanese.” Lailah admitted with a shrug. “Maybe keep candy with candy.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Silently, the two worked side by side. Lailah put the food in containers. She didn’t mean to brag or anything, but she had managed to condense all the leftovers to four containers. Making sure to keep the heaviest food at the bottom so it didn’t compromise the integrity of the lighter food; she rearranged the food already in the fridge to make room for the new food. One thing about the evening that had shocked her was that Frank had been receptive to the food. While he loved all forms of food that she had seen, she didn’t expect him to be one that would broaden their culinary horizons by trying some foreign foods. It was another time that she could add to the stack of times he had shocked her.

By the time they were done, their apartment looked normal once more. Two trashbags were full and the platters that Yui and Feng had brought their food on along with the dishes they had used were drying in the dish drainer. Their food was all put away and finally they could breathe. Lailah was slightly jealous of Frank who hadn’t looked too bothered by the clutter to begin with. It only solidified the fact that his room was probably a fucking disaster behind that never opening door. Maybe it was a good thing that she didn’t look at it, since it would end up driving her insane as she was positive that Frank would never allow her to clean his room. She wiped the little bit of sweat from her forehead and put her hands on her hips.

“Are you sweating?” Frank asked, an undertone of humor tinting his voice.

“What? No.” Lailah defended. “It was hot under the kotatsu. It’s still on, you know.”

“Mm. That was really nice of your friend to give us that.”

“Yeah. Those things aren’t cheap.” Lailah nodded and headed to go turn it off. “I have to admit, tonight was surprisingly fun. You know, minus the whole verbal altercation with your psycho of a girlfriend and my best friend.”

“Jules has her faults, but she’s a good person.” Frank assured.

Yeah right…

“I’m sure she does. It’s a shame that she doesn’t show them.” Lailah rolled her eyes to where he couldn’t see as she turned the kotatsu. “You know, Joey surprised me.”

“He surprised all of us. Never figured that he’d follow foreign street racing; especially that hardcore.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a man fangirl so hard.” Lailah folded her arms. “Or at all.”

“I believe we call that a ‘fanboy’.”

“Right.” Lailah folded her arms. “Well, I’m heading to bed. You need to get to bed too. We’ve got a lot of lying to do tomorrow.”

“Yeah… Gotta be prepared for whatever curve balls your sadistic mother ends up trying to pull on us.”

“Yeah. Alright. Night, Frank.”

Gathering the blanket that Frank let her have and her pillow, she headed to her room and collapsed in bed. It wasn’t hard to fall asleep in the apartment now that she was used to it. But tonight especially, she would end up falling asleep quickly. Plugging up her phone, she checked her messages before settling in for the night.

Feng-Feng, Yui, Me.

Yui: Made it home.

Feng-Feng: Same. No issues here.

Me: Thanks for letting me know.

Yui: So… a formal dinner tomorrow, huh?

Me: Ugh… yeah.

Feng-Feng: Do you have a dress?

Me: Here? Now that you mention it, no. But I do have some nice dress pants.

Yui: You’re technically going on a date and meeting his parents for a ‘family get together’, you need to wear something other than pants.

Feng-Feng: I have a dress. I wore it for my first e-gaming tournament ceremony.

Yui: I think I have a dress.

Me: Thanks guys, but uh… our body types are kinda different. I’m not sure if I can fit in them.

Feng-Feng: Don’t know until you try!

Me: …True, and I need all the help that I can get.

Yui: Alright. Get some sleep. We’ll stop by tomorrow.

Feng-Feng: You’re such a trooper… A real goddess… Frank is such an idiot.

Yui: You’re right.

Me: Haha! He’s an idiot, but he’s a good person. See you tomorrow!

Lailah smiled and nestled in bed. Mere seconds later after finding her comfortable spot, she ended up falling asleep. A deep sleep at that. The thoughts of trying to pull off this dinner would’ve normally kept her up, but she was determined and kept telling herself that she was going to do well. For everyone’s sanity, she’d have to. So would he.

The next morning made her start to question if she was actually going to have the good night that she thought she was. She had gotten dressed and walked all the way to school—ran actually since she had woken up late for class. Once she tried to open the door, she realized that school was closed for a faculty meeting. To make matters worse, the moment she had tried the door she had recieved a class wide messaage from her teacher stating the cancellation of the class. It had taken her a few minutes to move and just as many to contemplate on screaming. She could’ve gotten more hours of sleep! On her way home, she stopped and narrowed her eyes. Rage filled her and she practically stomped all the way back home. She threw open the door and saw Frank sitting at the kotatsu eating some cereal.

“Welcome home, Sunshine.”

“Don’t ‘welcome home, Sunshine’ me Frank Morrison.” Lailah said, her nostrils flaring.

“Ooh, we’re on full names here? Tell me what’s on your mind Lailah Collins.”

“You knew we didn’t have school today?!”

“Uh… yeah?” Frank gestured to his form. “You think I’d be in pajamas if I had practice.”

“You let me get dressed, run out, and run all the way to school and didn’t stop me?!”

“Yup.” Frank muttered, shoveling more food into his mouth.

“Why?!”

“Never get in a woman’s way when she’s on a mission.”

“Kinda different, Frank!”

“Damned if I do and damned if I don’t.” Frank sighed. “So, Lailah Collins, do you want some breakfast?”

“… Yeah.” Lailah huffed and let her bag drop to the floor. “But breakfast time is over.”

Frank got up with a grunt and sighed. He went over to her and patted her forehead. Before he could say anything, Lailah’s stomach rumbled. Pink dusted her cheeks and she looked down at her feet. With a chuckle, he reached out his bowl to Lailah. She took it with a confused look on her face. There were counters for a reason.

“Eat that. I’ll make some breakfast.” He instructed and headed to the kitchen.

“This is yours. You already ate out of it.” Lailah protested, trying to hand him back the still primarily full bowl.

“Wouldn’t be the first time we shared spit.”

“T-That’s completely different! You shared mine! I didn’t share yours!” Lailah scrambled, trying to pull together a convincing argument while her brain was running miles a minute. No matter how long she spent with him, she would never be able to deal with his vulgar, candid speech. That was for sure. “Besides, breakfast time is over now.”

“Well here’s your chance. And whatever is your first meal of the day is breakfast. Cereal or steak. So shut up and eat that, I don’t want to hear your stomach rumbling.”

Lailah looked down at the cereal and frowned. It did look good and looking at it made her stomach rumble. Taking a deep breath, she ended up taking a bite of it. From the corner of her eyes she was able to see Frank in the kitchen with a smirk on his face. She ignored him. Looking anywhere but the kitchen, she munched on the cereal. Her early afternoon workout didn’t do much to sate her usually normal metabolism. The smell of bacon and eggs wafted through the apartment, but she remained steadfast and refused to look in the kitchen. It took all her focus to not look towards the direction of the food, she couldn’t even say what was playing on the TV. Eventually she ended up finishing up the cereal and was in the middle of drinking the milk when Frank came to sit at her side.

“Complaining about eating after me and here you are getting every sip of milk.” Frank shook his head and gave her a few ‘tsk’ sounds before putting a plate in front of her and a glass of orange juice. The food looked surprisingly good and also surprisingly not burnt. All of the cooking in their entirety of living together was primarily hers.

“You made this?” Lailah asked looking at the bacon and eggs.

“Clearly. You were in here the whole time.”

“Well, I mean I know, but like… are you sure?”

“…Just eat it and shut up.” Frank scofffed. “What’s on?”

“Uh… TV?” Lailah cleared her throat and picked up a piece of bacon and munching on it.

“Huh. That’s my favorite show.”

Eating was one of the few times that they were able to have silence in the apartment. Some documentary was on the TV and gangsters in America. While she always liked learning new things, it was shocking to see that Frank was so engrossed in the show as well. He continued to surprise her. It seemed like basketball was the only thing that could keep his attention for more than a half hour. It was a strange and welcome relief to know that he liked learning new things too even though the topic was a bit strange. They snacked on the food and watched the documentary. It was a four hour long show. No doubt he would end up getting tired of it sometime during the screening. But, he remained glued to the screen. It kinda reminded her of a little boy watching a superhero movie for the first time. His eyes only left the screen when a commercial break started.

“Into gangsters, huh?” Lailah asked.

“Hm? Oh, yeah. I think the whole time period is kinda cool.”

“Strange. I never pegged you for watching documentaries.”

“I’m not a complete idiot, Lailah.” Frank said and frowned.

“I didn’t say that, I just figured sports documentaries—if you liked them at all—would be more your speed.”

“Nah. I play it. I don’t need to watch hours on end about it.” Frank scoffed.

“Hm. So what makes you like the time?”

“Dunno. Just kinda like all the freeness of it if that makes sense.”

“Kinda?”

“I like it because the world seemed a little more alive then. It was a little more chaotic.”

“And chaos is good?” Lailah raised her brows. “What are you, an anarchist?”

“Uh, no. It’s just kinda cool because you know, no one really fit into a mold then. Everyone was just doing there own thing. Sure there were roles to fill, but everyone was their own person at the same time. Kinda cool.”

Lailah blinked her eyes. That was the most profound thing that she had ever heard Frank say during their time together. Usually when he had an opinion on things, he would end up just shrugging his shoulders with a “dunno” or “that’s what I think”. But, he actually had a reasoning, and a legitimate one at that, for his fascination.

“So, what are your favorites?”

“Gangsters?” Lailah nodded. “Hmm. Bonnie and Clyde.”

“The outlaw couple?”

“The one and only.” Frank nodded.

“Why them?”

“Can’t say. Just like their story. They meet in Texas and are instantly in love with each other. Don’t know anything about each other, but they have a connection. Then she follows him to the ends of the earth. They go and rob all these places—”

“And kill.”

“—and kill. But I don’t know. From what I remember hearing, The Great Depression was hard. They stayed together through it all. I mean yeah, they got completely massacred in the end. I-I dunno. Just like it. Kinda romantic in a way.”

“Didn’t think you were a romantic type.”

“There are a lot of things you don’t know about me.” Frank said.

“True.”

“But normally, I’m not. Something about their story struck a cord with me.”

Lailah turned her attention back to the TV. She was just about to tell Frank about her favorite, when the show came back and his attention immediately went back to it. The next gangster that they had ended up talking about was Al Capone. The exact man she was about to tell Frank about. He started from nothing and ended up dying as one of the most infamous men in history. While he did kill many, many people—33 to be exact—she loved the story of how he was just an immigrant’s son that ended up owning most of the alcohol trafficking during the Prohibition Era. It was often said that alcohol made people do strange things. It was definitely true about him and his gang. His cunning was unmatched. There were so many things that he had been charged with and had been unable to be caught on any of it. The end of his reign was perhaps the most ironic; tax evasion. They finally ended up catching him due to tax evasion. Her favorite thing about gangsters was the unpredictability. Killing so many men and yet he ended up starting a program to give daily milk to children during The Great Depression to prevent them from getting rickets and opened soup kitchens for the hungry and homeless.

“You know?”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t listening.” Lailah blinked.

“Jules hates watching these types of shows.” Frank smirked. “Kinda nice to have someone that likes to watch them too.”

“How come she doesn’t like them?”

“‘Too much talking’.” Frank said.

With how much she talks, I thought it’d be right up her alley.

“Well, it’s a pleasant surprise, but it’s nice to actually do something together that doesn’t involve teasing.”

“Heh. Yeah…”

Lailah and Frank continued to watch the documentary. Every now and then they’d get up for snacks or to go to the bathroom, but only once a commercial was on. By the end they had learned about Bonnie and Clyde, Al Capone, Lucky Luciano, John Gotti, John Dillinger, Bugsy Siegel, Arnold Rothstein, James Burke, and Frank Costello. The credits started to roll and Lailah got up and grabbed their dishes washed them. A knock came at the door and Frank went to go answer the door. Lailah looked over when she heard a small sound of happiness. Yui and Feng were pushing past Frank without even saying hello. They took off their shoes and went up to Lailah. Each was holding a bag. Dresses. She had momentarily forgotten the torment she was going to end up being subjected to in a couple hours. Now more than ever, she wished that she hadn’t agreed to this stupid deal. What the hell was she getting out of it other than a headache and a feeling of guilt?

Yui and Feng gave nothing more than a wave to Frank and she didn’t have time to explain before she was pushed into her room and the door was closed behind her. Both bags were put on the bed and one by one they ended up pulling out the dresses. Each of them had ended up bringing three in total. Each were various colors, lengths, and cuts. They were laid neatly across her bed and she eyed each one. Was she really going to have to deal with this? She was going to have to end up getting dressed just to go and lie to Frank’s parents and have them getting their hopes up. When her and Frank “broke up”, it was going to end up breaking Dwight and David’s hearts. Guilt filled her sank into her stomach.

“Let’s start with this one.” Feng said and brought a blue dress up and put it in front of her.

“Uh. No.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Feng! Look at it!” Lailah said. “I’m going to dinner, not a red carpet event.”

“That slit does go up pretty high.”

“Too much?” Feng asked.

“Definitely.” Lailah looked at the blue halter dress that reached the floor with a slit that went to her upper thigh. Why did Feng Min even have a dress like this? She couldn’t picture her wearing something like this. Was this what they wore at e-gaming award ceremonies?

“My turn.” Yui said and pulled a red dress in front of her. It was red. It came to a little bit above her knees with a sequins upper body area. Lailah tilted her head from side to side and shook her head. “Why?”

“Not a fan of the top part.”

“Fair enough.”

“My turn!” Feng said and pulled up a black dress. It rested on her shoulders and had a modestly deep neckline. It came to her knees and was a simple black. Her eyes narrowed and opened. “What do you think?”

“Hm… maybe.” Lailah said. “It’s simple. I like it.”

“Good!”

Feng Min put that one to the side and put the one that Lailah had given a definitive ‘no’ to back in the bag. She couldn’t express how thankful she was that her friends weren’t trying to force her into some revealing dress. She knew that some groups of friends could get like that, but, she just couldn’t wear something that. It was just awkward. Being in a dress again in about five years was terrifying enough as it was. And she was going to have to do wear one around someone that wasn’t her boyfriend, and pretend.

“Look.” Yui said and held one up to her. It was red. A pretty mellow one though. Thankfully. It also came down to her knees. She’d be lying if she told Yui she didn’t like it, but red was such a bold color. Lailah… was not bold. Over it was a layer of lace with a belt around the center. “Hm?”

“I like it, but…”

“But what?”

“It’s red.”

“Red would look pretty on you.” Yui said.

Lailah looked down at the mirror and frowned. She just couldn’t picture herself in red even though it was staring her right in the face. The last time she had worn a red dress was senior year. It was a bold move then, and it was a bold move now. With her brows furrowed, she shook her head. Feng and Yui looked at each other, but Lailah pretended not to notice in the reflection of the mirror. Her friend said nothing and put it in the bag.

“How about this one?” Feng asked, softer this time. Lailah felt discouraged. Her friends were trying to help her. All the dresses were beautiful, but, she couldn’t help but feel like she wouldn’t be doing them justice and she’d just look wrong. Like the dress that Feng Min held in front of her now.

The dress was a beautiful deep blue color. It came down to her knees as well with a pleated skirt while the top had a lace overlay with sleeves that flared out. She tried to think of herself in the dress and how she’d look. Would it look terrible on her? The preview was right there in the mirror, but it didn’t matter once she put it on. The expectation versus the reality was the most stressful part. If she didn’t fit any of these dresses, then she would just have to go in her slacks and pretty blouse she used for interviews. A knock that came at the front door startled her. Her head snapped to the door.

“You okay?” Yui asked.

“Yeah, I’m just not used to this.” Lailah admitted. “I’m sorry Feng, it’s too bright.”

“But it’s—alright.” Feng Min corrected herself and put the dress back.

“This is the last one I have.” Yui told her.

The dress that was put in front of her made her blink. It came down to her knees as well. It also had a full dress lace overlay. The neckline was lace and it had sleeves that came down to her elbows; fully lace. Her eyes scanned over the way her reflection looked like. Perhaps sensing that she liked it, Yui pulled it away and Feng Min replaced the one that she had liked from her in front of her. Each of them alternated for a bit. Lailah tried to focus on choosing, but Frank was talking to someone out in the living room. It felt like she was picking the wire that would be cut for diffusing a bomb.

“I like the lacy one.” Lailah said finally and exhaled.

“Okay. Let’s get you into it.” Yui said while Feng replaced the other dress.

“Oh. Um. Okay.” Lailah said and grabbed a blanket and tossed it over her mirror.

“Why’d you do that?” Feng asked.

“For a reveal to myself. Duh.” Lailah said with a small smile.

“Alright. Now you’re getting into it.” Feng Min laughed.

With Yui and Feng’s help, she ended up getting dressed and zipped on the back. Both of her friends looked at her and then each other and then nodded. Yui pulled the blanket off and Lailah looked at herself in the mirror. She forced a smile. The reality was just as she expected; terrible. It was a complete 180 of how she expected it to be when she looked at it in the mirror. It was a clear reminder of why she didn’t wear dresses. Lailah thought it would be better if she was wearing a darker color. It wasn’t as better as she was hoping.

“Look, it’s got pockets.” Feng said and stuck her hand on Lailah’s side. It made her brighten. It was going to be so nice to not have to carry a bag.

“Oh! That’s so cute.” Lailah said and then turned around to her friends. “Thanks for this.”

“C’mon. Let’s do some hair and makeup and you should be good.” Feng said. “Well, I’ll leave that to Yui.”

“Oh, that’s not—”

“It’ll be fine. I won’t go over the top. I’m not a fan of over the top hair and makeup either.”

Lailah hesitated for a moment before nodding. Athletes could get pretty dressed up for award ceremonies, but she wasn’t sure how they were in Japan with those ceremonies. There were plenty of times that Japanese women would get dressed up and they would always look beautiful doing it. But, Yui’s personality would come through and she knew that her friend wouldn’t want to deal with spending all that time on something that was only going to last one night. She brought Lailah into the bathroom.

“Do you have any makeup?”

“That top drawer there.”

Yui pulled out Lailah’s makeup bag. One palette of eyeshadow, one tube of mascara, two tubes of lip gloss, and one small pen eyeliner. It was completely different than what she knew most girls had. This was just a formality too mostly. It would be weird if a girl didn’t own any makeup, wouldn’t it? The only time she really intended to use it would be for graduation, but here she was. Knowing nothing about colors, she hoped that it would look good. She just picked the colors that she liked. Yui pointed to the toilet seat. Lailah closed it and sat down. Following Yui’s instructions, they were done with makeup quickly.

It was simple and normal. Just like her. A small sigh escaped her lips and she looked at her face left and right. Lailah smiled and thanked Yui. She walked back to her room where Feng Min’s eyes brightened and she smiled bright.

“You look so pretty!”

“Thanks. You guys really helped me a lot.” Lailah said and went to her closet. “I have a pair of shoes. So I contributed.”

It was the only pair of “dressy” shoes that she owned. They were flats that had a simple strap around the ankle. There were plenty of pairs of heels like this, but she had a hard time walking in them. Standing up and sitting down was no issue, but walking in them was completely different. Last time she had worn them, she had rolled her ankle. Her mom told her that she just needed practice, but she didn’t really have anything in her life to where she would be required to wear heels enough to practice. She checked her reflection once more before grabbing her brush and giving it a quick once through. Her gaze turned to her clock, and she swallowed nervously. If they were going to make it on time, they’d have to go now.

Lailah opened her door and saw Frank and who looked like Joey sitting on the couch. The TV was turned to some random channel, but they were talking and clearly not paying attention. She walked out with Yui and Feng behind her. She sighed again and smoothed out some imaginary creases on the front of the dress.

“You can’t—uh…” Joey was in the middle of talking, but had stopped when she came up to the couch.

“I’m telling you—Joey? Hey, are you paying attention? What are you—Oh.”

Lailah cleared her throat and looked down at her shoes, rocking back and forth on her heels. This was completely nerve wracking, and they hadn’t even left yet! Frank and Joey both stood up and turned to the three girls.

“S-So, are you ready to go?”

“Uh… Yeah. I mean, sort of. Kinda.” Frank stammered and huffed a laugh and put his hands in his pockets.

Lailah cleared her throat again. He had the whole semi-formal thing down. Shoes. Gray pants. Dark blue button-up shirt. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows with a silver tie. Unsure of what to do with her hands, she shoved them in the pockets of her dress. Frank looked down at her and then shoved his own hands in his pockets. Joey, Feng, and Yui were all silent as the two stumbled over what to do. This was awkward. So, so awkward.

“You um,” Lailah cleared her throat again. “said that you were ‘kind of’ ready to go. What happened?”

“I uh… I’ve never really worn anything like this before.”

“Oh.” Frank mumbled something. “Huh?”

“I… don’t know how to uh… tie a tie. I think I did okay… kinda.”

It was crumpled. A small smile overcame Lailah’s face. Good. She wasn’t the only one that was stressed about the whole situation. At least she wasn’t alone in this strange realm of formal clothing and formal dinners. Semi or not. His eyes remained glued to his shoes. Lailah went over to him and gripped onto the tie. As effortless as breathing, she undid it and redid the tie. She adjusted his collar and re-centered his tie before fixing the collar.

“Is that too tight?” Lailah asked.

“Huh?”

“Did I tie it too tight?” She asked again and looked up.

Lailah had a hold of his tie and he was looking down at her. This was closer than she had intended them to be. Their eyes remained locked and Lailah found it a little hard to breathe. Did one of them turn up the thermostat a little too high? It was a little hot in there. Of course there were five people in here. Body heat would raise a room’s temperature as well.

“Oh, um. No, it’s fine. Thanks, Lailah.” Frank looked at the clock. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

Joey, Feng, and Yui went first. Lailah and Frank followed and he locked the door behind him; triple checking it just in case. They headed down the stairs and Lailah grabbed her stomach and ended up giving a grunt of pain. All of them turned to look at her.

“You okay?” Yui asked.

“Yeah, I just had a sharp pain.” Lailah said with a small laugh. “It happens randomly.”

“Do you need to reschedule?” Frank asked her unlocking the car.

“No, I’m fine. It’s gone now.” Lailah elbowed him. “Besides, we’ve already gone this far.”

Frank snorted a laugh and shrugged his shoulders.

“True. Might as well go, right?”

“Alright guys, well good luck.” Joey said and waved to everyone. “Later.”

“Good luck, guys.” Feng said and waved as she got into the driver’s seat.

“You’ll do fine. You both look great.” Yui got in and closed the door.

Lailah waved as their friends left. Feng and Yui had done so much to help her, she wasn’t sure what she could do in return. Yui liked sweets and Feng liked games. Maybe once she got paid she could go and get them something. Or she could just pull money from her savings and buy them something with that. Either way, she’d have to repay them somehow. Frank cleared his throat and looked at Lailah.

“Do you think we should take your car?”

“Not enough gas.” 

“We could fill up.”

Lailah was already at Frank’s car door.

“What’s wrong with your car?”

“It’s all dented, idiot.”

“Frank, we’re going to a fake dinner date.”

“At a semi-formal place.” He added like it should be obvious.

“We’re dressed to impress. Not driving to impress. Besides, my keys are in the house still.”

“Alright. You win.”

Lailah got in and a few seconds later, Frank followed. It was so strange to see him acting like this. They had been doing great so far in their lie, what made him think this was going to be different? Well… it was different, but they’d just have to play the part well. Which they had been doing. All she had to do was keep telling herself that and it would be fine. Really, it would. Hyping yourself up was a great way to ensure success. Don’t think about failure and you won’t worry about it so much. They’d have more of a chance to succeed.

“You think this will go okay?” Frank asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Yeah, it’ll be fine.”

“Even with your mom there?”

“Yeah.” Lailah laughed. “She won’t sell us out. But, she’ll make it hard for us to keep it up.”

“Well, we’ve already committed.”

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.”

Lailah watched him switch gears and stop at a red light. She leaned back in her seat. The nervous butterflies were flapping around. They kept trying to rile her up for the dinner, but she just had to breathe through it and believe that everything was going to be fine.

“Put your seatbelt on.” Frank said and started to drive once the light turned green.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize.” Lailah said and pulled it over her body. “How come you never wear yours?”

“Broken.” He said, switching lanes to pass a car.

“So you don’t have one?!”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

“That’s dangerous!” Lailah protested.

“It’ll be fine. I haven’t been hurt yet.”

“Yeah, ‘yet’.” Lailah sighed. “Get it fixed.”

“It’ll be fine.” He assured with a laugh.

“Goddammit Frank, just get the thing fixed. You’re not invincible.”

“Geez… calm down.” He said with a laugh. “Alright, I’ll get it fixed. Happy?”

“I won’t be until it is.”

Frank moved in and out of the lanes, passing any cars that were going too slow. If she had been doing some of the things that he was doing, she would’ve gotten pulled over by a cop. Not him apparently. He shifted gears again. Another pain went through her stomach. This time, she managed to suppress the grunt of pain. Worrying him, his parents, and hers would only bring the mood at the dinner down. It was supposed to be a happy time. Another pain stabbed at her, but she looked out the window so he wouldn’t be able to see the grimace that was covering her face.

“Gotta say, I’m surprised.”

“About?”

“Knowing how to tie a tie. And so adept at it too.”

“Oh, that.” Lailah started to laugh. “My dad ended up getting a job where one was required. My mom is usually gone by the time he’s leaving. So I ended up looking up tutorials to help him. He tried, but… he’s really bad at it.”

“Nice skill to have.”

“I suppose.”

“Saved my ass.” Frank laughed.

“Got me there.” Lailah joined in his laughter.

They ended up pulling up to the restaurant. It was clearly not for every day lunch, but it wasn’t the type of place where you’d spend 80$ for a portion the size of a ping pong ball. Once they found a parking spot, Lailah took a deep breath and undid her seatbelt. Frank looked the same as she did; nervous as fuck. She gave an awkward smile before getting out of the car. Lailah walked over to where Frank was and smiled softly. He locked the car over his shoulder and gave her a smile which made her laugh. He held open the door for her, making her smile.

There was a beautiful chandelier hanging in the waiting area. On each side where the waiting seats were was a fish tank where many types swam happily. While they were waiting behind some people for their turn, she watched them swim along. It must be nice to just carry on in life without any worries. All they had to do was swim, look pretty, and get fed. Frank grabbed onto her hand and tugged her along. She hadn’t even realized that they were up next.

“Hello. Table for two?” The woman asked.

“We’re in the Kingfield/Collins party.” Frank explained.

The woman scanned over the reservations. For some reason she was nervous. What if they had gotten the wrong restaurant? What if there had been some sort of mistake? The woman lit up and nodded. With a swift motion, she grabbed two menus and guided them through the just as elegant floor. Couples were in booths and tables. A few turned to look at them; men and women. Lailah jumped slightly when Frank’s hand slid against hers and interlocked their fingers just as he did that day in the apartment. Softly, she cleared her throat and continued to follow the hostess for what felt like years. Just how big was this damn place?!

In the distance, she saw their parents sitting at a large table. David had noticed them first and called them out to the others. Dwight and her parents’ heads turned. Her and Frank looked at each other one more time before the hostess placed the menus down and wished them a great meal before heading back to her post.

“It’s so great to see you again, Lailah.” Dwight said.

“Nice to see you too.”

“Wonderful to see you again, Frank.” Her father said.

“Likewise.”

Okay. So far, so good. Awesome.

Frank guided her over to her chair and pulled it out for her and took his own. She wiped her hands down Yui’s dress. There was no telling how many times she’d be doing that through the night. This would go fine. No one would do anything to cause a scene here. Not in a place like this. Mentally giving herself a pep talk, she looked at the menu placed in front of her.

“Sorry we’re late.” Lailah said.

“We ‘aven’t been ‘ere ‘hat long.” David said.

“Traffic was terrible.” Frank lied.

There was no way that they could tell their parents that they had been prepping for almost an hour for this. That Lailah had to sift through six dresses and get some makeup on. Well, they could see the makeup part; but they didn’t need to know about Frank’s tie malfunction or Lailah’s indecisive nature with a dress. A waiter came by and gave them some glasses of water. She scanned over the menu.

“Yeah, it was terrible.” Dwight said. “We were worried we were going to be late.”

“Lailah, you look great.” Her mother said. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you in a dress in a while. I’m… glad that you’re in one again.”

“Yeah.”

Frank placed his hand over hers.

“She really does look beautiful, doesn’t she?” He said and smiled at her.

“Yes, she does.” Dwight said.

Once the waiter came back, Lailah and Frank ordered. For the second time, Lailah wiped her hands on the dress. It felt like everyone was watching her. Not just Frank’s parents. Not just hers, but everyone. It was completely illogical; she knew that. But, it was hard to shake the feeling. Third time she wiped her hands on her dress.

“Getting together as a family was a good idea.” Her mother said. “I feel bad we were the last to know about Frank and Lailah getting together.”

“Ya didn’t tell yer parents?” David asked.

“W-Well, everything happened so fast.” Lailah said. “And with school, it kinda… slipped my mind?”

“I’m just as much at fault.” Frank said. “I didn’t bring it up to her. It had slipped my mind too.”

“Can’t judge too much. We only met recently. And you guys have been together for, how long?” Dwight asked.

“Nine months—”

“Seven months—”

Frank and Lailah cleared their throats and Lailah took a sip from her glass of water. She was definitely going to need something stronger by the time that tonight was over. Maybe they could pick up some alcohol before they went home. Something strong. Something very strong. 

“You know what, h…oney?” Lailah said awkwardly. “You’re right. It has been seven months. The time has just flown so fast.”

“It really has…” Frank said with an awkward laugh.

A peek from the corner of her eyes revealed that Frank had wiped his hands on his pants and her parents. They were both enjoying every moment of their awkward times and watching the squirm. It was almost enough to make her nauseous. Lailah wished their food was here already that way she could just stuff her face and she wouldn’t have to talk as much.

“What are you studying, Frank?” Her mother asked. “You both go to the same college, yes?”

“Y-Yes ma’am. I’m uh… just undecided on the books.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“I’m on the basketball team. I uh, don’t remember if I said that.” Frank said.

“You did not.”

“Oh. Well, yeah. I am.”

“He’s really good at it.” Lailah said. “You’re hoping to get a scholarship, aren’t you?”

Frank looked down at Lailah and hesitated for a moment. A small, shocked smile came to his face. He laughed a bit and nodded. His eyes lingered on her a little longer once she smiled before he turned back to both their parents.

“Yeah. It’s looking pretty promising.” He said.

“I’m proud of him.” Lailah said, patting his hand awkwardly.

C’mon Lailah. Natural!

“Tell ‘em ‘ow ya met.” David said.

Why are you like this?

“We met at one of my basketball games. It was halftime and I was honestly really exhausted. It was a tough match. I hadn’t… uh eaten before the match, and the hunger was catching up to me.”

Please don’t make a mistake.

“I saw her at the concession stand. No joke, she had just gotten her food and turned around when someone ran into her and she dropped it. I offered to buy her more. Being her, she refused. But, being me, I persisted. I won. I was called back to the game and I… forgot to get food. Wasn’t really hungry anymore.”

“Oh?” Her father asked.

“Yeah. I got her number after the game since she decided to stay behind to thank me.” Frank smiled and looked down at Lailah. “Couldn’t get her outta my head and, honestly, it was hard to call her for the first time.”

That wasn’t part of the original story! Do I need to write index cards?!

“And well, he took me to get some food. To this day, I’m not sure if he did it for me or him, but, the rest is history.” Lailah said and smiled.

“Aww, that’s so sweet.” Her mother said.

“That Mexican food truck by the college. Remember?” Frank asked.

“Yeah. I do.” She said softly, with a small smile.

Lailah took a sip of her water. The waiter came with all their food. Internally screaming thanks to whatever higher power there was, she exhaled a shaking sigh when it was placed in front of her. Steak. If she was going to go out to a nice dinner, she wanted to have some leftovers and wanted it to be good. There were tons of other things that she could’ve tried, but why spend that money if she wasn’t sure she’d like it? She cut at the steak and took a bite, slightly dancing in her chair. Good food was a good way to put someone in a just as good mood. It would help morale as well. With all this interrogation, they needed it.

“Why don’t you ask each other questions too?” Lailah asked, taking a drink of her water.

“We already talked before you got here.” Her mother said. “It’s important for the parents to get to know each other.”

“Amelia ‘n’ Daryl are some nice people. Ye got yourself a good set o’ parents there.” David said, shoving some food into his mouth. It reminded her of Frank.

“Thanks. They are pretty cool.” Lailah said and then narrowed her eyes. “Sometimes.”

“That’s what being parents is about.” Her father said.

Dwight took his napkin and wiped his hands on it. Lailah wanted to groan. That could only mean that more questions were coming. This dinner was a full blown interrogation! There was no relaxation about it. She steeled herself, ready to pump out another lie. However, Dwight just grabbed his glass of what was most likely tea and took a sip. Definitely on edge. All this time she had told herself that she needed to act calm and natural; but she was acting anything but. Lailah hoped that his parents didn’t notice.

“I just realized that I don’t know what you guys do.” Lailah said.

“I own a bar.” David said. “Pre’ty popular.”

“I’m the accountant.”

“Aw, so you two work together? That’s so cute.”

Hopefully, if she ever truly ended up with someone she would have a good relationship with them just like Dwight and David had. That was if she ever found someone. The theory and thought was nice, but Lailah couldn’t push it further than that. It made her stomach churn and the nasuea start to rise. Like now. Lailah cleared her throat and shook her head. She slightly gagged and started to drink some water. Everyone was looking at her, but her parents were especially on edge. She waved them off.

“Sorry, it got caught in my throat.” Lailah said and patted her chest with a small cough. A waiter came by and she called him over sheepishly. “Excuse me, could I get some wine?”

“You know what? Make that two.” Frank said.

“May I see your IDs?”

Lailah reached into her dress pocket and pulled it out. Frank opened his wallet to pull his out. She hadn’t meant to look inside of it. Really, she hadn’t. That picture that Dwight had taken was peeking out inside. She blinked and tried to look away, but if she did—it would be obvious that she had been looking inside. Just be natural. Looking away at the right time was key. Behind his license was a picture of him and Julie. It was most likely around the time that they met at 19. A strange feeling overtook her.

“Thank you very much.” The waiter said and Lailah looked up at him, trying to play it off as she was looking at her lap. His wallet was at the same level so and handed them both the IDs back. “Is there anything in particular you’d like?”

“Something in the middle between sweet and dry.” Frank said.

“Sweet. Strong.” Lailah muttered.

“Right away.”

Lailah turned back to the table. Her brows were furrowed and that pain in her stomach was starting to resurface again. But she pushed it away. There was no need for her family or his to know that there was anything wrong with her. This was a very strange feeling. Her head started hurting. This was wrong. Yes, they were doing this to make sure that Frank and Julie were going to be able to have a happy relationship and in essence, she was doing this for her just as much as Frank. But, she knew it was wrong. Everything about this was fake. The photo. The reactions. The talking. The relationship—outside of their actual faked ‘romantic relationship’—was fake. There was no chance that they were becoming friends. It was just a coworker relationship to where they were becoming tolerant of each other.

“This is excellent food.” Dwight said.

“Definitely.” Her mother said.

“We need to come here more.” Her father concluded.

“Dunno if my wallet can ‘andle this place. I’ll end up goin’ broke. Ev’rythin’ sounds good.”

“Everything in moderation, Love.” Dwight said and wiped some food from the corner of his husband’s mouth.

“Do you like it?”

I think I’m definitely going to ask if we can get some alcohol on the way home.

“Lailah?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. What’d you say?” Lailah asked with a small laugh.

“The food.” Her mother said; looking slightly worried. “Do you like it?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s great. Sorry, I spaced out there a little bit.”

“Are you feeling alright, Sweetheart?” Lailah’s father asked.

“Yeah, just have a headache.” She admitted. “Got this for that.”

“Do you even know what you got?” Frank asked.

“Not a clue. Hopefully it’s good.” Lailah said and tasted it. “Oh yeah. Good.”

“Lemme taste.” Frank said and took the glass from her, taking a small sip. “That’s some full-bodied wine right there.”

“Meh. I’ll only have a couple glasses.” She assured and took another sip.

They continued on the dinner. A few more times, Lailah had to assure her parents and Frank’s that she was alright. Now she was, she was starting to loosen up and may have been bordering on slightly drunk. Frank had a few glasses, but he had a higher alcohol tolerance than she did. There were times she argued, but she knew the truth. It would be a shock if he was even having a buzz. Halfway through her meal, she looked up as David talked.

“So, from what I’ve ‘eard from ye, seemed like it was love at first sight.”

Lailah couldn’t help but laugh. Yes, they were supposed to be in character. But she couldn’t help it. She remembered the first time that they had actually met. He had been such an ass. It was a few days before they could even have a civil conversation with each other. Love at first sight? Please. There’s no such thing as that.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.” Frank said, immediately shutting Lailah up. Her gaze fixated on the wine and her stomach started hurting again.

“This might be a little personal,” Her mother said. “but it’s always nice to hear what you love most about each other.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

Frank and Lailah looked at each other and then at her mother. This… This was too much.

“It is a bit personal, Mom.”

“Oh come now,” Dwight said. “It’s always nice to hear. I love David for his incredible listening skills. You wouldn’t know it, but he’s a worrywart and he’s a really good shoulder to cry on and a good ear for problems.”

“Oi, c’mon now. This ain’t ‘bout us.” David mumbled, stabbing a scallop and popping it in his mouth. “Since we’re goin’ ‘round the room though. Let’s see, Dwight’s honesty. No matter what, he always ends up tellin’ ya the truth. It may hurt, but he means well ‘n’ just wants to see ya succeed. He’d do anythin’ to make it happen too.”

Lailah smiled at the two and rubbed her nose slightly. The two were so in love. After what Frank had shared about his past with her, he definitely deserved the loving parents he had now. Sharing a love like that was awkward when you were talking about it in front of each other, but at the same time, it was also nice to hear it out loud too.

“Our turn?” Her mother said.

Is this really what we’re doing? This could end up being fun. To hear. From them.

“Daryl, one of the things I love about you the most is your determination. You set a goal and you’ll do it no matter what comes your way. There were times that I ended up falling, but you were there to pick me up. You didn’t expect me to be at 100% all the time, and you were okay with carrying me when I needed it.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard them talk about each other like this. They’ve said ‘I love you’, but… is this what love really was? It’s not just words.

“Amelia, I uh… well, you’re different. You’re accepting. There are some pretty big flaws that I have, but you accepted them anyway and accepted me. There are so many times where people can’t do that 100% with their significant other; but you did. I’m not afraid to be myself around you—the good and the bad.”

Dad… I didn’t know that you could be emotional and sentimental like that.

All four of them turned and looked at Lailah and Frank. She couldn’t help it and started to look down at her food again. How the hell was she supposed to fake something like that when everyone else was actually in love here? Glancing over at Frank, he had a similar look on his face. That’s right. They both had to deal with it. Just flash some pretty words and a trait and she could pull this off. Her parents knew, she just had to convince his parents. Great.

“Go ‘head ‘n’ share with the class.” David said.

If you knew how hard this was right now, David, you’d change your mind. Actually, if you knew… I’m sure that you’d hate me and chase me out of here.

“Well, how are we supposed to top that?” Frank asked with a small laugh.

“It’s not about topping each other.” Dwight said.

“Go on.” Her father coaxed making them both narrow their eyes at him.

Lailah and Frank ended up turning to each other. Eight. It was now eight times that she had wiped her hands on Yui’s dress. Hopefully, all the sweat from her palms didn’t stain the fabric. She’d have to buy her another dress if that happened. She ended up looking at the space between them.

“Eye contact.” Her mother said.

“Very important.” Dwight seconded.

“You wanna go first?” Lailah asked.

“Uh… no not really.” He admitted with a laugh. “Go ahead.”

“Right. Okay. Sure.”

I can do this. I can do this. Just slap on a trait and some random shit he’s done. Easy.

Lailah took a deep breath and forced herself to lock eye contact. Immediately, she wanted to look away and just sell both of them out and get out of them. Talking while having eye contact about this sort of thing was hard. She licked her dry lips and blinked.

“Frank, I… uh…”

“Yeah?” He asked, a smirk on his face.

“Heh.” Lailah gave a short laugh and adjusted herself in her chair. Her stomach started to hurt again. Nausea rose up. “Frank, I love your awkwardness. Looking at you, someone wouldn’t think that you’d be awkward. But… I noticed. The way you cover it up—or try to—makes it even funnier. I love how great of a team we make. It… doesn’t really matter what it is. If we end up doing it together; it makes me almost positive we can do it. I dunno, I just love… being around you. And… I’m glad I met you.”

“Well, damn.” Frank muttered and cleared his throat.

“Go on, Frank.” Her father said.

“R-Right. My turn.”

Lailah swallowed the dry lump that was growing in her throat. He looked at her, it felt like he was staring deeper into her. Almost like he was trying to pick her apart. Her whole intention had been to lie and just come up with random shit, but… primarily she had told the truth. It didn’t really hit her until she said it. She did love being around him. Even though they had their troubles, she really did enjoy being around him. He always made her laugh.

“Lailah.” Frank adjusted in his chair and cleared his throat. “I love your selflessness. You and I haven’t always gotten along, but… you still stuck it out with me. For me. There are so many times where you could’ve just left, but you stayed. I love your spunk. You’re not afraid to stand up for yourself, and damn everyone else. I like that. A lot.”

“Oh yeah?” Lailah asked with a smile, hoping to lighten the tension. It didn’t.

“Yeah. I love how you seem to read my mind. Before I even reach for something… you’re already holding onto it for me. I love how obsessed you are with keeping the floor by the door clean.”

Lailah laughed and shook her head.

“And that. Those eyes. I love how each emotion reaches them. Especially when you laugh. I’m just… I’m really glad that I met you. And I’m glad you’re in my life.”

“Coolio.” Lailah said after a few seconds; almost breathless. That stomach pain was making it hard to breathe.

“Coolio?” Frank repeated, a smirk coming to his lips.

“Yeah.” She laughed with a small snort.

“You’re such a loser.”

“Well, that was a nice thing to do.” Dwight smiled.

“Got to ‘ear some nice things ‘bout our Frank.” David commented.

Lailah and Frank turned back to their food. That was a lot more difficult than she had originally thought that it was going to be. Trying to find a characteristic that paired with something that Frank had done without blowing their cover was stressful. Somehow she had managed to get through it. That would definitely warrent a drink. They were definitely getting some on the way home. She sliced another bite off her steak and munched on it, while another glass was delivered to their table.

Halfway through her glass, she had her fork on her plate and she was holding her glass.

“All I’m sayin’ ‘s ‘hat women’s pockets should be deeper for pants. S’more dresses should ‘ave ‘em too.” She mumbled.

“And she’s drunk. I say we call it a night.” Her father said.

“Good idea. We’ve got a meeting in the morning with all the workers.” Dwight said.

“Ah shit. ‘hat’s right.”

“It’s a bit of the ways home for us too.” Her mother said.

“Gimme back my drink, Drank—Frank.”

“Nope. You’re already drunk. Gotta keep my girlfriend safe and secure.” He patted her head and pushed it back while he downed the rest of what was in her glass in one gulp. “Wow. I know I tried it before, but that’s a lot in one gulp.”

“Are you alright to drive, Frank?” Dwight asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You have my daughter.” Her father said.

“I promise. She’ll be fine with me.”

The waiter brought the bill and it was split 50/50 between their parents. Once Frank had brought it up, they had explained that it was their idea to invite them to dinner so it was only natural that they paid for it. Frank opened his wallet and tossed a 20 on the table for a tip. Lailah sighed and stood up. They all walked out in a group. Frank held back for a few moments; fiddling around in his wallet. Once they were outside, she went over and hugged her parents tight.

“You did good.” Her mother said.

“Thanks, Mom.”

“Please be careful, Sweetheart. Don’t drink too much.” Her father said.

“Promise.”

Lailah went over and ended up hugging Frank’s parents too. They were going to have to get friendly.

“Thanks for taking care of our son.” Dwight said and patted her back.

“…Of course.”

“He’s a bit o’ an ass. But he’ll take care o’ ya. I’m sure.” David said and patted her head.

“Yeah…”

“I think you two will be fine. After all, a good friendship is the foundation for a great relationship.”

“True.” Frank said.

Lailah waved to their parents as they got in their cars and drove out of the parking lot. Once their cars were completely out of sight, she put some distance between herself and Frank. Rubbing at her temples, she groaned. They had done well; his parents seemed totally convinced. Just having to go through all of that and make up more lies in order to cover everything was making it more difficult. Which would happen first? Would they “break up” or would they be found out? Lailah hoped it was the former.

She followed Frank towards the car as he carried the bag of leftovers, but noticed something on the pavement. Stopping, she picked it up and flipped it around to face her. It was Frank’s wallet. It must’ve fallen when he grabbed his keys from his pocket. The picture of him and Julie was at the front and center to be displayed. Sticking from behind his license was the picture that Dwight had taken of the both of them. Her nose scrunched up and she let out a loud burp. Rubbing her stomach, she followed Frank and handed him his wallet.

“You have to keep track of your things.” Lailah said and buckled up once she got inside.

“Thanks, that could’ve been bad.”

Frank turned the car on and put his hand behind her seat to look around. Fluid and seamless, he moved the car to the end of the parking lot and pulled on the main road. A relaxed sigh came from her lips as she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. The radio was playing some sort of melody that she didn’t know. The roads weren’t busy and it was relaxing. Quiet rides like this were best when she was bordering on drunk. She could just focus on the car ride. Nine times out of ten she would end up falling asleep. This was about to be one of those nine times when Frank spoke up.

“Lailah? You awake?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Thanks again for tonight.” He said. “Don’t know how I’m going to repay you.”

“I have an idea?”

“Oh yeah?” Frank asked with a chuckle as he stopped at a red light.

“Buy me some alcohol.”

Frank snorted a laugh and he hung his head. His shoulders were shaking as he continued to laugh. A hand went down his face and he let out a loud sigh and started driving. A smirk was still on his face.

“Normally, I would say no, but you did do me a huge favor tonight.”

“Damn right, I did.”

“But I’m going in. And I get to choose what to get.”

The liquor store wasn’t too far from the restaurant and they were still mid conversation when they pulled in. He parked and raised his brows.

“Do you take suggestions?”

“Sure. Will I listen to it? Debatable.”

“Vodka.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Come on! I did you a huge favor, remember?” Lailah pointed out.

“Oh for fuck’s sake. Yeah, okay. But I’m not buying the biggest goddamned bottle. You’ll get the type I buy.”

“Yes!”

“Spoiled princess…” Frank muttered as he got out of the car.

The warmth of the heat that Frank had left on, coupled with the angle the seat was in was enough to keep her relaxed. Having as much alcohol as she did in her system was what pulled her into a slumber.

Shaking woke her and she looked around with a startled snort. She was in the parking lot of the apartment complex. It took her brain a few seconds to process what happened and she sat up once everything clicked. She nodded and yawned. Holding out her hand, Frank reached in the back and handed her the bag with the food. She held a thumbs up and got out of the car. He was close behind with the alcohol and locked the car. Making sure that she was in front of him, they walked up the stairs and walked in. Frank closed and locked the door behind them and tossed his keys into the bowl.

Lailah took off her shoes with a loud groan. The shoes were comfortable, but it was nice to just be barefoot at home. She walked into the kitchen and sat the food on the counter. Frank was behind her and tugging at the tie and ended up undoing it; leaving it strewn around his neck. She took the containers out and put them on the counter and tossed the bag away. Frank pulled out the vodka. It was a small bottle with the smallest alcohol content they had, but it was vodka nevertheless.

“Go ahead and get changed. I’ll pour us a glass.”

“Coolio.” Lailah held up a thumb and headed to the bathroom. She wiped the makeup off her face and tossed the dress into the hamper. She’d get it dry cleaned just to make sure that nothing happened to it. She changed into pajamas and put her hair up before heading back outside.

Frank was still dressed and had put two glasses of the vodka on the kotatsu. He had turned it on when Lailah came out and she almost skipped to the drinks. Her roommate stared at her with a small smirk and put a hand in his pocket.

“Go ahead and get changed.” Lailah said. “I won’t take a sip without you.”

“Hold you to that.” He said as he went to his room.

Lailah went and opened the containers along with a fork for each and brought them to the kotatsu. She had just sat down when Frank emerged from his room. He went over and plopped down next to her.

“How’d you know I wanted my leftovers?” He asked.

Lailah looked over at the clock and squinted her eyes.

“It’s been like almost 20 minutes since you’ve eaten anything.”

They sat at the kotatsu drinking the vodka that Frank bought and eating the leftovers. Reruns for game shows were on and Lailah and Frank were screaming at the contestants for not thinking of the most simple answers in the book and coming up with some dumb ass, complicated answers that no one but them—and according to the board two other people—had thought of. Lailah watched as the team she had been rooting for lost and she poured herself more. A little more than half the bottle was gone.

“That’s your last glass.”

“There’s still ‘bout half a bottle left, Frank.”

“The world isn’t ending. You can drink it tomorrow. Besides, you’re drunk.”

“What? No I’m not!” She protested.

“Your left tit is resting in your mashed potatoes.” Frank nodded his head at her food.

Lailah glanced down and then back at Frank.

“Yeah? And?” She asked. “Why you lookin’?”

“It’s in your mashed potatoes, Lailah. Kinda hard to miss.”

Lailah straightened up and watched with a grumble as some mashed potatoes stuck to the chest of her shirt. She scraped it off her shirt and put it on one of the napkins that Frank had ended up getting. Sighing, she decided that maybe Frank was right and she could go to bed after this glass. A small news alert came on the TV.

“Two hours ago at 10:35 PM, the long-awaited Brainiac Semi-Finals are over! Over 100 schools participated, but one school remained victorious; Comstan Highschool!” Lailah took a small sip of her drink. “Their captain Mr. Austin Reynolds led them to victory with a strict training.”

The glass slipped through her fingers and crashed on the top of the kotatsu; shattering completely into an undiscernable amount of shards.

Notes:

There you have it! Chapter 10, complete! I actually had a lot of fun writing this. I probably spent almost 12 hours on this one as well. XD I have a problem. I know that a LOT of you were looking forward to them all having dinner together. I hope that it's what you were looking for and that you enjoyed it and weren't let down at all. Thanks again for reading! <3 It means a lot to me.

Chapter 11: Nothing is as it Seems

Summary:

“Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt?!”

Notes:

Welcome back to Bruises and Bitemarks! I'm your friendly neighborhood depressed as fuck writer! Here we are with Chapter 11. This took me a couple of days to get out because there were a few scenes that I had to write and then rewrite because it wasn't flowing right. I'm not 100% happy with the way this came out, but I don't think I ever will be with any chapter that I write. I tried extremely hard on this one and I hope that all of you that were looking forward to this chapter enjoy it.

PLEASE read the ending author's notes.

A young man around Dwight’s age appeared on the screen. A banner reading “Austin Reynolds: Comstan Highschool’s Brainiac Captain” was at the bottom. He adjusted his glasses and a bright white smile came to his lips. Behind the lenses, piercing green eyes looked at the reporter; mirroring a just as bright smile. Her microphone was resting in front of his lips.

“It really was a team effort. No one on the team is more important than the other. I know it’s cliche to say it, but there really is no ‘I’ in ‘team’. I might be their captain, but they were really the ones that were guiding me.”

As he spoke, small wisps of warm air from his lips were visible against the cold air. When he laughed, there was more. It was like a white, puffy cloud that one looked saw when they looked up in the sky during the height of the day. It felt like it would overlap her, suffocating her and robbing her of her sense of sight. It would only be that whiteness. Surrounding her. Choking her. Blinding her. Harming her.

“So, are you looking forward to the finals?” The woman asked. Her voice was bright and bubbly. Normally, reporters wouldn’t really care about covering a story that students or those interested in such a contest would care about. They cared about being seen by the masses. Her though, she knew. Reporting on something when the interviewee was easy on the eyes made the whole report easier.

“Of course.” He gave a small laugh. “It’s only natural that I’d be excited. It’s going to be a tough competition, but Comstan High doesn’t back down from a challenge. We’ll attack it with full force.”

“Do you think you’ll win?”

“Well, nothing is for certain, but we’re going to try our hardest.”

“From my understanding, the competition is Avries High. They’ve been the champion for 5 years running. Isn’t that a little intimidating?”

“A little, I’m not gonna lie.” He huffed a laugh. “But, we can do it. If they don’t want to hand it over, we’ll just take it from them.”

“Ooh, that’s quite the bold statement. I’ll be cheering for you!” The woman said with a little more enthusiasm than was necessary.

“Thank you so much.” He blinked and smiled bright. “We’ll appreciate every bit of it.”

“Well, there you have it! This is Catherine Sanders reporting from the Meridian Auditorium! Back to you, Jeremy!”

The program switched to a man sitting behind a desk. A single piece of paper sat in front of him close to his cup of coffee. Off to the side there were papers stuffed inside folders from various other stories. The man the woman had referred to as Jeremy gave a bright smile to the camera. He glanced down to the piece of paper.

“The Brainiac Tournament Finals will be held—”

Lailah was flung to the side. Her blood instantly ran cold and she let out a sound akin to shock. Panic gripped onto her heart and squeezed. Her throat instantly went dry as the Sahara desert. Everything within told her to scream. Cold sweat beaded at the nape of her neck. Despite the aching dryness of her throat, she managed somewhat of a scream. Head swimming. Nausea. Terror. Pulling against the grip resulted in nothing.

“Lailah!”

Though her eyes had been open the whole time, it was like she was finally seeing. Frank had a hold of her arms. His head was dipped slightly as he watched her. Body shaking, her eyes darted around. On the floor, her apartment, her pajamas, the kotatsu, her leftovers, and him. Deep brown eyes locked with hers.

“You here with me?” He asked; eyes scanning over every feature of her face. Worry saturated his face as he watched her. Every so slowly, Frank loosened his grasp on her. The force of an earthquake was nothing compared to the shaking of her body. It was like she had been dumped into the snow completely nude. Her teeth chattered and the force of her shakes was physically painful, but she nodded. Frank’s movements were slow and deliberate. Not once did he break eye contact with her as he let go and allowed his hand to trail down to hers, his fingers tugging at her own. “Give me this. You’re hurting yourself…”

Frank was tugging at her fingers. A large shard of glass was in her hand; grasped tightly. Almost like her life depended on it. Blood; thick and red almost like a river was running down her wrist. Her hand instantly opened and Frank wasted no time in taking the shard from her hand. Now seeing the wound that she had inflicted upon herself, the pain was starting to set in as her adrenaline fell. All the pain sensors were kicking in and letting her know that she had been harmed. Her roommate looked at the shard of glass and tossed it on the kotatsu. With gentle fingertips, he turned her hand to look at the wound. There was no telling what was going through his head, but he stood up.

“Stay there. There’s glass everywhere.” Frank instructed. Lailah merely nodded.

Even if she wanted to move, she couldn’t. All the muscles in her body were tense and ached as they forced her to continue shaking. Lailah tried to tell herself that she was safe and secure right now. That nothing was going to come into the apartment to harm her, but it didn’t calm the primal parts of her brain. Frank moved around in the kitchen and was back in about a minute. Even though there was glass everywhere, he paid it no mind as he returned and put a cloth onto her hand and pressed down, making her wince.

“Sorry, but it’s a deep cut.” His voice was soft, almost like talking to a terrified animal. He took her other hand and put it over it. Once she was pushing the cloth onto the gash in her hand, Frank headed towards his room. “Keep pushing on that.”

The TV buzzed in the background, but she wasn’t paying attention. Her eyes were glued to the cloth that was turning red with her blood. While Frank was gone, she tried to recall what had happened, but she couldn’t remember picking up the shard of glass. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. That was such a deep cut. Had Frank not been there and tugged her from her thoughts, what would’ve become of her hand? How far would she have cut? Until he had pointed it out and tried to pry the shard from the palm of her hand, she hadn’t even felt pain.

“Okay. Come on. The way to your right should be okay.”

Lailah looked to Frank. A worried look was still plastered all over his face. His jawline was set and she saw the muscles clench when he looked down at the cloth on her hand. Tucked under his arm was a blanket and some other fabric she couldn’t make out.

“Frank, where are we going?” Her voice shocked herself. It sounded so mousey and tiny; just about how she felt right now.

“The hospital.”

“But—”

“That cut is deep. You’re going to need stitches. C’mon.” Frank muttered.

Lailah wanted to protest, but it was obvious that he wasn’t going to budge. Frank’s stubborn tendencies were always getting on her nerves. This time, she was thankful for his bull headed nature. Making sure to take the route that Frank suggested, she walked over to him. Without hesitating, he put the blanket down and grabbed onto the other piece of fabric that she had seen. It was a jacket. Letting Frank help her was easier as she was still shaking. He helped put each of her arms in, apologizing when he touched her now extremely tender hand. Leaning down slightly, he zipped up the jacket the highest that it would go. Moving fast, but deliberate and precise, he went and grabbed her shoes and kneeled down in front of her.

“C’mon.” Frank grabbed one of her shoes and held it out to her.

“Frank, I can—”

“Just focus on keeping pressure on your hand.” He said as he helped her put on her shoes. He tied them and grabbed his keys. “Come on.”

Lailah followed close by Frank, making sure to do as he said and keep the pressure on her wound. The bleeding had slowed a significant amount, but it hadn’t stopped. He unlocked the car door. Once she was in, he reached over her body to buckle her seatbelt. His brows were furrowed and his jaw was set. Once it clicked, he unfolded the blanket and set it over her and closed the door. All the while, neither of them said a thing. In a way, she felt bad. Frank was doing all of this for her. He was just her roommate, he didn’t have to do any of this for her. Yet, here he was making sure that she was well taken care of.

Frank whipped out of the parking lot and headed to the hospital, trying to abide by the laws of the road as much as he was able while trying to make sure she got treatment. He was right, she would need stitches, but he was acting like she had gotten her hand cut off and was bleeding to death. He sighed when they stopped at a red light and rest his head against his seat. The whole time, Lailah had stayed bundled up in the warmth of her little blanket cocoon that he had set up for her. Underneath it, she was maintaining the pressure on her wound.

“Sorry.” He muttered. “I know how you feel about my blankets, but I didn’t want to go into your room just to grab the one you had.”

Lailah blinked and looked at the red and black blanket that was covering her body. It was just as big as the other one. This was the same one that had to have been on the bed on a daily basis as it smelled like him. So confused and shocked was she that Frank was acting this way, she hadn’t realized it when he placed the blanket over her body. She slinked deeper into her seat, embarrassed at what had happened in the apartment. There would be so much judging and laughter later. Teasing. Jovial moods at her expense were what awaited her. Focusing on the scenery outside the window would prevent her from focusing on what would be coming her way for sure. In the reflection, she saw Frank looking at her. She averted her eyes. From her side, she heard Frank give a small huff.

Here it comes. The laughing.

“Don’t worry, it’s been washed since… that happened. So… can you overlook it for now?”

Huh? 

Lailah looked back at him; locking eye contact. His smile looked sad. It was like he knew something that she didn’t, and that it hurt him. He really wasn’t going to laugh at her for that… episode of hers? Unsure of what to say or do, all she could muster was a head nod. The smile relaxed. A relieved exhale escaped him as he placed a hand on her head.

“Thanks.” The light turned green and Frank switched gears and immediately turned his attention back to the road.

The radio was background noise to ease the silence. If Frank was paying attention to it or it was having any effect on him, then he wasn’t showing it. Before he turned, Frank adjusted the heat a bit. It was extremely cold outside tonight… and she had everything. The heater turned primarily on her, his blanket, and one of his jackets. All Frank had on was his pajamas. The word Emergency greeted them and Frank made a quick turn to find a parking space. People hated parking in hospitals. There were usually no spaces to choose from, but he had managed to squirm his way into one where a car on each side had parked like an idiot. The whole time he had made it look effortless. Turning the car off, he went over to her side and took the blanket and helped her get out. Lailah never realized how much she used her hand until she was having a hard time with it. Frank supported her by the elbow or shoulder when she needed steadying. He locked the door behind them.

Thankfully, the emergency room wasn’t filled with people. A couple were coughing and one looked to be cold, and another was sitting down with crutches. Frank went over to the sign in tablet and began typing in her information all with the blanket tucked underneath his arm. He watched as she spelled out her name with no issues. He put in her symptoms, their address, and her birthday popped up.

“It’s—” Lailah blinked as Frank typed in her birthday without any hesitation.

Once the tablet had registered her, Frank wrapped an arm around her shoulder. She walked over to a chair in the corner and sat down. He wrapped the blanket around both of them and looked down at her hand. Lailah gave him a small smile and nudged him. This was sweet of him to do all this for her. Someone like Julie should be thankful to have someone like Frank to watch over them. She was thankful to have him as a roommate.

“Don’t give me that look.” Lailah said. “It’s fine.”

“…It looks terrible.”

“Yeah?” Lailah asked and pried the cloth from her skin slowly to look at the wound and replaced it.

“Yeah.”

“Looks can be deceiving.” She whispered, looking over at Frank.

“Heh… yeah. They can be.” He agreed with a small smile and rubbed her arm before turning his gaze to the TV with the weather. Cold fronts were moving in.

The woman behind the counter typed on her computer. She couldn’t express how thankful she was that Frank had taken into consideration that she might end up being cold. It felt like the hospital was even colder than normal. His kind nature had robbed him of anything to keep warm with. Lailah’s gaze remained on her hand. Some blood had dried the cloth to her wrist where it had run down. The weather had switched to a commercial break and Lailah had just closed her eyes to relax when a voice startled her.

“Lailah Collins?” A young woman holding a tablet looked around. She stood up and looked back at Frank. He gave a small smirk and got up, following behind her into the room. “Go ahead and take a seat over there.”

Lailah obeyed the woman and looked down at the floor. Frank was leaning against the wall with his arms folded. The woman gave a wincing noise causing Lailah to look up at her. The nurse was looking down at her hand with a frown.

“What did you do sweetie?” She asked, putting a cuff on her arm to get her blood pressure.

“…I cut myself.”

“I see that.” The nurse’s voice was empathetic and focused on taking her vitals. Lailah remained silent and did as was requested of her. The woman put a bracelet with her name and date of birth on it. “Your vitals are good. Let’s get you into a room.”

Lailah stood up and wrapped the blanket around herself. It wouldn’t really be painful. There would be numbing and once this was all done, she’d be able to go home and get some sleep. Her hand would hurt tomorrow when she was at work, but it would end up being a welcome relief to be able to do something other than sit at home and worry. The woman opened the door to the back of the ER and held it open for her.

“You can wait out there, Sir. This won’t take long.” The nurse instructed with a smile.

“Okay. Lailah—”

“No!” Lailah protested much to the nurse, hers, and Frank’s surprise. Her brows furrowed and she looked down at the floor. “… I want him with me.”

“Alright. That’s no problem.”

There was no explanation. Just the thought of being alone back here with all these people that she didn’t know while her one lifeline was sitting out in the lobby was petrifying. Frank and Lailah followed the woman through the door and down the hallway. There were monitors all around with people’s names on them. She wasn’t sure if they were patients or workers. The desk was covered with papers. Behind the desk was more organized, but barely. It looked like organized chaos as everyone seemed to know where everything was. A couple of people were eating food while talking to their co-workers. It reminded her of Yui and Feng and she ended up missing them terribly.

The woman showed them into a room. Lailah sat down on the bed while Frank took a chair. She assured them that the doctor would be with them soon and closed the curtain. It wasn’t her first time at the hospital. She knew that the hospital’s definition and the dictionary definition of “soon” were further apart than day and night. Lailah huddled into herself. Frank moved in the chair beside her. They were in a hospital, there was no reason for her to think that she would be harmed. There were too many people around for something to happen and nothing to be seen, but just having Frank here calmed her.

“You should call your parents.” His voice was low.

“My phone is at home.” Lailah said. “Besides, it’s fine. It’s getting taken care of.”

“Lailah. I told your dad I’d take care of you.”

Sighing, Lailah ended up giving Frank their number. Once he dialed it, she took his phone and put it up against her ear. The ringing went on. What if she was waking them up? What if they were driving? Lailah checked the clock on the phone. They should’ve already been home. The ringing continued. Just as he was about to hang up, her father’s tired voice came over the other line. Guilt gripped onto her heart. They had been trying to sleep.

“Hello?” Her father asked. “Who is this?”

“…Dad?”

“Lailah?” She heard the lamp on their bedside being turned on and her mother waking up. This hadn’t been what she wanted to do at all. “What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”

Tears instantly filled Lailah’s eyes. She felt like she was two centimeters tall and like she was six years old. She just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Had her other hand been available for use, she would’ve used it to wipe her tears before they fell. She blinked them back and looked up at the ceiling trying to force them away.

“U-Um… I just wanted to call you—w-well actually Frank told me I should call and let you know I’m at the hospital.”

“The hospital?” Her father asked.

“Lailah’s in the hospital?! Why?! What’s wrong?!” Her mother’s frantic voice came from by her father.

“It’s… It’s nothing major. I just cut my hand and Frank brought me to have it stitched up.”

“Daryl, let me talk to her.” The phone was passed and she heard her mother’s frantic voice full force now. “Lailah? What happened?”

“I-I…” Her voice was small and mousey again. Bottom lip quivering, she tried to speak, but nothing came out. Her vision blurred, and she closed her eyes and started crying. Her shoulders started shaking. It was getting harder to breathe.

“Lailah, baby, what happened?” She couldn’t answer and continued to cry. Her mother’s sigh only made the tears fall more. She was being a burden again. “Put Frank on the phone.”

As she continued to cry, she reached the phone over in the general direction of where Frank was. When he took the phone, she grabbed the blanket and pulled it more over her; like she was trying to hide. Right now, she just wished she’d disappear from existence. As best she could, she buried her face into his blanket.

“Yeah? Uh-huh. Yeah, she’s fine. No, just the one cut. What happened?” Frank’s eyes fell on her. Even though she had her face turned away, she could feel them on her. “We were having a few drinks when we got home. Then something about a Brainiac competition came on TV for Comstan High. Uh, I don’t know. No, she was fine then. Oh. Yeah. Some guy came on the TV. Apparently it was their team captain. The name? Uh… Austin Reynolds, I think.” Frank paused and made a small sound akin to confusion mixed with slight aggravation. “Yeah. No, that was definitely it. Yes, I’m sure. She looked shocked and dropped her glass and it crashed everywhere. I glanced at the TV, but when I looked back at her, she had a huge shard in her hand. Uh, yeah. I tried that. She didn’t hear me. She kept squeezing it. I shook her… awake I guess would be the best word. Yeah, I didn’t know what else to do. I got it from her and brought her here.”

Lailah wanted to cover her ears and just forget this whole thing happened. There was no way to distance herself from the conversation. It felt like the words were pressing into her head, forcing her to listen to them. To comprehend the conversation that she so desperately wanted to ignore. Nausea was rising in her stomach and into her throat. Her eyes screwed shut and tried to force it back down. Her small sniffles were shaking up her stomach.

“Yeah, I will. No problem. You wanna talk to her? Yeah, here she is.” Frank tapped her shoulder. Her red eyes looked up at him. She took the phone and put it up against her ear.

“Lailah… It’s okay.” Her mother said. “You’re not there.”

“You’re safe.” Her father whispered.

Lailah’s cries had increased. She hung her head and sniffled. The soft sniffling turned to hiccups as she tried to force herself to calm down. This was going to raise more questions, questions that she didn’t, wouldn’t answer. Despite her best efforts, she started to cough.

“Calm down, Sweetie. You’re going to make yourself sick.” Her mother comforted.

“You’re safe.” Her father repeated. “Frank is with you. He won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Lailah sniffled and looked up at Frank. His brows were knit together. He simply nodded. Part of her wanted to know what her parents had told him, but the more logical and dominant part let it go and cast those curiosities aside.

“… ‘kay.”

“We love you.” Her father said.

“I love you too.” Lailah’s voice was a small squeak. “Bye bye.”

Once the line went dead, she handed the phone back to Frank. It was nice of him to want to think about calling her parents. It had calmed her down slightly, but she kept coughing as she tried to calm down the rest of the way. Her stomach was full of bubbling acid. Her coughs turned into gagging. Frank grabbed the large trashcan just in time for Lailah to expel all the food from the restaurant and the alcohol into the can. Tears continued to fall and by the second round, Frank had gathered up her hair and was holding it while she continued her cycle of crying and vomiting. It was always like this. She’d end up getting herself worked up and it would proceed to violently vomiting. Lailah wanted to apologize and to thank him all in one; sorry for being pathetic. Sorry he had to see that. Thank him for holding her hair back. Thank him for taking her to the hospital to get her hand taken care of.

Just as another wave came to an end, and she was spitting the remnants into the trash can, the doctor came in to the room. He stopped momentarily before taking a seat on his stool. Without saying anything, Frank handed her some paper towel for her to wipe her mouth and blow her nose. When it was tossed, in the can, Frank replaced it and gave a small exhale. She didn’t deserve a good roommate like him. The way that he made sure that she was safe and secure when he didn’t have to was something that she didn’t deserve. Yui and Feng Min. She didn’t deserve them either. They were too good for her to have as friends. In place of sadness, depression decided to take over for its less severe emotion. The doctor sighed and looked at Frank and then at Lailah who had her head hung.

“How are you feeling?” The doctor asked. A young man; probably about five years older than herself asked. Lailah wanted to ask him how the hell he thought she felt, but she just nodded. “Says here you cut your hand pretty good. Let’s take a look.”

The doctor placed some gloves on and rolled over to her. Gently, he took her hand and took the cloth from it, making sure to be careful as it was stuck in some areas, and tossed it towards Frank. Her hand was severely cut open and dried blood was caked on many parts of her hand. The doctor made a small hissing sound and rolled back to grab some supplies. She was no medical professional, but she was sure glad to see them. Looking up at her every now and again was making her uncomfortable, but she pretended not to see it and focused on her hand being cleaned.

“So, what happened?” The doctor asked.

“She—”

“I’m asking her.” The doctor interrupted Frank with a steel cold voice.

“I uh… cut my hand on some glass.”

“Are you sure?”

“Huh?” Lailah blinked and looked over at Frank. His eyes were glued to the doctor. “Y-Yeah, I’m sure.”

The doctor glanced over at Frank and continued to clean her hand. He gathered the tools for stitching her hand. The needle didn’t bother her, but the way that the doctor was acting was. He seemed to have it out for Frank for some reason. Had they met before? No, they would’ve made that apparent by now, right?

“That must’ve been a pretty big piece of glass.” He said as he numbed her hand.

“It was.” She affirmed.

“Mm-hm.”

The tension in the air was making her stomach bubble again. This doctor was deft and adept with his work. He focused primarily on stitching her hand, but he was definitely focused on Frank’s movements as well. Once she was fully stitched, he was placing the remaining tools into the garbage and grabbed some gauze.

“Do we need to talk alone?”

“What?” Lailah blinked; feeling anxious. “Uh, no…?”

“I can send him out if—”

“Wait, hold on. Are you saying you think I did this?!” Frank yelled.

“That’s not what I’m saying.” The doctor said calmly. “I’m going to have to ask you to stop yelling or I’m going to have security escort you out.”

“That’s what you’ve been implying this whole goddamned time.”

“Frank didn’t hurt me!” Lailah defended and pulled her hand from the doctor’s the very second it was fully bandaged. “He wouldn’t do that.”

“Domestic abuse is very common among people your age.” The doctor said. “I’m looking out for my patient.”

“You’re insinuating something without having any reason for that thought.” Frank scoffed.

“I’ve seen plenty of couples come in here with a similar injury. A young woman that accidentally hurt themselves and a young man that decides to tell the story for her.” The doctor said. “I apologize if I’ve offended you.”

“…”

“Men that are your type—in my experience—are more prone to harming a woman.”

“Frank isn’t—”

“Is she good?” Frank interrupted glaring at the doctor.

“Yes.” He looked at Lailah. “Make sure you take some medicine for the pain. Don’t try to tough it out. I’ll have some instructions for you at the desk.”

The doctor left the room with a final look back at Frank. He looked positively livid. A red, angry aura practically radiated off him. Lailah stood up and gripped onto the blanket. Frank looked down at her and patted her head before they headed towards the desk. The woman was extremely nice and handed Frank a packet of aftercare instructions. She had tried to place a complaint about the doctor’s terrible bedside manner, but Frank wouldn’t let her. She followed him out. He buckled her back in the same he had before and placed the blanket over her before he got in the car. He slammed his door and turned the key into the ignition, turning on the heat and feeling it with both sides of his hand before heading out of their parking space.

The car was warm, but not just from the heater and her blanket. The heat of rage was filling it more than any heater could. Frank’s jaw was clenched and his hand was gripping onto the gearshift and the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles were white. What that doctor had said back there was completely unprofessional; and completely uncalled for. He had walked into Frank literally making sure she didn’t cake her hair with vomit. How the hell was he going to see that and automatically think domestic violence victim? Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to be having a stern talking to with her about how she better keep up the story or something like that or they’d get hurt even more once they got home? In truth, she couldn’t imagine Frank ever raising her hand at a woman or anyone at all unless they deserved it. That so-called doctor would’ve been one that would’ve deserved it. And men that looked like him? Is it because of his neck tattoo or just his buzz cut hair? If that’s what he judged potential domestic abusers as, then she couldn’t help but wonder if there were more like Frank that he had wrongly accused. The man needed to have a complaint put against him.

“I’m sorry that doctor assumed the worst of you…” Lailah said softly.

“It’s not the first time.” Frank gave a bitter laugh. “I’m sure it won’t be the last.”

“… That’s just wrong though.”

“It’s fine, Lailah.” Frank glanced over at her. “How’s your hand? Did he at least do that right?”

Lailah wiggled her fingers and clenched her hand into a fist, but very slightly.

“Yeah. Thank you, Frank… for bringing me here.”

“No problem. I wasn’t going to let you bleed out.”

“I don’t think I would’ve bled out from that.”

“Not taking that chance. Besides, I’ve had a lot of stitches in my life… I know what a wound looks like that’s gonna need them.” Frank turned down another street.

Lailah gave a small smile. As kind as Frank had been to her tonight. Or just in their whole relationship in general, she couldn’t help but feel bad. She was supposed to be the one helping him. Yet, all this time he was helping her. She couldn’t even do a favor right. Depression gripped onto her again, refusing to let go. Hanging her head, she looked down at her bandaged hand. If it wasn’t for him, there was no telling how much damage she would’ve done to it. Other than a dinner and covering a lie for him here and there, what had she really done? This was causing harm between him and Julie in their real, true relationship. Frank pulled into Promenade and Lailah felt more depressed than she had in a long time. One of her biggest failures in life was doing the exact opposite even though she was trying her hardest to help them. It wasn’t any different.

“Home sweet home.” Frank said and turned off the car. “Lailah?”

“Huh? Oh. Right.”

“C’mon. Let’s get inside. It’s warmer.”

Frank got out and walked with her up into the apartment. The warmth greeted them and she exhaled a sigh of relief. She took off her shoes and Frank grabbed their vacuum and started to search the area where they had been sitting for glass. All the shards swirling their way into the tank, she was worried that it was going to destroy it. She tugged the blanket around her body. Her eyes were heavy and she just wanted to relax. This had been one hell of a night. A quick glance at the clock made her sigh. Day. It had turned into a hell of a day. Once there was no more glass tornado being sucked from the carpet, she walked over to the couch and sat down. She watched as he cleaned off the top of the kotatsu and the surrounding blanket. There was no point in trying to help, he wouldn’t allow it.

It was one of the things that she liked and hated about him at the same time. She liked how when he put his mind to something, he would end up doing it. But, she also hated how bull headed he was and wouldn’t accept help when he decided to do something himself. Lailah frowned and ended up looking at the TV. All that was on now was infomercials. It beat what had been on before. Even though she was exhausted, she just couldn’t get her body tired enough as her brain was to fall asleep. Some commotion was going on in the kitchen. Lailah watched an infomercial of this young woman that was talking about a new bra that was better supporting for the breasts and some matching underwear. She talked about how she was so excited she was that she tried it because it relieved the pain in her back and improved her posture. Her favorite cup was in front of her, making her jump.

“Maybe you should get one of those.” Frank muttered, jutting his chin to the TV. “Careful, it’s hot.”

“Why?” Lailah frowned, looking over at Frank when he sat next to her with a sigh.

“Could improve your posture so you don’t put your tits in food anymore.”

“You’re not gonna let me live that down, are you?” Lailah asked and cautiously slipped at the drink Frank had given her. Hot chocolate. It had the tiny marshmallows in it too. It was her favorite. Did he really do that just for her?

“Not a chance in Hell.” Frank said and adjusted himself on the couch.

Lailah shook her head. Despite herself, a small smile ended up coming to her lips. Even in times like this, he was able to make her smile. She hoped that one day he would be able to do the same for him. Once in her life, she wanted to be able to repay Frank and let him confide in her and be able to help him when he was upset. The infomercial continued. They talked about the bra and underwear a couple more times before it finally ended and another began about a workout routine.

“Hey… Lailah?”

“Mm?”

Frank cleared his throat and looked over at her with furrowed brows. It was like something was caught in there and he was trying to cough it out. He wasn’t exactly the most shy person on the planet. But, he was caring. Strange and definitely caring. But, whatever he was planning on asking it had shocked him and worried him completely into shyness.

“What… happened?” His voice was soft, each word was being chosen deliberately and slowly as if not to frighten her. “Why did you react that way to that news report? To him?”

Lailah looked down at her hands around the mug. How did she know it was going to come to this? Her lips parted, but nothing came out. Even after a couple more times she wasn’t able to form any words. It had been so long since she talked about any of this. What would Frank think if she told him? What would he do or say? Would he judge her? Hate her? Or the worst of them all; pity her… Honestly, she would prefer to be hated than pitied. Burning flared from her nasal passages and tears started to burn her eyes as well; blurring her vision. She exhaled deep from within herself and sniffled. He was her roommate.

“I-I…” Lailah trailed off. A large hand was placed on her head and she looked at Frank. A small smile was on his face.

“You know what? You’ve been through enough tonight… Let’s dump all the baggage later.”

Unconsciously, she let out an exhale. After everything that happened, she wanted to be able to answer Frank but her body wouldn’t let her. She thought that as time passed, it would be easier to talk about. Especially to someone that was close to her. Especially to someone that she appreciated, but she couldn’t. Perhaps one of the best things about it is that Frank didn’t push it. He just… knew her. If there was a time that she was ready to talk about it, then she would be able to tell him. But, now wasn’t the right time, apparently. Lailah nodded,

“Alright.”

“Why don’t you get one of your movies to watch it?” Frank suggested.

“… You…You wouldn’t mind?”

“Have I yet?”

“… No.” Lailah admitted.

Checking his face, it seemed that he really didn’t mind. Either that, or he had an excellent poker face. She got up and sat the hot chocolate on the kotatsu before heading to her room. She grabbed one of her movies and headed back into the living room. Popping the DVD in the player, she started it and sat back down on the couch next to her roommate. Her eyes focused on the screen once she pressed play. Getting your mind off a traumatic situation was one of the best ways to speed recovery in her opinion. It would allow you to face everything at your own pace without shoving everything on your plate at one time. A small smile came to her face as the movie continued. Every now and again, she would take a sip of her hot chocolate. Peeking from the corner of her eyes, she watched Frank intently focused on the movie. As much as she wanted to stay out of that mindset, she found herself jumping back in. Julie didn’t deserve Frank. Nor did she think that she appreciated him as much as she should. There were so many things that he had done for her, someone who wasn’t even his girlfriend. She couldn’t imagine what sort of things he’d do for someone he loved. There weren’t many men like Frank. Julie needed to appreciate him more. Perhaps she would need to have a legitimate talk with her, Let her know that she should appreciate him and keep him close as there were many women that would try to take him from her. If she could help, even that little bit, then she would feel better about the situation in general.

Lailah moved some blanket from her so that it was around him as well; just as they were in the hospital. It was nice to spend time next to someone that didn’t need to talk to fill the silence. They could just sit like this and watch movies and feel peaceful. Was this friendship? Lailah couldn’t recall any times that she had ever been friends with a guy, so she wasn’t sure. There was no reason for her to think that it would be any different from a friendship with a female, but she didn’t know for sure. Asking if they were friends was risky. If the answer was “no”, then things could’ve gotten extremely weird. If he said “yes”, then she would be able to feel better knowing that their relationship had improved. It was the potential of the “no” that loomed that made her nervous about the whole situation all together. Right here, in this moment though, she didn’t have to worry about that. They could just sit and enjoy the movie together without thoughts for tomorrow or regards to what had happened already. Her eyelids were getting heavier the more she relaxed.

The sun was high in the sky. Her eyes opened. Instantly, she looked around, squinting her eyes from the light hitting her sensitive eyes. How did she get to her room? Was everything that happened a dream? The bandage was still on her hand. No… it wasn’t. The last thing that she remembered, she was watching a movie with Frank. A loud yawn ripped through her and she looked at her pillow. It would be so easy to just lay back down and go to sleep. But, she had work today. And she wanted to go. No, she needed to go. It would help her move on from yesterday. And, she would eventually have to tell Feng and Yui about what happened. Getting it over and done with today was going to save a lot of headaches later. Her nose scrunched up as another yawn tore through her. One thing was for certain, she needed to get up and brush her teeth. As she left the bathroom, she caught sight of her bed. Her usual blanket was up against the wall. The blanket that Frank had given her was underneath her while the one he had wrapped around her yesterday was on top. Lailah didn’t even remember heading to bed, and the sleep had been sound and comfortable.

She walked out of her room and frowned. The light was even brighter out here. Lailah scratched her head and headed to the kitchen. She needed something to get her awake or she wouldn’t be able to go to work. Frank was on the phone as she approached from behind. She wanted to wish him a “good morning”, and give him another “thank you”, but she’d have to wait until he was done.

“Yeah, it was fine. Good actually. Thanks for letting me borrow that stuff for the dinner. I’ll get it back to you soon.” Frank chuckled slightly and raised his brows with a sigh. “Oh? Yeah, no problem. Tonight is fine. I don’t have any plans. Alright man, I’ll see you. Later.”

Lailah cleared her throat once Frank ended the call and sat his phone down. He turned around and wiped his nose and gave a small cough. He blinked slightly as he looked her up and down. Another smirk came to his face.

“Good morning, Starshine. The Earth says ‘hello’.” Frank said in a bright voice.

“Morning.” Lailah mumbled taking the cup that he offered to her. “Thanks.”

“Sleep well?”

“Mm.” Lailah said and took a sip of the coffee.

“Good.”

“Frank…?”

“What’s up?”

“Thanks… for you know, yesterday.” Lailah gave him a soft smile. He would never know what it meant to her that he did all that for her, nor would he ever know how much she was embarrassed for letting herself be that vulnerable to him.

“No problem.” Frank sighed and patted her head again. Was that his new thing? “You got work today?”

“Yeah. No classes.” Lailah said.

“Are you sure that—”

“I want to go. It’ll be great to get to work instead of sitting at home and moping.”

“Alright. Well, what time do you go in?” Lailah swallowed some more coffee.

“What time is it now?”

“Uh,” Frank checked his phone. “3:10.”

“In the afternoon?!” Lailah exclaimed.

Frank looked around as he took a sip of his own coffee,

“Well it sure as hell isn’t in the morning.” He chuckled.

“You let me sleep that long?”

“I knocked on your door, but you were snoring. I didn’t have the heart to wake you up.”

Lailah looked down at her cup of coffee. She couldn’t believe that she had slept so long. Nor could she believe that he had let her sleep that long. After everything that had happened, she had been so exhausted, but she hadn’t realized how much. As much as she appreciated it, this could end up majorly fucking up her sleep schedule. Knowing her though, and how much she loved sleep, she would end up being find at the end.

“So, I take it you have work soon.”

“About an hour. I go in at 4.”

“Four to what?” Frank asked.

“Nine.”

“Yui has you on some strange hours.” Frank muttered.

“Yeah, but it’s alright. I don’t mind.” Lailah drank the rest of her coffee. “I’m going to get ready.”

“You better.”

Lailah gave a small laugh and headed to the bathroom. Making sure to take extra care for her stitches, she took a shower. The hot water felt good and washed away all the bad memories and experiences from the previous day down the drain with the water. She hadn’t meant to take such a long shower, but she had. By the time she had gotten out and gotten dressed, she had about five minutes to get there. She got her apron, shoes, and phone.

“You’re uh… running a bit late.” Frank told her.

“No shit!”

“Want a ride?”

“I don’t really have a choice.”

“Don’t sound so excited.” He laughed and grabbed the keys and headed out, getting into the car.

They didn’t live too far away, but she knew she wouldn’t have been able to walk all the way there without being late. Yui wouldn’t mind if she was a couple minutes late, but she didn’t want to end up taking advantage of one of her best friends being the boss. Frank had gotten her there with a minute to spare. She unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Hey.” Frank called her back just as she was about to leave the car.

“What?”

“Here.” He held out a bag that she assumed had food in it. “Make sure you eat. You threw up all your food yesterday. And I don’t feel like hearing your stomach growl when you get home. Eating sweets all day isn’t good for you either.”

Lailah’s eyes widened as she looked at the brown paper bag. Did he really pack her a sack lunch for work? This seemed very out of character for someone that had a neck tattoo and a gruff personality to the general public; along with a snarky and teasing personality. She nodded and took the paper bag with an awkward smile.

“Yeah, I’ll eat it, Dad.”

“Ooh, I was right.”

“Huh? About what?” Lailah asked, visibly confused.

“I do like being called ‘Dad’. Try ‘Daddy’ now.”

Lailah couldn’t help it and ended up snorting a laugh. She reached over and smacked his arm.

“You’re such a pig.” She said and got out of the car and closed the door. “Bye.”

“You’re on your own on the way home.”

“Yeah, you’re hanging out with Joey and them, right?”

“Eavesdropping isn’t good, Lailah.” Frank smirked and reversed the car. “Later.”

Lailah headed inside and waved to Feng before heading to the back and clocked in. She put her apron on and tied it behind her, taking her place behind her counter. Feng had a hand on her hip and was resting on the wall. She furrowed her brows and looked at her friend. What was her issue? Feng never looked this aggravated, it was almost borderline angry.

“Yui!” Feng called. Their boss emerged from the back. She awkwardly waved at her boss and watched her face turn sour. Was she about to lose her job? Was this really how the day was going to start?

“Wh-What’s wrong?” Lailah stammered.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were hurt?!” Feng Min exclaimed.

“Huh?”

“Your hand.” Yui pointed.

Lailah looked down at her hand and sighed. Of course she wasn’t going to be able to hide it from her friends. There had been every intention of telling them about last night and into this morning, but she was going to hear about it from them that they had to wait until hours later to know that their friend had been harmed. There was going to be some serious backtracking and explaining to do. She just hoped that when she was done they would both be satisfied enough to where they didn’t look like they were about to jump her and kick the shit out of her for not keeping them updated.

“I got back from the dinner and was having a few drinks with Frank. I ended up dropping my glass and cutting my hand. He ended up taking me to the hospital and getting me stitched up.”

“Why do I feel like this is the short version?” Feng Min asked.

Perceptive as ever.

“Details, who needs ‘em?” Lailah laughed nervously. Yui’s brow raised at her proclamation. Was she planning on interrogating her too?

“What? Who? Us!” Feng exclaimed, slamming her hand down on the counter.

“Feng.” Yui grabbed onto her friend’s other arm. When the two locked gazes, she shook her head. “Don’t.”

“…”

“You’ll tell us later, won’t you?” Yui asked.

“Eventually.” Lailah nodded.

“Good.”

“What about the dinner?!” Feng asked. “How did that go?”

A group of customers came in. Feng retreated to the back with Yui. While she was taking thier orders, Feng returned and refilled the bakery case by her side with pastries. A few of the customers looked entranced by the goodies. Lailah’s stomach started to rumble. Perhaps she could convince Yui to let her have one before her break. It was so long until then and she was so hungry. Frank had been right, had he not given her that sack lunch she would’ve been dying from hunger when she arrived home. Great thinking ahead.

Lailah took the cans off the shelves and handed them to Feng and typed in the order for the group. Yui came to her side and grabbed the snacks. It felt like it was going to be a really busy day. That was good. That would keep the time going faster and she would be able to get some more sleep in. If she had to estimate, she would say that she had gotten about 12 hours of sleep. For her to still be tired was crazy. Was there such a thing as getting too much sleep? But, wouldn’t that make you more awake instead of getting sleepier? She printed off their receipt and gave it to the man that lead the group. Yui handed them the pastries while Lailah headed to the back in order to make two boba teas.

“So, did you and Frank kiss?” Feng asked almost making Lailah drop the boba teas before she could seal them.

“What?!”

“You did?!”

“I didn’t say that, Feng.” She grunted as her stomach had pains shooting through it again. Quickly, she sealed the teas and shook her head.

“You didn’t say ‘no’.”

Lailah and Feng handed the teas to the customers and watched them head out. Yui looked at the two with a slightly amused look on her face. Whatever was going through Yui’s head, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to know. It would no doubt result in more teasing on her part.

“Well, I’m saying it now. No.”

“‘No’ to what?” Yui asked.

“I asked if her and Frank kissed last night and she got super defensive over it.”

“Oh, did she?” Yui turned to look at Lailah.

“You guys are reading too much into things. This is a fake relationship. Why are Frank and I the only ones that seem to understand that part?” Lailah sighed and changed the receipt paper, trying to find something to do before her embarrassment ended up coming out. Then they would think that she was lying.

“We get it, we just don’t think it’ll stay like that.” Yui said.

“You have chemistry. Really hot chemistry.” Feng added. “I’m sure it will lead to hot reactions too.”

“Feng! Stop… Geez…” Lailah sighed.

Lailah couldn’t even begin to imagine her and Frank as anything more than friends. Just as she tried to have the thought cross her mind, a little person inside her brain held up her arms and crossed them over each other in an ‘X’ motion screaming “hell no!”. Her nose scrunched up. Could a guy and a girl really not be friends or roommates without someone thinking that they’re going to end up becoming something more?

“Seriously though, what happened? Both of your guys’ parents were there, right?”

“Yeah, we got there. We said ‘hi’ to all of them. My mom tried to break me and Frank by asking all these questions that made us think on our feet.”

“What kind of questions?” Yui asked.

“How we met, how happy we were, shit like that. Then Frank’s parents decided to join in. So we had four adults asking us about a relationship that doesn’t really exist.” Lailah sighed and started to wipe down the counter.

“I’m sensing an ‘and’ here.” Feng said.

“They wanted to know what we loved most about each other.” Her voice was low.

Feng gave a loud gasp and slammed her hand against the counter again. Lailah had to go over it with the rag and get rid of the handprint she left from still having the residue of the snacks on her hands. Feng wiped her hands on her apron and was practically bouncing on her heels.

“I knew there was something juicy there!” Feng exclaimed. “What’d you say?”

“I don’t even remember. I just tacked some shit he’s done with a quality he has. I was hoping that it sounded convincing. Frank’s parents didn’t say anything, so I assumed it was alright.”

“You have to remember something.” Yui asked.

“I just said I liked his awkwardness—”

“Loved his awkwardness.” Feng corrected making Lailah clear her throat.

“Loved his awkwardness. And some shit I don’t remember. Then I just said that I liked—”

“Loved—”

“Loved being around him.” Lailah continued to wipe down the counter over spaces so much that she would end up making whatever being lived in the sky blind from how shiny she would end up making it. Yui and Feng looked at each other and both smiled before turning to look back at Lailah.

“So, what did Frank say?” Yui asked.

“You know, it all happened so fast, I don’t remember.”

“Bullshit.” Feng said and smirked. “C’mon. Spill.”

“…”

“C’mon, Lailah.” Yui said softly, a smile on her face.

“He said that he loved my spunk.”

“That it?” Feng asked.

“And that he loved how obsessed I am with keeping the floor by the door clean.”

Those eyes. I love how each emotion reaches them. Especially when you laugh.

“And?” Feng had her hands clasped together.

“He just said that he was glad that we met.” Lailah cleared her throat and gripped onto her abdomen.

“Another pain?” Yui asked.

“You should’ve gotten that checked when you were in the hospital.” Feng folded her arms.

“I didn’t think about it.” Lailah admitted. “I was too aggravated at the doctor for assuming Frank was the one that injured me.”

“What?!” Feng exclaimed.

“Yeah. He kept trying to get me to talk like I was hiding the fact that Frank was the one that hurt me.”

“I know he looks like a thug, but I don’t think he’d hurt anyone.” Yui mumbled.

“Me neither.”

“I was hoping you two kissed…” Feng mumbled.

“Give it time.” Yui said.

“I just want a little fan service.”

“Good things come to those who wait.” Yui smirked and looked at her friend, consoling her.

“You both are so dramatic.” Lailah snorted a laugh. “That isn’t going to happen.”

More customers came into the store. From then on; all three of them were bouncing around trying to keep everyone happy and busy. She wondered why everyone was flocking to the store so much. This was the most customers that she had seen at one time since she started working here. Feng and Yui seemed used to this much and didn’t really have an issue. Lailah was having a hard time keeping up, and actually ended up having to work in the back for prepping and making boba teas while she was eating her lunch since they were so busy. A lot of the customers ended up being young adults that were either coming from school, going to, or were studying.

By the time they had a time to themselves, the sun had already fallen. Lailah let out a sigh of relief and felt like laying face first on the floor. It was so stressful. Easing into something like that was one thing. Customers going from zero to ten with no warning was something completely different. Her head was throbbing as was her hand. She had ended up having to go to the break room to get some pain pills since it was starting to hurt each time she moved her fingers. That was quite a lot of moving from making tea, baking, and ringing up customers. The pain had went down to her wrist, and she ended up groaning when she took a person’s order. She gripped onto her wrist and rubbed it. Working was supposed to help her move her thoughts from the previous day and keep looking forward, but with all the customers she hadn’t had time to acclimate with her injury.

Lailah glanced at the clock. It was nine. She had taken off her apron and was about to head to the break room to clock out when Yui came from the back and touched her shoulder. From beyond the flapping curtain, she could see Feng rushing to create more boba for the teas. Yui was struggling with ingredients to create the actual part of the teas.

“Hey, I know you’re supposed to leave right now, but do you think that you could stay another hour? I’d really, really appreciate it and really, really owe you.”

“Oh, yeah, no problem. Let me call Frank to let him know okay?”

“Yeah. Thanks, Lailah.”

She didn’t really need to check in with Frank, but she figured that it would be polite. She’d want to know if something else was going to happen and he wasn’t going to be home when he said he would. Trying to prevent herself from getting into another situation like she had when she came home to him and Julie having sex, she called him. On the second ring, he picked up. In the background, Julie and Susie were laughing.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, Frank?”

“What?” He asked. He sounded annoyed.

“Oh, I—”

“Can’t talk.”

“Babe, c’mon!” Julie called from the background.

“I just—”

“Said I can’t talk right now!” He yelled.

“Oh…” Lailah cleared her throat. Some sniffling came from the background and some loud music was turned up even louder. “Sorry…”

“Frank, there’s some left!” Susie exclaimed. It sounded like a bottle was being opened.

“Be there in a minute.”

“Talk to—”

“Yeah, whatever. Bye.”

Lailah looked at the phone when the call ended. Frank had hung up on her. Was she wrong in thinking that they had become closer? Was she wrong in thinking that they had become friends? It would seem so. Her shoulders slumped. With a deep sigh, she shoved her phone into her back pocket and went back to work. Yui seemed to notice something was wrong with her since she was sniffling, but she said nothing except another “thank you” before heading into the back once more.

More people came in throngs. Lailah barely had any time to use the restroom as when she came back, Feng was flooded with trying to man the register and keep making boba. Apologizing, Lailah took over the register again. It felt like ten would never get there. Customer after customer; student after student; elderly person after elderly person. It never seemed to end. Yui practically ran to the door and locked it, switching the sign to closed. All three let out a collective sigh of relief. Lailah slid down to the floor. While the doors might be locked, they were far from done. There was still the cleanup that had to be done, taking care of the garbage, and cleaning the restrooms.

Lailah volunteered to take care of the sweeping and mopping. Yui ended up cleaning the bathroom while Feng took care of manning the cleanliness of the back. The three worked quickly; desperately wanting to get home. Once they were done and Lailah had finally been able to clock out, it was almost 11 PM. Her stomach was starting to rumble too. Cooking was not an option. She said goodbye to her friends and sighed, turning and heading home. She supposed that she should stop by the convenience store and grab something. It would be a way to sate her own hunger and a way to apologize to Frank for bothering him so much. Lailah pulled out her phone and scrolled down to ‘Frank’ in her phone. Sighing, she locked her phone and put it back in her pocket.

Lailah walked into the convenience store and smiled at the cashier. Maybe she should buy a pack of cigarettes for Frank as well. While she didn’t really like that he smoked—since he was harming himself—she figured it would be another good way to apologize for being a burden. Her shoulders were hunched as she headed up and down the aisles. There were a few pre-cooked meals that were still delicious. She ended up grabbing four for Frank and two for herself. Chips and some candy were next. Who could still be angry at someone who brought them snacks? Lastly, she decided that she’d just complete the order with gathering some soda. Grabbing his favorite and hers, she walked up to the register and sat the items down.

“Hello.” The man said.

“Hi there.”

“How are you?” He asked, grabbing her items and started to scan them.

“Good, can I get a pack of du Maurier cigarettes. Signatures.”

“May I see your ID please?” The man asked.

“Oh! Yeah, of course.” Lailah reached into her wallet and retrieved her ID, handing it over to the man.

A loud sound scared Lailah, making her scream out and covered her ears. Her eyes darted towards the sound. The door to the convenience store flew open. Metal scraped against stone. Four people ran in. On each of their faces was a mask. Her eyes widened and fear stabbed her.

It’s them…

Notes:

There you have it! This was an interesting one to write. There was a lot going on without too much going on if that made sense. I wanted to flesh out more of Lailah's inner thoughts about herself as well as her relationship with her parents and the fledgling relationship that she has growing with Frank. I hope you enjoyed it.

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On a serious note, domestic abuse is a very, VERY real thing. If you, or someone that you know is a victim of domestic abuse, please call the following number if you live in the US:

1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
or
1-800-787-3224 (TTY) (For deaf or the hard of hearing)

Video phone (only for Deaf callers): 1-855-812-1001

Chat is also open 24/7/365
Their mailing address is:

The National Domestic Violence Hotline
PO Box 90249
Austin, Texas 78709
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Remember that there is no excuse for being abused. Both women AND men can be abused, and it is NEVER your fault. Abuse can be either physical, emotional, or mental. I encourage and implore you to seek help. Save yourself. If you have children; do it for them as well as yourself. Your life is important and has no right to be in anyone else's hands, but your own. YOU are important and you are loved. Take charge and advocate for yourself. I'll always be rooting for you. <3

Chapter 12: The Legion

Summary:

"I made a choice and he didn’t like it and left…"

Notes:

Hello beauties and gentlebeauties! Welcome back to Bruises and Bitemarks. Chapter 12. It's crazy that we're here already. I want to thank all of you that have commented and kept me going and kept my inspiration and motivation up from your wonderful words. It really means a lot to me. I hope that you enjoy reading this chapter.

It was them. They weren’t like anything like they were on the news report. They were more intimidating. More terrifying. Her throat was closing and her chest was clenching. The man behind the counter and thrown his hands up instantly and stepped back from the register. Every ounce of possible regret seeped into her pores. Why did she have to be nice? Frank was the one that had flew off the handle at her! Why should she have to apologize?! Well… she had been a burden lately, but If she hadn’t stopped in here to make amends then she wouldn’t be in this situation right now! Should’ve. Could’ve. Would’ve. They were all past tense. It was now. Here. Currently. Those were what was the most important. How was she supposed to get home? Would she end up dying here?

Four masks stared at her. Two; the flesh looking one and the skeleton one looked at the man behind the register. Even from her spot, she could see that he was starting to sweat. Cold sweat pricked at the nape of her neck and the color drained from her face. One of the smiling face masks; red on the eyes and mouth twirled a knife in their fingers. The dainty hands were a woman’s. The other smiling face mask; red across just its mouth started to come closer to her. She whimpered and started backing up. Keeping her eyes on him, she ended up knocking off chips, gum, energy drinks, caffeine pills onto the ground; surrounding her. Yelling came from the counter, but she didn’t care. Her priority was trying to get as far away from this person as humanly possible.

From the corner of her eyes, she watched the man behind the counter shove all the money into the bag. He dropped a few bills, but hurried in gathering more from the register. The other smiling masked person went to the counter and pointed her knife at the man. It seemed like she whispered something under her breath only for the man to hear. He nodded and scampered to pick up everything on the floor as well. The masked man was focused on her. Completely. It was unsettling. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes. Now wasn’t the time. She had to take in everything in order to keep her senses sharp for when the cops ended up asking her questions. If she even made it out of this.

The heel of her shoe caught against a metal shelf making her fell to the ground with a thud, sending more chips and energy drinks flying in different directions. It seemed like the others had gotten all the money. The worker behind the counter put his hands behind his head and backed up towards where the cigarettes were. The panic button had to have been close to him. The masked man didn’t look behind him, just waved two fingers. The two that had gathered the money ended up heading out the door. 

Is this person the Leader? I’m going to die…

Unable to hold them back any longer, the tears started to fall. As if annoyed by her distress, the smiling woman came over to the other’s side as she scampered backwards, the pills crashing around in their bottles. Her lips parted and small sobs started coming. 

Smiling Woman was walking faster and had her knife pulled towards Lailah. A cry of distress left her, and she flinched. Smiling Man put an arm out and stopped her, almost like a mother who was trying to keep her child from flying forward from an unexpected hard brake in a car. She looked over him and he leaned down, whispering something to her. Smiling Woman clicked her tongue. The tears started to pour over when she gripped tighter onto her knife. Even behind the mask, she could tell that Smiling Woman was doing anything other than what her mask was showing.

Smiling Man squatted down in front of her and tilted his head to the side as she cried. Sniffles tore through her. A hunting knife dangled from his hand between his legs. How long would it take for an ambulance to get to her if she got stabbed? Would he instantly kill her? The man brought a finger to the smile on his mask. While the tears continued to fall, she closed her mouth and sniffled. Her chest heaved. With everything she was, she tried to control the whimpers that were desperately trying to escape her. Was he going to stab her? While still looking at her, he reached into his pocket. Lailah tried to back up, but he held up a finger. Listening to a criminal was usually the smartest thing to do in this sort of situation, it still terrified her.

In his other hand, resting between the bandages on his hand was something she wasn’t able to recognize. Slowly, he placed it down between them. It was a bright, yellow smiley face pin. Her gaze quickly left the pin to look back at him. His head had tilted to the other side. Lazily, he pointed the knife at his mask, tapping the smile before he stood up. Was he… telling her to smile? Her bottom lip quivered. Lailah wanted to be anywhere, except right there. He turned and headed towards the door; sheathing the hunting knife in his belt loop before kicking open the door and leaving.

Once they had left and Lailah had seen the four head into the darkness, the tears started once again. Somehow, she had survived. That Smiling Woman was going to kill her. Even though she was unable to see behind the mask, it was obvious that the intention was there. Why did Smiling Man stop her? From behind the counter, she heard the man scamper for the store phone. How long would she end up being at the police station? Would she even be able to get home before tomorrow? She just wanted a shower and to get into bed; perhaps end up crying herself to sleep. The smiley face pin stared at her from the cold, stone tiles. How the hell did she manage to always get herself into these situations? Almost autonomously, she grabbed the pin and looked at it. Yellow. Smiling. There was nothing special about it. Why had he placed it there? Was this some sarcastic way to get to smile? What did it matter to him if she smiled or not? A way to make her smile was to never run into him again. Lailah’s throat and lips went dry. Fingers shaking, she turned the pin over and saw two words written in black, blocky lettering. This was definitely a man’s handwriting.

“The Legion?” Her voice was a whisper. Is that what they called themselves? Why?

Lailah wanted to help clean up the mess that she had made from tripping, but the man had assured her to just rest. He had even given her a chair. While it was a nice gesture, she really wanted to just leave and head home. To lay in bed and forget this whole occurrence ever happened. However, she had to wait so that she could talk to the cops. As she waited, she fiddled with the pin that The Legion’s leader had given her. Her brows furrowed. Smiling Woman could’ve killed her with no issues. Could’ve killed the man too. Smiling Man prevented it. Then “told” her to calm down and to smile. What was his game? His agenda? Was it really to just rob as many places as she could?

By the time that the police arrived, Lailah was almost asleep. It was a good thing that none of them had guns—that she had seen—and threatened to shoot them. Both her and the man would’ve been dead with how slowly they arrived. One was a chunky officer. His partner was a well-toned man who looked around and gave a sigh. From the looks of it, this wasn’t his first rodeo. The chunkier officer however, looked rather shocked at the mess. He took out his paper and started questioning the worker. The toned cop came over to her and squatted down in front of her, just like The Legion’s leader had. Although this time, she wasn’t terrified.

“Hey there.” His voice was smooth; like a whisky that was poured into a crystal glass over some ice cubes. Lailah merely nodded. “I’m Detective Morgan. Would you tell me what happened?”

“I-I…” This wasn’t usually how she was. With so many things happening back to back, her emotions were losing control of themselves. The tears started falling with how gentle his voice was and how careful he was in talking. Detective Morgan sighed; it only made her cry more. Not only had she been a burden on Frank, her parents, and her friends, but now she was a burden on the law. As much as she wanted to tell Detective Morgan everything, the words just wouldn’t come. The employee had no issues though. He just started talking to the other officer like it was another day at work. Did they get robbed frequently?

Detective Morgan waited until his partner was done before offering her a hand. Lailah grabbed it and was carefully lifted to her feet. The chunkier officer was jotting more things down in his pad of paper. Not being too familiar with the law, she had no clue what he could be scrawling down. Maybe she had disappointed this officer too with her inability to keep it together.

“Could you accompany us to the station?” Lailah’s eyes widened. The gesture made him give a smile. Just as soft as his voice. “You’re not in trouble. It’s warm there. We have coffee too, or water. It might be easier to talk to us.”

“Y-Yeah. Okay.” Lailah nodded.

Detective Morgan and his partner—introduced as Detective Foreman—led her to the cop car. Before she was escorted in, she tried to call Frank. Might as well tell him that she was going to be even later to begin with. The call was declined. She hung her head and got in the car.

The whole way to the station, she listened to Detectives Foreman and Morgan talking about where they were going to head for dinner. There weren’t many places that were still open this late—or early now. Life as a cop must be difficult. Their schedules were so irregular, it was a miracle that they could get anything done. The police chatter on the radio was calm as well. Wherever The Legion had gone, no one was picking anything up. Lailah looked down at the smiley face pin in her hands. Giving it to the cops would end up hopefully helping them in figuring out who these people were.

The police station was surprisingly warmer than the convenience store. Officers Morgan and Foreman guided her inside. Her brows furrowed. Hugging herself, she followed Officer Morgan to a room where she could be talked to. It wasn’t an interrogation room per se, but it was away from everyone else, so it made her a little nervous. A quick turn of the head and there were other officers that were at their desks. A couple were drinking coffee while some were passing around some food that must’ve been bought for the others. Now because of her bad timing, Detective Morgan was missing out on the food he was craving the whole way there. Without her control, her shoulders slumped and she hung her head.

The moment that she sat down, Detective Morgan sat some coffee in front of her. Lailah wrapped her hands around it and just held it. The night had been so long and cold, it was great to feel something warm; even if it was just some coffee in a flimsy cup. Detective Morgan cleared his throat, causing Lailah to look up. He had a small smile on his face again and adjusted himself in the chair across from her. His hands were folded on the top of the desk.

“It seems like you’ve calmed down quite a bit.” He said, making Lailah nod. She looked down at the coffee and took a sip, making her nose scrunch up. “Yeah, it isn’t the best… but it’ll keep you warm.”

“Thanks…”

“Would you care to tell me what happened, Miss…?”

“Collins. Lailah Collins.”

“Alright, Miss Collins. Could you?”

“W-Well, yeah. Um… I got off work and was heading home. It was late and I didn’t feel like cooking when I got home, so I stopped at the store to grab something…”

“What time would you say this was?”

“I uh… left work around 11, so…” Lailah’s brows furrowed and she tilted her head. “Probably around 11:10, maybe 11:15.”

Detective Morgan nodded and took a sip of the coffee that he had brought for himself. In all her thinking, she hadn’t even realized. Lailah took another sip of the bean liquid that they called “coffee”. Poor cops. They did so much all day and night and this is what they got to look forward to when they were getting tired? This was… absolutely terrible. It was nice that Detective Morgan had thought of her enough to do this though.

“Go on.”

“Um… I-I went to the register and was checking out. There was a really loud sound. When I turned to look… t-they—”

“They were there?” Lailah simply nodded. “What happened next?”

“It all happened so quickly. There were two that stayed at the counter; a girl that had a mask that looked like flesh and another that had a skeleton mask. I-I guess they were threatening the cashier. The other two, both were wearing smiling masks had their attention on me.” Lailah shifted in her chair. “The Smiling Woman was going to stab me, a-at least I think she was going to, but The Smiling Man stopped her. He gestured the other two off and whispered something to the Smiling Woman. He just got really, really close to me. I fell, and he got down in front of me.”

“I bet you were scared.” Detective Morgan said. Lailah’s lip quivered and she nodded.

“I-I was…”

“Did he talk?”

“No. He put a finger to his mask telling me to be quiet. I-I wasn’t sure what else to do, so I did what he said. Or well, gestured. Oh!” Lailah took out the pin from her apron pocket. “Then he put this down in front of me. He tapped the smile on his mask before leaving.”

“Did he touch this pin?” Detective Morgan asked, looking at the smiley face pin.

“No… he kept it on some bandages he put on his hands.”

“…” Detective Morgan looked a bit aggravated at the information. “May I see it?”

“Y-Yeah, of course. You can have it.”

Lailah handed Detective Morgan the pin. He looked it over and over as she had. His fingernail tapped it. Whatever he was doing must’ve made sense to him, but to her it looked just strange. There was always the chance he was trying to see if there was some secret about it, but to her it just looked like a cheap smiley face pin. A grunt from the detective made her think that he had come to the same conclusion. He turned it over and his eyes scanned over the writing on the back. His brows furrowed and he huffed a small laugh.

“The Legion, hm?” His voice sounded more amused than shocked. Green eyes looked up and he smiled once more at her. “Thank you, Miss Collins. You’ve been a wonderful help.”

“I-I have?”

“Absolutely. Do you have anyone to take you home?”

Lailah swallowed the lump that was in her throat and looked down at her phone. There were a few people that she could call, but none that would probably be up at 2 AM. Yui and Feng were probably far in Dreamland too. Her parents had dealt enough with her shit for a lifetime. There was no point in burdening them any longer. Besides, they lived about an hour. By the time they got her and headed home, the sun would probably be up. Scrolling through her contacts, really the only other person that she could contact was…

“Yeah…” Lailah hit the call button and internally sighed. What would she do if he didn’t answer her? Would she end up having to stay here for the night? Or would they take her home? The detectives had already been so kind to her before. The last thing she wanted to do was inconvenience them more than she already had. After the second ring, a groggy voice came from the other end.

“What?”

“Frank…?” Lailah mumbled, playing with the end of her apron. The other end of the line sounded strange and she ended up frowning. Was he about to hang up on her?

“Lailah? What’s wrong?”

“I need you to come pick me up…”

“What? From where?” Frank’s tired, groggy voice was disoriented and he sounded a few milliseconds away from going back to sleep.

“Um… the police station.”

“The police station? What the hell are you doing there?”

“C-Can you just come get me, p-please?” Lailah started to tear up again.

“Hey, hey don’t cry.” Frank sounded somewhat comforting. “Yeah, I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay…” Lailah practically whimpered. “Bye.”

“Bye.”

Lailah was allowed to stay in the room until her roommate came to get her. Despite the coffee—if it could be called that—she was starting to fall asleep. Her eyelids were getting heavier, and she was having a hard time keeping her head up. A couple of times, she had caught herself just before her forehead had hit the table. Muffled sounds came from close by and the door opened; startling her. It almost jolted her fully awake. Frank was standing in the doorway with what looked like a jacket. She stood up and went over to him.

“Hey, Lailah, sorry I—” Frank grunted when Lailah slammed her body against his and wrapped her arms around him. It was so nice to see a familiar face. She turned her head away as the tears started to fill her eyes again.

“Is this your roommate?” Detective Morgan asked. Still holding onto Frank, she nodded. “Alright then, take care in getting home… okay?”

“Thanks, Detective. I’ll get her home safely.” 

Frank guided her outside of the station. Once they were in the parking lot, he turned her to face him. His eyes scanned over her and he smiled despite the tears that were still in her eyes. He flicked open the jacket he had with him and held it open. Smiling softly, she put her arms through the holes and he wrapped it around her. Just like any of his clothes, they were extremely large. This looked like a letterman jacket. It was red with the letter F on the front with white sleeves and red accent at the end. He grabbed the bottom and zipped it up to her chin. Lailah sniffed slightly when he pat her head. All the anxiousness was starting to ebb away being around him and feeling protected.

“A letterman jacket?” Lailah asked as he guided her to the car.

“Found it in my room when I was getting dressed. From high school.”

“Huh, it’s pretty cool.” She admitted, hugging herself. “Warm too… I thought these were supposed to be for looks. I didn’t know they were actually functional.”

“Never been in one before, hm?” Frank asked with a small huff.

“You’d have to have friends on sports for that.” Lailah murmured.

Frank started the car and put the heat on her like he normally did. Before he had even spoke, Lailah was already putting her seatbelt on. It really was warm. Not just the car, but the jacket too. She recalled in some high schools, that only the basketball and football teams had them. Usually they’d wear them every day; hot or cold. Now Lailah could see why. They were always so warm. Sometimes the teammates would let their girlfriends wear them too; almost like a possession thing. It was kind of interesting. Kind of sweet. Also kind of strange. For some reason, they were coveted and admired as well.

Swiftly, Frank pulled out of the police station and headed down the road to the house. What did she do in a past life to get stuck with all this shit luck? Having Frank turning out to be her roommate was shitty to start out with, but now it was pretty cool. Having a run in with The Legion, almost getting stabbed by Smiling Woman, and having to go to the hospital was too much in so little time. There were people that didn’t have that much excitement in their whole lives. Lailah wished that she was one of those people. Unfortunately, she was too busy being a burden on everyone else. Honestly, she was shocked that Frank had even picked up the phone. If he had realized it was her before he had, would he still have done so?

On the way, they had stopped at a light. He rested in his seat and looked at her. Lailah could feel every movement that he made. Even though the jacket had been in his closet for what sounded like a long time; it smelled like him. It was a comforting feeling. He was where home was, and home sounded so wonderful right now.

“Detective Morgan was good to you, I hope.” Frank muttered.

“Yeah, he was.” Lailah assured. “Wait, you know him?”

“Yeah… you could call it that.” Frank glanced over. Seeing the confused look on her face, he sighed. “I wasn’t a good kid. Before I was adopted by Dwight and David, I uh… did some pretty bad stuff. Detective Morgan was the one that was usually busting me for the stupid shit I did. Back then though, he was Officer Morgan.”

“That right?”

“Guess his captain was impressed with how many times he’d busted me he decided to make him a detective. Feel like I should get some kind of reward too…” He mumbled, sounding disappointed. “Anyway, I guess he was shocked that I wasn’t breaking into things or vandalizing places at every moment of the day.”

“You must’ve changed a lot since Dwight and David adopted you.”

“You have no idea.” Frank smirked.

“That’s good.”

“So, Lailah, what were you even doing there?”

“I was coming home from work… and I went to the store to get something to apologize for being a burden, and then—”

“Wait, wait, wait. Back up. A burden? You? Since when?” Frank asked with a laugh.

“I called you to let you know that I was going to be late because Yui wanted me to stay later because we were busy and you… blew me off and just hung up on me…” Lailah admitted and played with the sleeve of his jacket. “I thought that you might’ve been mad at me… or worse, that you hated me.”

“Huh? No, uh…” Frank cleared his throat. “I was in the middle of doing something when you called and Jules and Susie wouldn’t shut the fuck up so I was aggravated.”

“So, you’re not—”

“No, Lailah, you’re not a burden. You’re probably the most self-sufficient woman I’ve ever met. It’s alright to need help, and… that was really fucked up of me to do that.”

Lailah breathed a sigh of relief. It was always worrying to think that she was a burden. Depending too much on someone could make them end up hating you. It always hurt when that sort of thing happened. There were few people that she treasured in her life. Other than her parents, Frank, Yui, and Feng were the only three that she really cared for. To have any of them hate her was just too painful to think about. Lailah blinked when she felt something warm touch the palm of her hand; her eyes widened when she saw what it was. Frank had grabbed onto her hand and interlocked their fingers. He was looking at her.

“Sorry, I never meant to make you feel like that.” Frank admitted.

“O-Oh, that’s uh…” Lailah trailed off.

“Hm?”

“What?”

“You were saying something.”

“I-I was?”

“Yeah. You said ‘Oh, that’s uh’, then you stopped.” Frank explained.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m tired and lost my train of thought. I was just saying that I’m glad that you don’t hate me, and that it’s okay… because we made up.” Lailah admitted, looking out of the window.

“Yeah… me too.”

The light turned green and Lailah felt his hand leave to return to the gearshift.Trying to be as casual as possible, she moved her hand to her lap. What was that? What the hell was that all about? Do friends of the opposite sex hold hands like that? She would have to ask Feng and Yui, because there was so little that she knew about being friends with a guy. Lailah blinked. Oh! Of course! It was because of everything she had been through tonight. He was being polite. Contrary to his looks and the way he acted with other people, he was rather polite to her and sweet.

Lailah focused on the road. Halfway back home, her stomach had started hurting. It made her adjust in her seat, trying to find some place that was comfortable without killing her abdomen. If Frank noticed, he didn’t say anything. For that, she was thankful. It would be a pain to try to explain it. Maybe she should really go to the doctor about it. Talking to Feng or Yui about it would help too. They just seemed to know everything, even if their advice was tinged with their own opinions sometimes. Their own twisted, sick opinions.

Frank finally brought them home and they went inside. Lailah took off his jacket and handed it back to him. On the back was a spartan helmet with what looked like wings in the background. In big, black lettering was the number 43 on the hood.

“Fairview High. Home of the Spartans.” Frank commented, taking the jacket and putting it over his arm.

“Oh! I think my school played against yours.”

“Oh yeah? Which school was yours?”

“… Comstan High.” Lailah admitted with a clearing of her throat.

“So, you never finished telling me what you were doing at the station.” Frank said, thankfully changing the subject.

“Oh, yeah. I was getting food and a pack of cigarettes for you. Then that group that’s been robbing places barged in.” Lailah’s voice cracked. “It was so scary…”

“…”

“I-I thought that the leader was going to hurt me…”

“…”

“But, he didn’t… it was weird. He called off this other lady.”

“He didn’t hurt you though?” Frank asked, his voice was soft.

“No, he told me to be quiet when I was crying… then gave me a pin and told me to smile.”

“Sounds like someone that hates to see a girl cry.” Frank said.

“Is that what you got outta it?” Lailah asked.

“Hey, I don’t know. I don’t rob places—”

“Anymore.” Lailah corrected.

“Right. Anymore.” Frank laughed. “But, yeah, that’s what it sounds like to me.”

“I think you’re just being nice. You’re not a criminal, Frank.”

“Used to be.” Frank shrugged.

“That’s in the past.” Lailah said and shrugged. “But… I was actually terrified. I kept thinking that what would happen if I was killed. Like… how would my parents find out? How would Yui and Feng find out? How would you find out? I was just… really, really scared.”

Frank moved closer and tilted her chin up so where she was looking at him. In his eyes was an unspoken promise. It was that he would always be there for her. No matter what. Even though they would have hard times; they would get into fights, she could tell that he’d be there for her. This was it. The defining moment. Lailah didn’t need to even ask him; she knew. They were friends. Good friends. It was interesting how someone that she had loathed with her entire being when she’d first met him could be a good friend now. Frank Morrison was a mystery, always had been since day one. But the one thing that wasn’t a mystery was how grateful he was to have her as a friend; and it was reciprocated. Lailah parted her lips to try to tell him how much his friendship meant to her, but she stopped. He brushed some hair behind her ear and smirked.

“Get some sleep. You’re having a hard time keeping your eyes open.” Frank said and let go.

“Yeah… you too. Thanks, Frank. For everything.” Lailah said softly.

“Night.”

“G’night.”

Lailah closed her door behind her and cleared her throat. A small smile appeared on her face followed by a soft laugh. Wiping her hands down her pants, she took a quick shower to wash the day’s problems away. Completely exhausted, she trudged to her bed. It was a matter of minutes before she ended up falling into a deep sleep.

When Lailah woke, the sun was trying to blast through her curtains. It was no wonder she was tired all the time. Her sleep schedule was nowhere near consistent. Some hours here, others there. Spending wee hours of the morning in either the hospital or the police station didn’t help. The only time she ever got a functioning amount of sleep was at home during the morning, when she should have already been in bed for hours. Reaching out from under her blanket, she shut off the alarm ringing from her phone. The fluorescent light made her squint as she stared at her phone.

“Maybe, I can catch a few—” Lailah’s fingers slipped and her phone landed on her face. “… ow.”

Guess not…

Prying her phone from her face, she grumbled and stood up. The best way to wake yourself up was with a shower. Yawning, she headed into the bathroom and got in the shower. Just as she thought, by the time she was out, she was awake. Not wide awake, but enough to where she wouldn’t slam her phone on her face anymore. Motor functions were returning as were mental ones. Getting dressed, she headed out into the living room. Frank was standing in kitchen… with Julie. This was going to be a terrible day. After the previous night she had, she didn’t feel like getting into a physical or verbal altercation with the psychotic woman. All she had to do was be quiet and maybe she would be able to escape the apartment without being fully noticed.

The second she took a step towards the door, she saw Frank’s attention turn to her. Just as she suspected, Julie’s was next. Lailah put up her hand in a wave and lifted her bag onto her shoulder as she headed to the door. She froze when she saw a pair of shoes by the door that she hadn’t seen before. Sitting next to her own. Confusion set in. They looked familiar, but… Lailah turned her head slightly so she was able to see Frank and Julie. Just as she thought, Julie’s feet were void of shoes. There had to be some other explanation. She turned her head and she blinked when she saw Julie smiling. She… wasn’t aware that Julie had the capability—other than the sarcastic and snarky one she was used to seeing that is—but she was.

“Morning.” Julie said. Lailah looked around, trying to find something for the strange behavior. Was there someone else here? Had Joey and Susie arrived? “I’m talking to you.”

“Uh… morning.”

“Here.” Julie was reaching out a plate to Lailah. On it was just a couple pieces of toast and an egg. Was this a dream? No… the phone hitting her would’ve definitely woken her up. Had she somehow managed to wake up in an alternate dimension? “Go on, Lailah. Eating breakfast helps start the day better. Frank says you haven’t really been eating much lately.”

Lailah’s blue eyes fell to the plate. It looked normal, but… she cleared her throat, declining the offer. Julie actually genuinely looked… hurt. Her lower lip came out in a pout and she hung her head. Glancing at Frank, she watched him sigh. Glancing at the clock, she frowned. If she stayed and ate, she’d really be cutting it close, but this was Frank’s girlfriend. It seemed like Julie was trying to make amends, so she would have to meet the woman halfway.

“Uh… alright. Thanks, Julie.” Lailah went over and took the plate. Frank and Julie had plates of their own. In awkward silence, they started eating. The food tasted good, she could tell that Frank had cooked it.

“I wanted to apologize.” Julie said. “I haven’t been the kindest to you. I’m just… me. It wasn’t fair to not listen to you and Frank about it. After all, you guys are doing this to make sure that him and I can be together. You’re doing me a favor. And… I’ve been rude to you about it.”

“Oh, uh. Yeah, no, it’s fine.” Lailah stammered over her words. This had to be a parallel universe. There’s no way the psycho woman that she had seen before was this one in front of her. “Let’s just let bygones be bygones and start fresh.”

“Sounds good.” Julie smiled bright. There had to be something about her that Frank loved. Maybe it was this right here. Not just her smile, but the ability to admit she was wrong.

The awkwardness was still there, but she was able to get through the food. Scarfing down the food partially from hunger and partially being desperate to get out of there; she was done before either Frank or Julie. Giving them a small wave, she headed outside and down the stairs. Lailah hiked her bag up on her shoulder and headed towards school. Maybe today was going to be a good day. After all, she had made amends with Julie and she had some of her favorite classes today. Yeah, she wouldn’t allow anything other than a good day.

Lailah arrived at campus. It was bustling with people. The sun was bright. It was relatively warm. Running footsteps came from behind her and she stumbled forward as a large force slammed into her back. A hand came and patted her on the shoulder. Panic momentarily rushed through until she saw Yui out of the corner of her eyes. That could only mean…

“There you are!” Feng exclaimed, wrapping her legs around Lailah’s waist.

“I think you’re warping my spine, Feng.”

“Hold on tighter then.” She adjusted herself. “Better?”

“Yeah actually.” Lailah said and held onto the back of Feng’s thighs.

“We thought we were gonna miss you.” Yui said. “We were running late.”

“Same. I didn’t think that I was going to end up running into you guys until after class.”

“Hey, wanna grab lunch after class?” Yui asked. “I’m hungry.”

“You always are!” Feng said and wrapped her arms around Lailah. “But uh… do you?”

“Yeah, you know I’m always up for food. Besides, I need to talk to you guys anyway.” Lailah dropped Feng’s legs to the concrete walkway. “Okay, this is my stop. See you guys.”

“Alrighty! Bye bye!” Feng said and waved her hands.

Lailah took her seat at the back of the classroom. The class was abuzz with worries about a test. Panic gripped onto her heart. With shaking hands, she checked her phone. Shit! They had a huge test today! With everything going on, she had forgotten all about it. Telling the teacher would probably grant her a couple day extension, had she told him the moment it happened, but she was a couple days late. Groaning in aggravation, she had to confine every bit of rage that was telling her to slam her phone on the desk down. How the hell was she supposed to ace the test?! With a deep breath, her heart dropped into her stomach when the teacher walked in. He wasted no time in passing out the tests, the correct amount at the end of the row for each student. Glancing at the first question, Lilah pursed her lips.

Slapping her test at the pile at the front of the class earned a quirked eyebrow from her teacher. There was no way to prove it, but she was almost positive he muttered something about her “studying next time” under his breath. The positive part was that she was going to be able to see her friends and get some food. The food that Frank had cooked had held her over for her first class, now it was time to eat her feelings. Feng and Yui were standing by the fountain. Yui noticed first and tapped Feng’s shoulder and pointed towards Lailah. Her friend brightened and waved her hands.

Lailah headed over to them with a bright smile on her face.

“How was class?” Yui asked.

“Ass.”

“Like… cute boy ass? Or old saggy man ass?”

“Definitely old saggy man ass.” Lailah huffed and frowned. “We had a test and I bombed it. I’m almost positive. My teacher was a low key smart ass about it.”

Yui sighed and Feng interlocked arms with both her friends. Giving them each a nod, she walked towards the cafeteria building.

“Sounds like it’s time to eat our feelings!” Feng smiled bright.

“Just like I was thinking.” Lailah affirmed.

“I’m buying.” Yui said.

“Thanks! I’m broke…” Feng mumbled.

“And I bought last time.”

“I didn’t forget, don’t worry.” Yui chuckled.

Eating feelings was a very expensive habit. Even more so when someone was paying for three people to eat their feelings. A semi-long wait and almost $30 later and they were heading out of the cafeteria. This time of year it was pretty rare to have some warm weather. Might as well spend what time they could outside before they were practically forced to eat inside. Yui picked a spot away from everyone that way they could sit and talk. Feng Min had opened her sandwich and was working on it while Yui had ripped open a package of cookies. Out of all the food that they had bought, leave it to Yui to start on the sweets.

“What did you need to talk to us about?” Feng asked, her mouth full of food.

“Julie.”

“We were having a good time, Lailah.” Yui took another bite of her cookie.

“Yeah, I need your opinion.”

“Hm, go on.” Feng mumbled, taking a drink of her coffee.

“I was ready to head out and Julie stopped me. She was really kind to me and offered me food.”

“Did you take it?!”

“At first I didn’t.”

“And then you did.” Yui deduced, her mouth full of cookie.

“Yeah. I felt bad because she looked sad about it.”

“Don’t eat something that crazy lady gives you!” Feng said, exasperated.

“Frank cooked it.” Lailah laughed.

“Oh. Well, then that’s okay.” Feng exhaled and took another bite of her sandwich.

“If Julie is trying to start over with you, I say go for it. It could be a way to make your life easier. Just make sure that you don’t overly trust her. You know? You have this habit of trusting people too easily. I would hate to see you get hurt.” Yui advised, opening a brownie.

“Yeah, I get you.” Lailah snatched the brownie. “Eat some actual food. You’re going to give yourself diabetes.”

“Fine, fine.” Yui opened her sandwich and took a bite.

“Yui’s right. Just be careful. I don’t trust her. She’s psychotic.”

“You’re not wrong, but I mean… maybe she was just worried about Frank’s relationship with me. I mean, I can understand that in a way. It’s definitely extremely suggestive. But, I think she’s finally starting to accept that me and him are just friends and are going to remain that. Just. Friends. Besides, it would be better to get this out in the open and work through it then just hate each other for the hell of it. You know?” Lailah sighed and took a bite of Yui’s brownie, shaking her head when she reached for it.

“True. If Julie is chill with the situation, then that should make things easier for everyone.” Yui nodded, taking another bite of her sandwich.

“So… what did Frank say about this?”

“Nothing, he just looked grateful that I actually was willing to eat in peace with her too.”

“So it wasn’t a bad breakfast?” Feng asked.

“Nah. It was pretty good. Shockingly.”

The three ate at their food for what felt like forever. Yui kept eyeing her brownie which was only returned to her once she ate one of the sandwiches that she had bought. Lailah laughed when she watched the bright light return to her friend’s eyes. Who would’ve thought that a hardened street racer would be so depressed about her brownie being taken from her? She was a trooper for sticking it out even though she didn’t want to deal with it. Lailah had to give her brownie points for that though.

“So, Lailah, you look like shit.” Yui said exhaling from a sip of her coffee.

“Thanks, Yui.”

“She’s right though. Did you even sleep last night?”

“Last night was… difficult.” Lailah admitted, rubbing her forehead.

“Whatcha mean?”

“Well… I mean, I was in the police station last night.”

“What?! For what?!” Feng exclaimed.

“Yesterday that group ended up robbing a store I dropped by after work.”

“The Legion?” Yui asked. “Saw their name on the news this morning.”

“Yeah.” Lailah sighed. “Them.”

“You’re okay, right?” Feng asked, leaning up; concern in her deep brown eyes.

“Yeah. I’m fine. For some reason, the leader gave me a pin.”

“A smiley face pin?” Yui asked. Lailah and Feng looked over at her. “I watch the news a lot.”

“Well shut up, Yui. This is Lailah’s story. You can tell yours later.”

“‘kay.” Yui mumbled and shoved more of her brownie into her mouth.

“But, two of them robbed the place. I think one of them was going to stab me. The leader stopped the chick and I was crying. I was just so terrified. He just gave me the pin and basically told me to smile and stop crying.”

“He talked to you?!” Feng asked.

“Not really. He just put a finger up to the smile on his mask and then tapped it with his knife—”

“His knife?!”

“Yeah, Feng. You know stabby stab?” Yui said.

“Yeah, I know. I just… geez…” Feng waved her hands. “Go on.”

“Anyway, after he did that, he left.”

“You must’ve been the second eyewitness that they were talking about.” Yui muttered.

“Mm.”

“That’s so crazy…” Feng whispered. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Did you walk all the way home?” Yui asked.

“No. I called Frank and he came and got me.”

“Oh?” Feng said and smiled brightly.

Lailah couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Feng was coming from a good place, but in some ways she was just as thick as Julie. Neither of them seemed to understand that there was nothing more to her and Frank than being friends. Two friends that were doing a job. Both her friends agreed that there was chemistry there, but Lailah didn’t see it. Chemistry would have to mean that two people were attracted to each other on some level. Frank wasn’t even her type. He was just a good guy friend that she happened to live with. It could also be that Feng was doing this just to get a rise out of her, but at the same time, she worried that if she teased her so much that Feng would eventually start to believe it. Therefore, she would start to expect Frank and her to actually get together. Other than Frank as far from her type as he could possibly be, there was no way she was just going to end up in another relationship. They just brought nothing but trouble and could do more harm than good; usually they did.

Gathering up their garbage, they threw it away and stuffed the rest of their food into their bags. Another problem with eating her feelings was that she didn’t know how to stop and now she was stuffed. From the look on Feng and Yui’s face, they had the same issues that she did. Talking and gossiping over celery and carrot sticks just wasn’t the same as it was with brownies and cookies. The price to be a woman, she supposed. Lailah yawned and took another sip of her coffee. She still had a couple more classes to go. From all the food in her stomach, she was ready to go back to sleep and was sure that she would be able to sleep until the next day. A small belch escaped her making her groan. She had definitely eaten too much.

“Lailah!”

Despite her name having been the one that was called, all three girls turned around. Her eyes scanned around, trying to find the cause of the voice. Basketballs were being thrown and dribbled across the court. Standing at the edge, standing almost a head taller than the other two was Frank. A large 43 sporting on the front of his jersey. Lailah gave a smile and waved, earning a raise of the hand greeting in exchange. He jogged the small distance between them; stopping about a foot in front of them. All the time they had been talking, none of them had realized that they’d picked a spot by the basketball court.

“What’s up?” Lailah asked.

“Yui. Feng. Hey.” Frank greeted; his breathing heaving. They must’ve just got done with drills… or whatever it was that athletic people did to practice.

“Just saw you and wanted to say ‘hi’. Did you eat?”

“Of course.” Lailah said. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Yeah, just thirsty.” He admitted with a laugh.

“Uh, here. I have coffee, want some?”

“Filled with sugar?”

“As always.”

“Awesome.” Frank took it and took a couple sips before exhaling and handing it back to her. “Thanks. That’s a lot better.”

“You didn’t bring any water with you?” Lailah clicked her tongue.

“Forgot.”

“Do they not supply any for practice?”

“They do, I just saw you and wanted to say hi.” Frank admitted.

“Geez… you’re gonna croak.” Lailah mumbled, turning and reaching inside her bag, digging around. It took a few minutes, but she pulled out a large bottle of water. Handing it over to him, she smiled. “Take better care of yourself. Julie will kill me if she found out that someone didn’t help keep you hydrated.”

Frank gave a small chuckle and raised his brows with a nod.

“Got me there.” He admitted, taking the bottom of his jersey and lifting it up to wipe his forehead and face.

Lailah jolted. Something crashed to the ground breaking her out of her mind and focus on what was happening. Feng’s cup of coffee was on the ground, her jaw slightly dropped. The liquid had splattered from the impact and landed on everyone’s shoes.

“You alright?” Frank asked.

“Huh?” Feng asked and blinked, looking up at Frank. “Yeah. Yeah, totally.”

Lailah cleared her throat and brushed some hair away from her face. Frank looked away from Feng in slight confusion before turning back to Lailah, a smile spread across his face. It was nice to know that whatever had happened between them with their call yesterday was water under the bridge now. While they might fight, it was nice to know that they could always bounce back. That was the mark of a good friendship in her opinion.

“Frank!” A teammate called from behind Frank, waving him over.

“Be there in a minute!” He smiled at Lailah and huffed a laugh. “See you later. I might be a little late tonight.”

“No problem.” Frank turned to leave. “Oh, here.”

It only took a couple of minutes, but she ended up fishing the rest of the food that Yui had bought from her bag and handed it to Frank. He looked down at it and then up at Lailah. She put a hand on her hip and slightly frowned.

“I know how much you eat and I guarantee that whatever you brought isn’t enough.”

“Heh. You know me so well.”

“I ate some of it, but—”

“It’s alright. Tastes better after you’ve taken a bite out of it.” Lailah snorted a laugh. “Seriously though, thanks.”

“Just keep your stamina up, Idiot.”

“I’ll have you know, Lailah Collins, my stamina is—” Before he could finish, she jabbed him in the abdomen. “—ouch…”

“That’s what I thought.” Lailah smirked. “Later! Gotta get this one another coffee.”

Lailah and her friends watched as Frank headed back to his teammates. One said something to him. There was no telling what he was saying, but she did know one thing. It was about her. She watched as his eyes looked over to Lailah and he nodded his chin at her. It made her feel extremely self-conscious. Frank shook his head and slammed a basketball into his teammates chest. It wasn’t hard enough to hurt him, but she knew that it would be enough to get whatever point Frank was making across. They walked back to the court and Lailah turned to Feng. She had grabbed the empty coffee cup off the ground.

“What happened back there, Feng?” Lailah asked.

“What do you mean ‘what’?” Feng asked.

“I mean—”

“Abs.” Yui explained, casually taking a sip of her coffee.

“Abs indeed.”

“Abs?”

“Yes! You know! All those muscles that were packed together in amazing sweaty goodness?!” Feng exclaimed. “You get to go home to that every night?”

“Well, I mean, Frank doesn’t really walk around with his shirt off too much. And he usually isn’t sweaty like that either.” Lailah admitted with a shrug.

“Abs for days…” Feng whispered slightly.

“Abs for days indeed.” Yui concurred walking with the others back towards the cafeteria.

“Geez, guys…” Lailah sighed and shook her head.

The line had gotten longer since they saw Frank and come back. Multiple times during their wait, Feng had tried to convince Lailah to forget about the coffee and just go on. But, she wouldn’t hear of it. While Frank had been the reason that she dropped her coffee; abs for days or not, she couldn’t force Feng to go the rest of the day without coffee. Frank would just have to pay her back for it later. While they were waiting, Yui and Lailah decided on a second cup as well. It was a good fifteen minutes in line before they had gotten their order. As they were walking out of the cafeteria, she looked over Feng. Lailah could tell from her profile that her friend felt a little embarrassed and sad over what had happened.

“Why the long face?” Lailah asked.

“Our break is almost over and it’s all my fault.” Feng mumbled.

“Everyone gets distracted over some sexy roommates.” Yui said and clasped Feng on the shoulder. “Besides, that’s not all that’s bothering you. You were a little off in class too. What happened?”

“Hey… Hey, Feng, what’s wrong?” Lailah asked, watching Feng tear up.

“Aw Feng, did you and your elf boyfriend get into it again?”

“Wait, what?”

“Feng bought a new game the other day. Her love interest is this really difficult person to romance. The hardest according to the guide, but she ended up getting his attention.” Yui explained. “Her character and him tend to go at it a lot because of the differing views on game lore. She always gets upset when her character and him get into it because he can say some low shit. But, she usually bounces back.”

“Feng… what happened?” Lailah asked.

“I made a choice and he didn’t like it and left… and-and I was debating between the one I made and another one. So, I was g-going to go back a-and try the other one. But instead o-of hitting ‘load’…” Feng’s tears started to fall down her face. “I hit ‘save’! I saved over that horrible decision! He’s not coming back! I pushed him away!”

“A-Aww… Feng…” Lailah rubbed her friends back to comfort her. Some other students walked by, whispering at the scene that was playing out. Yui nor her really cared and continued comforting their friend. Between some sobs here and there, she’d sniffle and take a sip of her coffee before she started crying again. Her phone beeped from the inside of her pocket and she took a look. It was the five-minute warning to getting back to class. “Hey, I have to go. It’ll be okay, Feng.”

“I knew I should’ve picked the other choice… My mage is so heartbroken…” Feng cried as she left for her next class.

The rest of her classes went by pretty smoothly. There were a few hiccups in math, but her teacher had made sure that she had understood before continuing on with the lecture. Even though no one said anything, she was almost positive that the rest of the class thought that she was an idiot. Science; anatomy and biology were more her speed. Math was needed in things like chemistry. Which is another reason that she hated it. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes and headed towards her apartment. On her way home, she had tried to text Feng to see how she was doing, but Yui had answered instead. Apparently she was over at her apartment “helping” Feng with her homework while Feng poured through guide after guide of the game to try to figure out a way to win back her elvhen boyfriend’s heart.

Lailah was sitting on her bed flipping through pages and doing her homework. The math was practically kicking her ass. No matter how many times she tried the same problem, she was unable to figure it out. Feng was just as bad at math as she was. Yui wasn’t the greatest either, but she did end up trying to help. Her forte of math was accounting and not algebra. Lailah sighed and groaned. Ever since she got home, her stomach had been hurting and she was feeling some nausea building up. All of that combined was making it hard to focus. She had just closed her book when a large slam came at the front door. It sounded like someone had taken a boulder and hauled it with all the force they had in their body. Frank wasn’t home either… So, what was she supposed to do? What if someone needed help or something?

Steeling herself and swallowing the lump in her throat, she got up. Her palms were sweating as she headed to the door. Three loud raps came at the door and Lailah visibly recoiled at all of them.

“Lailah!”

Frank?

She unlocked the door and opened it. Frank ran inside holding onto his arm. He was bloody and there were cuts in various places on his body. His back rested against the wall and she immediately slammed the door shut and locked it. Looking back at him, her heart thundered in her chest. His nose was bloody. A few cuts were on his neck and some were on his arms. Sweat was on his forehead and dripping from his jawline. He turned his head to look at her and slid down to the floor with a groan of pain.

Notes:

There you go! I have to say that I have never related more to a character other than my own other than when I write Feng Min. I hope you all enjoyed reading it and let me know what you think!

Chapter 13: The Rift

Summary:

“You his roommate?”

“Oh. Yes, I am.”

“I figured. Never seen Frank so excited to see a girl before.”

Notes:

Welcome back! Thanks for returning. Thank you all for your sweet comments! They really keep me going! I hope that you enjoy this chapter as well as you have the other ones.

My best friend is a writer here as well! Her name is JessiLynnChan! She's got a work out for the Jak and Daxter fandom. If you're in that fandom, I would appreciate it if you'd go read it and give her some love. She's so nervous about her work and I think she's doing a phenomenal job!

Well, without further adieu, let's get to the chapter.

Lailah instantly rushed to his side. Frank had been hurt a few times that she had known him. Basketball wasn’t without injuries. Bruises were normal. A cut. This? This was not normal. She would like to pretend that she was cool-headed in stressful situations. When it included those that she cares about, all rational thinking went out the window. If she freaked out though, she knew that he would start freaking out. Wasn’t someone supposed to keep a harmed person calmed? Was this one of those situations? Frank was holding onto his side and his chest was heaving. Frank needed her. Freaking out could come after she was sure that he was okay. Knowing him, he would refuse to go to the hospital. From what she could see, there was nothing on him that would really warrant him going to the hospital.

Running to their bathroom, she reached under the sink and grabbed the med kit that her parents had insisted that she bring from home. Two more bags of medicinal supplies were carried out afterwards. Frank chuckled as she came back to his spot in the living room and sat beside him. Lailah knew what she looked like. A panicked walking pharmacy. Dumping out everything onto the floor, her shaking hands sifted through it. Popping open the med kit, she brushed some hair behind her ears. She paused. Scanning the items once more, she stood up.

“Fuck!” Lailah screamed and went back to the bathroom. Something to wash away the blood so she could properly assess all the wounds would probably help. Annoyed at her frenzy, she headed back and plopped back on the floor at her spot. Pulling out some gloves, she forced them on her hands ripping one in the process. “Son of a bitch!”

By the third glove, she managed to get them both on. Tears threatened to fall. What if he was hurt worse than he let on? What if he needed the hospital and she couldn’t get him there quick enough and he ended up dying on the floor? The nausea rising in her throat upon that thought made her shake her head. No, he was fine. He was still conscious. In fact, from her peripheral vision she could see him smirking down at her. That had to mean that he’d be fine. Right? It couldn’t mean anything else.

Cleaning the blood off from his neck and jawline felt like it took forever. Even though they were hardly bleeding by the time that she was done with them; she couldn’t help but look. Shallow, but she was sure that they were painful. Whenever the alcohol pads would get coated with blood, she’d toss them to the side on a pile of discarded paper. Cleaning the actual wounds required her to get much closer. Making sure to be gentle was key. A couple times, he had grunted, and she had apologized with a soft “sorry”. His neck up wasn’t too bad. A cut on his eyebrow, lip, jawline, and a few on his neck. It looked like he had fallen. His nose was the worst part of his face. Lailah held onto his jaw to keep him steady while she cleaned the caked on blood from his nose off. Leaning over him, she worked on the other side which was worse. His nose had been cut too, but not with a knife. It looked like he had fallen.

“Off.” Lailah gestured to his shirt, tossing some more bloodied alcohol pads to the side.

“So demanding. You should take someone on a date before you ask them to take their clothes off.” Frank smirked, it only widening when she huffed.

“Off.” Lailah demanded.

“Okay. Okay.” Frank mumbled and moved up. “Can you help me?”

“Frank, I—”

“I’m being serious.” He said, his tone just as serious as his words.

“… Okay.”

It was no wonder that he was in pain when he came home. Even through the blood, she was able to tell that he had some substantial lacerations here. What she had brought out wasn’t going to be enough. The shirt was dirty like he had been rolling around in dirt. There was no telling what sort of dirt and grime had already gotten into his wounds. Taking a deep breath, she sighed and rested back on her heels. What the hell had happened?

“There’s a lot of blood here.” Lailah mumbled. “Can you get up?”

“I’m gonna need a little help.”

Lailah nodded and reached out her hands. With a lot of groaning on both of their parts, she finally managed to pull Frank up. Picking someone up that was almost purely muscle and was primarily dead weight was harder than it sounded. Once he was standing up, Lailah sighed and looked him up and down. He really did look terrible. He probably felt as good as he looked. Lailah took off her gloves and gestured to their bathroom.

“Go get a shower.” She instructed with a sigh. “I’ll bandage you up then.”

“Alright…” Frank mumbled and held onto his side as he headed to their bathroom.

Honestly, she was shocked that Frank wasn’t going to argue or screw around with her. Contrary to the smile on his face, he really must’ve been in pain. Those were the types of people that aggravated her. How could someone smile like that if they were in severe pain? Even more so, how could they try to make the person treating them feel better when the reverse should be true? People like him were aggravating and annoying, and just… So, so selfless. She hated it. What if the wounds had been worse?

While the water was running, she ended up working to clean up the mess that she had made, the dirt on the wall from where Frank had slid down, and wash her hands. The moment she dried them; she started to feel sick again. Lailah went over to the other bathroom and vomited in the toilet. The combination of sweets and sandwiches at school really hated her. By the end, she had a headache. Thankfully, their apartment wasn’t one of those that would make showers hot if a toilet was flushed, so she had no worries once she cleaned up the evidence. If Frank knew that she had been sick, he would fret over her instead of worrying about himself. Friends were such a pain in that aspect at times.

Returning to the living room, she saw Frank coming out of his room with a towel wrapped around his waist. Her stomach started to hurt again. Lailah hoped that she wouldn’t end up puking on him. Everything was happening so fast and at one time, her body was having a hard time keeping up with it so she could cool down. And now Frank was just waltzing around in a towel. On the list of things that was okay, this was not on it. Before Lailah could say anything, he lifted up a finger and plopped down on the couch with a groan.

“I have underwear on. Calm down. Just figured this would make things easier for you.”

“Alright.”

Collecting all the first aid supplies as fast as she was able, she headed to the couch. Now with all the dirt and grime cleansed off, she was able to fully take in the extent of Frank’s injuries. Thankfully, it looked worse than it actually was. There was a large bruise on his chest and a couple cuts. A few on his abdomen, one on his side—that one looked the worst, and a couple cuts on his hips. Content that he wasn’t going to bleed out in the apartment and there was no need to freak out as harshly as she had done upon first seeing him, she was able to put her second pair of gloves on with relative ease. All the while, she could feel Frank’s gaze on her. If he had something smart to say, there was a large bruise she could hit to bring him back down a couple notches. While she didn’t condone harming an already injured person, she might make an exception for him.

The edges of the wounds were red and puffy. Swollen and while they weren’t deep it was clear that they were painful. After all, the closer to the surface the more pain that cuts usually would cause. Being quick, but careful, she unwrapped some gauze pads and placed it gently over the wounds trying her hardest to not harm him. He jolted from her touch and she frowned slightly. Lailah thought she was exercising the utmost caution when it came to his treatment, but she could tell Frank that he had no right to be in pain. After all, it was his body; not hers. Fiddling around in the med kit, she found some medical tape. He’d be a taped up person by the time that she was done with him, but it was better than having all these wounds exposed. At least for the night. Worrying about the pressing against his body, she tried to be even more gentle. Small goosebumps rose on his skin, making her eyebrows knit together. She looked up at Frank and he had cleared his throat.

“Cold?” Lailah asked.

“Yeah.”

“Hold on, I’ll turn the heat up.” Lailah hadn’t really thought that it was that cold in the apartment, but then again she wasn’t the one that was in nothing but their underwear wrapped in a towel with slightly wet hair still. Clicking the temperature up a couple of degrees with the knuckle of her glove, she glanced over at Frank. He was adjusting a lot on the couch. She felt bad. He probably wanted to get dressed and go to bed, but she was taking a while. Internally sighing at her own inadequacies, she returned to where Frank was and sat down next to him. “There we go. Better?”

“… Y-Yeah.” Frank cleared his throat.

Lailah grabbed some antibiotic cream that was in the med kit and squeezed a small amount onto her finger. A cotton swab would’ve been optimal, but of course they didn’t have any. Tons of alcohol pads though. Tons of everything else that wasn’t really coming in handy right now. Gently running over one of the bigger cuts with the cream, she glanced up at Frank. He was looking down at her and once they locked eyes; they each smiled awkwardly before Lailah opened up another gauze pad.

“So, what happened?” Lailah asked.

“Got into a fight.”

“Clearly.” She sighed and pressed the gauze against his chest.

“Some of the guys on the basketball team are assholes. We get in fights over stupid shit.”

“All this is from some guys on the team?” Lailah asked, her eyes widening.

“Yeah.”

Lailah frowned. They had seemed like they were such good people. Teammates always butted heads, but enough to where this was the result. Was this just another case of boys will be boys? Guys were rough housing all the time, it was just crazy to think that it could escalate to this level. Although, given Frank’s previous history with people; it wasn’t really shocking to think that he could end getting on someone’s bad side. Their first meetings and days together were like hell on earth. Not everyone was as tolerable as her. Sometimes Frank could rub people the wrong way and some might retaliate.

“Lean that way.” She pointed to the right.

Now given more room to his abdomen, she started working on the largest gash. It wouldn’t need stitches, but it was sure as hell going to hurt for the next few days. Lailah kept running through every scenario she could think of in order to try to explain what Frank could’ve done or said to warrant this sort of treatment in return. Unless he pushed someone down the stairs or pulled a weapon on someone, she couldn’t picture him harming anyone. Picturing Frank holding a weapon at all in general was hard. Past aside, he seemed like a perfectly normal person. A glance in his direction and his brows were furrowed. Reaching further into her med kit, she found some butterfly tape. Better to be able to keep the wound closed than leave it open and hanging around. Frank jolted again when she worked diligently to close and bandage that wound.

“Sorry.” Lailah apologized. “I’m trying to be as careful as I can.”

“It’s fine.” Frank cleared his throat. “I know that.”

“You’re good.”

Lailah ran her fingers along his abdomen, checking all the wounds that were there. Primarily, they were all small slices. There was one more near his hip that was worse off. It probably didn’t need bandages, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Frank adjusted on the couch again and laid an arm in his lap. Sitting still was hard for him in general usually, moving this way and that was probably not helping matters at all. How much trouble would she get in if she went to the basketball team and ended up breaking all of their noses? She looked up and saw Frank’s nose. It was swollen and was bruising, but it wasn’t broken. Okay, she may not break their noses, but she would definitely make it bad enough to where they might end up having to go to the hospital.

She bandaged the wound gently and leaned up. A small, satisfied smile came to her lips. It was probably rather crude in comparison to what a trained nurse was able to do, but it didn’t look like a three-year-old had done it either. Her head tilted to the side as she surveyed over her work. Not bad if she was being honest. It was something to be proud of. If it had’ve been any worse, she would’ve had a hard time getting him to the hospital. Had he declined, she would’ve had to just somehow force him. Maybe she would’ve ended up calling Joey and Yui. Their combined strength would’ve been able to carry him. Maybe. Then she would’ve had to call Julie. Exhaling softly, she was so relieved that it hadn’t escalated that far.

“Thanks, Lailah.” Frank said. A small smile coming to his face as she nodded.

“No prob—” She stopped just as she took her gloves up. “I missed a couple.”

“Hm? Where?” Frank asked and looked himself over.

Lailah grabbed onto some more butterfly tape and pointed at the towel. Frank followed her finger to his hip where the towel was tucked into itself. Focused, she tilted her head when he hesitated. Looking at Frank he cleared his throat and moved the towel lower so she had access to the cuts. They weren’t too bad. Some butterfly tape would be just enough. She looked through her bag and frowned. There were no more gloves. Putting on the ones that she had on before were out of the question since she had already tossed them aside. Now they lay on the floor. Lailah reached over and tentatively touched the skin. They were red too, but there was a red mark going along the middle. Frank kept his arm in his lap. After a couple minutes, she had managed to bandage the two on his hip and leaned up.

“Thanks again, Lailah. I appreciate it.” Frank gave another smile, putting both of his arms in his lap now. She started to gather up all the refuse from where she had unpackaged tons of supplies. Looking back at Frank, he glanced up at her and shared a smile.

“I’m not the best nurse on the planet, but I tried.”

“No, you did great.”

“Thanks. Go get changed into some pajamas. You won’t be cold then.”

Frank stood up and Lailah cleared her throat and tied the top of the bag before standing up as well. He reached over and tucked the towel into itself more. He gave her a strange look before heading back to his room. Lailah couldn’t help but think he was being nice about the way she bandaged him up. The positive side was that it wouldn’t be too bad. Athletic people had a tendency to heal faster, that she had noticed, so he wouldn’t be stuck with her bandaging too much longer. Heading to the kitchen, she tossed the bag away into the trash can and started to wash her hands. Her brain shifted back to when he had came in the house. Fear had gripped her like an iron maiden. Seeing him all covered in blood, dirt, and grime was so distressing. But, she could relax now. He was fine and completely bandaged up now.

Her mind trailed back to her bandaging job. There had been so many cuts. On his face, his neck, chest, abdomen—

Abs for days…

“Lailah?”

“What?! Huh?!” She jolted accidentally sending water flying everywhere.

Frank was standing in the living room, practically hiding behind the counters, with his hands in his pockets. He had pajama pants on, but no shirt. It would probably be easier for him to make sure that he didn’t end up getting his shirt caught on the bandaging and having it ripped off in the middle of the night. Normally he would’ve jumped on the chance to make fun of her for having a spaz moment, but he kept his eyes on the floor. He looked deep in thought. Whatever it was, she couldn’t help but wish that she was able to help. However, even though he said nothing about it, it seemed like a battle that he would have to fight on his own.

“Just wanted to say ‘night’.” Frank mumbled. “And ‘thanks’.”

“You’re going to bed?” Lailah asked, drying off her hands and cleaning up where she had flung water everywhere. She glanced at the clock on the stove. He never went to bed this early. Frank nodded, but kept that strained, thoughtful look on his face. “Well… alright.”

“Night.” He said flatly, turned around completely by the time the word was even uttered before heading back into his room; closing the door firmly behind him.

“… night.”

Lailah went into her own room and closed the door behind her. What had been up with him there? He was acting so strange. She sat on the edge of her bed and chewed at her lip. He had a long night… getting the shit kicked out of you was hard. It would end up taking the energy completely out of you. Ending up sitting through her lengthy treatment procedure probably didn’t help. Not to mention those few times where she had accidentally ended up harming him. Good thing that Lailah had never claimed to be a nurse nor was her major nursing. Plopping at the edge of her bed, she looked at her hands. Hopefully tomorrow things would be better. They would both be revitalized and energized and be able to have their relationship go back to normal. She brushed her teeth and headed to bed.

The next morning, she got up. Her head was swimming, and she was so exhausted. Her stomach was a field of turbulence and she just wanted to lay back down and go to sleep. Today she not only had work, but she also had a test. This time though, she would pass. Everything had been covered numerous times, so she was completely confident. Lailah yawned and decided to wear her pajamas. She’d end up having some time between school and work so she could just come home and change. First thing was first though, some coffee would help put a little more bounce in her step. She closed her door behind her and looked around the apartment. Frank was gone. Julie wasn’t there. Nor was Joey and Susie. Only the ticking of the clock was there to greet her. She headed into the kitchen. A container rested on one of the counters with an iced coffee and a note attached to it.

“What’s this?” Lailah took the note and scanned over the paper. “‘Lailah. Julie came over and I left with her. Made food. Eat it. Get a jacket too. Later. Frank’.”

Lailah stared at the note, reading it over and over like the words were going to change into something friendlier. So much for them actually being back to normal today. He hadn’t been gone too long. The inside of the container was fogged from the steam that had rose from the food. The ice in the coffee was still fully cubed. Was this another one of those cases that he “didn’t want to bother her”? Lailah would have to talk to him. If she had done something wrong, then he should talk to her about it. There was no point in trying to harbor it all then. She thought that they had gotten past this. Having silence between them wasn’t doing anything but harming each of them in the end.

“No, I’m just reading too much into it.” Lailah sighed and shook her head.

She decided to drive that day. The weather outside was gloomy and it was slightly foggy. It kind of reflected how she felt. Things were awkward between them again and had regressed back to what they had worked so hard to get away from. Hopefully, it hadn’t regressed fully back to the beginning. Sighing, she opened the container ate her breakfast in her car once she found her parking spot. The food was still good either way. Maybe Lailah should end up waking up earlier and making breakfast for him once in a while. Perhaps he was tired of making food for her. But, she never asked him too. If it was an issue or a bother, then he should’ve said something from the very beginning. They could’ve set it straight and perhaps avoided this whole debacle.

Lailah sighed and laid her head back against her seat; closing eyes. Part of her wanted to go home and get back in bed, but even if she did that, then she would have to wake up for work later. Just power through the whole day and she could get some rest tonight. Telling herself that over and over, she sighed and got out of the car and zipped up her jacket. The walk to her class felt longer than normal. Her phone buzzed and Lailah saw a message from Yui.

Yui: You okay?

Me: Peachy. Why?

Yui: I’m behind you and you look like you’re about to pass out.

Lailah turned and saw Yui coming to her with a small wave. She waited until Yui was at her side before she continued on her way. Lailah frowned and shoved her hands in her pockets. Lailah looked at the clock on her phone real quick before she sat down on one of the benches. Her stomach started hurting and she was starting to develop a headache again. Yui hesitated for a moment before sitting down next to her.

“Where’s Feng?”

“Home. She decided to start a new game to get her elf boyfriend back.”

“I knew she would.” Lailah laughed and rubbed her eyes.

“What about you?” Yui asked, leaning her elbows on her knees. “You look like shit.”

“I guarantee you I look exactly how I feel…”

“I take it you didn’t sleep well.”

“What gave you that idea?” Lailah said softly.

“The designer bags under your eyes.” Yui rubbed her back. “What happened?”

“Frank came home last night… He was all bloodied and cut up. Covered in dirt and shit like that.” Lailah rubbed a hand down her face. Yui’s slow circles on her back was making it harder and harder for Lailah to remain awake.

“What? Holy shit, is he okay?” Yui asked, her eyes widening.

“Yeah… it looked really bad, but I managed to clean him up enough to see that they were mostly shallow cuts. After he took a shower, it looked a lot better.”

“That’s good…” Yui gave a large sigh of relief.

“Bandaged him up and he thanked me. Afterwards though, he got weird.”

“Weird? How do you mean?”

“He just couldn’t look me in the eyes and just said ‘night’ and went to bed. Then when I woke up this morning, he left me a stupid ass note with some coffee and breakfast.”

“A note?” Lailah fished in her bag and handed the paper to Yui. It had been her plan to find Frank and ask him what the hell that was about, but she didn’t get to that point. As Yui looked at the note, she was starting to just forget about confronting him about it. “That’s it?”

“Mhm.”

“What? Oh hell no!” Yui exclaimed and slammed the note on the small space between her and Lailah on the bench. “After class we’re hunting him down.”

“Yui, it isn’t that big a deal.”

“The hell it isn’t! He can’t just act like this when something enters his mind without telling you about it.” She protested, slamming her hand down on top of the note for extra emphasis.

“It’s not his job to report everything to me.” Lailah tried to reason; her voice exhausted.

“…” Yui frowned and looked down at the note.

“But, after class I do have something to do.”

“Oh? Like what?”

“You’ll see. Meet me here after class.” Lailah said and checked her phone. “I gotta get going. Don’t forget. Meet me back here as soon as class is done.”

“I’ll call Feng too.” Yui said. “This sounds good.”

Lailah huffed a laugh and shrugged. She waved goodbye to her friend before heading to her class. There just had to be something that she could do. Something was completely off. There was some miscommunication or lack thereof that was creating this distance. Closing it before it grew into an uncrossable rift was going to be a hard thing to do, somehow she could just tell, but she had to at least try. If she didn't, then all the progress that they had made would be for nothing. Under no circumstances would that be acceptable.

All throughout class, Lailah couldn’t get Frank off her mind. What had been his issue last night? What about this morning? It wasn’t like him to just head out like that without at least talking to her. What about her? What had been her issue last night while she was washing her hands. For the first time, she had actually started to notice certain… aspects of him. It had hit her like a ton of bricks that he wasn’t… half bad looking. That wasn’t to say that she wanted anything to do with him on that level. Not. At. All. However, it had shocked her that he had been important enough to her for her to even notice those things in the first place.

The second the teacher ended the lecture, she had swung her bag over her shoulder. While the other students were in the middle of packing, she was already out the door. Confrontation was something that each human ended up doing at some part of their life, so it was a natural part of living. The amount depended on the person, but, nevertheless it was present at some point. Lailah didn’t mind confrontation per se, but, going to Frank without a game plan and open to some sort of event that she had done that had potentially harmed him was making her stomach curl into itself and make her nauseous. Sweat formed on her palms and she wiped them down her pants, trying her hardest to retain the facade that she was calm, cool, and collected.

As promised, Yui was at the bench where they had departed. Also as promised, Feng was sitting next to her. She looked a little exhausted, but a bright smile rose on her face the closer that she got. Lailah went to their friends’ sides and sat down next to Feng. The young Chinese woman slammed her palms down on her thighs.

“Yui told me what happened.” Feng said.

“So, what’s the plan?”

“We gonna go and smack some heads? Punch some people?” Feng asked, cracking her knuckles. “Talk something out?”

“No to the hitting, but we are gonna go talk to someone.” Lailah said. “Well, I am. I need you two to be there to support me if need be.”

“Of course!” Feng said and clasped her hands together.

“We got your back.” Yui held up her thumb.

Lailah grabbed her bag and exhaled slightly. This was a daring plan, even for her. This could go horribly wrong, or wonderfully right. No matter what, she couldn’t stop. Stopping would lead to second guessing herself, and this had to be done. They headed past the fountain and towards the basketball court. There were some team members that were dribbling balls lazily on the court. Others were passing it back and forth. The coach was instructing a group of three on something. Not really being familiar with basketball, there was no way that she could really tell what that something was.

Once the three of them stepped onto the court, some players on the edge of the court or sitting on the bench were looking at them. The looks and stares would normally make her want to turn tail and run, but she had to do this. It was Frank, so she could push her own insecurities back. Yui and Feng kept stride with her, both she was sure were equally confused. The coach had stopped talking and turned to look at the group that had walked onto his court. There were rumors that basketball coaches—or coaches in general—could be real hardasses. There were also rumors, and other times where women would be chastised or laughed at for even walking onto the court; despite the women having a team of their own.

“What can I do for you ladies?” The coach asked, his tone polite and sweet.

“H-Hello.” Lailah said. “Um, can I talk to you alone?”

Frank’s coach looked at the group of young men that were standing around. Each of them looked confused, but the man just waved them off. Clearly not happy that they weren’t allowed to know what was going on, they headed back to the court and joined some of the other members. Once they were out of earshot, the coach turned back to the three and gave her another smile. He put his hands on his hips, but not in an intimidating manner, it was more like he was preparing for something.

“Alrighty, what can I do for you?”

“Is Frank here?” Lailah asked, scanning the group.

“Morrison? I think he headed inside for a bathroom break.” The coach said. “You his roommate?”

“Oh. Yes, I am.”

“I figured. Never seen Frank so excited to see a girl before.”

“Oh…” Lailah cleared her throat. “Well, Frank came home last night and he was in bad shape.”

“Yeah, I noticed. He was all cut up and bruised. I told him he didn’t have to practice today, but he was insistent.” Frank’s coach shrugged. “Can’t say the boy doesn’t have passion.”

“I was helping to bandage him last night and I asked him what happened. He told me that him and some of his teammates got into a fight.”

“What?! Some of his teammates on this team?”

“Unless he’s on another school’s basketball team we don’t know about.” Lailah gave a small laugh and gripped tighter onto the strap of her backpack. “I take it… you didn’t know.”

“Absolutely not. As cliche as it sounds, we try to keep a family feeling here. Morrison’s bruises in particular looked bad. If he did get hurt by someone on the team; they might’ve had to gang up on him. Frank isn’t exactly the weakest man on the team.”

“Frank’s a dear friend of mine… Could you try to keep an eye or an ear open for something that could tip you off to him being potentially bullied?”

“Of course.” The coach said. “Hey—”

“Lailah?”

Frank was coming back down to the group. His bruises looked even worse than they had the prior night. Some others that hadn’t surfaced were on his skin as well. Feng and Yui turned and all three of them gave him a smile. Frank, on the other hand, was not smiling. Lailah couldn’t blame him. She was sure that he was in a lot of pain. Whether or not he wanted to admit it or show it was something else completely.

“Frank, h—”

“What are you doing here?” Frank’s tone was on edge, his tone low.

“I came here to talk to your coach.” Lailah said, pointing her thumb at said man.

Frank looked around. Lailah’s gaze followed. Almost all of the team was looking at them. His jaw was set. His attention turned back to her. Before she could say anything, he gripped onto her arm tightly, and dragged her away from everyone else. Lailah tried to pull her arm from his grasp, but he was stronger than she originally thought. But… 

“Frank, you’re hurting me.” Lailah whimpered. He ignored her. 

Once they were at a place that Frank deemed better to talk, he threw her arm out of his grasp. Her eyes trained on the spot where Frank’s hand had been. If there was a mark underneath her clothing, it wouldn’t shock her.

“Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’?” Lailah scoffed. “Because of what you told me last night.”

“It’s not your job to take care of me.” Frank’s tone was short.

“I’m aware of that.” Lailah adjusted her bag. “I’m just trying—”

“I didn’t ask you to.”

“I know that, but—”

“Stay out of my business.” Frank glared at her for a moment. Lailah visibly recoiled from it. This was almost the same sort of look she had gotten when they first met. Staring at her for a moment, he turned around, but Lailah grabbed onto his wrist.

“Frank—” Lailah’s voice was getting smaller.

“What?!” He turned back around; yelling at her.

“I…” Lailah tried to hide her quivering chin. “I was just trying to help…”

“Did I ask for your help?”

“Well—”

“No. No, I didn’t.” Frank took a step towards her. Lailah had to force herself to not back down. “Did you ever think that maybe I didn’t need or want your help?”

“I-I…” Lailah trailed off, but he didn’t stop.

“No, you didn’t!”

“…” Frank turned to leave once more, but Lailah reached out and grabbed onto his jersey.

“What?!”

“…I…”

“What do you want?!” Frank yelled, tearing his jersey from her grasp.

“Where is this coming from?” Lailah managed to get out.

“…”

“Huh?!” Lailah yelled, forcing down the burning sting of tears trying to well up.

“Leave.”

“Tell me!”

“I’m telling you to leave. Now.”

“Or what? Huh?” Lailah screamed. “What the hell is your issue?!”

“You! You’re my issue!” Frank yelled.

Lailah stood there; stunned. Frank’s words kept repeating in her mind. It was her? She was the problem? Pushing back the tears, she gripped tighter onto her bag for support. Had she really become the thing that she swore she would never be? A pain in the ass… An annoyance… A disturbance… A burden.

“…”

“There! Happy?!”

“…”

“Well?!”

“Whoa! Whoa! Frank, that was completely uncalled for!” Yui yelled.

“She’s—”

“Stay outta this!” Frank pointed to Feng and Yui.

“She’s our fr—” Feng piped up.

“Why didn’t… you say something sooner?” Lailah’s shoulders fell and her voice grew ever smaller.

“I-I don’t know!” Frank yelled. “I thought maybe you’d be able to take a fucking hint!”

“…”

“But you just don’t get it…”

“… sorry.”

“You’re acting like an asshole, Frank!” Feng screamed from behind Lailah.

“Yeah, well, guess what? I am one!” He retorted.

“Fuck being an asshole,” Yui spoke. “he’s acting fucking crazy.”

“Oh yeah? I’m acting crazy.”

“Yeah! You are!”

“You think you can just talk to her like that?” Feng added, screaming.

“Didn’t I tell you to mind your own fucking bus—”

“Stop!” Lailah screamed. Taking a deep breath, she looked up at him. “Frank…”

“… What?” His eyes remained on Feng and Yui for a few minutes before looking down at Lailah.

“Yui’s right. You are acting crazy.” Lailah said. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, I may be crazy. But at least I’m not fucking crazy enough to slice open my hand because my ex’s name popped up on the TV screen.”

Lailah’s eyes widened. It felt like she had been kicked so hard the wind was knocked out of her. Disbelief. Anger; seething. Betrayal. Sadness. It all melded together in a mess of emotions. A collective scream erupted around, filling the surrounding air like a cloud. Tears fell down her cheeks. Fists balled at her sides, the knuckles pulsating on one; she realized what she’d done. Frank was clutching onto his jaw. 

Lailah locked eye contact,

“I trusted you…” She whispered, her voice breaking. 

Unable to hold the tears in anymore, she started crying. In front of everyone; coach, teammates, and her friends. Frank stared at her, but it only made the tears fall faster. Her shoulders slumped, and she hung her head. Hands touched her back. Lailah was guided to turn around. Her backpack was taken. Yui and Feng led their sobbing friend away from the court where Frank stared after them and the prying eyes of the other team members and students that happened to be passing by. A loud groan came from behind them, and a smashing sound, but Lailah didn’t turn around.

Nausea rose up and Lailah broke from her friends. She reached a garbage can and flung the top off; crashing it to the ground beside them. Internally apologizing in advance to the custodians, she retched into the can. Even between breaths, she continued to cry. Two hands came to her back and rubbed circles in her shirt. Her nails dug into the can’s sides. It was hard to tell which emotion was more prominent; anger or sadness. Her stomach burned. Her throat was on fire. Yui stood on one side and Feng on another to prevent any eyes from seeing their friend in such a vulnerable position. Once she was able to breathe fully, Feng reached into Yui’s bag as she was holding onto Lailah’s hair and retrieved a few napkins. Giving a nod of thanks, she blew her nose. Chunks that she hadn’t been able to release now left her and she tossed it into the trash can.

“You’re staying with us.” Yui said while Feng Min put the lid on the can.

“I can’t inconvenience you like that…” Lailah muttered, her voice cracking.

“You’re not an inconvenience.” Feng assured, squeezing Lailah’s shoulders. “Promise.”

“She’s right. Frank’s a fucking dickhead.”

Lailah turned her head to look back at the court, but Yui moved her head so she was unable to look back. Probably a good thing. There was no telling how her body would react to seeing Frank after what he had just said to her. Stinging appeared behind her eyes. How could she have been so stupid? How could she not see the hints that he was dropping that she was a burden? Just their first meeting was enough for her to know. Had her name not been on the lease already, then he would’ve kicked her out. There were so many good memories, but they were all fake. It was just him being nice trying to drop some hints for her to leave him alone. It was always like this with her. She’d trust people and get close to them. She’d start to think that she was able to have friends again; that she was worthy to have a normal life. Then it would just be pulled out from under her. The next thing that she’d know, Feng and Yui would end up leaving her too. Right now, she couldn’t think of any circumstance to where that would happen, but… she didn’t think that Frank would do this either.

Yui had grabbed Lailah’s keys deciding to drive back to the apartment. For Lailah, the moment that she walked inside it felt completely foreign. Everywhere that she looked, there were memories. The kitchen. She had cooked in there with her mom when they visited. There were so many times that her and Frank had breakfast together there. At the kotatsu. Snacks had been shared. They had drank. Both her friends and Frank’s had been able to have a moment and relax together as a singular group. Lailah wiped some tears from her eyes and Yui looked around; a sneer coming to her face. Feng huffed and went and opened Lailah’s door. The three of them walked inside. Even surrounded by all her things, she had felt like this room was foreign. Everything… it was all a lie.

“Grab anything you want. It doesn’t need to be in a single trip.” Yui instructed.

“Here, I’ll help.” Feng said, being soft with Lailah while she periodically broke down.

Packing her things was difficult. There were times where she would shove some of her things into the bags. Other times she would just put her face in her hands and cry. Yui and Feng were there guiding her gently. While she would break down, they would wait and would describe the item that they were holding since she couldn’t look up from her hands. It was a slow process, especially with her small knickknacks. By the time they were done, Yui’s backpack was full, Lailah’s was as well, three bags that she had brought with her when she moved in were also full. It cut deep to see the condition of her room, or rather this room, after she was done.

The three left and headed back down the stairs. Steadily and carefully, her possessions were placed in her car. Yui had just opened the passenger’s side door when she stopped. Feng and Lailah watched as she cracked her knuckles and walked back inside. The two looked at each other for a bit before turning their attention to the closed doorway. Lailah gave a small laugh through her tears when the door open. Carried like it was nothing was the kotatsu that had been sitting in front of the TV. Feng screamed a laugh and got out of the car and ran up the steps to help. Despite the petty behavior, Lailah couldn’t help but give a small laugh. She popped open the trunk and Yui and Feng worked the kotatsu carefully until it was inside.

Lailah huddled into herself. The radio was turned on low, but none of them sang along or said anything. All Lailah could think of was how she could’ve allowed herself to become a burden. No matter what she did, she tried her hardest. It was rather ironic that she had tried so hard to prevent herself from being a burden, in doing so… she had done that exact thing. It was all her fault that Frank had grown to hate her. It was because she was so needy. So annoying. So dependent. When had he started to hate her? When had he started to consider her a burden? Was it from the very beginning? She rested her forehead against the window and closed her eyes, turning her face away from her friends so they wouldn’t be able to see her crying again.

Their apartment complex was a lot better than the one that her and… him lived in. Even though their apartment hadn’t been the most expensive, it was still cozy. The outside was rather impressive, but when they made their way into the interior; her surprise had grown tenfold. The living room was spacious. There was enough for two couches and a large plasma screen TV sat against the wall. A balcony with an ornate wrought-iron fence barricaded the area. The kitchen was larger than the other apartment’s, but it was still small. The appliances on the other hand were anything but ordinary. To her left was a division into two rooms. To her right was another division. In all, the apartment had four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Lailah was sure that it was nothing to sneeze at price wise either.

“We have an empty room. You can stay there.” Feng smiled and took the bags to the room.

It was almost twice the size of the room that she had at the other apartment. Yui put the kotatsu in the middle of the room. Feng sat the bags down as well. The closet was walk-in and the window was huge. The two smiled at her. It felt painful in a way that she wasn’t in her room anymore. But… it had to be done. Feng and Yui were her best friends. It would take a little to get acclimated to the new position, but she would be able to do it eventually. Of that, she was certain. Just take things one step at a time.

The two left her and Lailah opened her bags. Small knickknacks and things like that she decided to place on top of the kotatsu for now. Her movies and other things would stay in the corner for now. As for her laptop and her phone, it would be fine by the wall where she would sleep. As for her clothes, she decided to take them out and fold them piece by piece until she was able to create different piles. In the empty space atop the kotatsu, she placed them. Even with most of her possessions in the room, it still was huge. It was the first time that she was able to be at her best friends’ apartment. It was a shame that they were having this sleepover on such terrible circumstances.

A knock came at the door before Yui reappeared in the doorway with Feng close behind. Each were carrying something akin to bedding. Lailah scooted away from the corner of the room. Yui and Feng put the bedding down on the floor.

“All I have is a Japanese futon. I hope that’s okay.” Yui whispered as if talking too loud would break Lailah. Honestly, with how she was right now; it just might.

“Yeah… Thanks…” Lailah said.

Yui knelt down and with Feng’s help, they sat up the futon. Lailah couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be until she would start to grate on her friends’ nerves and they would end up hating her like Frank did. Clearing her throat, she sat on the futon. Despite being only about three inches thick, it was rather comfortable. The covers were as well. Lailah put her own blanket over it and her own pillow with the other one with the futon. She was slightly worried that Yui would take offense to it, but when she looked; she was smiling.

“I’m going to make dinner. If you want, you can come out to the living room and we can watch some TV.” Yui explained.

“Or one of your movies.” Feng added.

“… okay.”

The two exited the room and Lailah watched as the door closed behind them. Left to the new four walls, she hugged her legs to her body. It was both painful and nice being here at the same time. It didn’t feel like home, but Lailah kept telling herself that it would be okay. Soon it would feel like home. She laid under the futon’s blankets and got on social media and started scrolling down her feed. One of the pages that she followed had a livestream on cats. She brought it up and rested her phone against the kotatsu’s blanket so that she was able to watch it and lay comfortably. Talking came from the other room and the clanking of cookware could be heard. Her eyelids were heavy from all the crying and her stomach was hurting from all the puking. While watching the video, Lailah found herself dozing in and out.

A knocking at the door came as a shock and jolted her awake. Lailah snorted slightly and rubbed her eyes as she woke up. Feng came in, a smile bright on her face.

“Hey, dinner’s done. Hungry?”

“A little… yeah.” Lailah admitted. The food from this morning had been good, but she wasn’t able to keep it down. Now her body was demanding more sustenance.

“C’mon. Bring your computer too.”

“Alright.”

Lailah got up and grabbed onto her computer as Feng Min said and went out to the living room. One of the couches pulled out into a bed and was dressed with some comfy looking blankets. Pulled to the edge was Yui’s larger kotatsu. On it was onigiri and what looked like more steamed buns. It looked like ramen or curry was there as well along with some hot pot. Of course, there was some arare. There was also something that she didn’t recognize. It was in a styrofoam container. Did they go and get some food? How long had she been asleep? Glancing out the windows, no light was coming in. Either the food had taken a while to make or she had been asleep for quite a long time; or both. 

There were some ornate bottles on the table that she didn’t recognize either. They were frosted glass and beautifully ornate. Lailah felt awkward as she stood in the middle of the living room. While she was staying here, it wasn’t her home and she was a little awkward about it. Even though they had invited her—or rather forced her here—she still felt uncomfortable. Feng was sitting in the middle of the pullout bed and patted the spot next to her. Lailah cleared her throat and nodded, heading to sit next to her friend. The beautiful bottles were decorated with pictures of trees and ornate animals with Chinese and Japanese characters on them. Her head tilted and she stared at them like she was able to read it.

“Baijiu.” Feng explained.

“And sake.” Yui added, coming over with some glasses and what looked like some soda.

“So alcohol.” Lailah gave a light chuckle.

“Of course! Girl’s night definitely requires some alcohol.” Feng rolled her eyes. “Hand me your computer.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Here ya go.”

“Cool.” Feng opened her browser and her fingers started typing at an impressive rate.

“Pick a movie. I’m going to start us off with some alcohol.” Yui said and poured them each a glass of baijiu and sake.

“Hmm… alright.” Lailah said and went and grabbed her movies.

“I wanna watch that one.” Feng said and pointed to Spy. “We didn’t get to see it.”

“It does look funny.” Yui said. “Here. Gimme. Help yourself, Dork.”

Lailah smiled softly and started making a plate. Recalling what Feng and Yui liked, she made each of them a plate first. It was the least that she could do considering that they had opened their apartment to her. Feng took the plate and sat it down beside her; munching on one of the steam buns.

“So, uh Yui… what’s that?” Lailah asked, pointing to the styrofoam containers.

“Natto.” Yui said without looking, putting the disc into the DVD drive.

“What’s that?”

“Fermented soybeans. You can try some if you want. I love it. Feng doesn’t.”

Lailah grabbed one of the styrofoam containers and opened it. The soybeans were clumped together and the smell was… quite unpleasant. However, there were some foods that smelled unpleasant but tasted wonderful. She grabbed her fork and grabbed about a fourth of the container.

“Oh you probably shouldn’t—” Feng began and scrunched up her face when Lailah took the bite. “—eat it all like that at one time…”

Lailah pursed her lips and scrunched up her nose. Yui turned around and Lailah tried her hardest to pretend that she liked it. Something must’ve given her away as her friend merely laughed. It tasted almost exactly how it smelled. Out of all the new foods that she had tasted, natto was probably one of the worst. Yui plopped down on the floor and took the container from her. She took a deep breath and chewed the food and ended up swallowing it. Without saying a word, Yui handed her some wonderful, wonderful water.

“Not for you, huh?” Yui asked, taking a bite like it was the best thing in the world.

“N-No, sorry…”

“Nothing to be sorry about. Feng didn’t like it either.”

“Nope! But that’s okay. Yui didn’t like stinky tofu.” Feng shrugged her shoulders.

“Stinky… tofu?” Lailah asked, scrunching up her nose.

“It tastes exactly how it sounds.” Yui said, popping some more natto in her mouth.

“W-Wow…” Lailah cleared her throat.

“Fugashi is great though!” Feng brightened.

“Yeah, I was shocked that she liked it. A lot of foreigners don’t.”

“What’s that?”

“Hmm… best way I can describe it is gluten bars that are toasted on the outside with brown sugar.” Yui explained.

“That’s… interesting.” Lailah said, taking a bite of some onigiri.

“So, so good.” Feng said and turned her computer around. “Here you go!”

“What’d you do?” Yui asked, pressing play on the movie.

“Downloaded Holy Wasteland.” Feng said.

“What’s that?”

“It’s this game that Feng found on the web.”

“An MMORPG to be specific.”

“A-A what…?” Lailah asked.

“A massively multiplayer online roleplaying game.” Feng elaborated.

“I’m… not really a gamer.” Lailah admitted.

“Me neither, but it’s pretty fun. I play it when I can. Feng is obsessed with it. Maybe it would be good for you to try too. If you don’t like it, you can always delete it.”

“It’d be super cool if all of us could play it though.” Feng said.

“W-Well, I’ll give it a shot.”

Throughout the night; the three ended up drinking and talking about this and that. Thankfully, they all avoided the elephant in the room with ease. Lailah—with Feng and Yui’s help—made a character and went through the tutorial. The game was actually pretty fun. There was a lot of stigma surrounding online gaming, or just games in general, so she had been a little worried. But she could see herself becoming quite addicted to the game. Not on the same level as Feng of course. It was her livelihood, but she liked it. That seemed to elate Feng Min more than she could ever say. The three of them played into the night and by the time they decided to call it quits; Lailah was a level 10 elven archemage. The food was all gone as was the alcohol. It took a bit, but they ended up alternating in getting a shower. They restarted the movie and started watching it. Sometime during the night, she had ended up falling asleep.

A ringer woke her up. Nestled in between Yui and Feng, she had to move their arms and Yui’s leg to reach onto the kotatsu and grab her phone. The light assaulted her eyes making her groan. A single notification was on her phone.

Message (1): Frank

Notes:

There you have it! I hope that you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think, like always. I'll be looking forward to hearing from you! Bye bye!

Chapter 14: Error 30004

Summary:

“White. Tea. Large.”

Notes:

Chapter 14!! Here we are! Welcome back to Bruises and Bitemarks! Thank you all for your wonderful comments! It fueled me to write this chapter and I'm so glad how much you all enjoyed the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well! <3

Lailah read over the notification over and over. Every bit of her willed the words to magically turn into something else. Clearly, they did not. She hesitated for a moment before she tapped on the notification. What could Frank possibly want? Wiggling her arm from under Feng’s head, she held the phone in front of her face. Leaving someone on unread was one of those most worrisome and annoying things. However, she was having a hard time trying to put her phone down. Ultimately, it was the one notification constantly being present that led to her decision. Taking a deep breath, she opened her phone. Heart slamming against her chest, her finger shook as she opened it.

Frank: Lailah… are you awake?

Lailah parted her lips like she would be able to answer and he would hear. Her stomach crunched into itself and nausea flooded her stomach. She tried to type a message, but she wasn’t able to hit the ‘send’ button. Her heart hurt and the burning pricked behind her eyes again. Sighing, she laid her head back and blinked back the tears. Lailah jumped when she felt a hand on her head. Yui’s eyes were closed, but her nails were running through her hair. Feng had rolled over and wrapped an arm around her abdomen. Even in their sleep, her friends were still trying to protect her. She couldn’t let them protect her. Lailah would have to protect herself too. It couldn’t be all up to them.

Me: SMS- Service Error 305: Message delivery failed. Further messages will be charged to your account.

Frank:… Huh? Uh, it failed?

Me: SMS- Service Error 305: Message delivery failed. Further messages will be charged to your account.

Frank: Okay. How about now?

Me: SMS- Service Error 305: Message delivery failed. Further messages will be charged to your account.

Frank: How much more…? Never mind. That doesn’t matter. Lailah, please.

Me: Error 30004: Message delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank: Wait a minute. Huh…?

Me: Error 30004: Message delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank: Lailah… you blocked me?

Me: Error 30004: Message delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank:… I guess so. Heh… I do deserve it.

Me: Error 30004: Message delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank: Right. You’re never going to read this anyway, are you?

Me: Error 30004: Message delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank: I just wanted to say that—actually, never mind. It doesn’t matter.

Me: Error 30004: Message delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank: Right. Heh. Well, bye Lailah.

Lailah locked her phone and sat it back on the kotatsu. Her eyes closed and she covered her face with her hands. Despite her best efforts, tears started to fall. There was no way that she would let her friends wake up from her breakdown. There was no reason that she should still be crying about this. Her and Frank were nothing more than friends—at least she had thought—so she didn’t think that it would be hitting her this hard. Yui turned over and wrapped an arm around her too. Feng Min moved her arm for a moment to pull the blanket higher up on their bodies before snuggling against Lailah once more.

A small laugh escaped her. Yui and Feng’s warmth was enough to calm her down in addition to Yui’s nails still running through her hair. The situation with Frank was terrible, but she knew that she would be able to get through it with her friend’s help. Exhaling a shaking sigh, she cuddled against her friends and tried her hardest to relax. With her friends’ soft breathing close by and the warmth of their friendships, she was able to fall asleep.

The scent of food filled the air. Smells and seasonings intermingled with each other in ways she didn’t recognize coerced Lailah to open her eyes. Bleary-eyed, she scanned around. Feng was lying on her stomach. The kotatsu was pulled close to the bed and Lailah watched her friend’s character slay hordes of enemies as they tried to kill her. With a groan, she turned herself over and smiled. Feng smiled brightly and nudged her friend.

“Morning, Sleepy Head!” She exclaimed. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty well. I woke up in the middle of the night because Frank messaged me—”

“What?!” Yui exclaimed from the kitchen. Lailah had been so focused on watching Feng’s character that she hadn’t thought to look for her other friend. “You didn’t respond, did you?”

“Well, yeah, I did.”

“What?!” Feng stopped and looked at Lailah.

“Hold on. Here.” Lailah grabbed her phone and handed it to Yui who had walked over.

Feng Min watched Yui head back to the kitchen and scroll through the message as she tended to whatever it was that was on the stove. They watched intently, both tilting their heads when Yui’s shoulders started shaking. Was she crying? Her head tilted back making the two onlookers even more confused until they heard the laughter started. Scurrying up from her place on the pullout bed, Feng Min headed into the kitchen and grabbed the phone while Yui stirred whatever was in the pot while laughing. Lailah laid her chin on the pillow, putting her face into the soft white fabric when Feng started laughing as well. Her hands clapped and she made sounds that reminded Lailah of a seal. Yui had snorted a laugh. Both turned to her.

“That was amazing!” Feng complimented.

“Definitely. It seems he really got the picture.” Yui added.

“Think so? I can’t help but wonder what he was gonna say though.”

“Probably the same thing most men do when they’ve been served; ‘sorry. I didn’t mean it’. You know, shit like that.” Feng shrugged.

“I do wanna know what happened…” Lailah mumbled. “But—”

“Not enough to deal with talking to him.” Yui finished. Lailah merely nodded.

“Welp! We can think of that later. Breakfast is almost done, yeah?” Feng asked.

“Yeah, it is.”

Grunting as she got up, she headed into the kitchen to gather the plates and some bowls to do everything she could to set the table. Making sure to follow exactly what the two said, she set the plates and bowls on the table. It was probably one of the most luxurious breakfasts that she had ever seen. Clearly Japanese in origin, she saw some soup, some rice, what looked like a rolled egg, There was another thing she saw on the plate. Natto. That one was Yui’s. Small dish after small dish were placed on the table and by the end, the top of the kotatsu was filled with a buffet for three people. It would be shocking if she was able to finish her whole portion. It looked like a small amount, but she knew everything was packed full with vitamins and everything that she would need for a healthy and vibrant day.

The reminder of what happened the previous day still rang in her head. She tried to focus on eating and pushing all other things from her head. Trying to deal with it all at one time would only hurt her more. All the food was great. Grilled fish wasn’t something that she would be keen to have every day for breakfast, but she would be lying if she said that it wasn’t a change of pace. Lailah had a hard time eating some of it since she wanted to try and use chopsticks too. While her friends had given her a small chuckle here and there as she tried to use the foreign implements, they were both extremely patient and helpful. By the end of breakfast, she was able to eat without dropping anything on her plate on her way to her mouth—mostly. As Yui had told her, there would be more time for practice.

As thanks for making such a wonderful breakfast, Feng was putting away the leftovers while Lailah was washing the other dishes and the cookware. Most of the time it was simple talk about what was happening in Holy Wasteland. The game had been fun enough that she was seriously considering getting into it. It would give her some more interests besides watching the same two movies over and over and reading a book. As the last dish was dried and put away, Lailah sighed.

“You coming to work today?” Yui asked.

“Well… I’m on the schedule.”

“That’s not what I asked. Do you think you can?”

“Yeah, I think it’ll be a huge help. It’ll be nice.”

“Are you sure? You don’t have to push yourself.” Feng assured, petting Lailah’s hair.

“No, I’m fine. Really.” Lailah blinked. “Oh! We were supposed to be open yesterday, what happened?”

“I called Sonny to work the shift for me. I owe her a lot.” Yui admitted.

“…”

“It’s fine though. She was happy to do it. Besides, it was nice for a sleepover.”

“Yui wouldn’t lie to you.” Feng promised.

“But she had an emergency and didn’t get to finish everything properly last night. Would it be okay with you if you stuck around throughout the day and helped? We get really busy this time of year.” Yui asked.

“Of course! It’s the least I could do.”

“We’ll stop by the other apartment and get your things later.” Feng said, putting her hands on her hips.

“Yeah. It’ll—” A strange sound cut Yui off and Feng let out a shriek and went back to the game.

“No! All my loot is gone!” Feng plopped on the floor. “I didn’t exit the dungeon!!”

“We’ll get on later and run through it with you. How does that sound?” Yui asked.

“…I had a legendary piece of equipment I found…”

“It’s alright Feng. We can uh… what’s the word?” Lailah looked down. “Oh! Grind for it.”

“Hey hey!” Feng brightened. “Look at that! You’re remembering the lingo!”

Lailah gave an awkward smile. She had heard gamers at school talking. It had seemed like they had their own language. Becoming friends with Feng and being introduced into the worlds of games proved her theory true. It would take time, but she would fit right into Holy Wasteland’s world with her friends. Yui shrugged and looked at Lailah. Now that school was off for a short break, she was able to devote all her time to work and moving all her belongings to the new apartment. Feng and Yui set her up in her bathroom and let her get a shower and get ready for the day. It would definitely be nice to be out of the house and breathe some fresh air. The only problem with going outside is that she might end up running into him. The possibility had been there, but she hadn’t really thought about what she would end up doing if she had run into him and was met face to face again.

By the time that they were all dressed and ready to head out, Lailah’s mood had improved. The thought of Lailah potentially running into Frank didn’t leave her mind, but she wouldn’t sequester herself into the apartment to stop that chance. His words had hurt. Cut deeper than she would ever be able to say, but… she couldn’t let that stop her. Yui and Feng had repeatedly told her that she wasn’t a burden, an annoyance, nor an inconvenience. The words were reassuring to hear, but it was up to her to be able to take those words and apply them to her own mentality. Sitting around thinking of what could have been or would have been wouldn’t help her mentality.

Outside was on the relatively warm side. They still had to don some jackets and keep to pants, but it was still nice to be able to take in the air. Lailah walked in the middle of the group as they headed to Tea You Later. She kept her hands in her pockets while she listened to her friends. Yui was telling them about how her Grandma was supposed to be sending snacks from Japan. Once they got there, Yui wanted to share them with everyone. Feng was telling them about how her parents were returning to China to visit her grandparents for a couple months. The desire to see the rest of her family had been there, but apparently Feng and her parents didn’t get along well enough to be able to visit them at the same time. It was hard to be on such bad terms with your parents. Lailah was unsure if being on bad terms or not having any ties to your biological parents was a better thing. It wasn’t that one person’s pain wasn’t more important than the other at all. As much as Feng tried to hide how flippant her parents are about her choice in life, there was a twinge of sadness in her eyes. Especially when she talked about how she would spend all this time in China when she was a child.

Yui opened the door to the tea shop and walked inside with the other two. Sonny had mostly taken care of the cleanup from yesterday. Sitting on the counter by the computer in the office was Sonny’s list of things that she had been unable to accomplish before her emergency. It mostly dishes and cleaning the machines. Lailah put on her apron and after clocking in, went back to the main floor with the other two. Feng longed into the computer and Lailah went to the back with Yui to go and clean the machines. She had told her friend that she would do it, but she wouldn’t hear of it. Safe cleaning products, hot water, and about two hours later and they were all cleaned. As they finished, Feng went and turned the sign to open. Yui and Feng stood behind the counter while Lailah cleaned by the register.

“So, what happened that made Sonny have an emergency?” Lailah asked.

“Apparently her mom collapsed and had to be taken to the hospital.” Yui said.

“Oh shit! I hope she’s okay!” Feng gasped.

“Yeah, she messaged me after you and Lailah passed out on the couch. She said that her mom’s blood sugar went too low, causing her to pass out.”

“Damn…” Lailah murmured, scrubbing at a spot on the counter.

Within fifteen minutes, a line was almost out the door. The three friends worked the fastest that they were able. As soon as a customer was served and left, another came to replace them. No wonder that they were asking for help. It was a little difficult to be dealing with this when there was three of them. Lailah couldn’t imagine how it would have ended up being if it was just the two. Feng and Lailah had switched to make quick the task of replenishing the depleted case of sweets. One of the customers had decided to wait until his favorite cookies were baked. Lailah assured him that it wouldn’t take long.

Three more customers wanted some sweets and they were forced to wait with the other man as well. Lailah gnawed at her lip, worried about getting behind. Peeking through the curtain, Feng was pressing dough and flattening it faster than any human should be able to. Yui was prepping boba and making teas at alarming rates. She came out and handed them to Lailah, only having a moment for a brief smile of unspoken thanks before heading back to their prepping stations. She looked at the cups and called out the names of customers back to back. The four patrons came and grabbed the drinks with a kind “thank you”. Scents both floral and berry filled the air. A few customers visibly sniffed the air. Lailah couldn’t blame them. The first time that she had smelled them as they came straight from the oven, she had been one of those people.

Feng came out from the back with little baggies of pastries that were already made up for the customers. Just as Yui, Feng only had a few seconds to give a small smile before she went back to her station. Lailah delivered the little bags and apologized profusely for the wait. Thankfully, all of them had told her that it was no trouble and that they understood with the current capacity of the shop. Lailah smiled bright and wished them well. Her attention turned to the next customer in line.

“Hello, how—”

“…”

Frank was standing at the register. His hands were in his pockets and his brows were furrowed together. Lailah’s eyes instantly narrowed at seeing him. Usually, she was a forgiving person. Seeing him though just reminded her of everything that he had said the previous day. All the hurt from then returned as well. Had it not been for the people that were behind him, Lailah would’ve went off on him; yelling at him with everything that she could. Potentially, she might’ve even started crying too. However, this was work. It was a place of business; professional. Since she was there, she had to remain professional as well.

“… What do you want?”

Close enough.

“U-Um…” Frank looked at the board and scratched the back of his head. It was clear that he was out of his element. The only thing that she had ever seen Frank Morrison attempt to drink other than soda and coffee was alcohol. The only reason that he even drank water was to keep himself hydrated for practice.

“You didn’t bring any water with you?”

“Forgot.”

“Do they not supply any for practice?”

“They do, I just saw you and wanted to say hi.”

“Caffeinated or not?” Lailah asked; tone flat and devoid of emotion. She hoped.

“D-Do you sell uh… coffee?”

“Uh, here. I have coffee, want some?”

“Filled with sugar?”

“As always.”

“No. This is a tea shop. Not coffee.” She mumbled, gripping onto the edge of the register.

“Right… caffeinated then.”

“Hey buddy, do you mind hurrying up?” One of the customers behind Frank started to get agitated. She blinked, hoping that Frank didn’t fly off the handle. One thing she didn’t feel like doing was fucking around and having to deal with the cops again. “Some of us are trying to get to work!”

“Yeah. Right. Sure.” Frank mumbled and stepped off to the side.

Lailah’s bright smile returned. There was no denying her love for her job. But, with Frank standing not even five feet from her, the smile that was almost always genuine now felt forced and even pained. With precision, she took orders and made change. One by one, Lailah relayed the orders. Just as fast, Yui and Feng gave her the required items. Each customer that left had a smile on their face, and that made Lailah happy. Even though it was just something small as a cup of tea or a cookie before work or school, she was glad that she was able to provide some happiness for people.

The chatter from the people seated thankfully filled the silence that arose from Frank coming to stand in front of the register again. The smile that had been on her face instantly faltered again. There was no point in trying to hide how she felt about seeing him there. Even if she tried to hide it, he would know. Somehow, he always did.

“Yeah. I love how you seem to read my mind.”

“I know how you feel about my blankets, but I didn’t want to go into your room just to grab the one you had.”

It was just him. He always seemed to know and to understand. The closeness that they had shared over the four months that they had known each other was painful. Despite their supposed closeness, he had said what he did. Perhaps that’s why it had hurt so much. Not just the words were painful, but it was because he had said them.

“You ready to order?” Lailah asked, trying to keep her tone flat.

“… Oh. I uh, do you have any recommendations?” Frank mumbled.

“You said ‘caffeinated’, correct?”

“Yeah, Lai—”

“Herbal or non-herbal?” Lailah interrupted.

“Non-herbal… I think.”

“Any particular flavor or health benefit you’re looking for?”

All I have to do  is  treat him like a regular customer. Just an average, everyday customer. Someone without a face.

“Oh, uh. Um… I-I—” Frank’s brows furrowed, his gaze flickering to the menu before going back to her. Brown eyes that were confused and worried at the same time.

“Lailah? How are we doing out there?” Yui asked, coming from the back. The smile that was on her face fell immediately as well. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I uh… came here to—”

“Annoy Lailah?” Yui finished.

“No, I—”

“Hurt her more?” Feng said, coming from the back. She must’ve heard the conversation.

“No, I-I…” Frank looked from them and then over to Lailah. He sighed. “I just wanted some tea.”

“You?” Feng scoffed. “I—”

“Fine.” Yui muttered. “What do you want?”

“He said something caffeinated and non-herbal.” Lailah explained.

“Lailah said that you coughed a lot. I recommend something for its antioxidants.” Yui explained and leaned over and tapped some buttons. “White tea. Large.”

“I didn’t—” Frank began.

“White. Tea. Large.” Yui repeated.

“$4.85.” Lailah said and took his money and made the change, handing it back to him.

Frank put the money in his pocket, his eyes glued to the tile flooring. The empathetic part of her wanted to have her apologize to him for the harsh treatment. He deserved it though. If she kept telling herself that then it would be okay. He looked up at her and his brows knit together. The locked gazes had unspoken words and tension in the air. Lailah just wanted to put everything on the table, but she wouldn’t allow herself to be vulnerable again. Not to anyone. Not to him especially.

“Lailah, uh… can we… talk?” Frank asked.

“… I don’t have anything to say to you, Frank.” Lailah muttered. “I’ll be back with the tea.”

“Wait—”

Lailah went to the back and frowned. Feng had stopped the dough rolling and was staring at her. A lump rose in her throat and she tried to force herself not to cry. It should’ve been easier to just press all that back and push him out of her life. But when she looked in those brown eyes, she was almost ready to forgive anything, but… she couldn’t do that. Self-respect was hard to come by, but she was going to keep holding onto the amount that she had. Feng parted her lips, but Lailah shook her her head. Her friend nodded and frowned before returning to the dough. Focused more on her thoughts and depending on muscle memory, she began making some tea.

“I just wanna talk to her, Yui.”

“No. You’ve done enough.”

“I should be able to explain.”

“What could you possibly say that would explain that?” Yui hissed.

“That’s why I’m asking to talk to her.” Frank sounded like he was pleading.

“You don’t des—”

“Ouch!” Lailah exclaimed, dropping some water; burning her hand up to her wrist. She hissed and slammed down the container. Quickly turning on the faucet, she ran her hand under the cool water. Biting at her lip, she exhaled a shaking sigh. “… Dammit…”

“I’ve got it.” Feng said and ran her hands down her apron and made the tea.

Feng Min disappeared from the back. Tears pricked from the corner of her eyes and stung her nose. This wasn’t supposed to happen like this. It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. When she saw him, she was supposed to be able to keep it all down. Rage was supposed to still be at the top of the list. It was fizzled out and she felt like the most pathetic person on the face of the planet. Remaining focused on the water running over her hand was the only thing keeping her from breaking down.

“Here.” Feng Min said, her tone flat and angry.

“… Thanks…”

“Come here.” Yui’s voice chimed in. It was a whisper, but she could still hear it even over the chatter from everyone else in the room.

“I—”

“Now.”

Lailah’s racing heart only quieted when the bell dinged indicating that he had left. Feng Min returned and instantly came to her side. She rubbed small circles in Lailah’s back as she clenched her fist. There were no amount of words to explain how terrible she felt right now. Sighing slightly, she smiled at Feng and started to dab at the water that was still on her hand. Feng gave her a concerned look, but Lailah merely smiled before heading back out to the front. This wasn’t like her, she should just focus on her job. Not things that couldn’t be changed.

From the register, she was able to see Yui and Frank talking in the front of Tea You Later. He was holding onto his cup with a strange look on his face. He had started to open his mouth three or four times, but each time he was interrupted by Yui screaming at him. A few people that were sitting down had turned to look at the spectacle. Frank raised his arms and was starting to yell back. Yui rested her weight on one hip and gestured to the store. Frank looked at the ground and frowned for a few moments before looking up at Yui. Whatever she had said seemed to hurt him. He shook his head and threw up his hands. Yui scoffed and pointed her finger at him and said something else before she made her way to the door.

“Yui.” Lailah heard Frank say as the door open. They locked gazes and Frank instantly broke it. “Alright… alright.”

Her friend closed the door as she reemerged outside. Yui folded her arms and frowned. Frank ran a hand down his face. He spoke to Yui, raising his brows as he did so and looking away. Lailah’s own brows raised. Confusion set in. Yui shifted her weight to the other hip and looked inside for a second before. She moved out of the way as a group of teens left the shop.

“Really?” Yui asked.

“… Yeah.”

The door closed. It looked like a dam was bursting. Lailah continued to take the orders of the people that were in line. Frank was speaking at a rate so fast that she ended up wondering if he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen. He threw up his hand and shrugged. His chest huffed, and he shrugged his shoulders. Yui folded her arms. Yui’s back was turned to her and she started gesturing. Frank furrowed his brows and looked back and forth on the pavement. He nodded along with whatever Yui was saying. His gaze traveled back up to her. A group of people left the store.

“… alright. I get it.” Frank muttered. He looked behind Yui and over to Lailah. Her eyes fell. When she looked back up, he was gone.

When Yui walked back inside, Lailah had asked her friend what the conversation had been about. No matter how much she had asked and in how many ways, she wouldn’t tell her. The only thing she could say was that “it would be better if she didn’t know”. She couldn’t figure out why in the hell that she cared so much about what Frank had said. Friendships broke up and disintegrated all the time. There was no reason that this would should affect her so strongly. Lailah felt even worse when Yui pulled Feng Min aside and told her. Yes, they were just trying to protect her from Frank harming her again, but it made her feel a little lonely. What could Frank have said that would harm her so much that she had to be plucked out of “the know”?

For the rest of the night, Lailah had made the teas in the back. She couldn’t get that conversation out of her head. Every time that she would end up thinking about it, she would just shake her head to try to rid her head of it. This shift had taken a lot out of her and she was ready to just fall asleep on the tiled floor. But clean up was a must. Feng Min and Yui kept watch over her, trying to help her keep her mind off anything that could harm her bruised emotions even more than they already were. It would’ve been so easy to just distance herself from her friends, but she knew that they were just thinking of her. Aggravating as it may be, she had to think of that and respect them for that.

Feng Min was watering the flowers while Yui was cleaning the back. It was up to Lailah to clean the lobby’s floor, the chairs, and the tables. They had been so busy that the lobby was dirtier than normal. Thankfully, most of the people were polite, but today that had some bad luck and trash was on the floor here and there. A lot in the back corner. The last people that were sitting here were a group of high school kids that made her lose all hope in humanity. They were so rude, snide, and sarcastic. If it wasn’t for her being on the clock, she would’ve told them what for. Yui only let them remain here because of the order here and it wouldn’t do much for business if the owner started being rude and yelling at minors.

The moment that they left after she clocked out, Lailah leaned against the brick wall and groaned. They still had to go and gather the rest of her things, but…

“Hey, Lailah… I know you probably really want your bed, but—” Feng began.

“No, I’m good. I’m so exhausted.”

“We’ll get it soon.” Yui assured.

Three weeks had passed since she left the apartment. Feng Min was at a tournament and Yui was cleaning the apartment, so Lailah had decided that she was going to grab the rest of her belongings. The bed probably wouldn’t get used very much since the three of them spent a lot of time passing out on the pullout bed and watching movies and playing Holy Wasteland. Yui’s car was the biggest of the three so it was easier to gather the rest of her things. This would also be a good thing because it could give her a chance to face Frank alone. So far, she had stayed away from him as much as possible. Once or twice she had ran into him in the school cafeteria, but she had just apologized and excused herself. They had seen each other in the parking lot as well, but they did nothing more than exchange a glance before getting into their respective cars.

Lailah pulled into the Promenade and into block J. Each time she had come back to this place, it had been a feeling of home. Now, it just hurt. She sighed and turned off Yui’s car. Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and headed up the stairs. Music was coming from the inside. Perhaps she should’ve called first, but, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. It took three times before she was able to knock on the door. She had to knock four times—loudly—before the door opened.

Frank stood in the doorway. His eyes were red and his pupils were dilated. What looked like stubble was on his jawline. It took him a few seconds to realize who the hell she was, he perked up. It looked like he hadn’t slept in months. His mouth was slightly agape. She put her hands in her pockets and looked down. This was even more awkward than she thought it was going to be. Seeing him in this shape, she didn’t know what to think.

“Lailah…” Frank exhaled a small laugh. “Come in.”

“‘kay…”

The inside of the apartment looked terrible. Beer bottles were on the floor by the couch and on the counter. It looked completely foreign from how it looked when she was living there. She folded her arms walked inside, giving an awkward smile when Frank closed the door behind her.

“Take off your shoes…” Frank mumbled. “I uh… don’t want the floor to be dirty.”

Lailah took off her shoes and looked around. The rest of the floor was slightly dirty, but the spot that was by the door was extremely pristine. Her eyes trailed along the clear, distinct line of care for the floor. It hurt her. She followed Frank further into the apartment. It didn’t feel like home anymore. Frank cleared his throat and sat the glass down on the table where the key bowl was at. She assumed it was filled with alcohol.

“… Hey.” Lailah said, hugging herself.

“Hey.” Frank gave a small laugh. It was definitely alcohol in that glass. “What are you doing here? Um, I can clean up. I can order pizza or… get food or something, if—”

“… I came to pick up the rest of my things…” Lailah interrupted. Frank’s face immediately fell, and he cleared his throat; straightening up.

“… Oh. Yeah, yeah of course.” Frank huffed a laugh. “The uh… your room hasn’t been touched.”

Lailah smiled awkwardly and gave him a small nod. She gave another look around the apartment. The sink was empty, but takeout containers were everywhere. The garbage bag needed to be taken out. Sugar or what looked like flour was on the counter. Had Frank actually attempted to cook something other than breakfast? The beer bottles were… just tremendous in amount. Dipping away, she headed to what had once been her room.

Everything was just as it had been. The room was a little musty making her think that Frank hadn’t even opened the door since she left. There wasn’t too much here to take, but what there was, was large and bulky. If she tried to take all of this out by herself, it would end up taking longer than she hoped. Frank would have to help her. Internally sighing, she started breaking down her bed’s frame into smaller parts in order to pack it easier. Feeling someone behind her, she turned and saw Frank at the doorway.

“… yeah?”

“Do you uh… need help?” Frank mumbled.

“Yeah. I could use some help.”

“Okay.” Frank said and hesitated for a moment.

“Are you coming in?”

“Oh… well, yeah, I just… didn’t want to come into your room without your permission.”

“This isn’t my room anymore…” Lailah whispered, pausing for a moment.

Frank paused momentarily and started to break down the bed frame. Her nose started to burn, and she forced herself to remain looking at the frame. They worked silently side by side until it was done. He gathered the pieces together and started picking some up. Lailah packed what smaller things could fit in the bag that she brought.

“This will always be your room, Lailah…” Frank muttered as she headed out to the living room. She froze momentarily, but hoped he didn’t notice. 

Lailah went down to Yui’s car and tossed the bag inside. She turned her back to the apartment and exhaled. This was so much harder than she thought it was going to be. Steeling herself, she looked over and saw Frank coming down the stairs with all the pieces from the bedframe. She went over to where he was at and tried to grab some, but Frank moved them out of her grasp. He gave her a small smile that made her stuck in place for a moment before she blinked and opened the door for Frank. Carefully, he put each piece into the car and smiled at her when it was finished. Despite what she wanted to do, she ended up returning the smile like it was the most natural thing to do.

They returned into the apartment only to grab the mattress and bring it back, putting it into the back. Lailah tugged it into the back and tilted it. Between her and Frank’s combined efforts and natural teamwork, the mattress was shut in the car in no time at all. Frank came to her side and stared at her. They shared a look, and he looked her up and down. He opened and closed his mouth a few times like he wanted to say something, but he huffed a small laugh and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“… It was great seeing you, Lailah.” Frank said softly. “Drive safe.”

Lailah got inside the car. He headed back up the stairs. An envelope popped up in the corner of her eyes. She sighed and got out of the car. Aggravation overtook her. She was so close to getting out of here with no issues, but of course. To no avail.

“Frank.” Lailah said and got out of the car. Her stomach flipped when he turned to look at her with a small smile on his face.

“Y-Yeah. What’s up?”

“Here.”

“What’s this?” Frank asked, grabbing the envelop that was offered to him.

“My half of the rent money.” Lailah said. “And, I found this in my things.”

“My keys?” Frank asked.

“Yeah. Somehow it must’ve gotten stuck in my stuff.”

“… Thanks for finding them.” Frank looked at the keys and the envelope. Lailah thought that he would be happy to have all those items, but he just stared at them.

“No problem. This too.” Lailah reached into her pocket and held out her hand. When Frank saw what was dropped into his hand, it looked like all the color had left his face.

“… your key…?” It sounded like Frank’s voice had cracked, but she could be mistaken. Of course she had to be mistaken. Someone that would say something like that to her wouldn’t care if she left.

“I won’t be needing it anymore.” Lailah muttered. Frank’s hand clasped tightly around the small piece of metal.

“Lai—”

“Bye Frank.” Lailah tore her eyes away from him and got back in the car. She pulled out, forcing herself to look anywhere other than where he was at.

Making sure to be extra careful, she pulled out of the Promenade and pulled onto the main road heading back to the apartment that she was going to be sharing for good with Yui and Feng. She was sure that sometime in the future that apartment would end up feeling like home. Right now though, it felt like she was driving away from home. And the apartment. A tear fell down her face.

Notes:

There you have it! This one was shorter than the previous ones for various reasons. One of them is that I ended up having to do some school work that snuck up on me and I wanted to get this chapter out before I ended up burying myself into said work.

Another reason is that a few days ago I found out that your friendly neighborhood trainwreck of an author is going to be a mom! We don't know for sure how many or what gender they are, but I ended up with three positive tests. I'm not sure if any of you wonderful readers have ever been pregnant before, but the amount of lethargy and exhaustion is unreal and completely hit me by surprise so it was hard to write.

But I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite its shorter length! I will definitely be coming out with another chapter soon. I just need to get a little more rest. XD

Chapter 15: Anger and Sadness

Summary:

Why won’t you just leave?

Notes:

Welcome back to Bruises and Bitemarks. Here we are with Chapter 15!! Sorry it took me a bit to get this chapter out. Hard to believe I'm almost to chapter 20 already. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter despite the length and the time it took me to get it out.

Her boots slammed against the cracked stone. The sharp pain that dug in between her ribs, a testament to how long she had been running. Duty. Honor. Who needed any of that? One’s shoulders were only capable of carrying so much weight. Who could fault another for wanting to find some sort of requiem; some sort of peace? Panting out the fear of her future and the uncertainty of what was to come, she pulled herself up the stairs.

Slamming her shoulder into the heavy door, she used all her weight to pry it open far enough for her to enter a hallway. Hordes of footsteps followed behind. She ran around the corner. The further away from the others, the better. Her thighs burned, and she found herself slowing down. Turning the corner, she leaned against the cold, stone walls. Chest heaving, she chanced a look behind her. Her stomach dropped; what had once been two people to start out with was now a small crowd. They were led by three people; each wearing a mask. Swallowing the lump that rose in her throat, she continued sprinting.

Slowly pushing open another door, her running began to slow. At the end of the hallway was a turn; then a window. If she could just get there, she could jump out and find somewhere that she would be able to relax. Where she would be able to forge her own future without prejudices or requirements from others. Mustering up the rest of her energy, she rounded the corner and screamed out. A red, hot pain settled in between her ribs. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the source. A knife was sticking from her body, dripping crimson with her blood. Her eyes trailed up to her murderer; a man with a white, smiling mask.

“No!” Lailah stared at the pool of blood growing wider on the floor. The countdown timer for her bleed out had begun causing her to moan in anger. “… Dammit.”

Her elven mage gave out another scream as she died. Lailah let out a small whine and put her head down on the kotatsu. Before she could say or do anything else, the door opened and she heard Feng and Yui come in. They had been running errands. Simply raising a hand when she was greeted, she continued to give small cries. Her friends came in and checked the screen where it had faded to black and her elven archemage was standing in town with her arms folded.

“Playing Holy Wasteland?” Feng asked.

“…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I tried to tackle that newer dungeon that came out on the Irisia continent. There’s supposed to be some interesting loot there for Christmas…” Lailah mumbled.

“Isn’t it recommended a party of at least four to even attempt?” Yui chimed in.

“Yeah, but I just wanted to check it out. I was doing really good, and I was going to leave, but then I was getting chased so I tried to find some place to run and hide so I could escape with my loot, but some smiley face motherfucker ended up getting me…”

“Aww, well it’s a good thing we’re home!” Feng said. “We can see if anyone from the guild is on and try to run it. We’re all excited for it.”

“Sounds good.” Lailah said and stood up to help them put the groceries away.

Lailah popped a few bags of popcorn and put it in a large bowl. Ever since she had hit level 20 in Holy Wasteland, she had been garnering more and more quests. She also had access to partake in events and artifact wars between continents. When she had “gained full access” so to speak, she found herself spending more and more time on Holy Wasteland. While she would never be a gamer by Feng’s means, she did spend a lot more time on the game than she had originally assumed she would. Yui gathered some tea and soda and walked to the kotatsu and sat it down with Feng’s snacks.

Snacks upon snacks and two laptops later and they were set up around the kotatsu. Yui and Feng booted up while Lailah snacked. Once Yui and Feng’s characters loaded in, Lailah added each of them to a party. Feng’s sorceress nodded and folded her arms. Yui’s dark knight huffed a laugh and slammed her sword on the ground.

“Oh! I got a message from someone in the guild. They wanna run the new dungeon.” Feng said and typed back a reply. A warrior appeared in their group and was added to the party. “He has a friend.”

“The more the merrier.” Lailah muttered, shoving some popcorn into her mouth.

At their spot, another person loaded in. They were a level one Assassin.

[Party Chat]

Sincubus : I’m  f*cking  pumped for this dungeon.

The warrior from their guild clasped his hands together and nodded his head, rolling his neck. Lailah preferred playing with Yui and Feng only, but she had seen what that dungeon had to offer, so it would be nice to have some other people to take the aggro off them. Especially since he was playing a warrior, he would be able to tank all the damage.

NagoyaSurvivor : It’ll be our first time on it too.

Yui’s character sheathed her sword and scoffed, putting her hands on her hips. Her character was about as apathetic and stoic as Yui herself was. It was an excellent fit. There were so many times that her character had saved Lailah and Feng during long runs.

The_Phoenix: Well, not all our first time. Someone got a little trigger-happy.

Feng’s sorceress summoned a bit of fire in her hand and ran it along her fingers. Lailah had told her friend how much she had liked the cleverness of her username. Since “Feng” is “Phoenix” in Chinese, she liked how she picked the sorceress and used the name.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Yeah, yeah. Couldn’t help it.

Lailah’s elven archemage looked at all of the party members, containing a smile for all of them. One of her favorite things of her class was that she was able to use all these spells in order to devastate their enemies, but at the same time, she was able to heal her teammates. It was nice to be wanted in a game, since she wasn’t able to do too much outside of it.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Is your friend here?

Sincubus : Oh,  ur  rite. Say  sumthin .

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Uh. Hi.

The_Pheonix : Doesn’t talk much, does he?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Just started today. Not too sure about any of this.

Sincubus: I keep tellin him not 2 worry, but he don’t listen.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : We’re the lower leveled two here. So, we can just stick together, and it’ll be fine for now.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx :  …   ‘ kay.

“Not much for conversation, is he?” Lailah mumbled.

“Doesn’t look like it. He’s Sin’s friend, so might as well be polite.” Yui shrugged.

The_Phoenix : Yeah, yeah.  C’mon , let’s go.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : You’re right.

NagoyaSurvivor : Hold your horses. Is everyone stocked?

The_Phoenix : Ooh, good call. Let’s stop by the shop.

The group went to the shops in town and gathered potions; health, stamina, and mana. Truthfully, Lailah should’ve waited for her friends the last time she went to the dungeon, but she just wanted to check the difficulty level. xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx and her would have to stick behind everyone else in order to go the furthest that they could. Smiley was only a level one, so he would end up having to staying even further behind her.

They all teleported to the town where they would have access to the dungeon. Lailah moved with her friends as they gathered the quest from the young woman outside of a large building. There was supposed to be a lot of amazing loot in here. When she had come in here on her own, she had gotten a lot of good loot. But having died, she lost it all. Just a little bit of karma in her opinion.

They had just started the first battle when their new friend took a step and ended up setting off a trap and being impaled. Lailah went over and used a spell to revive him.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Thanks for that.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : No problem. With us all here, you’ll level up in no time.

The_Phoenix : She’ll keep good tabs on you, just stay back there. Okay?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Think I can manage that.

Lailah and her friends went through the dungeon. xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx ended up gaining 20 levels just on the first floor alone. He had even been able to contribute to some smaller battles. For bosses though, he had to hang back and use ranged attacks. The group had played for hours and hours. The dungeon went on for what felt like forever. Feng, Yui, and Lailah ended up going to the bathroom and grabbing more drinks. Her back was hurting, but they were getting such good loot. Some of it was out of her level range and she wouldn’t be able to use for a long, long time. It didn’t matter though, that would help her save some gold.

Yawning, they pulled into the next level. It was a checkpoint, a safe level. If they ended up dying after praying to the goddess Aiora’s statue, they would be able to escape the dungeon without losing any of their loot. Dungeons were always tedious and honestly somewhat terrifying when it came to Holy Wasteland. They headed through a rift gate and were met with a large boss. It was quite possibly the biggest boss that she had fought in the game thus far.

Sincubus: Wtf?

NagoyaSurvivor : What’s wrong?

The_Phoenix : Whoa… check out that health!

“What?!” Lailah exclaimed.

“Infinity…” Feng whispered.

Sincubus : Maybe it’s a time thing?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Keep hitting it, and it should fall eventually, right?

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : That’s the idea, but… I’ve never seen an enemy with infinity health before.

Sincubus : Glitch?

NagoyaSurvivor : Doubt it. There’s some trick to this battle.

The_Phoenix : We have to focus…

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : We gonna be able to beat it?

Sincubus :  Probly   f*cking  not, but, I’m pretty happy  w / trying.

The_Phoenix : Well! Alright!  C’mon !

Lailah sighed as she looked at the screen. She was loading back to the main town. That boss had completely obliterated them. All that work to get to it, and they probably hadn’t even lasted 2 minutes against it. She leaned her back against the couch and popped open another soda. Her brows raised and she looked over at Feng who had her head on her keyboard and Yui whose head was tilted back and her hands were over her face.

Sincubus : Well, that  f*cking  blows…

NagoyaSurvivor : I didn’t think that there was a boss that strong…

The_Pheonix : We got to keep our loot though!

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Yeah, that’s a positive. If that thing has supposed infinite health, then either we encountered a glitch, or there’s a trick.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Wonder what kind of loot it drops.

Sincubus : Can’t wait 2 find out.

Sincubus : Well, Imma head out

Sincubus : Nice playing  w / u guys.

Sincubus: L8tr!

[ Sincubus  has left the party]

“Well, he ditched pretty fast.” Feng murmured, munching on a cookie.

NagoyaSurvivor : I’m calling it a night too.

“What? Really?” Lailah asked.

“Yeah. That whole fight just pissed me off.”

NagoyaSurvivor : Hey, I’m heading out too. It was nice meeting you, Smiley.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : You too.

NagoyaSurvivor : Later.

[ NagoyaSurvivor  has left the party]

Yui got up with a groan and started picking up all the empty cans, bottles, and bowls. She sighed and closed her laptop. She rubbed her eyes and groaned again. Lailah couldn’t blame her. That whole fight had been a bit annoying.

The_Phoenix : I’ve got a lot of quests to do. Catch you later! Nice meeting you, Smiley!

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : You too.

The_Phoenix: Byebye!

[ The_Phoenix  has left the party]

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : You heading out too?

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Hm? Not sure. You?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx :  …  Wasn’t thinking about it. I just started, I’ve got a lot to learn.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : True. Phoenix and Nagoya helped me a lot when I first started playing.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : That so?

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla: Yeah. The game can get a little overwhelming, especially since you started right near an event.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Think I could convince you to help me?

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Yeah, I’d love to.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Awesome. 

Three hours after everyone else had dipped off, Lailah and Smiley were still playing Holy Wasteland. It had been a bit difficult to get him to understand some interfacing, but by the end of the three and a half hour mark, he was finally able to do most things without asking for help. They had just finished up one of his quests and were selling some needless loot to a nearby merchant.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : You seem like the type to enjoy helping people.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : I do.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : I can tell

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Oh yeah?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : After all, that’s all that valkyries do is help others.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : You know of valkyries?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Not really personally.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Haha!  C’mon , you know what I meant.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Yeah, I did. :) I learned about them in a class in college.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : That’s cool! :) I think they’re really cool.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : So I see.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Well, I’m going to head out, I need to help clean up the apartment and all sorts of  sh*t  like that.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Yeah, I understand. I need to get dinner ready.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Alright. :)

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Hope to play with you again soon, Valkyrie.

Valkyrie_Of_Vahalla : Definitely. Bye, Smiley.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Later. :)

Lailah logged off Holy Wasteland and closed her laptop. She got up and groaned as her back popped. Despite them getting ultimately owned by that boss, it had been fun to get together and play. Helping Smiley gave her a sense of accomplishment as well. At least she wasn’t a complete failure. Feng and Yui had helped her, and she was able to pass on the knowledge. Hopefully, they would be able to go and play together again. Knowing nothing other than the username, it was a lot to bank that they would end up being online at the same time. They had made a good team.

Grabbing the wrappers from the snacks and drinks that she had around her computer, she headed up into the kitchen. Yui was cleaning up from dinner and without saying anything, Lailah jumped in as well. They worked together silently. One of her favorite parts of living with Feng and Yui was that there was a lot that was said without words. It seemed that they were able to understand each other without words which made their living situation a lot easier. Feng groaning and taunting the enemies from the kitchen made her smile. Ever since she had left the party, she had been glued to her own quest line. While she had been into Holy Wasteland more than she had originally planned, there was no way that she was even in the same league as Feng Min was. The Chinese girl always put her in awe of her prowess with a mouse and the W, A, S, and D keys.

Sighing, she put away the last bowl that she had helped Yui dry and smiled. Her friend returned it with one of her own and wiped her hands down her pants. The clock read past three in the morning. They didn’t have class in the morning, but Lailah did. On top of that, she had work. Lailah just hoped that Frank would stay away from Tea You Later. While he didn’t cause too much of a scene, she didn’t know what she would do if he kept coming back.

As she lay in bed that night, she kept thinking about how he looked at her when he came to the shop. Those deep brown eyes stared at her; pleading for her to just listen to him. Back in middle and high school, that’s all she wanted was for someone to listen to her. She wanted all the slander and the laughter to stop, just for someone to sit down and let her tell her side of the story. However, she had been deprived of that. Now, she was doing the same thing to Frank. What had he wanted to tell her? Had she given him the chance, would whatever he had to say negate what he had said to cause their falling out? Lailah tossed and turned in bed, laying in her own blankets for the first time in what felt like ages. What could he have said that would make this go away? No… nothing would ever make his words go away, or even sting less. Was there something that he could say in order to make them even and just forget anything was said?

Her alarm had gone off too early. As she shut it off, she groaned. Designer bags dragged her eyes down making her look decades older than she actually was. If she was lucky, she had ended up getting two hours of sleep. Making coffee, her mind drifted back to the focus of her sleepless night; Frank Morrison. No matter how she tried to reason with herself, she couldn’t find a reason to keep her anger at him intact. Yet, on the same coin, she couldn’t forgive him enough to where they could just go back to the way things were supposed to be before either. Lailah hiked her bag over her shoulder, loading her coffee with milk and sugar like she usually did before heading out.

The frigid air nipped at her skin making her groan. Retreating back inside for a moment, she grabbed her jacket and quickly bundled herself. Lailah sighed, heading down the stairs. It was going to be Christmas soon and Lailah was sure that by the end of the day it would be snowing. Business would be booming at Tea You Later without a doubt. Hot sweets and drinks would soothe any chilled soul. Her stomach grumbled, craving the sweets with just the mere thought of it. She got in her car and turned on the heat and defroster. Settling in her seat, she sighed and sipped at her coffee. It was still early morning and the time change didn’t help either. The sun was barely peeking through the bare trees.

“Shit!” Lailah exclaimed. Her phone had buzzed, startling her causing some coffee to slosh from her cup and onto her lap. So this is how the day was going to be, hm? “Who the fuck?”

Message (1): Frank

“Goddammit…”

Lailah opened the message and sighed.

Frank: Morning. I know you’re not going to read this, but I just wanted to tell you that I hope you have a good day. I know you have your have your early morning class today. Just… dress warm and keep bundled up, okay?

“…” Lailah reread the message multiple times and frowned; her fingers hovering over the keyboard. What was she supposed to message back? What would he say? What would she say? Sighing, she typed a reply.

Me: Error 30004: Message Delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank: Yeah… That’s what I thought. Just… please take care of yourself.

Me: Error 30004: Message Delivery failed-Message blocked

Frank:  …  bye Lailah.

Me: Error 30004: Message Delivery failed-Message blocked

Lailah looked down at her coffee. It looked completely unappetizing now. If it wasn’t for its keen ability to keep her warm, she would’ve just dumped it out. Doing this to Frank was childish, there was no way around it. But, she just couldn’t bring herself to break from the childish behavior. Tossing her phone in the passenger’s seat, she sat her coffee down and backed out to head to school. Ever since she met Frank Morrison, her life had gotten complicated; annoying. Why the hell couldn’t she stop thinking about him? She was the one who had been wronged here, but she couldn’t get those deep brown eyes out of her mind.

Small groups of students were bundled up and heading to class. Lailah parked and leaned against the seat. Why the hell did any of this have to happen? If they could’ve just talked everything out before it blew up, then they wouldn’t be apart like this right now and he wouldn’t be sending her uncharacteristically sweet messages and she couldn’t be pretending that she had blocked him. Groaning again, she got out and slammed the car door shut. Pressing all those thoughts to the back of her head was the best way for her to focus on the present. Hiking her bag over her shoulder, she joined the groups of students and headed to her class.

The class that usually made her smile and laugh did nothing but create a drumming in the background. No matter how much Lailah tried to focus on everything that was going on and answer the questions that she knew, she was either too late to answer, blanked out, or just didn’t participate. Trying to force herself to focus was giving her a headache and was becoming extremely counterproductive. During her note-taking, she had even caught herself going off mid-sentence and writing down her thoughts. A couple of times, she had to start all over. It was written all over her paper that she felt like she should apologize, but, had she done something wrong enough to apologize? Yes, she was deliberately ignoring Frank, but… she had that right, didn’t she?

Lailah had never been so relieved to be out of that class as she had when they were dismissed. Her teacher had called her to the front and asked if she was alright. Not wanting to divulge her whole life to her teacher, she confirmed that she was alright primarily but she had gotten into a fight with a friend and it was weighing on her. Thankfully, her teacher had been understanding and just wished her well. Had it been her other class, she was sure that her teacher would’ve tried to give her another lecture on the importance of paying attention or something akin to that. Sighing, she headed to her car. All her appetite was gone, and getting into the warmth of her car to relax was her top priority. Halfway there, her phone buzzed again.

Message (1): Yui [Group: Besties]

Message (2): Feng-Feng [Group: Besties]

Lailah exhaled a sigh of relief and opened her phone.

Besties

Yui: Hey, you get to class okay?

Feng-Feng: Did you make sure to be careful on the  road.

Me: Yeah to both of those. Did I wake you guys this morning?

Feng-Feng: I was out like a light.

Yui: No, you didn’t wake me up, I just wanted to check on you is all since we don’t have class today.

Me: Yeah, I’m fine. Don’t worry.

Feng-Feng: Are you bundled up?

Me: lol, yeah Mom. I am.

Yui: Good.

Me: I’m just heading to my car to  try and  relax.

Feng-Feng: You should probably  try and  grab something to eat.

Me:  …  I’m not really hungry.

Yui: What’s wrong?

Me: I’m just annoyed.

Feng-Feng: At?

Me: Myself. I keep thinking about the argument with Frank and I had a hard time sleeping because of it.

Yui: You know, you can always call off the argument.

Me: I can’t. He hurt me. But I’m having a hard time staying mad at him too.

Feng-Feng: Ooh, indecisiveness.

Yui: Maybe you should talk to Frank about it.

Me: I can’t. Cause, I am still angry. I’m hurt too. I just… I dunno.

Lailah got to her car and sighed. It was exactly as she said it to Yui. She couldn’t forgive him, but she was having a hard time remaining mad at him too. She hated this indecisiveness. The good times did outweigh the bad in their relationship as a whole, however, that didn’t mean that she could just throw caution to the wind and allow him to just say whatever he wanted to her knowing that he would be forgiven. That was an abusive, toxic friendship waiting to happen. Staying away from people and keeping to herself was so much more simpler. There was none of this and these complex feelings that were to be had then, but it was more lonely. Maybe she should call her parents. She tugged on her door handle, but it resisted. Her phone buzzed in her pocket as her friends messaged her.

“Unlocking the door would probably help.” Lailah mumbled, searching in her bag. When she was unable to find them in their usual spot, she groaned and tossed her bag on the trunk of the car and started to look through it. “What the fuck? C’mon, man. It’s cold out here…”

Lailah gave a loud groan. No matter where she searched in her bag, she came up empty. Aggravation rising, she searched again. Her stomach dropped and she went over to her window and looked inside. The keys were hanging from the ignition; glinting in the sunlight that was now shining bright in the sky. This couldn’t be happening. It just couldn’t be! Lailah took out her phone and groaned as it vibrated again. She knew she should’ve just stayed in bed. Fuck today.

Yui: I really think you should talk to Frank.

Feng-Feng: You two usually got along really well, this whole fight is weird.

Yui: Feng is right. You and him were practically inseparable.

Feng-Feng: Did we make her angry?

Yui: Maybe she’s just thinking. Lailah, you don’t have to, we’re just giving you suggestions.

Me: Yeah, I know. Sorry, I locked my fucking keys in my car and I don’t have any goddamned spares. I knew I should’ve fucking stayed in bed!

Yui: Geez… What are we gonna do with you?

Me: Hopefully push me down a flight of stairs.

Feng-Feng: Nah, not a chance.

Me:  Goddammit !

Yui: Calm down. Can you go to the cafeteria and relax?

Me: I mean I can, but I don’t really want to.

Feng-Feng: Do that and  try and  get a hold of a locksmith. I’m hopping on Holy Wasteland.

Yui: I’m gonna make some lunch.

Me: Alright… thanks guys.

Lailah sighed and took another look at the keys that were sticking out of her ignition. Anger rose up again and she ended up hauling back and with all the force that she had, she kicked her tire. She groaned and let out a pained sound and leaned onto the car’s hood. Every inch of her just kept repeating “pain” over and over. No, it wasn’t her car’s fault. The poor car had been kind to her, it was her idiot fault.

“Sorry, Car. I know it’s not your fault…” Lailah mumbled, babying the foot that she had just massacred.

“Lailah?” She turned around and blinked. “You okay?”

Frank was standing a few feet from her. He had a bag hanging off one his shoulders and had his hands in his pockets. His brown eyes looked concerned and she quickly looked away from them. It was hard to keep his gaze without feeling a strange sensation in her stomach and then another pain. Guilt would start to seep in as well. He was the cause that she had forgotten her keys and now here he was. Was this some sort of celestial way to come and gloat? Was this some entity’s way of manipulating the strings so he could come over here and make fun of her more? Or was it—more than likely—her reading into it and he was just at the right place at the wrong time.

“I’m fine, Frank.” Lailah mumbled when he got closer.

Go away.

“You look like you hurt your foot.”

“… It’ll be fine.” Lailah said, moving as he got closer.

Just go away!

“Look Lailah, it’s cold out here… You should get in your car.”

A small laugh left Lailah, and she shook her head. There was a lot of things that Frank Morrison could do, but being able to adequately read a situation was probably one of the funniest. He was smart; she had seen it before, but he could be so stupid at times too.

“I’d love to.”

“Then why don’t you?” Frank blinked. “Oh… did you lock your keys in your car?”

“… Yeah. I was distracted.”

By you in my thoughts. Why won’t you just leave?

“Oh.” Frank shuffled his foot. “Want help?”

I can’t have you around me too much. It hurts my head and confuses me.

“…No, I’m fine.”

“Lailah—”

“I said ‘no’, Frank!” Lailah exclaimed.

“…”

Goddammit … don’t you know how to talk with a fucking normal tone, Lailah?

Lailah glanced over and saw that Frank’s gaze had fallen to his shoes. His brows were knit together and while she couldn’t see them, she was sure that his eyes were saddened. How many times did she have to hurt one person before she was satisfied? There was no denying that Frank hurt her, however, two wrongs didn’t make a right. Wanting someone to hurt as much as yourself was, was a terrible thing. Common, but terrible nevertheless. Balling her hands into her fists, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“… What did you have in mind?” Lailah asked. “I don’t have a spare key.”

“Clearly, or else you wouldn’t be standing out here in the cold.” Frank mumbled.

“… Fair.” Lailah raised a brow. “So, what’s your plan?”

Frank turned to her and parted his lips, but closed his mouth and a small smile rose to his face. Lailah cleared her throat and looked away from him and down at her foot. The pain wasn’t as bad; it had dulled into a throb that she could live with but she just couldn’t look over at him. It reminded her of all the time that they spent together. The small smile turned into a different one that she couldn’t describe.

“What?” She asked.

“I’ll do this for you on one condition.”

“…” Lailah looked over at her car and then back over at Frank. “What condition?”

You better not ask me to say or do something stupid and embarrassing Frank Morrison. So help me, I will kick you in the shin.

“Let me buy you a coffee…”

“Frank—”

“Please.”

Her attention turned back to her car. The sweater and jacket she was wearing was doing nothing to help her through the stupid cold that was creeping into her bones. Right now, she felt like she’d do anything to get her keys and get out of the cold. Even if it meant letting him go and get her a coffee. Lailah sighed and looked back at Frank. His brown eyes looked hopeful and a small smirk was playing on the corner of his lips.

“… alright. What are you going to use? I don’t have a coat hanger.”

Frank said nothing and took off untied his shoe. She watched, concerned at what her once close friend was doing as he unlaced the shoe and held up the string tugging at it to prove the point. She looked back at her car and then at Frank. What the actual fuck? He was going to use a shoelace to open her car door? Was he that desperate to go and get a coffee with her that he would end up trying to unlock her car with anything? Then again, stranger things had happened. It was hard telling what he had up his sleeve.

“A shoelace?” Lailah raised her brows.

Frank took it and tied a loop in the middle. Taking one side in each hand, he shimmied it into the space between the door and the inside. Lailah watched it move from behind the glass. How the hell did he think that he was going to be able to open her car door with a shoelace? His profile looked completely confidant; brown eyes focused and a smirk on his lips. Lailah tore her eyes from him to watch the little loop wiggle its way down to her lock. There was no way he was—

What?! No way!

A huff and a laugh came from beside her. When she turned from the window, she saw Frank was smirking. The little loop had been attached to around her lock and tightened. He pulled it up with a swift motion and pulled the lace from her door and went over to it and tugged on the knob. The door came open as if it had never been locked in the first place. He leaned in and pulled out her keys and held it between his fingers, dangling it. How the hell?! Lailah grabbed the keys that were offered and she huffed.

“So,” Frank began, lacing back up his shoe. “coffee?”

“How did—” Lailah looked down at her keys.

“Never doubt someone who used to break the law on a regular basis, Lailah.” Frank smirked, and she grunted. Now she’d have to deal with being around him long enough for him to get her coffee.

“… So I’ve noticed.” Lailah sighed. “Alright.”

Fuck…

Lailah followed Frank at a safe distance between them as they headed for the cafeteria. He didn’t attempt to get closer to her. She didn’t attempt to get closer to him. Neither of them talked. Why did he want to get coffee for her? This whole situation was clearly awkward. There was no need for this. All this was doing was prolonging the inevitable; them parting ways again. Frank simply got in line with her and when she peeked over at him, he looked content. Strange. Lailah was jealous. She wished that she would be able to feel content. All she felt was aggravation and anxious. While it wasn’t Frank’s fault that she had locked her keys in her car, it was his fault that he knew how to open a fucking car with a goddamned shoelace! He had helped her, so there was room for her to be grateful, but she couldn’t. She wanted nothing more than to get out of there, head to class, go to work, and then go home.

One good thing that was coming out of this was free coffee. Her cold fingers would be so glad to have a warm cup in them. Frank said nothing while they were in line—thankfully. Making small talk wasn’t something she felt like dealing with right now. Every now and again, she could feel Frank looking at her. As much as she wanted to scream and ask him what his issue was, she decided to just play it cool. Pretending she didn’t see it would avoid unnecessary conversation. Not having unnecessary conversations would make this shorter and then they’d be able to go on with their respective lives.

“Hello, what can I get you?” The woman behind the counter asked.

“Two coffees. Large.” Frank said. “Both with cream and sugar. But, make one kind of like diabetes in a cup.”

Lailah looked over at Frank and narrowed her eyes. He either didn’t notice or ignored her. Internally sighing, she watched as Frank pulled out his wallet and paid. They had been close. Close enough to know each other’s orders without actually having to specify it. It was a shame that because of one fight that their friendship was null and void now. Frank smiled at the woman who’s face turned red. He handed the one cup to Lailah.

“Thanks, Frank. Bye.” Lailah said and started to head out.

“Hey, wait.”

“What?”

Frank came closer and Lailah backed up slightly. A small smile came to his lips, but it was sad despite him trying to hide it.

“Calm down, I’m not going to attack you or anything…”

“…”

He reached over and grabbed her zipper and pulled it up higher until it was just below her chin. Sighing, Frank let go; giving her another look over before nodding.

“There… Be safe. Okay?”

“Yeah. “

“… Good. Bye.” Frank hesitated, pulling back his hand before he could pat her head and turned around and left.

Lailah watched Frank leave and sigh. The coffee that was supposed to taste wonderful, despite all the sugar was leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Having him leave her alone was supposed to feel good and give her a sense of accomplishment. It wasn’t supposed to do this. Whatever this is. Lailah rubbed the back of her neck and frowned again. Maybe she just needed to go home and relax. Maybe she would have to call her mom or someone. Talking this and these strange feelings out that she was having could end up helping her; hopefully. She sighed again and went to her next class.

With a hefty shove from her hip, Lailah shoved the door to the apartment open. Feng and Yui followed behind her closing the door behind them. School had gone relatively easily afterwards. It had still been difficult to focus, and she had found herself drifting through her mind more times than she could count. To make matters worse, when she had gotten to work there were people that were literally waiting at the door for them to open. From the time that the sign switched from open to closed, they were packed. The only positive about that was that she was able to stay focused on work. Frank had only entered her mind twenty times during her whole ten-hour shift. Before heading home, they had to stop at the grocery store as they had decided to put some food on the menu as well to add to the variety and garner more customers; especially with the winter settling in, people would be flocking to businesses that offered warm food. Stocking the store and their house had taken longer than they had hoped and by the time they had gotten home, all three of them were exhausted.

Lailah had gotten a shower and plopped down at the kotatsu with her laptop with her other friends. She logged into Holy Wasteland and waited for it to load. Yui and Feng brought over some snacks and some drinks as they took their seats as well. A notification came from her screen calling her attention. A pop-up was on her screen:

Party Invite:  xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx

Notes:

Thank you for reading. As for the reason that it took me so long to get it out, I informed you all of my pregnancy. Well, I was having issues that was making it hard for me to write, and yesterday I ended up in the hospital. Last night I was informed that I had lost my baby. Today, I decided to push through and finish the chapter that I had started writing before all the problems. I genuinely appreciate you all wishing me well in sending me good vibes. Now I'm just recuperating from everything that happened. So, I'm going to end up getting chapters out quicker, maybe. Hopefully.

If you weren't a fan of this chapter, then I wanted to let you know that it was slightly pushed out and that might be why. And I would understand why. Let me know what you all think regardless. Thanks again guys.

Chapter 16: I Am Who I Am

Summary:

“You can’t see!”

Notes:

Hello hello! Welcome back to Bruises and Bitemarks! Here we are at chapter 16. Holy shit. It's crazy to think I'm here already with this story. I hope you enjoy it!

SHOUTOUT to my BFF JessiLynnChan who is the author for a Jak and Daxter fic called Truth. She made my new icon (chibi me!) and even animated it. She's perfect and so is it and I love it and her! Thanks Jess!!!! <3

Lailah smiled upon reading the fancy lettering. It was nice to have another friend. Slowly, but surely, she was adding more friends to her group. Maybe sometime in the future she would even be able to have a party and get everyone together. For now though, a virtual party would have to suffice. Stupid smile still plastered upon her face, she clicked the “join” button. Her name popped up on the side of the screen with Smiley’s. Soon after, his level 25 assassin came running from the opposite side of the town to come and stopped next to her. His character folded his arms and gave a single wave. Her character smiled bright in response and waved with both her hands.

[Party Chat]

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Hey there.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Hi! What’s up?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : I was trying to get used to this game and saw that you were online, so I figured I’d invite you.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla: Thanks. Lemme ask my friends if they wanna join.

“Hey guys, me and Smiley are going to go and run some quests. Wanna come with?”

“Nah, I’ve got an artifact war to deal with.” Yui mumbled, popping open beers and passing them around.

“And I’ve got a dungeon to take care of. I’ve got three hours left to complete it.” Feng said and peeked over at her laptop. The two characters were doing small idle animations. “Have fun though.”

“You sure?” Lailah asked, raising a brow when a smirk crossed Feng’s lips.

“Besides, looks like to me that he wants to spend time with you.”

“Oh for the love of God, Feng. Really?” Lailah sighed and turned back to her computer.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Oh…

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : I was kinda hoping it could just be the two of us.

“See?” Feng nudged her friend.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx :  …  hello?

“Go on and have fun, Lailah. Don’t look like someone ran over your cat.” Yui chuckled.

Lailah clicked her tongue. There was no need for their snide comments. They were always trying to make it seem like there was something there that wasn’t. Smiley was just words on a screen. All she knew about him was that he was a man, but that could even be a lie. After everything that happened with Frank, they were just trying to put her out there and become more self-confidant. For that, she was thankful. They were always trying to take care of her.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Sorry, they said they’ve got things to do.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : I’m sorry, Valkyrie. I didn’t realize how that sounded.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : No, it’s okay. I know you didn’t mean it  in a weird way .

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Yeah, they’re just really high levels and I want to be able to get a feel for the game. 

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : And they end up obliterating everything, right?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Haha, you got it.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : I get ya. So, what are we gonna do?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : No clue. I have a couple quests from the clergy. Could I get you to help me with them?

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Yeah, of course.

Lailah and Smiley played. Quests for the clergy, quests for the guilds, and race specific quests made the hours count by with no problems. Many times during their adventures, Lailah had found herself snorting laughter and handing the jokes back with open hands. She hummed the ‘level up’ jingle as she watched her stats go up for the 40th time. A small smile came over her face as she sifted through her skill points and available skills. After setting up another combo and clicking out of her windows. Smiley’s assassin clapped his hands and then folded his arms. Holy Wasteland was insanely interactive. It was great to see the characters reacting to each other's success.

“Another level up?” Feng asked, crunching on some rice crackers.

“Mhm.” Lailah nodded.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : We’re leveling up like crazy tonight!

Lailah waited. Smiley didn’t message her back. It was true that they had been spending a lot of time together. Each time that they were online together, they spent hours online in a party. If this game had voice capability, they probably would be in a chat party while they played. She looked at the clock and hovered her fingers over the keys for a moment, debating on typing another message.

Her character stood there, occasionally switching her weight from left to right hip. In between, she’d tap her staff on the ground and look up at the sky. The cycle shifted in game from day to night; a total of 30 real life minutes. Had she said something wrong? Lately, she’d had a habit of fucking up and talking too much around people that she was trying to be friends with. It seemed that being a burden was one of the things she was becoming the best at. Of course, that could always just be the rude and depressed side of her brain talking. 

Lailah sighed and took another sip of her water. She had just started typing an apology message followed with a departure when the familiar ‘ding’ of an incoming message in the chat box called her attention to the bottom left of the screen. Her shoulders slumped.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Hey, I  gotta  go.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Oh…

Of course they couldn’t sit there and play all day and all night. Not only did they have engagements outside of Holy Wasteland, she had no idea where Smiley lived. It could be a huge time difference and he could’ve had to go to work. It still saddened her. They always had such a good time when they were playing together.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Don’t look so sad. If you want, we can play tomorrow.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Yeah, that sounds nice.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : I wanted to play longer, but, my girlfriend just called me.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Ooh, that doesn’t sound good. Girlfriend trouble?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Heh… kinda. But at the same time, not really. Don’t worry. It’s nothing that I can’t handle.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla: I’m sure. You are an assassin after all.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : True. xD Honestly, I had made plans with her, but I forgot.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : What?! That isn’t good!

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Yeah… I know, but I was playing with you.

Lailah blinked at the message and reread it. Her look must’ve been strange as she heard rustling coming from next to her. Feng and Yui looked at the chat box and she heard them start giggling.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Sorry, that sounded different in my head.

“Ooh, lookie. Flirting, hm?” Feng muttered, nudging her friend. Lailah merely scoffed.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : It’s alright. Talking through message is kinda hard since the tone can be taken  different .

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Phew, thanks for understanding. I’m just not a gamer, and it’s shocking for me and  her  that this game has taken up so much of my time. But I  gotta  go. Talk to you tomorrow?

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Yeah, no problem. Bye! :)

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Later, Valkyrie.

[ xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx  has left the chat]

“Looks like our friend Smiley has a thing for Lailah…” Yui mumbled, popping some candy into her mouth.

“Oh for the love of God. No. He has a girlfriend.” Lailah rolled her eyes.

“Oh! So if he didn’t—”

“Geez guys… it’s a bunch of words on a screen! ‘He’ could be a ‘she’ for all I know. Besides, I knew what he meant.” Lailah said and checked the clock again. It was passed 2 in the morning. She couldn’t stop the groan that left her lips.

“Yeah, yeah. We’re just fucking with you.” Feng smiled.

“I know.”

“I’m heading to bed. My head is starting to hurt.” Lailah sighed.

“Want some medicine?”

“Nah, I think it’s just from me focusing so much on the game.” She stood up and popped her back. Lailah unplugged her laptop and gathered up the cord and the mouse. “Make sure you guys go to bed soon. Please.”

“Yeah, I have to work.” Yui mumbled.

“I have a tournament.” Feng yawned. “So I’ll probably head to bed soon.”

“Alright. Night guys. Love you.”

“Love you too.” Feng and Yui responded simultaneously and waved her off.

Lailah snuggled down in her bed. Playing Holy Wasteland was such a good pastime that she didn’t realize what it was doing to her back. Each time that she ended up laying down after a gaming session, her back sounded like it was going through a session at a chiropractor. With time, she was almost positive that her posture would end up being terrible like Feng Min’s. If that happened, not only would her body never forgive her, she wouldn’t forgive her either. Maybe there was something that she could do to prevent her spine warping. However, spending time on Holy Wasteland was the best time she’s had in a long time. It helped keep her mind off Frank and the situation of leaving the apartment with no problems. Smiley was good at keeping her mind off it too. Some of the best friends were made online. She’d heard it before, but she hadn’t really known it to be completely true until experiencing it herself. Settling down into a comfortable spot came with no trouble and within five minutes since laying down, Lailah had fallen asleep despite the noise coming from the living room.

A strange sound roused Lailah from her peaceful, dreamless slumber. Drool was caked onto the corner of her mouth and down her chin while hair was matted in what had been smashed to her cheek from her movement. Reaching over, she smacked her lips together. Her mouth was dry. Making out the shapes from her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized that her water bottle was most likely either still on the kotatsu or now dry in the dish drainer. On the far side of her nightstand was a small light. Brain cells firing up, she realized that the sound was her phone vibrating. Grabbing it, she turned it over and grunted at the bright light hit her eyes. She had been so tired that she had forgotten to turn down the brightness down.

Displayed across the screen was ‘Mom’. In the upper right, she saw that it was about 3:30 in the morning. Her mother wouldn’t normally call her for something like that. The tiredness was leaving her as if a dam burst and was replaced with fear. Lailah pressed the green button and placed the phone on her ear, nestling down in her bed.

“Mom?” Lailah asked.

“Hey, Sweetie.”

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes.” Her mother assured.

“What about Dad? Is he okay?”

“That’s why I’m calling.”

“What?! Mom, is he okay?!” Lailah sat up and threw off the covers, instantly getting up and heading towards the living room. “I can be there in like an hour.”

“Lailah—”

“Mom, is he dead?”

“Lai—”

“Oh my God, I knew something was wrong. You never call at this time, and I—”

“Lailah!” Her mother exclaimed.

“Don’t worry, I’m on my way.”

“Lailah!” A different voice came from the background.

“Dad?”

“Hey, hey. Calm down there, Baby Girl.” Her father was laughing. “I’m alright.”

Lailah leaned against the fridge and exhaled. This wasn’t how she expected to wake up in the morning. Not even having three hours of sleep would do that. Of course, how did they expect her to react to being woken up at this time? Especially when it was confirmed that her father was in the hospital. Had her father been a little more sickly it wouldn’t have taken her by such shock, but her father was an extremely healthy man who could outrun her in the mile run without any issues.

“Goddammit, you guys scared me…” Lailah mumbled. “Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Well, you were too busy freaking out.” Her mother explained.

“I had some stabbing chest pains, and I ended up coming to the hospital to make sure that I wasn’t having a heart attack—”

“I made you go.” Lailah’s mother added which made her smile as she listened to her father clear her throat.

“Okay, so your mother made me go. Point is, they found out I had pneumonia. So they’re treating me for it. I was pretty dehydrated, so, they’re keeping me here for now. I’ll be home soon, but I knew that if I called you later when I was at home, you’d be pissed that we didn’t call you sooner.” Lailah’s father said. “But, I’m fine Baby Girl. I’ve just been working too much. They advised me to take a week off to recover.”

“And he’s going to do it.”

“… Yeah.” He sighed.

“Good. Mom, make sure you keep an eye on him. You know how slippery he can be when it comes to doing something that he doesn’t wanna do.” Lailah said and started to fill up her water bottle while talking.

“You’re right. Don’t worry, I’m going to be keeping my eye on him.”

“Enough about me. How’s everything going with you, Li? I haven’t talked to you in forever.”

“It’s been about a week Darryl.” Lailah’s mother corrected.

“Yeah, like I just said. Forever.”

“Well, I finally got fully moved in with Yui and Feng. We’ve been playing Holy Wasteland which is this game that Feng introduced me too. I think I told you guys about that already. Well, I made a new friend online. He’s in the same guild as Feng, Yui, and I. He’s closer to my level so we usually play alone unless we’re doing some dungeons or a raid. It’s really fun.” Lailah smiled, closing the top to her water bottle.

“How’s your school work going? Work?”

“They’re both doing good. That one test that I told you I probably failed, I got a mid C on it. But the one that I took last week I got an A on it, so it balanced me out pretty well. As for work, well I’m working with my best friends and well… it’s going kind of okay.”

“What do you mean ‘kind of okay’?” Her mother asked.

“Well, Frank dropped by and… it was interesting. Him and Yui had a talk, but she said that I was better off not knowing what they had talked about.” Lailah sighed.

“I knew that boy was a piece of shit from the moment I saw him.”

“Dad! Don’t say that!”

“Li, he said horrible things to you.”

“I… I know that.” Lailah said and went and turned on the kotatsu and sat down. “And they were completely uncalled for. I want to stay mad at him. I really do, but at the same time… I’m having a hard time staying there.”

“Oh, Lailah…” Her mother sighed.

“The good that Frank has done for me outweigh the bad in number, but… I just—what he said to me in front of everyone, I just can’t.”

“No one’s asking you to forgive him, Li.” Her father said, his voice steel. “Hell, I’m advising against it.”

“Darryl, Lailah is her own person. If she wants to forgive that boy, that’s her decision.”

“Amelia, he—”

“I know. He doesn’t deserve it.” Lailah frowned. “I just can’t get him out of my head. I think of all the good times that we spent together. Just how he ended up doing all these nice things for me. I thought he was a good person. I really did. No, I mean… I know he is. I don’t want this one thing to ruin everything that we put into our relationship, but it’s so hard. How can I just overlook this? I mean, should I?”

“Has he apologized?” Her mother asked.

“Kinda. I mean, if I had given him the chance, he might have. Talking about it now, I feel terrible about it. I should at least give him the chance to apologize, you know? But… when I’m in the moment, I just feel so upset and so betrayed that I can’t.”

Lailah’s father sighed and Lailah almost followed. She knew that her father probably needed to get rest and he was having to listen to her problems this whole time. She should be worrying about him and soothing his worries. The doctors didn’t seem to think his pneumonia was too bad off, but that was the strange thing about the human body. Something could change at the drop of a hat and they could end up going from a brightly lit flame to a dying light. She shook her head. No. She didn’t even wanna think about that. Just as she was about to apologize for bothering them, her father’s voice came over the line. It was soft, gentle. Something that hadn’t been previously associated with him and Frank Morrison.

“You two need to sit down and talk this out.” He said. “I think it’ll be better for you two.”

“Your father’s right. Keeping this all buried deep down inside is only going to end up hurting you two. If Frank wants to apologize, he should be given that opportunity.”

“That being said, just because he apologizes doesn’t mean that you have to accept it and start over with everything being hunky-dory.” Her father’s voice went stern again. “Lailah, you have the right to be angry. And you have the right to be hurt.”

“Right…” Lailah sighed and ran her hand down her face.

“Mr. Collins?” Another voice came from the background.

“Oh, the doctor’s here, Sweetie. I’ll call you later. We love you. Bye.”

Lailah sat the phone on the kotatsu. It was great that her father was alright. The doctor didn’t sound too worried or anything like that when he came in, so that was a good sign. If something changed, she knew that she would be contacted. As selfish as it was, her primary thoughts were of her own issues. All of those feelings that she had spilled out to her family, she hadn’t even allowed herself to recognize. Now that they were out in the open, she had so much more to sift through. Talk to him? How was she supposed to do that when seeing him made her want to cry and strangle him? And she didn’t even want to do that separately, the most fucked up part was that she wanted to do both at the same time.

“Lailah?” She looked up from where she had placed her forehead on the kotatsu to see Feng and Yui coming from the other side of the apartment.

“Sorry… did I wake you?”

“Little bit.” Feng admitted. “But it’s alright.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s fine.” Yui affirmed, taking a seat with Feng with her at the kotatsu.

“I uh… take it you heard the conversation.” Lailah mumbled, looking down at the wood surface beneath her sweating hands.

“Yeah…” Feng trailed off.

“Got a lot on your mind when it comes to Frank, huh?” Yui asked softly.

“Yeah… thoughts that I honestly didn’t even know that I had.” Lailah huffed a laugh. “Crazy, right?”

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes. The ticking of the clock and the shutting on and off of the heater the only sounds between them. No matter from what angle she was trying to look at these thoughts from, she wasn’t able to find one that would make things easier for her. It just gave her a headache trying to figure out her own thoughts and feelings. Being a complex being sucked sometimes. Lailah ran her hands down her face, hoping that by some miracle that would wipe away all the worries and thoughts that were trying to cluster themselves around and untangle themselves to make a seeable and easily accessible solution. It did neither of those things. Only made her more exhausted.

“Maybe you should head back to bed. You look exhausted.” Yui said, rubbing her back.

“It was eighth grade. I was always a decent student; not the top student or anything, but I had good grades that just came from trying. I liked learning new things. Guess that hasn’t really changed. Because of that, I… kinda didn’t have any friends. There was a club that was branched from my school. It was all about learning new things; not just academic, but… how to talk to other people and become friends with others. It was scary to admit that I needed help… especially in something that comes so naturally to others. But, while I was scared to go, I was really excited. My parents were too. Anyway, I signed up. Since it was partnered with my middle school, I had seen a lot of familiar faces. A lot of the students I had in some classes. Others were just signed up from other schools, but it was refreshing to know that I wasn’t the only one that was… socially challenged.

“They had small things for us to do… small classes… arts. Crafts. It was kind of like a small summer camp for people that had issues with socializing. I was put into a group. Group B. A couple of kids from my science class were in my group. It was easier to sit next to them. None of us really said anything at first. But, I just kept telling myself that it was a two week long camp. I would make a friend there, eventually. I did. It didn’t take long. Three days. Lina Andersson. We ended up spending all our time together. They had even put Lina and I in the same room in the cabin to make sure that we were able to make friends better. Each group had a chaperone; they were also the main teacher for that group. Lina and I ended up doing really well. By the sixth day, her and I were inseparable. Joined at the hip.

“One day, we were given a project. We could choose between doing something on the solar system or a volcano. Lina and I were having a hard time deciding which to do. I wanted to do something on the solar system. She wanted to do the volcano. By the eighth day, we were arguing. At the end of that day, Lina and I weren’t talking. I went to the group chaperone to ask if we could do two different projects. I promised that I would help Lina with hers like I was supposed to, but I wanted to do the one on the solar system. A student wanting to do two projects was unprecedented and unheard of. He had told me to return tomorrow as he had to think it over. I was hopeful. I would do anything for my friend. I had just finally not been a failure at social interaction, I… didn’t want to lose that now. No, I couldn’t. It would put me back to being a failure again. A burden to my family.

“The next day, I returned to the chaperone. My heart was racing. I had been so proud of myself that I had come up with an idea to be able to do something that I was interested in and keep my new friend as well. My chaperone gave me the go ahead to do my project. All of a sudden, the birds got quiet. I tried to figure out why. I looked around, trying to find some sort of explanation. The bugs had stopped as well. Everything went black. Then white. My eyes had closed and opened. Not sure for how long. I wished they had stayed closed. The first thing I saw was my chaperone. He was between my legs. I couldn’t move. Before I could scream, he lifted my skirt, ripped my underwear off me, balled it up, and shoved it in my mouth. Then he… I cried. It didn’t matter. It made it worse. He seemed to… like it when I cried. Or when I begged. I don’t know how long I was there. It felt like forever.

“He told me that if I said anything, he’d hurt me. Every day, until it was time to go home I was at his mercy. I got back home and instantly retreated to myself. A few months later, I told Lina. She called me a liar. To this day, I don’t know why she didn’t believe me. It was spread across the school. Every day, when I came to school I ended up being interrogated and pushed around by other students. They called me many things; ‘a liar’, ‘a slut’, ‘an attention whore’ to name a few. They never let me defend myself. I had pretended for this long that I had a friend… to have it all come to the light and tell the truth, and the torture I was going through at school? That would make me a burden with my parents. I endured it. It was like I was dead then, I walked through life, but I wasn’t living.

“During the summer, I broke down and ended up telling my parents everything. I begged them to not try to press charges. I didn’t want any of us to be harmed. They didn’t listen. We pressed charges, but… so much time had passed that there was no evidence to find. Whatever had once been there was long, long gone. I was in therapy for a while. Two years. It helped me move on with my life. Thankfully, we lived in a fairly large town so I didn’t have a high chance to see him again. At least… that’s what I thought.”

“You mean…” Feng trailed off.

“Group B’s chaperone. My eighth grade science teacher. My-My rapist… Austin Reynolds.”

Even though she had brushed her teeth before she went to bed and had nothing but water since awakening, her mouth felt dirty. The mere mention of his name was enough to make her want to drink herself into a coma. Therapy had helped her cope and move on, but she wasn’t sure if she’d ever truly be over it. The fact that it had happened at such a young age made it even worse. Lailah sighed and ran her hand down her face again. Lailah was terrified of looking over at her friends. What would they see when they looked at her? A victim? Something to pity? Or would they just continue to see her as Lailah? She hoped with everything that it was the latter. Through the duration of their friendship, she could’ve kept this a secret, but… it felt good in a way—and just as terrifying—to tell them.

“Lailah, I… don’t really know what to say.” Yui said, holding onto her hand.

“I hope that you didn’t feel forced to tell us.” Feng added, grabbing onto her other hand.

“No, I didn’t. There were a lot of questions, and… I’m glad that I was able to tell you. It makes me feel better in a way. If that makes sense.” Lailah smiled sadly.

“Yeah, it does. Don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere.” Yui assured.

“Thanks.”

“Frank has no idea the mistake he made…” Feng mumbled.

“I know… and that’s why I feel like I should tell him, or at least forgive him. How could he have known this? But, I’m also angry. No matter what the situation was, he shouldn’t have just screamed that in front of everyone… it shouldn’t have been brought up at all.”

“You’re right.” Yui nodded. “Doesn’t he deserve to have the chance to apologize though?”

“My parents said the same thing.” Lailah huffed a laugh.

“I’m sure he’d apologize if he found out.” Feng added softly.

“I don’t want him to apologize based on that alone… This whole thing is fucked up.”

“Backing up a bit, I thought you said that you saw him on TV for your highschool’s brain team.” Yui asked. “Did he switch schools?”

“Must have. Thankfully, after I graduated. Not sure if it was intentional or not.” Lailah shook her head.

She couldn’t even begin to think of how different her high school life would’ve been had Austin Reynolds actually been employed by Comstan High during her attendance. Honestly, Lailah might’ve transferred to another school. There was no way that she could be there and risk seeing him walk around, or even worse, risk her potentially ending up in whatever class he was teaching. The more that she was thinking about the whole situation, the more she realized that Frank did deserve the right to apologize. Honestly, it wasn’t him apologizing that was the hardest; it was the part of her having to decide whether or not to tell him; his reaction to it; how he’d treat her. For months after everything that had happened, she had been treated like the plague. Merely looking at her was taboo for some people. There was no way she would survive that again. Even though her and Frank weren’t currently on speaking terms, she couldn’t imagine her life without him being around her in some way or another. Thinking that only made her feel more like shit. How was she going to value having Frank around, yet at the same time, she was going to deny him being around her? 

“I’m going to need to talk to Frank… aren’t I?” Lailah whispered more to herself than anyone else, but she watched as her friends looked at her and nodded.

“You’ve been punishing him for almost a month. He hasn’t been able to talk to you and hardly see you in all that time. I think he has a right to be able to apologize.” Yui explained.

“You don’t have to accept the apology and I’m sure things won’t be the same between you two if you do, but… I think you’re just going to continue to make yourself miserable if you don’t do something.” Feng added.

“I suppose he can drop by Tea You Later… or, I could find him during practice. But,” Lailah sighed deep from within her. “this isn’t going to go as simple as I would hope.”

“Just take it one step at a time. That’s all that anyone can ask from you.” Feng explained.

“… Yeah.” Lailah huffed a laugh and stood up. “I’m going to head back to bed.”

“Alright. Night.” Yui smiled sadly.

Lailah wished falling asleep was as simple as wishing everyone a ‘good night’ and laying down. Her mind was running a marathon, making it extremely difficult to fall asleep. How was she going to talk to Frank? It had been almost a month since they had a real conversation. It wasn’t like they’d meet up and everything would be tip-top shape and they could just continue where they left off. This was going to take some work—on both sides—for the friendship to even have a chance to return to where it had been before. Part of Lailah wanted to just throw the remnants of the friendship away and forget about them going back to normal. It would be easier in the long run, but there was no doubt that it would grate on her over time. Frank—words or not—didn’t deserve the treatment that she was giving him.

Sometime during her brain working overtime, she had managed to fall asleep. Her alarm woke her making her groan loudly. It felt like she had been asleep perhaps five seconds. Mumbling was coming from the living room, calling Lailah’s curiosity. It didn’t sound like Feng and Yui. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, heading out into the living room. Her friends didn’t look at her, but each gave a wave. They were focused on the TV—the source of the mumblings. A woman; short and blonde was holding a microphone. Behind her there was police tape over doors and on some windows. Blue and red lights were flickering in their pattern; discernable against the wall of the building. It looked like a corner store.

“Thanks, Michael. Last night was a night of terror for the owners of QuickMart here on the corner of 8th and Peach Avenue. Natalie Richards was working the graveyard shift. At approximately 3 AM, Miss Richards was attacked and stabbed numerous times in abdomen. The money was taken from her drawer, and the assailant made their escape. Miss Richards was able to call an ambulance for herself before she fell unconscious. An ambulance arrived and took Miss Richards immediately to the hospital where she’s currently in a coma. Detective Morgan is here with us to make a comment.” The same man that had questioned her before when she had her encounter with The Legion appeared on the screen.

“I ask all of you watching for your assistance.” Detective Morgan reached inside his pocket and pulled out a Ziploc bag with a familiar pin inside. “These people are extremely dangerous. They are a group that will not hesitate to steal, nor will they hesitate to put someone’s life at risk. They are a group of four known as ‘The Legion’. I urge you to contact the Ormond PD if you have any information about or leading up to the arrest of one or more of these criminals.”

Lailah stood glued to her spot. Those were the same people that she had ran into. Those same people in the masks that had for some reason let her go. The only difference between the pin that she had given Detective Morgan and the one that had been recovered at that scene was the blood. This pin was covered in blood, she was positive it was that young woman’s that stained the metallic surface. The screen switched to two people that were sitting behind a desk. One of them was looking down at the papers that were in his hands and the woman’s eyes were wide with disbelief for a mere moment before they fell.

“This just in. Miss Richards succumbed to her injuries mere minutes ago, where she…passed in her sleep.”

Her veins turned to ice. The young woman had died? Both her and that young woman had been in their path. Why had they decided to kill Natalie Richards, but spare her? Was that how close she had been to dying? Would that woman have stabbed her and mutilated her like she had planned? Was the woman the one that had killed Natalie? Why had the Smiling Man decided to spare her? One thing was for sure: The Legion was dangerous. They had graduated—as criminals usually did—they were no longer just thieves. They were also murderers. She was lucky. Staying away from The Legion was the best way to ensure her safety. Just because she had escaped death once at their hands didn’t mean that she would be so lucky again.

“I can’t watch this anymore.” Feng broke the silence between them all and turned the TV off. Lailah was still staring at the screen like she could still see the people moving and talking on it. “Lailah?”

“Wh—huh?” She blinked and looked at her friends.

“You okay?” Yui asked.

“… Somewhat.”

Lailah tore her gaze away from the TV. Nausea rose in her stomach and she swallowed what was rising in her throat. The Legion had just killed someone… That someone could’ve been her. She went to the kitchen and started to pour herself some orange juice, trying not to focus on her shaking hands. The parents that were grieving over Natalie Richards could’ve been her parents grieving over her death. Her stomach flipped just thinking about it. She exhaled and took a sip of her orange juice. The orange tang and the coldness of the liquid was starting to calm her, pull her back down to earth and down to reality.

“We need to be extra careful.” Feng said.

“Until they catch them, we don’t go into convenience stores or get gas by ourselves. Always have someone with us.” Yui instructed.

“… Yeah.” Lailah whispered, downing the rest of her juice in one go. “I’m gonna go.”

Retreating back to her room, she got dressed as quickly as she was able. The air inside their apartment was warm, and it was cozy normally, but right now it was stuffy. She had to get out of there. Grabbing her bag, some coffee, and her keys; she headed out of the apartment with a quick “bye” to Feng and Yui. As soon as she stepped outside, closing the door behind her, she let out a large sigh of relief. Just leaving the apartment was starting to lower her pulse and calm her racing heart. It was no fault of her friends that she couldn’t be around them right now, it was all because of her. Her stupid mind concocting all these “what if’s” that she didn’t need to worry about. If she kept her wits about her and her mind clear, she would be fine. It was just getting to that point that was the hard part.

Lailah got in her car and turned on the heat, turning it up as high as it would go, and rubbing her hands together. It was especially cold this morning. It felt like the world was devoid of all the sun’s light. It was so cold that it was painful. Of course, her pain wasn’t anything in comparison to how Natalie Richards’ parents were feeling right now. Lailah grunted and shook her head. There was nothing that she could do about it. Trying to push all those thoughts from her head, she left the apartment complex and headed towards the school. It was crazy. There was no need for her to be feeling this guilty about Natalie Richards’ death. She knew nothing about The Legion. That was perhaps one of the scariest parts about it all; none of them knew anything. They were like a ghost. She didn’t know their faces or even their voices. All she knew was that the leader had apparently wanted her to smile. The Smiling Woman was going to stab her.

Lailah parked her car and got out, making sure to grab her keys this time before locking her door. All she had to do was keep telling herself that it wasn’t her fault, that there was nothing that she could’ve done and it would eventually go away. Deep down she knew that her mantra was true. Lailah had never met the woman before, she knew nothing of The Legion, so there was no way that she would’ve been able to prevent it. However, the more illogical part of her mind was blaming her. It was making her rack her mind for some reason that she had been spared when Natalie Richards hadn’t been. What the hell was the reason? It was said that there was no logical thinking with a murderer, but there had to be some logic to be able to cover your tracks that well. Perhaps the logic was central to The Legion only. The curious part of her wanted to know, the other—smarter—part was just telling her to let sleeping dogs lie and try to forget about it. If only she could meet someone from The Legion that wouldn’t kill her upon first look, then she could think of how to possibly get information from him or her.

Crunching snow got louder and Lailah’s blood froze in her veins. She was being followed. If she slowed down, it would be obvious that she knew. Had The Legion found her here at school? Were they going to rectify what they hadn’t done before? Was she going to be the second victim? Heart drumming against her ribcage, she tried to keep her breathing even. If she was going to get stabbed—assuming their weapon of choice was a knife once more—then she would need to be close to someone that way she would be able to get some help. In the distance, near the fountain were groups of people going to and from classes. If she could just get from the abandoned parking lot and to the open, then perhaps she would survive. Someone wearing a mask wouldn’t fit in there, anyway. If they weren’t wearing a mask, then all she had to do was turn around and look. If she did, would she be murdered right there? If not, then if she survived; there was no shot on her being able to accurately identify her attacker. Remaining seemingly unaware was the route she decided to take. Lailah looked at her phone, feigning that she was checking the time, and started walking faster.

That’s right. All I have to do is get to class faster. I’m not trying to get away from you. I don’t even know you’re following me.

The crunching got faster. Her heart pounded. It was close. Terrifying. Break into a run? No? Yes? What would be the ramifications? Would she die? What if they were quicker? Tears gathered in her eyes. Being a sitting duck wasn’t who she was. Not anymore. Down to her dying breath, she would fight. Lailah was just about to break into a sprint when a hand grabbed onto her shoulder. Fight versus flight flared up. Fight. Screaming as she was tugged closer, Lailah resisted. In a singular swift motion, she uncapped her coffee and turned, flinging the scalding hot liquid onto her attacker. A scream from behind let her know it collided. She was let go. Lailah dropped the cup, glancing over her shoulder. Her attacker was a man. His face was hidden behind his arm as he tried to wipe off the burning liquid.

Wait  a minute…

“Frank?” Lailah asked, taking in the letterman jacket.

“Who the fuck did you think it was?!” Frank yelled, finally lifting his face from his arm. It was red and splotchy. The coffee had burned him. Kinda bad too.

“O-Oh my God, I am so, so sorry!” Lailah searched in her bag for some napkins. She always kept a bunch in there just in case of spills. She plopped her bag on the ground and started dabbing at the skin. “Geez… you fucking scared me! Why didn’t you say something?!”

“What?! I did!” Frank defended. “Four times!”

“Y-You did?” Lailah paused for a moment, looking at him.

“Well yeah! I don’t just grab random people!”

“Sorry… sorry…” Lailah bit her lip and managed to get what coffee was left on his face off.

It had been a while since her and Frank had been this close. Even though his face was burned and red in areas, it wasn’t too bad. It could’ve been a lot worse, that was for sure. Even still, she still felt terrible. Her father had always told her that her imagination would run away if she didn’t catch it. He had also warned her that if she let her imagination run too far away, some bad things could happen. It looked like he was right. Lailah tilted her neck to look at every inch of his face. There was no significant damage, so she was glad for that. Even if he had hurt her feelings, she didn’t want to physically harm him—or harm him in any way—to get even. She cleared her throat and balled up the used napkins.

“Can you see?”

“My fucking vision is blurry…” Frank grumbled.

“A-Alright… I’ll help you get to the clinic.”

“… ‘kay.”

Lailah frowned. What if she had fucked up his eyesight permanently? He was on the basketball team. He was working towards a full scholarship. If she had just fucked that up for him… betrayal or not, she would be indebted to him for the rest of her life. However, being on the basketball team, he should have pretty good reflexes so he might’ve prevented himself from getting harmed the most he could. After all, that coffee was extremely hot. His quick wits might’ve just prevented him from losing his eyesight for good. Guilt crushing onto her, she guided Frank towards the clinic. During the short walk there, she had wondered how she was going to adequately apologize for this blunder. This huge blunder. How could she have let her mind run that far away with her to the point where she had just assaulted a once close friend with a steaming cup of coffee?

The nurse immediately went to Lailah’s side when her and Frank walked in. She was an older woman, but very caring. While she had no reason to go to the clinic, she could tell that the woman was caring. In the profession of healthcare—for students or at a hospital—a caring person was required to provide the most adequate care. Hopefully, whatever damage had been done to Frank’s face, and potentially his eyes, wouldn’t be too bad. Lailah could hope all she wanted that no damage was done to them, but with the way Frank was rubbing them when he was guided to the cot, she could tell that she had done something. Internally praying to whatever deity would listen, she prayed that Frank would end up being unharmed for a long period. The woman grabbed a clipboard and handed it to Lailah before going to examine Frank. She scanned the papers. They were just basic questions to make sure that this was filed for the school; name, date of birth, student number, incident summary, who reported it, etc.

“What happened here?” The clinic nurse asked, grabbing a pen light.

“W-Well, I accidentally threw some hot coffee at his face…” Lailah mumbled, filling out the form. During their time living together, she had learned enough about him to where she could fill out the form with no problem.

“You… accidentally threw hot coffee… on his face?” The woman repeated.

“I—” Laughter cut her off. Lailah looked over and saw that Frank’s lips were quirked in a smile and he was laughing. It wasn’t a creepy laugh or something where she was banking on her death, but it sounded really genuine. “Frank! It’s not funny!”

“Sorry, I just…” Frank closed one eye and followed the penlight as he was instructed with the other. “it sounds so weird to say you accidentally hit someone with hot coffee.”

 A small smile spread across Lailah’s own lips. If he was feeling well enough to joke and laugh, she was sure that he was going to be okay. From what she could see, he was able to follow the light relatively well. He might just have to relax and keep ice on them or something akin to that. She wasn’t sure; she hadn’t had hot liquid thrown on her eyes before so she had no experience to draw from. Him smiling and laughing was a good sign though. Despite it, she still felt terrible for doing that to him.

“Why did you throw coffee on him?” The nurse asked.

“He grabbed onto my shoulder and I panicked. I just… my mind was running away with me, and I just freaked out.” Lailah finished the form and set the clipboard back on the woman’s desk.

“She dropped her scarf and I was calling her name, but she was so lost in her head that she didn’t hear me, I guess.” Frank explained, following the woman’s finger with his eyes.

“My scarf?” Lailah blinked, touching around her neck.

“Yeah. Dork.” Frank snorted a laugh and held it up while the nurse did the same to the other eye. “You know, the thing you wear around your neck?”

“… oh.” Lailah hung her head.

The nurse asked Frank to read an eye chart. He was fine on the first two rows, but started having trouble by the third row. On the fourth he was missing a letter. On the fifth, he was simply guessing. Unfortunately, most writing in college was done from the third row and below. Meaning that he wouldn’t be able to read anything that was in a book or on a Powerpoint. Hopefully, this didn’t mean that she had fucked him over forever.

“Well, the good news is that there’s no permanent damage to your eyes.” The nurse said making Lailah breathe a huge sigh of relief. “The bad news is that you’re going to have a hard time seeing things clearly for about a week.”

“Will it just be blurry like this?” Frank asked.

“More than likely.”

“Oops…” Lailah mumbled to herself, rubbing her arm.

“At least there’s no permanent damage.” Frank said. “You’re sure about that?”

“My husband is an ophthalmologist.”

“A-A what?”

“An eye doctor that does both medical and surgical eye care.” Lailah explained. “So basically, she knows what she’s talking about.”

Frank exhaled a sigh of relief as well and nodded his thanks.

“If it gets worse,” The nurse went to her desk and handed Lailah a business card. “call my husband. He’ll get him in there with no problems.”

“Oh, uh, thank you.” Lailah said.

“Make sure you don’t rub your eyes and alternate between cold and hot compresses. We don’t want anything swelling.”

“That sounds like a lot of work.” Frank groaned.

“I’ll see to it that it’s done.” Lailah said, ignoring Frank looking at her.

“Alright. I would recommend he goes home and gets some rest.”

Lailah went over and took Frank’s arm, helping him up and off the cot before thanking the woman and heading out. She wrapped her scarf around her neck and sighed. They stood outside, near a heater while Lailah took out her phone. Frank was forcing himself to not rub his eyes. She could tell that it was aggravating him, but he needed to remember what the nurse said and make sure he didn’t rub his eyes.

“What’s Julie’s number?” Lailah asked.

“Huh? Why?”

“So I can let her know and she can look after you?”

“I hardly think it’s Julie’s job to clean up after your mess.” Frank scoffed.

“Hey! I—”

“Besides, her and I got into a fight. She wouldn’t come over to the apartment every day.”

“Can you stay with her?”

“Nah. Her parents hate me. They think I’m ‘corrupting their little girl’.”

“You? Corrupting Julie?” Lailah huffed a laugh. “… wow.”

“What about Susie and Joey?”

“Susie is off on a field trip and Joey is in America for a family reunion.”

“What about your parents?” Lailah asked, folding her arms.

“I don’t want them to have to worry. So I’d rather they didn’t even know.”

“Fuck me…” Lailah sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “It is my fault, so I suppose that you can stay with me.”

“Oh yeah? How kind of you!” Frank exclaimed, faux excitement.

“Can you see well enough to be in class?”

“Not really…” Frank said. “Kinda can’t see.”

Lailah looked at Frank and then followed his line of sight. It looked like he was looking at a tree. She waved her hand in front of him. He blinked and his eyes looked around. She snapped her fingers, calling his attention to look over at her. As if it would prove his point, he threw up his hands again. She groaned and sighed. He really was having a hard time. The spectacle made her feel even more guilty.

“Look, I only have one class today. Do you think that you can just relax at the basketball court until I get done and then I’ll come and pick you up?” Lailah asked.

“… Suppose I can do that.”

“Good. Thanks.” Lailah said and guided him towards the basketball court. The coach looked confused as she walked inside and helped Frank sit down on the bleacher. “I have to go. Please for the love of all that’s decent and good in this world, don’t get in trouble.”

“You wound me. Just go before you’re late.” Frank waved his hand, talking to air again.

“… right.”

The whole hour and fifteen minutes that she was in class, all she could do was worry about Frank. This wasn’t how the whole apology and talking thing was supposed to go down. They were supposed to sit down like two adults and talk everything out. What their relationship after that would’ve been was something completely unknown. Now, she would never know since the train wasn’t just on the wrong track; it was completely derailed and had crashed through the station. This whole thing made part of her wanted to instantly forgive Frank for what he had said without him even apologizing for it, but that wasn’t how real life went. He needed to know and acknowledge his mistake if they were going to move past it. And especially if there was any hope of salvaging some part of this friendship.

The nurse had said that Frank would end up getting his sight back, but what if something happened and he didn’t? What if he was forever going to see blurry? What if she had just messed up his whole entire future career? Lailah sighed again, grabbing her things and leaving the class. All she could do was hope that the woman really knew what she was talking about. If Frank’s vision ended up getting worse, they could just end up going to her husband. She had heard of him, apparently he was really great. So, that was enough to keep her worry from going overboard. If she showed how much she was worried, then he would worry too. That would be the last thing that he needed and all the stress might just impede his actual healing process. So, she would just have to keep a brave face on for now.

Lailah headed back to the gymnasium and sighed. Frank was sitting in the exact spot he had been before. His eyes were trained on a group of players that were passing the ball back and forth and doing some drills. A couple of his teammates were next to him. Whatever they had asked him, he shook his head and replied. The loudness of the teammates on the court, the ball bouncing, and the shoes squeaking made it impossible to make out what the hell he was saying. She sighed and adjusted her bag before heading over to where Frank was. On her way, one of the teammates that was with him turned his head so that he was facing her and he gave a small smirk. She smiled back, but she felt terrible.

“Hey. Did you leave early, or has it already been over an hour?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, no. It’s been over an hour.”

“Time flies.”

“Yeah, ready?” Lailah asked and gave an awkward smile to the teammates that were around him. They gave one back just as awkward.

“Sure am.”

Lailah walked with Frank towards the parking lot. On the way back to her car, she noticed Frank’s beat-up car. There was no way that he could drive that back to his apartment in his current condition. Lailah had no idea how to drive stick either, so there was no hope that she would be able to get it there either. If he ended up getting a ticket, then she would just have to pay it. This was all her fault anyway. She couldn’t believe that she had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t heard Frank call her. Well, she could believe it. She just couldn’t believe it. If that made sense. She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck.

Lailah unlocked the doors and tossed her bag in the back. She grunted when Frank narrowed his eyes and felt around for the door handle. She only got in the car once he had. Part of it was being courteous. The other part was her feeling so guilty from the sight that it had stunned her. It was crazy how much sight was relied on for the simplest things. She buckled up and guided his belt to the clip before backing out of the space and heading off campus. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Frank staring out the windshield. She wondered what he was seeing, or if he was really seeing anything other than shapes.

“You’re going to stay with Yui, Feng, and me.” Lailah said, heading towards his apartment.

“What? Why?”

“What do you mean ‘why’? That way when I’m not in class there will still be someone there to make sure that you don’t accidentally kill yourself or something.”

“That… makes sense.” Frank cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Lailah switched lanes and sped up, turning before the light turned red. She wanted to just get home and plop down in bed and relax. Of course, she knew that as soon as she got home there was going to be thousands of questions of what had happened. She gave a small laugh when she glanced over at Frank. He had a firm grasp on his armrests and his brown eyes were wide. Was he… scared of her driving? She supposed it would be rather shocking. Their driving styles seemed to belong to the other; Frank, reckless and fast for a past hooligan, and Lailah, a young woman who’s got a hard past and is more reserved, to drive and obey all the rules of the road. Lailah pulled into Promenade and headed towards his apartment. When she parked, Frank narrowed his eyes and looked around.

“Are we back at our—uh, my place?” Frank stammered.

“Yeah, you don’t think you’re going to wear our clothes, do you?” Lailah smiled.

“You think of everything, don’t you?”

“Only the common sense stuff.”

“Haha.” Frank rolled his eyes and got out, using the car and Lailah’s hand to get onto the sidewalk and up the stairs. He gave her his keys and Lailah unlocked the door and helped him inside. “Be back soon. Stay out here.”

“You’re serious?”

“As a heart attack.”

“You can’t see!”

“I know where I put my things.”

“Is this really the time to want to protect your room from me?” Lailah folded her arms.

Frank had a hold of the handle to his room. A smile came to his face and he shook his head. For a moment, she thought that she was going to be able to go into the Cave of Wonders that was Frank’s room. However, he kept his gaze on the door and didn’t turn it.

“It’s not the room I’m trying to protect.” Frank mumbled before heading inside and closing it behind him.

Lailah sighed took off her shoes. Even though she had lived here a little less than a month ago, it felt foreign. It was dirty and she was itching to clean everything. The room that she had stayed in was the exact same as it had been when she grabbed her bed and left. Lailah’s key was placed in the bowl. Some movement was coming from inside Frank’s room. She could open the door and look around. With his eyes not working at their full potential, she would be able to look around and probably dodge anything he decided to throw at her—assuming he would. However, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. He had told her ‘no’, and what kind of person would she be if she didn’t heed his ‘no’? A terrible person. That’s the kind. So, while Lailah was waiting on Frank, she started looking around.

It looked about as sad in here as it did when she moved in. It looked like Frank primarily either stayed in his room and didn’t move anything too far from its original position. There was no coffee table still. She couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever get one. Lailah glanced over to where the so-called ‘dining table’ had been. Scattered upon it were many things. Everything from spoons to what looked like bills were laying there. She walked up into the kitchen and looked at the counter. There was a white, powdery substance on the counter. It looked like it had been dumped from something else. Lailah tilted her head and looked at the nearby container. In Frank’s blocky handwriting ‘flour’ was written. Was he trying to roll out dough? Frank wasn’t fond of making things from scratch—that she knew of—but she could always be shocked.

“Hey.” Lailah looked up to see Frank standing just outside of his door. “Whatcha doing?”

“O-Oh, I was just waiting for you.”

“What’s wrong?” Frank asked, noticing her stammer.

“Nothing.”

Frank hesitated for a moment before coming over to where she was. His eyes narrowed as he stared at the counter. Lailah was wondering what was on his mind.

“Oh! Hey, can you open that container. The one marked ‘flour’?”

“Yeah.” Lailah said and popped open the top. Frank guided her hands so he was able to swipe what was on the counter into the container. “You reuse flour like that…?”

“Huh? Yeah. My counter is clean. I was making pizza and forgot to clean it up.” Frank sighed and dusted off his hands.

“I didn’t know you made pizza from scratch.”

“Just once because the others wanted to try it. Never again.” Frank said and headed out with Lailah.

Shockingly enough, Frank didn’t really have anything to say the whole drive over to Feng and Yui’s apartment. She felt bad, he wouldn’t be able to properly see exactly how pretty it was because of his eyes. He just remained quiet, his brows knit together. She headed inside with Frank, making sure to stop if he needed to and adjust everything. She carried the breakables; like his laptop. Why he had brought it, she didn’t know. He couldn’t see hardly anything, so what was he going to use it on? Lailah sighed and opened the door and went inside after Frank did and closed the door behind them.

“Hey… I’m home.” Lailah mumbled.

“Yui, Lailah’s—” Feng stopped short. “Why’s he here?”

“Hey Li—what’s he doing here?” Yui asked, coming from the back.

“Frank’s going to stay with us for about a week.” Lailah said, setting down his items on the couch.

Notes:

There you have it! Thanks so much for reading and if you were expecting more, I'm sorry. Things have been a bit difficult and it was hard to get into the groove of writing again, but I'm here and I'm going to try my hardest. I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think and have a great day/night wherever you are.

Chapter 17: In House Patient

Summary:

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx: it’s thanks to Valkyrie really. Sincubus wanted to do some quests, but Valkyrie was able to take me to a place that would really help me get those levels quick. I made a lot of progress thanks to her.

Notes:

Hello hello! It's been forever and a day since I was here with you guys last. A lot of things happened and I just needed to take some time for myself. I'm still not at 100%, but you guys have been waiting long enough for a chapter, so I decided to give you one. Well that's all for me. I hope you enjoy chapter 17!

“He’s gonna what now?” Yui asked, folding her arms.

“I think she said he’s going to stay here.”

“I heard her, Feng.”

“Oh. Right.”

The palms of Lailah’s hands had gotten clammy. Yui and Feng could kick Frank out and—by extension—her. It wasn’t that she wouldn’t have anywhere to go. His apartment could be more than accommodating to her presence once more. It was what Frank could potentially do or how he could potentially harm himself without someone there with him. She couldn’t blame them. Feng and Yui weren’t on the best terms with Frank and now she was basically demanding that he live with them for a week.

“Why does he need to stay here, anyway?” Feng asked. “He’s got an apartment of his own.”

“I caused an accident and now he’s having a hard time seeing. I don’t want to leave him in his apartment by himself. If I stayed there, I’d have to end up going to class and he’d be alone.”

“That’s your problem… how?” Yui asked, her voice sharp like a knife.

“Because Yui, I caused the accident. I don’t want to be the cause of him hurting himself.”

Silence fell between the group of young adults. Frank was staring at the large kotatsu, but she wasn’t sure if he was even able to tell what it was. Lailah’s throat was closing as her friends started at Frank; accusation in their brown eyes. Yes, he had hurt her. Cut her deeper than she had been in a long, long time. Letting him in here was like opening herself up for another cut. The only good thing about this was that Frank wouldn’t be able to see where to cut. In no way was Lailah going to defend what he did, or say that she deserved it, but, she couldn’t allow him to fend for himself due to a problem that she caused either. Her friends might think that it was what he deserved, but she didn’t.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Yui let out a defeated sigh. With arms folded, she shook her head. Without realizing she had been holding it in, Lailah let out a sigh of relief. Taking care of Frank was one thing, being alone with him in an apartment was another thing. Had Yui and Feng continued to object to this, then she would’ve had to be alone with him. Too much awkwardness would stem from them being stuck by themselves.

“Fine! Fine!” Yui exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

“What? Are you serious? Yui, he—”

“He’s hurt, and Lailah’s going to end up looking after him no matter what. Might as well let it be here at home where we know that she’s safe.”

“You… make a good point.” Feng frowned and sighed. “Frank, have you eaten?”

“Oh, uh, no.” He cleared his throat taking a stance that reminded her of a boyfriend that was meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time.

“Good. Because we were just about to make some food.”

“Go get cleaned up.” Yui said.

“Come on, Frank.”

Lailah grabbed his duffel bag and went into the bathroom after him. She sat the large bag on the counter and grabbed a towel from the wall closet. Frank was standing in the middle of the room, staring at the counter where she had placed his belongings. Not being able to gauge his sight was making it harder for her to read him, and if she was going to survive this week with somewhat of her sanity intact, then she was going to have to read him. Of course, as it went on, his sight would get better—hopefully. If she could end up reading him, then perhaps they could get through this week with relatively little pain.

“Well, I put a towel here on top of your bag.”

“Thanks.”

“Yeah no problem.” Lailah said.

“Well?”

“Well what?” She blinked, looking over at him.

“You staying?”

“Huh?!”

“Well you didn’t leave, so I mean if you wanna stay then—” Frank grabbed the end of his shirt.

“No, wait! I’m going!” Lailah covered her eyes and turned around, slamming into something. “S-Sorry! Wait, that’s a wall. Yeah, I’m gone!”

Lailah left the bathroom and closed the door behind her, cutting off the laughter. He had played her, and she had fallen right into it. She headed from the hallway towards the kitchen. She placed the back of her hand on her cheek and shook her head. Well, if his sense of humor was still intact, then it was safe to say that Frank was going to be okay. The first few days would probably be the hardest, but that didn’t mean that she would give up. After all, this was all her fault. Yui and Feng were in the kitchen, working on cooking some food.

Tentatively, she went behind them. Would they be angry at her and treat her different? They had defended her against Frank’s verbal abuse during their argument, now she was bringing him into their home to look after him for a week. Lailah parted her lips to speak, but something was shoved in it before she could speak. The shock almost made her choke. However, once she got her bearings, she was able to tell that it was hotpot. Blinking, she looked over and saw Feng staring at her with a waiting look on her face. Lailah nodded and held up her thumb. Taking the feedback, Feng Min turned back to the kitchen while Yui moved past to get into the fridge. She pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to Lailah who gestured a ‘thank you’ before uncapping it and taking a big drink.

“Want some fries?” Lailah asked. “I can make some.”

“That. Sounds. Great.” Yui said with a starry-eyed look in her eyes. Fries were some of Yui’s favorite things, and she loved the ones that Lailah made even more than the ones that you could buy at the store.

Lailah grabbed the potatoes and started washing them. All of her attention was focused on making sure that all the peelings were off and they were cut to an acceptable length, that she didn’t hear the door opening. Feng clasping her hands together called her attention, and she looked over. Frank was standing at the entrance of their kitchen, blinking repeatedly. It looked like he was trying to blink away some blurriness from his eyes. Seeing it, her heart sank, and guilt set in. The nurse had said that he was going to get better, but… complications happened. What if something happened, and he ended up being completely blind? Then it would end up being all her fault.

“What’s smellin’ good?” Frank asked.

“Feng’s making hotpot and Lailah’s being precious and making some fries.”

“Fries and hotpot?” Frank asked and huffed a laugh. “Sounds… perfect actually. We had hotpot that day you came over to the apartment, didn’t we?”

“Good memory.” Yui complimented and handed him some water. “It’s almost done. The only thing we’ll be waiting on is the fries, but that’s alright. I’m hungry.”

Once the fries were in the oven, they all made their way back to the living room. Yui went over and switched the kotatsu on and turned on the television. She was just about to sit down when Feng let out a sound that was reminiscent of a shocked scream. It made Lailah flinch and she had to end up catching Frank so he wouldn’t fall as he tripped on the kotatsu’s leg. That was another thing, they’d have to make sure that all the walkways were clear enough to where he would be able to see outlines; preventing him from falling.

“What the fuck?!” Frank exclaimed, looking from Feng to Lailah who had an arm around him. He cleared his throat when she let go and turned to look back at Feng. “What the hell was that for?!”

“I just thought of something!”

“Couldn’t you just have said something instead of screaming?!” Yui exclaimed, placing a hand over her chest.

“Sorry, it just hit me.”

“Keep it up, and I’ll hit you.” Frank mumbled, coughing when Lailah smacked his back. “…kidding.”

“We should show Frank Holy Wasteland.” Feng suggested.

“The fuck is Holy Wasteland?”

“It’s a game.” Yui elaborated.

“I’m not really a gamer. I’m more of an athlete.” Frank said.

“It’s actually really good. Feng got me and then we got Lailah into it.”

“You game?” Frank turned towards Lailah and pointed at her.

“Kinda.” Lailah took his hand and moved it so his finger was actually pointing at her instead of the wall. “But I’m nowhere near the hardcore gamer that Feng is.”

“I don’t think anyone is. Other than the other teammates on the Lazer Bears.” Yui shrugged.

“Well?! Should we?” Feng exclaimed, having went to the kitchen and come back with the food and their bowls. She sat it all down carefully on the kotatsu making sure to not burn herself, anyone else, and minimize spills.

“Feng, uh… he can’t see well enough to play.” Lailah said, a small smile coming to her face when Feng slapped her forehead. “Forgot?”

“… kinda.”

“If you guys still wanna play, I can watch. I won’t really be able to tell too much, but I still think I can get some idea.” Frank said, reaching over to dip some food out. Yui smacked his hands away, poured it herself, and sat it in front of him.

“Sounds like a good idea. We’ve got an event dungeon out.” Lailah said. “I’ll be back.”

Lailah got up and went to her room and grabbed her laptop. Once she rejoined the others out in the living room, she saw that Feng and Yui both had grabbed theirs as well. The TV had been turned to an all movie channel. It was currently in the middle of a horror film. It would be the perfect backdrop for their gaming. Lailah booted up Holy Wasteland. While she was waiting for it to load, she went to the kitchen and checked on her french fries. Satisfied with the amount of crunch they had, she took them out and put it all on a large plate with some ketchup before heading back to the living room.

“Logged you in.” Feng said.

“Thanks.” Lailah sat down the fries and took her seat at the kotatsu.

“That your character?” Frank asked, looking at the woman.

“Sure is.”

“You know, they say that you tend to make your ideal self online.” Frank mumbled, leaning closer almost until his nose was touching her screen.

“Your point?”

“Mm. Dunno!” Frank narrowed his eyes. “What’s her name?”

“Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla.” Lailah clicked on her character and watched her bow and slam her staff on the ground. Feng’s character appeared on her screen and ran up to her, giving a small wave. Yui’s came next. She shoved her sword in the ground and folded her arms. “Lemme check and see if Smiley is on. I’m sure he’d love to run another dungeon.”

“Who?” Frank asked.

“xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx. He’s this guy that Lailah flirts with online.”

“That right?” Frank asked, raising a brow.

“Feng! Smiley and I do not flirt. We’re just good friends.”

“Right.” Yui scoffed. “You two play for hours on end and then the next thing you know, he’s all she’ll talk about when she’s online solo. ‘I wonder if Smiley could use this’. ‘Do you think Smiley could run this dungeon with us’? Just on and on.”

A frown pulled on the corners of her lips as the corners of Frank’s lifted. Well, whatever bad blood was between Frank and the girls seemed to be gone in lieu of making fun of her. Yes, she knew that they meant no harm by it, but this could be really suggestive. Of course, it didn’t really matter to her what Frank thought of her relationship with Smiley. After all, her and Frank weren’t anything. She couldn’t even tell if they were still friends anymore.

“It’s cute.” Feng said. “But! It isn’t one way flirting. Smiley flirts with her hard core too. We all see it. Everyone in the guild knows that Smiley and Lailah have a thing for each other.”

“Feng! We’re friends, they’re just—”

“Words on a screen, right?” Yui smiled. “In all seriousness though, they do get along rather well. Anyway, teasing aside. Is he on?”

“Hmm…” Lailah scrolled through the guild list. “Oh! Yeah! I’m gonna—Oh. Nevermind. He beat me to it.”

Lailah smiled softly looking at the message that said that xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx requested to join her party. She clicked ‘Yes’, and the familiar Assassin came on the screen and went up to the group and nodded at them.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Hey Valkyrie.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Hiya.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Hi Nagoya. Phoenix.

NagoyaSurvivor : Hey Smiley.

The_Phoenix : What’s up?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Not much. Just got home and was hopping online. Gonna try to do that new dungeon.

NagoyaSurvivor : What a coincidence, we were thinking of doing the same.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Wanna join us?

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Of course.

“So this is that ‘smiley’ guy, hm?” Frank asked, bringing his face closer to the screen and inadvertently closer to Lailah’s face as well. Being unable to see was making situations that normally wouldn’t be present. If Lailah freaked out about them, then her friends and Frank could tease her harder that there was something wrong with her. Truthfully, there was no reason for her to flip shit at having Frank that close, but it still made her fidget uncomfortably.

“Yeah, he’s the stealthier one of our party.” Lailah said.

Frank blinked and put his hands on his face. Before he was able to rub his eyes, Lailah smacked his hands away. He huffed and let out a small groan. She couldn’t blame him. It would be annoying to have problems with your sight and have your eyes irritating you in general. To not be able to rub his eyes was a small amount of torture, Lailah was sure. However, she couldn’t risk Frank doing any more damage to his eyes than had already been done. Who knew if he ended up hitting a nerve behind his eye or putting pressure on a spot just enough to where he would permanently lose sight in that eye. He wanted to play basketball professionally. Lailah would do anything that it took to minimize the amount of damage that could be done, ensuring his recovery.

“And he picked an assassin?” Frank asked, popping a fry into his mouth.

“Yeah.” Yui glanced at Frank from the corner of her eyes before putting some on her plate.

“What a pleb.” Frank mumbled with a humor-filled scoff.

“Ooh, ouch.” Feng mumbled.

“He is not!”

“Out of all the characters, he picked an assassin. C’mon Lailah. He’s a pleb.”

“You’re a pleb!”

“Me?! Oh please! I’m anything but.” Frank scoffed again.

“Well it doesn’t matter anyway. Your approval doesn’t matter to me.”

“Oh yeah? Then how come your cheeks are getting so red.”

“Cause I’m trying so hard not to punch you right now!”

“You’d punch a handicapped man?!” Frank gasped.

“If that handicapped man was you? Absolutely.”

“Oh, well that’s not very nice.” Frank dipped a fry in ketchup before putting it in his mouth.

“Well, I’m not a nice person.”

“Oh please, you’re a fucking angel.” He rolled his eyes.

“Psst. Feng. What’s a ‘pleb’?” Lailah heard Yui ask Feng in the midst of her argument with Frank.

“Oh. A pleb is someone that has very basic, boring, or generic taste.”

“Ohh…” Yui mused, munching on a fry.

“You’re the last one to be judging someone else, Frank!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re a guy on a basketball team. Ooh, so original.”

“Are you calling me a pleb again?”

“Dunno. Use that jock brain of yours and figure it out.”

“…I think you are.” Frank’s eyes narrowed.

“I’m done with this conversation.”

“You’re—”

“Look, all I can say is that Smiley has made it through multiple conversations with a woman without blabbing some secrets she has in front of everyone.”

Silence fell over the kotatsu. Some hotpot fell off Feng’s spoon. Yui’s mouth remained open as she froze before taking a bite of her fry. The words she had spoken were hurtful. As intended, if she had to have been in pain then why didn’t he? Frank’s jaw was dropped, his face a strange look that she was unable to place. A small gasp left him. Instinctually, Lailah wanted to apologize. While her and him may not be on the best of terms right now, she didn’t want to hurt anyone deliberately, even though they had done the same thing to her. It was instilled in her at a very young age that two wrongs didn’t make a right. However, being in Frank’s presence, it felt like all that teaching went out the window and she reverted to a six-year-old girl that just wanted to get back at the bully on the block.

“You cut me deep.”

“That wasn’t nice, but it was the truth.” Lailah commented, brushing some stray hair from her face. Frank’s mouth finally closed and she was able to see small hints of a smile on the corners of his lips.

“So I see.” He commented and blinked as he looked at the screen.

Lailah glared at the side of Frank’s face again before turning her attention back to the screen. Smiley had been trying to get a hold of them since they had all disappeared randomly, but thankfully he had stayed.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : If you guys read this, I think I might need to restart my router.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : Sorry, we’re here.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Oh cool. I thought my  sh*t  was having issues.

NagoyaSurvivor : Nah, you’re good.

The_Phoenix : We just had something to take care of here.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Oh, no, it’s no problem. I was thinking of running that event dungeon. Do you guys wanna come with?

The_Phoenix : Great minds think alike. That’s where we were heading.

NagoyaSurvivor : I got a crystal that will take us straight up to floor 10.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : What?! How did you manage that?

NagoyaSurvivor : Secret.

“Bought it from the black market here on Holy Wasteland.” Yui shrugged.

“How much money did you have to shell out for that?” Feng asked, looking at the characters. “Or do I really not wanna know?”

“You really don’t wanna know. You’ll have a heart attack I’m sure.” Lailah said.

“She’s probably right.” Yui said.

They stocked up on supplies and all gathered around the priestess’ circle. They teleported to the event space. While the screen was loading, Lailah felt goosebumps rise on her neck. She turned.

“What?” Lailah asked, seeing that Frank was looking at her.

“What?” He responded.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Why are you looking at me?” He copied.

“Frank!”

“Lailah!”

A gunshot startled Lailah since her glare had been so steadfast on Frank. The horror movie that they had been watching had ended. Now it was on something that she wasn’t really paying attention to. The gunshot had called her attention though. It was a young woman who had been held captive. A gunshot wound was prominent on the back of her head from where she had been shot. Lailah’s nose scrunched up. What was it that made move producers always want to show the meaty bits of getting shot? Anything else always skirted the violence just enough to where viewers were satisfied, but they didn’t see everything. Gunshot wounds though, those always seemed to be filmed to their fullest potential.

They appeared in the event space and Yui took out her crystal and Lailah watched as her character smashed it in her hands. White-blue light overtook the four of them before another loading screen commenced. A young man—he looked like a detective—came into the room and went to the woman’s side. He held her up and Lailah frowned. It looked like he loved her.

“Fun fact: did you know that there is a chance to survive a gunshot wound to the head?” Frank blurted out. Lailah looked from the TV over to him and blinked.

“Huh? Really?” Feng Min asked. “I thought that was one way to make sure that someone died for sure.”

“There’s only a 5% chance of surviving a gunshot wound to the head. Only 3% are able to continue life as before.”

“Uh… not meaning to intrude on the parade, but… why do you know that?” Yui asked.

“It was something that my anatomy teacher told us.” Frank shrugged.

“And you paid attention?”

“Uh yeah, I think that’s kinda cool that someone might get shot in the head and not die from it. Don’t you?”

Lailah blinked again and before she knew it, a laugh tore through her. Leave it to Frank. In the midst of this tension heavy zone, he would be able to make her laugh. Feng and Yui were chuckling as well. Who does that? Who brings up the lethality rate of headshots to the dinner table? Frank Morrison. That’s who. She shook her head and glanced over at him before turning back to the screen once the game was done loading.

The group headed into the dungeon. They were a little more prepared than they were the last time they had come in here. However, they were down a person. Sincubus wasn’t there and his tank nature helped them a lot during the boss battle before. They’d have to think and stay on their toes. This was also assuming they got to the top of the tower this time around. Yui’s crystal had gotten them a good amount. All they had was forty more levels to go. Both her and Smiley were leveled up more than they had been the first time around. Perhaps they could make up for Sincubus not being there. Hopefully.

They continued up the stairs. For the next 10 floors, they didn’t really have an issue. It was once they hit 21 that the issues started. Lailah’s hand was sweaty and she was trying her hardest to keep mana potions stacked up. She’d really need it when it came to the boss with infinite health. There had to be something there that they were missing. Something that could let them kill that thing. The three girls had gossiped and wondered what kind of loot it would drop. A boss that had infinite health until you figured out the trick would surely have to drop some really good loot. Not to mention that it was an event boss on top of it.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : We’re making good time.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : You and I are a lot stronger than the first time we were in here.

The_Phoenix : Absolutely.

NagoyaSurvivor: 100%.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : it’s thanks to Valkyrie  really .  Sincubus  wanted to do some quests, but Valkyrie was able to take me to a place that would really help me get those levels quick. I made a lot of progress thanks to her.

“Aww…” Feng mumbled.

“What?” Frank asked, looking from the TV to the screen.

“Smiley’s flirting with Lailah again.”

“That right?”

“He’s just thanking me for helping him grind levels. Yui and Feng are overexaggerating.”

“I didn’t even say anything.” Yui commented.

“Yet.”

“… yet.”

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : It’s no problem. I got to learn a lot in the process too. Let’s beat the  sh*t   outta  this boss.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Mm. 

Beating the boss had been the plan anyway. Once the group had made their way up the many levels to where the boss was waiting, Lailah started to worry. They had Yui’s character, but having two tanks would make things easier since they still had no idea how the hell they were supposed to beat the creature. Beginning the battle, Lailah made sure to keep her mana high for when she needed to cast powerful spells. It was like water on a duck’s feathers. No matter how many spells and abilities they threw at this boss, it wasn’t budging. Nor was the health bar. Frowning, she watched it one-hit KO Feng.

By the time the ‘You Died’ screen popped up, her inventory was almost completely depleted of every sort of resurrection item and health item that she had brought with them. The loading screen felt like it was making fun of her as they were transported back to the capital. All three girls stood in the center of town doing their idle animations while the three girls that were sitting behind the screen were staring at their keyboards or at the ceiling. Truthfully, they lasted longer than Lailah originally thought they would without Sincubus’ tank. In the end it didn’t matter because they had failed, again.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Well… that blows.

NagoyaSurvivor : You’re telling me.

The_Phoenix : I am so pissed! I was checking out the forums and apparently no one else has figured out a way to beat it either.

NagoyaSurvivor : Or if they did, they’re not telling.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : **** The Entity. That boss is ******* unbeatable! I don’t even ******* care anymore.

—A temporary ban has been placed upon chat—

“Oh for the love of fuck…” Lailah mumbled.

“What’s wrong?” Yui asked.

“I got fucking banned from chat.”

“What? Why?” Feng said.

“Because I typed ‘fuck’.” Lailah sighed and waved off Frank when he started laughing. “It’s late. Can you tell Smiley bye and goodnight for me since I can’t.”

“Yeah. No problem.” Feng typed at the speed of light on her keyboard.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Oh. That sucks. Well, I’m hopping off too. Later  ladies .

[ xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx  has left the chat]

[ NagoyaSurvivor  has left the chat]

[ The_Phoenix  has left the chat]

Lailah shut off Holy Wasteland and closed her laptop, resting her back against the couch. There had to be some way to beat The Entity. No one in their right mind would put a boss that was at the end of the event dungeon that was unbeatable. There would be no point. That would just piss people off and they wouldn’t want to play their game. No. There was something that they were missing. She popped another fry into her mouth as she thought.

“So uh, why didn’t you pull off those curtains on the wall?” Frank asked.

“Huh?” Yui blinked. “What curtains?”

“The ones that were draped along the wall. The ones that were clearly covering something.”

“…”

“What? You didn’t notice?”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?!” Lailah exclaimed.

“I thought it was obvious. I could see some runes behind them even with my shitty eyesight.” Frank said.

“Clearly we didn’t see it. We were dying!”

“Clearly.”

“When did you see that?” Yui asked.

“When you guys started the battle.” Frank told her.

Lailah put her face in her hands groaned. She slammed her hands down on the kotatsu and stood up.

“I’m going to bed.”

“Already?” Frank asked.

“You made me angry!” 

“Shocker.” He mumbled.

“Night.” Lailah said to her friends before gathering up her computer and heading to her room. Placing her computer on the desk, she plopped down on her bed and covered up letting out a large groan. If Frank wasn’t already injured, she would’ve punched him. Hopefully, she would’ve knocked his lights out. This was only day one. How the hell was she supposed to deal with him for a full week?

What else could go wrong?

Notes:

Whew! There you have it! I had part of this chapter written out for a long time, but things happened and I just couldn't bring myself to do the thing. I hope that this chapter was worth the wait and that you enjoyed it. i'm going to attempt to come back with a newfound fury at updating. Key word: attempt. I don't want to jinx it or force something out that wasn't really ready yet or that I didn't have all my heart in, so I apologize once again for the wait.

Let me know what you think! <3

Chapter 18: Change

Summary:

“Frank, are you alright?”

Notes:

Howdy all! It's good to see you all again. We're here with chapter 18. It feels like just yesterday I had decided to write this fic. I can't believe that it's come so far and more than that, I can't believe that there are so many of you that have given me kudos, bookmarked it, and the many wonderful comments that you've left me. I can't tell you how happy all that makes me feel. Thank you so much. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well.

“Thank you. Have a nice day.” Lailah smiled bright to the elderly couple as she handed them their tea. They each gave her a bow before turning and heading out.

The customers had been coming in nonstop ever since she clocked in that morning. While it was helping her shift go by quicker, she was getting tired. One thing that wasn’t helping was the form sitting in a booth with his nose almost touching his phone screen. Over the past three days, all three girls had forced him to go into Tea You Later when Lailah’s shift started. There was no way in hell they were going to leave him in their apartment with expensive things around and have him fumbling around trying to just go about his day. If he was going to fumble around anywhere, it was going to be where they could keep their eyes on him. Yeah, it would be in front of the public too, but that would just teach him not to wander around if he was worried about being embarrassed. The plan had been simple, but Frank was so conniving and manipulative that he could turn the most simple plan into something that would make it hard on her. And that’s just what he did. Each time she would look up to keep an eye on him, she would lock eye contact. The unexpected look would immediately make her avert her gaze. She had accidentally given one of her customers a $20 bill instead of a $10 bill from her thoughts being all muddled. Profusely apologizing to Yui for the mistake hadn’t made her feel the least bit better. Neither did Yui immediately forgiving her either. This couldn’t go on.

Her eyes traveled to the clock on the register; it was a little past noon. Lailah grabbed a couple of danishes and some tea and headed over to where Frank was with his nose almost jabbed into his screen again; eyes squinted. That was something that she never understood. When someone was trying to see something, they would end up almost closing their eyes. Did it heighten someone’s vision somehow or was it just instinctual? When she sat the small baggie of snacks on the table and the tea in front of him, he looked from his screen over to her. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, followed by a confused look. He jutted his thumbs towards the snacks. With her hands in her apron’s pockets, she merely shrugged.

“It’s lunchtime. You didn’t pack a lunch, and Yui said it was okay.” It was a lie. She was sure if she had asked she would’ve said it was fine. However, she shouldn’t put her friend out of money for something that she had been the cause. So, discreetly, she had rung herself up and put the money in the register and quickly shoved the receipt into her pocket.

“You brought a lunch.” Frank asked, tearing off a bit of the cream cheese danish and popping it in his mouth.

“Yeah, and?” He merely raised his brows. “Bold of you to assume I’d share food with you.”

“… ouch.” His words indicated hurt, but the look on his face assured her that he didn’t give a care in the world that she wasn’t going to share her food. In fact, it looked like he had been expecting that exact answer.

Lailah turned around and headed towards the register. Her pace slowed and her brows furrowed. Eventually she stopped and turned back to Frank. No. She wasn’t done with him just yet. Marching back up to his side, she saw that either he hadn’t stopped looking at her or he had the uncanny ability to turn to face her just as she turned around. It was most likely the latter. After all, the floors were black tile and her shoes did make a small noise when she walked. There was no escape from her questions. Mustering up every bit of aggravation and confusion that she had, she squared her shoulders and looked right at him.

“What the fuck is your issue?” Her words sounded harsher than her tone. She sounded absolutely pathetic. Lailah hoped that Frank hadn’t picked up on her wavering voice.

“The hell are you talking about?” He retorted, his mouth full of food.

“D-Don’t try and fool me! I’ve seen you staring at me almost the whole time since Feng and me switched positions at the register.”

Frank snorted a laugh, his shoulders shaking slightly. She resisted the urge to stomp her foot. There was just something about him, the way he ground on her gears that made her regress to a child. Did he think she was joking? Had she said something that was funny? Had she somehow made herself the joke again? His brows raised and he swallowed the food that was in her mouth. It seemed that he did think that she was joking.

“Oh. You’re serious.”

“Well, duh!”

“You dunce. I can’t see shit.” He said.

“O-Oh… right.” Yes. Yes, she had made herself the joke once more. “Carry on.”

This time, Lailah did turn around and headed towards the register. Once she rounded the corner, she headed to the back away from the laughter that she was sure he was still emitting. Cheeks flaming red from embarrassment, she turned and put her forehead against the wall. It was nice and cool. Hopefully, it cooled her temperature enough to where she wasn’t showing how much he had embarrassed her. During the past three days that he had been staying with them, she had made sure that she was able to make up her accident to him in any way possible. Better to help him if she was able. However, somehow in that brief moment talking with him, she had forgotten what was literally staring—or trying to—right at her. Lailah should’ve known better. There was no reason that Frank would have to stare at her. Thankfully. Being stared at was one of her worst fears; extremely close to public speaking.

“What happened?” Yui asked from her position in the kitchen where she was making boba.

“W-What?! Nothing!”

“Oh, yeah?” Feng asked, walking over towards her friend and poking her cheek. “Mhm, just as I thought.”

“What?”

“Blushing.” Yui informed, putting the finished boba in a separate container before starting another batch. For some reason, they were selling more of the milk tea than normal. There was no complaining to be heard from her however. “Did Frank flirt with you?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Lailah almost screamed.

“He did?!”

“No! Absolutely not!”

“Then you’re blushing because…?” Yui waved her spoon in the air, gesturing for her to answer the question. Feng was practically bouncing on her heels.

“Because I saw Frank staring at me—”

“I knew it!” Feng exclaimed.

“But he wasn’t really staring at me. I forgot his eyesight was bad right now.”

“Huh? That’s it?” Yui clicked her tongue.

“Aww, lame.” Feng sighed and went over to the oven to make more cookies. “I thought you two finally admitted your feelings for each other…”

“F-Feelings for… what the hell…?” Lailah blinked, taking her forehead from the wall to look at her friend.

“I told you I smelled some chemistry.”

“Him and me? Absolutely not.” Lailah sputtered and snorted a laugh. “That’s… so gross. He’s like a brother to me.”

Yui and Feng both stopped simultaneously and looked at her with an almost identical face. Both their brows were raised and both of them had a look of disbelief on their faces. How could they even propose that theory? There was no way in hell that he had feelings for her and she sure as fuck didn’t have feelings for him! Just the thought of it was enough to make her gag. She wanted to throw away that thought and never think it ever, ever again.

“A brother figure that you’re… pretending to date?” Yui blinked.

“What sort of Alabama shit is that…?” Feng mumbled.

Lailah parted her lips to say something; to protest. She’d seen the memes. Alabama was a strange place that she never wanted to visit. She was sure that it couldn’t be as bad as the memes made it seem, but… something had to be true in order for it to be so widely known.

“Okay, perhaps ‘brother’ wasn’t the right word.” Lailah corrected, folding her arms.

“Is it so hard for you to call him a friend?” Feng asked, waving her spoon in the air and rolling her eyes before turning back to the bowl.

There was once a time that she thought that Frank and her were becoming friends—perhaps even close friends. Hell, they had survived a dinner where they had thoroughly convinced his parents that they were dating. He had come to pick her up from the police station after her run-in with The Legion. He had even taken a verbal abusing from the doctor when she had cut her hand from seeing Austin Reynolds on the TV. But all of that had just went down the toilet when he did what he did. Truthfully, Frank hadn’t even really apologized for it. She wasn’t sure if it was because he didn’t want to for his male pride or if he just wasn’t sorry. Would she really be willing to look past that in order to try to rekindle a friendship? Did Frank’s friendship mean that much to her?

“Hello?” Lailah heard and gasped. She had been so embarrassed that she had forgotten that she was supposed to be manning the register! Cursing under her breath, she left the back and took her place.

“Welcome to—”

Shit!

David and Dwight were standing at the register. Lailah glanced over at where Frank had been sitting. He was nowhere to be found. How would his parents react if they found out that Lailah had temporarily robbed their son of his sight? He needed it for basketball, for his future. She could’ve deprived him of that. Lailah hadn’t, but she would never forgive herself for coming close. Hopefully she could just serve them and Frank would stay wherever the hell he was at until they were gone. He had probably headed to the bathroom. She would’ve heard him leaving… maybe. He would’ve been running into things on his way out, so that would’ve most likely caused a ruckus.

“‘ey! Nice ta see ya again.” David said and gave a small wave.

“Y-Yeah!” Lailah cleared her throat, mentally berating herself for her voice becoming squeaky.

“You alright? You’re not catching a cold are you?” Dwight asked.

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m fine.” Lailah logged into the register. “What can I get you guys?”

“Same thin’ I ‘ad when I was ‘ere last.” David said.

“Uhh—”

“It had some chewy things at the bottom.”

“Oh! A boba tea. Yeah, of course. What size?”

“Large. ‘m a growin’ boy after all.” David huffed and took out his wallet.

“You know what? I’ll try one as well. Large as well please.”

“Okay. What flavors?”

“Thai.” David nodded.

“Just regular.” Dwight smiled.

“Alright. $8.57.” Lailah made the change, pulling out the coins with shaking hands.

“‘ow’s Frank?”

Lailah dropped the change. They had no knowledge of not only the accident but also the big blowout the two had. So to these two sweet people awaiting the change that she was picking up off the floor, her and their son were just the happy couple they were they had seen at dinner. Was this a sign? Should she tell them that everything they knew about their son and her was a lie? Or was this a sign that her and Frank should try to become friends again? That was the thing about cosmic signs, she never understood them. Unless it was an anvil that was dropped or a sign that had actual lettering on it, she wouldn’t be able to read it. It could be plain as day and everyone else could see it, of course except her.

“Oh, he-he’s great!” Lailah said and picked up the last bit of change and stood up, handing the money to David’s outstretched hand. She squirted a bit of hand sanitizer onto her hands.

“How are you two doing?”

“Oh great. Wonderful actually. Yeah.”

There’s no way in hell that they’re going to believe me. I wouldn’t believe me.

Dwight looked around, adjusting his glasses,

“He doesn’t come and visit you at work?”

“Oh, well… he’s busy with basketball. You know?”

“He’s gotta take it easy on the sports. I’d ‘ate for ‘im ta lose ya by not payin’ ‘nough attention to ye.”

“Oh no, he’s—”

“Dad?”

Dwight and David turned around. Once the larger man moved, she was able to see that Frank had returned. Lailah took the opportunity to retreat to the back to make their teas. Would Frank sell her out? If he did would they yell at her? Lailah was over 100% sure that if Dwight or David raised their voices at her that she’d start crying. She didn’t handle being yelled at very well, even less so by fathers. Maybe they’d talk enough and he wouldn’t think about telling them about the accident. Frank could be a little scatterbrained. She just hoped that this was one of those times. 

Yui and Feng both looked at her, but she just waved them off. She wasn’t in the mood for their questions. A lot of things counted on Frank and what would happen in the conversation with his parents. She quickly made the teas and put each cup under the machine to seal it. Her brain kept telling her that the quicker that she made them, the quicker she could get the teas out there to his parents, and therefore the quicker that they would leave and she wouldn’t have to worry about any potential consequences for her actions or lies. That was childish, she should be facing those potential consequences head on, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Taking a deep breath and gathering two straws from the container, she headed back out to the front.

Sure enough, Frank and his parents were talking. Lailah went over to them and held out the teas for them. It was the moment of truth. They’d been talking long enough that Frank could’ve told them everything; thrown her under the bus so fast that she had tire marks on her back. Both men turned to her and smiled. They took the tea and popped it through the seal. Dwight took a sip and gave a small sound of satisfaction. She smiled, but underneath it all, she was still worried. Her heart was thundering against her ribcage, but she tried to remain normal looking. Make it seem like nothing was wrong. That would be her best bet right now.

“Good innit?” David asked.

“It’s delicious. I’ve never had anything like it.”

Lailah let out a squeal when a tug pulled her. It took her a moment to realize that Frank had pulled her close to his body. He was radiating heat. They hadn’t been pressed together for ten seconds and she was starting to feel sweat on the nape of her neck. Was he running a fever? She didn’t think she could deal with him getting sick on top of his eyesight issue.

“It might be Yui’s place, but gotta say my girlfriend makes the best tea here.”

“I’ve heard that tea takes a special sort of touch.” Dwight said. “A gentle one.”

“Well, she’s got that.” Frank leaned down and she felt her eyes widen when something pressed against her temple. Internally, she felt like screaming, but somehow she managed to keep a smile on her face. The same couldn’t be said for someone in the back. It sounded like Feng screaming slightly. Or maybe it was muffled.

“Aww, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you two kiss.” Dwight said.

“Y-Yeah…” Lailah trailed off.

“She’s not a very big person for PDA.” Frank said and shrugged. “Love her all the same though.”

“‘hat’s sweet.” David said. “Ya mind if we stop by yer place later t’night?”

Their place? Shit… the apartment. I don’t live there anymore. But I can’t really deny them either. After all, they don’t see Frank too often. Dammit…

“I don’t really—” Frank began.

“Yeah, it’s fine.” Lailah said and gave a small smile ignoring Frank’s gaze.

“Alright. What time do you get off?”

“Five.”

“Alright. We’ll drop by around seven. Give you a little time to relax.” Dwight smiled.

“S-Sounds like a plan.” Frank stammered.

“Alright. Thanks again for the tea.”

Lailah watched the two leave and exhaled when Frank dropped his hand the very moment that Dwight and David disappeared from the storefront and down the street. She sighed and put her hands on her hips, sighing deep. He had some explaining to do. Lailah parted her lips and stopped when a finger was pressed against them. Her eyes went wide again. Frank gave her a look and she nodded. He took his finger away.

“I had to do something to make it look more realistic.”

“…”

“I panicked, alright?”

“…”

“Sorry, I know how you feel about that sort of affection.”

“… you didn’t tell them.”

“Huh?” Frank folded his arms.

“About our lie.” Lailah’s voice became a small whisper.

“Hell no.”

“Why?” She couldn’t understand it no matter what angle she tried to look at it from.

“…I-I dunno…” Frank scratched the back of his neck. “I mean… uh, well… I’d get in trouble too.”

“I mean, yeah, they’d be mad. But, Frank… you’re going on 24 years old. They can’t really tell you who you can and can’t date.” Lailah shrugged and put her hands in her pockets.

“You’re not wrong, but still…”

“What?”

“I’m just… I’m tired of being a disappointment.”

… I don’t think they’d think of you as a disappointment. You love who you love.

“It’s your choice.” Lailah flung her hands in the air and sighed before heading back to the register.

Yui had demanded that she go on break. Lailah found herself in the back room with her lunch on the table. She could’ve sat at the booth with Frank. However, she just needed some time to herself right now. No matter how she tried to distract herself; videos, articles, memes, it didn’t matter. Her mind kept drifting to the conversation with Frank and his parents. Her fingers went up and touched her temple. He had kissed her. Yes, it was nothing like a real kiss, but he had pressed his lips against her skin. That was technically a kiss. And the weirdest part was that it made her feel strange. Strange as in… she didn’t want to punch him in the face. It wasn’t that she liked it or that she wanted it to happen again, she just didn’t want to murder him. Did that mean that she wanted to be his friend again? That she forgave him for what he had had said? Could their relationship even be the same?

An hour went by faster than she expected. As much as she hated to admit it, most of it was spent thinking about Frank, that night, and what their current situation would entail. It was just as she told her parents, she couldn’t get him out of her mind. And she absolutely hated it. There was no reason for her to have him in her head constantly. She didn’t have any sort of intimate or romantic feelings towards him at all. Overthinking and over-analyzing things were subjects that she could have a PhD in, but she had never done either as much as she was doing right now. Bringing it up to Feng and Yui had helped some, but she knew that they would just advise her to try to talk to him and tell him how she was feeling. What was the worst that could happen honestly? They were hardly on friendship levels anymore. Acquaintances that didn’t want to stab each other was more like it.

Before she knew it, it was time for her to clock back in. Groaning slightly, she stood up, bagged up her leftovers, clocked back in, and went over to the booth where Frank was staring at his phone. Before he could say anything, she tossed the leftovers on the top. It was really most of it. She had taken two or three bites out of it. Four tops. Lailah turned around and headed to the back before she could hear him make any sort of snide comment. It wouldn’t do her brain any favors. A sigh mixed with a groan escaped her. She frowned. Her head hurt. Lailah wanted nothing but to go home.

Lost in her mind for the rest of her shift, she hadn’t realized that it was time for her to leave until Feng told her. Blinking and giving an awkward laugh, she headed towards the booth and looked at Frank. He was looking at something. Once he heard her come up, he shoved it in his pocket and looked over at her. A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips again, and he got up. On their way out, he tossed the trash. She took off her apron and draped it over her arm. It was awkward slightly. They walked in silence for about two minutes. Usually Frank had a lot to say, but even he was silent.

“So…” Lailah began, trailing off.

“So.”

“Your parents are coming to visit huh?”

“Seems like it.” Frank sighed. “Oh, by the way, thanks for the danishes.”

“Huh? I told you, Yui gave those to you.”

“Oh, really?” Frank pulled out a crinkled receipt from his pocket.

“…” Lailah cleared her throat. “Whatever.”

“I appreciate it. At least let me pay you back for it.” Frank took out his phone. It buzzed as he was searching for his wallet. He stopped walking and read the message. “What?!”

“W-What?” Lailah stammered. He had yelled so loud and so suddenly that some people on the opposite side of the road had stopped and looked at them. She couldn’t stop herself from hunching into herself.

“That’s impossible…”

“What is?”

“Oh… u-uh… nothing.” Frank cleared his throat. “Just something Julie told me.”

“Ew.” Lailah scrunched up her nose. Frank merely gave a laugh.

He knew that Julie and her hated each other. Getting along somewhat recently didn’t really help the relationship overall. She was only being nice to her because they were getting along for Frank’s sake. Nothing more. Nothing less. As much as Julie tried to pretend that she had a change of heart, Lailah knew better. Nothing that Frank or his psychotic girlfriend said could change her mind. If Julie was polite to her though, she would be as well. It was just how she was raised. There was no point in creating unnecessary drama. There was enough drama in her life as it was. More than she had ever had before.

The rest of the walk was silent again. A strange feeling settled like a hot coal in the pit of her stomach the closer they got to block J. She couldn’t place why this feeling erupted. It wasn’t like she hadn’t set foot in the apartment since her and Frank’s argument. Yes, the last time she was there it had been a sad time. There was just… something that she couldn’t put her finger on. Lailah wondered what it was. Perhaps it was just that he had brought Julie up. Every time she heard the psycho’s name, it always gave Lailah shivers. Not in the good way either. It was like the name was just as evil as the young woman that had it. Of course, that was crazy. Names could define some people, but she had met plenty of people with the name Julie that were good people; donated to charity, always put others before themselves, and things like that. Lailah tried to shrug it off. It was just because of the experiences she had that she was acting like this. It was ridiculous, and she knew it.

Lailah silently followed Frank up the stairs. She had climbed these stairs on so many occasions that she had memorized them. The fourth one was always more creaky than the others. The very top one was the sturdiest which was shocking because it always got the most force pressed on it. These steps had some good memories attached to them. Like the time when Frank and her went grocery shopping. It was something simple, but she was able to get more of a definition on him. The time that they had spent together was nice as well. Of course, she would never admit that to him if she could help it. It would only give him more ammunition for some sort of conversation. It was hard telling with him.

Frank leaned down and after a couple tries, he managed to get the key in the lock. They walked inside and she took off her shoes as he tossed his keys inside the bowl. Even though there were no remnants of her there, it still felt like home in a weird way. It wasn’t her home. She lived with Feng and Yui, but she would be lying if she said that she didn’t miss the simple home. Living in a luxurious apartment just was something she didn’t think that she would ever get used to. It wasn’t in her to be used to that. How Feng and Yui had gotten used to it was beyond her.

“Sorry to ask this of you.” Frank mumbled, taking off his shoes and tossing them into the pile.

“No, it’s fine. I was the one that agreed to the meeting after all.”

“Why did you?”

“Dunno.” Lailah shrugged. “Boredom maybe?”

“Heh. Right.” Frank cleared his throat. “Want something to drink?”

“Mm. That sounds good.”

“Alcoholic?”

“You know it.”

Lailah took a seat on the couch that also had some good memories. She thought about the bad ones first, of course. Some of them were funny now that she was looking back on them; like when he kept pushing her legs off the couch when she had first moved in there. She had taken her DVD to her room then. He hadn’t been pleased. She should’ve known then that living with Frank Morrison was going to be a pain in the ass. It should’ve been a sign. Although, like she had thought before: she was terrible at reading signs. Of course, it hadn’t all been bad. They had spent many days on the couch just watching TV or movies. They had eaten many meals sitting there instead of the table that had been placed there for that purpose. Being here… it hurt. More than she thought it would.

“You good?”

“Huh?” Lailah blinked, looking up. Frank was holding out a bottle to her. “Oh. Thanks.”

“You looked lost in your head.” Frank plopped down next to her and popped the top and tossed the cap onto the coffee table. “Can be dangerous in there. Be careful.”

“Haha.” Lailah said sarcastically, trying to pop her own top.

“Geez… do I have to do everything?” He took it and opened it with no issue before handing it back to her with a soft smile. Lailah’s stomach felt strange. Her gaze traveled back to the bottle. 

“Thanks…” Lailah whispered and tipped it back.

“Wanna watch some TV?”

“Sounds good.”

Frank leaned over and grabbed the remote, turning it on. He had been watching the news prior. A woman with a solemn expression on her face stood in the center of the screen. She stepped off to the side as behind her there was an ambulance and a couple police cars. What the hell had happened? Her brows furrowed.

“The infamous Legion has struck again. Less than an hour ago the four young adults arrived here at this home and demanded money. The Legion sliced the throats of the man of the house, his wife, and their two young children aged two and four. By the time the police arrived the mother had succumbed to her injuries along with the two-year-old.”

“… What…?” Lailah’s hands got sweaty and her face paled.

“The condition of the father and the four-year-old are unknown as they were rushed immediately to the hospital.”

Chills went down Lailah’s spine. Bile rose in her throat and she felt like puking. She looked over at Frank. He had a hold on his bottle so tightly that she was worried it would break in his hands. Then they would be going to the hospital and Lailah would have to explain to his parents that Frank had cut himself on the bottle. He was strange. Stranger than normal. Lailah had seen Frank act a lot of ways, but this wasn’t one of them. He looked distraught; hell, disgusted even. She couldn’t blame him. What The Legion did to that family was completely disgusting. There was no telling if the rest of the family was going to survive. They had killed a child and a parent outright. They had to be captured no matter what. Yet, something didn’t feel right with this either. This wasn’t the behavior of the group she had encountered at the gas station. Then again, crime escalated. Mass murderers didn’t start out killing people outright. So, she could be giving The Legion too much credit. They were snowballing, and now no one was safe.

“Frank, are you alright?” Lailah asked.

“H-Huh?” He blinked and looked over at her. His brown eyes searched her face and his brows knit together. It looked like he was thinking. Deeply at that.

A knock came on the door and she stood up, ready to go and answer it out of instinct. Frank stood up and grabbed onto her wrist, pulling enough to turn her to face him and bring her close. Despite herself, he cheeks flamed crimson. Lailah hoped he didn’t notice. What was with that look on his face? It looked like hope and desperation all coiled into one strange look.

“W-What?” She asked, trying not to focus on how close they were or how dry her mouth was becoming.

“Lailah…”

“Frank—”

“Move back in with me…” He whispered, the grip on her wrist going to her hand. She watched him lift up their hands; palms together. Still a fire hot gaze looking right at her, his fingers moved between hers. “Please.”

Notes:

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed it. I had a lot of fun writing this. If any of you are reading this and from Alabama, it's nothing personal. I've been there and it's actually a really beautiful state. I just figured that Feng would quote some memes since her life is online pretty much. In addition, at some e-gaming tourneys, I'm sure that she ran into some Americans and had probably heard some strange conversations.

I apologize if this was shorter than you expected, but either way I hope you enjoy it.
Stay tuned for the next chapter of B&B. Of course, as always, let me know what you think. <3

P.S. In the midst of this global pandemic, I would like to remind you all to be safe and make sure you practice excellent hygiene. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you wonderful people.

Chapter 19: The Choice

Summary:

"Unlike that fucking Kostenko girl..."

Notes:

Well hello there everybody! It's been a while. I had a LOT going in in my life lately and so I'm sorry it took so long to get this out. But here I am for this update that I hope you all enjoy!

Move back in? Such a simple phrase with so much meaning behind it. His low voice made it sound so easy. So, so… effortless. What was she supposed to do? Just go back to Feng and Yui’s, announce that she was moving back in with Frank, and just come back and act like nothing happened? Could she even do that? With so much said between them, was there any hope of getting back to how they were before? Or was this just a last ditch effort to try to rekindle the embers that had remained in the inferno of their burned friendship? Either way, the chance of the endeavor being fruitful was slim.

Another fervent knock came at the door. Lailah ripped her hand from Frank’s grip, refusing to focus on how sweaty her palm had become. Pushing those thoughts deeper in her mind, she looked at the door. There were other things to worry about right now. Everything could wait until another time. Or never. That was good too. Flinging the door open, she was met with the bright smiles of Frank’s parents. Returning the smiles with one of her own, she welcomed them inside as cheerful as she always did.

“We was beginnin’ ta wonder if ya forgot we were comin’.” David rubbed his husband’s back as a shudder went through him.

“No, we were just in the other room.” Frank covered, heading over to the thermostat and turning it up as he spoke.

Both men stopped and looked between Lailah and Frank for a second before looking at each other. Before Lailah was able to utter a word, a small smile overcame Dwight’s lips.

“We uh… didn’t interrupt anything, I hope.”

“Inter—”

“If’n we did, we could always reschedule.”

Surely they weren’t insinuating that they had been… They were, weren’t they? The notion wasn’t completely unnatural. After all, they were supposedly a couple living together. Things would’ve been bound to happen if those circumstances were true between a regular man and woman. Between the two of them, however, Lailah couldn't even begin to imagine being with Frank in… such a way. Desperate to needlessly save face in front of the caring, supportive parents Lailah tried to fiddle together a believable excuse while maintaining some of her dignity.

“Funny,” Frank butted in just as the small whimper of what would've been a horrible sounding excuse exited her parted lips. “I was in the shower and Lailah was in her room with the door closed.”

His parents thankfully didn’t pursue the matter further, but their smiles didn't drop either. How was he able to do that? While lying wasn’t an admirable trait, she had to admire how fast he was able to rebound from a hopeless situation. Not just saving his tail, but hers, and their dignity all in one go. On the fly thinking was something that she believed people were inherently born with, it was merely a skill that was refined throughout the life to the point where it was second nature. Others, people like her that is, always seemed to be caught in their flimsy excuses were they not with another who could back them up. Part of her wanted to learn to do so, even a little bit.

“Lailah?”

“U-Uh… What?” She blinked and cleared her throat. So lost in her head was she, that she hadn't realized she was staring at Frank until he spoke. Frank was looking at her with a concerned look in his deep, brown eyes.

“Does that sound okay?” He asked, his tone calm while still retaining that concerned aura.

“Does what sound okay?”

“Lailah, are you alright?” Dwight asked her, adjusting his glasses.

“Yeah, I'm sorry. I spaced out there for a bit. What were we talking about?”

“Dinner.” Frank answered.

“Frank was just tellin’ us ‘bout this stew ya made when your parents came over for a visit.” David smiled.

“Oh! Yes. My mom helped me, but I did most of the work. I think it turned out good.” Lailah’s face brightened with her smile. “I can check and see if we have the ingredients. It is cold outside after all.”

“That sounds lovely.” Dwight said.

Glad to have some sort of solidified plan for dealing with the impromptu visit, she felt her shoulders relax slightly. Starting off rocky didn’t mean that the whole entire visit had to remain as such. She would make sure that his parents had a good time. After all, Frank was their pride and joy and his happiness was their top priority. Keeping them proud of her once close friend was something she’d stick with. Especially since he had confided in how his childhood was, she didn’t think she could deal with being the reason his parents lost faith in him.

Another weight was lifted off her shoulder when she scanned the shelves of the fridge. Frank had been staying with her, so she wasn’t sure if there would be anything substantial in there, but it looked like he had just enough of everything to cook the stew. Glad she wouldn’t have to try to come up with some reason their fridge was barren, she smiled and started pulling everything out of the fridge and placing it on the counter. Grabbing the biggest pot that Frank owned, she put the rest of the ingredients from the pantry into the pot and sat it down on the counter next to the vegetables.

The fridge opened next to her making her look over. Frank had grabbed a couple beers from the inside and closed the door with his foot. A small smirk came over his lips. A strange coal settled in her stomach making her look from him and quickly back to the counters as the beers were passed around the circle. The TV was turned on letting them settle in. Even though the apartment wasn’t as extravagant as Yui and Feng’s they looked just as comfortable as if it was a celebrity’s apartment, cuddling together with beers. Frank had a small smile on his lips as he spoke to Dwight and David, soft enough to where she was unable to hear it.

Her blue eyes widened when they caught direct sight with two orbs of brown. Tearing the gaze apart and clearing her throat, she grabbed the vegetables and started to wash them off. SHe usually did this whenever she bought them, however, Frank had to have gotten these and there was no telling if he carried on what he had once called her “strange custom”. It was a miracle the man never ended up getting sick. Grabbing a peeler, she started on a carrot her eyes narrowing on her target, watching as the small slivers flopped in the sink.

“Hey.” Breath brushed against her ear, startling her. Whipping around, she ended up slamming her back into the edge of the sink so hard she was wondering if she’d just bruised her spine. Frank was standing close, his brown eyes narrowed at her. There was a height difference between the two, but Lailah had never felt as small as she did at that moment. Not necessarily small as in inferior, just… vulnerable. Under the brown gaze that was focused on her, she felt like squirming. It was hard to look at him. He, however, was having no problems.

“H-Hey…” Her voice came out as small as she felt. Lailah didn’t miss a small laugh he tried to mask as a huff. It just made her feel smaller. Perhaps that was Frank’s intention.

“Need help?”

“H-Help?”

“Yeah, you know… Assistance?” The smile only widened with her floundering.

“Oh, uh. No, I think I g-got it.”

Despite whatever was going on with her brain right now, Frank was still injured. Trusting him with sharp objects wasn’t a smart idea. He could end up cutting a finger off and their pleasant evening would end up being spent in the hospital. Could he even continue to play basketball if he was missing a finger? It wasn't a theory that she wanted to test.

“You sure?” He asked.

“M-Mhm!”

They stayed like this for what felt like an eternity; her trying to retain eye contact, but spending most of the time staring at the space between them while he looked nowhere else but at her. His movement was what broke the small eternity they shared. He took a step closer, but she remained stuck against the sink. Lailah hunched into herself when he reached for her. When nothing happened for a few seconds, she opened her eyes and looked up. Frank was dangling an orange sliver between them. 

“You always wear your handy work?” Frank’s voice feigned seriousness, but was saturated with taunting.

It took her a few moments of dazed confusion to realize what it was. Part of the peeled carrot. Clicking her tongue, she snatched the refuse from his hand and tossed it in the sink with the rest. Even though he had pulled the carrot peel from her, he hadn’t backed up. Paired with the raised heating that was in the apartment to make sure his father was comfortable, it felt stifling. Blinking, she turned around and shoved the peeler in his hands, almost dropping it when he didn’t grab it quickly. He had a childlike look of appeasement on his face. It gave her just enough time to get out from under that gaze and over to the other counter.

“Whatever I hand you, wash it. Peel it. Got it?” Lailah ordered, grabbing a knife and practically slamming the carrot she had been working on previously on the wooden board.

“Yes, ma’am.” Frank said, chuckling under his breath.

Lailah gathered vegetables and put them on the counter next to Frank. Returning to her station, she chopped at the carrot. Gnawing at her lip, she wondered if it was psychopathic behavior to pretend that her once close friend and roommate was what she was chopping up. Of course, she’d never act on it.

“Here.” The deep voice came from next to her and potatoes; washed and peeled were sat by her cutting board. Lailah went rigid earning a small chuckle before heading back to the sink. Okay. Maybe she would consider acting upon it. 

Something was wrong though. Once she heard the peeler against the skin of the next vegetable, she touched her cheeks with the back of her hand and noticed they were warm to the touch.

What’s going on…?

Almost an hour later, the stew was complete. Wordlessly, Frank grabbed some bowls and Lailah grabbed the silverware, holding them over her shoulder for his awaiting hand. Gathering something to drink would give Frank enough time to dip out for his parents and himself, it would also give her refuge from whatever it was he thought he was pulling all this time. Usually when she was cooking, time would just pass. This time, she was aware of every single minute, no second, that had passed. They weren’t on the best speaking terms, so what did Frank hope to gain from trying to rattle her all dinner. He was lucky that she was still putting up this charade for his parents despite the argument between them. Did he even think of that? Knowing him, probably not. Was rattling her that fun to where he’d risk them getting found out?

Perhaps more shocking than his strange behavior was her strange reactions. Anytime Frank got close to her, she wanted to be far, far away from him. Yet, at the same time she would find herself staring at him. It was almost like she was trying to figure him out, not subtle by any means, she was caught each time. Then he’d get close. Then she’d panic. And that infernal whispering and sneaking up behind her. Multiple times during their cooking, she wanted to put a pot over his head and slam a spoon against it. He infuriated her more than she could ever describe, but no matter what she was having a hard time hating him. Then there was… that. When her cheeks were heated up. She desperately wanted to chalk it up to the heat of the apartment and in the kitchen, but she knew better. There was something else… something with him that caused it. It intrigued her, but more than that? It terrified her.

“That was amazing Lailah.” Dwight complimented, finishing his glass of water and setting it on the table.

“Oh. Thank you, but I can’t take all the credit. Frank helped.” Lailah said.

Kinda.

“No doubt ‘cause he was so excited ta try it again.” David muttered. “First time ya done made it, we got ta hear ‘bout it for a good twenty minutes.”

“Is that right?” Lailah asked, looking over at Frank from the corner of her eyes. This time it was his turn to look away. Even if she wasn’t able to embarrass him, she could always count on David and Dwight to do it for her and gather a semblance of revenge from that.

“We’re glad that Frank has someone to make sure he’s actually eating.”

 “Unlike that fucking Kostenko girl…” David practically spat. 

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Frank tense. Kostenko? Was that Julie’s last name? It must be hard for Frank to hear this. He was still dating her. David’s absolute hatred for Julie was evident in his venomous tone. Usually, children over exaggerated the hatred their parents contained for a dislike significant other. This though, Frank may have even downplayed it. However, the Julie that Dwight and David knew was the Julie from a few years ago. She was changing and trying to be friends with Lailah, so people could change. Would that even matter to them though? Sometimes a person’s hatred for another would overshadow any sort of redemption that the person had went—or was currently going—through. Before she even said anything, she knew this would be the case with his parents.

“Honey, there’s no reason to bring her up.” Dwight said. Although it wasn’t as prevalent as with his husband, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to tell that he harbored no love for Julie either.

“W-Well, Julie and Frank dated a few years back. They were teenagers. I’m sure she’s different now.” Lailah said, awkwardly.

“There ain’t changin’ anyone like that.” David said, downing the rest of his beer like he was trying to wash every memory of Julie from his system.

“You don’t really know that for sure, David.” Lailah said. “We all deserve second chances if they’re willing to try for them.”

Julie and Frank’s relationship wasn’t really any of her business nor was her trying to get his parents to like her, but she couldn’t just have them forever condemn her either. Yes, Julie Kostenko was a terrible, brutally vile and evil person when they had first met and had gone out of her way to make Lailah’s life a living hell. But, she was changing. It was slow, and their relationship was rocky at best, but she had to give Julie that. She was trying. And if Lailah could accept it and try to make sure they were on civil terms, it might do good for his parents to do the same as well.

“Just another reason that Frank is good in your hands.” Dwight said and checked his watch. “Oh, we better head out. We’ve got another meeting in the morning.”

“Oh?” David looked at his husband’s watch and sighed. “Shit. Yer right.”

“Let me get you some to go.” Lailah said and jumped up, heading into the kitchen taking a glance at the visibly deflated Frank holding onto his bowl with furrowed brows.

“Thank you very much.” Dwight said. David took the large bowl of food that Lailah offered and they headed to the door.

“Bye. Thanks for visiting.” Frank managed to mumble out with an awkward smile when Dwight put on his coat.

The ticking of the clock was the only sound that filled the apartment. Frank hadn’t moved from his spot. His eyes were glued to the leftover stew in his bowl. Lailah couldn’t help but wonder if he was even seeing it. No doubt his parents’ words had hit hard. Knowing how someone felt was different than actually hearing it. There were many things that she wanted to ask; was he angry? Was that that first time he’d heard them say anything like that? Did it shock him exactly how much contempt they held for his girlfriend? Why did they hate her so much? Yes, she knew that Frank had done some bad things back when he was first adopted by Dwight and David, but, Frank was his own person. It wasn’t like Julie put a gun to his head. Did they blame her for “corrupting their little boy”? From what Frank had told her, he wasn’t a perfect angel when he went to them. So could they really blame her? So many questions fueled by the desire to not only know the situation more, but to help swirled in her mind.

“Thanks.” The voice was so small that she almost missed it. Frank had finally looked up from his bowl, a small smile upon his lips. “They were really happy to see you again. And try the food.”

“Oh, yeah… it’s no trouble.” Lailah assured, jumping slightly when her phone buzzed in her pocket.

Group: Besties [Me, Yui, Feng-Feng]

Yui: Hey, are you coming home tonight?

Me: Yeah, sorry. David and Dwight stayed later than I originally thought they would.

Feng-Feng: Did you have fun though? Gotta admit, I’m shocked you actually decided to continue helping Frank.

Me: Yeah…

Yui: You alright?

Me: Yeah, sorry. I’m just ready to be home.

Feng-Feng: Well come on home, we miss you!

Yui: She’s right. Holy Wasteland isn’t the same without you playing with us.

Me: Haha, I’ll be there soon. I’ll bring the leftovers home too.

Feng-Feng: Food?! What did you make?!

Me: Stew. Dwight was cold, and it’s the perfect thing to help warm you up. I’m shocked that Frank had the ingredients if I’m being honest. I hope that’s okay.

Yui: That sounds great. We’re starving and we could always use a bit to warm us up.

Me: Cool. See you soon.

Feng-Feng: Alrighty dighty!

Yui: Be careful on the road.

Lailah smiled and put her phone back in her pocket. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end, making her turn. Frank had sometime during the conversation moved to the kitchen and was beginning to clean up. It had taken her by surprise since usually he just tossed the things in the sink and she ended up doing them—at least when she lived with him that’s how things would go. As appreciative as she was of the sentiment, he was having some difficulty. The last thing she needed him to do was grab the wrong side of the knife and cut his hand. Stitches on the hand weren’t fun, she would know. Saying nothing, she went to his side and took the sponge from him carefully before continuing his work.

“Can you pack up the rest? I’m going to take it home to the girls.”

“Home?” Frank repeated, voice soft and hinting at wanting to say more.

“…”

“Alright.”

An awkward silence fell over them. He had asked her to move back in with him. Even though they had been living together recently, once his sight was back to normal, they would be separated once more. Lailah washed a bowl for what was probably the sixth time before realizing and putting it in the dish drainer. There was so much about her relationship with Frank that she didn’t understand. They had gotten into such a terrible argument, and yet she had such a hard time staying away from him. That couldn’t be normal. Before he’d been hurt, she would lay at wake during the night wondering if he was taking care of himself; eating right, sleeping right, and just taking general care of himself. There was no need for her to do such a thing. Lailah was the one that left, he deserved all the things that she had said to him—and more, the hit, and for them to break this… thing between them. Whatever this thing was. How could she miss someone that had said such terrible things to her—and her friends—in front of everyone? No doubt rumors had started to circulate among the team.

“Ready?” Lailah asked once she put the pot in the dish drainer.

Frank had put three bowls into a bag to take back to the apartment with them. He merely nodded. Sighing, she put some hair behind her ear and went to turn the thermostat off. There was no point in running something that wasn’t assisting them being there. She paused and looked at the door to what had once been her room. It remained just as it had been when she left, slightly ajar. He had said that it would always be her room and he hadn’t touched it. It seemed he really hadn’t. She could probably take a ruler and measure the space between the jam and the door and it would come up the exact same as it had the day she had left. Things like that. It was small, simple things like that that put her mind into a tizzy. 

Despite the falling out, there were good memories in that room and associated with it. Feng and Yui had helped her pick out a dress for the dinner with their parents in there. Frank had put her to bed a couple times when she fell asleep on the couch. He always knocked when he wanted to talk to her and never entered her room without permission unless he had a good reason. Even without any of her furniture in there, it was still her room. She could count on one hand how many times she had returned here since she had left and leaving each time was harder than the last. Sighing, she caught up to Frank as he was leaving and closed the door behind them; making double sure to lock it. While none of her things were still there, Frank’s were. No matter how much bad blood was between them, she didn’t want anything to happen to his belongings.

During the ride back to Yui and Feng’s apartment, Frank didn’t say a word. He was looking either at his hands or out the window. Perhaps his parents’ comments were still haunting him. She couldn’t shake off the feeling that it had nothing to do with his parents thought and everything to do with something that she had said. Lailah supposed she couldn’t fault Frank for not speaking. She didn’t try to initiate conversation either, there were many things on her mind as well. It could be because she didn’t give him an answer to moving back in with him yet. But, that was a serious question. It wasn’t something that she could just decide just like that. She would need time, and more than time, she would need someone else’s input. That of her best friends would help clear her mind of all the worries and stupid things that her brain was trying to concoct.

“We’re here.” Lailah whispered, turning off the car when they returned to the expensive apartment.

“…’kay.”

The two walked back inside and were instantly met with Feng and Yui’s smiling faces. When they noticed the look on Lailah and Frank’s their own fell. They exchanged a look. Frank brushed past the two with a “‘scuse me” before taking the leftovers and setting the cooling bowls on the counter. Lailah sighed and shook her head when her friends gave her inquisitive looks. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell them, she just couldn’t find the right words right now. Not to mention that Frank was still in here, which would make things a little more difficult. Having him looking at her or having something to say under his breath wouldn’t help matters as it would harm them.

“Shower.” Frank mumbled just as monotonous as he was in the apartment and when they were getting out of the car. After grabbing his things, he headed to the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

The instant that the lock was heard, each of her arms was grabbed and she was pulled to sit on the edge of the couch bed that Frank had been sleeping on.

“Spill.” Feng ordered, a worried look in her eyes.

“… Well, Frank’s parents came and visited.”

“Was it terrible?” Yui asked.

“No… no it was great. They just insulted Julie just before they left. Since they think that Frank and I are dating, they didn’t hold back. I think… I think it really hurt Frank.” Lailah admitted with a sigh.

“Well, they’re right. Julie is terrible.” Feng shrugged.

“Feng, she’s trying to make amends. That has to count for something.” Yui said, gripping onto her friend’s shoulder. “Right?”

“Exactly. That’s my point, but I couldn’t exactly tell them that without—”

“Explaining the whole situation, right…” Feng mused and sighed.

“I’m sure it did hurt, but Frank will bounce back.” Yui patted Lailah’s head, a smile on her face. “Who knows, he might even realize that he isn’t right for her.”

“That… isn’t all.”

“Oh? More?” Feng looked at her, eyes bright.

“Frank… he asked me to move back in with him…”

“What?!” Yui and Feng screamed out simultaneously. Lailah rolled her eyes and slammed a hand over each of their mouths. The last thing she needed was for Frank to realize that they were out here gossiping about him and what happened. If he used his brain, it was obvious that they would talk about it, but he was so down in the dumps that he might not’ve been thinking straight. If that was the case, she wanted to keep it like that.

She grabbed each of them and pulled them onto their balcony, switching on the heat lamp that was out there. Practically slamming the door so hard the glass broke, she turned to her friends completely exasperated. Would it kill them to be stealthy for once in their lives? It wouldn’t shock her if he had heard them even with the water running. Sighing, she plopped down on one of the chairs there, trying to focus on how aggravated she was becoming rather than the cold seeping through her pants.

“What did you say?” Yui asked.

“I… didn’t.”

“Well fuck what was said about Julie, that’s probably what’s bothering him.” Feng scoffed.

“You think so…?”

“Look at him.” Yui said, gesturing to something behind her.

Lailah turned around. Frank had emerged from the bathroom and was sitting on the edge of the couch bed, running a towel over his head. Shoulders slumped with a furrow between his brows so deep it could rival the Grand Canyon, he really did look depressed. Was this just because she didn’t give him an answer? It looked like he sighed and reached into his bag, grabbing a packet of cigarettes he stood up and started heading closer to them. When he looked up and his eyes locked with Lailah’s, he turned and walked out the front door; presumably to smoke a cigarette without disturbing them. Had he been acting normal, he would’ve just pushed his way out here and while they would’ve complained, there was no doubt that a truly good time would have emerged from it all. Now, he just looked hollow. They were so close at one time, it was painful to see him looking like that.

“Do you know what you want to tell him?” Feng asked, leaning forward.

“…”

“Do you want to move back in with him? You know we only want you to be happy.” Yui encouraged.

“I… I know that, I just dont know what to say.” Lailah ran a hand down her face.

“Are you sure?” Feng asked after a couple minutes of silence between them.

“…”

“It’s late. A lot has happened, why don’t you try and sleep on it. Maybe the answer will come to you after a good night’s rest.” Yui suggested.

“That sounds good. I’m exhausted anyway.” Lailah looked at both her friends and smiled bright. “Thanks. I appreciate it. My mind was so confused and I didn’t know what to even think let alone do… I’m gonna head to bed.”

Feng and Yui nodded and remained while she headed back inside. It was normal for her to say goodnight to Frank as well, but that might just do more harm than good right now. For the both of them. Sighing, she looked at the front door before heading to her room. She’d take a shower in the morning, right now she just wanted to welcome the oblivion of slumber and the hopeful concrete choice the daytime would bring. Sleeping on issues usually wasn’t her style since she would lay awake and think about it all night and be just as confused—if not more—when the sun rose the next day. However, this time, she believed that Yui’s suggestion was right. Sleep might be just what she need separate her emotions from the fact-based choices that needed to be made. In no time at all, Lailah ended up finding sleep’s oblivion.

Hope for sleeping through the whole night was dampened when she opened her eyes and saw it was three in the morning. Groaning, she turned over and tried to fall back asleep, but her throat was as dry as the Sahara Desert. Grumbling she threw the covers over her body and opened her door, heading to the kitchen. She’d regret it later when she woke up in a bit to pee, but her mouth was craving some sort of liquid; preferably water. Sighing, she quietly made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge and grabbed a bottle, uncapping it and downing almost half of it in one go. Exhaling, she let out a small burp before recapping the bottle.

“Couldn’t sleep?” The voice startled her, making her almost drop the bottle.

Frank was lounging on the couch, the screen from his phone lighting up his face. He looked tired and aggravated. She could only hope that it wasn’t with her. It was too early in the morning for them to get in some sort of argument. And while she had slept, it wasn’t completely restful and she was still tired as well.

“… No, not really. You?”

“Come sit.” Frank leaned up on his elbow.

“I really should—”

“Lailah. Please.”

Slowly, she made her way over to the couch. Frank moved over, giving her ample room and fully sat up. The only illumination between them was his phone screen. She cleared her throat and put some hair behind her ear. With neither of them talking, it was really making her nervous; which was crazy. There was no way that Frank would do anything to physically bring harm to her. It didn’t help though that she had no idea what he wanted to talk about. Was it about today? About his proposition?

“Frank—”

“I’m sorry.” He interrupted, keeping locked eye contact.

“H-Huh?”

Frank cleared his throat, clearly unused to having to say the words he was about to utter. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before cleared his throat again. Without thinking, Lailah reached out her bottle to him. He hesitated for a moment before taking it and taking a small sip. His brows remained furrowed, he remained focused. However, his focus was on anywhere but her.

“About before. I’m sorry…” He managed finally.

“What do you mean?”

“The way I acted before… I shouldn’t have.”

“At the apartment? I don’t really think that you need—”

“No… No.” Frank shook his head giving a soft laugh, “Not… Not that.”

“Then—”

“At school… when I… said those things.” Frank mumbled, hunching into himself.

“Oh…” Lailah looked down.

“I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said those things.”

“…” Tears brewed in her eyes. Out of all the things this talk would be about, she didn’t expect for him to apologize for the very thing that caused their distance.

“I just—”

“Why…?”

“Huh?”

“Why would you say those things to me, Frank…?” The tears were threatening to spill over, but she couldn’t let them. Not now at least. She couldn’t bring her focus from anything other than the conversation. “I kept thinking, trying to figure it out… and I never could.”

“I-I don’t know… I was feeling some type of way and I took it out on you.”

“I trusted you, Frank. I thought we were friends.”

“I know… We were. T-That was the problem.”

“Huh?” Lailah blinked. “If you didn’t want to be my friend anymore, you could’ve just said so. You didn’t have to… to do all that.”

“Ah wait, no,” Frank smacked his forehead with his palm. “that's not what I meant.”

“Then say what you mean. You’re sending mixed signals here…” She mumbled, watching him wipe his hands on the blanket.

“Gimme a break… I've never done this before.”

“Apologize?”

“Spill out my guts.” Frank corrected. “Especially not to a girl…”

“So if I was a guy—”

“Goddammit Lailah.” Frank huffed. “You’re special… to-to me…”

“…! S-Special?”

“And I got scared. Other than Jules, Joey, and Susie… I… I've never had anyone special in my life before. I’ve never thought of anyone as being special. It was new, scary, and… I don't like new. It all bubbled up and I yelled at you. You’ve always been there for me when I needed you, and I hurt you because I got scared of how close we’d become.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, Lailah…” Frank finally looked up at her and his eyes widened.

“Don't cry…”

“I can’t help it!” Lailah managed through her tears. “Y-You…”

The tears instantly stopped when she realized what was happening. Frank had wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, holding on tight. It felt like he believed if he let go she would fall apart. Truthfully, she just might. It was a strange apology, but she believed him. He was awkward enough to take out his twisted and misunderstood feelings on someone. It didn’t make it right, but he acknowledged it, and that was extremely important.

“A-About tonight… I'm sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to move back in with me.” Frank continued, holding her at arm's length, but keeping his eyes on her. “It wasn’t fair to you, especially since I never really apologized for… everything I had said.”

“…”

“Our apartment, or… mine, isn’t as beautiful as this place. And you already call it ‘home’, so… Yeah.”

“Frank, I…”

“Are you okay? You gonna cry again?”

“No, stupid…” Lailah laughed, stopping instantly when his fingers brushed against her cheek to wipe away some tears. 

“Mm?”

“I… I do miss that apartment. A lot.”

“Yeah…?”

“Yeah.” Lailah assured.

“I know things won’t be exactly they were between us before, but I want to have the chance to make it up to you.”

“… Okay.” Lailah took a deep breath and exhaled, nodding.

“Thank you, Lailah.”

Explaining to Feng and Yui would yield a happy reaction from her friends. Sleep was just what she needed so she could gather her thoughts. The apartment was beautiful, but it wasn’t home. Home was that small apartment jam packed full of memories. Memories of him. Memories of her. Of them together. With their wounded relationship on the way to recovery, Lailah hoped they could grasp what magic they had when they were living together before.

“Well, I'm gonna get some sleep. Goodnight.” Lailah smiled and stood up.

“Night. See you tomorrow.” Frank had a hint of a smile on his face as well.

Lailah went back to her room, and this time when she fell asleep, a smile adorned her lips. 

Notes:

Well! There you have it! I hope that the wait was worth it and that you enjoyed it. It was shorter and less action packed than the others, but I wanted to focus on how they were acting and dealing without each other especially since in that cliffhanger I had Frank ask her to move back in. Not to mention Lailah potentially seeing Frank a bit differently?

As always, let me know what you think! It was so nice to come back to this story after what felt like years away.

Chapter 20: Together Again

Summary:

“So, Frank told us you decided to move back in with him.”

Notes:

Welcome back everyone! Here we are with Chapter 20! Whoo! A milestone! *pops party streamers*
After writing chapter 19, I had a lot of leftover inspiration and I decided that while the getting was good, I should put out another chapter just in case life decides to kick me, I gave you more than just one measly chapter.

It's crazy that we're already at Chapter 20. Bruises and Bitemarks wasn't supposed to go on for this long, but my stories end up taking a mind of their own after a while and before I know it I'm 50 chapters in with a six chapter epilogue (looking at you The Mad Dog, The Princess, and The Dragon--aka my yakuza story).

Well enough of that! I hope you enjoy it!

Once Lailah awoke, the sun was already trying to squirm its way through any crevice that it could find. Normally it would aggravate her that the sun was trying its hardest to wake her up, however, today there was a lot of things to do. With school on break for Christmas, the ever impending deadlines for assignments was temporarily halted. With her decision of moving back in with Frank solidified, she would have to spend some time getting everything back to her old room. Even though she didn’t regret the choice, she was a bit sad that she’d be leaving her best friends. They would understand. They always did, but it didn’t make it any easier. It wasn’t like Frank could move in with them either. There weren’t enough bedrooms for one, and in addition, he was rather attached to the apartment he had in the Promenade.

A large list of things to do or not, getting up was always hard. With a large sigh and a groan, she pulled herself from the warmth of her bed and headed to the living room. The smell of eggs and American bacon penetrated her nostrils making her almost instantly drool. There weren’t many foods from America that called to her, but the distinct difference from the “bacon” that she was used to growing up, and what she had now known as the true gospel of porcine cuisine, was something she couldn’t deny her love for. Guided by her nose and now her grumbling stomach, she headed to the kitchen past Yui and Feng who were set up for playing Holy Wasteland on the kotatsu; accompanied with drinks and plates of eggs and bacon.

“You’re up!” Feng exclaimed, laying eyes on her first. “Did you sleep well?”

“Sure did. Thanks.”

Frank was in the kitchen staring at what was in front of him. His brows were furrowed with focus. A small smile came to her face. His eyes must be doing better if Yui and Feng were trusting him in their kitchen. Taking a couple steps up to him didn’t waver his concentration.

“Mornin’.” Frank said just as she parted her lips to speak.

“Hey.”

“Hungry?” He chuckled. “Who am I kidding, you always are.”

Lailah huffed and pouted. Despite how much she wanted to protest, she wouldn’t have any grounds for a case. All of her friends knew how much she loved to eat. It was part of the reason that she was such good friends with Yui and Feng since they loved to eat as well. There was no salad eating trying to save face with each other. They’d put down multiple helpings of whatever was given to them. Perhaps that was the reason she was able to become friends with Frank as well. Clicking her tongue, she folded her arms, but Frank merely dumped the eggs and the bacon onto the plate, put a fork on top, and handed it to her.

As Lailah tried to grab it, the fork fell off but Frank caught it with deft precision, wiggling it slightly before setting it on top of the plate. Yesterday he was squinting to see certain things and today he was catching forks out of midair like it was the most natural thing in the world. She supposed it had been a week. It would make sense that his eyes were getting better. She would feel better about leaving him at the apartment to go to work now with that impressive display. A small “thank you” and she took the plate and headed to the kotatsu where the girls were waiting for her. Feng had shoved a fork full of egg into her mouth and started clicking away on her mouse.

“Hey, go ahead and grab your computer. We’re going to try that event dungeon again.” Yui said. “Sin says Smiley’s been asking about you.”

“Alright.” Lailah smiled as bright as she could and headed back to her room for her computer.

Setting up took no time at all and soon she was logging into Holy Wasteland and gathered into a party with the rest of her friends. Popping a piece of bacon in her mouth, she guided her character to the local shop so she could load up on potions and other items before heading back into the dungeon. Even though it was a lot of fun, she did want to complete it. However, with the way that they were working on it, it felt like they weren’t going to be able to get past it. The Entity was the biggest boss in the entire game’s release. The loot had to be completely amazing. Not to mention that scouring the internet came up with no results either. It seemed that despite Holy Wasteland’s large fanbase, no one had been able to solve The Entity’s puzzle either. To be fair, having hooks thrown and slammed at you and other spells that could kill you quickly had a habit of making your mind run miles a minute and prevent you from thinking clearly. Since they tried last, at least they had a plan now—courtesy of Frank’s blurred observation skills.

Sincubus : Hey! Been awhile.

NagoyaSurvivor : Yeah, we had a lot of things that were being taken care of.

xXSmiley_Face_DemonXx : Glad to see you back. Playing with this guy all the time can get boring.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : That so? I believe it. Does sound boring.

Sincubus : oh  c’mon  guys… :(

The_Phoenix : Everyone stocked up? Good. Let’s head out.

The group headed to the teleportation circle and Lailah chowed down on her food while the game was loading. Frank plopped down on a spot that was between her and Yui, working at his own food. None of them talked, they all enjoyed the wonderful food that Frank had made them. Lailah reached over and stole Frank’s napkin before going back to her game. They headed up the dungeon decimating the enemies in the lower floors. Smiley was even beating them in one to two hits. The amount of power that they had between them wouldn’t matter if they couldn’t figure out how to crack The Entity’s puzzle and get his health to actually show a number other than infinity.

“Looks like the pleb has some strength to him now.” Frank muttered.

“Would you leave Smiley alone?” Lailah scoffed, finishing off an enemy.

“He just makes it so easy…”

Finally at The Entity’s lair, the group gathered inside and the creature instantly began attacking. Bloodied meat hooks impaled a character, suspending them from play for an increased amount of time. Tendrils came from portals beneath, through walls, and above them. Yui’s character got impaled on a meat hook, the character releasing a loud scream as she gripped onto the hook sticking out of her shoulder. Smiley and Sincubus were trying to get The Entity’s attention, but it seemed more concerned with Lailah’s character running towards the wall. A meat hook came at them, but Feng’s character moved to catch it instead, being suspended and out of play.

“Pull the curtain off!” Feng exclaimed.

“I’m trying!” Lailah panicked, dodging smaller tendrils and incinerating ones that got too close.

The Entity let out a loud, demonic screech. The walls surrounding them shined a bright red. Yui and Feng’s characters fell to the ground. Lailah revived the two who staggered upwards, each character muttering their versions of “thank you”. The characters downed potions like they were having a drinking contest. The ground crumbled and cracked. The window’s glass blew out. The ceiling broke and large rocks fell to the surrounding ground.

“Look!” Feng exclaimed.

Displayed below “The Entity” was a number: 99,999,999.

Sincubus : I think I liked it better when it was infinity…

Smiley:  …  That’s a lot of health.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : It’s weakened. We can do this.

The_Phoenix : I’m not gonna fail. I want that damn loot!

Lailah’s spells were extremely powerful, but it felt like the cooldown times were increased fighting The Entity. While it was weakened, it still did a large amount of damage. Not to mention the attack patterns had changed to something that they were all unfamiliar with. The meat hooks still could impale them, but instead of just sitting there for a certain amount of time, they had to press a button that would appear on the screen a sufficient amount of time to ward off the tendrils that were trying to impale. Failure meant death as Sincubus found out the hard way. In the back of her mind, Lailah found herself agreeing with Sincubus. She liked it better when he was at infinite health as well. At least she knew its attack patterns and they were more lazy. Now exposed, The Entity was doing everything in its power to try to end them.

The room glowed a bright red-orange through the cracks in the ground. Shadows of what looked like servants appeared around him. One had a bunny mask and was holding onto a hatchet. Another had a gun. One looked like a priestess with an incense burner, while another stood there staring at them menacingly. Any features other than that were unable to be seen as their eyes glowed with that same orange-red as the ground. None of them moved, but they attacked. One by one, they fell.

The Huntress: 0

The  Deathslinger : 0

The Plague: 0

The Oni: 0

Lailah’s character was on the ground. It gave her time to wipe her hands on her pants before she was revived and brought back into the fight. Heart thundering in her chest, pulse through the roof, she downed mana potions trying to get herself back fully into the fight the best she was able while keeping her friends healed as well. The Entity screamed out and Lailah chanced a look at its health.

The Entity: 0

“Did we do it?!” Feng exclaimed.

The spidered monster shuddered and the evil filled room where it had taken its roots started to look more normal. The color in the ground disappeared. The runes on the wall were disappearing. A large tendril fell to the ground in front of them and slowly started to disintegrate to these small yellow looking circles. A large explosion resounded in the room and the shockwave made the screen go a bright white for a moment. When it cleared, they were in a room that looked like a regal library. A single man sat on a large chair with whiskey in a glass and a strange device hovering over his hand. It was gone.

Benedict Baker: Thank you. Without you, the defeat of The Entity would not have been possible.

“We did it!” Lailah exclaimed.

Cheers rang out around the kotatsu and Frank simply munched on his food as the girls looked at the screen where the old man was talking to each hero.

Benedict Baker: Without you, I never would have been able to rest. As a thank you, I can transmogrify the auric cells The Entity left behind into some equipment for you. It will no doubt guide you and assist you in all your future endeavors.

Lailah looked at the screen as choices popped up. It looked like they would be able to get a weapon and some armor. Divided into classes, despite The Entity having been pure evil, it made some really nice weapons and armor. The stats on them were unreal as well. She made her choice and in a bright white light, Benedict Baker created the desired equipment and it was put into her inventory. The cutscene continued and she looked at the choices she was able to ask Benedict Baker. Each girl was engrossed in their computers seeing such an elusive scene.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : How long have you been here?

Benedict Baker: *laughs* Longer than I care to admit… or remember.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : What was that… thing?

Benedict Baker: Back home we called it an “Ancient One”. It was so, so much more than that. Something that would take lifetimes to explain.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : What’s that device?

Benedict Baker: I call it the Auris. It is what has kept me hidden from that creature all the years I have been here; trapped within its fog and the memories it holds.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla : What… will happen to you now?

Benedict Baker: Worry not, Young One. I will finally achieve what I’ve been longing for. I can finally rest. I… I’m so tired of hiding… I’m so tired.

Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla:  …

Benedict Baker: Thank you,  Valkyrie_Of_Valhalla . May the goddess watch over and guide you.

Where Benedict Baker once sat was a plethora of glowing white orbs. The device he had called the Auris clattered to the ground. The tower started to crumble. Lailah’s character had little time to mourn the death of Benedict Baker as she was desperate to get out. In a compulsion, she picked up the Auris and teleported in a white light. When the game loaded, the tower collapsed and she was standing outside. The Auris was in her hand. Her character held it against her staff which melded together.

“That… was really sad.” Feng mumbled.

“Yeah… But we beat it!” Lailah tried to cheer them up.

“I just realized… we might be the first ones to have actually beaten The Entity.” Yui’s realization was all it took for them to brighten and start cheering once more. In her excitement, Lailah reached over and hugged Frank tight. She cleared her throat once she realized and let him go, putting some hair behind her ear. Feng and Yui looked at them, but they said nothing pertaining to that.

“So, Frank told us you decided to move back in with him.” Feng commented, taking a sip of her drink.

“Yeah…” Lailah said looking from her computer to her friend. Were they going to get aggravated that she was just up and leaving them?

“That’s great. I think it’ll be good for the both of you.” Yui said.

“…” Frank cleared his throat and looked down.

“You were both depressed as fuck being apart from each other.” Feng said and stretched in her spot. “It’ll be good to see both of you happy again.”

“You want us to help you pack after breakfast?”

“You’re not angry?” Lailah asked.

“Huh? Of course not.” Feng chuckled. “We’re not stupid. We know that you missed the other apartment. But we didn’t want to push you into anything until you were ready. Both of you.”

Lailah smiled. It was great to have friends like that. Even when she wasn’t sure what she needed, they knew. They were never wrong either. The apartment where she was living was beautiful, but she always referred to it as Feng and Yui’s even though she had been living there. The only apartment that had felt like home was the one that she shared with Frank. Maybe the luxury of the apartment was offputting in a way since she wasn’t a celebrity or anyone famous. Or perhaps, it was just because Frank was at the other apartment. He meant a lot to her. He was an extremely important person to her, and it had taken them being apart like this for her to realize just how important he was.

You really don’t know what you have until they’re gone.

“You think we can get it all?” Frank asked.

“If we can’t get it all today, then there’s always tomorrow.” Yui shrugged.

“But it is rather early still, so if all four of us work at it, then I’m sure we can get it all back at the other apartment in no time. Besides, Lailah doesn’t have that many belongings as it is.” Feng said and took the plates to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher.

“Thanks.” Lailah smiled.

“Don’t mention it. That’s what friends are for.” Yui said.

The girls split up and went to their respective rooms to get dressed. They’d have three cars to bring her belongings over in, Yui’s being the largest, so she was sure that it wouldn’t take them any time at all to bring everything back. Then maybe they could go and get something to drink or just relax at Tea You Later. Or maybe Feng and Yui would be interested in relaxing at the other apartment as well. Either way, Lailah was thankful that her friends had taken it so well… and even encouraged them moving back in together. Frank had said some pretty harsh things to them as well, she wondered if he’d already hashed out his apologies to them since they were all up before she was.

Once she was dressed, she opened her door ushering the other three came into her room. Frank and Yui worked on taking Lailah’s bed down while Feng and her started packing up the smaller things and folding the clothes into a box. It felt like she had fewer things this time around than when she had moved out of Frank’s apartment. However, she knew that was crazy. If anything, she had more things. Perhaps it was just because this move was planned while the other was rather impromptu. With Frank and Yui’s combined strength, they had no issues breaking down her bed carrying the frame and the mattress to her car.

One by one, boxes came down and were put in Feng and Lailah’s cars. By the time everything small was packed, as well as her bed, into the three cars she was shocked at how little trips they’d need. One more trip back here to this apartment to get the large kotatsu that Yui had originally given her, her dresser, and a desk that she never really used—other than to toss things on top of—were the only things that she’d have to bring back. Lailah buckled up and pulled out onto the road following Feng and Yui.

“I didn’t think that Feng and Yui would be so receptive.” Frank admitted as they headed back to the Promenade.

“Oh yeah?” Lailah asked, switching on her turn signal and making a left turn.

“Mm. After all, you’re their best friend and I… did hurt you pretty bad.”

“I forgave you for that already.”

“Just because you forgave me, doesn’t necessarily mean that I’ve forgiven me.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Frank.” Lailah said and clicked her tongue as a red light caught them. Leaning back in her seat, she yawned.

“Thanks…” He huffed a small laugh. “Oh, I apologized to them for the things I said too.”

“Yeah?” Lailah looked over at him, a small smile quirked on her own lips. “How’d that go?”

“Yui hit me.” Frank said and shrugged.

“She what?”

“It’s fine. I deserved it.”

“I mean, yeah kinda, but still…” Lailah sighed.

“She said she’d been wanting to do that for a while.” Frank shrugged. “But they both forgave me.”

“Speaking of Yui… When you came to Tea You Later and Yui took you outside and reamed you out right in front of the store, what was that about?”

“Oh. That.” Frank cleared his throat and looked out the window. “D-Don’t worry about it.”

“Huh?! Are you serious? It seems like everyone knows but me.”

“Well it’s not really important anymore…”

“If it’s not important than you can tell me.”

“J-Just go.” Frank scoffed and looked out the window.

“…” Lailah huffed and made her turn.

I will get you to tell me what the hell that conversation was about.

They pulled into the Promenade, all the while following Feng and Yui. When they arrived at block J, she parked the car next to Frank’s and looked up at the apartment. From behind the curtains, she could see that a light was on and people were walking on the inside. The door didn’t look broken into. But someone who was really skilled at getting into other people’s houses didn’t need to be destructive. Frank didn’t look too worried. He sighed and got out and headed up the stairs without a care in the world. Just as he opened it, Lailah saw Julie’s form. A laugh escaped her and she sighed. What was with her being on overdrive and worrying? Of course it would be Julie. Joey and Susie were probably there as well.

The smile that was on Julie’s face faltered for a moment and her eyes darted to the car, momentarily making Lailah freeze. But the smile returned, and she came down the stairs. Just as suspected, Joey and Susie came from the apartment and down the stairs. Lailah closed the door and turned around, coming face-to-face with a smiling Julie. David and Dwight’s words rang in her head. Not many people liked Julie, even Lailah didn’t care for her. However, she was going to have to push that aside now that she was living with him again. And like she had brought to Feng and Yui’s attention, she was trying. Lailah had to meet her halfway.

“Frank told me you’re moving back in!” Julie’s uncharacteristically chipper voice made her laugh somewhat awkwardly.

“Y-Yeah.” Lailah smiled, putting some hair behind her ear.

“That’s great!”

“Uh… huh?”

“Yeah, I felt bad because I couldn’t stay with Frank when he got hurt and he couldn’t come over and stay with me. It’ll be nice to know that someone’s there just in case he gets hurt again.” Julie smiled and headed to the back. “Pop the truck and I’ll help out.”

“Uh… alright. Thanks.” Lailah pressed the trunk button on her key fob.

To her left, Susie was helping Feng and a very spastic Joey was trying his best to help Yui while keeping his fanboy tendencies under control. Today was a good day. They had defeated The Entity, and she was moving back home. Even better was that Julie seemed chill with the whole thing which would make their lives a lot easier.

With Joey, Julie, and Susie’s help moving the boxes into her room was effortless. With Feng and Yui’s help she was able to unpack with relative ease. Feng was putting the clothes in the closet while Yui was helping Frank put together the bed. Lailah was busy working on the small things that would sit around her room. Unpacking a smaller box, she saw her curtains. The sunlight that was beaming into the room was too much and making it hard for Yui and Frank to see the smaller parts of her bed. Lailah reached for the curtain rod, clicking her tongue as she missed. Standing on her tiptoes gave her the boost she needed, but it was plucked out from under her.

“Figured I’d help before you started to burst at the seams.” Joey held the bar to her, tapping her in the head with it when she reached for it. “Did you drink milk as a kid?”

“Haha. Very funny.” She took the bar and fabric, threading it through and stood on her tiptoes. Thankfully Frank’s friend had stayed close and help put it back up for her as well. He smiled and headed back out to the living room and came in with another box setting it by the door. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Not wanting to completely miss out on how bright the day was, Lailah parted the curtains slightly to let enough light in to brighten the place up but not blind her friends in the process. With all of them working together, the room was coming together faster than she had expected. Yes, she still had more furniture at the other apartment, but that could easily be brought over. They may still have some daylight left if everyone kept working at this pace. She’d have to do something for them all. It was great to not only have her best friends, but Frank’s friends working to help. It made them feel like a singular unit.

“Hey Lailah?” Yui called.

“Mm?” She asked, setting some gifts that she had gotten from her friends on her desk, trying to arrange it to look nice.

“I’m gonna head back to the apartment and help grab the rest of the things. Do you think that you can finish this? All the heavy parts are over. Just some screw work is needed.”

“Oh yeah, thanks Yui. I can manage that for sure.”

“M-Miss Kimura!” Joey piped up, peeking his head into her room. “Would it be alright if I accompanied you? I mean, I know you’re a strong woman, b-but having help is always nice in the event that something was to go wrong.”

“Alright.” Yui smiled.

“C-Cause you know not everything goes according to plan.” Joey continued.

“On one condition.” She said, fishing the keys from her pocket.

“Y-Yes, Miss Kimura.”

“Call me Yui. Remember?”

From the corner of her eyes, she saw Joey’s go wide and a bright smile overcome his face. He nodded. Yui merely gestured him to follow and Lailah couldn’t hold back a small laugh. A small laugh came from Frank as well. Friends always liked to watch each other make fools out of themselves—in a comical manner of course—and Frank was no exception. Joey was always floundering around Yui. Lailah was unsure if it was just reverence or if he had something deeper feeling for her. Either way, it was cute.

“Babe! What do you want me to do with your things?” Julie called, peeking in the room. “Oh, it’s coming together nicely.”

“Sure is.” Frank said and looked over at Julie who had Frank’s duffel bag over her shoulder. “Oh, most of that is dirty. As for the bag, you can just toss it on my bed. I’ll deal with it later.”

“E-Excuse me… can I get a bit of help?” Susie’s voice came from behind Julie. Three boxes were stacked on top of each other. Feng rushed over to help her while Julie went into Frank’s room.

Lailah bit at her lip as she finished her part of the bed. Frank sat down his side and pushed the mattress inside. Using his guidance, they ended up plopping it down right on top. She adjusted it and started to unpack one of the boxes that Feng and Susie had brought in. It was small work, but she made her bed while Feng grabbed some other things and sat them down on top of her desk such as her books and movies that she would have to deal with later. Smiling, she grabbed the pillow that Feng tossed her way and stood back, nodding at her work when it was all made.

With everyone’s help, she put the boxes on the side of her closet and her school things on the left so that she would know where everything was at. Frank had commented on how organized she was, but Lailah had merely shrugged. It made things a lot easier if she could remember where everything was at since she had a tendency to sleep in and be late.

“We’re back!” Joey exclaimed as he walked inside the apartment. “Frank, we need your help.”

“Oh yeah. Be right there.”

When Frank and Joey were out of sight, Lailah took a seat on the edge of her bed and sighed. It was a little funny that she was so tired and drained when she wasn’t the one doing any of the heavy lifting. As if on cue, Yui came in with the components for the kotatsu. Both Susie and Feng went to her aid while Joey and Frank were guiding in her dresser. Living Room Team was working on moving the furniture in the other room so that they were able to fit the kotatsu comfortably; Julie, Susie, Feng, and Yui were working rather well together. Bedroom Team was at Lailah’s guidance for placing the large pieces of furniture. Joey knocked her dresser against the wall startling them all for a moment, but she ended up laughing.

Bedroom Team successfully placed the rest of her heavy furniture inside of her room. She looked around and smiled bright. It looked just as good if not better than it did when she had first moved into the apartment what felt like an eternity ago. The rest were clothes that she didn’t want Frank nor Joey to be around when she unpacked. Shooing the men out, she closed the door and unpacked the rest placing everything where it went. With a large sigh, she opened the door and went out to rendezvous with Living Room Team. The kotatsu was set up and beers were being passed around.

“Here you go.” Julie said, smiling as she passed a bottle to Lailah.

The sun had successfully lowered itself on its daily routine meaning they had spent most of the day doing the move. However, there was still some time left. She sat down at the kotatsu and looked at everyone.

“Thanks for helping me. I wouldn’t have been able to do it so quick without you.” Lailah smiled. “So, it’s getting late. Let me take you all to dinner to celebrate!”

“Dinner? Hell yeah! I could go for food.” Joey exclaimed.

“That sounds nice.” Feng nodded.

“Cool. I’m glad no one has any objections. You know where you wanna go?”

“What about that all you can eat on Rowe?” Susie offered. “The food is really good and we can pig out as much as we want.”

Chatters rung around the room in unanimous agreement. It was highly likely that both groups would go back to being short with each other once the day was over, so Lailah wanted to take advantage of them currently being one large ragtag group of unlikely friends. Divvying up who was driving where, it was mostly decided that everyone would take their own cars since by the time they would be done it would be late since all of them were extremely hungry and the prospect of getting to eat as much as you wanted only made the appetites grow.

“Even the parking lot smells fantastic!” Joey commented when they all arrived and gathered together in a group. “Awesome choice, Susie.”

“T-Thanks…” She smiled and held open the door.

The group ordered their drinks and Lailah paid. They walked around the packed establishment trying to find somewhere to sit. It was Julie who found a spot in the back near a window. It wasn’t too close to everyone, but there was a table between them and the next party. That made Lailah feel a bit better, not having to be scrunched together with people that she didn’t know. They all sat and Lailah looked around. It was the first time that she’d ever been to this restaurant. It wasn’t the first time that she’d went out to eat with Frank, but it felt like one of the most memorable. Now she was able to spend it not only with his friends, but hers. There was just something about that fact that made her relax.

Joey, Susie, Julie, and Feng all dipped off to get food almost the second they decided on where they were going to sit. Lailah wanted to sit and look around for a little while. Just relax and drink some of her soda that had arrived. A small smile came to her face when she sipped at the bubbly liquid.

“What’s got you all smiley?” Yui asked, sipping at her own drink.

“Just at peace.” Lailah admitted.

“I get what you mean. It’s the first time that all of us have really went out and enjoyed ourselves.” Frank commented, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m shocked they agreed to go, sorry Frank.” Yui shrugged.

“Honestly, me too. But maybe they all just realized that it’s easier to get along.”

Feng came rushing back with a plate absolutely heaped with food. Her eyes were wide, and she was out of breath. Fear gripped Lailah. Was there something wrong? She sat down her plate and slammed her hands on the table. The three all looked at her with worry in their eyes.

“They… They have steak!” She exclaimed. “I don’t wanna get another plate just for that. When you go will you pick me up some please? Medium rare. Please please please.”

Lailah exhaled a laugh and covered her mouth. She couldn’t believe that Feng had terrified her over some steak.

“Yeah, I’ll get you some. Sit down and eat.”

“Don’t gotta tell me twice!”

True to her word, Lailah grabbed Feng some steak along with the other food that she wanted. The last back to the table, she stopped out of sight and watched everyone. From someone looking it, it really would look like they were all best friends, but it really couldn’t be further from the truth. Balancing her plate in one hand, she grabbed her phone and snapped a couple photos of them all laughing and getting along. Maybe they weren’t friends before today, but perhaps this was the changing point. Content with the photos, she went to her seat and sat down.

The group ate. And ate. And ate. And ate. By the time they all called it quits, Lailah felt like giving their waitress $100 for having to run back and forth to their table as much as she did. On one hand, it was embarrassing. On the other, why hide how much they were not only enjoying the food, but each other’s company as well?

“I’m never…. eating again….” Feng mumbled from where her forehead was planted on the table.

“Ugh… ditto…” Joey echoed.

“Well let’s head out.” Frank said, standing up and reaching into his pocket. “I’ll get the tip.”

“We can split it.” Yui offered.

“I can get it.”

“You crazy? You bought us all food.” Julie chuckled.

“Yeah, let us at least grab the tip.”

“Alright…”

The group headed outside with full stomachs and content smiles. Outside, they said their goodbyes to each other and Julie gave Frank a kiss as their goodbye. Lailah waved goodbye to everyone and gave Yui and Feng gentle hugs before heading to her car. They agreed that they probably wouldn’t play Holy Wasteland tonight. Lailah got in her car and turned it on, groaning slightly.

“You okay there?” Frank asked from the passenger’s side.

“Totally…”

“You want me to drive?”

“No, I’m good. I got it.” Lailah gave a small hiccup and groaned, putting on her seatbelt and backing up, following her friends’ cars out of the parking lot.

The two rode in relative silence. Frank had turned on the radio, but kept it down to a small hum. Background noise was nice, especially when they were so full they were tired. Just as she suspected, by the time they were done all the daylight was gone and they were driving during the darkness of night. Lailah turned into Promenade and returned to block J. Seeing the apartment was such a relief. Her face scrunched up when she looked at the last obstacle that was getting in her way.

“Stairs?” Frank asked, noticing her face.

“… Dammit…”

“You’ll be fine,” He laughed. “just take it one step at a time.”

“I’m pretty sure I ate all my weight in food. I don’t think me taking it a single step at a time is going to help, you Bottomless Pit.”

“I could carry you.”

“No! That’d just make it worse…” Lailah sighed and left the car and headed up to the apartment. “Stupid stairs…”

Inside, Lailah kicked off her shoes and locked the door behind them, tossing her keys into the bowl. It was all so familiar and fluid, it felt like she hadn’t left at all in that moment. Frank merely smiled at her and went to the kitchen, pulling out a couple beers. He offered one to Lailah with a wiggle which she begrudgingly took and plopped down at the kotatsu. She was tired, but laying down on a full stomach like this was a recipe for having a horrid night.

“Grab a movie and we’ll watch it.” Frank said, popping the top to his beer.

“Alright.” Lailah went to her room and returned in a couple minutes before retaking her spot and handing the DVD to Frank. “Bed after this?”

“For sure.” Frank laughed.

The movie was one of her favorites, and they talked while it played. About everything and nothing. How important tonight was to both of them, and about how shocked they were that everyone had been so receptive to the idea of helping her move in and going out to dinner especially Julie since her and Yui weren’t on the best of terms either. Frank had concluded that Julie might just be maturing some more, since he acknowledged that she was pretty immature at times. By the time the credits were rolling, Lailah’s food had settled, and she didn’t feel like she was going to die. Frank got up and took care of the bottles.

“See you tomorrow.” Frank smiled. “Night, Lailah.”

“Night.”

“Oh, uh wait.” He said, “I have something for you.”

“What is it?” She asked, looking at when he took her hand. He turned it over, palm up, and placed a single key in the middle of it. “The key?”

“Your key. Back where it belongs.”

“… Thank you.” Lailah smiled, gripping onto the tiny piece of metal. “Goodnight.”

“Later.”

That night, Lailah had no issues falling asleep and was the most comfortable she’d been in what felt like forever. Of course, she could never sleep fully throughout the night having drank as much as she did for lunch and that alcohol they had when she got home. Sometime during the night, she went to the bathroom. Heading back to her room, she climbed in the warm bed and snuggled down in the blankets. 

Something brushed against her hip and down to her lower back just as she was falling asleep. Her brain tried to dismiss it as she wanted to return to sleep’s beautiful oblivion, but it moved again. That felt warm. It felt like… a hand. Her eyes darted open and tried to focus in the darkness. Heart thundering in her ears, her eyes focused on a single form laying across from her with a hand wrapped around her body.

Frank?!

Notes:

Well, there you have it! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Having Frank's friends there with Lailah's I felt was really important to show that while the story is about Lailah and Frank primarily, their friends play an important roll in it too (obviously). I wanted to give Julie, Joey, and Susie more than just being "Frank's girlfriend" and "The other members of The Legion". And I wanted to give Yui and Feng more than just "Lailah's friends". I hope I conveyed that well and that you enjoyed it.

As always, let me know what you think! And thank you for reading!
*pops more party streamers to celebrate 20 chapters*

Chapter 21: Lies, Truth, and Favors

Summary:

“Heh… movies and real life are two different things for sure.”

Notes:

Hello everyone! Here we are with chapter 21. Sorry that I took a small break again. I left you on kind of an evil cliffhanger too. Anyway, I'm back and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Eyes adjusted to the darkness, Lailah was able to see better see Frank’s face. His eyes were closed, but he otherwise looked peaceful. The complete opposite of how she was feeling. His chest was rising and falling rhythmically. Was he really still sleeping? How could he be sleeping? She wanted to run, but her legs were like jelly and all she could utter was small whimpers of shock and growing distress. What the hell was going on here? Frank never went into her room without permission. And the one time that he did, he… he…

No matter how Lailah racked her brain for an explanation as to what was going on here, she couldn’t find a suitable one for their current position. The cries of distress only increased when Frank’s hand moved underneath her shirt and was resting on her waist. A particularly loud cry escaped her when his calloused thumb rubbed against her now exposed skin. The heat from her cheeks was so hot, she could feel it radiating from her without even touching it.

This is a dream! This is a dream! It has to be a dream! A very, very lucid dream.

Her hopes shattered when she saw Frank’s eyes open. Even in the darkness she could feel his gaze on her. Choking on air left her emitting a strange, strangulated sound. His tired eyes looked her up and down, and his hand moved from her waist down to her lower back and pulled her closer. Then moved over her back again. And again. The whole time Lailah hadn’t taken her eyes off Frank, and when he looked back at her, it was like she was being seen for the first time. It all became too much at one time. The stress, the worry, the confusion all melded together into a loud scream that was almost instantly cut off with a large hand placed over her mouth.

“If I move my hand… Will you scream?” Frank’s voice was low and groggy; laced with the remnants of the sleep she had just woken him from. His eyes were boring into her, seeking answers. It was predatory, like she was a small sheep at the mercy of a fox or other animal that could devour her in one gulp.

“…” Lailah violently shook her head. She couldn’t think those thoughts about Frank, if he was going to do something… he could’ve easily overpowered her. He would’ve already done it if his mind was there, right?

“Good.” Frank lowered his hand and Lailah took a deep breath, only then realizing that Frank’s hold on her mouth slightly restricted her airflow.

“W-W-What are you doing here?” Lailah panicked, practically screeching out the words.

“Me?” Frank huffed out a laugh. Despite the tired look in his eyes, there remained a gleam of humor as well.

“Huh? You see anyone else here?!”

“Well, I was sleeping—”

“Y-You know! If this is how you’re gonna be, I can just move right back out!”

“Uh-huh.” Frank’s deadpan voice muttered; silently calling her bluff.

“I can’t believe you!”

“Mhm.”

“I didn’t invite you to my room!”

“True.”

That humorous gleam grew with each passing phrase between them only cheering her—and annoying her—more.

“It’s rude to come into someone’s room uninvited!” Lailah huffed.

“You're right.”

“So what do you—”

“Tell me, Lailah… Where do you think you are now?” Frank cut in, a brow raising.

“…?”

“Where. Do. You. Think. You. Are? The question is simple.”

“I—”

“Cause from where I'm laying, it seems like I should be the one in disbelief and feeling violated, and perhaps yelling at you…”

“…?”

“I mean, I figured you were curious about my room, but I have to say… I never expected the curiosity to get the better of you to where you not only walked in here so brazenly, but crawled into bed with me as well.”

Lailah’s jaw dropped slightly. His brown eyes only gleamed with more humor with each passing second. For the first time since she woke up, she started to realize how wrong things were. No matter where she turned her head, or in what direction, all she could smell was Frank. The pillow under her head nor the blanket resting over her body felt familiar.

She looked around, noticing posters and other potential memorabilia on the darkened walls. Nothing was familiar. 

I’m in Frank’s room?!

Heart racing in her chest, she turned back and looked over at Frank who was leaning up, resting his head on the palm of his hand. A devilish smirk played on his lips.

“I-I…” Lailah stammered, trying to find some sort of excuse or reasoning other than the obvious that she had wandered in here of her own accord.

Frantically, she moved away from him and fell to the floor beneath them with a startled scream and a thud. Scampering up, she looked around trying to make out a door between the lights from outside and the slivers of the moon’s beams in the unfamiliar room.

There!

Visually close, but emotionally miles away was the silhouette of the door. It didn’t matter which one it was, as long as it led out of here! Her fingertips grazed along the walls, the edge of something caught her pinky toe. Something fell to the ground. She could apologize for that later. Right now, she couldn't even look in his direction!

Rustling from behind only spurred on her quest to reach the door no matter how many things fell or how many toes she broke in the process. The door was in front of her, but now she was stuck trying to find the handle.

“Here—”

“N-No! I got it!” Lailah practically screamed as the cold metal of the knob touched her fingers. She flung the door open and left, slamming it closed behind her just as light filled the room.

Just outside Frank’s door, she put her hot face in her hands and tried to calm her frantically beating heart. Small bits of laughter could be heard from behind his door. There was going to be no living this down. She knew it. Huddling into herself and trying to ignore his laughter the best she was able, she went to her bedroom and dove underneath the covers, pulling them over her head.

Oh, my God. I can’t believe that just happened! I-I was in Frank’s room and he… he… A-And I… in the same bed!

Lailah frantically tried to calm herself down. It wasn’t like her and Frank had actually done anything, but… Her skin tingled where his hand had been, where his fingers were gently caressing the exposed skin of her waist and hip. Eyes squinting as tight as she could make them, she tried to rid her mind of the image and force her body to stop reacting. Other than basic human biology, there was no need for her to be reacting like this. Frank was her friend, nothing less, and definitely nothing more. One thing was for sure, there was no way in hell that Frank was going to let her live this down easily… if at all. Lailah groaned and tightened the blankets around her head, trying to meld and become one with her bed and disappear.

A knock came at her door, jolting her eyes open. Sometime during her panic last night, her brain must’ve been racing so much it eventually tired itself out and let her fall asleep. Still underneath her blanket cocoon, she looked around and saw remnants of sunlight trying to find a way through her fortress. The knock came again and Lailah tightened the blanket around her body.

“Lailah, are you awake?” Frank’s voice was slightly muffled from the other side of the door.

Maybe if I don’t answer him, he’ll just go away.

“Lailah?” He called again with another knock on the door.

But… I can’t really stay in here forever. I mean, I could always sneak out somehow.

“Hey, I know you’re not sleeping.”

“Yes I am!” Lailah called back in sheer panic and closed her eyes, mentally berating herself as she slammed her forehead into her pillow repeatedly.

“Heh… right. C’mon.”

“U-Uh, no I’m fine. I’ll just stay in here.”

“That right?”

“Y-Yup!”

“Well, I guess I’ll just have to eat your food then too…” Frank’s footsteps got further away.

Lailah peeked her face from outside of her blanket and finally took in the full scent of whatever Frank had made. There was no doubt in her mind that he would do as he said and actually eat her food leaving her hungry in the morning. It wouldn’t be the first time that he’d done it, and she was sure that it wouldn’t be the last. Stomach rumbling, she furrowed her brows. The thought of her even being hungry after demolishing the buffet at the restaurant was crazy, but sure enough, it was legitimately growling. Maybe she could open the door, casually sneak out there, grab the food, and return to her room stealthily without being seen. Then she wouldn’t have to deal with Frank or the looks he would inevitably give her.

Opening her door slightly, she stopped short seeing Frank leaning against the wall, his arms folded and a smirk on his lips.

“…!!” Lailah tried to close her door, but a strong force slammed against the wood and she was stuck. She huffed and stopped, letting him open it back up. She folded her arms and looked away from him, hoping he didn’t catch the growing embarrassment on her face. “You tricked me…”

“I knew your ass would get up for bacon.”

“…”

“Don’t got anything else to say?”

“… You got food or not?”

“Heh. I do. C’mon, Sulky.”

Following Frank out of her room, she pouted all the way to the kitchen. How could she fall for one of the oldest tricks in the book? Pretending to leave by making your footsteps seem further away? That was elementary school shit! And she’d fallen for it! That was embarrassing enough without last night’s escapade trying to resurface each time she looked in his general vicinity. Mentally scoffing, she kept her eyes averted when Frank grabbed her plate and silverware and handed it to her. 

Something dangled just out of her vision, instinctively making her look up. She met Frank’s smirking face and saw a glass of orange juice in front of her. With a huff, she darted out her hand to grab it. He evaded her as if she were moving in slow motion. Huffing again, she reached out and missed again.

“Bold of you to assume this was for you.” Frank said, that annoying smirk widening.

“Huh?”

“I was just letting you know we had orange juice in case you wanted any.”

“You… You…” Lailah’s cheeks flamed red; from aggravation this time though. He could drive her so crazy! “You butt!”

Frank’s laughter took her by surprise. It came from deep within him, a place that was truly filled with humor. It was probably the first time that she had ever heard him laugh like this. He lowered the cup in front of her. Frowning, she was about to turn away when he wiggled it, the juice almost spilling out the edges from it combined with how much he was laughing. Giving him a look, she darted her hand out to grab it and headed towards the kotatsu with a loud huff, making sure Frank heard it. Instead of having the desired effect of making him feel bad, his laughter just increased.

I hate you so much…

Lailah had just sat her breakfast on the kotatsu when a thought dawned on her. She turned and looked at Frank who was gathering everything on his plate. She went up to him and stood in front of him, putting her hands on her hips. Her gesture of trying to appear intimidating on top did nothing. Frank merely raised an eyebrow and took a small sip from his glass of orange juice.

“You lied to me.” Lailah accused.

“Oh? I did? ‘bout what?” Frank asked, taking a deep drink from his glass.

“How long have your eyes been better?” Lailah asked nonchalantly, knowing she hit the mark when Frank started choking on the juice. 

Gathering himself after a bit, he cleared his throat and started to clean up the small mess that had been made when he was choking. Now it was his turn to look anywhere but at her. Jackpot.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Frank cleared his throat. “They just recently started to get better. You know that.”

Frank grabbed the wet paper towel and headed over to the trashcan. Lailah quickly moved and darted in front of him, making him instantly stop. She pointed her finger at him, narrowing her eyes like she had just caught a culprit lying on the stand.

“You can’t fool me, Frank Morrison!” Lailah exclaimed.

“W-What makes you think I lied to you?” Frank moved around her to throw away the paper towel.

“Because! The lady said it would be a week, and your eyes would start to get better about halfway through. But it’s going on two and your eyes are just now starting to get better?”

“So I had some complications, big deal.” Frank waved his hand dismissively and tried to go back to his food. “I am an athlete, I’ve gotten hit in the face with basketballs a lot.”

“Hold it!” Lailah exclaimed again, scampering until she was standing in front of him. “Your athleticism has nothing to do with how quickly damage to your ocular tissue would heal! Plus we got those eyedrops to help.”

“… The hell are you, a lawyer?” Frank muttered.

“You had no desire to drive when you first got injured, but when I moved back in, you insisted on driving! You were able to catch a falling fork with no issues, evaded my attempts to grab the orange juice, peeled all those vegetables with no problems, made breakfast with no problems, and you were able to help put together my bedframe which has lots of small pieces you couldn’t have possibly seen when you first got injured!”

“…” Frank grunted and looked away, Lailah could see small beads of sweat forming on his brows.

You sneak!!

“How long?!” Lailah continued to interrogate.

“…”

“Well?!”

“… Tch.” Frank scoffed, looking away. “Women…”

“So you admit it?!”

“Yeah fine!” Frank exclaimed, waved his hands in the air. “Fine, I admit it.”

“Why the hell would you do that?!” Lailah exclaimed, smacking his chest. “I thought I really hurt you, you… you idiot!”

Frank mumbled something, shoving his hands into his pants pockets and looking away, biting the inside of his cheek. He looked like a little child that had gotten scolded and was about to be put in timeout. How could Frank do this? She had been so frantic and done so much research since she was worried about his eyes getting better. Lailah was sure that she had accidentally fucked up his chances of getting a scholarship and taken away his future. But he was faking?! Of course, she knew not all of it because they had gone to see the nurse’s husband and he had confirmed that Frank’s eyes were damaged. He was also the one that had prescribed the medicinal eyedrops.

Lailah turned around and started to head to the living room to eat her breakfast before it got colder than she was sure it was already, but Frank gripped onto her wrist. With every intention to rip it from his grasp, she turned and looked at him, but stopped. His brows were knit together and his eyes were still averted, looking between them, but he had at least lifted his head.

“… I just got you back in my life.” He mumbled.

“… Huh?”

“You had every right to leave because of what I said. But… it was really lonely without you here. Lonelier than I ever thought it could be without a single person. So, I-I was going to apologize, but I didn’t know how. I thought maybe if I just continued to talk to you… then we could… I dunno… reconnect? I mean, I didn’t really deserve it, or really deserve you, a-as a roommate I mean. But, I think you knew that.” Frank cleared his throat. “When I saw you had dropped your scarf, I thought maybe I could at least talk to you if I returned it. But, then you threw the coffee on me. When I stayed with you three, I was… happy. I got to at least be around you then. I figured it was my chance to form an apology, but… no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t come out the way I wanted it to. When we got the eye drops, I knew my time was limited there. My eyes got better practically overnight with those damn drops…”

“That means you’ve been faking it for like… five days?”

“… Yeah.” Frank cleared his throat.

“B-But, I hadn’t properly apologized to you. I knew—no, I know it was wrong, but you had just started to been able to actually look at me without looking like you were about to cry. A couple times you actually smiled… and once you laughed. So, I didn’t… I couldn’t give that up before apologizing.”

Lailah’s cheeks flushed a deep red with how awkwardly eloquent his explanation was. Sometime during it, he had let go of her wrist, but she hadn’t been able to move. It was like his words had anchored her to the spot where she stood. Frank cleared his throat again and this time when he looked up at her, they locked eye contact. A strange constriction tugged and squished in her chest, making it slightly hard to breathe.

“Sorry, Lailah… you didn’t deserve that deception. I-I know you were worried about me. And, I totally understand if you’re angry and don’t wanna talk to me anymore…”

“…”

“But um… I hope that you’ll stay here. It’s uh… really, really lonely without you here.” Frank gave a weak laugh and looked down once more.

“… I forgive you.” Frank’s gaze darted up to look at her, brown eyes wide. A smile played on her lips and she hesitated for a moment before reaching over and grabbing onto his pinky with hers. Heat rose to her cheeks and she made sure to keep her eyes off Frank right now. It was the only way that she could think of on how to comfort him and assure him at the same time. “Thank you, for being honest with me.”

“Y-Yeah! No problem!”

“I should also apologize…”

“Huh? What for? Do you ever do anything wrong?” Frank laughed.

“W-Well, it was just uh… k-kinda wrong to get i-into the bed with you last night. I just um… I think I forgot I m-moved back in and I thought I went back to my room a-at Feng and Yui’s apartment.” Lailah admitted awkwardly.

“I figured as much. And I uh… kinda touched you inappropriately. I kinda um… thought you were Jules.”

“What? I feel like Julie?” Lailah asked in disbelief and a snicker.

“No, not really. You’re actually warmer…”

“O-Oh.” Lailah looked down at their pinkies still wrapped around each other and cleared her throat, pulling hers away hoping that he didn’t see exactly how embarrassed she was right now. “Let’s eat.”

“Sounds good.”

Lailah flipped on the TV and the kotatsu and took her seat. Honestly, she wasn’t even attempting to watch whatever drivel was on the screen. She was focused more on Frank sitting next to her munching at his food. There was silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. It felt like a new start in a way. They were closer than they ever had really been before. It was a good feeling. Normally, if someone lied to her she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them, however, this time she could look over it because she felt it was for a good reason. He had lied because he just wanted their friendship back. It was the same as her, and this whole time he had been trying to figure out how to properly apologize to her. They had missed each other a great deal, and the break they had taken had hurt both of them.

A jingle came from her room and it took Lailah a few moments to realize that it was her phone. She grunted as she got up and felt her back pop. Feng was displayed on the screen as she picked it up and returned to the living room.

“Feng-Feng. What’s up?” Lailah asked.

“Hey!! Are you busy right now?”

“Mm, no not really. Frank and I are just eating breakfast and watching TV.”

“Cool cool. You got plans day after tomorrow?”

“Uh, not that I’m aware of. Why? You okay?” Lailah asked, leaning her hip against the couch.

“Yeah, does Frank?”

“What?”

“Have plans silly!”

“Oh, I dunno.” Lailah looked over at Frank. “You got plans day after tomorrow?”

“Me?”

“No, the guy standing behind you.”

“… Haha. No, I don’t have any. Why?”

“No, he doesn’t have plans either.” Lailah said, ignoring Frank’s question.

“Cool! So, you know that the Lazer Bears won the last e-tournament that we entered, right? Of course you do, I didn’t stop talking about it for three days. Anyway, the team decided to throw a party to celebrate our victory and all the practice that we put into it. And normally the Lazer Bears don’t really invite other people to the parties that we have because like why? But this time, we all decided that we should extend the invitation to friends. So I invited you, Frank, and Yui.”

“A party?” Lailah shifted the weight on her hip. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Frank getting up and coming over to her, putting his cheek on the back of her phone to eavesdrop on the call. “I dunno…”

“Oh come on please! It’s almost Christmas and it’ll be nice to celebrate with the team and have the whole mansion to ourselves.”

“Mansion??” Frank gasped and Lailah tried to wave him off.

“Frank sounds interested.” Feng laughed.

“Won’t there be a lot of people there though?” Lailah fiddled with the hem of her shirt.

“Mm, not too many to be honest. We don’t really socialize too much outside of our team. I’m probably—other than one other girl—the one who has the most friends.”

“Frank can go if he wants… but I dunno Feng.”

“Uh uh! If Frank goes, you have to go.”

“Huh? Why?” Lailah scoffed.

“Just the way of the world. I’m inviting you as a duo. So you gotta come as a duo.”

“Sounds like bullshit to me…” Frank mumbled.

“It totally is…”

“So will you?” Feng asked. “Me and Yui will be there too. I also think it’ll be good for you too. Just to get out and relax. Don’t worry, the Lazer Bears aren’t too crazy. Well we are among each other, but—anyway, Lailah, it’ll be totally fine.”

Lailah looked over at Frank who was silently begging her to let them go to a party in a mansion with a famous e-gaming group. Truthfully, there weren’t that many chances to get into gaming parties with prestigious people, but Lailah didn’t really care about anyone’s ranking. She just wanted to make her friends happy. If going to this party would do that, then she supposed that she could do that. She rolled her eyes and Frank smiled knowing that he had won.

“Fine. Fine, I’ll go.” Lailah sighed.

“Awesome! We can meet there. It’s 45 Dundston Street.”

“…Alright. Noted.”

“Sweet! Laters!!” Feng exclaimed and hung up.

Lailah sighed and hung up, tossing her phone on the couch and frowning slightly. Yes, she had promised that she would go to this party and mingle, but the thought of mingling also terrified the hell out of her. There were gonna be people there that she didn’t know. What if something happened? What if she ran into someone that she didn’t want to see? What if she ran into someone that she knew from highschool? Frowning, she went back to her spot. She could do this. All she needed to do was go to the party, but no one said that she had to go around and talk to people. Lailah could just stay around Frank, Yui, and Feng. That would be fine right?

“It’ll be fine, Lailah.” Frank assured. “You’ll be with friends.”

“Yeah… and maybe Feng is right. Maybe I should get out more.”

“Exactly just going to work and school isn’t fun at all.”

“…45 Dundston Street…” Lailah mumbled. Picking at her food, she furrowed her brows and shook her head. No, it would be fine. “Yeah, yeah I can do this.”

“Good, now that you’ve got your head in the game… do you have plans for tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? No. Why, what’s up?”

Frank cleared his throat and gave an awkward laugh. Whatever it was, it looked like he didn’t really want her to ask and just agree to whatever it was he was going to say. Last time he tried that shit, it was asking to be his pretend girlfriend. Which, she couldn’t really stay too angry at him, she had agreed to doing that after all. She raised her brows as he fidgeted at his spot.

“So, basketball season is almost over. And there’s this thing that we do each year.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. It’s a gala.”

“A… gala?” Lailah asked.

“A social event with special entertainment, performances, and/or dancing.”

“I know what a gala is you dork.” Lailah smiled softly.

“Oh. Of course you do. You’re smart like that.”

“Flatterer.”

“So, basically I need someone to go with. And… I wanted you to go with me.”

“What about Julie?” Lailah raised a brow.

“W-Well that’s the thing. Last year, I had my parents come to it and Julie—naturally—was my date. And well… Julie had a little too much alcohol and my dad—uh David. He was drinking too. And they got into it and she pushed him. And David was pissed, they started screaming and it just wasn’t pretty. My team and my coach knew how Julie was and isn’t too much of a fan.” Frank sighed. “… So basically, Julie is banned from anymore of the galas. And while it’s not mandatory for me to be there, it sends a good message and it’s nice to be around all the guys and our family, friends, and some significant others and just relax.”

“Yikes on a bike…” Lailah murmured.

“Yeah… I know it’s short notice. I tried to get Julie’s ban lifted, that’s why I didn’t say anything… but my coach isn’t budging. So, would you go with me, please?”

“And this is tomorrow?”

“Yeah…” Frank said.

“Geez…” Lailah sighed and clicked her tongue. “Alright, but you owe me.”

“Fine, yeah totally no problem.” Frank exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Man… if that’s the case, then I’m gonna have to go get a dress.” Lailah bit at her lip. “I wonder if Feng and Yui will come with.”

“You borrowed a dress before didn’t you?” Frank asked.

“W-Well yeah, but… I wanna find one that I really like.” Lailah admitted.

“You looked really good in that one for dinner…”

“T-Thanks…” Lailah finished her breakfast. “I’m gonna call the girls after this movie is over. Think you can handle being without me?”

“Not very well, but I can try.”

Lailah snorted a laugh and leaned back, nestling at the kotatsu as they watched the movie that was on TV. It was about a girl and a guy who were best friends when they were younger. The girl ended up moving back to her hometown while the guy was trying to rekindle their dim friendship even though his girlfriend hated them together. Later she had forbidden her boyfriend from having any contact with the girl.

“Man, it’s crazy that some women are like that.” Lailah commented. Frank didn’t comment back. His eyes were glued to the TV and his brows were furrowed.

“I mean… but isn’t it bad that the guy wants to still be friends with that girl?”

“Huh? Why?” Lailah asked. “They were friends way before him and that other girl even got together.”

“Yeah, but they are now… so, wouldn’t it make sense for him to not be friends with her?” Frank asked, leaning forward as the movie continued.

“Uh… no?? There’s nothing wrong with having friends of the opposite sex. I mean look at me and you. Then there’s me and Joey.”

“…”

“If the girl really loved him, she wouldn’t ask him to cut off friends like that. That’s completely unhealthy and such a controlling way to be with someone. The guy is a human, his world doesn’t need to completely revolve around his significant other, you know?”

“…If she really loved him…” Frank mumbled, looking lost in his thoughts.

“O…kay…?” Lailah turned her attention back to the TV.

Later in the movie the guy and the girl ended up spending some time at a coffee shop where they sat and talked for hours about everything that had been happening in their lives up until that point. The man had ended up being on a physical and verbal lashing on his girlfriend’s side when he got home. He had profusely apologized and later broke off all contact with the girl. The two were absolutely miserable. The man’s girlfriend liked to try to “take his mind off her” by taking him shopping. That seemed to be a code for her just wanting to use him as a pack mule for carrying everything that she decided to buy with his money.

Further into the movie, the girl ended up having her purse stolen, but the man ended up recovering it for her. It was the first time they had seen each other more than a glance and talked to each other for over two months. Thanking him, she walked away giving a small wave. Lailah leaned forward as the man grabbed ahold of her wrist and apologized to her for ghosting her. He tried to explain that he really wanted this to work with his girlfriend and that was why he hadn’t been in contact with her because she didn’t feel comfortable with them being friends. Apologizing again, he turned and left.

“Tch… wack.” Lailah mumbled and leaned back against the couch. “Can’t believe he actually wants to marry that thing he’s with.”

“…”

“It’s obvious they’re in love with each other.”

“Wait, what? They are?”

“Huh?? Are you blind?!” Lailah exclaimed.

“I think you’re being a hopeless romantic.” Frank smirked.

“Let’s make a bet. If they end up together by the end of the movie, I win. If they don’t, you win.” Lailah sat up.

“Interesting… what will the winnings be?”

“If I win, uh… you buy my dress for the gala tomorrow.” Lailah said.

“Pfft, alright. If I win, uh… I dunno.”

“I’ll let you pick my dress.”

“… Oh?” Frank’s smile widened. “Alright. Deal.”

Lailah got comfortable in her spot and folded her arms, a smirk on her face. As the movie continued, hers remained and Frank’s fell. As the credits started rolling, she started cheering and clapping her hands while he groaned and slammed his forehead against the kotatsu.

“No fair!” He said, coming up with a large red mark on his forehead. “You’ve seen this before!”

“No I haven’t!” Lailah scoffed. “Don’t be a sore loser.”

“Then how’d you just know.”

“Cause it was so fucking obvious, Frank.” Lailah said with a laugh. A grin widening on her face, she wiggled her fingers. “Pay up.”

“Damn woman…”

Lailah watched him get up, snickering as he mumbled all the way to his room to grab money. She couldn’t believe that he would try and beat a woman’s judgement on the ending of a chick flick. Feng and Yui would get a huge kick out of this. Stretching out, she stood up just as Frank emerged from his room, groaning at all the cracking her body was doing.

“Your body cracks like a glow stick.” He muttered, a pout on his face.

“I know. Kinda a shame I get all the cracking and none of the glow.” Lailah took the card and smiled.

“… Idiot.”

“Well, I’m gonna go get ready.”

Lailah retreated to her room and stuck Frank’s credit card in her wallet. No matter what, she had to make sure that she didn’t lose it. He was trusting her enough to give her the whole entire card; she had to show how much she appreciated and valued that trust. Texting Feng and Yui, she gave them the short version merely stating that she needed a dress for a party tomorrow and she wanted them to come with her. Having just set her hairbrush down, her smile widened when a knock came at the door. Lailah peeked out the door to see Frank letting her friends inside.

“Lailah! We’re here. Ready?” Feng called.

“Hey Frank.” Yui said.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Ready.” Lailah said and came from her room, putting her purse across her body and heading towards the door.\

“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?” Frank called as she grabbed onto the door.

“Uh… to the store to get a dress?”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Uh, I don’t—ah!” A large piece of fabric was thrown at her face. Peeling it off and looking at it, she blinked. It was a jacket. A large black jacket that was warm inside.

“Put it on. It’s cold outside.”

“Geez… fine, Dad.” Lailah put the hoodie on and brushed some hair out of her face.

“Goddamn you’d freeze to death without someone there to look after you.

“Yeah yeah. Later!”

The three girls piled into the car and Lailah maneuvered underneath Frank’s hoodie to grab her purse and put it on the seat next to her. Leaning up she looked at her best friends. Both of them looked at her with a questioning glance before she put up her hand and started laughing. It took her a couple tries, but she eventually managed to calm down enough to talk.

“So Frank invited me to this basketball gala thing and I decided to go with him.”

“So that’s why you’re going to get a dress?” Yui asked.

“Well he kinda seemed like an asshole when we were in there.” Feng added.

“Minus the hoodie.” Yui interjected.

“We had a bet and he lost. I learned that he’s a sore loser.”

“What was the bet?” Yui asked.

“We were watching a movie on TV. And it was obvious that the main two were in love with each other. But he was dating this other chick and Frank bet that they wouldn’t end up together by the end. I said they would. I won.”

“What did you win?” Feng asked, turning in her seat.

“Frank has to buy my dress for the gala.”

“But uh, he’s not here with us.” Yui pointed out, pulling towards the entrance of the Promenade.

“No, but his credit card is.”

“What?! He gave you his credit card?!” Feng exclaimed.

“No way…” Yui laughed.

“Truth.” Lailah grabbed her wallet and pulled out the card that clearly said ‘Frank Morrison’ on it. 

“Oh my God!” Feng laughed. “So where do you wanna go?”

“Hmm, what about that outlet store on Bandy?” Lailah shrugged.

“You’ve got Frank’s credit card. He has to pay for your dress, you have no budget, and you wanna go to an outlet store?”

“Well yeah, it’s just gonna be used for a single night. No need to make him spend thousands of dollars or anything like that.”

“Well, there’s a higher end outlet store on Springfield.” Yui said. “The prices are decent, but it’s on the higher end side. I think they get dresses from really expensive stores that haven’t been sold and are out of season.”

“Ooh! I heard about that place. My teammate got a dress from them for $50 and it turned out to be originally priced at like $2500.”

“Oh wow! Alright cool.” Lailah nodded. “Let’s do it.”

It turned out that Rosewood Outlet was on the outskirts of Ormond and Lailah was already impressed with how beautiful the exterior was. It was completely black and white tile and chic looking brick. Rosewood Outlet was designed in cursive lettering. The parking lot was full and they had to go around the whole lot about three times before Feng found a spot. It was obvious that this sort of place was not her type of place, but she wanted to look good. She was sure that everyone else would look good there too and she was still doing a favor to Frank. Perhaps sensing her worry, Yui put a hand on her shoulder and Feng guided them towards the building. She held open the door and Lailah was amazed.

Classical music was playing from inside and while their merchandise was on the relatively expensive side—normally—no one around seemed to be pretentious about it. The person at the register greeted them with what seemed to be a genuine smile. Outside Lailah had been worried that all the customers inside would be pretentious and look at her like she didn’t belong, but they looked just like she did. A couple of them were in pajamas shopping through the clothing. Some people were with their families. Others were with kids. It looked relatively normal minus the clearly high end goods hanging from the many places on racks.

Lailah was tugged along by Feng who led her towards where the dresses were at. She looked around the hangers and frowned. A lot of the dresses were beautiful, but she was worried how they would look on her. Before, she had Feng and Yui’s dresses to choose from, but now she had a whole store and it was rather worrying. One by one, Feng and Yui started picking things off the rack and folding them over their arms. Lailah was thankful that they were there to take away some anxiety. Her friend’s judgements were right as well. If they said that she would look good in something or it would suit her, she wouldn’t doubt them. On the way to the dressing room, Lailah stopped seeing a beautiful wine red asymmetrical dress. She reached out to touch the silky fabric.

“Lailah?” Yui called.

“Oh, sorry. Coming!”

Inside the dressing room, her friends helped her zip or buckle certain dresses that required assistance. A couple of them were too small around the chest area. White dresses, red, black, green, and blue. Each dress was beautiful, but the beauty seemed to diminish when it was put on her. Now knowing what had happened to her, both friends understood nor did they try to push her into a dress that she didn’t feel comfortable in or that she was confused about. The large pile started to dwindle down and worry and loss started to set in.

“Well, I’ll go put these on the rack out there for go backs.” Feng said while Lailah looked at herself in the mirror in a simple, long black dress.

“I kinda like it.” Lailah said.

“Kinda like it because you actually like it or kinda like it because you’re starting to feel helpless?” Yui asked.

“… I—” Her phone vibrated and she looked down at the screen.

Frank: Hey, how’s it going?

Me: Fine. What’s up?

Frank: Nothing. You’ve just been gone for a hot minute, so I was starting to get worried.

Me: Haha, sure. What’s the real reason?

Frank:  …

Me: We’ve only been gone for like 3 hours Frank.

Frank: I know, I was just checking.

Me: You wanted me to pick up food on the way back didn’t you?

Frank: Uh…

Me: No point in trying to hide it. I’ll grab some Mexican.

Frank: Alright cool. Thanks for doing this too, Lailah. I owe you.

Me: You owe me so much you’re gonna need another life to pay it all back.

Frank: Heh… you’re probably right.

Me: I know I am. I’ll be home as soon as I can.

Frank: Nah, take your time picking. Later. :)

Me: Kay kay.  Laters ! :)

“Back!” Feng said and knocked at the door. “You like that one?”

“Kinda…”

“Kinda as in—”

“Yui already asked.” Lailah interrupted and sat her phone back down.

“I dunno Lailah. You look beautiful in it, but I’m getting the feeling it’s more meant for an upscale funeral.” Feng admitted.

“Mm. I didn’t get that feeling from when it was on the hanger, but you’re right.” Yui nodded. “But you do look beautiful, Lailah.”

“Thanks…” She took a deep breath. “Alright. Let’s keep looking.”

Lailah looked around as her friends continued to gather a second round of dresses. She’d be lying if she said that she wasn’t tired from all of this in and out dresses. A couple of dresses she looked at, but would always put them back on the rack last minute. Part of her felt like a doll having her friends dress her, but better to have them do that than try to pick something and end up looking just terrible all together. No, Feng and Yui wouldn’t let her leave the store let alone go to the gala looking like a clown. Deep down, she knew this, but she was still terrified at the thought.

“Lailah, what do you think about this one?” Feng asked, pulling a blue dress that had long sleeves out and showing it to her. “I figured I’d ask because it’s kinda low cut and I didn’t wanna carry it in there if you weren’t even a fan of it on the hanger.”

“U-Uh no, that is pretty low though. I do like it, but I don’t think I have the… assets to pull it off.”

“Oh please, your boobs would look great in this dress. But! I totally get where you’re coming from. Not really appropriate for a school athletic function thing is it?”

“No.”

“Well I’ve got a good amount.” Feng said.

“Same here.” Yui said.

Back in the dressing room, they helped her try on dress after dress. Each one was a reject and Lailah was just debating on wearing the same dress that she wore to dinner out to the gala. At least she knew how she looked in that one and it covered a fair amount and she felt comfortable in it. Not to mention, that dress had pockets! Stepping into the last dress, Lailah sighed and pulled it up, moving her hair out of the way so that Feng could zip her up. Yui moved the cover of jackets from the mirror they had used as a makeshift curtain and she blinked.

It was that deep wine red dress that she had looked at before. It had one shoulder that was bedazzled with tasteful diamond looking sequence. The dress was high-waisted with an asymmetric hem line that reached both her knees and layered to around her ankles. The dress was so pretty and comfortable against the skin. Looking in the mirror, Lailah couldn’t believe that she was wearing a dress like this. Lailah tried to cover her other shoulder, but Yui gently moved her hand away.

“You look absolutely stunning, Lailah.”

“Holy shit, yeah she does…” Feng exhaled and looked her up and down.

“I saw you looking at it, and I knew you’d never admit that you wanted to try it on.”

“I really like this one… a lot.” Lailah smiled at her reflection in the mirror for the first time in what felt like an eternity. “And… I picked it.”

“You sure did.” Feng encouraged, rubbing her friend’s back.

“Sorry…” Lailah said, brushing some tears that was welling up in her eyes.

“It’s fine.” Yui assured. “Let’s find you some shoes, hm?”

“Ooh! Yeah!”

“Mm.”

Lailah got dressed and held onto her dress while Feng and Yui put the others on the go back rack. They headed over to the shoes. Thankfully, this wasn’t too much of a difficult pick. They all knew that she was terrible in heels, so flats or very, very small heels were the best. Feng found a pair of red shoes with a small heel. She tried them on and walked back and forth in front of her friends and nodded. They were comfortable and she could walk in them. Satisfied, she went up to the register and smiled at the woman who rang up her purchase.

“$92.55” The woman said. After she paid, she was handed her merchandise and Lailah smiled as they headed out.

“I thought Frank was supposed to be paying.” Yui asked.

“You used your card.”

“Of course I did.” Lailah scoffed. “I’m not gonna make him pay for my dress. I’m just gonna make him think that I did.”

“Geez…” Yui shook her head.

“Can we stop by that Mexican food truck by the school that way I can grab some food?”

“Lailah, you know he was just checking up on you, right?” Yui asked.

“What? No, he said he was hungry.” Lailah scrolled through the messages showing her friends.

“Heh… movies and real life are two different things for sure.” Feng commented, handing the phone back to Lailah.

“For sure.” Yui agreed.

“What’s that mean?” Lailah asked, looking at the messages. Neither friend answered her as they pulled out of Rosewood Outlet’s parking lot, but merely laughed. “Guys! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Notes:

There you have it! I know that not a lot went on in this chapter. But I wanted some calm before the inevitable storm that's slowly making its way there. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed watching it. As always, let me know what you think! <3

Chapter 22: The Gala

Summary:

Thank you, Frank.

Notes:

Chapter 22!! I hope you enjoy it. It was super hard and super fun to write at the same time.

No matter how much Lailah poked and prodded her friends requesting the reasoning for their snickering and taunting remarks, she never got another word out of them. As much as she loved her friends, there was just as much aggravation to go around as well. Sometimes, she just wanted to use all the moves that she had seen while watching wrestling with her father on them. There was no doubt that they always meant well, but being the butt of all their jokes and not understanding where they were coming from could grate on anyone’s nerves given enough time. 

By the time they had arrived at the food truck and Lailah had ordered and paid for the food, she had given up trying to get anything out of Yui and Feng. Perhaps in due time, just like the conversation outside of Tea You Later, she’d figure out what the hell they were getting at. Until that day though, she was just forced to try to connect the dots on her own. Something that she was good at on paper and doing with other people’s problems—mostly—but always had an issue doing it for herself.

The setting sun was making the already cold day even colder. Lailah would never admit it to him, but she probably would have frozen to death if Frank didn’t thrust his hoodie on her. Despite his looks, he really did think about other people. Julie was lucky to have someone like him. A small smile came to her face thinking about Frank and Julie. They were far from the perfect couple, but honestly what was the “perfect couple”? It was just something that was all ideals. Real relationships took hard work and dedication. Since they’d been together for a while, despite the hard road she could only assume they had both put in hard work and dedication.

“Ready to go?” A voice called her out of her thoughts. Yui was standing in front of her with steaming food in brown paper bags.

“Oh, uh… Sorry, I was spaced out. I didn’t even hear her…” Lailah chuckled awkwardly and took the food heading to the car.

Arriving back at the apartment, they walked inside seeing Joey handing a bag to Frank. Both of them smiled when the three girls walked in with the bags and closed the door behind them. Night had fallen on the way home from the food truck and it was chilling to the bone. She hoped that tomorrow would be a bit warmer so they wouldn’t freeze to death during the dance. It wouldn’t be outside, right? Surely they would pick some place inside and not damn them all to being outside in the snow for a few hours.

“Lailah, Feng, Miss—uh, Y-Yui… hey!” Joey stammered, a bright smile on his face.

“Heya.” Feng waved, rubbing her hands together and blowing hot air in them.

“What are you doing here?” Yui asked, her tone gentle.

“Oh, just giving Frank his su—ouch!” Joey looked over at Frank and narrowed his eyes at his best friend. “The hell was—”

“Just dropping something off.”

“Uh… okay…?” Lailah dug in her purse and pulled out her wallet and Frank’s card. “Here you go.”

“… right. How much did you spend?”

“Does it matter?” Lailah asked.

“Huh? Yeah!”

“The bet was that you buy my dress. You never set a budget.”

Frank looked down at his credit card like he was about ready to cry. Before he could say anything, Lailah started laughing. Originally, she had every intention of trying to make it sound like she spent a few hundred dollars on the dress, then they decided to get some shoes, and of course they couldn’t go to a party of any kind without accessories, but his face was too much.

“Relax. Everything was just under $100.” Lailah said and shoved her wallet back in her purse.

“Wait, why’d you have his card?” Joey asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“Cause I won a bet.”

“You didn’t go with? You don’t even let Julie take your card.”

“Cause the last time I did, I got a $3,000 bill tacked on. I’m glad that my parents bailed me out, because that could’ve put me in hot water.”

“True… Julie hasn’t been the best with money. Anyone’s money.” Joey sighed.

“Oh, here’s the food you said you wanted. Don’t worry, this was on me.” Lailah said and handed him a bag. “Sorry Joey, I didn’t know you were coming over or I would’ve grabbed you some too.”

“Nah, don’t mind me. I was just dropping this off for Frank and then heading out.”

“We’re heading out too. Wanna walk with us?” Feng asked Joey who shuffled awkwardly in his spot.

“Oh uh… sure. Th-That sounds nice.”

“See you later, Lailah. Let us know how everything goes.” Yui said and waved at them before heading out with Joey and Yui leaving Frank and Lailah all alone with their bags.

Frank cleared his throat and put one of the bags from the food truck on the counter and started unpacking things. His eyes were wide as he pulled out container after container. It was true, Lailah might have gone a bit overboard. However, it was cold and all she could think about when she was ordering was how hungry she was and how warm the food would be. The positive thing was that it was all their favorites. Frank turned to her after unloading everything in the bag and smirked at her.

“Did you order one of everything off the menu?” He joked.

“J-Just the stuff you like.” Lailah admitted and put her bag on the other counter to start unloading everything that was inside. Frank looked shocked for a moment. He cleared his throat and looked down at the food.

“Y-You didn’t have to do that…”

“Just… consider it a thank you for buying my dress…”

“O-Okay. I suppose I can do that…” Frank reached into the fridge and pulled out two beers. “Food and a movie?”

“Mm… S-Sounds good…” Lailah nodded and carried the food to the kotatsu and made sure it was turned on before they sat down.

Together, they ate and watched whatever TV threw at them. It would be a lie to say that Lailah was focused on the shows that were playing. Frank seemed to be completely engrossed, however; happily munching on his food. She blinked when she found herself staring at him. What the hell was wrong with her? He looked the same as he always did, but she just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was on the cusp of changing. He seemed really touched that she had gotten him food. It wasn’t the first time she had done so, and she was sure that it wouldn’t be the last. Frank was the same though. Too many times to count he had come home with some food for her, and she was sure that before they ended up inevitably parting in the future, he would buy her food. Why did this time feel so… different?

“That was good.”

“Uh, what?” Lailah blinked.

“The movie.” Frank elaborated with a laugh. “Hey, you barely ate any of your food… are you feeling okay?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m just tired. I did a lot of trying on dresses and stuff at the store.”

“Found one that you liked though?”

“Mm. Took a bit, but I did.”

“That’s what’s important then.” Frank smiled. It was bright. And it hurt.

Why? Why would his smile hurt me to look at?

Lailah gave a smile that was dim and dull in comparison. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything. A rerun of a show she used to watch when she was in high school came on and she returned to her food. Frank seemed wrapped up in it as well. She didn’t know anyone who didn’t watch this show. It was just the stereotypical high school drama where a nerdy teen was trying to survive how hostile everyone could be with her two best friends. However, with all the humor sprinkled in it; Lailah thought it really set itself apart from every other show with similar plots.

As the credits rolled, Frank stood up and stretched. Lailah scrunched up her face when she heard something in his body pop. Now he was the one that sounded like glow stick. They had been sitting there for a while now. All of Frank’s food was gone while she had hardly put a dent in hers. Her excuse of being tired was now holding some truth and she found herself yawning as Frank gathered all the empty containers.

“Tired?” Frank asked, tossing them in the can.

“No, I was just checking to make sure that everything was still working properly.”

“Smart ass.” Frank poked his thumb to her door. “Get your ass to bed. You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“Alright. Guess I’m more tired than I thought.” Lailah stood up and stretched. “G’night.”

“Night. I’ll clean up here.”

“Alright.”

Lailah grabbed her bag that she had left on the couch and brought it into her room and hung up her dress on her doorknob. It looked great. Lailah hoped that she would look good tomorrow too. It was the first time that she had picked a dress for herself in a long time; she wanted to make a good impression. Sighing, she groaned as it morphed into another loud yawn. Her body was begging her to get into bed. Now. Groaning, she put on some pajamas and collapsed in bed, pulling the blankets over her and slamming her phone on the charger before snuggling down into her bed.

“Lailah? Is everything okay in there?!” Frank’s frantic voice came from the living room.

“Y-Yeah! I’m fine!”

Lailah was anything but fine. Getting ready for the gala had been going completely fine and everything was on schedule until she realized the fatal flaw with her dress. It needed someone to zip it. She could’ve—should’ve—called Feng or Yui to come and help her. They didn’t live too far away and could’ve been able to get over there with no problems. But no, she had to try and figure it out on her own. There was no way that she could ask Frank for help, all of her back was showing which was an uncomfortable amount of skin to show to anyone, but especially her male roommate. A bright idea, or what had been bright at the time, came into her head. All she had to do was hook the claw part of a hanger into the edge of her zipper and pull it up like that. And just as she thought, it had worked like a charm. The problem was detaching the hanger from her zipper.

Yes, for the past twenty minutes, she had been thinking of every possible idea how to get the two metal pieces apart. Trying to reach behind her and do it helped momentarily until she accidentally unzipped it. She had tried this tactic four times before she realized that she’d have to detach it some other way. She had tried rubbing up against different things in her room to try to snag the hanger, but it kept her snagged too. It seemed the only other choice was calling her from the living room to hurry up. Lailah went to her closet to try to find some sort of coat that she’d be able to wear all night without giving away what disaster had happened with her trying to get dressed. Nothing would go with the dress and would call just as much attention as going without one in the first place.

“Hey! You almost done? I kinda need your help.” Frank called.

Lailah groaned and rest her forehead against her closet door. There were no other options. Her only option was just one that she should’ve dealt with in the first place. Groaning out a deep sigh, she admitted defeat.

“If I help you, you have to help me!” Lailah said, heading towards her bedroom door. Hopefully he would just say no and then they could just call off the whole thing all together. But… Frank was looking forward to this. Partly, she was as well if she was being completely honest.

“Yeah, sure. No problem. Help with—whoa…” Frank trailed off as Lailah opened the door.

“Just… something that happened when I was getting dressed…” She admitted shyly. “Frank?”

“Oh! Uh! Yeah, it’s chest—I-I mean j-just—I… uh… don’t see a problem.”

“Well I haven’t shown you the problem yet!” Lailah exclaimed, her face reddening.

“That would explain…” Frank trailed off and Lailah heard him hold back a laugh when she turned around. “H-How uh… how did this happen?”

“Can you just unlatch it please?!” Lailah exclaimed with her hands on her hips, trying to seem somewhat menacing or intimidating, but with a hanger dangling between her shoulder blades like some sort of budget angel wings, she was sure she was being perceived as anything but her intended view. It took all of ten seconds, but it felt like an eternity of judging.

“There we go.”

“Thanks.” Lailah turned around and folded her arms watching his lips turn up into a wide smirk as he twirled the hanger around his finger. “Wipe that smirk off your face or I’ll take it off and you’ll have to go alone.”

“Alright alright.” Frank stopped twirling the hanger, but was having a hard time trying to get the smirk off his face. “Will you help me now?”

“… What do you need help with?”

“Tie.”

“Ah right.” Lailah grabbed each side and began the process, focusing. Even though her eyes were averted, she knew that he was still smirking. “Better stop mentally making fun of me or I’ll choke you with this.”

“Oh, if only we had time for such pleasures.” Frank muttered.

“You’re gross.” Lailah snorted a laugh and finished, smacking him on the chest.

“Don’t threaten me with a good time then.”

“Is that all you needed? You ready?” Lailah asked.

“Yup. Got our jackets.” Frank said and handed her his letterman jacket. “I don’t have too many that could easily go over a dress, I hope that one is enough. It’ll be warmer when we get there.”

“Thanks.” Lailah smiled and put it on and headed out the door with him.

They got in the car and Lailah buckled up. She looked over and saw that Frank was doing the same. The last time she had rode in his car, he was sans a seatbelt. Perhaps sensing her confusion, he gave a small smile and backed the car up. Swerving the car through traffic, he headed to the complex’s entrance.

“About two days after you moved out, I ended up going to get it fixed.” Frank admitted, adjusting the heat in the car and putting his hand in front of the vent and turning an extra one to her. “Even if you weren’t with me, I could at least do something that you had wanted so I wouldn’t be completely a failure…”

“I don’t think you’re a failure…” Lailah told him.

“Thanks.” Frank gave a shy chuckle and merged into a lane.

They were going the opposite way from the school. All this time, she had thought that it was going to take place at the school. Truthfully, it made sense to her. A school function would usually be held at the school would it not. Lailah looked out of the window and watched all the scenery go by. It was beautiful, even if some snow was muddy and slushy. With night completely enveloping Ormond, the lights of faraway buildings filled the sky with pseudo stars as the sky was devoid of true stars tonight. It was honestly magical. A small smile came to her face as they turned down another street. All the while, Lailah was looking around as she’d never been to this side of Ormond yet, tending to stay where she needed to be in town.

Frank normally would’ve turned on the radio by this time, but he decided to leave it off. Lailah didn’t bring it up. This was all that they needed; each other and a beautiful night. The car was warm and she was no longer shivering. One thing she loved about Frank’s car was its ability to heat up so quickly. Cars started showing up less and less as they turned to another street. This turn was the more upscale part of Ormond. Lailah had no reason to be here normally, was the venue some place on this side of town or were they just passing through? Stopping at a light, she looked over and caught Frank looking at her. He jumped and cleared his throat, looking out the windshield.

Is there something wrong with my outfit? I thought it looked nice…

The light turned green and Frank continued. Turning into a spiral like road, Lailah was shocked at the beautiful shrubbery—covered with snow—that was greeting them as Frank pulled up to a large iron gate. It was hard to see beyond it, but Frank reached in front of her and fished something out of the glove compartment. He mouthed what she was assumed was on the paper and then punched in a number on the pad. The light on the keypad turned green and printed out a ticket. The large iron gate opened and Frank drove further into the property. She blinked when the gate closed behind them.

The grounds were lit up with yellow-white garden lights. Willow trees, now devoid of leaves were dotted what she was sure was once a beautifully green lawn. Near the front of the building was a fountain with a couple at it. The woman was in a beautiful black dress and Lailah tugged Frank’s letterman jacket around herself more. Geez, that woman was super beautiful. She tossed something into the fountain and clasped her hands together. So it was like a wishing fountain? Whether it was true or not didn’t matter as the couple kissed and went towards where the rest of the cars were parked.

Frank found a spot with no issue and turned off the car. Lailah looked around and hugged the jacket closer around her. There was a couple that was getting out of their car. The woman was extremely beautiful too. Each one of them looked like models that she had seen, then… there was her. They had their makeup and hair done so that they were like walking snow goddesses. She looked over at Frank with worry in her eyes, but he just smiled at her. She tried to return it, but it came out halfhearted. She opened the door and got out, closing it and looked around.

“Frank!” The voice came from behind them. That couple that had gotten out of their car came up to them and smiled.

“Justin. Hey, you made it this year.” Frank smiled.

“Yeah, Amy was super excited to come.” Justin smiled. “This is Amy.”

“I’m Amy!” The girl said and waved at Lailah with both hands.

“S-So I heard. H-Hi. I’m Lailah…”

“Hi!” The girl said in a sing-song voice.

“We’re heading inside.” Justin said before heading off to the door.

“God, they get dumber and dumber each year…” Frank muttered and shook his head with a sigh. “Ready?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Lailah smiled and grabbed onto Frank’s arm as he offered it and walked towards the door. From the window, Lailah could peek inside to see some people talking and laughing. Some women were hugging each other, then hugging each other’s dates. This was going to be super uncomfortable for her. It looked like some of Frank’s teammates had been dating the same girl for a long time. So they were all accustomed to seeing each other. According to Frank, the last time he brought Julie, she ended up getting banned. That’d probably be what they remembered her for. As for Lailah? What would they think of her? It really didn’t matter, it was just a get together for the team and their families. Even still, she wanted to make a good impression.

Inside warmth grabbed them, hugging them and slipping into them completely. A crystal chandelier was hanging from the ceiling. The lights ricocheting off it was creating a gorgeous rainbow hue on each crystal. A man in a vest came up to them and smiled bright, making Lailah cringe into Frank. Despite his nice, outward appearance she was rather nervous with how he just walked up to them. The man bowed and held out his hand. Sensing Frank’s movement, she let go of his arm and felt like hiding under a rock when he handed the stranger his coat. Lailah gave an awkward smile and handed the man her coat as well. The man handed a slip of paper to Frank and with another bow, left them alone.

“S-Sorry, I—” Lailah began, but Frank turned to her and shook his head.

“Hey. No need to apologize. I didn’t exactly tell you what to expect.” Frank and her shared an understanding smile. “C’mon, we haven’t eaten anything all day. Let’s grab some food, hm?”

“Sounds good…”

Together, they walked through the luxurious foyer towards a just a fancy dining room. Large banquet tables of a dark wood she was unable to recognize spanned the large room. They were absolutely covered with different cuisines. Some of them she was excited to see while others she didn’t recognize. Lailah saw a hand cover Frank’s shoulder and a tall man a couple inches taller than her roommate rounded them and stood in front with a large, white smile on his face.

“Sebastian.” Frank said, a smile coming to his own face.

“Hey hey Frank and Ju—oh…” The young man called Sebastian looked her up and down. “You’re not Julie…”

“Um… no, my name is Lailah.”

“Oh you’re the girl that punched Frank in his shit?” Sebastian looked from her to Frank. “And you two are—?”

“Just friends.” Lailah clarified. “I’m here as a favor.”

“Just friends, hm?” Sebastian sauntered his way between Frank and Lailah.

“C’mon Seb, back off. Lailah is my date tonight.” Frank said with a sigh. “Where’s Jessica?”

“Broke up with me man… I went on vacation with her for some “us time”, then she tells me that she’s met someone else.” Sebastian sighed and folded his arms.

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that.” Lailah said, trying to slowly make her way over to Frank again.

“Aww, no need to be sad for me, Doll.” He said. “Since you and Frank aren’t really dating, how about you and me—”

“Oh um… th-that’s really sweet of you. But, um… I’m doing Frank a favor by being here tonight. So, I’d really rather stick with him…” Lailah admitted, biting her lip.

“I see. No trouble. I’m sure I’ll see you around. Not just here, but at practice too since you and my buddy are so close.” Sebastian clasped Frank on the shoulder and smiled gently. “Later!”

The strange man named Sebastian walked away and back into the foyer. Lailah looked over at Frank who just shook his head and shrugged his shoulders, all the while there was a smile on his face. The man was a little… forward, but she didn’t get a sense of fear or anything like that.

“You get used to him.” Frank admitted with a snicker and handed a plate to Lailah. “Kinda interesting that you’re known around as the woman who punched the fuck outta me.”

Lailah snickered. It was true. Out of all the things that she could be known for, it would be that she punched Frank. In her opinion, that was a pretty interesting way to be known. There were worse things that they could know her for. But everyone had been so polite here so far, she was glad that he had invited her despite her initial reaction and aversion to it. Following Frank up and down tables, she picked some food that she knew she’d love and others that she wanted to try. It was all free to her, so why not try a bit of everything? Then she could find something that she ended up loving.

Bright eyed, Frank guided her into another room that had a few couples sitting down and eating. It was a shame that it was winter, as beautiful as the season was, because outside would have been a wonderful place to sit and eat. Just as Frank found a table and was guiding them in the direction, Lailah smiled seeing a familiar face. Frank’s coach was sitting by himself munching on what looked like a beef roast. This place was surrounded by Frank’s friends and their loved ones, but the coach and Frank were the only ones that she felt truly comfortable around. Perhaps sensing that someone was looking at him, the man looked around. His eyes brightened when he laid eyes on her and Frank.

“Morrison!” Frank turned and gave a small smile before they headed over to him. “Well, look at that. I expected Frank to come alone this year.”

“That wouldn’t be any fun…” Frank mumbled. “You know, if you were worried about it, you could’ve just lifted Julie’s ban.”

“It’s a matter of principle, Frank.” He said. “But, it looks like you made out pretty good. You and Miss Lailah here look really happy to be here tonight.”

“This place is really beautiful… I’ve never seen anything like it.” Lailah admitted.

“Well, thank you. My brother and I took ownership over it after our parents died. We fixed it up and restored it and it’s used primarily for party venues now. I was hoping to have a Spring Gala this year, but someone had already booked us up pretty much all spring. So, we had to settle for a Winter Gala. It’s a shame because the grounds are gorgeous during the Spring.”

“I bet!” Lailah complimented.

“It makes me happy to know that Frank is in good hands tonight. Enjoy your food and the rest of the party. Later I need to get all you boys together for something, but that’ll be a bit from now. So enjoy.”

“No problem.” Frank said and headed towards an empty table with Lailah.

Together, they took a seat and Lailah immediately started digging into her food. They hadn’t eaten all day in preperation for all the wonderful food that Frank said they would be able to obtain at the gala. It had been hard and rather aggravating to not eat all day, but sitting here with an empty stomach and a ton of things to eat, she knew that Frank had been right and it had all been worth it. She picked at a food she didn’t recognize for a moment before popping a bite into her mouth. A bright smile overcame her face, and she munched happily at it.

“I love this.” Lailah mumbled, eating some more.

“I knew the food would sell you.” Frank snickered, biting into something on his plate. It looked like things he’d be able to get outside of the party with relative ease, but hey this was supposed to be a party. He could have whatever he wanted. “Thanks for coming with me today, Lailah.”

“I’m not gonna lie, I was a bit skeptical, but… everyone has been super nice and the food is great.”

“Did you think I’d take you somewhere where the people wouldn’t be nice to you?”

“Well… no, but you know how my brain works.” Lailah admitted and gave him a sheepish smile. There was no reason for her to think that Frank would take her somewhere and put her in danger, but her brain had dipped its feet into that pool of thought. “Your coach is a really nice guy.”

“He sure is. The fact that he does so much for his team just shows how much he cares for people and doesn’t care about their past.” Frank muttered, a smile coming to his face.

“What do you mean?”

“Our school’s basketball team is filled with troubled kids.” Frank elaborated. “It took him some time to convince everyone to keep the team restricted to those troubled youths, but he managed to do so.”

“So all the guys on the team—”

“Were in and out of juvie or in other sorts of trouble with the law growing up.” Frank smiled. “The coach seemed to have a bit of a naughty streak when he was younger, but he grew out of it. He said he remembers how nice it was to have people there to support him. If these kids could make it into college, he wanted to make sure that they’d have someplace to vent frustrations that would inevitably occur and just give them places where they would be able to have a bit of a home away from home.”

“Wow… that’s extremely admirable.” Lailah said and took a look at the coach. He was happily munching on his food, completely oblivious to the amount of gushing about him that was going on so close.

“He’s a good man. There’s no telling where some of these guys would be without the basketball outlet.”

“So that’s why you’re so devoted to this team.”

“That and I just like basketball too.” Frank admitted with a shrug.

“You played in high school too, yeah?”

“Mhm.” Frank smiled.

The two ate at their food. Occasionally, Lailah would go back and get more food. Each time, Frank would get up and ask if she wanted him to go with her. While it was sweet, she needed to be able to do something this small on her own if she was going to get better around people that she didn’t know. For every time she would return with more food, Frank grabbed her more to drink. It probably stemmed from that need to not feel useless that she had heard him say before. One of these days, she would have to sit down with him and pour out her heart and let him know that she didn’t think that he was useless nor was he a failure. There was no telling what just her words would do, but sometimes that’s all you needed was just someone’s words and to know that you have backup. It could make all the difference.

Seven plates down and with a content sigh, Lailah put her elbows on the table while Frank continued to eat. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be able to eat more than her, after all, he was a bottomless pit. It made sense with all the working out that he did, that he would have a higher metabolism than her, but still she found herself wondering where the hell he put it all. If dissecting a person wouldn’t kill them while they’re alive, she’d be inclined to just see how the hell his body worked. In a completely academic sense of course. Frank glanced at her, and she snickered when he started choking on his food. He reached over for his drink and chugged half the cup down. When she was sure that he was alright, she started laughing.

“What the hell was that about?” Lailah asked.

“… I-I uh… nothing.” Frank muttered.

“Oh yeah?”

“I just uh… I’m just not used to seeing you in clothes that aren’t baggy…”

“Yeah, this is a little out of my comfort zone.” Lailah admitted sheepishly.

“And I was just seeing if you ate all your food and I uh… I caught sight of…” Frank mumbled something under his breath.

“Huh?”

“I said I caught sight of…” Frank mumbled the words again.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“Your fun bags.” He covered his face and looked away. “I accidentally caught sight of your damn fun bags.”

“My fun…?”

“Jesus… Lailah, really?” He took a deep breath and wiped a hand down his face. “Titties. Bazongas. Boobs.” Frank explained, exasperated.

“Oh…. Oh!” Lailah’s face flamed red.

“I-I didn’t mean to look, they were just like right there. And I forgot you were in a dress and… sorry…”

“It’s uh… fine.” Lailah cleared her throat, clearly embarrassed. “This is a bit different.”

“B-But it looks really good on you. The-The dress I mean.”

“Oh? Thank you.” Lailah smiled shyly and looked down.

Her attention was called to something in the distance. She blinked and tried to listen to it. It sounded like music. It would make sense, they were at a party after all. Parties usually had dancing, but Frank had never mentioned the dancing part. It was probably safe to assume that him and Julie never really danced when they came here. It sounded like he was too busy trying to keep his parents and her from killing each other. Lailah wasn’t sure how Frank felt about dancing, but maybe while he was here, if he wanted he could have some time and dance with some friends. Guys did that, right? Not having been to a dance really and enjoyed it, she wasn’t sure how things were really supposed to be when there was an event with dancing.

“The ballroom is really nice. That’s where the music is coming from. Do you wanna go see?” Frank asked, finally finishing everything on his plate.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s beautiful.”

“C’mon.”

Lailah followed Frank into the ballroom. It was dimmer than the rest of the party space, but it was still gorgeous. There were some teammates with what she assumed was their families sitting at tables here and eating some food. A few couples were on the dance floor. Amy and Justin were really… close. They were all adults though, so she couldn’t really say much. It was rather uncomfortable to look though, so she just averted her eyes. They looked like they were drunk. Had they snuck some alcohol in here? A man was behind a stand that held lots of buttons and controlled the colored lights that were shining everywhere in the room.

“Do you dance?” Frank asked.

“Oh… no, I don’t.”

“Me neither.” Frank muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Wanna try?”

“Huh?” Lailah was thankful that the room was darker so he couldn’t see how red her face had gotten.

“Wanna try together…? You don’t have to, but I figured it would be nice to at least try something we’re both kinda not good at together.”

“O-Okay. We can try.”

The man behind the booth pressed some buttons and the next song that came on was a slower song. The groups that were on the dancefloor switched to be extremely close; holding each other as they started to dance. Lailah’s face flamed red and Frank held out a hand to her. Taking a deep breath, she gave a small smile. He was nervous too. She could tell, but she was having a hard time keeping it under wraps. Taking his hand though made some of that worry and anxiousness disappear. Lailah went rigid for a brief moment when Frank’s hand wrapped around her waist. It reminded her of when she had gone to his room in the middle of the night by mistake and he had held her. Looking back on it, the situation and his touches had been rather intimate. Now they were—in a sense—back there again. The difference was that she didn’t want to run this time. Taking a deep breath, she wrapped an arm around his neck while his hand grabbed onto her other one.

Their steps were in sync, but anyone who was looking could tell that they were rather awkward. A couple of times, she had almost stepped on Frank’s feet. About halfway through the song, they had settled on a smaller movement that was able to be comfortable for the both of them. Frank kept his eyes on her, and Lailah would be lying if she said it didn’t make her chest and stomach feel strange. Her mouth was dry, and she ended up having to look away from him. Worried that he might take it the wrong way, she hesitated for a moment before interlocking their fingers together. Frank’s hand moved up her back and rubbed a small, comforting circle. Being able to communicate without words was a quality she was lucky to have in a friend like him. Exhaling her relief, she looked up at him with a smile. It instantly faded when she saw how he was staring at her.

A brush against her cheek moved some hair out of her face. A strong thumb rubbed against her jawline. She had stopped moving. Stopped blinking. Stopped breathing. Lailah saw Frank’s eyes look all over her face. It looked like he was debating something, but he started to move. Against her will, her eyes started to close.

What…? What’s going on?

“Frank! There you are!” A voice came blasting into the room.

Lailah’s eyes darted open. Sebastian was standing at the entrance to the room with that bright smile on his face. Whatever he thought he saw, he was completely wrong. They pulled from each other and she heard Frank huff and annoyed groan. He ran a hand down his face and balled up his fist against his forehead. He looked extremely agitated and confused at the same time. What a combination. Frank’s teammate and friend came closer to them.

“Coach told me to come find you and Silvin since we’re having the meeting right now.” He explained. “You mind if I borrow Frank for a bit?”

“No!” Lailah exclaimed. “I-I mean no, go ahead. Of course not. It’s fine. Excuse me. I have to use the restroom.”

Turning around as fast as she could muster, she headed to the exit to the ballroom. She distinctly remembered a bathroom close to the entrance. It was far from Frank, and right now… that’s what she needed. Just far away from Frank so that she could think and sort through what the hell just happened. Stopping at the sink, she turned on the cold water and splashed some on her face. At first she had been slightly embarrassed that the only makeup she had on was lip gloss, but she was glad that she’d skimped out now since it’d be running. Gripping onto the edges of the porcelain sink, she tried to take even breaths as the droplets of cold water dripped from her chin into the basin.

What the hell was that…? There’s no way in hell that was almost what I think it was. Frank and I don’t see each other like that. We’re just friends and that was just a mistake. It wasn’t even a kiss. He could’ve been coming to hug me. Right. There’s no way I would respond like that to a kiss. I don’t like Frank like that. So… I’d be freaking out if he tried to kiss me. That’s exactly what would happen. And Frank has Julie. There’s no way he’d kiss me. He’s already committed to her. And I’m committed to work and school.

“Calm down. Dammit.” Lailah mumbled to herself, splashing more cold water on her face. “This is no time to be confused like some main character in a romance drama!”

She looked at her reflection. It almost looked like it was taunting her. But at the same time, it wanted answers as well. It was her reflection, of course it wanted answers. She wanted answers too! But, no matter how she tried to twist it all around… it seemed like Frank was trying to kiss her. Yet, at the same time, that seemed like the last thing he would be doing. Frank wouldn’t cheat on Julie like that. He wasn’t that type of man. This was just another misunderstanding. That’s really all it could be. After all, they were just dancing. Why would that lead to a kiss? The more she talked to her reflection mentally and verbally, she started to calm down.

“Yeah… there’s no need to let my imagination run wild.” Lailah assured herself. “Alright, now that that’s settled… I’m thirsty again.”

Lailah took a paper towel and dabbed at her skin to get rid of the water that hadn’t dried on her skin. Looking at herself once more, making sure she didn’t look like she just had a breakdown in the bathroom, Lailah headed to the dining room to get some more punch or whatever hell else there was. She couldn’t help but wonder what Frank and his teammates were talking about during their meeting. Maybe when they got home, she’d ask him.

“Lailah?” She turned to the voice that called her name. “Oh, wow… it is you.”

It felt like an out-of-body experience. She wanted to control her legs to move, but they stayed. She wanted to command her hand to continue to hold the cup of punch she had just gotten, but it fell between her fingers onto the floor beneath her feet. Her chest cringed painfully tight, almost like an asthmatic feeling the onset of an attack. The only thing her confused mind would do is make her eyes widen and her jaw drop.

“Aren’t you excited to see me?” His eyes were bright and he pushed his glasses up with a nauseatingly sweet smile on his face.

There were so many things she wanted to ask. Why the hell was he here? How the hell was he here? Even though roughly ten years had passed, he still looked almost the exact same as he had that day. But then again, she had spotted him once after that as well. That was different though… that was on TV. Now, it was in the flesh. Close enough to see. Close enough to smell. Close enough… to touch. Lailah almost vomited at the mere thought of having any sort of contact.

“Lailah…? It’s me, Mr. Reynolds. Austin Reynolds.”

I know who you are… No matter how hard I try, I can’t forget who you are.

Tears filled Lailah’s eyes, and she tried to blink them back. There was no way that he was going to see her cry. Not again. She’d cried too many times during that time at camp. She’d cried too much in his presence, he’d gotten to see it too many times. Not again. It took every ounce of willpower to keep the tears at bay that she hadn’t noticed him reaching out for her. The instant she felt cold skin against her arm, she jolted, jumping back and knocking against a table, almost knocking off some food to the floor.

“Why… are you here?” Lailah managed to croak out, wanting desperately to get in the shower and scrub her skin completely off on that arm.

“My nephew is part of your school’s basketball team.” Austin Reynolds spoke, that same bright smile on his face. “I wasn’t too keen on coming, but I’m glad I did now.”

The creature in a man’s skin didn’t even try to hide looking her up and down. Now every inch of her skin needed to be scrubbed completely off. She’d just lay until a new layer grew. The only thing that was keeping her sane was that there was some coverage from his eyes to what was underneath her clothing. Bile rose in her throat and festered, burning behind her eyes and nose erupted.

“I-I have to go…” Lailah tried to abruptly turn away, but it was more of a stagger. She practically ran out of the dining room into a hallway. Frank had been unable to give her the grand tour of the home so she was in unknown territory. But she couldn’t go back. Especially when she heard the door open behind her. Mind desperate for an escape and eyes trying to find a door she could duck into, she stopped for a mere second. A second was all that was needed.

A cold grip surrounded her wrist and pulled her so hard, she gave a sound of pain. It felt like her shoulder had just been pulled from its socket. Lailah could say for certain that it hadn’t been, she’d known what that pain was like… but… it was still enough to make her cry out. Even more so when her back met a corner hard enough that she could feel parts of the wall digging into her exposed shoulder blade.

“Just as beautiful as I remember…” Reynolds commented almost dreamily. He reached out his hand towards her face. Lailah moved her head to try to keep his touch off her. It didn’t work. She was desperate and smacked his hand away from her face. “… With a welcoming new streak of feistiness.”

“Don’t… Please don’t touch me…” Lailah begged, feeling just as small as she had all those years ago. The tears started to prick her eyes again, but she continued to keep them at bay. Just barely though.

“You’ve grown into such a beautiful woman, Lailah.” She shuddered in disgust when his eyes landed on her. “All of you. I have to say, I never thought I’d have the pleasure to see you in such a… breathtakingly revealing dress before. Glad to know I was wrong.”

Lailah didn’t think that her dress was that revealing. Just some tasteful skin was showing, but nothing that was slutty or inappropriate. There would be no way in hell that she’d buy something like that and wear it in public and there’d be no way that Feng or Yui would’ve let her buy something slutty or inappropriate either. The rational part of her brain was telling her that her dress was fine. He was just trying to get her to freak out. But the emotional part was making her think that in some sort of sick way, she had asked for this by wearing this dress. That didn’t make sense. She knew this, but she couldn’t shake the feeling.

That cold hand touched her collarbone and her shoulder, dipping his fingers underneath her strap and trying to pull it down slowly. Lailah felt the tugging of the fabric against her skin. Just like then. She had fought with everything that she was to keep her clothes on. To keep her underwear on. But she was just a child then. Now, she was an adult… but she was still feeling just as powerless as she was then. It had been so painful. Lailah couldn’t take it. The thought that she might have all those tests run on her again. The thought of trying to hide how bad it hurt to pee, how bad it hurt to function after being ripped. Would she be able to hide peeing blood from Frank and her friends? Would she even want to remain living with Frank? No… she couldn’t leave him. She had just gotten him back.

Gathering whatever strength, she pulled her strap back, her stomach flipping when she heard the fabric rip under the stress. Lailah couldn’t allow him to see more of her than he already had. Couldn’t allow him to touch more than he already had. Swallowing the bile and feeling the rage overtake her, she slammed her forehead against his with everything she was. It knocked him back long enough to where Lailah was able to run down the hall. She darted around the corner and managed to fling open a door, tugging her arm from him when he grabbed it again making her stagger and her ankle twist.

The cold from outside bit against her exposed skin. In her desperation to keep Austin Reynolds away from her, she had went on the back patio. Lailah was tempted to jump over the fence, but she couldn’t vault anything to save her life and she’d surely trip and fall giving him more time to get to her. With her ankle searing pain each step she took, it would just be a recipe for disaster.

“Lailah… I don’t understand why you’re resisting.” He said with a sigh. “I know you want it, that you want me.”

“… What the hell happened to give you that idea?!” She screamed into the sky. All she could do was hope. Hope and pray that someone would help her. Her head was hurting and her ankle was swelling. Lailah had backed herself into a corner.

“You wanted it then, and I know you want it now.”

“I was a child!” Lailah screamed at him, backing up against the fence.

“Age is just a number…”

“I was thirteen years old! I trusted you! You were my teacher!”

“And I did what my job title says; teach.” Reynolds shook his head and adjusted his glasses. “There’s no use denying it Lailah. It’s just me and you here.”

Reynolds came at her and Lailah screamed, scratching at his face and pressing against him to try to keep him away from her. Renewed vigor and anger coursed through her, making her heart thunder with the anger of tears cried, innocence taken, and years wronged. Just as he found the way to her skirt, he was pulled from her like he weighed nothing and tossed down to the ground.

Fists collided against his skin. When Reynolds was tossed to the ground, his glasses had flown off in the process. Lailah blinked, trying to focus on what was happening. Frank was standing in front of her! He had found her! A knee was pressed against his chest and Frank threw punch after punch on the abuser. His hands were up in defense, but it mattered not to Frank. He picked Reynolds up and slammed his body into the wall. His head lolled forward, but Frank held it and slammed it against the wall repeatedly. It dawned on her that he wasn’t stopping… nor did he look like he intended to do so.

“F-Frank! Stop!” Lailah screamed. “You’ll kill him!”

“…”

“Don’t…”

“He deserves it.” Frank muttered, not turning to her.

“Yes, but… if you kill him… I’ll lose you.”

Frank moved to where he held Reynolds and pried his eyes open so that he was looking at Lailah the best he was able with his swollen eyes and his bruised face.

“Take a good look at her. This woman is the only reason you’re alive.” Frank let him go where he slumped to the ground in a wet ‘thud’. “If you come near her again… if you even look at her again, I’ll show you ways to die you never thought possible.”

Reynolds didn’t taunt Frank and closed his eyes and kept his head down. Small groans of pain came from him. Lailah blinked when Frank walked over to his glasses and dropped them right in the middle of Reynolds. The instant his hand touched them, Frank stomped on both hand and glasses making him cry out in pain. He lifted up his foot and looked over at Lailah.

Tears gathered in her eyes and she hobbled over to Frank and collapsed against him, hugging him tight. Gently, he held Lailah at arm’s length and took off his suit jacket and put it on her, softly patting her head. Sniffles came from her and she felt like letting out of all those terrified tears, but Sebastian, Justin, and Frank’s coach came in the opening next.

“What… What happened?” Frank’s coach asked.

“Lailah and I are going home. Call the police and have this man arrested. He’ll confess… won’t you?” Frank looked over at Reynolds who gave a weak whimper.

“Y-Yeah… of course.” His coach said. “You two… make sure he doesn’t leave. Okay?”

“Yes sir!” Sebastian and Justin exclaimed.

Frank gently led Lailah out of the back patio and out a side door to not have everyone look at them. She was thankful that he was thinking of her even now. He got the car started and turned on the heat and locked the door letting her know that he would be right back; he was simply going back for their jackets. The whole time that he was gone, Lailah was on full alert; terrified, but at the same time knowing she was safe. Exhaling, she unlocked the doors when he came back and they headed out. They were in silence for a few minutes before Frank grabbed onto her hand and held it tight.

“I’m sorry…” Frank mumbled.

“For what?” Lailah blinked, looking over at him. “You saved me.”

“I took too long to get there. I should’ve gotten there sooner.”

“How did you know where I was at?”

“I heard Amy and some other girl talking about how Frank’s date turned down a cute older guy who was hitting on her. Amy said you had looked scared. I was hoping I was wrong, but… I just knew I had to find you to be sure.”

“Wow…” Lailah exhaled. She owed Amy potentially her life.

“Let’s just get you home.”

Frank didn’t talk much the whole way home, and Lailah knew that he was blaming himself for not getting there sooner. Each second that she was terrified and worried, in pain and scared, she knew that he was taking it all upon himself like it was him who had caused it. But he had saved her. If Reynolds had managed to get a hold of her and knock her out somehow, there was no telling what he would’ve done to her… how many times… and even if she would’ve survived afterwards. She wondered if there was something she could say to Frank for him to understand that.

Finally at home, she was carried up to the apartment. He wouldn’t hear of her trying to take the steps herself. Her ankle was swollen and red. But it was nothing serious. She headed towards the bathroom and ripped off her dress, tossing it onto the floor. She got in the hot water and instantly began scrubbing at her body. Even when the water had run cold and it hurt for anything to touch it, she kept scrubbing. Only when small droplets of blood started to form did Lailah realize just how long and hard she’d been tearing into her skin. She dropped the puff and finished her shower before getting dressed into her pajamas.

“Frank? I’m heading to bed.” Lailah said, going to his bedroom door and knocking. The door opened and he stood in front of her with his own pajamas on and nodded.

“Alright. Sleep well…” Frank said and gently grabbed her hand before she started to walk away and pulled her into a hug. A tight one. Almost too tight. He was wrapping all his apologies into this hug. She hugged him back and when he let go, she gave a gentle smile before heading back to her room.

Lailah lay in bed for two hours, everything from the night replaying in her head. All the adrenaline was gone and now she was left with the very real fear of what could’ve happened. She started crying. All the tears that were in her during the party was now coming to the surface. She tried to turn over and fall asleep, but to no avail. She bit her lip and got up, going to Frank’s room. Maybe she could talk to him and then it would be okay. She opened the door and saw him standing there with his fist raised.

“…F-Frank?” Lailah cried, hugging him before he could even answer her.

“It’s okay…” he comforted. “It’s alright. You’re safe. You’re at home. I’m here.”

Lailah was unsure how long they stood like that, but Frank had guided her to her bed and continued to comfort her as they both lay down under her blankets. This was wrong, but she felt like she wouldn’t be able to get any sleep tonight without her protector here. Thankfully, Frank had seemed to understand her request without it having to be verbally made. Frank continued to comfort her and pet her hair until she fell asleep with him by her side.

Thank you, Frank.

Notes:

There you have it! Let me know what you think! I hope it was worth the wait!

Chapter 23: 45 Dundston Street

Summary:

What the hell is wrong with me…?

Notes:

Welcome to chapter 23!! Whoo! I wanted to thank you all for the sweet comments over the past two chapters especially since my self-confidence was rather low writing it all and I was worried about how it came out. I appreciate all your kind words and they consoled my worries and made me smile since you're all so sweet. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well!

Sleeping was hard enough as it was without nightmares constantly attempting to plague her. It had always been hard throughout the years for her to sleep. There were days where she would find herself up all night with coffee and TV because the nausea of getting next to zero rest was better than being trapped in her mind with no escape until she woke up. It could be minutes or hours, but there was something that would always help her sleep. Crying herself to sleep was a surefire way to keep away all the nightmares and ensure some semblance of sleep would be obtained. Since moving in with Frank, she hadn’t felt the need or desire to cry herself to sleep to get some sleep. Last night however, it was her one and only option. Unintentional, but necessary, she ended up falling in a deep sleep in the comfort of her bed.

Only when she woke up did she realize how far she had been knocked out. Her head was swimming with the twinges of a headache poking at the edges of her consciousness. It felt like all her bones had been broken and put sloppily back together when she moved. She blinked away the foggy haze that was in her vision. Slowly, she started to notice that something was wrong. Her brows furrowed and she felt around the bed. Pressing herself up further on the bed, she grunted in pain as her body protested. There was no one on the other side. 

No. No. NO! If she was left alone, what if somehow he figured out where she lived?! What if something happened and she wasn’t able to fend him off like she had at the gala? Hell, she barely managed to do it there, anyway. With her ankle still throbbing underneath the blanket, she wouldn’t have been able to fend him off if she had tried. Panic flowed through her veins replacing her blood. Hyperventilation took over. Eyes darted back and forth on the bed, her hands moving over the spot where Frank had been when she closed her eyes.

“Frank? Frank?” Lailah’s voice became breathless as she looked around. “Frank?!”

Seeing shapes in the darkness made the already swelling panic increase. The shadows of fingers trailed over the comforter towards her. Lailah backed up, but the fingers continued slinking their way towards her. She covered up her ears and screamed with all the air that her lungs contained. A door slammed open, the room was filled with light, and hands grabbed onto her arms.

“Lailah! Hey!” She was shaken by those arms. Continuing to scream, she tried to pry the arms off her. However, hands grabbed onto either side of her face. “Shh! It’s okay! Hey, it’s okay!”

Eyes opened, focusing on the person in front of her. Frank had a hold of her face, but his deep brown eyes were coated in confusion and worry. Her screaming stopped, and everything started making sense. The fingers that were coming to her were just a branch’s shadow illuminated from outside. Tears filled her eyes; blurring her vision. They started to fall and Lailah closed her eyes. The bed sunk next to her and arms wrapped around her. A hand rubbed her back until she calmed down enough to where she wasn’t sobbing out her soul.

Opening them to look at Frank, his brows were knit in confusion. Primarily he looked truly worried about her. Whatever she had done to deserve such a good friend, she was thankful that she had done it. Had Frank not been there, she wasn’t sure where she’d be. One thing was for certain, she wouldn’t be here receiving some comfort. A large hand came to rest on her head and slowly pet her hair. The rhythmic petting made her panic recede and blood return to her veins. The gentle petting stopped and a rough thumb rubbed against her cheek, wiping the tears from her face.

“I-I woke up… and you were gone and I got scared.” Lailah explained.

“I went to the bathroom.”

“S-Sorry…” Lailah trailed off and looked down, completely ashamed.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for…” Frank exhaled. “God, you scared me…”

“S—”

“Don’t start apologizing again. Just let’s get you back in bed.”

Lailah hesitated for a moment. Frank didn’t force her to move, choosing to wait until she did so of her own accord. He turned the large light off after she was snuggled into the blankets. Frank got in next to her and turned her bedside light on with the dimmer switch. She couldn’t explain how thankful she was that he didn’t laugh at her and turned the light on of his own accord. He adjusted once he got in bed, making sure to keep a respectable distance, but also made sure that he was close enough to her to give her comfort if needed. They were in silence for a bit. Lailah was sniffling, attempting to get back to normal so she would be able to get some sleep.

“I… I never thought I’d see him again.” Lailah whispered, breaking their silence.

“Yeah, I never thought—”

“I know. You wouldn’t have brought me there if you knew.”

“I’m glad you know that.” Frank said and turned, facing her completely.

“Of course I do…”

“Lailah—”

“I… was in eighth grade. He was my teacher and it was camp. And he-he raped me.”

“…!” Frank cleared his throat. “I… figured it was something along those lines.”

“It was more than once, and I kept it quiet for a long time. When I finally did say something, all the evidence was gone.”

“Lailah…”

“I was so scared… that he’d get ahold of me, if he did… I felt like I wouldn’t be surviving the night. I can’t thank you enough, Frank, for protecting me. It wasn’t your job, but.. you did.” Lailah sniffled slightly.

“Y-Yeah, of course you dork.” Frank gave an awkward chuckle. “I’d never let anything happen to you. Now get some sleep.”

A cloud of serene air overtook her. While Frank was with her, she knew that she would be fine. In a way, she felt guilty for being a burden that needed to be protected. However, it was just until she was able to stay on her own two feet. Once that had come to pass, she would have to make it up to Frank somehow. She closed her eyes and snuggled further in bed. Just as she felt unconsciousness pulling at her, the blanket was pulled up higher on her body warming her up.

Her eyes opened, and she rubbed at them. Her body was tired and her ankle throbbed, but less painful than before. Lailah looked around, blinking away the tiredness. She looked up and blinked, face-to-face with a sleeping Frank. Her head was resting on his arm while his other hand was holding onto the blanket that was over her shoulders. Sometime during her slumber, she had gripped onto his shirt, clenching it with desperation to be close. She stared at his face, had his eyelashes always been that long? Had he always looked so peaceful when he was sleeping?

Frank moved making her jolt, instantly closing her eyes when he groaned and started to open his eyes. Something brushed against her face. It felt like hair was being moved. She tried to keep her breathing even, but she could feel his eyes on her. It was making her heart beat faster and making her nervous. Her throat was dry and she felt like her windpipe was starting to close. He moved slightly and Lailah tried to act like she was just waking up. When her eyes opened, she was meeting gazes with Frank. Heat rose to her cheeks, making her look down. Some fluttering flew around in her stomach and she cleared her throat, letting go of his shirt.

“S-Sorry, Frank.” She whispered, unable to look up as the heat in her cheeks continued to rise in temperature.

“Feeling better…?” Frank asked, making Lailah go rigid when some hair was brushed behind her ear. But it… wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling.

“M-Mhm… thank you.” Lailah took a deep breath and looked up slightly. “I know it may have been a bit awkward. But, I-I really needed it. Needed you.”

“I’m glad I could help.” Frank smiled softly. “Want me to order some breakfast?”

“Won’t that cost more?” Lailah asked.

“Fuck the money. You want some or not?”

“Sure…” Lailah asked slightly awkward.

Lailah moved slightly and Frank attempted to move, slightly staggering. It looked like he was having a hard time putting some wait on his left arm. He cleared his throat and tried to move again, but this time he was able to lean up. Guilt coursed through her slightly, she had slept on his arm and now it was numb. Biting the inside of her cheek she smiled awkwardly. Frank returned the smile, without any of the awkwardness. She parted her lips to speak, but Frank he shook his head.

“You were sleeping pretty peacefully, I couldn’t move you in good conscience.”

“But—”

“It’ll wake up eventually.” Frank sat up and waved his arm. “I’ll go make the call. You want anything in particular?”

“… hashbrowns.” Lailah mumbled.

“Anything else?” Frank snickered.

“… um… extra hashbrowns?”

“I’ll get you something with hashbrowns.” Frank got up completely and tucked the blanket in heading out of her room.

Lailah sighed internally and decided that she should get up. Honestly, she could just sit down and eat a fuck ton of hashbrowns and be fine, but she knew that Frank wouldn’t have it and wouldn’t stop annoying her until she decided to have something else. Might as well avoid that if she could and just have a whole breakfast. She went to the bathroom. When she was washing her hands, her mind trailed back to when she first woke up and the unguarded look she had seen on Frank’s face. A pain ran through her abdomen so severe that she leaned on the counter and let out a strained groan.

One of these days I’m going to have to get this checked out. Probably an ulcer.

Drying her hands, she headed to the living room where Frank was sitting at the kotatsu watching some show on TV. She came up next to him and plopped down, sticking her feet under the kotatsu. Frank leaned down on the kotatsu and looked over at her. It made her slightly uncomfortable in a way. Not uncomfortable in a predatory way like Reynolds had, but uncomfortable because he could read her like a children’s pop-up book. There was no doubt that Frank had known—or at least suspected—her relationship between Reynolds since their argument; he was just waiting for her to tell him, to trust him enough to share that trauma.

“What’s that look for?” Lailah raised a brow.

“Something else on your mind?”

“Not… really.”

“Uh… huh.” Frank smirked. “Well, you can tell me when you’re ready.”

A knock came at the door and Lailah shrunk away from it. Embarrassment and fear combined into a cocktail of strange feelings. An odd look overtook Frank’s face for a moment before he got up and pat her head. Peeking from her spot under the kotatsu, she felt stupid when the door opened and she saw a delivery man there. Probably 17 at maximum, the young boy smiled and handed them their order and gave them a smile before heading off with a tip that Frank had given him. He came back and sat down her food and a drink. It was from the breakfast place next to Tea You Later. In addition to scrambled eggs and toast was a massive load of hashbrowns. There was nothing on their menu that came like this, so he had requested a special order for her. Even though she had been partially joking, it was nice to know that he really gave in to her somewhat childish wants and needs.

“How much do I owe you?” Lailah asked, opening the container.

“Nothin’.”

“I can’t have you just buying me all these things and not get you something in return, at least let me pay you back for the food.”

“With how much you spent getting your dress and the food from the Mexican food truck, you’ve spent enough in the past day.”

“…! H-Huh? You paid for my dress.” Lailah blinked, taking a sip of her orange juice.

“Lailah, I’m not stupid. I checked my account to see if the price you gave me matched what was taken out. Nothing came out. You didn’t use my card.”

“…” Dammit!

“Just take the food, okay?” Frank smiled. “Eat up.”

“I couldn’t let you pay for my dress. After it being ruined, I’m glad I made the choice I did.”

“The strap can be fixed I’m sure.”

“… It’s… It’s not just that.” Lailah poked around at her food.

“Was there more damage?”

“…”

“… Lailah?” Frank leaned over and looked at her.

“He… He called it ‘extremely revealing’. I… I thought that I looked okay in it—”

“You did. You look bea—great.” Frank cleared his throat.

“But… he alluded to it being slutty. When I tried it on, it didn’t look that way. It just looked tastefully classy. But, if he was right… if it was slutty, then… If I was wearing something like that, it’s almost like… like I was asking for it.” Lailah tightened her grip on her plastic fork staring down at her food.

The ticking of the clock in the living room was the only sound for a good minute. During this whole time, she kept her eyes glued to her food. Her stomach was rumbling for to her nourish herself, but she couldn’t move. She just kept thinking of how her dress was subconsciously making it seem like she was asking for that sort of treatment. Under no circumstances was that the truth. Lailah couldn’t even think about being with someone like that, let alone asking for it. If she picked that, did mean that she was a slutty person? Had he changed her personality in addition to changing her body in a way she couldn’t revert it.

“Lailah… that dress was not slutty.” Frank looked at her.

“Then why—” She stopped abruptly when he grabbed her chin and turned her to look at him.

“To control you. To constantly make you think and wonder what you did to deserve it. When you did nothing to ask for, or deserve it. It was all him, and this was another trick. To keep you psychologically. Lailah, you… you looked beautiful. And respectable. The dress you picked was classy and elegant. Like you.” Frank said, his gaze boring into hers.

“…” Heat rose in Lailah’s cheeks again. “Y-You’re sure…?”

“Positive. And I don’t sugarcoat shit. I ain’t Willy Wonka.”

“You’re such a dork.” Lailah snorted a laugh and smacked him. “C’mon, let’s eat.”

The two finished their breakfast watching some cartoons that were on from when they were kids. They commented on their favorite characters and episodes. By the end of the marathon, they had eaten all their food and was leaning against the couch while they enjoyed the show and each other’s company. A bright red came over her face when Frank got up during one of the commercial breaks and grabbed her garbage and threw it away. It reminded her of when they had first moved in together and he would deliberately leave his trash around or make her get up to throw her own away even if he was going to the can. It was small things that she continued to focus on, and it always seemed to make her face heat red again. Lailah hoped she wasn’t getting sick.

“Hey, Lailah… shouldn’t you call Feng?” Frank asked, coming to sit back down.

“Why?”

“Well, she invited us to the party today.”

“Yeah, I remember what time and where it is.” She smiled.

“You’re… still gonna go?”

“I… wasn’t going to. But, I can’t let him have a hold over me and win again.” Lailah explained, giving him a bright smile. “So, I’m gonna go. Will you still go with me?”

“Yeah. Of course.”

The rest of the day they lazed around. Lailah could tell that Frank was still worried about her since he hardly ever seemed to leave her by herself for too long. Honestly, she was thankful. While he had given her the pep talk, her brain was still her worst enemy and it could easily retract the progress made by Frank’s kind words and change it all around so Lailah was hating herself and staying in bed like she had before. But, she just kept thinking that she was an adult now and that she wasn’t going to let him ruin her life more than he already had. This was her time now. Her time to shine and her time to live without any regrets.

During lunch, Feng had called and made sure that Lailah hadn’t forgotten the party was today. She assured her friend that she was indeed coming to the party and coming with Frank. Her friend was so excited that they would all be hanging out at a Lazer Bear party, it was easily read that Feng was having a hard time containing it. Other than her teammates, they were the only friends that Feng had so having everyone together in a singular space was a happy thing. It was like when Frank’s friends and her friends had gone out to eat. Usually they were all divided, but in that moment they were a singular unit. Lailah wouldn’t trade that moment for the world.

Before they knew it, night had fallen and it was time to get ready. On the phone, Feng had reiterated that there was no dress code. That was welcome news to Lailah, she wasn’t sure that she could deal with two formal or semi-formal parties back to back. Dress or not, there was a sort of decorum that needed to be observed when at that sort of party, and it wasn’t one that she was used to. Lailah grabbed an old, baggy T-shirt and some jeans. It was comfortable since she wasn’t sure how long they’d really be staying there or what would happen at this sort of party. Would there be games? Drinking games or console? Maybe PC? The only experience Lailah really had with gaming was in Holy Wasteland, so she wouldn’t be able to do any hardcore gaming like Feng and the rest of the Lazer Bears, but she’d be willing to try.

“Lailah, ready?” Frank called from the living room.

“Yeah. On my way.” Lailah grabbed a hoodie from her closet and met Frank in the living room.

Donned in a simple jacket and what looked like a tank top or a T-shirt underneath with some slightly ripped jeans, she felt relieved that they had the same idea when dressing for this party. It was good to know that if they ended up being under dressed, then at least they would be so together. Frank smirked and ruffled her hair before grabbing his keys and heading out with her in tow. Lailah pulled out her phone pulling out the GPS. Typing in the address, she hit search and buckled up as Frank backed up. The place was a bit further from their apartment than she originally thought, but it wasn’t too far to where they would be extremely late.

Lailah ended up being Frank’s GPS and they arrived in relative good time. By the time Frank found a parking spot on the grass—as the long, circular driveway was filled—they were only ten minutes late. On the way, Lailah had texted Feng and Yui in their group chat to let them know that she was indeed on her way, that they might just be a bit late. She got out and looked at the beautiful mansion. It was in the historical district of Ormond; making it extremely old, but very beautifully maintained. The black roof looked brand new although Lailah was almost positive it was over a century old. Two floors—at least—with windows all around, the safe side of her wondered if this was a proper place to have a party. Trees surrounded the house in beautiful symmetry. Just as the grounds at the gala’s building last night, she was sure that the grounds were beautiful when Spring was there.

Standing next to Frank, they headed up the steps and Lailah rang the doorbell. She supposed that would be the polite thing to do considering it wasn’t their house. Expected or not, she wasn’t sure they could just walk in. Frank stopped and looked at her with a small smile before grabbing the handle and just walking in. Panic set in, would they get in trouble? But when they walked in, she already saw Feng running down the spiral staircase to meet them with Yui close behind. Smiling gently, she almost fell over when Feng hugged her. Had it not been for Frank steading her, she would have.

“Thanks so much for coming!” Feng exclaimed. “I saw your car pull up and I wanted to meet you at the door, but people don’t know how the fuck to move.”

“To be fair, you just pushed and didn’t say ‘excuse me’ or anything.” Yui pointed out with a shrug.

“Whatever.” Feng waved her hand dismissively. “Want a drink?”

“Sure—”

“I could go for a drink—”

“Two drinks coming up. C’mon, we got some good stuff in the kitchen.” Feng said, smiling as the two spoke simultaneously.

The kitchen was probably the most beautiful one she had ever seen. Large with marble counters and cast iron motifs, there was no doubt that the person who owned this house was rolling in money. On the counters were bottles, cans, and varying bowls that contained punches that Lailah was sure were spiked. She looked at the various brands, some she recognized, and some she didn’t. Feng grabbed two of ones that she thankfully knew and handed them to both her and Frank.

“So, clearly this is the kitchen.” Feng smiled. “Lemme show you the rest of the house. It’s great.”

Lailah was sure that she’d never been in another building with more rooms other than school. Each room was more beautifully decorated than the other. Whoever their interior decorator was, they were amazing. By the end of the tour while they were on the back, screened-in patio she was at a complete loss. Even more shocking was what was going on back here. People were swimming. It was about 30 degrees outside and people were in the pool and hot tub. The extra thing about it all was that it was not even close to being cold out here. Whatever heating mechanism they had, it was keeping the whole patio completely warm while snow was starting to fall outside.

“Damn… this place is great.” Frank commented.

“Sorry, I didn’t know we decided to keep the patio warmed, or I would’ve suggested you bring swimsuits.” Feng frowned.

“Oh, I uh… I don’t swim.” Lailah commented. “But it is nice to see everyone else having fun.”

“So, if you don’t mind my asking, Feng, I’ve been curious this whole time. Who owns this house?” Yui asked, folding her arms.

“I do.”

“What?!” The three of them exclaimed.

“Well, partially. During one tournament, we used most of our earnings to buy this house and fix it up. We wanted some place that we could all come and relax with our friends and families, or just to escape. The pool house over there is added, we did that last year. But yeah, so the house belongs officially to the Lazer Bears.”

“Well, damn…” Frank chuckled, tossing his can in a nearby garbage can.

“We have a ton of things to do. We’ve got games set up everywhere. Clearly the pool that no one had the decency to tell me we were using!” Feng said, deliberately loud enough for a couple of her teammates to hear.

“Well we were trying to, but someone decided that they wanted to sleep in instead of getting in on the conference call.”

“You could’ve asked!”

The argument descended into Chinese and the three friends ended up scooting away from the scene further towards the pool house. There were people on shoulders of other people as they fought to knock each other over in the pool. A table with cups scattered that she assumed was filled with alcohol was set in the distance. From the glass door in the pool house, she could see a large group playing what looked like a fighting game. Lailah felt completely out of her league. Frank on the other hand looked liked a kid in a candy store that wanted to play, he was practically bouncing up and down. Yui took a deep breath and sat at the edge of the pool and dipped her feet inside. Lailah followed suit and smiled at Frank.

“Go on and have fun.”

“Uh… no, it’s fine.”

“I’ll be fine. Yui’s here.” Lailah assured.

“Okay. I’ll come find you in a bit.” Frank said before zooming off towards the table with alcohol glasses all sat up on it.

Lailah moved her feet back and forth in the warm water, looking at the lights that were on the pool walls. This was so not her type of place to be. The only reason she agreed to come was because Feng was the one that invited her and Yui was coming as well. She was sure that she was in good hands here with the Lazer Bear group. Leaning back on her arms, she exhaled a deep breath, snickering when Frank started to down shot after shot clapping his hands together.

“How’d you hurt your ankle?” Yui asked.

“Oh, I twisted it yesterday at the gala.” Lailah admitted sheepishly.

“Clumsy.”

“Well, it is me.”

“Did something happen there?” Yui asked after a few minutes of them sitting.

“Huh? What makes you think that?”

“Frank is terrified to leave you alone.”

“…” Lailah looked over at her roommate who had darted over to another drinking game with a group of either Feng’s teammates or their families or friends. Either way, he looked like he was having a good time.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but… I’ll always be here to listen.”

“We were having a good time. Frank’s coach called them all in for a meeting for… I don’t even know what. I went to grab some food and Reynolds was there.”

“What?” Yui sat up. “How? Why?”

“Get this: he’s the uncle of one of Frank’s basketball teammates.”

“… No shit?”

“Evidently.” Lailah huffed a laugh. “Anyway… he came onto me. I didn’t want to make a scene. After all, this place was filled with Frank’s teammates and their families. I managed to get away from him, and I ran out to the back patio like an idiot. Twisted my ankle on the way out and trapped myself. He attacked me out there.”

“He didn’t…”

“No. Frank thankfully came and rescued me before it got that far. He did rip my dress though. But nothing that can’t and won’t be fixed.”

“That’s good.”

“He was crazy scary Yui, Frank I mean. He beat the shit outta Reynolds, and would’ve killed him. I’m sure of it.” Lailah recalled how she had to beg him to stop.

“Damn… That’s crazy. Now’s he’s super worried and protective, hm?”

“Yeah.”

“Of all the stupid, irrational—oh, hey girls.” Feng came from around the pool, plopping down next to her friends. “What’s kickin’?”

“I was telling Yui about the gala yesterday and how I twisted my ankle.” Lailah said.

“Oh no… You hurt yourself. Why didn’t you say something sooner? I wouldn’t have made you walk up and down the steps.”

“It’s mostly healed. Just hurts a little here and there.”

“So…? What happened?” Feng asked, dipping her bare feet in the pool too.

Lailah gave a small smile and recapped everything that happened from the time they arrived to when they left. She kept her eyes on the rippling water and the lights that were reflecting off her skin. It didn’t hurt as much as it did to explain it yesterday, perhaps because she was surrounded by a good support system and knew that she was safe here in this large house. By the time she was done, both her friends were wide eyed and slack jawed.

“He said that?!” Feng exclaimed.

“Mhm.”

“Wow… never thought Frank would be a knight in shining armor type.” Yui commented with a sigh as she leaned back on her hands.

“He’s not.” Lailah shook her head.

“Are you kidding? He’s a noble steed away from being a prince.” Feng snorted a laugh.

“He’s a knight in dented armor.” Lailah said, putting some hair behind her ears.

“Why dented armor?”

“Because he’s been in a few battles.”

“Nice way to look at it.” Yui smiled. “Speaking of the idiot, where is he?”

Lailah looked up and around. Frank was nowhere to be found. While she didn’t have to know where he was since it wasn’t in their agreement that they needed to stick together at all costs, it did make her feel slightly worried not being able to see him. He could get into trouble at the drop of a hat sometimes, so it was slightly worrying leaving him to his own devices. Smiling slightly, she shook her head. They were here to have fun, so she couldn’t deny him that, but if she at least saw him and saw that he was okay, then it would set her mind at ease.

“I’m gonna go to try and find him.” Lailah sighed and dried off her feet on a towel that Feng had grabbed from a nearby cabinet and slipped her shoes back on.

Thankfully, the house wasn’t cramped to the point where they were all pressed against each other, but there were more people than she was comfortable around. But she had Feng and Yui with her. Off in the distance at the den, Frank was playing some sort of drinking game that she didn’t recognize. Though… that was primarily all drinking games since she didn’t go to parties too much. Clearly whatever was in the cups was getting him because the beat of the music coming through the speakers was making him tap his foot and swing his hips. Lailah blinked and tilted her head watching her friend and roommate slightly dance in place as he was handed three more shots.

“Frank!” Lailah called, having to yell over the techno music that was blaring through the house, practically shaking the very foundation. Walking closer, she called out to him again.

He turned to face her. It didn’t take him long to spot her and a smile broke over his lips. Lailah tossed a ball and grabbed another shot and headed over towards her. Whatever was in one of those cups, she was sure that she was going to have to drink it. Why not? At least it would be from him and she hadn’t had too much. Somehow, she felt like she would end up being the designated driver tonight.

“Hey!” Frank said, stopping in front of her and holding out a shot glass. “So, the Lazer Bears are great people.”

“I could’ve told you that.”

“Try that shit, Lailah. Issom good shit.”

“It must be, you’ve been—”

“Holy shit!!” Feng’s voice came from behind her, almost making her drop her cup.

“Y’almost made her drop her drink! Whatcha screamin’ for ya crazy gamer?” Frank slurred, clicking his tongue. Lailah snickered and took the shot Frank had given her.

“You… You…” Feng pointed to the spot above them, making both her and Lailah look up, almost making her spit out her drink. She choked and felt burning in her nose as the alcohol traveled the wrong way.

At the top of the square door frame was a singular tuft of mistletoe. And the two people that were under it… were her and Frank. Every cell in her body was screaming, each looking like the painting “The Scream”. There was no pawning this over on anyone else. Everyone else was too far away for it to seem like they were also under the green leaves that she now wanted to jump up, grab, and rip apart. Surely to God, this was just a decoration. Surely they didn’t expect them too—

“Well damn… this isn’t how I pictured it going down.” Yui said, folding her arms. A smirk was wide on her face as well.

They did. They expected them to kiss. How were they even…? Lailah’s tomato red face turned and looked at Frank. His cheeks were red too, but she knew it was from the alcohol. Hopefully she could pretend like it was the same reason. After all, Frank had been going around playing games and drinking. There was no way he could know how much she had actually drank.

“C-C’mon, we’re just friends…” Lailah said. “There’s no reason for this.”

“It’s the rules.” Feng smirked.

“He’s dating someone. T-That just makes this wrong.”

If Julie didn’t hate her anymore, she sure as hell would after this. They were just starting to get to the point where they didn’t hate being in each other’s company and now her and Frank had fallen into one of the oldest and most evil tricks in the book. Lailah’s blood was hot and cold at the same time, her hands were clammy, and her palms were sweating. Julie would hate her for this. Perhaps even try to kill her and Frank. They would just be right back where they started, maybe even worse. Would there be a chance that Julie would understand that it was just because of a mistletoe?

Lailah looked back at Frank who hadn’t taken his eyes off her the whole time. She tried to move, but someone she didn’t know put her back in her spot. It was safe to assume that Frank would get the same treatment had he tried to move. Her heart was beating so fast that it was hurting. In everything that she’d read or heard, she thought it was a myth, but to be experiencing it… she could say now for sure that it was no myth. That abnormal fluttering moved around her stomach, making her a bit nauseous as well. There was a way to get through this with little casualties, she just had to think.

Frank made a step closer to her and Lailah swallowed the nervousness closing her windpipe. All they had to do was just… k-k-kiss right? Then they’d be fine and could just go about their day? Or rather… night. She looked up at him, feeling extremely small. Was he always this much taller than her? She stood on her tiptoes, mentally repeatedly killing herself. Warmth met her lips, and she stood back fully. She’d kissed him. It was on the corner of the lips, but it was still a kiss. A group of disappointed ‘aww’ and ‘boo’ surrounded them. She seemed to find a technicality that they all had to accept, and she knew that they knew. A smile, bright and triumphant, reached her lips.

That’s what you all get! You dirty people! All  y’all  are nasty!

A large, rough hand brushed against her cheek instantly calling her attention. Her head turned, and she was met with soft warmth against her lips. The distance was closed between them of his accord. His fingers tangled in her hair. Lailah’s eyes closed. Tenderness. That was the only way she could think to describe his lips on hers. His other hand held onto her face. He was clearly in control, but not in a demeaning or demanding; guiding. The most surprising was her reciprocation. Shaking. Terrified. Curious. Seeking… Desiring. Her hand rose to cover his as a hot tear found its way from her eye and rolled down her cheek.

Frank broke their lips apart, but didn’t move. He placed his forehead against hers for a moment. Lailah’s bottom lip quivered. He leaned in again, but didn’t reconnect. Exhaling a shaking breath, he stood to his full height and stared down at her. Tears running down her cheeks, she locked gazes and blinked when Frank brushed the wet tears from her face. His lips brushed against her forehead for a moment before placing a gentle kiss there. The moment it ended, he let go fully of her and stepped back.

“… Does that pass?” Frank asked Feng, still staring at Lailah.

“U-Uh… um… y-yeah…” Feng’s breathless voice came from behind her.

“Good.” Lailah blinked when Frank pat her head before heading through the crowd to go back to the table and his game.

The other people at the party went back to doing their own things while Lailah stared down at her feet. Bottom lip still quivering, she touched it and started blinking as more tears threatened to come to the surface. 

“Oh no…” Lailah muttered under her breath repeatedly.

She turned the opposite way from Frank and headed towards the bathroom, pushing past people. If she was going to fully cry, she wasn’t going to do it in a room full of people she didn’t know. Lailah pushed the door open and was about to close it behind her, but Yui and Feng came following after. Lailah gripped onto the edges of [the sink and kept her head hung. Her mind was in a flurry. It hurt. All these thoughts and feelings swirling around in an electric tornado, wreaking havoc inside her mind. The tears that she had managed to keep at bay out there started to fall.

“L-Lailah…?” Feng began, touching her back.

“I… I’m so confused!” She screamed out through her tears.

“What’s there to be confused about?” Yui asked.

“This… This stupid, aggravating, gnawing feeling!” Lailah yelled, digging her nails into the underside of the sink. “The stupid feeling in my stomach. In my chest. Just… everywhere!”

“Lailah, you love him.” Feng whispered, rubbing circles in her back.

“No!” She turned around and looked at her friends. “… No, that isn’t true.”

“Why don’t you admit it?”

“… I… I can’t. There’s nothing to admit.” Lailah swallowed the nausea that rose in her throat. Her? Love Frank? As if. They were friends.

“Lailah—”

“Do you have somewhere to rest? I… I don’t feel so well.” Lailah interrupted Yui, looking down at the tile flooring in the bathroom.

“Yeah… we have a couple rooms in the pool house. You can rest there. If Frank ends up trying to find you, we’ll let him know.” Feng assured. “Follow me.”

Lailah did as she was told, following her friends through the house. She held her head. It hurt. Everything did. Her head, her chest, her stomach. All of it. Right now, she felt that she was the raw essence of confusion. Lailah took off her shoes and got in Feng’s bed and locked the door after her friends left. Maybe she just needed to rest and the headache would go away. The confusion would go away after some rest too. She kept her eyes closed and rested her arm over her eyes for a double darkening effect.

There was no chance of her actually sleeping. However, she was calming down as she listened to the songs and felt the vibrations of the bass and techno songs that were playing. They had kissed. It… wasn’t a little peck either. Not that that would make it really any better. Why was he looking at her like that?! Why did he kiss her like that…? Yes, they had to kiss because of the stupid mistletoe, but, he could’ve just pecked her. Like she had him, they were gonna have to let them go after that. But then he—… why? What did he have to gain?

Then it all clicked and Lailah sat up. Of course! He was drunk. There was no denying that he knew that it was her. He wasn’t that far gone to be under the thought that she was Julie, but he was far enough for inhibitions to be gone. He had kissed her like that because of how much alcohol he had ingested. But… that didn’t explain her reciprocation. Lailah had only a couple shots. There was no way she would be able to use the same defense. Her mind toyed with the idea of her actually having feelings for Frank and she shook her head. There was no way in hell. The only other explanation that Lailah could find was instinct. When someone kisses you with that much… passion, isn’t it natural to reciprocate like that? Perhaps it was just because she knew that that kiss would guarantee them being free from the clutches of the mistletoe.

“Lailah?” A knock came at the door. It was Yui.

“Hold on.” She opened the door and a staggering Frank was standing next to her.

“Frank’s drank a bit and he said he was worried because he didn’t know where you were. I think you guys should head home.”

“Yeah… I think so too.” Lailah agreed. “Come on, Frank.”

“Y’know, s’really nice o’ ya ta’ve invited us…” Frank slurred as Lailah and Yui helped him back outside and to the car.

“Buckle up.” Lailah said.

“Yes ma’am.” Frank saluted, fiddling with the seatbelt.

“Thanks guys, it was a great party.” Lailah said, waving goodbye to Yui and Feng who had been by the entrance.

“Y-Yeah…” Feng smiled. “Let’s get together like this again sometime.”

“For sure.” Lailah got in the driver’s seat and buckled up.

“Fuckin’ belt.” Frank mumbled and tossed it back. “Screw it.”

“No, you need to be buckled.” Lailah said and leaned over him, pulling the belt and tugging it across his body and clicking it. She looked over at him and swallowed the lump in her throat. “See… that’s not so hard.”

“…speak for yourself…” Frank mumbled under his breath, looking out the window.

Lailah got the keys from her friend and headed back to the apartment. Frank was dozing in and out of consciousness the whole time. Honestly, she was thankful. She didn’t feel like talking. And knowing drunk Frank, he would probably bring it up and want to talk about it. Lailah had sorted out her thoughts out, but it was flimsy. It all made sense, but she just felt like there were pieces that she was missing. 

Exhaling, she turned on the heat and turned it to Frank who was starting to shiver in his sleep. Lailah had been so lost in her thoughts she hadn’t realized how cold it had gotten in the car since she forgot to turn on the heat. Escaping into her mind helped her get back home seemingly quicker. She parked and shook Frank awake gently. He raised his head and groaned, looking around.

“We’re home.” Lailah said.

“Wow, ya ain’t sucha bad driver…” Frank mumbled.

“Thanks… I think. Come on.”

“‘kay.”

Lailah got out of the car and locked it. Frank staggered and held onto it as he stumbled towards their stairs. She sighed and shook her head. He really could be an alcoholic sometimes. Grabbing onto him, she made sure he was steady and took the stairs one at a time as they headed up them slowly. She locked the door behind them when they entered the apartment and she tossed the keys in the bowl, tossing off her shoes. Out of everything she had expected at the party to happen, her and Frank kissing was not one of them.

“Grab some water and get to bed…” Lailah instructed.

“S’honestly prob’ly a good idea.”

“It is. That’s why I said it.” She watched Frank head to the fridge and grab a bottle of water, drinking some. He headed to his door. “Good night, Frank.”

“G’night, Lailah…” Frank grabbed his door handle and opened it. But he stopped and closed it, turning back to look at her. “Lailah, got somethin’ ta tell ya.”

“Hm? What is it?”

“S’bout the party… ‘bout under that mistletoe.” He explained as he slurred.

“Frank, you don’t need to say anything. I understand.” Lailah said. “You were just making sure we could get on with our night. Not to mention you’ve had a few drinks. Don’t worry, Frank… I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

“I—”

“I know, Frank. I know you don’t hold any of those feelings towards me.”

“…”

“So there’s no need to dwell on it. Okay?” Lailah gave him a comforting smile.

“A’right. Glad ta know we’re on the same page…” Frank returned her smile. “Night.”

“Goodnight.” This time Lailah went through her door first.

Lailah sighed and ran her hand down her face. She tiredly took off her clothes and took off her pajamas. It had been a hell of a two days. And now… despite Lailah’s reasonings, her confusion was trying to come back. Unfortunately for it, her tiredness was more prominent. She plopped in bed face first and covered up.

What the hell is wrong with me…?

Notes:

There you have it! I hope you enjoyed it! I hope that it was everything that you wanted and was hoping for. As always let me know what you think and have a great day/night wherever you are! <3

Chapter 24: Answers Beget Change

Summary:

You can’t even begin to imagine how big of a shock this is, Doc!

Notes:

Hello everyone! Chapter 24 here! Thank you all for your wonderful comments on the previous chapter. It made me smile a lot to see them and read them. Well! I'm here for another chapter. I hope you enjoy this one as well!

Trudging out of bed was one of the hardest things to do. Almost every morning, it felt like the bed had accepted her as one of its own and was going to share this year’s bountiful harvest with her. And she always betrayed it. This morning was no different. They had gone to bed at a relatively early time considering that a party had been attended the previous night. The problem—at least with her—was that she wasn’t intoxicated enough to find assistance in going to sleep. The thought had crossed her mind to head out and get some alcohol to drink herself to sleep, but she ultimately decided to just laying in bed with her eyes closed, trying to calm her racing mind.

From the look on Frank’s face as she left her room, he hadn’t gotten much sleep either. That, or a hangover had taken him completely over. Sometime between last night and this morning, he had shed the tank top he had been wearing. Stubble was evident on his jawline and chin. He grabbed onto the wall outside his door and ran his fingers through his hair which was a bit longer than it usually was as some parts were sticking up near the back. Groaning, he rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He looked a couple steps away from keeling over right there.

“Uh… g’morning.” Lailah managed out a greeting through a wince as a pain shot through her abdomen again.

“What’s good about it…?” Frank mumbled back, his brows knitting together.

“Well, we woke up.”

“I think I’d rather have died.”

“Hangover?” Lailah asked, a small smile coming to her face.

“Nah, I’m just trying to look like a crackhead for next Halloween.” Frank said, opening his eyes and staring at her. There was a bit of bite to his voice. “Whatcha think? Think I could pull it off?”

“S—”

“Yeah, Lailah. I’ve got a hangover.”

Lailah sighed and folded her arms. Honestly, it was shocking to see him even standing up with how much she had seen him drink. There was no telling how much he had consumed while he was out of her sight. The morning after was another reason she didn’t really go to parties too much. Never had she been to one like that where alcohol was everywhere. For a group of e-gamers, they sure knew how to party. She supposed that they were the “work hard, play harder” type of group. Winning how many tournaments they had, she figured that they could afford that luxury. Especially if they could afford the house where the party was held.

“Honestly, Frank. We went to a party where there was foreign alcohol. You can’t just knock back shot after shot of unknown liquor without expecting some sort of new bodily reactions.” Lailah attempted to lecture him, but seeing him look like he was ready to sink into the floor and die right there extinguished the fuse that had been lit. “Go get on the couch and relax. I’ll get you something to eat.”

“Eat?” Frank made a small gagging noise. “Uh… no, I’m good.”

“It’ll just be some soup. It’s really good for hangovers. Apparently my mom made it a lot for my dad during their party days.” Lailah headed up to the kitchen with a shrug.

“Your parents? Partying?” Frank called from the couch where he flopped down.

“Weird to picture, right?”

“To say the least.” Frank burped and groaned. Yikes.

Lailah scrunched up her nose and took the top off the trashcan and brought it over to where Frank was lying on the couch and put it by him. He grunted what she assumed was a thanks of some sort. There was no way that he was going to get through the day without puking, most likely he already had a round while she was sleeping. If he did, she was thankful that she didn’t have to hear it. Lailah retreated back to her room for a moment before returning with a pillow and a blanket. Making sure to require the least amount of movement from Frank as possible, she managed to tuck the pillow under his head and flap the blanket over him and cover himself.

“What’s all this?” Frank asked, looking up at her.

“Well, it’s the middle of Winter, it might be warm in here but you’re still shirtless. I don’t want you catching a cold and being sick on top of being hungover, or just get over your hangover to just turn around and be down and out from being sick.” Lailah explained, putting her hands on her hips. “I could always take it back if you don’t want it.”

“No.” Frank gave a weak moan and she could see him tighten his grip from underneath the blanket and press his head further down into the pillow. She snorted a laugh and turned back to the kitchen.

Sometime during her cooking the soup, she heard Frank retch and scrunched up her nose when he started vomiting violently into their trashcan. Gross. She would like to think that this whole ordeal would be a wake-up call not to drink so much anymore, but she knew Frank well enough that even though this would be a very loud call to most people, he’d just let it ring. Men. Especially this one, could be such a pain in the ass. Yet, at the same time…

Lailah stirred the concoction in the pot and looked over at Frank. He was lying on her pillow again, breathing heavily. He could be a pain in the ass. He could make her want to jump out of a thirty story building, but, he could also make her feel like she was the only important person who existed in the world. There were pieces of trauma that he had never gotten through, but he still was able to be soft and guide her through the field of monsters that were ready to attack her. There was no telling where she would be without Frank.

Once the soup was boiling, she got some and put it in a bowl and sat it on the kotatsu, dragging it closer to him. Tired brown eyes looked over at her and a small smirk quirked the corner of his lips. Lailah squatted by him and smiled.

“I puked.” Frank mumbled.

“So I heard.” Lailah gave a small chuckle. She jutted her thumb at the bowl on the kotatsu. “I want you to eat all that.”

“…”

“I didn’t put a lot in there because I didn’t want to overfill you and make you sicker.”

“Alright… I can do that.” Frank mumbled. “I think…”

Lailah smirked and hesitated for a moment before petting his hair. He seemed surprised by the gesture just as much as she was by her doing it, but it was a way that made her calm down when she was sick that her mom would do. Frank closed his eyes and gave a small exhale. After a couple minutes, she pulled her hand away.

“I’m going to call Julie and have her come look after you.” Lailah said.

Frank’s eyes shot open, and he grabbed her wrist just as she went to go and stand up. There was a strange look in his eyes, and it slightly worried her. Why wouldn’t he want his girlfriend to come over?

“N-No, you don’t need to do that.” He stammered.

“I have to go somewhere.”

“I’ll be fine until you get back.”

“I’d prefer to have Julie watch over you. Why don’t you want her coming over?”

“I…” Frank looked down. “I still haven’t explained that we kissed yet to her.”

“You were drunk and I had a few drinks as well. It’s not the most ideal situation and I’m sure she’ll be pissed, but… you’re sick. And when you’re better… we can fully explain what happened.”

“‘We’?” Frank repeated, his grip on her wrist loosening.

“Yeah. I was involved too. I’m not going to just throw you under the bus without taking some blame.” Lailah laughed. “We were both drunk at a party. It’s not like it meant anything.”

“… Right.” Frank let go of her wrist and smiled. “Where are you going?”

“To visit Feng and Yui real quick. I recall Yui saying that she knows someone who can fix my dress. So I’m going to take it over there and have her take care of it.”

“Oh. Alright then.” Frank sighed. “Just… you’ll come back soon, right?”

“Of course.” Lailah nodded. “As quick as I can.”

She returned to her room to put on a bra and call Julie. Like she had told Frank, having her come over wouldn’t be the most ideal situation because she was sure that he would tell Julie what had happened at the party between them, but that would be a bridge they could cross when they got to it. Sighing, she hovered over Julie’s contact information. It would be the first time that she was calling or having any sort of outside contact with the woman besides them all hanging out that one time. She pushed send and grabbed the dress that she had migrated to the corner of her room in a bag as the phone rang. And rang. And rang.

“Hello?” A groggy voice came from the other end of the line. Lailah checked the time on her phone. It was almost 2 PM. What the actual hell was Julie still doing in bed? Of course, they were a group of party animals, so it could be safe to assume that she had went to some sort of party or gathering. They were everywhere now with Christmas being only a few days away. “Hello?!”

“Oh sorry. Julie? Hey it’s Lailah.” She cleared her throat, hearing the shifting on the other side of the line. “Um, could you drop by?”

“Why?”

“Frank is sick and I have to go somewhere and I don’t really feel comfortable leaving him alone.” Lailah explained.

“… You’re sure he’s sick?”

“Uh… yeah. Pretty sure. Well, it’s a hangover, but still.” Lailah’s brows furrowed when she heard Julie huff a sigh on the other end of the line. “I don’t think I’ll be gone too long, but you know you never really know with traffic and everything.”

“I suppose I’ll be over there soon.” Julie sighed again.

“Thanks.”

“Yeah whatever.” Julie muttered before hanging up.

Lailah was beyond confused. If it was her boyfriend and she heard that he was sick, she would’ve come over immediately. There would’ve been no convincing needed. Had him and Julie gotten into a fight prior to them going to the party? It would explain her reluctance to come over and Frank’s seeming desire to have anyone over here except her. But, she really couldn’t in all good conscience leave him here by himself. A hangover wasn’t too bad, but there was no telling what could happen. Their relationship wasn’t really Lailah’s problem, if there were issues, it was something that they would have to work out on their own.

She ripped a brush through her hair and tied it into a bun before grabbing the dress and heading out to the living room. Frank was lying on the couch. It looked like he was fully asleep now. Light snores were coming from him and his mouth was open. The soup in the bowl was almost gone and she gave a small smile before heading over to him. She touched his face, her thumb brushing against his cheekbone. Red rose to her cheeks and she pulled her hand away before heading out the door, closing it and locking it behind her. Julie had a spare key, so she could come in without waking Frank up.

Flipping on the heat in her car, she tossed the dress in the passenger’s side before backing up and heading on to the main road. Deception wasn’t her forte nor was it something that she took pleasure in doing, but at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to explain everything. There were so many things that she wasn’t sure of, so trying to pass on some knowledge could just get the whole truth mixed up into a jumbled mess like a game of Telephone gone wrong.

Gnawing at her lip, she pulled up to the emergency room and found a parking spot. There were so many things that could go wrong. What if one of them was irreversible? Truthfully, it wouldn’t be anyone’s fault but her own for waiting so long. Sighing, she frowned and walked in, pulling her jacket further around her body. The woman at the front greeted her with a respectable smile which Lailah awkwardly returned. She checked in on the welcome kiosk and took a seat. Playing with her fingers, she looked around. There weren’t that many people in the emergency room. That was good. People were at least taking better care of themselves and it would mean that she could be seen quicker. Having someone with her would make the time pass quicker, but she couldn’t…

Lailah bounced between three apps on her phone, watched the weather—it was going to get colder—and watched a game show. A man came in with a bag of steaming food and handed it to the nurse that had smiled at her when she first came in. Stars were practically in her eyes upon seeing the sweet gesture the man had done for her. It made a small smile come over her face for a moment as she turned her attention back to the TV. Another episode of a game show came on. It was the same one that played when Frank and her were here for her cutting her hand open.

“Lailah Collins?” The nurse called. She headed back and got her vitals taken. Her blood pressure was a little high and the nurse wrote it down. “Abdominal issues, hm?”

“Y-Yes ma’am. They’ve been going on for a while, and I’m getting worried that it’s not going away.”

“Alright. Let’s get you into the back.”

Lailah followed the woman through the ER and she couldn’t stop from glancing at some people that were in there. There were injuries of varying degrees, but most looked more on the mild and tame side. She took a seat, and the woman pulled the curtain around her bed. She was left alone again. Her hands were starting to become sweaty from all the thoughts running in her head. Maybe it was a mistake to think that she could do this all on her own. Emotional support was always a welcome thing, what made her think this time would be any different? But… she didn’t want to drag her friends along for something that might not even be that big of a deal. Not to mention that she couldn’t ask Frank to go with because of his hangover and her parents would be flipping shit and making her more nervous than she already was.

“Miss Collins?” A tall man in his 30’s with black hair and brown eyes came in, dressed in a professional manner. He must be the doctor.

“Y-Yes… hello.” Lailah said, shaking the man’s hand that he offered.

“Hi there. I’m Doctor Wolfe. Says here that you’ve been experiencing frequent abdominal pain?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“How long would you say this has been going on?”

“Uh… on and off since about… April? I think that’s when I moved into my apartment. So about eight months?”

Dr. Wolfe’s pen froze for a moment at her answer. He looked at her in disbelief for a moment before continuing to jot down notes.

“You never felt the need to go and get this checked out before?”

“I just thought it would go away.”

“I see… do you have any history of abdominal issues? Tearing, cancer, things like that?”

“I… I’m adopted, so…” Lailah trailed off, looking down at her hands.

“Oh, I see.” Dr. Wolfe scribbled in her chart for a moment before looking back at her. “Would you lay on your back please?”

“H-Huh?”

“Could you lay on your back?”

“Um… a-alright.”

Lailah did as the doctor asked and laid on her back. His gloved hands moved her shirt up to expose her stomach. She tried repeatedly telling herself that he was just doing his job, but she couldn’t relax. Her nails gripped onto the sides of the bed while he pushed on certain points in her abdomen.

“Miss Collins?”

“Y-Yes.”

“Can you relax for me please?”

“Oh. O-Of course.” Despite her affirmation, each time the tips of his gloved fingers would touch her skin, she would tense up. He stopped and stepped out for a moment. Lailah sat up and came in with a woman about her mother’s age. She came over and took Lailah’s hand. The small gesture and her presence set her at ease enough to where Doctor Wolfe didn’t have any more issues feeling around her abdomen. Next, he placed a stethoscope on the spots he had pushed on and listened. When he pulled the plugs from his ears, he gave a small nod.

“Thank you, Barbara.”

“No problem, Doctor Wolfe.” The woman said before patting Lailah’s hand and leaving the two alone once more. She immediately sat up and adjusted her shirt.

“Is there a chance you could be pregnant?”

“Huh?! No. Absolutely not.”

“Alright.” He nodded. “I found nothing on the physical exam. So I’m going to have you go down for an ultrasound.”

“An… ultrasound?”

“Yes ma’am. It’ll probably be a 15 minute procedure and we’re able to get a better view if something is there that needs to be worried about.”

“…”

“Our technician Miss Fredericks is very good at her job. You’ll be in great hands.” He assured with another smile when Lailah relaxed. “They’ll be down to get you soon.”

Lailah nodded and relaxed in her room. She reached over and turned on the TV for some background noise while she sat kicking her feet back and forth. Doctor Wolfe was rather kind to bring Barabara in there with her. She had tried to relax, but just being alone in a room with a doctor with a curtain surrounding her small room while his hands pushed extremely close to her pelvic area terrified her. Doctor Wolfe made no moves or indication that he would do anything inappropriate, but she couldn’t help it. If she saw him again before her visit was over, she’d have to apologize to him.

A knock came at the door and a woman around the same age as Doctor Wolfe came in with a bright smile on her face. Lailah had only been there a couple hours and she was already exhausted. Verifying her name and date of birth for what felt like the millionth time, the woman—Miss Fredericks—pushed her bed towards the ultrasound room. It wouldn’t be the first time she got an ultrasound, but she was more at peace knowing that a woman was going to be doing it this time. It had taken hours to get the first one done since it wasn’t too long after she told her parents about what happened with Reynolds. The only technician on duty had been a man. Lailah shuddered.

“It’s pretty cold in here, sorry about that.” The woman said. “So we’ve got you set up for an abdominal ultrasound.”

“O-Okay.”

“Awesome. So go ahead and lay on the bed right here for me, pull your shirt up and lower your pants just a bit so I can get a full view. Okay?” The technician smiled, sitting in her stool and messing around with the machine. “When we start, stop me if anything hurts.”

Cold gel was placed on her abdomen, and the woman pressed the wand against her stomach. She watched the screen along with the woman, but she couldn’t really tell what she was seeing. To her, it looked like the inside of every normal woman. The woman clicked away on buttons and moved the zoom, completely entranced by whatever was on the screen. Lailah wished that she had someone’s hand to hold during all this, but even if someone had accompanied here, she’d be forced to endure this part of the diagnosis by herself.

“You came by yourself?” The technician asked as she continued to move.

“Y-Yes. I didn’t tell my roommate where I was going.” Lailah sighed.

“She a worrywart?”

“Uh, yeah. He is.” Lailah corrected.

“Ooh! A he roommate hm?”

“Oh boy, not you too…”

“You get trouble for it?” Miss Fredericks asked, leaning forward and snapping something that was on the screen.

“My best friends. They’re always giving us hell, trying to get us together. But he’s dating someone and I don’t think of him that way. He’s just a really good friend.”

“Sounds cute.” She smiled. “But there're no issues with having a guy friend.”

“Exactly.” Lailah sighed, relaxing more on the table.

She lay in silence for a few more minutes before the technician handed her a cloth to clean the gel off her stomach. Lailah handed it to the woman who tossed it away along with her gloves. Her smile was so bright, she bet that she got looks wherever she went with a beautiful smile like that.

“Alrighty. I’ll take you back to your room where you’ll just wait for Doc Wolfe to get these results. Okay?”

“Sounds good.” Lailah nodded.

In her room, Lailah waited in anticipation. She knew that she wasn’t the only one in the ER or who’s imagining needed to be looked at, but she just wished that they would focus on hers first so that she could get her results and deal with whatever changes may be coming in her life. Sighing, she watched a TV show, her mind wandering the whole time. She wandered how Frank was doing and if he was feeling better. She hoped that Julie was taking good care of him even though she didn’t seem too keen on the idea of coming over. That was still the man she loved, so Lailah was sure that she softened up when she got there.

Another knock came at her door. The curtain was pushed away, and in walked Doctor Wolfe and another woman. Nervousness seized onto every cell inside Lailah’s body. When something was normal, wouldn’t they just give them a pat on the back and tell them that they could go home? Does this mean that they found something abnormal? Lailah hadn’t wished as hard as she was right now that she had known about her biological family’s medical history. Maybe it would’ve prepared her better.

“Miss Collins, I have the results of your ultrasound.” Doctor Wolfe said. “We checked the liver, the gallbladder, spleen, pancreas, your bladder, and even your stomach. Each spot came back completely normal except the stomach. It looked like it had been through a bit of trauma lately. Is there any chance you’ve been vomiting a lot?”

“N-Not recently, but a couple months ago it was pretty bad.” Lailah said.

“I see.” Doctor Wolfe said. “But no vomiting recently?”

“No sir…”

“Good. Good. It is odd that there would be some sort of residual effect we could see in the stomach lining from vomiting months ago. But everything was normal. And since there're no signs of recent trauma, you’re in relatively perfect health Miss Collins.”

Lailah exhaled a deep sigh. All that worrying had been for nothing? Figures.

“Wait, what about my pain?”

“I do have a few questions about that.” Doctor Wolfe said.

“Um… okay?”

“You said all this started when you moved into your current apartment?”

“Yes.”

“Is there any mold in your apartment?”

“No.”

“Do you live by yourself?”

“No, I have a roommate.” Lailah commented.

“What’s your roommate like?”

“Frank?”

“If that’s his name.” Doctor Wolfe smiled.

“Yes, well. He’s very nice. He can be a pain sometimes, but he’s a good person. Kinda an idiot when it comes to some things, but honestly he’d do anything in the world for his friends.” Lailah said, looking down at her hands.

“I see. Admirable indeed. And physically?”

“Physically?” Lailah repeated. “Like… what he looks like?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Uh, well… he’s tall. Probably around 6 foot tall. Give or take. He’s got brown hair, brown eyes. Slightly tanned, he’s got a skull tattoo on his neck.” Lailah rubbed her side.

“Is he a fairly laid-back guy that just kinda sits at home all day?”

“Oh, no, he’s on the basketball team. He’s really good at it.”

“So he’s physically fit?”

What the hell is with all the questions about Frank? We’re here for my issue. He’s got a hangover at home. That doesn’t really matter here.

“Yeah. He’s pretty fit. Got the body of a basketball player. You’ve seen those I’m sure.” Lailah commented, remembering how he looked when she saw him this morning without a shirt. Frank hardly ever roamed around the house without at least a tank top. It was hard to ignore how much he was toned. Biceps. Triceps. Abs. It was all a testament to how much he had worked out on the team. Even the muscles of his back were toned. When he moved towards the couch, she could see the muscles in his side and shoulders working. She winced and grabbed onto her abdomen and leaned forward with a loud groan of pain. It even made her slightly nauseous.

“Another question, Miss Collins.” Doctor Wolfe looked rather contented.

“Yeah… sure…” Lailah rubbed her stomach and side after the pain faded.

“Have you ever been sexually taken advantage of?”

“…!” She grunted and looked down. “What does… that have to do with this?”

“It’s very important Miss Collins. I would not ask you if I didn’t think it was important.”

“… Yeah. Back in eighth grade.” Lailah sighed.

“I see. Miss Collins, your abdominal pain is psychological?”

“What!? You’re saying this is all in my head?!” Lailah furrowed her brows, getting angry.

“No ma’am. That’s not what he’s saying.” The woman spoke for the first time.

“Really?! Cause it sure as hell sounded to me like he’s basically saying I’m crazy!”

“The brain is an extremely powerful organ. When we’ve been through traumatic experiences, it can react in ways that will essentially build walls around itself to keep it and the body protected.”

“This is Amanda Bennett.” Doctor Wolfe said. “She’s here not only as a woman to help ease your anxiety but also to better explain the psychosomatic aspects of your condition.”

“Miss Collins, after having went what you went through, your mind shut down, refusing to deal with anything that dealt or could have been seen as attractive or sexual. Most likely because you were young and weren’t sure how to deal with it, so to protect you, the brain stopped processing things in such a way. It happens to many rape victims and is extremely common.”

“Uh-huh…” Lailah mumbled, her brows furrowed as she listened to the woman’s explanation for her “condition”. This wasn’t what she expected to be told. At all.

“Sometimes victims of sexual abuse never recover and go through their lives with that part of their minds shut down. They live rather fulfilling lives as its not harming the core of the body or mind. There are times when the mind attempts to reconnect and ‘reboot’ so to speak or attractive things. This can lead to many symptoms; aggravation, headaches, mood swings, or extreme abdominal pain.”

“W-Uh… Huh…?” Lailah looked at the two. Surely this woman wasn’t insinuating what Lailah thought she was.

“In layman’s terms, Miss Collins: You’re sexually attracted to your roommate.”

“W-What?! T-That isn’t true at all! Frank is just a friend! I don’t—No!” Lailah felt like she was about to pass out. Her face flamed red and she wanted to hide under a rock and die. Her attracted to Frank? Not just as a personality, but like… sexually? She couldn’t even begin to— “Ouch!”

“Your mind is attempting to reestablish old connections and find things attractive or sexy again. Since that part of your brain has been asleep for so long, its like trying to spark a rusty wire. It’s causing pain as it tries. It will get better, but… trying to force it away with denial with either keep you in pain or it could cause the brain to give up and shut that part down once again.”

“I don’t mind the latter!” Lailah exclaimed, putting her face in her hands. “I don’t think of Frank like that… We’re just friends!”

“Miss Collins, just because something is pleasing to the eye doesn’t mean you want to take a bite.” Miss Bennett said.

Lailah groaned and kept her head hung and covered her ears, shaking her head. She didn’t even want to think about taking a bite out of anything that had to do with Frank. Another pain ravaged her side. Could someone literally die from embarrassment? If it was possible, she was sure she would do just that.

“No….” Lailah mumbled, groaning from embarrassment and pain.

“I imagine this is a shock.” Doctor Wolfe said. “But what Miss Bennett says is true. Keep your mind clear and take it one step at a time. Knowing what it is can help guide you and within time everything will return to normal.”

You can’t even begin to imagine how big of a shock this is, Doc!

“Keep working with it and be calm.” Amanda Bennett said and smiled. “If the pain gets too much, you can always take some pain medicine. Talking to friends will help as well, just acknowledging this will help coax everything back to normal. Have a good day, ma’am.”

“Drive safe, Miss Collins.” Doctor Wolfe said before leaving the room as well.

Lailah sat in stunned silence for a moment. How? How the hell could they just walk in and tell her that she was sexually attracted to Frank, and that she was just supposed to roll with it. That was terrible advice! If she wanted to keep her friendship with him intact, she couldn’t allow him to know about this at all. There’s no way of telling him this would be thought as okay. He’d probably never be able to look at her the same way again! So, she was just supposed to let her brain run wild with sexy thoughts about her roommate?! No way!

As Lailah got back in her car and buckled up, flipping on the heat she slammed her forehead against the steering wheel. Her mind and emotions were a wreck right now. There’s no way in hell that she could go home and just relax with Frank finding out what she just had. There had to be some way to get her to calm down, even if a bit. She turned on the radio and kept it low for background noise. Hopefully, it would drag her brain from her thoughts. Her eye was starting to twitch with how much she was being overloaded right now. Christmas was a few days away. Maybe she should stop by the mall and get some presents. She could always grab a smoothie from there too. They weren’t as popular during the winter, but that’s what she had heat for in her car.

Lailah pulled a U-turn, ignoring the honking that sounded from all around her and headed towards the mall. She wasn’t sure what she was going to get any of her friends, but she could have time to look. Time around a lot of people wasn’t usually something she went out of her way to do, but everyone’s mindless chatter would make it so much easier to let her mind wander to anything but this. She went inside the mall and started going up and down the walkways and stopping in various shops to look around.

She wasn’t sure how long she was in the mall, but by the time she had calmed down enough to go home, she could see that the sun was starting to descend, but it was still plenty light outside. Lailah took her bags and the smoothies that she had gotten and headed back to her car. The smoothie would be a good apology for taking so long to come home. It wasn’t that Frank kept her to a schedule or anything like that, but she had said she wouldn’t be gone for too long. He was probably worried. She pulled out her phone and instantly felt worse. She had six missed calls from Frank and thirteen messages with the last one reading:

Lailah, I’m starting to get worried… I hope everything’s alright. Please call me.

She clicked her tongue and frowned. Lailah typed a response, letting Frank know that she had lost track of time and was coming home now. She headed towards her home, glad that she had decided to take that pit stop after the hospital as she was a lot calmer now. Exhaling, she pulled into the Promenade and heading over to block J. Nervousness started to creep in and then worry when she saw Julie’s car was gone.

“Dammit, Julie! What the hell?!” She scoffed and parked, grabbing her things, she headed up the stairs and walked inside.

Frank was standing in the kitchen, resting against the counter. She had barely walked in when she saw her friend turn towards her, his brows knitting together. A deep frown was on his face. Desperation filled her, she felt like an elementary school kid who was about to get scolded by her teacher. Clearing her throat, she parted her lips to speak, but Frank clearly had things that he wanted to say.

“Where have you been?” He asked, obviously trying to keep his composure.

“I was at Feng and Yui’s. Then I went to the mall afterwards.”

“Try again.” A voice came from their balcony area. Feng and Yui came inside, each had their arms folded and frowns on their faces as well.

“I—I mean… I… Well fuck…” Lailah sighed and looked down at the carpet.

“Imagine my surprise when I called Feng and Yui to ask if you were having a good time and they tell me…. they haven’t seen you all day!”

“Okay so… I didn’t go to Feng and Yui’s.” Lailah said, looking around on the floor, trying not to let her nervousness show.

“Clearly…” Yui frowned.

“I went to visit my parents.” Lailah sighed. “I know how you feel about me driving in a lot of snow, and you’d worry about me the whole time. I wanted you to focus on feeling better.”

“You must’ve not have snuck out a lot as a kid.” Frank mumbled.

“Uh… no, I didn’t. Why?”

“You honestly think I didn’t call your parents to see if you were there or they’d heard from her?”

“… Uh… no?” Lailah gave an awkward laugh.

“Besides, those bags are from our mall.”

“R-Right…” She cleared her throat and looked up, seeing that Frank had gotten closer.

I can’t tell you the truth. I… I just can’t. I’m too ashamed.

“I uh… I got you a smooth—”

Lailah’s eyes widened when she felt arms wrap around her, pulling her close. Her cheeks went red, and she cleared her throat.

“Fuck the smoothie… you scared me, Lailah.” Frank whispered. “No one knew where you were and I didn’t know what to do. Please… you’re a grown woman and you can go and do whatever, just… at least check in and let me know you’re okay.”

“O-Okay…”

“Good…” Frank pulled from her and pat her head. “So, I’ll take the smoothie now.”

“Where did you go, Lailah?” Yui asked.

“… The mall.”

“You spent all day at the mall?” Feng asked.

“Mhm. I was trying to find the best Christmas gifts for you all.” Feng and Yui stared at her as soon as she handed Frank his smoothie. “Okay… I went to the hospital.”

“The hospital?!” Her friends all exclaimed simultaneously.

“Y-Yeah. I went to see what was wrong with my stomach.” Lailah admitted.

“And, what did they find out?” Frank asked.

Apparently that I wanna bone you.

“… Gas build up.” Lailah squeaked out. “Just have to watch what I eat. Apparently I eat too much greasy food. Like Mexican.”

“Aww bummer.” Frank said, but then smirked as his attention turned back to her. “Hey… thanks for that soup. It really helped.”

“N-No problem…” Lailah groaned in pain. “I’m gonna go put these in my room.”

She retreated to her room and put the bags of presents for her friends in her closet and sat on her bed. Exhaustion hit and she really could just pass out and sleep right now. However, she was hungry, and it was just a difficult situation in general. She felt bad for lying to her friends, but she couldn’t tell them the truth. Especially Frank. The door opened and she looked behind her seeing Yui and Feng coming in.

“H-Hey!” Lailah squeaked, clearing her throat. “Sorry about using you in my lie.”

“Why did you lie about going to the hospital?” Feng asked.

“Just in case something was majorly wrong, I didn’t want to worry you.”

“What really happened?” Yui asked.

“H-Huh?”

“She said gas build up.” Feng said.

“She’s lying.” Yui accused.

“…” Lailah rubbed her hands down her pants.

“Lailah… is something seriously wrong with you?”

“No. No, I’m fine, I promise.” She laughed somewhat awkwardly. “I just…”

“You can tell us.” Feng said, sitting down next to Lailah.

“They said that… part of my brain had just kinda stopped working when it came to sex appeal and finding something attractive after Reynolds. But it’s starting back up. And… And it’s all Frank’s fault.” Lailah put her face in her hands.

“And by Frank’s fault… well that would mean that you find—oh my God!” Feng screamed.

“Oh my God! Shut up!” Lailah covered Feng’s mouth.

“Wow… so, you—… damn.” Yui chuckled.

“But I don’t have feelings for him.” Lailah defended. “I swear… I don’t…”

“Just because you find him sexy doesn’t mean you have to love him.” Feng muttered underneath Lailah’s hand.

“Shush!” She cleared her throat and glared at Feng before letting her go. “… So, do you know why Julie isn’t here? She was supposed to be looking over Frank while I was gone.”

“And she totally was, but Frank couldn’t get ahold of you and started to freak out. So he called us and we came over to try to brainstorm places that you would go. Frank was apparently annoying Julie wanting so desperately to find you. And well… she found out you two kissed at the party.” Feng explained.

“… dammit…” Lailah sighed and looked down. “Was she mad?”

“Livid.” Yui exhaled. “But… when she found out that you were both drunk, she calmed a bit. Apparently she’s kissed Susie and Joey when she was drunk before. Don’t get me wrong, she was still pissed. So she ended up leaving.”

“Made her even angrier that Frank didn’t try to stop her. But, he wasn’t alone, we were here so there’s that.” Feng shrugged. “Good riddance I say.”

“… I hope their relationship isn’t ruined.” Lailah sighed.

“You know, if it is. You find Frank sexy, he finds you sexy… you two could always—”

“I’m gonna put you in the corner!”

“Just a suggestion.” Feng said.

“That I’m going to ignore. Just because I like Frank’s… features doesn’t mean him and I need to or would… do that.” Lailah sighed. “I’m going to make dinner. You guys wanna stay?”

“Nah we’re heading home.” Feng said.

“We just came to keep Frank company and ream you out when you got home, but… I’d kinda feel bad doing that now.” Yui admitted.

“Alright.” Lailah smiled to them and walked them to the door. “See you later!”

When Lailah shut the door, she turned around and saw Frank sitting on the couch sipping at some soup in the bowl she had left for him earlier that day. She took a seat next to him, but felt it was a little too close. Clearing her throat, she stood up again and went to the kitchen. She supposed she could just make more soup or a stew or something like that. There would be no point in making something that could overload Frank’s stomach and get him sick again. Sighing, she looked in the fridge and almost screamed when her phone rang. 

Furrowing her brows, she looked at the caller ID and frowned when she didn’t recognize the number. It was their area code though. Biting her lip, she answered the call, swallowing the nervousness in her throat.

“H-Hello?”

“Miss Collins?”

“Um… who is this?” Lailah asked, her blood getting colder.

“Yes, this is Detective Morgan. We spoke regarding The Legion case a few months back.”

“Oh! Yes, hello again.”

“I was wondering if you’re able to drop by the station.” Detective Morgan said. “A case with a certain Austin Reynolds came over my desk and I need you to come down and identify the man and give your testimony as well.”

“… T-Tonight?”

“Yes ma’am. That would be best.” Detective Morgan said.

“Alright… I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

“Just ask for me at the desk at the front when you get here. Thank you again, Miss Collins.”

“Sure…” 

The line went dead and Lailah looked down at the counter and frowned.

“Lailah?” Frank asked, coming up behind her. “You okay?”

“Yeah… I have to go to the police station to identify Reynolds and give my testimony. Tonight.” Lailah frowned.

Notes:

Well, there you have it. I know that not much went on in this chapter. But Lailah hasn't had a chapter that was purely dedicated mostly to herself in forever--if at all--so I wanted to show Lailah and how she was changing with the news that she was given. Let me know what you think, and as always have a great day or night depending on where you are!

Chapter 25: Tropical Storm

Summary:

Call it a… detective’s hunch.

Notes:

Chapter 25!! Welcome back and thank you all so much for reading this far. I hope you enjoy this chapter as it was more on the difficult side to write for me.

Throughout the years, Lailah had pictured what the day would be like where she could finally assist in putting Reynolds behind bars for the rest of his life like he belonged, but somehow she had conveniently forgotten that she would have to be there across from him only separated by a glass that was supposed to keep the identifier’s own identity secret. Realizing it now made her nauseous. But, it was something that she needed to do. It was something that should’ve been done a long time ago. Because of her, and her inability to testify or tell anyone what happened all those years ago he’d been able to walk around and breathe the same air as free people for too long.

Other than the hospital, this wasn’t how she intended to spend her day at all. Spending the rest of the day at the mall had been too nice and calm. She should’ve known. Things in her life were crazy and she was constantly thrust into different scenarios no one should be put into. Now, she was going to have to go to the police station and hopefully put an end to that chapter of her life and continue forward writing the book and the future chapters that were waiting to be written. A touch on her shoulder startled her from her morbidly depressing thoughts.

“Hey it’s okay.” Frank comforted. A small smile came over Lailah’s face. When he said it like there, it really did feel like it would be okay despite all the reasonings that she had for it to turn south.

“Thanks. Well, I guess that I better head out. Again.”

Throwing on a bra and a hoodie again, she headed back out to the living room. This time though, she was met with a semi-dressed Frank donned with a hoodie as well. A casual smirk was on his face, and she must’ve looked as confused as he felt because he merely dangled his car keys in front of him like he was proving a point. When her brow raised, he scoffed and shook his head. Well excuse her for not being that good at reading body language. It wasn’t really a required skill.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Huh? No, you don’t have to do that.”

“I know.” Frank smirked. “I don’t have to do anything.”

“Frank, you’re just getting over a hangover.” Lailah tried to reason. All the bumps and the snow that was in the road wouldn’t help his stomach and she didn’t want to be in a warm car with puke everywhere in case his stomach couldn’t handle it anymore.

“Correction: your strange soup cured my hangover.”

“You’re resolute, aren’t you?”

“Mm. C’mon.” Frank nodded and headed to his car with Lailah close behind.

Frank immediately turned on the heat and turned most of the vents to her like usual. There had been many times where she had told him that wasn’t necessary, but he had always told her that she got colder faster so he didn’t want a frozen Lailah in the car. He wasn’t wrong. She lost body heat pretty easily and soaked up cold fast while Frank was the exact opposite. It could have something to do with how athletic he was, but truthfully it could just be because he’s him.

During their drive, Frank made no indication that he wasn’t feeling well. Of course, he could be on the verge of puking but he just didn’t want to get her to worry. That would be something he’d do as well. He was a walking enigma as much as he pretended to be an ordinary person. Frank made a turn, and she felt his eyes on her when she sighed. Truthfully, she was glad that Frank had decided to come with her. The last time she’d been alone it was terrifying, but she didn’t want to end up depending on Frank more than she already was.

“Why did you decide to come with?” Lailah asked softly, keeping her eyes on the passing scenery. When he didn’t answer right away, she looked at him. His jaw was clenched and his hands were gripping onto the steering wheel so tightly, his knuckles were turning white. “Frank?”

“The last time I left you alone… he almost got you.” Frank’s words were soft, but held contempt. Not for her; for himself.

“I wouldn’t be—”

“I know.” Frank said, his eyes remaining on the road. “He’s in cuffs. You’re surrounded by police officers who would protect you. So you wouldn’t be alone.”

“… But?” Lailah leaned forward slightly, feeling like there was more that he was reluctant on saying.

“But I wouldn’t be there. I was already not there when you needed me once, I’m not letting it happen again.” Frank explained.

Lailah’s eyes widened and she felt her face flush crimson. Quickly turning her attention to the window, she tried to focus on the passing scenery once more. This whole time he was blaming himself for not being there. She could tell him for the rest of her days that it wasn’t his fault. He wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but his. For so many years she had blamed herself, and even now she would find herself taking blame where she shouldn’t. He’d been helping keep her head above water, the least she could do was attempt to do the same for him. Keeping her eyes on the snowy landscape and its naked trees, she reached over and put her hand over Frank’s that was on the gearshift. She heard a small huff of a laugh, but he said nothing.

A strange feeling rose to her chest. It pulled her chest tight, almost to the point where it was painful to breathe. Fluttering ran rampant in her stomach, not the pain she had been experiencing, but something else completely. It was something that desired to be acknowledged, but was also something that Lailah was terrified of showcasing or even admitting it existed to anyone other than herself. Perhaps, especially to herself. She didn’t know what it was or where it originated, so letting a feeling run unchecked in her body was a recipe for disaster.

The front of the Ormond Police Department came into view and Lailah’s stomach instantly stopped the fluttering. It was replaced with something that felt like a horde of hornets slamming around her, stinging each chance they could get. The first time she had come here, it was to give information and the large front gave her a feeling of protection. Now it felt intimidating. This place wasn’t serving as a place of protection. Now it was serving as a battleground to face down a demon that had been following behind her for most of her life.

“Hey, you ready?” Frank called, having turned the car off.

“… Yeah.”

After informing the woman at the front who they were here to see, both were escorted to the back and to where they could talk with Detective Morgan in private. They were in the same room where Lailah had been when she had given information about The Legion before. She frowned and folded her hands and sat them on the wooden table. Shivers ran down her spine making her cold. The room itself was warm, but her body wasn’t accepting the temperature. Fear made her cold. And the closer it came to the fated hour, the more she felt like she had been dunked in ice water. Lailah clenched her hands together, forcing her teeth to not chatter like they so desperately wanted to. She felt small. Wanted to turn tail and run.

Warmth covered her hands. Unaware that she had even closed her eyes, she blinked when they opened and saw that Frank’s large hand was over her folded ones. When she looked over at him, he merely squeezed her hands. It was a rather simple way to convey such a big message, but she got it loud and clear. He was there. For her. Even though it wasn’t his job, he would make sure that she was safe and well taken care of. Without him even having to utter the words, she knew that he would try to protect her.

Thank you, Frank.

The door opened and Lailah looked to see Detective Morgan walking in with three cups of coffee and a file tucked underneath his arm. He placed a cup in front of each of them and then took a seat across from her. Lailah scrunched up her nose remembering how the coffee tasted when she was here the first time. A chuckle came from across the table and she saw that Detective Morgan had noticed her face. Clearing her throat, she wrapped her hands around the cup. At least it could be a hand warmer.

“We got an intern, Lucy. She makes some pretty damn good coffee.” He said and smiled when Lailah took a reluctant sip of the coffee and brightened. It really was good. A complete 180 from how it had been the first time. Detective Morgan’s attention turned to Frank and his demeanor went slightly sour. “Morrison. I have to say, I didn’t expect you to walk in here with her.”

“That an issue, Officer Morgan?” Frank’s voice was just as cold as Morgan’s.

“Detective.”

“Heh… pearls on a pig.” He muttered, taking a sip of coffee and starting to choke. His nose scrunched up and he looked down at the liquid in his cup.

“I don’t like throwing coffee away. So I emptied the old pot first then had Lucy make another pot.” Detective Morgan took a sip of his coffee and gave a side smirk to Frank.

Lailah looked between the two. Despite the hostile tone between cop and civilian, neither made a move to instigate something more. Frank had commented that he was the reason that Morgan had gotten his promotion, so maybe they had some strange sort of civil affinity for one another. She’d be lying if she said that the air in the room wasn’t tense with both of them being here, but they must’ve been able to put some differences aside, because Detective Morgan still allowed Frank to remain in the room with her when he could’ve easily kicked her friend out and told him to leave the whole premises.

“I don’t take back my earlier comment.” Frank muttered, reaching over and taking a sip from Lailah’s cup of coffee and shivering off what was most likely a glob of disgusting gloop by the time Frank had gotten it.

“Ever the iconoclast.”

“Call me what you will.” Frank scoffed. “You wanted Lailah down here tonight.”

Detective Morgan looked from Frank with that sour expression which immediately turned into a smile when he looked at her. Once Detective Morgan opened his folder, he took out a pen and marked some things down on a paper. Frank was reaching over drinking some more of her coffee. Normally she would’ve gotten aggravated that he was trying to down all her drink when he had some, but Lailah knew what that slop that was called “coffee” tasted like before. Not to mention, her mind was trying to become focused on what she would inevitably have to do that night.

“We got a call a couple nights ago about an attempted rape and assault at 128 Magnolia Avenue. The suspect Austin Reynolds confessed to assault and also that he planned to rape the individual had he not been stopped.” Detective Morgan read from the file and looked at Lailah who felt like she wanted to vomit. Had it not been for Frank, he would’ve raped her again. She would’ve been just as powerless as back then. “He confessed that the woman he was attacking was you, Lailah Collins.”

“…” Lailah squeezed her hands together. “Y-Yes… that’s right.”

“Would you please give your testimony as to what happened that night?”

“Frank took me to the gala. We were having a good time, but his coach called a meeting for all the team. That left me with time to myself. I had never been to one of these before and didn’t know anyone there, so I decided to grab some more food and maybe just look around the venue. Someone called my name and when I looked it…”

“It was him?”

“Mhm. He was surprised it was me. He asked if I was excited to see him. I wanted to yell at him and tell him there was no way in hell I’d be happy to see him, but I was so shocked I couldn’t move. As if I’d forgotten who he was, he told me ‘It’s me, Mr. Reynolds. Austin Reynolds’. I knew I had to get out of there, but I really had no idea where to go. I… I started crying.” Lailah stammered, huddling into herself. A comforting squeeze on her hand spurred her along. The sooner that she told this, the sooner he could be put away and Lailah could get back to her life. “I figured if I kept him talking then he wouldn’t be able to hurt me. It’s stupid, I know, because he can talk and hurt at the same time… But, I was desperate. I asked him why he was there. Apparently he’s one of Frank’s teammates’ uncles.”

“Small world.” Detective Morgan commented, jotting down more notes in the folder.

“He said that he hadn’t originally wanted to come. But now, he was glad that he did. I… I felt like puking and like I couldn’t breathe. So I turned and ran into a hallway that was by the dining room. I hadn’t been to that part of the house before, so I stopped for a second to see if I could find a door. Then he grabbed me, pulled at my wrist so hard that I screamed out, and shoved me against the corner of the wall. The wood dug into my shoulder, and I knew that it wasn’t a dream despite how much I was praying that it was.” Lailah’s voice wavered.

“Then what happened?” Detective Morgan asked softly.

“He said I was just as beautiful as he remembered. He reached out and touched my face, but I smacked his hand away, and he called it a new streak of feistiness.” Lailah looked over as she saw movement from the corner of her eyes and saw Frank was bouncing his leg. During this whole time, he was probably sitting talking about basketball. “I begged him to just not touch me. I couldn’t deal with it.”

“I see.” Morgan said as he finished marking something in his chart and turned his attention back to Lailah. “Continue when you’re ready.”

“He said that I’d grown into a beautiful woman. The way he looked at me… it was disgusting. He called the dress I was wearing “breathtakingly revealing”. It… It wasn’t though. It went down to my knees and had a strap. I—”

“It doesn’t matter what you were wearing, Lailah!” Frank chimed in.

“Morrison is right. Wrong is wrong.” Detective Morgan nodded.

“He tried to pull down my strap and moved on my shoulder and collarbone, but I ended up pulling it back up. It ripped, but I didn’t care. In a last ditch effort, I ended up slamming my forehead against his and he backed up. I ran further down the hallway and ran out of the closest door. It led out to the back patio. I twisted my ankle slightly. There was no way out, and I realized I’d backed myself into a corner. I could’ve tried to vault over the fence, but with my ankle… it wouldn’t have mattered.” Lailah exhaled.

“You’re right. You would have most likely fallen if it hurt to put pressure on it.” Detective Morgan concluded, crossing something on the paper.

“He said he didn’t understand why I was resisting since he said he knew I wanted him. Just… He said that I wanted him now like I wanted him then.”

“You’re referring to back when your first claim was made against Austin Reynolds, yes?”

“… Yes. I never wanted him. I never will. I was thirteen years old. He was my teacher. He said that’s what he did… he taught. While to him ‘age is just a number’. He forced himself on me, and I pushed and scratched. But he’s taller and my ankle—”

“You said you scratched?” Detective Morgan perked up.

“Um… yes, I did.”

“Did any of those scratches happen to hit?”

“I uh… I think so.” Lailah blinked. “I was just flailing at that point if I’m being honest.”

“That’s good news. It says here that Morrison intervened about that time.”

“Yes… Frank found us and pulled him off me and—”

“I beat him.” Frank added. “Badly.”

“Mm…” Detective Morgan nodded, writing in the folder. “You’re sure that Miss Collins’ life was in danger?”

“Yes.” Frank retorted without hesitation.

“Good. Good. Alright. You were taken home then, yes?”

“Y-Yes, Sir.” Lailah nodded.

“So with Austin Reynolds testimony matching up rather well with yours, and the incidents coinciding with what the other witnesses saw, I’d say we’re pretty solid. I’m going to need you to come with me and make a positive identification. Then, I’m going to hand you over to Andrea who’s going to see if she can find anything under your fingernails.”

“My fingernails?” Lailah blinked and then brightened. “Oh! I see… okay.”

“Good. Follow me.”

Lailah and Frank both got up and Detective Morgan smiled and led the two into a large room. Through the window looking mirror, she was able to see a room where the suspects would be brought in soon. Her stomach was starting to bubble and Lailah felt like passing out. Her testimony was solid, she knew what he looked like, but just seeing him here so close again wasn’t boding well. She had missed the signal to mentally prepare and one by one man started to file in. It was disgusting to think that there five other people who had similar features to Austin Reynolds, but also that were charged with the same thing. While she could only call out the one, true Austin Reynolds, she prayed with everything that she was that all the people in front of her would answer for the crimes that they committed.

“Take your time and—”

“Four.” Lailah interrupted, her conviction solid.

“Number four would you step forward?” The man called on the mic.

“Is—” Detective Morgan began once again, but Lailah knew.

“Yes. 100%.”

Austin Reynolds looked up from the spot where he was at and even though he wasn’t supposed to see where Lailah was, he looked directly at her. They even locked eye contact. His bruised and battered face still managed a smirk as he stared at her. Her stomach flipped and Frank wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, and over to the other side. Reynolds continued to stare where she had been. She felt like she was going to see that face in her dreams for a while.

“Thank you.” Lailah whispered breathlessly.

“Of course.”

A young woman a few years older than her and Frank came in. She exuded a confidence that Lailah was extremely jealous of. Detective Morgan gestured to the woman who had her hands clasped in front of her.

“This is Andrea. She’s going to be doing your test.” Morgan said and turned to Frank. “You and I need to talk.”

“… ‘kay.” Frank let go of Lailah. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

Lailah was led out of the room and Andrea guided her around the confusing building with ease to where she stayed. She hoped that there was some semblance of DNA still under her fingernails from where she scratched him. A defense attorney would try to make it seem like he was the victim being falsely accused. If there was that much evidence against him, then it would most likely be a closed case. Andrea led her to a comfortable chair and had her set down. The room was colder than the rest of the building with tools and machines around that she didn’t recognize nor could deduce their purpose. Andrea readied herself nad pulled her tools out of the drawers, unwrapping them and throwing the wrappers away.

On each of her nails, she felt and heard scratching with a wooden applicator and then with wooden swabs. In total, each of her nails had been taken from in a total of three forms; wooden applicator, wet swab, and dry swab. Andrea made a small sound when she got something from the middle right finger. Each time, it was placed in containment applicators that were labeled which finger it came from. Her right thumb started to bleed for which Andrea profusely apologized. It hadn’t hurt, so Lailah didn’t really mind. However, Andrea managed to bandage her all the while apologizing. Afterwards, she sat the evidence in a labeled container.

“Alrighty! Let’s get you back up there with your friend. I’m sure he’s worried about you.” Andrea smiled and guided Lailah once more through the winding pathways back to the lobby. “I’m sorry again.”

“It’s okay.” Lailah assured and when the woman disappeared, she headed over to where Frank and Detective Morgan were at.

It looked like Frank was being yelled at. Detective Morgan slammed his hands down on the table where they were sitting. Frank scoffed and shook his head. Whatever Morgan said seemed to grate on Frank’s nerves as he started yelling once more. Lailah was wondering what the hell they could be yelling about. Was it something with their shared past? Frank shook his head and slammed his hands on the table as well. He sighed and shook his head again, looking down. Detective Morgan stood to his full height and ran his fingers through his hair. Whatever he said to Frank made him look out and then stand fully seeing her there. Detective Morgan followed Frank’s look and said something. Frank huffed a laugh and sighed with a nod, responding to whatever was said. She looked over at Detective Morgan who gestured for her to enter.

“Lailah. I can’t thank you enough for stopping by on such short notice.” Detective Morgan said.

“Of… Of course.” Lailah looked between the two, but neither made any indication that they were going to tell her about what the screaming match was about.

“If we need anything else, we’ll let you know. You’re free to go.”

“Thank you.” Lailah said and left with Frank.

What the hell were they arguing about? It was the most that she’d seen either of them heated. From the look they had when she arrived, she couldn’t help but wonder if some of it had to do with her. After everything that she had gone through tonight, she was wondering if it still wasn’t good enough. Would Austin Reynolds still be able to breathe fresh and free air even after all this? What was that smirk that he had given her when she had picked him from the lineup? There’s no way he would be able to get out of this, was there? Sighing, she leaned back and yawned.

“Tired?” Frank asked.

“No, I was practicing my low notes. Did they sound okay?”

“Heh… smart ass. Hey, I don’t think you’ve eaten all day. You hungry?”

“Can we just get some fast food? I’m super tired and just want to eat and sleep.”

“Sounds good.”

Lailah leaned her head against her seat and yawned again. Closing her eyes, she relaxed in the car and in Frank’s presence. Tapping came on her shoulder and she opened her eyes and looked around. Frank was holding her food in his hands. Rubbing her eyes, she reached for the warm bag and thanked him before she started digging in. She couldn’t believe that she fell asleep that quick. Her mind had been on overdrive the whole day and now that she was heading home and she could just relax and sleep when she got there, all the adrenaline and terror from the day was seeping from her body. Lailah ate at her food silently thanking Frank for getting her favorite and at least letting her grab a quick nap.

She munched at her food and by the time they reached their apartment; she had finished her food. Giving a loud yawn, she rubbed her eyes. Frank laughed and patted her head. He parked, turned off the car, and headed up the stairs. At the door, Frank grabbed the knob, and the door swung open. Lailah froze and looked at their apartment. It was completely trashed. The kotatsu was knocked over and the TV was on the floor screen side down. Lailah gasped and covered her mouth. Frank frowned and without taking his eyes from the apartment, he reached in his pocket and handed Lailah the keys.

“Go wait in the car.” He instructed.

“But—”

“Go!” Frank’s urgency was like an aura as his hushed whisper came through clenched teeth. She nodded and went back down the steps. Lailah got into the car and shut the door, instantly locking them.

Eventually, she turned the car on and turned the heat on. Frank was gone in there for a while. No one had come out of their apartment and she hadn’t heard any gunshots. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she exhaled a soft sigh. What the hell was up with today?! Someone had ransacked their apartment? For what? They weren’t the richest people around, so what the hell could they be looking for? What if Frank was lying on the floor of one of their rooms bleeding out because he had been taken by surprise and stabbed? Lailah took out her cellphone and was about to dial the police when she saw Frank motioning for her to come inside. She exhaled a deep sigh and after turning the car off and locking it, she walked inside.

“I don’t think they stole anything.” Frank said. “But I don’t know all your possessions.”

“… Right.” Lailah walked into her completely messed up room and looked around. It didn’t look like anything was stolen, like Frank said. It mostly looked like everything had been thrown around. If they didn’t have carpet in the rooms, she was sure that some of her things would be broken. “Nothing stolen that I can see…”

“I’m going to call the police.” Frank said.

Within half an hour, Detective Morgan arrived on the scene with some investigators. When he came up the stairs and knocked on the door, he smirked upon seeing them again.

“Maybe I should just bunk with you guys since we seem to be seeing more and more of each other lately.” Morgan said and went inside, putting on some gloves. “Do you see anything missing?”

“No.” Lailah said as they started at the living room. 

Room by room, Detective Morgan and his team looked around and dusted, collecting things that could potentially have belonged to the robber or items that could have been touched or otherwise have DNA on them. Sighing, she hugged herself. After the living room had been investigated, Frank moved the couch so that they could sit on it. She put her face in her hands and just wanted to break down and cry. Why them? Out of all the apartments in the Promenade, why the hell did they have to strike here? Lailah could only think that she was so glad that they hadn’t come home while it was in progress or been home when they broke in.

“Do you think I could get some coffee?” Detective Morgan asked.

“Oh… yes. Of course.” Lailah said and moved around the kitchen that they had already investigated. With everything disorganized, she had a hard time gathering everything that she needed. But about five minutes later, she handed Detective Morgan a cup of coffee.

“Maybe we should’ve made you our intern. You make better coffee than Lucy. And that’s a big compliment. I’m very particular about my coffee.” Detective Morgan smiled. “Did you notice anything strange?”

“Just that when Frank tried to open the door, it wasn’t locked like we left it and it just swung open.” Lailah explained.

“And Morrison… you said no one was inside?”

“Uh… clearly. Or they’d probably be dead. Or I would be. Either way, you wouldn’t casually be drinking coffee.” Frank huffed.

“On the contrary, it’s when a case takes an unexpected turn that coffee is best required.”

“So you’d be drinking a cup of coffee right next to a dead body?” Lailah asked.

“Bean juice keeps ideas flowing, Miss Collins.”

He… really is unbelievable out in the field. And, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing…

“I-I see…”

“Weirdo…” Frank scoffed.

“I’m gonna be frank with you,” Detective Morgan said and then stopped. “no offense meant to present company. I don’t think this break-in was random. However, I have no evidence of that. Call it a… detective’s hunch.”

“So what do you have evidence of?” Frank asked.

“As of right now, I don’t think this was meant to be a robbery. I think it was meant as a scare tactic. For whatever reason, I can’t say. Unfortunately, it seems they know what they’re doing because we’ve found next to nothing. But, I do love a challenge.” Detective Morgan drank the rest of his coffee and handed the cup to Lailah’s awaiting hands. “Thank you, Miss Collins. We’ll be in touch if we find anything out of the ordinary with what we’ve collected.”

“Alright. Thank you, Sir.”

The police left and Lailah put the coffee cup in the sink and sighed, looking over at Frank. Their apartment was a complete disaster. She couldn’t go to sleep with it like this as much as she wanted to.

“Let’s pick up what we can quickly and we’ll do the rest tomorrow.” Frank suggested.

“Deal.”

By the time they were completely done with all the cleanup that they planned on doing, it was well late into the night and on the little reaches of the morning. She sighed and stretched, listening to her back pop. The pot of coffee that she had made for Detective Morgan was completely gone now between Frank and Lailah cleaning up their apartment and trying to stay awake. She didn’t even have the energy for a shower. All she could do was thank Frank again for accompanying her to the police department and heading back to her room and plopping onto her bed with her blanket and pillow she had retrieved from the living room. Had this happened in the middle of the day, she was sure that she would’ve had a hard time going to sleep, but, with how exhausted she was, it was almost instantaneous after she got comfortable.

Notes:

There you have it! I will admit that it isn't one of the best chapters that I've put out, but it had to be done. I hope that you enjoyed it and as always, let me know what you think!

Chapter 26: Desperation in Winter

Summary:

“It was quite an eventful day.”

“Sure was.”

Notes:

Hello!! Contrary to what it might seem like, I am in fact not dead. I HAVE been gone for a while but before you grab the pitchforks and torches and are ready to lynch me, lemme explain what's been going on in my life:

First of all, school started. Before it started, I was having issues with the financial aid people and I had to put most of my time and energy to making sure that I would have no issues with joining the new semester. It started about four days ago and I'm well on my way to having no issues this semester. THANKFULLY, everything is going good and I'll be graduating soon.

Secondly, those of you that have been following Bruises and Bitemarks since the beginning (or have read the author's notes) potentially remember that I was pregnant and then my boyfriend I ended up losing our baby. As you know we were having issues with moving on easily, and I ended up blaming myself (sometimes I still do). Well, a little bit after, we found out we were blessed with another baby on the way! We're blessed with a beautiful baby girl that we've named Athena Raye. She's due December 27th and I've been going through doctor's appointments and ultrasounds. It's been tiring, but everything is going well. Athena is extremely active and healthy. Slightly worried that I might have a repeat of what happened before, I didn't want to say anything, but we're almost 22 weeks in, and I felt confident enough that everything is going well enough to tell you guys.

I am rusty with writing since I've been dealing with my pregnancy and my schooling. Hopefully you still like the chapter that I have put out there for you. I definitely think about you fans all the time. And I have been trying to figure out just what I wanted to bring to you. Well, enough talking! I hope you enjoy it!

When Lailah opened her eyes, the sun was trying to burn her curtains to reach her. With how much her body was aching as she moved, she could assume that she hadn’t moved all night after finally clocking out. Wiping crusted drool from her face, she leaned over and checked her phone. It was well on its way to being mid afternoon. There was hardly any chance of her falling asleep that night. Yawning, she laid back on her pillow and scrolled through the notifications that were showing up; dismissing most of them as they were just alerting her to things her friends did or said on social media.

Pushing herself up, she headed into the bathroom and then out to the living room to find it… completely empty. Furrowing her brows, her tired brain started working harder in its blurred state. Frank wasn’t anywhere in the living room. She checked the couch just to be sure, but he wasn’t there either. The apartment seemed so cold and lonely without him wandering around and making things just inherently more aggravating for her. Bracing herself, she peeked outside and saw his car was still there. Lailah rubbed her eyes and went over to her roommate’s door. Did she really get up before Frank? She could probably count on one hand how many times she had done that since she had moved in with him.

Gnawing at her lip, she looked around. They had worked late last night and into the morning cleaning up after the robbers. Should she really wake up him just so he could be up roaming around the apartment? She sighed and lowered her balled up fist. Frank had been there for her so much over the past few days, that she couldn’t bring herself to be an annoying burden and wake up her friend. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair and turned away form his room. Okay. She was all alone while her friend was sleeping. Sighing, she looked around the apartment trying to find something to do. She could always go back to sleep? No… it was going to be hard enough as it was to get to sleep that night. Continuing to bite at her lip, she stopped.

Heading back into her room, she gathered everything she got from the mall yesterday and walked back out to the living room. It was true that she could do it in her room, but with the way she was when she started, more room was necessary than what her own floor could give her. Bit by bit, Lailah grabbed presents from the bags that she had stored in her closet and started measuring the wrapping paper. Christmas was only a couple days away and if she didn’t start wrapping the presents she knew that she would never get them done.

As she cut the paper to put around her parents’ gifts, she began to wonder how her Christmas would play out. Of course she wanted to spend time with her parents, after all, it was Christmas. But there were people that she wanted to spend time with here at Ormond as well; Feng Min, Yui, and of course Frank. There were only 24 hours in a day and she knew that her parents would end up taking most of her day because time seemed to fly when they were together and it had been so long since she’d actually returned home to spend time with them. Taping together the edges, she wrote on the little tags as to which gift was for who and set it to the side.

“That’s a pretty big box. Whatcha got there?” A voice came from behind her.

“Just your Christmas present.” Lailah said as she cut the paper.

“Oh that’s ni—” Lailah interrupted the voice with a gasp and she flung her body over the large box that was sitting on the floor.

“Don’t look!” She exclaimed, shielding the box like a shell protects the turtle. The laughter that came from behind her caused her to huddle into the box even more, tucking her cheek against the side so that Frank wouldn’t be able to see anything. Footsteps went further away and she heard him moving behind her in the kitchen. She turned and looked at him, just as she did his eyes moved and he cleared his throat and opened the fridge, pointedly looking around. “What are you doing?”

“Getting breakfast.” Frank said, clearing his throat.

“Go back to your room for a minute!”

“Huh? Why?”

“So I can move this back to my room.” Lailah scoffed.

“I’m not even looking!” Frank protested. “And I’m super hungry!”

Lailah groaned, maneuvering in a strange way so that she could shove the box underneath her shirt. She shoved it as high as it would go and pulled her shirt down slightly so that he wouldn’t be able to see anything. The laughter that came from behind her made her huff.

“You said you weren’t looking, you liar!” Frank didn’t answer her with words, but merely continued to laugh as she headed to her room and closed the door behind her and tossed the box on her bed and sighed.

Groaning, she stormed back out to the living room and picked up everything that was there, glaring at her laughing roommate the whole time. He was trying to hide it from behind his cup, but she could see the corners of his eyes crinkled and his cheeks were raised. For the first time in a while, she wanted to punch him in his face. Huffing again, she continued to pick up her mess and let out a yelp, dropping everything to the ground in a semi mind altering mess.

Almost instantly, Frank was at her side and looking her over. She held onto her hand and a long line of red was across her palm. Somehow she managed to cut herself on the stupid scissors that she had been using for cutting the paper. He grabbed onto her other hand and pulled her into the kitchen and over to the sink. How did she manage to cut herself that bad on scissors? It felt like Frank was always cleaning up after her. Truthfully, Frank was the one that needed her patching him up more often than not, but still. She couldn’t help but feel bad whenever he helped her out.

“Geez… no need to be so jumpy, Lailah.” Frank said and turned the water on, holding onto her hand as he gently rinsed off the blood pooling in her palm.

“Yeah, I… I just didn’t want you to see the present.” Lailah sighed and looked over at him. His hair was messed up and sticking up in places and his shirt was slightly askew. Frank’s face was a little red, and she was wondering if he was getting a fever. Many people’s immune systems went down in the winter.

“You dork. I wouldn’t do anything to ruin the surprise you had in store. I just can’t resist riling you up. You’re cute when you freak out.” Both of them froze and Lailah’s eyes widened.

“C-Cute?”

“Y-Yeah, you know. L-Like an excited Pomeranian.”

“P-Pomeranian?! A dog?!” Lailah scoffed.

“See, like that.” Frank said.

“You—!” She pulled her hand from his and pouted.

“Did you want me to find you cute in a uh… different way?” Frank asked, his voice slightly lower.

“W-W-What?!” Lailah exclaimed. “No! God no, just—”

“I know. I’m just messing with you. Here.” Frank said and handed her a few paper towels all bundled up. “It won’t need any stitches, so just hold this on there until the bleeding stops. ‘kay?”

“Yeah.”

“Since I riled you up, how about I make some breakfast?” Frank smiled.

“That sounds good.” Lailah smiled slightly awkward. “Hey—”

“Don’t apologize. I just can’t help riling you up sometimes. Sit down and I’ll make breakfast.”

Lailah wanted to say something more, but she wasn’t sure what to say. Internally sighing, she headed to the kotatsu and turned it on with her pinky before sitting underneath it and turning on the TV. The sizzling of whatever Frank was doing in the kitchen kept on the forefront of her mind despite her wanting to keep her focus on the show that was playing. It was sweet that Frank was willing to make breakfast for her even though he had just woken up. Maybe it was something to do with the routine that they had passively come up with.

Just as one of the commercials ended and the show came back on, a plate was set down in front of her along with a glass of orange juice. Her eyes traveled upwards and was met with a… rather stunning smile from her friend. One of these days, she hoped that she would be able to do something for him to show him just how much everything that he did meant to her. Frank took a seat next to her with a plate that almost mirrored hers except less hash browns and more eggs. Lailah parted her lips to thank him when a jingle came from the other room.

“Fucking hell…” Lailah mumbled and got up and headed back to her room where her phone was ringing. It dawned on her that the ringtone was custom. And it belonged to. “Feng! Hey!”

“Hey, are you busy?”

“Uh, sort of. I was just sitting down to eat breakfast. Why? Is everything okay?”

“No. I mean yes, but no. Kind of.” Feng rambled. The commotion behind her was reminiscent of Black Friday’s opening.

“Feng, I need you to talk to me.”

“We’re absolutely swamped today. Like, we’re usually busy this time of year. But this is crazy. I know you weren’t supposed to be working to—”

“Excuse me ma’am… can I place my order now?” A timid voice came from behind.

“O-Oh yes, I’m sor—”

“I got it, Feng.” Yui called from the background.

“I can come in.” Lailah gave a small laugh when Feng exhaled a sound of excitement and relief. “I’ll be there as soon as I get done with breakfast.”

“Oh. Okay. Good—”

“Ma’am?” Another calm voice came from behind Feng.

“Bring Frank too!” Feng said before she hung up.

What? Frank?

Lailah looked at her phone and blinked for a moment. Had she heard her friend wrong? In the midst of all the commotion in the background, it was possible. However, she kept repeating the last bit of the conversation in her head and no matter what she thought, there was no way in hell that she could come up with anything else with other than “bring Frank too”. What the hell was Frank supposed to do? Shaking her head, she headed back out to the living room where her friend was awaiting her return.

SItting down, she started on her food which had gotten slightly colder during their conversation. However, it was still edible. Halfway through her eggs, she sighed and shook her head. Frank didn’t ask, but she could tell that he was curious with what had been discussed. Lailah sighed and looked over at Frank,

“They’re slammed down at the tea shop.” Lailah explained.

“So you’re going down there?”

“Yeah. Feng called and they really needed the help.”

“Oh I see.” 

“And, you’re coming with me.” Lailah said.

“Me?” Frank asked, furrowing his brows. “Why?”

“I dunno. Feng said ‘bring Frank too’. But she didn’t have a chance to tell me why.”

“Alright. I’ll go.” Frank sighed. “Only cause I’m curious.”

Lailah and Frank ate in silence and once they were done, Lailah gathered all the dishes and sat them in the sink. She pointed to the rooms with a mouth full of the last bit of orange juice. Frank snorted a laugh, but he went to his room to get dressed. She headed to her own room, swallowing her orange juice and got dressed. They walked out almost simultaneously, giving each other a smile as they headed towards the door.

“Let’s walk.” Lailah said seeing Frank reaching for his keys.

“What? Why?” His nose scrunched up.

“Well, we don’t live that far away at all, and it’ll work off the food that we just made.”

“Lailah. It’s like 6 degrees outside.” Frank laughed. “And you’re colder than your average human normally.”

“Mm. True…” She said, leaving and locking the door behind her.

The cold bit through her as a breeze blew by. She pulled her jacket tighter around her and leaned closer to Frank. A snort came from him, but she didn’t even give it any attention. She raced down the steps and to the passenger’s side of Frank’s car. She bounced in place, ignoring the laughter from her friend as he unlocked the car door and she scampered in. Frank turned the heat on the exact moment that he turned the car on and turned a couple more vents towards her. 

In no time at all, they arrived at Tea You Later, but they had to park in the next parking lot. There was a line that was out of the door. It was truly the most busy she had ever seen the tea shop. How the hell? Where the hell did they come from? Lailah and Frank walked inside, politely moving past a couple people and ignoring a couple people that screamed that they were “cutting”.

Feng waved at the two and smiled bright. Lailah held onto Frank’s hand and guided him towards the register and went behind it. Feng looked so happy to see the both of them and Lailah was almost positive she could see the weight falling off her friend’s shoulders. Yui came from the back and a smile graced her face as well seeing the two. She never would’ve thought that her and Frank would be so happy to be seen.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” Yui said. “Sorry to ask you to come too, Frank.”

“It’s no problem. I’m just confused as to why you needed me here.”

“I need an extra set of hands to help around here.” Yui explained.

“Ugh… I was afraid you’d say that.” Frank put his hands in his pockets. “I was hoping for some free food or something.”

“We just ate!” Lailah said.

“Shh! They didn’t need to know that!” Frank scoffed. “Anyway, I don’t think I can be too much help. I’m not sure how the hell to make anything that you guys make here.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Yui said, as Feng made change for the customer in front of her. “You’re not going to be making anything. You’re going to be delivering.”

“Come again?” Frank raised his brows.

“Yui needs you to get the orders of the people outside and have them pay with the portable thing that she’s gonna give you. I can print the tickets and give them to Lailah and Yui and that way they don’t have to leave the kitchen and we can keep this going.” Feng explained quickly.

“I suppose I can swing that…” Frank sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Good.” Yui said and reached into her pocket and handed Frank a pad and something that attached to the edge. This was most likely the portable payment method that Feng had been talking about. “Now go.”

“I-I don’t really…” Frank trailed off, looking at the portable payment method in his hands.

“It’ll be fine. Besides, you can be eye candy outside for the women standing in the cold.” Feng said.

“W-Wait, what?”

“Go!” Feng pushed Frank towards the door where he started talking to customers.

Lailah was pulled into the kitchen by Yui and they instantly started working on the tickets that were stacked in the back. They were completely overwhelmed. It was no wonder that they were called in for help. She grabbed half the tickets and with an unspoken understanding, she started working on the drinks while Yui was taking care of the pastries and other food. Whoever was done first, the other would place the bag on the other side. Whoever got it last would staple the ticket to show the completion, then finally it would be delivered.

Just as they were starting to put a dent in the tickets that were hanging, more started printing out. Lailah heard as Yui ripped them from the machine and divided them evenly between them. These must be the ones that Frank had gotten from the customers outside. He seemed a little confused at first, but it seemed he had the spirit. She could just picture him being super awkward outside trying to deal with people and potentially giving some snarky customers a taste of their own medicine. The thoughts just brought a smile to her face.

The tickets began to dwindle down to where they were more managable, and Lailah wasn’t sweating from moving everywhere at her station. Her hand was cramping from the machine where she sealed the boba teas. The tips of her fingers were burnt by accidentally dropping a lot of the liquid onto them a couple times. There was no doubt that there would be blisters. It was true that they could just tell the customers that they were working as fast as possible, but Tea You Later prided itself on extremely fast and precise service. Having Yui being native to Japan seemed to leave her with wanting pher customers to have that same sort of service. As endearing as that was, it made Lailah feel like her fingers were going to fall off.

Frank came to the back and looked like he was ready to pass out. Lailah was almost positive that she could see the icicles forming on his face. She smiled gently and before he could open his mouth and say anything, Yui handed him a couple bags.

“These are orders for people that were outside. Go ahead and deliver them.”

“U-Uh… How do—”

“There’s a number at the top. Call that number.” Lailah explained, sealing another boba tea and handed the cup to him. “Here, this is for you. Yui doesn’t mind, do you?”

“Nope. Now hurry.”

“Y-Yes!!” Frank nodded and headed back to the lobby and she smiled as she heard him stumbling over the order numbers.

Lailah would be lying if she said that she had a good grasp of time during the shift there. She hardly moved from the spot that she was standing at. A couple times she had to break for the bathroom, and the whole time she felt terrible. Yui and Feng didn’t mind, but she minded because she felt like she wasn’t being the best that she could be and her departure would make things more difficult for them.

She tried her hardest working at the boba station. Order after order, minute after minute passed and clicking her tongue, she started bandaging her cut finger as another string of orders came in. Lailah couldn’t believe the influx of customers that they had right now. In the entire time she had worked here, this was the most that she had ever seen. Honestly, she would give anything to go back to the days of what she had once considered “busy”. This was something that while she was happy that Tea You Later was getting more exposure, at this rate, they would need to hire more people.

“Finally!” Lailah exclaimed as they sent the last order out.

Due to all the people being cluster fucked by the door and right outside the door, having the lobby filled… they had stayed open a few hours passed what they normally would be open. Lailah exhaled and slammed the seal down on another cup and just as harsh slammed another straw in it and gave a victory sip. It was hard to believe that they had been able to do this. Lailah stumbled out with Yui to the now empty lobby and the group collapsed on the large booth in the back.

“Frank had to use the bathroom.” Feng said, her forehead against the glass. One of them would have to clean that smudge later, but right now… none of them seemed to care about it.

“Holy. Shit.” All three girls turned and looked at Frank.

“Holy shit is right…” Feng mumbled. “Ouch!”

Frank had discarded his sweater and his shirt to reveal the tank top underneath. Lailah groaned as a pain tore through her abdomen. Instantly, her face flamed red and she turned to face forward, ignoring the laughter from her friends. How could she tell Feng and Yui about what the doctor had said. Now they’re always going to know when Lailah thought something was… “sexually attractive”. Thankfully, she hadn’t divulged the information to Frank.

“I’m getting paid for this, right?” Frank said as he plopped down next to Yui and across from Lailah.

“You know you will.” Yui said with a small laugh. “But, thank you for coming to help us, Frank.”

“No problem…” Frank muttered and looked over at Lailah, giving her a smile that she couldn’t help but return.

“Any idea where all these people came from?” Lailah asked.

“None. Maybe there was something that was going on in town and everyone was there?” Feng suggested with a shrug.

“No clue, but one thing is for sure… whatever it is… I’m thankful for it.” Yui said.

Lailah looked at her friends and chuckled. They were really a strange group of people. Something dawned on her and she blinked. She could’ve brought the presents that she had wrapped for her friends. Honestly, she hadn’t even thought about it. She rubbed the back of her neck.

“Do you guys have any plans for Christmas?” She asked awkwardly.

“No, not really. We’re open for a couple hours and I was going to work them.” Yui explained.

“I was just going to work too.”

“What about… your families?” Frank asked.

“… I’ll call my grandmother, but… my parents don’t want to have anything to do with me since I became a street racer.” Yui said softly.

“My parents have practically disowned me since I became an e-gamer. After all, they wanted me to be something stupid like a doctor or an engineer. We don’t really talk anymore.” Feng gave a short laugh and shrugged.

“Well… you could always come to our place for Christmas. I’m going to visit my parents in the morning, but I’ll be back in the afternoon.” Lailah said. “That way I can give you the gifts that I have for you two.”

“You got us something?” Feng looked surprised.

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“Of course she got you something. You two are her best friends.”

“Does that sound okay? Having you two come over? I can’t promise anything amazing or spectacular, but… we can have some fun.” Lailah said awkwardly.

“Of course!” Feng exclaimed. “We’ll bring over some food!”

“You gonna be there too, Frank.”

“Yeah, later. I have to visit my parents. They’ll be pissed if I don’t and I think David would kick my ass if I didn’t drop by.”

“Oh shit.” Yui said softly.

“What?”

“His parents still think you’re dating… won’t it be weird to not at least go visit them as well?”

Lailah and Frank looked at each other. Yui made a point. They hadn’t even thought of that. Dwight was a sensitive person, so if Lailah didn’t at least show up then he would be really distraught. To make things easier, maybe she could go to her parents and then she could come back, then go over to his parents house. That would take too much time. Perhaps Frank could just come to her parents house and then they could go to his parents house, then come back home and spend time with their friends.

“You can come with me to visit my parents. Then when we get back from your parents’ house, then we can go our separate ways.” Lailah said.

“‘Our separate ways’? What do you mean?” Frank raised a brow.

“Well… Julie. Don’t you want to go see your girlfriend for Christmas?”

“O-Oh… Yeah. Yeah, of course. That’s what I uh… thought you meant.” Frank cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well, I’m glad that we have it all planned out then.” Feng smiled.

“Yeah… We’ll help with cleanup and then head out.” Lailah said.

“With all four of us, it shouldn’t take long.” Yui smiled.

“I’ll do the kitchen with Yui, Feng you wanna do the lobby, and Frank can do the bathrooms?” Lailah suggested.

“Sounds good.”

“Why do I get stuck with bathroom duty?” Frank mumbled.

“Cause you don’t know how to clean the machines or anything else back there.”

“… I… suppose that’s true.” Frank sighed.

“The cleaning supplies are in that cabinet in the bathroom.” Feng said.

Lailah went to the back with Yui and started to clean the stations that they had been working on. She sighed and yawned and started to clean the sealing machine and replace the empty roll with a new one. She moved over to the fridge and the sink and started to clean the instruments that they used. Lailah washed whatever Yui put in the sink and working together, they managed to clean the entire kitchen in only a couple hours. Sighing softly, she ran her hands down her face as she went back to the lobby.

Frank and Feng were waiting for them. When Yui and Lailah emerged from the back, the conversation they were in instantly stopped leaving Frank clearing his throat and looking away while Feng giggled. Lailah looked between the two, but neither said anything and she sighed. Whatever they had been talking about, it didn’t seem like she would be told about it. She sighed and went over to Frank, tightening her jacket around her body. Her three friends looked exhausted, she wondered if she looked the same.

“Thanks again for dropping by.” Yui said as they headed out, locking the door behind them. “I appreciate it. Both of you.”

“No problem.” Lailah said.

“For sure. Glad we could help.” Frank chuckled. “We’ll see you later.”

The two groups parted ways. Lailah headed back home with her friend and sighed as they walked inside. It would’ve been nice to stay at home all day, but at the same time she was glad that she could help her friends. Earlier she had been thinking that there was no way she would be falling asleep easily, but now she was sure she could just lay down and fall unconscious. Lumbering to the couch, she plopped down and leaned her head back. Beside her, Frank plopped down and they looked at each other and gave a weak laugh.

“It was quite an eventful day.” Lailah said, reaching over and turning on the TV.

“Sure was.”

A woman dressed very professionally, flipped through her papers and had a solemn look on her face.

“Austin Reynolds, Comstan High’s Braniac Captain was jailed today following an impromptu hearing.” Lailah bolted up and leaned forward. “The former teacher was charged with multiple counts of rape and another count of attempted rape. Reynolds pled guilty to all charges, but claimed his victim—a former student of his with whom he had an obsession—wanted him. Police stated that the student, whose identity is not being released to the public for her safety, denied any claim of reciprocating Reynolds’ feelings. Reynolds is facing 30 to 35 years in prison without the possibility of parole.”

Lailah screamed out, her voice elated. She turned to Frank and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. It was over. Finally. Finally, it was over. Tears filled her eyes, but of all the tears she had cried over Reynolds, these weren’t ones of sadness or fear. These were ones of joy. All the years she had been wondering if he was coming back for her, the time he almost had her, Frank had been there. These were tears of relief; justice. A bright smile was on her face as well and she let out another squeal of delight. Lailah grabbed his face and before she could stop herself, she placed her lips against his.

Notes:

Well! There you have it! Let me know what you think! I'm sorry if you didn't like it in advance or that it wasn't exciting enough. But I had to shake off all the rust.

Chapter 27: Intimacy

Summary:

“Wait… wait. We-We can’t do this.”

Notes:

Well hello guys. I'm back again. Thank you so much for all your wonderful kind words of encouragement and your nice reviews for the last chapter. Here I am with another one, I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I did writing it.

Realization dawned on her, slamming against her like a ton of bricks. Almost like she was burning, Lailah pulled away from him. What. On. Earth. Had. She. Just. Done? No, don’t answer that. She knew. As much as she wanted to pretend that she didn’t know, there was no way to wiggle out of this. Her eyes went wide, wider than she ever thought possible. It impeded all thoughts incoming to her brain. Frank was sitting in his spot, brown eyes just as wide if not even wider than her own. Gaping like a fish, Lailah attempted to wriggle her way out of this situation.

“I-I…” Lailah began, placing her fingertips against her trembling lip.

How could she even adequately apologize for what she had just done? Yes, it wasn’t the first time that they had kissed “technically”. However, that time had been at a party and Frank had been completely wasted. What excuse was there now?! Her brain prodded her, pushing the obvious answer upwards towards center stage, but Lailah refused to acknowledge the player. No. No chance, no way.

“Frank, I… I’m so sorry.”

“…”

“I-I didn’t realize that—I mean, I did, but it wasn’t my intention. Not-Not that there anything wrong with you or anything like that. It-It’s just… Um, excited! I was e-excited and—”

In an instant, she was shut up. A large hand held her face while warmth pressed against her lips. She felt tiny as he got closer, almost towering over her. However, it wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling. In fact, it was the exact opposite. It made her feel safe. Secure, even. His fingers slowly moved through her hair, gripping onto her and pulling her closer. A shocked gasp escaped her lips, but even more shocking was her reaction. Fingertips touched his jawline. Her fist balled his shirt. Her eyes closed and she relaxed in his arms.

Her complete trust in him was true. It seemed to ignite something inside of Frank; either dormant or kept smothered for a long time. His hand moved down her side, his fingertips burning her skin through her shirt. Between heated breaths, another gasp escaped her, goosebumps rising on her skin. Lailah’s eyes opened when Frank broke their kiss, but he didn’t pull away nor did he stop holding her. Her chest was heaving, desperate for some fresh air as his kiss had legitimately taken all her breath away.

“F-Frank, I—”

“Shh.” His thumb brushed along her lower lip. “I have something I need to say to you.”

“…”

“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long, long time.”

“Y-You have?” Lailah’s cheeks immediately flamed red. He had been wanting to kiss her for a long time? Honestly? Something akin to… to elation rose in her stomach. While the prospect worried her, it also made her feel nice that she was wanted. That she could be wanted after everything that happened.

“Mm.” Frank leaned in again, holding her face in his hands.

Their lips locked again. They trailed down to her jawline and down her neck. A soft sigh escaped her. Chills ran down her spine, but she didn’t hate the way it felt. In fact… it-it felt really good. A hand rested on her side, gently leaning her backwards. Lailah’s eyes shot open, her brain clicking everything that happened together. Gently, she pushed against his chest, but it took no time at all for Frank to back up. Worry coated his eyes as panic infiltrated her.

“Wait… wait.” Lailah sat up and shook her head. “We-We can’t do this.”

“Huh…?”

“This-This… This is wrong.”

“How—”

“You’ve got a girlfriend. You’re in a relationship with Julie!” Lailah said, almost frantically. “And you just—and I—and we… Oh-Oh God!”

In the midst of Lailah’s panic, Frank grabbed onto her shoulders. Panicked eyes met his content ones. Calming and strong hands rubbed her arms trying to keep her calm. She felt terrible. Her and Julie weren’t best friends by any means, but that didn’t mean that she wanted to become the very thing that Julie had accused her of being. A cheater. The other woman. Infidelity was at the top of the list of things she hated, and here she had just—in a small way—committed it. Feelings of her own or his be damned… that didn’t matter.

“Lailah, listen. Julie and I… we aren’t together anymore.”

“W-What?”

“Julie…” Frank sighed. “The morning after the party, I noticed that Julie was acting weird when she got here. I was worried about her. We weren’t exactly the best acting teens. She got a text and it rang differently than most of them. It was one I never heard before. I know I shouldn’t have, but I looked. It was a text from Pizzarino.”

“That pizza place on the corner by the historical district?” Lailah raised her brows. “That’s not too weird. You guys love pizza and they do text notifications.”

“Not saying ‘I love you, Baby. See you later’.” Frank said with a huff.

“Oh… Frank, I’m sorry. I-I had no idea.” Lailah bit her lip. Did this mean that Frank was only acting like this because she was a replacement for Julie? Why… Why did that thought bother her so much? The truth was right there in her face, so obvious. She felt something for him. Feelings. Romantic feelings for Frank Morrison.

“Is everything okay, Frank?” Lailah asked, worry in her eyes.

“I didn’t wanna say anything, but… do you remember when I came home with all those bruises?”

“The ones I bandaged?”

“Yeah.”

“Yeah, what about them?”

“Julie… she-she gets angry. A lot.”

“Julie?!” Lailah exclaimed. “She was the one that hurt you.”

“She… always used to apologize. Say she was sorry. It was like she was two different people. The same woman that I fell in love with in highschool. Usually, she’s like that. Other times… she’s not. And, she can just get so angry. Sometimes it would be something I did, putting a book on the wrong table, taking too long to text back, things like that. Then… she’d pull out the knife and—”

“And you… stayed with that?”

“I loved her.” Frank whispered. “But when we watched that movie and you told me that no woman that actually loved the man she was with would do those things, it got me to thinking… does she love me too?”

Lailah listened to him. There were a lot of things that she wanted to say to him, however she couldn’t find the right words. Frank had been abused. Physically and she was sure mentally and emotionally as well. Considering what he had told her of his past before their meeting, it would seem he’d had a lot of that growing up in foster care. What could she say to him in order to make him feel better? Was there anything that she could say that would ease his burden?

“Frank, I—”

“Then when I confronted Julie with it, she said it was only a matter of time before this happened. When I asked her what the hell she meant, she started yelling at me saying that you and I were practically already a couple. I started arguing with her, telling her she was wrong; that I didn’t feel like that for you. But then she started talking about how close we were. I told her to get the hell out if she was gonna talk bad about you, so she did. Then I laid there and thought about it, and I realized… she was right.” Frank cleared his throat and sighed. “I do like you. A lot.”

“…”

“I think I have for a while.” Frank ran his fingers through her hair and rubbed his thumb against her cheek.

“So… what does this mean for you and I?”

“I’d… like for it to mean something special. That maybe… when we go see my parents, we’re not pretending anymore.” Frank’s face was becoming red and he cleared his throat. “That we’re… uh together. For real.”

Me and Frank… together?

Lailah blinked and looked at the space between them. Was she dreaming? It would be an out and out lie to say that she wasn’t attracted to Frank. And, with her kissing him there was no denying that she had some sort of romantic feelings for him as well. However, was there enough for her to want to be together with him, in a relationship? She bit at the skin of her lip, her brows knitting together. Her silence must’ve worried him because Frank dropped his hands and scooted back slightly, putting space between them. Her eyes darted up to see that worry now saturated his brown eyes.

“Frank?”

“Did I… read the situation wrong?” He asked, sounding worried.

Here it is. The moment of truth. My defining moment. Our defining moment.

“No, Frank. You didn’t. I do like you. A lot.” Lailah admitted, her hands becoming sweaty and clammy.

“But?”

“Frank, I’m—I wouldn’t be a good girlfriend.” A bitter laugh escaped her.

“What?” Frank gave a small chuckle. “You’d be the best girlfriend. The kind that all guys think about and want.”

Tears gathered in Lailah’s eyes, causing her to close them. Did she truly think that she’d be a good girlfriend? Honestly? There was no way in hell that she could truly be a good girlfriend. Right? A finger tilted her chin upwards. Rough thumbs brushed against her cheeks, wiping away tears she was unaware that had started to fall. There was no point in holding it all inside, opening her eyes she saw Frank’s concerned face.

“I’m-Frank, I care about you. Deeply.” Lailah said, her tears continuing to fall with more force. “B-But, I’m damaged goods. There is something that I’d like to give to someone I care about, but… I don’t have it anymore. I can’t-I can’t give it to anyone.”

“Lailah—”

“I don’t think I can make anyone happy. I’m scared. Scared of being touched in certain ways. Scared of certain noises, sounds. It’s—It wouldn’t be fair to you. But, I care about you so much. I think I have for a long time now. I didn’t think it was possible for me to care about someone. Ever. Now that I do, I just… what if I do something wrong. What if—”

“Lailah.” Frank interrupted, continuing to wipe tears from her face. “I care about you for who you are. I care about your likes and dislikes. Your favorite things and the things that you hate. Lailah, I care about you for your heart, not your body.”

“R-Really?” Lailah sniffled.

“I know that’s probably hard to believe considering what you’ve been through, but it’s true. I care about you. Truthfully.”

“…” Lailah reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently. Frank smiled gently at her, holding her hand in both of his.

“And for the record, you are not damaged goods. You’re a woman who has been hurt.” Frank smiled at her. “But I know one thing; Lailah Collins. I want you.”

Lailah’s heart squeezed when he spoke. How was it that he knew exactly what to say to make her smile? Frank Morrison—despite looking like a hooligan—really was a special individual. A smile came to her face and Lailah gave a shaking sigh. Swallowing the lump that was in her throat, she nodded. The smile only widened when Frank’s eyes lit up. It was a hell of a jump, and she was scared out of her mind, but… Frank hadn’t lied to her yet. Why would he lie about this?

“I think… No, I know I want to be with you too.” Lailah admitted shyly.

Frank smiled softly. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers. Gently trembling, she relaxed into the kiss. His touch was enough to calm her, and right now she needed it. When he broke the kiss, he touched their foreheads together and gave a small laugh. Lailah could tell there was something on his mind, but she knew this wasn’t the time nor the place to ask him. If he wanted to tell her, he would. Eventually. Right now, this was the start of something new. And she would be damned if she let Reynolds ruin this for her. Someone was here that thought she was wonderful. Someone that wanted her. Someone who thought that even though she had been raped, that she wasn’t damaged goods.

“Sorry I took so long to tell you.” Frank whispered.

“It’s okay.” Lailah gave a small laugh. After a few moments she sighed. “I’m tired. Today was a long day, I’m heading to bed. Okay?”

“Alright. Good night, Lailah. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Lailah stopped at her doorway and looked back at Frank. They locked eyes and he smiled softly before giving her a gentle wave. She bit her lip and closed the door. Glancing at the gift on the bed, she sighed and put everything on her bed inside the closet and closed it. Getting a shower, brushing her teeth, and getting in bed she sighed. A smile came to her face and a red blush came over her face as she put her fingers to her lips. They had really kissed. They… They were a couple, yes? Giggling slightly, she turned over and pulled the blanket over her before falling asleep.

In the morning, Lailah woke up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. It took her a few minutes to realize that last night had happened. It wasn’t a dream. Lailah stretched and yawned, groaning when her back popped. She walked out to the living room and saw Frank sitting on the couch, his head lolling forward. Small snores were coming from him and she couldn’t help but giggle. If he was so tired, why the hell was he in here? Why the hell wasn’t he in bed? Making sure to be quiet, she walked over to him and bit her lip as she watched him sleep. It was slightly creepy, she’d admit, but… at the same time she just couldn’t help but realize how honestly stunning he was. She walked over and was about to turn the TV off, but Frank grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her down to his lap.

Frank wrapped his arms around her. Lailah’s face flamed a bright red. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she looked over and saw those dark brown eyes looking down at her. A smirk was on his lips. Gently, he moved some hair from her face. He held onto her, almost like she was the most precious gem in the world.

“Hey there.” Frank said, his voice low and laced with sleep.

“M-Morning.” Lailah whispered.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Oh, I uh…” She cleared her throat, trying to look away from him. The way he was looking at her so intently made her stomach flutter. “I-I thought you were sleeping, so I was just going to get you something to cover up with.”

“Sweet…” Frank smirked again. “Wanna relax inside today?”

“J-Just us?” Lailah stammered slightly.

“Just us.” Frank repeated. “Is… that okay for you?”

“Y-Yeah.” Lailah assured with a bright, but nervous smile.

Frank smiled and leaned over and gently kissed her forehead, sitting her on the seat next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and then turned his attention to the TV. He gave her a small smile and gently patted the top of her head.

“Where do you wanna watch TV?”

“We can watch it in my room.”

“Your room?”

“I-If that’s okay!” Lailah frantically added. The last thing she wanted to do was make it seem like she was trying to bed him. While it was true that she thought he was extremely attractive, there was no reason that she needed to make it seem like the only reason they were… together was because she wanted what was between his legs. Lailah hadn’t even thought of them that way.

“I don’t mind.”

Frank stood up and held out a hand for her. Lailah looked at it and gave a small smile before letting him pull her up. She smiled softly and she led him to her room. It wasn’t the first time that Frank had been in her room nor would it be the first time that he’s ever been in her bed. The only difference would be that they would be laying there as an actual “couple”. Was it strange that it felt like nothing had really changed between them? Yes, there were small things; like the displays of affection that would take some getting used to. However, everything else was just the same as it always had been.

“Do you have, uh, a preference at all?” Lailah asked, bending down to look at her DVDs.

“Uh… no. Nothing.” Frank said, trailing off.

“Are you okay? Should I leave the door open?”

“N-No. Nothing like that, I’m fine.” Frank said, a smirk on his lips.

“You’re sure?”

“Mhm.” He said in a singsong voice.

Lailah picked a movie and popped it in the player. She sat down on the bed next to Frank and smiled awkwardly as she pressed the ‘play’ button. Frank laid down on the bed and smirked at her. Small circles rubbed between her shoulders made her look back. Another small smile came to her face. Frank guided her to lay down. For a moment she tensed and she swallowed the lump in her throat. She tried to focus on the movie and keep her breathing even, but all she could think of was how Frank was pressed against her back. Whatever slack her body had when they were watching TV tensed when an arm came to rest around her abdomen. It was respectable, right around her middle without wandering hands. Lailah felt the spot by her head on her pillow dip and she smiled.

“Is this okay?” Frank asked, his breath against the back of her neck and ear.

“Y-Yeah!” Lailah said, her voice higher than she meant it to be. Laughter came from behind her, but she didn’t pay attention to it… well, she tried not to.

For the rest of the day, Lailah and Frank remained in bed. Together they watched movies of his choosing and some of her choosing. It was the first time that Lailah had ever truly felt desired. Halfway through one movie, she fell asleep. Once she woke up, she smiled upon seeing the view. Frank had fallen asleep as well and sometime during the movie she had turned over and was facing him. Smiling gently, she touched his face. Lailah was laying on his arm, but he was still holding onto her even when he was sleeping.

This… This right here is what they mean by intimacy.

Notes:

Here we are! I hoped that you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading. I know this chapter was relatively short in comparison to the other chapters that I have written. However, I wanted a chapter that was completely devoted to this newfound sense of intimacy and relationship that Frank and Lailah have because as you all know, there's no way in hell I'm going to keep them happy forever. Because then again, that would mean that I'm done with the fic and I'm not done by a bit.

I hope again that you all liked it because again this was devoted to a change in Lailah and Frank's behavior and a blossoming relaitonship. Let me know what you think. Thank you all for reading and I'll see you next time! Bye!

Chapter 28: Christmas

Summary:

Merry Christmas everyone…

Notes:

Hello everyone! It's been forever! So nice to be here with you again!

For those of you that have been here for a while (or have read the author's note), you know I was pregnant. January 3rd, I ended up giving birth to a healthy baby girl named Athena. Then I spent two extra days in the hospital making sure that I was healing properly. I was also monitored in those two days as I was unable to pee since I had her and I ended up having high blood pressure (mildly) after as well. Well, I ended up peeing for the first time after being discharged from the hospital like, I think about 4 or 5 days after leaving. They ended up sending me home with a catheter because I was losing my mind being in the hospital. All the staff were super sweet and nice to me. They were extremely helpful as well!

So for the past 5 weeks, I've been taking care of my little bean and trying to adapt to life as a new mom. I'm not sure how many of you are mothers, but the adjustment is a steep one. The learning curve is just as steep, and there was a lot I had to overcome emotionally as well. I was worried I wasn't a good mom since I couldn't guess right off the bat what my baby needed. Looking back on it now, it seems silly, but at the time it was a huge concern for me. I've learned to relax and just do the best I can since then, but I still sometimes get overwhelmed. I'm so thankful to have the support of my family and my boyfriend to make things easier for me.

Now you might be wondering "Mikuxmew85, it's been like forever. Definitely more than 5 weeks since you've written". You're totally right. The last bit of my pregnancy I was going to my mom's every day to make sure that I had someone with me in the event I went to labor since my boyfriend works 7 days a week. I was also E X H A U S T E D. I couldn't get comfortable to save my life, my hips were spreading in preparation for having my little bean which made it harder to sleep, and it was just overall uncomfortable. Not to mention that Athena decided to extend her stay in Hotel Uterus for an extra week. I had hardly enough energy to eat and go to the bathroom let alone write, so I'm sorry if it's been a longer hiatus than you expected.

Thank you so much for your guys' support and I hope you enjoy it!

“So, then the teacher—”

“I knew it!”

“Huh?”

“I knew it!” Feng pointed to the interlocked hands dangling between Frank and Lailah.

“What in the actual fuck is all the screaming about?” Yui came from the back, wiping her hands off with a towel and looking at the group of friends. Her friend hardly got rattled, but when she did it could be bad news.

“W-Well—” Lailah began, but was interrupted by Feng’s pointed finger calling out their blatant handholding. Something akin to fear rose in her stomach when Yui’s face changed. It looked like she was aggravated. All this time they had been trying to get the two of them together. Now that they were—

“Pay up.” Feng demanded, holding an outstretched hand to Yui.

Huh?

Yui clicked her tongue and fished in her pocket for her wallet, slamming $100 into her friend’s waiting palm, the sour look still on her face. “Couldn’t wait until after the New Year…” She mumbled under her breath.

“Oh quiet, this is a good thing!” Feng said in a singsong voice, pocketing the bill.

“The hell is going on here?” Frank demanded, raising a brow.

“Well, we got tired of waiting for when the two of you would break down and get together. To make it more fun and interesting, we decided to place bets. Yui thought that you guys would get together after the New Year’s. I said there was no way in hell you guys could wait that long and said you’d get together before New Year’s.”

Laliah’s face flamed red. Under normal circumstances, she would say that she couldn’t believe her friends had bet on a relationship with Frank, but they were her friends afterall. Not exactly the most normal group. Perhaps the part that got to her the most wasn’t the fact they were betting on if the relationship would happen, they just disagreed on the when. Had they really been dancing around it for this long?

Frank cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around Lailah, freeing her hand, but pulling her close. He didn’t look bothered by the mini bet at all. In fact, he looked rather amused. Simply waving it off, he rolled his eyes.

“Well, we dropped by to say Merry Christmas.” He said, rubbing Lailah’s arm.

“That’s nice of you. You guys heading out now?”

“Mhm. If we wanna get to his parent’s house early and still have time to go to my parent’s house and come home for our get together, we need to get going.” Lailah explained. They weren’t up too early, but the sun was just starting its quest to attempt warming the town in spite of the blanket of puffy white snow.

“I see… Lemme get you some tea to go.” Yui said. “On the house.”

“No, no, it’s fine—”

“Nonsense! It’ll keep you warm!” Feng waved off her friend, pressing some buttons on the screen. “Unless you have other plans on how to stay warm.”

“Just ring up the tea…” Frank grumbled; exasperated already. Feng’s wiggling eyebrow and wry smile didn’t seem to dent Frank’s armor, but Lailah wasn’t so good with a poker face. Cheeks flushing into a deeper crimson only made Feng giggle. One of these days, she supposed she could build a tolerance to Feng’s inevitable teasing. One of these days. Until then, she was at her friend’s mercy.

“Here you go.” Yui came from the back and handed the cups to them while Feng cashed out the ticket and handed it to her friend. “You two better get going.”

“You’re right.” Frank said, taking a sip of the tea and looking down at the cup. “Hmm. Not bad.”

“Mm! You’re right.” Lailah said. She waved at the two. “See you tonight.”

The couple got into Frank’s awaiting car and got buckled in before heading towards the interstate. Even though they hadn’t been in Tea You Later very long, the cold permeated every bit of the car like it had been shut off all night. Frank was already working on warming up the car, much to her delight. It wouldn’t take too long, so in the meantime she kept the cup of hot tea between her hands and thighs. As much as she adored the novelty of Winter time and what it could offer, it was still a pain in some aspects. By the time they had arrived at the interstate, a two-minute drive from the shop, the car was already warm enough for the drink to be placed in the holder.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, the other cars and the low hum of the radio the only sounds between them. This was a thing she enjoyed about being with Frank as well. There wasn’t a need to fill silence with some unnecessary talking or rambling—which she was guilty of—they were both content to be in each other’s presence. Lailah leaned back in the seat and watched the scenery out the window. 

Everything was covered in a newly fallen white blanket. When the sun hit the crystals of the snow just right, the colors seemed to dance along a rainbow prism. The air filled with all the beauty such colors would bring. It was only for a moment, however. The beauty of the changing colors was just like the snow itself, wonderful to look at, but it could change within a second’s notice. Winter was fragile, but beautiful.

“Didn’t expect them to make bets.” Frank muttered finally, calling Lailah’s attention. Despite the aggravation that appeared in his voice, his face denoted nothing of the sort. His jaw was relaxed as was the rest of his profile. A hint of a smile played on his lips, but he kept his eyes forward.

“Seriously! I can’t believe they did that…” Lailah flushed once more and huffed, looking out the windshield.

“It’s not such a bad thing, is it?”

“W-Well no… not really, but I have to admit, it is a bit embarrassing.”

“That’s true. I have to admit it took me by surprise. I was pretty embarrassed.” Frank’s eyes widened and he looked over at Lailah for a moment. “Not about being with you or anything like that. I just meant about the bet.”

“I know.” Lailah giggled softly. “I know that.”

“Okay. Good.”

The two sat in silence for a few moments longer, basking in the beauty of the scenery and the peace that was felt with just being around each other. Lailah turned to Frank again and looked at him. She couldn’t believe they were together. Truthfully, she thought that Frank was completely out of her league. If he were just some random guy taht she thought was attractive and tried to ask him out, she would’ve been brushed off without a second glance or thought. Lailah couldn’t tell Frank that, he would deny it to the ends of the earth, but… she knew the truth. Even if he was out of her league, something about them just clicked and worked in a way that she didn’t know possible.

“Hey.”

“Mm? What’s up?”

“That day when you came to the shop after we had our argument and you were talking with Yui outside?” Frank’s hand gripped onto the steering wheel tighter, but only slightly. Had Lailah not been paying attention, she would’ve missed it. “What was that about?”

“T-That? Aw, c’mon Lailah. That’s old news. J-Just let it go…”

“What? It may be old news to you, but I never got told the truth. C’mon Frank!” Lailah pleaded. “It’s Christmas!”

Frank cleared his throat. A couple times, he opened and closed his mouth like a gaping fish. His brows furrowed and Lailah could tell that he was attempting to formulate just how to word what had happened that day. For months it had been driving her crazy. Everyone seemed to know except her, which she wouldn’t lie, she thought was pretty unfair considering she was positive that it had something to do with her.

“W-Well… alright. But, it goes a bit further back then-then that day.”

“Oh?”

“You remember when I came home that day with all the cuts and bruises?”

“Better than I care to.” Lailah admitted. “I was so worried…”

“Y-Yeah, I could tell.” Frank cleared his throat and gripped on tighter to the steering wheel. “Well, when you were bandaging me, I’m sure you noticed that I started acting a bit… off. I wasn’t hiding it well.”

“I thought I was hurting you and that you were cold.” Lailah explained.

“No, it uh… I was uh…” Frank cleared his throat and Lailah noticed a pink tinge to his cheeks. He took a hand off the steering wheel to wipe on his pants and did the same with the other. “I’d never felt a touch that delicate before, a-and I…”

“Hm?” Lailah’s eyes widened. “O-Oh!”

“Yeah. S-So, I was really embarrassed about it. After all, I was with Julie at the time and I… didn’t think that I thought of you like that. I thought of you as a friend and a chill person, but not really as a woman. I-I didn’t know how to handle it. So when I saw you talking to the coach, I was already worried about Julie being found out and making my life living hell. Other than that, I just couldn’t deal with seeing you that close that soon again, so I… I ended up yelling at you and saying things I didn’t really mean…”

Lailah looked over at Frank again, but he pointedly looked away unable to meet her gaze. She looked back to that day in her mind. It made sense now on why Frank kept an arm or a hand over his lap. Clearing her throat, she looked down at her feet. How could she have been so blind then? Of course, then she hadn’t been thinking of Frank as anything other than a roommate and potential friend. Yeah, she knew he was built and that he looked good. However, due to her own past and her connection with Frank, she hadn’t even thought of that possibility.

“So, what does that have to do with the conversation with Yui?”

“Well, when I went to Tea You Later to talk to you I knew that you really wouldn’t want to have anything to do with me. Couldn’t blame you for it either. I tried to talk to you, but I had to go through Yui first. In order to do that, she demanded an explanation for my actions. If I didn’t give her one, she had threatened to hit me. I knew she’d do it too. And truthfully, I would’ve taken it because I did deserve it. Standing right there in front of Yui, I ended up spilling out all my guts. About how you were taking care of me when I was all bruised up, how you touched me, and how my body reacted to it. The part that threw me for a loop was when Yui asked how I felt about you.”

“What… did you tell her?”

“The truth. I… didn’t know. My mind was all muddled and I was completely confused. I was devoted to Julie, but with the way my body reacted to your touch and then I couldn’t get you out of my head, I started to wonder if I felt something more. The crushing guilt I felt from hurting your feelings didn’t help matters either. I wanted to push those thoughts away and just continue to live my life. You were staying with Yui and Feng, and I had the apartment back to myself, but it didn’t feel right.”

“You told Yui all this?”

“Mm.” Frank nodded. “She decided not to hit me after telling her all this. I guess she could tell I was being sincere. I told her that I had to talk to you. Even if you didn’t accept my apology, that I hadn’t even thought how I would word yet… I just knew that I had to see you and that would somehow bring me a bit of peace. Yui said she couldn’t do that though. Seeing and talking to me would hurt you, and as much as she knew the reasoning behind it now, she couldn’t allow you to be hurt again. Being the ever thoughtful Yui, she had another plan though.”

“Which was…?” Lailah raised a brow when a smile came to Frank’s face.

“Download Holy Wasteland.”

“What?!”

“Mm. She told me you were trying the game. I didn’t really care to play it, but I knew that you would be there. And if I could talk to you, then I would feel better… even if you didn’t know it was me.” He admitted, the smile a tad sad as he recalled it all.

“So then—”

“Yeah. Yui told me your name, the guild name, and everything. So I created a character. Smiley. It was the only way that I could talk to, and check up on you at the time, to assess the damage that my words had caused you.”

“But… that’s not possible. Smiley was online and we played together when you were staying with us after your sight got all fucked up.” Lailah tried to reason.

“Joey.” Frank said. “I gave him my login information and had him login and play somewhat regularly. I thought for sure you’d be able to tell the difference though with how different he typed in chat.”

“I did notice that, but… I just thought that he—you—Smiley, didn’t wanna type out everything.” Lailah blinked. “You did all this just to… check on me?”

“… Yeah. It was around this time that I realized you meant more to me than I thought. I just couldn’t get over your sad look and how you cried. I felt terrible.”

“Frank—”

“Maybe that’s when it started…” He muttered under his breath. Lailah glanced over at him. Frank must’ve felt her eyes on him as he turned to see her, upon meeting gazes he smiled and looked back at the road. “my feelings for you, I mean.”

Feelings…

In a few months, they would be living together for a year—minus the small stay she had with Feng and Yui—and yet she felt like she was learning Frank for the first time. She was sure that there were still secrets about him, perhaps about his troubled past. That was part of the fun though; being with someone, learning them, the way they truly are, their feelings. Now their feelings were out in the open, it was a little odd to be so blunt about it. At the same time though, Lailah welcomed the open and honesty of it.

The ride to Dwight and David’s flew by. Between the repetitive Christmas music and ice they were fighting despite being in the toasty car, it could’ve taken a turn to aggravate one or both of them. Just being by Frank was enough to make all that go away, or not even matter. Seeing the world through different color lenses was frightening. It left her open and vulnerable. Lailah was terrified of that feeling. However, that wasn’t the only feeling. Lailah also loved the new way she looked at the world.

Pulling up to Frank’s parent’s house, he parked and she got out and headed over to him. He reached out his hand and used his pinky to tug at hers. Puffs of breath clouding the space in front of her from her laughter, she reached over and with pink tinging her cheeks that she was unsure if it was from embarrassment or from the cold, she took his hand. In an instant, he moved it to the pocket of his jacket. Together, they walked up the cobblestone path. No doubt the house choice was Dwight’s idea. David seemed more of an apartment kind of guy instead of the white picket fence type, but then again you could never judge a book by their cover.

I of all people should know that…

“What?” Frank said, ringing the doorbell and looking over at her.

“N-Nothing!” Lailah quickly looked away and felt her hand being tugged forward. They walked inside and were met with a toasty warmth and the crackling of the fire from the nearby fireplace.

“Dads!” Frank called, unwrapping his scarf and putting it on the nearby coat rack. “We’re here!”

Hurried footsteps got closer and two people came around the corner. Both had large smiles on their faces when they all locked eyes. Faster and more coordinated than she gave Dwight credit for, he crossed the distance between them and grabbed both of them in a singular hug, squeezing with what Lailah could tell was all his might. David was definitely the brawn in the relationship. Even through the hug, she could tell the love that he held for his son and even for her. He pulled them at arm’s length and looked at each of them as David came up behind them.

“Good ta see ya.” David smiled. “Glad ya made it safe ‘n’ sound.”

“Frank’s a good driver.”

“O’ course ‘e is. ‘e learned from the best.” David beamed. “Me—”

“Me—”

The two men looked at each other and Dwight raised a brow, pushing his glasses on his nose higher. David pouted slightly and huffed, looking off. In just a few seconds, they’d had a wordless conversation in which Dwight seemed to be the victor.

“That aside,” Frank reached out his hand, passing off a large bag containing presents to David. “we brought these for you.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” Dwight smiled.

“We got presents for ya both too.” David said. “C’mon. Oy, let ‘er go, Dwight. That way she can take off her coat.”

“Oh, right right.”

Frank helped Lailah out of her coat and hung it up. With her, he had always—well almost always—been a gentleman. Now it even felt different from when they were pretending. There was a certain softness to it, a sincerity that made her face dust pink. Frank’s fathers led her further into the living room. There was a large tree decorated with all sorts of ornaments. It reminded her of the tree that her parents had at their house. It was filled with memorabilia and picture ornaments, truly marking it as a family piece. She smiled bright and took a seat on the couch.

“We know ya gotta go visit Lailah’s parents too, so we won’t keep ya too long.” David said.

“Just opening some presents and eating a little something with us will be a nice Christmas. It would be great if you stayed, but that can be for another time.” Dwight agreed.

“That sounds great.” Lailah smiled, grabbing the box that David had handed her.

They… got me presents too…

“Go ahead and open it.” Dwight smiled.

Slightly embarrassed from being put on the spot, she hesitated. It didn’t take long for the curiosity to weigh out her embarrassment. Tearing apart the festive paper and opening the box, her eyes went wide. It was Holy Wasteland merchandise. A small statue of an animal companion that she had recently unlocked, a gift card for a $100 worth of pearls—Holy Wasteland’s premium currency, and a sweater with the game’s logo on it. Mouth slightly open, making her gape like a fish, she looked up at Dwight and David before looking back down at the present.

“T-This is so much…” Lailah gasped.

“Frank told us how much you liked this game, and since we didn’t know too much else about you or your interests, we decided to put all of our eggs in a basket and get you some things.” Dwight explained. “We hope you like them.”

“I-I love them. Thank you so much!”

The rest of them opened presents, talked, and laughed among themselves. The whole time, she was still in shock that the two had sprung for such an expensive gift for her. As much as she loved it, she felt bad at the same time. They were under the assumption that Frank and her had been dating long enough to where they could splurge on her, as they believed the two were serious. Even though she was serious about Frank, they had only been together for less than a week.

The gifts she got for his parents were not as expensive or extravagant as the ones that she was given, but they each seemed to love them. She had gotten David a new wallet since his was literally falling apart from the use. Dwight seemed shocked that his husband immediately began to transfer things to the new wallet. For Dwight, she had gifted him a case for his phone. Not knowing too much about him, she settled for a slightly generic case. Dwight seemed pleased nevertheless. It had a pocket on the back where he could place a photo. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his wallet, and slipped a photo immediately into the pocket. It was the photo he had taken of the two of them back when she had first agreed to pretend to date Frank and had gotten drunk. The same photo that had shaken Julie to her core and sparked a long, fueled hatred between the two women. He had printed it and kept it with him?

A couple hours later, they were sitting at the table. All the food looked great and since she had yet to eat, her mouth was almost literally watering. She knew she couldn’t gorge herself here, because she still had to go to her parent’s house and spend time with Yui and Feng as well. Perhaps she could get some to bring home if she asked really nicely. Smiling at Dwight’s comment about having the family together for the holidays, she was starting to dip some gravy onto her potatoes when David spoke.

“So, ya guys are actually together now, huh?”

The ladle clinked against the edge of the gravy bowl and Lailah’s eyes widened. From her peripheral vision, she saw Frank stiffen. So… she hadn’t heard that wrong. Her throat felt dry, her tongue felt large, and her throat closed.

“W-What are you talking about?” Frank asked, flinching slightly as his voice faltered. “We’ve been together.”

“You really thought you had us fooled?” Dwight smiled, folding his hands in front of him. The smile on his face seemed warm, but Lailah feared there might be a hatred seething beneath it. “Please Frank, we’re your parents.”

Frank let out a long sigh, causing Lailah to look over at him. He looked defeated and annoyed; perhaps even embarrassed at being found out. Clicking his tongue, he leaned back in his chair not breaking eye contact he held with Dwight.

“How long have you known?” He asked, his brows furrowed.

“Since ya spoke yer lie.” David snorted.

“W-What?!” Lailah exclaimed. “You knew all this time?!”

“O’ course. Like Dwight ‘ere said, we are his parents.”

“So, why go along with it?” Frank asked, leaning forward now. He looked like he was ready to defend her at a moment’s notice. “More importantly, why aren’t you reaming me a new asshole for lying to you? I know how much you hate it.”

I feel like three centimeters tall…

“We saw this outcome coming.” Dwight smiled.

“What?” Both exclaimed and looked at each other before looking back at his parents.

How could they know?! We didn’t even know.

“We’re parents. We could tell that there was chemistry between you two.”

“Didn’t wanna interfere, figured that two o’ ya would end up fallin’ for each other from the lie. It would be better for both o’ ya.”

“…” Lailah blinked and bit her lip slightly. “Yeah. I-I’m happy…”

“We can tell. Frank, you look a lot happier as well.”

“W-Well you know… I like bein’ around her. And with her… and y’know…” Frank trailed off, shoving some food into his mouth so he didn’t have to talk anymore.

“Just like her, huh?” David smirked. It widened when Frank hesitated before nodding his head and shoving more food in his mouth.

The family ate together, talked, and laughed. It felt great to have that weight off their shoulders, even though it was a self-inflicted weight. Their lie had brought them together and his parent’s cooperation with the lie and letting it play out let their relationship flourish and blossom naturally. One could even say that they were destined to become this ever since they had made the plan to lie about being together. Lailah stopped when she was bordering on slowing down from being full. 

Dwight and David ended up packing up some food for them to take home. Frank and Lailah grabbed their coats and scarves, the food, presents from the two. Lailah accepted the hugs from his parents and after the goodbyes, they headed back to the car. Frank started the heater as soon as they got inside and started it. Lailah leaned back in her seat and exhaled peacefully.

“Can’t believe they saw right through us…” Frank muttered as he pulled back on the interstate, snorting the more he seemed to think about it.

“Should’ve known they would… they’re your parents. They know you.” Lailah sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “Although… that means they must’ve been amused by our floundering just like my parents were.”

They drove to Lailah’s parents, now content with the warm and delicious food that was in their stomachs. She got out and brought the food inside, hugging her parents and smiling sheepishly when her father noticed she had Frank with her. Lailah’s mother looked between the two and before she could even part her lips to explain the situation, her mother gasped and she could practically see the pieces clicking together.

“You’re kidding me…” Lailah’s father spoke, the pieces fitting together in his brain as well. 

“Took you long enough.” Her mother smiled, touching her face. “Although, I have to admit I’m still shocked.”

“Come with me, Boy.” Frank raised his brows at her father’s words.

“Dad, c’mon…” Lailah rolled her eyes.

“Darryl, he’s got a name.”

“And I know it.”

“Where are we going?” Frank asked, not seeming to be bothered by her father’s small bout of disrespect.

“Out.” Lailah’s father grabbed his coat and walked outside, not even looking back. Frank followed him with a deep sigh and closed the door behind them.

Lailah was almost tempted to follow. She didn’t think that her father would harm—or attempt to harm—Frank in a physical matter. Of course, she had never thought she’d be in this sort of situation either so she couldn’t really predict her father’s behavior. Her mother’s touch brought her back to reality. A warm smile touched her mother’s face.

“Don’t worry about it, your father has to do the mandatory ‘if you hurt my daughter I’ll kill you’ line. “

“What?! He—”

“It’s fine, Lailah. Even though your father is acting all tough, he’s happy for you. We’ve been worried about you for a while now. Worried that you’d be stuck and wouldn’t be able to fully move on. But you have, and I can tell that you’ll be happy even if Frank is rough around the edges. Your father and I can tell how much you mean to each other.”

“Mom…”

“Now come on. Let’s get this food in the fridge and you can help me set the table.”

Between Lailah and her mother, they could set the table in nothing flat. They gathered the food and sat it on the table. Just as Lailah was about to turn and call Frank and her father in to eat dinner, but they were in the doorway. Whatever they had talked about, neither of them looked like they were going to divulge the information. The atmosphere wasn’t tense either. There were no evil eyes being cast across from the table while they were sitting there and eating. Hopefully, they weren’t just respecting her mutually, but hating each other on the sidelines. She’d heard about a girl’s parents hating her boyfriend just because they were together. She’d never thought her father was like that, and she hoped she was right.

The present opening at Lailah’s parents was slightly awkward. They hadn’t known that Frank was coming, so there wasn’t anything for him other than a gift card that they planned on giving to Lailah to give to him. He didn’t seem to mind though and was content enough to watch her open her presents which contained some more pearls for Holy Wasteland, a couple of DVDs of movies she had told them interested her, a case for her laptop, some new headphones, and a fuzzy blanket that would keep even the coldest of winters away.

The time came for Frank and Lailah to depart once more. They hugged her parents and thanked them for the food and to-go food that they had given them. Frank and Lailah’s father locked gazes and had a silent conversation. Her father was the first one to break. He smirked and sighed, nodding his head. Frank seemed a little less tense, but through it all he didn’t look worried at all.

“Welcome to the family, Frank.” Lailah’s father said.

“Thank you.”

“Be seein’ you.”

“… Yeah.”

On the way home, Lailah called Yui and let her know that they were heading home. As much as she loved her family and Frank’s parents, she was glad to be heading home. Eating some food that Feng and Yui brought would set Lailah’s stomach to be full and she would’ve felt successful in eating at three different Christmas celebrations. She glanced over at Frank and smiled. He reached over and took her hand, bringing it up to his lips to kiss the back of it before placing it on the gearshift. Crimson dusted Lailah’s face and she held her hand with the other and looked out the window. She wondered if she would ever get used to displays of affection like this.

When they pulled up to their apartment in Block J, she saw Feng’s car sitting in a spot. When they parked and got out, greetings were thrown all around. Yui helped Lailah with carrying the food in while Frank unlocked the door and Feng carried the gifts inside. Then the two went outside and came back inside with platters of food from China and Japan. It was filled with the same food from last time as well as fried chicken. Apparently Christmas was the time of the year to have cake and fried chicken in Japan. Strange, Lailah thought, but she couldn’t really complain or judge as it was a completely different culture.

After they opened gifts, Frank completely losing his shit when he opened the present from Lailah; the newest video game system complete with six games, they went and started eating the buffet while watching one of Lailah’s new movies. Feng and Yui had eaten most of the food, as they hadn’t eaten all day. Lailah partook in some cake and the dumplings that Feng had brought.

“Look what I brought!” Feng said in a singsong voice, opening a bag and pulling out four large bottles of liquor.

“Oh shit!” Frank gasped and practically jumped up and ran to the kitchen to get some glasses. 

Lailah laughed and smiled warmly when he sat down next to her at their kotatsu. Yui even cracked a smile as she started pouring some drinks for them. She looked at her two best friends and her boyfriend as they talked among themselves and laughed at the jokes that Feng and Frank told.

Merry Christmas everyone…

Notes:

There you have it! I hope you liked the chapter and thought it was worth the wait. I'm sorry if you were a bit disappointed from the wait and what you received from the chapter, but with the way my life is between the new baby and still being in school at the same time (I'm on my last semester), I can churn out only what I can and this is in between everything. I can't promise you when I'll be able to get a new chapter to you, but I hope it'll be soon. I love this story and I've missed it--and all of you--so much.

As always, let me know what you think. Can't wait to hear from you guys!

Bye bye!

P.S. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR (since I wasn't able to tell you guys during those times)

Chapter 29: Demons

Summary:

“So, you and Frank, huh?”

Notes:

Hello everyone! It's been a while! First of all, I'd like to apologize once again to the wonderful commenters that I left hanging for over a month. That was totally uncool of me and I THOUGHT I had replied to all of you, but I guess my brain didn't do what the brain thought it did. So I'm super sorry about that. I'd also like to apologize for taking so long to get this out to you. I intended for it to go out sooner than this and had actually started writing it sooner, but then I hit block and then I got distracted with the new baby and with finals. Good news though, I finally graduated college. Whooooo!! *pops party streamers* So that's really good news, and I'm hella excited about that! Other than that, I don't have much to say. I hope you enjoy the chapter and that it was worth the wait!

Lailah opened her eyes and blinked a few times, tilting her head as the blurred world started to slowly come into focus.

The… ceiling?

She yawned and groaned, stretching out. Her head was killing her and her whole body felt stiff. Not attempting to sit up yet, as she didn’t want to put too much strain on her body at one time, she looked around the best she could with her sore eyes. Frank was laying against the couch with his head tilted back. Light snores were coming from his open mouth, and an empty shot glass was held in his limp hand.

Other grumblings and groaning could be vaguely heard on the other side of the warm kotatsu. Bracing herself against the pain that shot through her skull, Lailah sat up and despite herself, almost started laughing. Feng had her forehead against the kotatsu’s surface, snores muffled from the wood. Yui was laying on her arm, playing cards dangling from her slightly open hand.

That’s right… we had a party together to celebrate Christmas…

She supposed since she was the first one up, that she could go out and get something to eat for breakfast, cause one thing was for sure; she did not feel like cooking anything. And if the state of her friends were to be taken into account, she was sure that none of them would feel like cooking either. Yawning, she stretched, giving a small groan when her back gave a satisfying pop. Just as she was about to get up, a smile crossed her face. This was her first Christmas not only out of the house, but with someone she cared about, and surrounded by friends. Even though it technically wasn’t Christmas anymore, she still had to document everything.

Eyes darting left and right, they finally found her phone on top of a red solo cup. Raising a brow as to her past self’s drunken deeds, she picked it up and unlocked it. Opening the camera, she took pictures of all her friend’s sleep locked positions. Grunting, she began to get up when a shrill alarm hit the air, knocking her back down to the ground with a thud. All three young adults woke up and looked around. Frank had his eyes squeezed together and was groaning. Yui was looking around like she was expecting a killer to be right by her, Feng had screamed out and reached into her pocket and all at once, the noise stopped. Everyone present took a collective sigh of relief.

“What the hell was that?!” Frank yelled, instantly grabbing his head. “Ah shit…”

“That my friend,” Yui muttered, rubbing her eyes. “was Feng’s infamous alarm.”

“Your alarm has never sounded like that before…” Lailah commented.

“I can’t help it! I needed something stronger since I—… what?” Feng stopped, seeing the three others staring at her.

“…” A stark contrast from a few seconds ago, other than Feng’s words, a pin could be heard dropping in the apartment.

“What?!” Feng said louder.

Without saying a word, Lailah took out her phone again and snapped a picture of her friend who blinked at the sudden shutter sound. Feng opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when Yui pulled something off her forehead; a playing card. The Joker.

“Daifugo*…” Yui commented with a yawn.

“Does that mean I win?” Feng asked, taking the card from Yui with a swift swipe.

“Geez, you’re so competitive…” Frank interjected, peeking inside the shot glass that he had slept with in his hand, pouting when there was no liquid inside.

“Maybe a 100 round game of Daifugo, Daihinmin** was not a good idea.” Yui commented.

“Don’t be silly, we had a lot of fun.” Lailah commented. “But uh, I won the last round—”

“That you can recall!” Feng interjected.

“So that’s the only ones that matter.” Lailah pointed out. “So uh… not it on cleaning up.”

A clamor of “not it’s” rung through the apartment. Feng and Frank were tied. They looked at each other and then at Lailah who shrugged.

“Daifugo says you both clean up then.”

“Aw what?!” Frank clicked his tongue. “That ain’t fair.”

“It’s your apartment. You’d have to clean it up eventually anyway.” Feng defended.

“Point is, Yui and I are going to grab some food.” Lailah stood up and yawned, staggering slightly over to the door. She was slightly stiff from sleeping in such a strange position for so long.

It was warmer out than it had been the previous day. Still cold, but Lailah felt confident that they could walk to a close by restaurant and get something to eat without freezing completely. Not to mention, with how hungover that she was, she didn’t feel like driving anywhere and also didn’t trust herself in doing so. All motor skills were still groggy and not as sharp as they usually were. She zipped up her coat and headed down the street, sticking to the sunny side of the sidewalk.

Yui hadn’t said anything really, but she was looking exhausted as well. Even though they were all clocked out from the amount of alcohol that they had consumed and the food that they had eaten, the positions that they had all been in—minus perhaps Feng—weren’t very comfortable. At least they had slept somewhere warm. There were some people that didn’t get that luxury. One thing was for sure, tonight, she was going to sleep like a bump on a log.

“Thanks for coming over yesterday, Yui.” Lailah said, watching her friend’s little puffs of breath for a couple seconds.

“No problem. We were glad to come over. It was definitely more fun than sitting at home and being slightly depressed all day.”

Lailah couldn’t even imagine her parents not wanting to have anything to do with her on Christmas. Well, there was always her birth parents and her then step father, but she didn’t count them. Just because Yui wanted to do street racing and Feng wanted to play games didn’t mean that their families needed to disown them for chasing their dreams and doing what they loved. Both were honorable professions in their own rights. Games could take you to worlds and save you from crippling emotions. She’d seen it happen, and had it happen to her as well. Yui was able to create a great cause in Japan and help domestic abuse and stalking victims with the Sakura 7 Gang. She believed her parents should be proud of them for that. Conventional methods were not the only means for helping people, she wished some parents understood that.

They walked in silence for a few more seconds before Yui gave a small laugh, putting her hands in the pockets of her warm coat.

“So, you and Frank, huh?” She muttered.

“H-Huh?” Lailah blushed a deep red. Where was this coming from?

“I’m happy for you two. Seems like you both bring out the best in each other.”

“Mm. I think so too. He’s an idiot, but he’s a good guy.”

“I bet when you were a little kid, you liked to adopt anything you deemed as a stray.” Yui commented, a small smile on her face.

“What do you mean?”

“You’d see a lonely snail and you’d think it had to be separated from its family and you were going to be its family now. Whenever you’d see a stray cat or dog, you’d always make your parents put out food for them just in case they got hungry because ‘no one should have to go hungry’. I’m sure you made little places abandoned or stray animals could go in the cold too so they wouldn’t freeze to death in the unforgiving winters.”

Lailah blinked. Yui was a bit of a mystery at times—most of the time. To see her peeking into her past like she had been there was a little strange. It gave her a sense that Yui was much older than she appeared to be and just had been guarding her from the beginning of her life. Of course, she knew such things weren’t true. That being said, the words gave Yui a more… ethereal presence in Lailah’s mind.

“I… I guess you could say that. Why? Where’d that come from?”

“You haven’t changed. You still adopt strays wherever you can.” Yui looked over at Lailah’s confused face and smiled. “Think about it. Feng and I are just by ourselves. Before meeting you, all Feng had other than me were the Lazer Bears. Before meeting Feng and you, all I had when I first came to Canada was myself. And Frank, well… all he had were those three—probably two now—friends. You just find strays in life and adopt them. Make them happy, and bring them together for a nice, friendly group.”

“I guess I never really thought of it like that.” Lailah admitted.

“What I’m trying to say is,” Yui furrowed her brows. “Thank you. I don’t think I’ve been this happy in a long time. No, that’s not quite right. I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy. And it’s thanks to you. Ask Frank and Feng. I’m sure they feel the same.”

“…!”

“How about here?” Yui cleared her throat. “I heard their breakfast is out of this world!”

Without waiting for an answer, Yui retreated inside of the building. Due to her past of which she knew some of, and she was sure there were plenty of things she didn’t know as well, Yui had been rather closed off. Tactical, understanding, a good friend; but all in all, she was still closed off. Because of this, it could be hard to reach her heart at times. Yet, Lailah felt like she had just seen a glimpse of the true Yui. Well, maybe that wasn’t true. Both sides of Yui were her, but for the first time she had seen the most vulnerable side of her friend. It was so strange to think that there was quite a lot more that she could learn from and about her.

Smiling to herself, Lailah walked inside the restaurant. The hostess at the front looked at them and the smile on her face faded to a look of confusion before it morphed into one of understanding. In a matter of seconds, Lailah could feel the ‘ah yes, the cravings of the next morning hungover group of young adults’ judgemental look from her face. Judgement or not, she had hit the nail on the head.

“How many?”

“We’re gonna order to-go.” Yui said.

“Of course, Ma’am.” The hostess smiled and brought them over to another section. Lailah wanted to hide slightly, but she’d had fun. So truthfully, there was no reason to hide. It’s not like they had done anything terrible. “A server will be right with you.”

“So,” Yui spoke up again, drawing Lailah’s attention back to her. “like I was saying before. You and Frank?”

“…Y-Yeah?”

“You really like him, don’t you?”

“Well, I mean, yeah—” Lailah blushed and cleared her throat. “What’s all this about?”

“I guess it’s just, over in Japan I’ve seen girls ditch their friends for boyfriends. It even happened to me couple of times in highschool. I’m sure you’re not like that. All I want is for you to be happy, but—”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Lailah assured. “I promise that’s not going to happen.”

“Hello, I’m Dominique. Can I take your order?” The server interrupted, much to Lailah’s delight. She didn’t know how she could soothe Yui’s worries. And if Yui was having these worries, did that mean that Feng was worried about it too?

After ordering and receiving their food, the girls went back to the apartment. Upon entering, Lailah was shocked at how well Feng and Frank had worked. You couldn’t tell that four young adults had crashed in the apartment and held a party the previous night. The two worked well together, it made her glad that her friends were able to be so close and friends with Frank as well. She didn’t want an ordeal like Julie and her to happen again.

“Yay! Work hard, eat hard!” Feng commented, running over to the food that Lailah had sat on the kotatsu.

“Geez… where the hell do you put it all?” Frank asked.

“Hell if I know.” Feng said, her mouth already full of food. “I’m sure I’ll pay for it the second I hit 30, but that’s future me’s problem.”

“Future you is gonna hate past you at this rate.” Yui said, carefully gathering some plates so that not all of them had to eat like heathens.

“Future me can pay for my mistakes, just like future you will.” Feng commented, slapping some eggs onto a plate the instant that Yui sat it down in front of her.

“Future me? What problems?” Yui asked, raising a brow. When all three stopped and looked at her, she caught the eyes of each of her friends before blinking. “What?”

“The beetus.” Feng said.

“The… what-us?”

“Diabetes.” Lailah commented.

“Wha—”

“With how much sweets you eat, I’m sure your blood is made of gumballs and lollipops.” Frank chimed in, putting some eggs on his plate.

“Oh come on, it is not.”

“I agree. I have a needle and a microscope I got for my birthday a few years ago in my room. Should we check?”

“Okay okay, maybe I do eat a lot of sweets but—”

“That’s future you’s problem, yeah?” Feng said, elevating her voice as if to prove a point.

“Yeah yeah, alright alright.” Yui waved her hand and started to eat. “Eat your food.”

You guys are such dorks.

The group ate, and as they ate, they joked. The sun was almost high in the sky before Feng and Yui decided they should get back to their apartment and get ready for work. Yui was thinking about closing down the shop today due to their escapades the previous day. However, the breakfast had perked them up and Lailah had said that she would be there on her shift. Frank had even offered to come in and help if need be. Lailah was glad that he was willing to help when they needed it.

As she was getting dressed for her shift, she kept thinking about how good her life was going now. She had a boyfriend that cared for her, had saved her life. She was amazed at how safe she felt with him, and couldn’t help but find it hilarious at how they hated each other when she had first moved in. She got ready and was heading out the door when Frank stopped her.

“Hey uh… Lailah?”

“Mm?”

“Uh…” Frank scratched the back of his head. “L-Lemme walk you.”

“Oh. Okay.” Lailah blushed slightly and put on her jacket and zipped it up before heading out of the door with Frank next to her.

As they were heading out of the lot towards the front of their complex, she felt something touch her hand. A quick look down confirmed her thoughts; Frank was lacing his fingers through hers. When she looked up at him, he wouldn’t make eye contact. A small smile played on her lips as she walked with him. The crunching of snow beneath their feet and the cool puffs of breath from their lips were the only sounds between them. It wasn’t strange that Frank wanted to walk her to work, but it was almost like there was something else that was on his mind. Something that he had wanted to say, but had instead settled for this.

The storefront of Tea You Later came into view and Lailah could see Feng wiping down tables. Unable to see Yui, she assumed that her friend was either working the register or in the back. Frank stopped just before the front and brushed some hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.

“Lailah?”

“Yes?” She blinked, tilting her head.

Frank opened and closed his mouth a few times. He cleared his throat and gaped like a fish once more before sighing and pulling her in for a hug. Again, it wasn’t what he wanted to say or do, but Lailah couldn’t really tell what he was so worried about.

“Have a good day at work. I’ll see you later.” He kissed her forehead and turned to leave, but Lailah grabbed onto his hand.

“Frank,” Lailah asked, her voice slightly bordering on panic. “is… is something wrong?”

“No, nothing’s wrong.” Frank said, without hesitation. Lailah scanned his face, trying to find any hint that he was lying. But she found none. There didn’t seem to be anything wrong with him, then… what was it?

“Okay.” Lailah said and let go of his hand. “I’ll see you after my shift?”

“Maybe later tonight. Joey wanted me to come and hang out with him.”

“O-Oh yeah?”

“Heh, don’t worry. Julie won’t be there. I don’t think she wants to see me, and honestly? Feeling is pretty mutual.”

Lailah let out a breath that she wasn’t aware she had been holding in.

“Alright. I’ll see you tonight then.”

“Later.” Frank smiled and waved at her before heading off.

Lailah walked inside and clocked in, setting her jacket in the break room before heading back out to the main lobby. Feng practically skipped to her when she took her place at the register. No doubt, she had seen their conversation by the shop. There wasn’t really anything to hide. It wasn’t like they were fighting or anything like that, so why did she feel so anxious when Feng leaned on the counter and started smiling at her, grin as wide as the Cheshire Cat’s.

“What?” Lailah asked, attempting to play it off.

“Don’t play dumb with me, Missy.” Feng said. “Were you and Frank fighting?”

“Frank and Lailah were fighting?” Yui called from the back, wiping her hands.

“God, you’re both a couple of busybodies.”

“Yeah yeah, I know that.” Feng waved her hand. “So? Spill.”

“No, Feng. We weren’t fighting. It looked like he wanted to tell me something before I was leaving and then he didn’t say anything other than ‘Lemme walk you to work’, or whatever. Then it looked like he was gonna say it when we got here, but then he just gave me a hug and said he’d see me later.” Lailah explained. “I asked him if something was wrong and he didn’t seem to be lying when he said ‘no’, so I might just be reading into things. I do that sometimes, y’know?”

Yui held her chin, nodding thoughtfully along with what Lailah was saying. It reminded her of when her therapist would be deep in thought before giving some insightful sort of knowledge that Lailah would have to impart on her daily life.

“I see, I see.” Yui said, nodding her head.

“See what?” Feng asked.

“Mm… only time will tell.”

“Aww, c’mon, that isn’t fair!”

Geez… now she’s holding something else on me again?! When is it my turn to get good at reading and understanding people?

The bell dinged and they all turned, seeing an elderly couple walking inside. It looks like their shift was just getting started. Feng and Yui went to the back while Lailah started to take orders. In nothing flat, the whole lobby had a line in it. While she was thankful for the distraction, she was also wondering what Yui had in her mind. If she wasn’t sure, then what was the harm in telling her? Having someone as insightful as Yui could be a blessing, but a curse as well.

During Lailah’s break, she was eating her lunch and was playing a game on her phone when a text came in.

Frank ^_^: Hey, how’s work going?

Me: Hey, not too bad.

Frank ^_^: You must be on break, huh?

Me: Yeah. :)

Frank ^_^: Sorry if I seemed odd earlier, I just had some stuff on my mind.

Me: No, you’re good. You said everything is alright, right?

Frank ^_^: Yeah, I got it figured out.

Me: Alright. That’s good to hear.

Frank ^_^: You know, I never really noticed before, but the apartment is pretty lonely without you here.

Me: Oh… really?

Frank ^_^: Yeah. I miss you. A lot.

Lailah reread the message over and over, each time she did so, her face would get even redder than it was before. He missed her? And he just said it, so blatantly.

Me: I miss you too.

Frank ^_^: Yeah? Heh… that’s good to know.

Me: Of course, Silly.

Frank ^_^: Do you want me to bring you anything home to eat?

Me: Mm, no. Thank you though. We still have a ton of leftovers in the fridge. Even with Yui and Feng’s help, I feel like we’ll be eating those for days.

Frank ^_^: Oof… you’re not wrong. Forgot about that.

Me: Haha, I can tell.

Frank ^_^: How about I bring some alcohol home and we

“And we what?” Lailah asked, her face reddening. “And we what?!”

Was he suggesting what Lailah thought he was? She stared at the phone, wondering what he was getting at. She waited for some other explanation other than that, but the dots didn’t appear. Her throat closed and her stomach dropped. It was true that she thought Frank was attractive… in that way, but she couldn’t even think of being with someone like that willingly. She didn’t know what to do or say, or even how it was actually supposed to be! Frank said he didn’t consider her damaged goods, but what if?

Me: and we…? Frank?

Lailah stared at the screen feeling her eyes start to burn and feel like they were about ready to jump out of her skull. Should she tell Feng and Yui? No, no. They’d just blow it out of proportion. But wasn’t this a big deal?! Like, wasn’t—

Frank ^_^: sorry! I accidentally hit ‘send’ and then before I could send the rest, my phone died and I had to plug it up and it took forever too boot up. I wasn’t insinuating that we—not that I don’t think you’re—uh well, just… I know that you might not feel like that’s an option or… something… I just wanted to know if you wanted to watch a movie! Goddamn phone!

Me: No, no you’re fine. I understand. Yeah, I’d love to. Watch a movie with you. You can pick the movie since I picked last time.

Lailah would be lying if she said she wasn’t relieved. There might be a time in the future when she was ready for that kind of intimacy with Frank, but she just didn’t feel like this was the right time for it. Her parents always told her that she would know the right time. In spite of everything that has happened, would she still know if that time was right? Or was her sense in that aspect all muddled and foggy? She gave a few short laughs; half of relief and half in humor at how he was trying to explain and backpeddle at the same time.

Frank ^_^: Cool. Cool. Ah, Joey’s calling. I’ll message you later. Take care. Be safe.

Me: Okay, bye! :)

Lailah looked at the clock. Perfect timing in all actuality. It was time for her to go back to work.

After the last customer had been served and Lailah had counted down her drawer and clocked out, she made some tea with her friends and sat at the booth. Joey and Frank liked to hang out for a long time, so it wouldn’t shock her if they were still hanging out. No problem though, she didn’t have to work tomorrow and Frank and her could watch a movie together no matter how late at night. Although she loved her job, her feet did end up hurting a lot at the end of her shift. She needed to get new shoes.

“Wow I can’t believe how busy we were today.” Lailah commented, sipping her tea.

“It’s always like this after a major holiday.” Yui sighed. “But that’s good for business.”

“For sure!” Feng held up her thumb. “I’m gonna have such a late night!”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“The Lazer Bears are practicing for an upcoming tournament.” Yui yawned.

“Oh? What is it?”

“Some fighting game.”

“It’s called Dead or Alive 5, Yui. You know this.”

“Yeah, yeah. She’s good at it. And they’re heading to America day after tomorrow for the tournament.”

“Ooh! Where is it?”

“Florida. Orlando.” Feng smiled.

“Oh man! I’ve never been to America. Get me some souvenirs okay?”

“I will, for sure.” She smiled. “It’s a world wide tournament, so it’s gonna be packed. Wanna come with?!”

“Pass. The last time I went with you, I was signing autographs for three hours.” Yui gave a small laugh. “But it was nice at the same time, but… I don’t think I can stand in one spot for three hours all sweaty like that again.”

“You do it here.” Feng commented. “If you don’t wanna go. Just say that.”

“I don’t wanna go.” Yui chuckled. “It’s about you and the Lazer Bears. Not me and my washed up career.”

“Yui…” Lailah said, her tone somewhat sad.

“It’s fine.”

“What about you, Lailah?” Feng asked, clasping her hands together.

“I don’t have a passport.”

“Aww!” Feng sighed. “Next time?”

“Definitely!” Lailah looked at the clock on the wall and stretched. “Well, I better head home. I’ll talk to you guys later.”

“Okay!”

“Bye!” Feng waved.

Lailah made her way home. With night having fallen, it was a lot colder than it had been when she walked to work. Cursing her past self for not having this foresight, she folded her arms and headed home. It was rather ominous heading back to her complex. They had been talking for longer than she thought. The streets were almost deserted. Sighing, trying not to notice how big the puff cloud was or how bad she was shaking, she headed into The Promenade and headed towards block J. Seeing that Frank’s car was gone, she was slightly saddened. Just as she had said in the text messages, she missed him. Of course, she knew he wasn’t doing anything but hanging out with Joey and potentially Susie. After all, she trusted him.

Heading towards her steps, she screamed out as her foot slid against a patch of ice and she crashed down with a harsh thud. Her tea dropped and soaked all over the snow and her jacket. Groaning in anger and taking a look at the forsaken boba balls littered across the snow, she picked up the cup and steadied herself and slowly got off the ice patch before tossing the empty cup in a nearby trashcan. Sighing, she headed up the stairs, her lower back and butt yelling at her for the harsh treatment they had endured. She unlocked the door and walked inside.

It was odd for her to get home before Frank, but not unheard of. She’d just have to get everything ready for when he did come home. She tossed her keys in the bowl and then took off her shoes. First thing was first, she needed to get out of these clothes and get a shower. Sighing at her lost tea, she headed towards her room. She undid her jacket and tossed it to her hamper. A large pain erupted on her skull, knocking her to the ground.

Blurred vision. She turned and saw the assailant; a bloodied smiling mask met her gaze. Ice ran through her veins. Something long was in her grasp and Lailah managed to dodge as it was swung in her direction. The distorted vision paired with the shaky equilibrium sent her tumbling backwards. The mask smiled, bringing the instrument over their head and in a stupid moment, Lailah reached up her arm. Pain radiated through her arm and Lailah screamed, tears filling her eyes. Crystal clear was her vision as the adrenaline pumped through her and her body forced away the distorted vision. A knife was plunged deep into her arm. With all her strength, she pressed the masked woman away, making her stumble back.

Shaking cries leaving her lips, she turned to get up and run. The masked woman was quicker. More pain shot through her. This time, in her leg. She was dragged by the knife towards the woman, Lailah screaming the whole way. The slashes to her body would be nothing in comparison to what awaited her if she didn’t think fast. Lailah felt the cold steel of the blade leave her body and with every ounce of strength, she rolled and kicked the side of her mask with her other foot. The woman grunted and held onto her face and staggered backwards.

Ignoring the cries of pain her body was screaming, she forced herself up and ran to the bathroom, closing and locking the door behind her. The assailant’s knife went through the door and she screamed out in rage. Lailah held her arm and hobbled towards Frank’s room. If she could get there, she could get out. Then she could find some help. Or she could barricade herself in Frank’s room and call the police. Every cell in her body demanding she flee and fight if needed, she slammed into the sink. The woman kicking at the door she went through. Lailah opened up the other door and went into Frank’s room. It was dark. Eyes darted back and forth. Footsteps were coming close. Lailah hobbled into Frank’s closet and hid among the varying piles of hanging clothes.

Tears fell down her face and she put a bloodied hand over her mouth to stifle her sobs. Sounds from the living room made her jump each time something fell or was broken. Terrified. Mortified. Frank’s door was kicked in and she heard the huffed breath and the larger than life footsteps coming closer. There was no time to call the police. If she unlocked her phone, the light would alert the masked woman to her location. Lailah’s heartbeat thundered in her ears. The woman’s harsh breaths from beneath her mask only getting angrier. The footsteps came close. From the inside, Lailah could see the door move. She was there.

But nothing happened. No sounds. No breathing. No movement. Nothing. Had the woman opened the door and offed her so quickly, that Lailah hadn’t even had time to process her own death? She didn’t dare open the door. She didn’t dare touch it. Just as the heartbeat in her ears had calmed down slightly, the door was ripped open. She stumbled back and hit various things Frank had in his closet, she grabbed onto something in the dark to keep her standing, and screamed.

“Lailah! You’re safe!”

She had no time to be happy to see the man in front of her, chest heaving with worry coating his eyes. She had no time to smile; the object in her hands was doing enough of that for her.

A smiling mask…

Notes:

*Daifugo: Grand Millionaire; Very rich man
**Daifugo, Daihinmin: Grand Millionaire, Grand Pauper (This is a Japanese card shedding game also known as "Rich Man, Poor Man". The object of the game is to get rid of all the cards you have by playing progressively stronger cards than your opponents. It's meant for three or more players. The winner of each round is the Daifugo and ends up having various advantages in the next round. So the group tried to play 100 rounds of this card game. Feng is the Joker of the group and the Joker is the highest valued card in Daifugo, Daihinmin; so having the card stuck to her head was a no brainer!)

Welp! There you have it! I really hope you enjoyed this! It was super fun to write it and I enjoyed just letting the story take me where it wanted to go and I think it turned out rather nice for having some rust starting to build up on me. Let me know what you think! Thanks so much for taking the time out of your day/night to read this. Have a good one and stay safe! Bye bye!

Chapter 30: It's Always Been You

Summary:

I have a bad, bad feeling.

Notes:

Heyo everyone! First of all, I want to say HOLY SHIT CAN WE GET A ROUND OF CONFETTI FOR 30 CHAPTERS?! I DID NOT EXPECT THIS TO GO ON THIS LONG! XD *pops party poppers*

Anyway, secondly thank you to the people that have commented recently on the story. I'm glad to know that you're all still out there enjoying the story even though I have some time in between getting it out. I'd also like to apologize again as it seems that was the case with this chapter as well. And I'd also like to apologize to the wonderful commenters that I took a couple days to get back to, that's getting to be a habit of mine and I'm trying to break it since I love getting them, reading them, and even more, responding to them.

But here we are with another chapter, I hope that you guys enjoy this. It was super, duper fun to write. And I hope that you enjoy it!

Also I'm on Discord now. I'm pretty new to it, but I would enjoy it very much if you'd drop by and we can chat. Here's the server link: https://discord.gg/nEJgbSChzZ

The rays of light seeping into the closet from behind Frank illuminated the mask in a menacing manner. The smile was not kind, nor was it gentle like she was used to seeing the wearer display. It was taunting, wrong, and just plain evil. The material felt like it was burning her skin, yet at the same time she felt like she couldn’t drop it. Her hands shook with tremors that rivaled an earthquake.

“Lailah…” From the corner of her eyes, she saw Frank take a step towards her with a hand outstretched. Every cell in her body entered fight-or-flight mode. “I—”

“Don’t touch me!” She screamed, pushing past him and hobbling towards the kitchen.

Despite living in the apartment for almost a year, she was having a hard time finding what she was looking for. Blood from her wounds continued to flow as she frantically opened drawers. Steps came closer. Sweat beaded on her hairline. As the sounds of the footsteps changed, she found her prize. Turning and holding it in both of her hands, she stared at Frank. He stood at the entrance of the kitchen, not a speck of worry in his eyes as she pointed the large butcher knife at him.

Tension coated the space around them like a thick, wet blanket. Terror coursed through her veins. She couldn’t believe it. Frank was The Legion’s leader. Out of all people, why did it have to be him?

“Lailah, I can explain.” Frank finally spoke, breaking the silence between them.

“There’s nothing to explain!” Lailah exclaimed, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over. “It’s you, isn’t it?”

“…”

“Say it!” Lailah pointed the knife more forward.

“…”

“It’s always been you!”

“…” Frank’s brows furrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak. Whatever it was, he had decided against it.

“… tell me I’m wrong.”

“…”

“Tell me!” Lailah screamed, but behind it… she was begging. Begging for the betrayal she was feeling to be wrong, for the pain in her heart to be reasoned away. She was just begging that somehow, someway this wasn’t true. That she hadn’t fallen for the leader of a gang… that she hadn’t fallen for a murderer.

“… I can’t.”

Despite her best efforts, tears spilled over and down her cheeks. She wished that whoever had been here would’ve just killed her. That way she wouldn’t have to know. She wished that she could go back in time to where she was blissfully ignorant of the fact that he was The Legion’s leader. She could wish all she wanted, but she couldn’t change the facts. She couldn’t change the truth.

“It doesn’t change anything though.” Frank said, almost hopefully. “We can still live together. We can still be together. We can… We can still—”

“Are you insane?!” Lailah cried. “This changes everything.”

“It doesn’t change the way I feel about you.” Frank said, his brown eyes saturated with sadness. Locking eye contact with Lailah, she had a hard time looking away. She was about to lower the knife, to just believe in him. To let him explain that there was some other solution. But, she couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe him anymore. Tears fell harder.

It doesn’t change the way I feel about you.

“You’ve… You’ve stolen from people.” Lailah said, holding her knife higher when Frank got closer.

“… I know.”

“And, and you just want me to just look the other way? Pretend I don’t know?”

“…”

“Frank, you’ve killed people. You’re a murderer.”

His eyes changed from the sadness that they held to determination. The drastic switch made her stagger back a few inches. What if this whole time he was just playing her? This whole time everyone was just getting a laugh because she believed in him, believed almost everything he said to her. The biggest laugh was that she had feelings for him. Was this all just a joke? Was he plotting to kill her in the future?

“No, I’ve never killed anyone!” Frank said. 

He was defending himself unarmed with only words while she held the advantage with her large knife. It dawned on her, what if this knife was the one that was used to kill that family? Or to commit any of the other crimes. When she ran into The Legion—no, when she’d run into Frank at the convenience store that day, the knife he was holding didn’t look like this. But… what if?

“I saw it on the news! The Legion is the reason that girl, that that entire family is torn apart and dead.”

“That wasn’t me!”

“How can I believe you!?”

“I was with you when that happened!”

“…” Lailah lowered the knife slightly. That was true, but even still. The things that The Legion had done. The robbing, the arson, all that… it was him.

“I’m the same person I’ve always been!”

“How can I look at you the same way?!”

“…”

“Tell me?! How?!” Lailah continued to cry, hanging her head despite her brain telling her it was a terrible idea. “How am I supposed to believe you?”

“I’m still the same person, Lailah.” Frank muttered.

A pressure pushed against her arms, and she looked up. Frank had crossed the distance between them until the tip of the knife was poking him in the chest. If she wanted to, she could run him through right there. It wouldn’t take much. A couple pounds of pressure and Frank Morrison would be left to bleed out on the kitchen floor in front of her. Would that make her just as bad as him? A murderer? Would she be a hero? A vigilante? Could she even push the knife further and kill Frank?

“What are you—” She began, blinking.

“I’m still the same guy. I’ve done some dumb shit since we met. I was doing dumb shit when you first moved in here. I’m not denying who I am. You have the proof. You can turn me in. You can kill me, whatever you feel you have to do. But, I’m still Frank Morrison. I’m still the guy who likes extra sweet coffee, who likes a lot of sugary cereal, I still play on the basketball team, and most importantly, I still love being around my girlfriend.”

“…”

“I can explain everything later. If you’ll let me. But we need to get you to the hospital. You’re bleeding a lot.”

Lailah hesitated in taking her eyes off Frank. When she did, she saw just how right she was. Her arm was bleeding. Blood was all over the floor, countertops, drawers, and she just realized how slippery the handle was on the knife. In realizing this, it would seem as if her body depleted the adrenaline that was running through her veins. Her vision went double, and she staggered. Something clanged against the floor, most likely the knife, and Lailah went down. Her body collapsed and she faded to darkness.

A repetitive sound beckoned Lailah to waken. It coaxed her further and further into consciousness. The room was brightly lit. Colors swirled around attempting to gather themselves into recognizable shapes. Slowly, but surely she recognized where she was. A hospital room. Despite the warm smiles greeting her, she felt rather cold. How many times was she going to end up in the hospital in her whole stay in Ormond? Even she had to admit how ridiculous it was getting.

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” A chipper voice called her attention. 

Feng. Yui. Both of them had worry in their eyes, but smiles on their faces. She hated her friends seeing her weak, but at the same time, she didn’t know if she could make it through all these knew realizations and epiphanies without them. Tears welled up once more and she gave them another smile. On the other side of her were two more faces that she recognized;

“Mom… Dad…” Both of them were crying, just as she was. Her mother gently reached over and touched her cheek.

“Hi Sweetheart.” She whispered, the tears falling faster. She could understand. If her mom lost her, there was no having another child. She was all that they had and with all that blood that was in the kitchen—not to mention the rest of the apartment—she wasn’t sure how close they were to losing her, but she could only imagine how terrified they must’ve all been.

“Hey…” Lailah smiled. “How did—”

“Frank called us.” Yui explained. “All of us.”

Frank…

Lailah looked around the room and saw that he was nowhere to be seen. Where the hell was he? This should be a good thing? She was safe in a hospital room with all her friends and her family. He wasn’t there, so… why did she feel so sad? Surely she still couldn’t have feelings for him. Not after finding out what he was. Was he even really human? Or was he just a monster wearing human skin with a smiling mask. She recalled the news report on how that family had been attacked and murdered. How there were children involved. As The Legion’s leader, he didn’t have a right to walk around free while the rest of the family was mourning those that were lost. Even if he hadn’t attacked her at the convenience store that day, he still robbed it. With three other people.

Three more people… wait…

Another realization hit her, like a ton of bricks that weighed her stomach down as it dropped. She couldn’t believe she didn’t put two and two together to begin with. There were four friends. Four thieves. Four masks. The Legion. And she had encountered them all. Hung out with them all. Befriended almost all of them. And they were criminals the whole time.

“He’s not here.” Lailah’s father spoke.

“… Oh.”

I can’t tell if I’m relieved or disappointed.

“He rode with you in the ambulance the whole way though.” Feng smiled, wiping a tear from her face. “But dipped out once your parents got here after we did.”

“…” Lailah’s brows furrowed. “Did he… say anything?”

“He just said to take care of you.” Yui explained.

Why does that sound like a goodbye?

“I’m sure he’ll be back soon.” Her mother reassured.

Do I even want him back?

The door clicked, and everyone in the room turned to look at it. Detective Morgan walked inside, adjusting his tie. She was glad to see him in a way, but also didn’t want to deal with the police any more than she had to. Exhaling a soft laugh when he almost closed his tie in the door, she adjusted the bed so she was sitting up more. She peeked behind Detective Morgan, but he was the only one that came through.

I still want to see him… I’m terrible.

“Hey there everyone. Good to see you.” Detective Morgan took out a pad of paper and raised his eyebrow. “Except maybe you. Can’t seem to stop seeing you in every case that hits my desk, huh?” He winked, making Lailah blink and turn a shade of pink.

“U-Um… Suppose so…”

The hell?

“I’m going to have to take your statement about everything.” Detective Morgan said. “Would you mind if I talked to her alone?”

“Oh. No. Not at all.” Lailah’s father said. “Girls, how about you join us in the cafeteria? We’ll all just get something to eat and be back.”

“Sweet! Free food!” Feng exclaimed and leaned over and kissed Lailah’s head. “We’ll bring you something back. Okay?”

Lailah giggled, glad to have some humor around. She would hate for everything to be doom and gloom the whole time.

“Something sweet, okay?”

“You know it!” Feng said with a thumbs up before they all left.

For a few moments, the tick of the clock and the beeping of the machines were all that was sounding in the room. It wasn’t the first time that she was alone with Detective Morgan, but it was the first time that she felt a little awkward about it considering that he had just winked at her. Truthfully, she was probably just reading too much into it. After all, Detective Morgan seemed to be married to the job and interested only in the job. He was a good cop all around and had been there for her as a first responder as well. She was grateful that someone like him was on the Ormond PD. Detective Morgan grabbed one of the chairs and took a seat next to her bedside.

“How are you feeling, Lailah?” He asked, not opening his notepad. It seemed this question was something he genuinely wanted to know.

“A little confused. Everything is just happening… really, really fast.” She admitted.

“I can only imagine. You get into a lot of trouble for someone so innocent.” Detective Morgan gave a slight laugh.

“Tell me about it.” Lailah rolled her eyes.

“Let’s get down to business, okay?”

“Sure.”

Detective Morgan opened his pad up and took the handy dandy pen out. She relaxed into the bed and looked at him. He was focused on the notes that he had previously written for just a moment before he looked at her and locked eye contact. He smiled which made Lailah look down.

“Can you tell me what happened?” He asked.

“Sure.” Lailah furrowed her brows, trying to recall everything that happened. “I came home from work. I was heading to the bathroom to take a shower and go to bed, I was really exhausted. But someone hit me over the head when I was in my room. I turned to see who it was and I was all double visioned. But, I dodged an attack and held up my arm, which looking back on it was really stupid because they had a knife.”

“This arm?” Detective Morgan gently touched her bandaged arm.

“Yes, sir.” Lailah nodded. “I managed to push her off and turned around to try and get up, but she stabbed me in the like back of the heel part by where your ankle and foot meet. And she dragged me across the floor. I managed to kick her before she stabbed me and went into the bathroom. I locked the door and stumbled into Frank’s room since both of them are connected. She stabbed through the door and I hid in his closet. It wasn’t the smartest move, I know, but I couldn’t run.”

“You did well.” Detective Morgan smiled.

“Thank you. So I hid there, and I guess she ran off or something. Because Frank was on the one that found me in the closet. And I—…” Lailah flashed back to when the doors opened and she had screamed. She had no chance to be happy that Frank found her because the most damning piece of evidence had fallen into her hands when she bumped into some of the things inside the closet.

“And you…?” Detective Morgan urged.

This is it. Detective Morgan worked for the Ormond PD. He’s on The Legion’s case. He’s the head of the case. If I tell him what I found, then he’ll have no choice but to investigate Frank. If he hasn’t moved it, then he’ll see it. Then they’ll arrest Frank for murder, theft, and who knows what else. All I have to do is tell him.

“Then…” Lailah trailed off and blinked before looking back at Detective Morgan. “Then I guess I must’ve passed out because next thing I know, I woke up here.”

“I see.” He wrote in his pen pad and Lailah was mentally kicking herself. She’d had the perfect opportunity to tell him everything. To throw Frank under the bus so something like that family would never happen again. But he said that it wasn’t him. He said that he could explain himself. But… what if he was just saying that to bide time so that he could hide the evidence for if she eventually did turn him in? “Is there anything else?”

“Huh? Oh… no. Nothing.”

Come on! What is wrong with you!? Frank isn’t who you think he is.

“So what were you doing in the kitchen?”

“H-Huh?” Lailah’s head shot up, and she looked at Detective Morgan with wide eyes. He was smiling, both in his eyes and on his lips. He had caught her. She needed to backtrack. Right now. She couldn’t send Frank to prison without having him explain himself. She didn’t think that she could live the rest of her life knowing that there was something he never got to tell her. She shook her head. “Sorry… I don’t remember.”

“I see.” Detective Morgan wrote more. “Do you remember what your assailant looked like?”

“Uh… it was a woman. Few inches taller than me so maybe 5’6” or 5’ 7”. She had a jacket on. With a hood. And a smiling mask that had red paint on it. Or… at least I hope it was red paint.”

Detective Morgan wrote down her description and after a few more moments looked back at her.

“You said that you don’t remember what happened to the time Frank found you to the time that you arrived here. Correct?”

“Y-Yes… that’s right.”

“Do you mind if I try to clear it up, Lailah?” He asked.

“No…” She answered after a few minutes. “No, go ahead.”

As if planned, the door opened and Frank walked in. He looked a bit off as he closed the door behind him and walked further into the room. Lailah wanted to be scared to see him. She wanted to be happy to see him. But most of all, she was confused. Why was he here? And why didn’t Detective Morgan look the least bit surprised to see him walking in. He took a spot on the other side of her bed, but didn’t come as close as he normally would have.

“Frank.”

“Morgan.”

“You told me that Lailah passed out in the kitchen. After she held a knife to you, right? You two argued.” Detective Morgan said.

“That’s right.” Frank said without hesitation.

“What were you two arguing about?”

“I don’t remember.” Lailah interjected quickly.

“I know, Lailah. That’s why Frank is here.”

“She found my Legion mask.”

Lailah’s eyes widened. What had he just said? To Detective Morgan no less? He had just admitted that he had a Legion mask. Her blood turned cold. What was going to happen now? Did he just seal his death warrant? Was he going to remain in prison for all eternity? Would they vote to kill him via lethal injection? Or would she turn on the TV one day to find out that Frank Morrison had hung himself in his cell with his bedsheets? It was all too common an occurrence in jail. She could already see the mugshot appearing on the screen and the newscaster describing the horrific scene and what he had been charged with.

“Is that jogging your memory, Lailah?” Detective Morgan asked.

Mouth agape like a fish, she stared at Frank in disbelief. Tears gathered in her eyes. This couldn’t be happening. Was she about to watch him get taken away? He wouldn’t even look at her, which made the whole thing even worse. Was the last memory of them together going to be her crying and holding a knife to his chest.

“Frank, to be clear, you didn’t have the mask as some sort of fan of The Legion, correct?”

“No.” Frank said, sniffling slightly. “I run The Legion. I’m their leader.”

What. Are. You. Doing?!

“Hey, you look a bit off, Morrison.” Detective Morgan said. “What did you do?”

“Line of coke.” Frank said as if it were the most common thing in the world.

Detective Morgan stood up. Lailah leaned up, about to beg him not to take Frank in. That he was just kidding. All of that was just lies. She needed to talk to him, not with police watching them and everything like that. She needed to talk to him one on one. She had to know everything. Now there were more questions she had to ask him. Cocaine?! What the hell? Where would he even get cocaine?

“Morrison, you gotta lay off that shit.” Morgan said, shaking his head. “That was our deal, wasn’t it?”

“… I slipped up once. Sue me.” Frank bit back.

“How am I supposed to plead your case to the judge if you’re doing shit like this?” Morgan ran his fingers through his hair and turned and looked at Lailah. “I’ll be back to you in a minute, I better explain things to Lailah before she has a heart attack.”

“…” Frank looked down.

“Unless you want to do it.”

“No. Go ahead.”

“Fine—”

“Frank!” Lailah exclaimed. “Please… talk to me. I have to know. I have to. What is going on?”

“Don’t,” Frank furrowed his brows and looked at the ground. “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Then tell me. You said that you’d explain it. Do it.”

“You heard the girl.” Morgan said.

Frank took a deep breath and sighed. It was quiet in the room for a minute. Lailah could tell that Frank was gathering all his thoughts to tell her exactly what was going on. Finally, she would have some answers. Each second that passed that Frank was thinking was another second that she felt closer to a heart attack or a brain aneurysm. At least she was in the best place to be if she had either of those, but she’d rather avoid any other sort of tragedy.

“I formed The Legion in highschool with Julie, Susie, and Joey. Morgan was on my case the whole time for a list of other things; misdemeanors, conduct issues, the works. He’d always suspected me before, but could never prove it.” Frank smirked, as if still relishing in his win over the cops. “We stole and terrorized. That’s what we did. Fought back against the system.”

“Always with the iconoclastic nature.”

“Can I continue?”

“Please.” Detective Morgan bowed his head.

“Did my thing. Then I met you. You moved in and kinda threw a wrench into me enjoying life the way that I used to. Had to hide all the drugs and everything like that. When you started working at the tea shop, I found out I had more time to be me again.”

“Drugs…? L-Like pills?” Lailah said, hoping for the best case.

“In a way. Crushed those. Snorted ‘em. But primarily it was coke, heroin, meth, weed, you know… all the things that good girl’s parents warn their daughters about staying away from. So, The Legion continued to terrorize in the best way we knew how. Theft. Robbed the store you were in. Couldn’t get away from you. It made me so angry. Then I thought, keep my friends close and my enemies closer. And to me, you were an enemy. You’d snitch to the cops about anything, no second thoughts. So I decided to get closer to you… that way you wouldn’t suspect me.”

“Frank…” Lailah began, tears gathering in her eyes. Was it all fake? All a sham? Just like she had feared? “I—”

“And you didn’t. Then Julie had to go do something fucking dumb and attack you. Over what, I still don’t know. Us “being together”?” Frank air quoted. She didn’t know that it could hurt so much for just fingers to move in the air. “Even if she was jealous about that, she wouldn’t jeopardize her freedom. And you had to go in my room and even worse my closet, and found my mask. Now you know the truth.”

“But… But you said it didn’t change the way you felt about me.” Lailah practically whimpered. She hoped that this was all a lie too.

“If you called the cops then, Morgan wouldn’t have come. He was off. I made a deal with him. The others don’t know.”

“What deal?” Lailah asked, her voice low and squeaky as she attempted to take all this in. The more truth that she learned, the more that she hated it. Potentially even hated him.

“We would help Morgan find the killers posing as The Legion and we would turn ourselves in for the crimes that we did commit.”

“You’re… going to jail?”

“He closes the case for his actual boss and we get a reduced sentence.”

Lailah looked over at Detective Morgan.

“‘Actual boss’?” She asked. “The hell does that mean?”

“Allow me to reintroduce myself: Special Agent—”

“He works for the FBI.” Frank said. “His unit specializes in copy cats. They believe that the group has moved to Canada so the FBI and the RCMP* have an agreement. He works for them, finds them, and gets a promotion back in America.”

“Aw come on, I was waiting for my intro this whole time.” Morgan huffed.

“Don’t care.” Frank said, his tone just as bitter as when she first met him.

“Lailah, I’m Special Agent Anthony Zach Morgan.” He said. “Please though, just call me Zach. Everyone does.”

Lailah felt her world reeling. Everything she thought she knew had been a lie. Frank was The Legion’s leader. They had an agreement with Detective Morgan to turn themselves for a reduced sentence in exchange for helping find the actual culprits that are murdering people around Ormond. And Detective Morgan was actually Special Agent Anthony Zach Morgan from America? There was just one thing that she didn’t know for sure.

“Frank… what about… you and me?” Lailah had to ask, even if she didn’t like the answer. She had to ask.

“I just totally got ignored, didn’t I?” Agent Morgan said.

“Lailah, there is no “you and me”. It’s just been me protecting myself. That’s all I’ve done, that’s all I ever will do.”

“You’re lying…” Lailah rebutted. “Why are you lying to me?”

“I’m not lying, Lailah. Now that you know everything, just stay out of my way. Or you could potentially end up getting killed.”

Lailah was in complete disbelief. The tears that wanted to flow couldn’t. Her body wouldn’t allow them too. The shock was too great. Her whole life this past year had been a lie. Everything she thought she knew had been turned upside down. She thought that she had found someone that cared for her. Liked her, could have potentially even loved her as time went on.

“Why did you save me then?” Lailah asked. “From Reynolds.”

“…”

“You said you would explain! Tell me, Frank!”

“…I needed you to trust me more. So I could keep a closer eye on you. To make sure that my secret was kept.” Frank sighed and looked over at Agent Morgan. “Zach, I kept my end of the deal. Make sure you do the same, yeah?”

“Doing a line of coke wasn’t part of the deal, Frank.” Zach mumbled.

“It was one line, like I said, fucking sue me. You still want my help or not?”

“You still want my help or not?” Zach retorted.

The two men looked at each other for what felt like an eternity. Frank finally broke contact. He didn’t even look at Lailah as he turned and left the room. Once that door closed, she felt like he had just walked out of her life too. Zach sat back down and looked at Lailah. She watched as his face turned a bit sad and he sighed, leaning back into his chair.

“This… isn’t how I thought it would play out.” He said.

“Zach?” Lailah asked, staring at the door Frank had just walked out.

“Mm?”

“Am I an idiot?”

“No.” Zach said. “Not in the slightest.”

Lailah hung her head and started to cry, putting her face in her hands. It was a few moments of just her cries in addition to the machines and the clock before she felt an arm around her shoulders. She didn’t have to look up to know that it was Zach. She could smell the cologne coming from his suit. They stayed like that for she didn’t even know how long, but she eventually stopped crying and Zach eventually let her go.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “That suit must’ve been expensive.”

“FBI covers all expenses. So don’t worry about it.” Zach smiled. Lailah couldn’t help it and returned his with one of her own with a little laugh. “There we go.”

“What do I do now?” Lailah asked.

“About that… I would recommend moving as soon as possible.” Zach said. “If Julie was the one that attacked you. Frank seemed pretty sure it was, and from the look in your eyes, you think so too… she knows where you live and can get in. All things considered, in my professional opinion, you would be safer somewhere else.”

“…”

“Do you have somewhere you can stay?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

“Hey, Lailah. I know that the world feels really fucked up right now and that you probably feel really betrayed and whatnot. Just… call me. If you want to, day or not. And I’m not just saying that. I’d like to consider you more than just the girl that keeps popping up in my cases.” Zach handed her a piece of paper with his name and a number on it.

“Like… what?”

“I don’t really have many friends here, so… how about a friend?” Zach smirked.

Lailah looked at him. She had never really noticed before, but now looking at him, she could tell that Zach was relatively within their age group. If she had to guess she would say that he wasn’t even 30 yet. Shaggy brown hair with a large scar across his face and some stubble. His eyes were rather interesting. A blue and a red eye. That was probably one for an interesting conversation.

“Okay…” Lailah smiled softly. Being in the FBI, he was most likely no stranger to loss and sadness. She could probably find a great friend in Anthony Zach Morgan. “Thank you, Zach.”

“It’s no trouble.” He said. “I talked to your doctor before you woke up. Tomorrow you’ll be clear to head out, but you’re going to need crutches for a while. Get some sleep if you can, alright Lailah?”

“Mm. Thanks.” She nodded and watched Zach smile back and then head out.

 

The next day, Lailah was heading back to the apartment after being discharged from the hospital. She hadn’t heard anything from Frank and no texts that she sent were responded to. It seemed that he really had walked out of her life. Even if he was at the apartment, she was here to gather her things. After crying for an unknown amount of time in the hospital after everyone had left, she agreed that leaving was best. Not just because Frank revealing all those truths to her, but also because Zach was right. Julie would most likely be back. Changing the locks wouldn’t matter either. If Julie really wanted her, she would find a way to get to her. Leaving and finding somewhere else to stay would be in everyone’s best interest.

“Okay, just like last time. Everyone go ahead and grab things.” Yui commented. Lailah went to get out of the car and Feng turned around,

“Except you. You can’t lift anything.”

“I have crutches. I’ll be fine.”

“Exactly. You have crutches. You can’t pick up anything.”

“Listen, just do me a solid and just yell at us where to put things. Just play foreman for a day, okay? Yui and I can handle this just fine.”

“She called someone else to come help. She said it would go quicker.”

The three girls got out of the car and Lailah was about to head up the steps when a car pulled up in the parking lot next to Feng’s car, in Frank’s spot.

“Well well, what do we have here?” A taunting voice came from inside the car.

“What—?” Feng frowned.

“Zach. Hey.” Lailah interrupted, smiling slightly. using her crutches to turn and face him.

“Hey. Am I late?” He asked, getting out and closing the door behind him.

“Nope. Right on time.”

“Uh, Lailah? Who’s this?” Yui asked, nudging her.

“Oh, this is—”

“I’m Lailah’s friend. Zach.” He said.

“You’re the one Lailah called to help?” Feng asked.

“That’s me.” He smiled somewhat awkwardly. “Hope that’s alright.”

“More than alright, act—ouch!”

“We’re just grabbing my things, Zach.” Lailah said, taking the crutch that she had stabbed onto Feng’s foot off.

“I don’t think you need to be lifting anything, Lailah.” Zach said and took the key from her before heading up the stairs. He’d been here what felt like so much she should’ve just made him a key as well. “We just finished our job a few hours ago.”

“‘Our job’?” Yui asked. “Uh, Lailah?”

“This is the guy I was telling you about.”

“Agent Anthony Zach Morgan?” Feng harsh whispered. “The American FBI agent?”

“Uh yeah. He doesn’t have too many friends, so, after… what happened… he gave me his number and basically said we could hang out sometime.”

“Mm…” Yui stroked her chin. “Well, I won’t turn down help.”

“You turned mine down.”

“I won’t turn down able-bodied help.”

“… Tch.”

A few hours after Zach had joined them, and three trips later, they had gathered all her things. Lailah had even left the keys of Frank’s that she found all those months back in the mailbox so he’d get it. She gave her forwarding address to the office and turned the key back to them before heading towards Feng and Yui’s complex. With all the blood that was in the apartment, Frank would most likely have to leave there too. She wouldn’t know where he’d go and he really would be out of her life by then. Sighing, she leaned back and saw Zach following them in the rearview mirror.

After dropping off her belongings, the three movers stretched. She smiled sadly. She was thankful that she had help, but she felt bad that she wasn’t able to help too. For Feng and Yui, she felt bad, but she felt the worse with Zach. After all, she had asked him to hang out and then he found out that she wanted his help moving. He had enough to do as it was with being in the police/FBI here in Ormond. All those late days and early mornings.

“How about some tea?” Feng commented.

“Good idea.” Lailah commented. “Zach, wanna join us?”

“Hm? Sure. That sounds good.”

The group filed into Zach’s car and he took the directions to Tea You Later. When they arrived, Lailah was kinda sad to get out of the car, it was so interesting. She hadn’t really seen another car like it. With him being in the FBI, she supposed he made quite an extensive amount of money, so it wouldn’t shock her if it was custom made. She opened her door and took the hand that Zach was offering and grabbed her other crutch and headed inside Tea You Later. The sign was still switched to ‘Closed’ with a handwritten sign that they were closed because of a family emergency. Yui turned on the TV, and went to the back to make some tea leaving Lailah alone with Zach.

“Hey, Lailah.” Zach began.

“Hm?”

“It’s not that tea isn’t good, but I’m more of a coffee guy. Is there anyway, I could get some coffee?”

“Oh yeah, sure.” Lailah cleared her throat, “Hey! Feng, Zach wants coffee instead!” Lailah exclaimed to her two friends in the back. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zach shrink into himself a bit.

“I could’ve done that.”

“Well why didn’t you?” She smiled.

“Zach, thanks for helping me move.”

“No problem.” He said. “I meant what I said, I don’t have a lot of friends, so it was nice to hang out with someone outside of work instead of going to an empty hotel room.”

“You’ve been living in a hotel for years?”

“Mm. Yeah, but the bureau pays for it. So that’s something else I don’t have to worry about.”

“The bureau pay for your car too?”

Zach laughed slightly.

“No, that’s a Zach Morgan original. Why? You like it?”

“Yeah, and I don’t really know anything about cars, but it’s a nice one.”

“Thanks, Lailah.” Zach said, smiling a thanks to Feng who put some coffee in front of him and pointed to the cream and sugar. “That’s kind of you to say.”

“Well our Lailah here is always kind.” Feng said, nudging her friend.

“Heh… I can see that.” Zach smiled.

“That’s right, Alyssa. I’m here on the scene where The Legion has struck again. Authorities say that early this morning, The Legion set fire to the home behind me with a family of three inside. They suspect they woke up in the middle of the night and escaped where the other members were waiting for them. A neighbor found the married couple on the ground with their abdomens slit this morning when he went to get his paper. Miraculously, the mother was still alive. Their daughter, Piper Takeuchi, age 16 was nowhere to be seen.” The announcer spoke, a saddened look on her face while a picture of this ‘Piper’ flashed on the screen. “This is the fourth murder committed by the group named ‘The Legion’. Connections between the targets are still underway, but the are thought to be random at this time. Authorities are asking for anyone with clues or knowledge to please contact the Ormond Police Department as soon as possible.”

Lailah looked over at Zach. After the screen switched, he reached in his pocket and took out a cellphone. Looking over at Lailah who nodded, he got up and went outside and within seconds he was talking to someone on the phone. Zach was supposed to be the leader on The Legion case, and he wasn’t informed of this. If he wasn’t told, who were the authorities that the news had gotten their information from. Either way, she knew that Zach was going to be pissed at the situation. 

“So, if it’s not Frank and them doing it… then who?” Yui muttered.

“What do they have to gain from pretending to be The Legion?” Feng added.

Zach walked back inside the shop and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. His frown dissipated a bit when he looked at Lailah.

“Sorry, but I have to run. Is it alright if I call or message you later?” Zach asked.

“Yeah. Be careful, okay?”

“Yeah. Will do. Thanks again, Feng. Yui. You guys be careful too.”

“We will.” Yui assured, handing him the cup. “Just take this and go.”

“Oh, but I drove us—”

“Our complex isn’t too far away. I can grab the car and come back for Lailah.” Feng assured.

Zach nodded and left and got in his car and backed out and sped down the road like the pro that he was. Lailah’s brows furrowed.

“What’s the matter? Miss him already?” Feng teased.

“Oh please, I don’t think of him like that. You must be talking about yourself.” Lailah said, giving a small laugh.

“I’m just messing.”

“No, but… that girl. That Piper Takeuchi.”

“The missing girl?” Yui asked. “What about her?”

“She… I dunno. She just looks kinda familiar is all.”

“Well, Ormond isn’t exactly a huge place. You may have run into her on the street.”

“No, that lady was reporting from Calgary.”

“Calgary… Piper Takeuchi…” Lailah mused.

I have a bad, bad feeling.

Notes:

*RCMP (Royal Candaian Mounted Police)-The national police service in Canada in all other provinces other than Ontario and Quebec. AKA the Canadian equivalent of the FBI. The RCMP also provides certain national investigative and record-keeping functions, the RCMP provide provincial policing services, and even municipal police services in some locations.

If any of you live in Canada and find this inaccurate let me know. I have a hard time remembering that this is all taking place in Canada so I find myself having to do some research because I was a couple paragraphs into the reveal about Zach working for the FBI before I realized that's an American police bureau. XD So I had to figure out what the Canadian equivalent was. I'm glad I caught it, because if I hadn't caught it to later, it would've really annoyed me.
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Welp! There you have it! As I said in the notes before, this was extremely fun to write. My best friend actually called me "evil" after this. So, that was fun. But of course, in my writing she's called me a lot worse for all the shit that I pull. As some of you know, I love to take all of you on emotional rollar coaster rides. Take you all on feels trips that you didn't sign permission slips for, you know... all that good stuff.

I really hope you enjoyed it. Let me know what you think!

Drop on by Discord and shoot me a message. I'd love to hear from you all. Thanks again!

Chapter 31: Memories

Summary:

What… does this mean?

Notes:

Hello everyone! Surprise! I bet you didn't think you would see me again so soon! I love to shock though. Here I am with another chapter.

I also joined Discord! I created a server where you guys could come and chat with me, send speculations, or just gush about certain parts of the story to your heart's content. If you wanted to drop by, ask some questions, or just chat with me about random things that would be cool too. I'm still learning about Discord to be honest, but I'm hoping that you'll drop by.

Here's the server link: https://discord.gg/nEJgbSChzZ

Lailah sat at her kotatsu in the middle of her floor, looking at the tabs she had open on her browser. Web articles about the cases open against The Legion sprawled so far across the top that she couldn’t read the titles of the tabs. Arson, theft, and of course, murder. She had been reading and looking for articles for days now. Something to tie everything together. If these copycats were going specifically after The Legion, then they must have some reason for killing these particular people. Of course, Lailah was also limited to what the public was allowed to see. Zach would have more information from not just Canadian officials, but from those in America as well. There was just something…

“Lailah? You’re up early.” Yui’s voice came from the door, startling Lailah slightly.

“I uh… never went to bed.”

“You never—…” Lailah heard Yui trail off, but her attention was focused more on her screen. Even when Yui came over and sat on the opposite side of her at the kotatsu, she didn’t look up. “Lailah… this isn’t healthy.”

“…”

“When was the last time you ate?”

“… The last time you brought something to me.” Lailah answered after a long silence.

“What? Lailah that was almost two days ago!”

“… I just… I have to find something. I have to be useful.”

“…”

Lailah knew that what she was doing was unhealthy. Her clothes were starting to become a bit baggier on her. Eating twice in the week since Frank disappeared from her life wasn’t doing wonders for her. Since her injury, she couldn’t work and keep her mind off things. So all she was able to do was stay at home and stew on everything that happened. The first couple days she had tried to hide how much she had cried. After all, she didn’t want to worry Feng and Yui. By the fourth day, she was losing energy and motivation to seem less pathetic. Now she cried late into the night, sometimes early into the morning, without caring who heard. If her friends heard, they said nothing. Lailah wasn’t sure which was better; to know and pretend you didn’t, or to genuinely not know. Truthfully, she knew—she really did—that when she was hurting, so were her friends, but she couldn’t pull herself out of this hole.

She looked like she was withering away to nothing. She had showered, but anything else was too much work. Her hair was a mess, so were the clothes she was wearing. Her eyes were red and puffy, a testament to just how frequently the tears had fallen. It had gotten to the point where her sobs were dry. Her body produced no more tears. In a base sense, it seemed stupid to be this distraught over a boy. However, it was more than that. She just couldn’t vocalize it when asked how much she was feeling.

This feeling wasn’t just the loss of a boyfriend. It was the loss of a friend, a companion, the deflation of being the joke of everything, the guilt of thinking that she was able to move beyond her past and move towards the future, the torment of realizing just how hard she worked and fought just for nothing to come to fruition, the betrayal of trust, the sheer hopelessness of defeat from every angle, and the embarrassment of knowing that this whole sort of world was created just so an eye could be kept on her. Eloquent in her head, but it never came out like that.

“Lailah,” Yui began. “you’re not useless. You—”

“I am!”

“All I do is get into trouble and have others come save me. Even when I try to do some things on my own, I end up just… being a complete fuck up.” Lailah’s voice cracked which only made her vision blur with newfound tears. “Maybe if I hadn’t been like this then Frank would—”

“Lailah. Stop.” Yui said, reaching over and grabbing Lailah’s hand. “I’m sure there’s an explanation for all this, but… killing yourself isn’t gonna help you find it faster. And sometimes Lailah, there isn’t anything to find.” Her voice was firm. There was no room for argument. She could tell that Yui meant what she said.

“And Zach is working really hard to figure this out. He looks like he’s running himself ragged.”

“That’s his job, he’s been on this case for years.” Yui gave a soft laugh. “I’m sure that he can handle it.”

“…”

“I’ll go get you something to eat.”

Lailah nodded and kept her gaze at her computer again. When Yui left the room, she heard the muffled talking of her and Feng. No doubt they were discussing her. She knew that she was making them worry, and that was the last thing that she wanted to do. But if she could just find something, anything to make a break; to be helpful, then it would all be worth it. But she was running at a dead end. Repeatedly. If there was one thing she knew for a fact, she wasn’t cut out for a job in law enforcement. Hitting dead ends would stress her out and annoy her to the point of no return.

Finally, she sighed and closed her computer. What the hell was she doing? A week of her life gone and she hadn’t come across anything. Like Yui said, what if there was nothing to find? Yet, she couldn’t shake that there was something that she was missing. She decided to just get up, take a shower, and go lay back down. Perhaps she could pop in one of her DVDs and get some enjoyment out of that. It felt like an eternity since she had true enjoyment out of anything.

Making full use of her crutches and furniture, she got up and headed to her closet, gathering another blanket for when she got in bed. Even when the heat was on, her room would be a little colder than the rest of the house. She couldn’t help but wonder if maybe it was her own freezing heart that would contribute to it. Pulling the blanket by the edge sent a few of the things from the upper part of her closet tumbling to the floor. In the midst of avoiding the objects, she tumbled and fell to the floor.

“I’m fine!” Lailah exclaimed, knowing all the banging would alert her friends.

“You sure?” Feng called from the other room.

“Positive!” Lailah grunted as she moved to turn her body so she could get up without harming her arm or her leg.

It looked like a box of memorabilia, a photo album, and some craft supplies that were yellowed with age. Lailah sat the blanket on her bed and slowly began picking up the objects that had fallen. The box was full of what looked like things like ticket stubs for movies, a few ribbons from crafts she had done in summer camps past, and photos of her with some other kids with what looked like camp counselors. Despite how she had been feeling all week, a smile came to her face.

To be a kid again, where the biggest betrayal was someone stealing half your sandwich or taking your swing on the playground.

The smile faded when she looked at the photo album. On the front was a picture of her and her parents about six months after she was adopted. In actuality, there were bigger betrayals and she had gone through the worst of them. Her birth parents had given her up. Her father deemed her a mistake and her mother found that she was just a reminder of what she had done in the past. But it was true that she was thankful in a way, because she loved her adoptive parents. But that betrayal feeling was still there.

Shaking her head, Lailah picked up the album and sat it on the bed. She gathered her clothes and headed to the bathroom for a shower. The hot water felt invigorating. Maybe after this she would feel more like a human instead of some creature that belonged in a cave. There was this overwhelming sense of loss that she was having a hard time ridding herself of. Trying to keep positive, she washed up and relaxed against the wall as the hot water rushed over her.

Back in her room and dressed, she sat on her bed. The front of the photo album made her smile this time as she thought of all the memories that lay within its pages. Taking pictures to commemorate various activities was one of her favorite activities growing up. Her mother had gotten her so many exposures for her Polaroid camera throughout the years. She noticed the food that Yui had sat on her table while she was in the shower. It must’ve been fairly recent, as she could still see steam rising from the plate. Lailah was about to head to her kotatsu to eat when her phone alerted her to a message.

Zach: Hey, Lailah. How’s it going?

Me: Hey. Pretty good. I’m just about to eat some breakfast.

Zach: That’d be more brunch, I would think.

Lailah checked the clock and saw that it was going on 1 PM. She couldn’t help herself and ended up smiling.

Me: Got me there.

Zach: Do you have any plans today?

Me: No, I don’t.

Zach: Good. Well, I’m off today, so I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to grab a coffee or something. If you don’t like coffee, we could just go somewhere and grab some tea.

Me: That sounds really nice. I like coffee too, just a lot more sweet than you do yours.

Zach: Noted. Do you mind if I pick you up in about an hour?

Me: No, that sounds good. Thank you, Zach.

Zach: No problem. See you then. Take care.

Lailah headed to her kotatsu and sat down again, picking at the food that Yui had made her. Not that the food wasn’t good, she just wasn’t really in the mood to eat. The first time this week that she had gone a few days without eating, she was sick. She could barely get out of bed and when she was eating, she told herself that she wouldn’t do it again. Then she delved down the rabbit hole of the internet to find some more information on not only The Legion and the copycats but also why this Piper Takeuchi looked so familiar to her. Then the next thing she knew, it was a few days before she ate again, but it didn’t bother her as much this time.

Spending time with Zach was a welcome relief in the dull life that she was “living” now with everything that happened. He made sure that she was alright, and even though Lailah knew that it was just his job… she was thankful to have someone close. Feng had been getting ready to attend another tournament since she came back from Florida once Frank had called her, effectively dropping out of the tournament. Yui liked to let her figure out her feelings in time, and she was grateful for that, but how could she explain that she wanted someone to be close and not keep her at arm’s length anymore? She wasn’t going to think that Zach was becoming close to her for any other reason than she was technically his charge while he was working these cases, but even still, it felt nice to have another friend.

Her thoughts had been so overwhelming that she had screamed out when a knock came at her door. It opened a crack and she saw Yui standing in the open doorway,

“Lailah, Zach is here. He said he called you, but you didn’t answer.”

“Oh! Crap, I’m sorry. I’ll be out in a few minutes.” Lailah said and Yui nodded, closing the door behind her.

Lailah got up, putting on some pants. She went through her closet and grabbed onto a jacket and gloves to make sure that she wouldn’t get cold in the winter air. She took her crutches and headed out to the living room.

Zach was sitting on the couch, watching the TV. She wasn’t sure if he was understanding anything considering the whole program was in Japanese, but if he was confused he wasn’t letting on. He was wearing casual clothing and it was the first time that she had seen him in anything other than a suit. It was just a nice button down shirt and some jeans, but he was still rather professional looking. Lailah couldn’t help but wonder if Zach had a mode outside of looking like an FBI agent.

“Hey, sorry about that. I was focused on something, and I didn’t even realize an hour had passed and didn’t hear your call.” Lailah explained, feeling guilt creep up in her.

“No problem at all.” Zach said and stood up. “You ready?”

“Yeah.” Lailah gave a soft smile, but she still felt guilty. Now it was for being such a burden on her friends.

“Take your time. I’m just going to do some cleaning today.” Yui responded.

Part of the reason that she liked and appreciated Feng and Yui’s complex was because while there were stairs, there was also the option to use the elevator. Considering that she was now limited with the crutches, she chose the elevator, so she didn’t waste time and lose her patience with the stairs. It was also the most logical choice, considering how accident prone she was. The elevator chimed to their floor, and they got in. Zach didn’t push her forward or get impatient with her for taking a while. He just guided her along and stayed close enough to make sure that he could assist her if something went wrong.

With Zach’s help, Lailah got into the car and buckled in. She leaned back in the plush seats and waited for Zach to drive off before she looked over at him. He was adjusting the heat and turned a vent towards her. The gesture made her smile, but also tore at her heart. Frank had done the same thing too after they had gotten close. Could someone really fake that for so long? As demented as it was, if that was the truth, then he deserved kudos for being able to keep up the ruse for so long. If she hadn’t fallen for him, she didn’t think that this would hurt as bad.

Zach pulled up to a little restaurant on a corner. During Spring or even Summer she was sure that it was really nice to sit here and enjoy the food and drinks while looking at the blooming flowers. However, now the planters were all snow covered. There were a couple flowers that were there, one of the few breeds that bloom in Winter time, but nothing like she was sure it would be during Spring and Summer.

“You been here before?” Zach asked.

“No, but i have wanted to go. When the flowers bloom, I always find myself looking at it. I never had the chance to stop.” Lailah explained.

Zach looked like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. He parked close to the door as he could and turned the car off. He went over to her side and helped steady her since she had to bring her crutches out after her because of the shape of the car and the limited space in the front seat. Not to mention two large poles of metal would most likely hinder his vision while driving. Although, as an FBI agent, he was probably taught how to drive even when there were obstacles. But she didn’t want to test it or make things more difficult than they needed to be.

Inside it was decorated in an rustic, Tuscan sort of design. The smell of bread and other sorts of dishes wafted through the air. Despite her having had some brunch, her stomach churned. The hostess took them to a booth in the back, thanking Zach as he helped make sure that she wouldn’t fall. The waitress took their drink order and swiftly brought them back within a minute. The service was really impeccable. That must be part of the reason that they’re so packed.

“Thank you, Zach.” Lailah said, taking a sip of her drink.

“Hm?” He paused in pouring some milk into his coffee. “What for?”

“Just for getting me out of the house. I really needed it.”

“Yui was telling me you’ve been holed up in your room for about a week.”

“…”

Dammit Yui.

“You can’t do that. You’re recovering from an injury. You need lots of food and rest.” Zach said, finishing in prepping his coffee.

“I hope Yui didn’t worry you too much when she told you that… it’s not really your job to worry about me, Zach.”

“Make no mistake, Lailah,” Zach gave a small smile. “Yui had a hand in me inviting you out. But… I planned on doing it anyway. She just gave me the push to do it sooner. I wanted to see you.”

“…” Lailah looked at her drink and then at Zach. “You’re really nice, b-but… I’m not looking for a relationship or anything… like that… right now. I don’t even know if I believe in romance anymore.”

Zach smiled and took a sip of his coffee. He took a breath and looked like he was deciding on what to say. Lailah could practically see the gears turning in his head as he took another sip of coffee and gave a sigh, setting it down. There were a lot of emotions behind those dual colored eyes, she would be lying if she said she didn’t want to know more about him; a mysterious FBI agent with two colored eyes and a large scar across his face. He would be interesting to any woman.

“Don’t worry, Lailah. I may be a lot of things, but I wouldn’t try to pick up a woman who’s brokenhearted and vulnerable. I meant what I said, I wanted to be your friend. If something else ends up growing from that, then we can cross that bridge when we get to it. But as it stands, us getting together would just end up in heartbreak for the both of us.” Zach gave a sad smile. “If I can get those copy cats, then I’ll have no reason to stay in Canada, and I’d head back to America. For my career, it’s beneficial. But it would be harder to see you. A beautiful woman like you deserves someone who can always be there for her, and I don’t think I can be that.”

“I… I see.” Lailah said. She was rather embarrassed that she had read into something that didn’t seem to be there. Not that she thought so highly of herself that she thought all men wanted her, but it seemed like Zach was sending certain signals. Perhaps it was her desperation for some sort of companionship that made her see things that weren’t there. “I’m—”

“You don’t have a reason to be sorry, Lailah. I’ve seen you hurt, and I just don’t want to contribute to it.” Zach looked like he wanted to say more once again, but he decided against it.

“I’m glad to have a friend like you, Zach.” Lailah told him.

If I hadn’t fallen for Frank, would I have fallen for Zach? It doesn’t matter, I suppose. What’s done is done, and he’s right. Whether or not I fell for him, I would just have to say goodbye. So I would just end up being hurt all over again.

The waitress returned and took their food order. Considering that Lailah had just eaten before coming, she only ordered a couple of simple things. One was that bread that she had smelled when she walked inside. Zach was having a full on meal. She could only imagine that he didn’t get to eat much, being on the case and being a full-time agent. Traveling from state to state, and clearly from country to country.

“Zach, what’s your profession like?” Lailah asked, tearing off a small piece of bread.

“Lonely.” He said without hesitation. “You make friends or start romantic relationships, then you’re whisked away somewhere else. Doing this for a few years though, I’ve learned to try and distance myself the best I’m able.”

“But you’re my friend.”

“You’re an exception.” Zach smiled and took another bite of his food.

“Forgive me for prying, but… you said starting a romantic relationship. Did you ever—…?” Lailah trailed off, wanting to know more about him without actually prying too far.

Zach gave a smile, something that was close to longing, but also seemed to be a fond remembrance. There was no telling the things he had seen and witnessed his years in the FBI. If the scar was any sign, she could only imagine. Her nightmares were his every day. He swallowed the bite in his mouth before continuing.

“On one case, I was there for months. I had been traveling all around America following cases of young women—about our age—that had been murdered. My brother and I were a team. The best team, actually. Our boss, Abrahams, sent us when the local PD and other agents would fail. We always went on cases together, and we went to a small logging town in Washington. A woman about our age was a deputy sheriff there. Very beautiful woman.”

“You have a brother?” Lailah asked, blinking when Zach smiled.

“A twin brother. Yes. He’s the older one. By two minutes, I say it doesn’t mean anything, but he would swear it does.”

“You two must be close.”

“We investigated the murder of a young woman, Anna. She was slit down the abdomen and hung from a tree in the forest. Two young boys found her on a morning walk with their grandfather.”

Lailah was amazed at how he could talk about such gruesome details like these cases without even flinching. She couldn’t help but wonder if he saw everyone when his eyes were closed, if he dreamed about those he couldn’t save and those that he missed. She wanted to ask, to learn more about this mysterious FBI agent that just waltzed into her life, but she knew that would be insensitive to ask.

“Oh God…”

“That’s what she said too.” Zach smiled. “She was caring about those boys. My brother… is less tactful. He reminded both of the locals that we were working with that children are stronger than you originally think. They said that Anna became ‘a goddess of the forest’.”

“That sounds pretty pure.”

“Mm.” He nodded and sighed. “My brother and I were there to find who had killed Anna while preventing any other murders.”

“Sounds like a lot for two people.”

“Eventually we took over the investigation because we found something that connected Anna’s case to the others that we had seen across the States.”

“How… did it turn out?”

“Five more died. There was nothing my brother nor I could do.”

“And… the woman?”

“She chose my brother.” Zach gave a small chuckle and a sad smile. “Doesn’t really shock me though, he always gets the girl.”

“If you and your brother are a team, where’s your brother?”

“…” Zach paused for what felt like an eternity. He looked down at his coffee cup, swishing the liquid about a couple times before he continued. “About a year after the case, he quit the bureau. Now he’s holed up in his apartment in New York. Doesn’t really come out for anything other than to see me, but even still it’s just to open the door and let me in.”

“…”

“I’m sorry, Lailah. This was supposed to be an outing that would make you smile and things like that. I didn’t mean to depress you.”

“No, it’s fine. I wanted to get to know you better.” Lailah assured, putting her hand over his. “I just never would’ve guessed that you just had so much hard things weighing on you. You don’t act like it at all.”

“Life goes on. Days go by. All I can do is try to be better than before.”

Lailah wanted to ask what the names were of all these people and the name of the town where it all took place, but it felt like Zach was deliberately trying to distance himself from the case as much as he could. She didn’t want to bring up more terrible memories than she already had. He had mentioned the name Anna, but that was most likely because she was dead before he had even gotten there, so he didn’t feel as attached. With the look in those heterochromic eyes, she could tell that her previous thoughts were affirmed. He did think about it, dreamt about it when his eyes closed.

“Thanks for sharing all that with me, Zach.”

“It felt good to tell someone.” He said softly and looked from his coffee to her.

“Did you always want to be in the FBI?”

“That’s really all I knew. My father was in the FBI.”

“Oh?” Lailah asked.

“Yeah, so my brother and I knew pretty early that we wanted to go into the field. Do you know what you want to do?”

“Honestly, no. I’ve been taking general classes, but I don’t really know for sure what I want to do.”

“There’s time. I’m sure you’ll think of something.” Zach said, taking another sip from his coffee.

Lailah tore at her bread, eating it ever so slowly. It was probably the best bread she’d ever had. She wanted to order more, but she didn’t want to drive the bill up. She hadn’t brought her wallet and Zach was already kind enough to buy for her what he was. She watched him sip at his coffee, looking in it each time like it was about to tell him his fortune or that he’d found the meaning of life. Anthony Zach Morgan was an interesting character to say the least.

“Could… I ask a question, Zach?”

“Of course. As long as I can ask one in return.”

“That seems fair.” Lailah fought a smile.

“Ask away.”

“Where did you get that scar?” She cleared her throat when Zach reached up and touched the large indentation across his face. “I-I’m sorry! Maybe that was insensitive.”

“No, it’s fine. It’s kinda hard to miss.” Zach gave a chuckle. “I got it when I was a child.”

“When you were a kid?!” Lailah gasped. “You and your brother must’ve been pretty rambunctious when you were younger, hm?”

“You could say that.” Zach nodded. “But yeah, I got it in an… incident. That and my hair.”

“Your… hair?”

“I dye it.” Zach explained.

“Brown?”

“Yeah. I was born a brunet, when the incident happened where I got the scar, my hair turned white.”

“What? Really?” Lailah asked, raising a brow.

“I know. Sounds pretty unbelievable. But it’s true. No matter how much time goes by, whatever grows out is white.”

“Scar across your face, interesting eyes, white hair. You’re a single cat away from being a Bond villain, aren’t you?”

Zach paused in sipping his coffee and started laughing. It wasn’t the chuckle that she was used to hearing from him. It was an actual laugh. It made her blink, but also made a smile come to her face. It was nice to know that Special Agent Anthony Zach Morgan could give a genuine laugh. After all the things that he had seen in his life, it was nice to see a lighter side of him.

“My brother would love that one.” Zach said once he was finished laughing. “You might even get him to laugh.”

“So you’re twins you said?”

“Couple big differences.” Zach said. “My brother is a heavy smoker, and—well here.”

Zach leaned forward and reached in his back pocket, grabbing onto his wallet. He pulled out a photo and showed it to her. It was of Zach and his brother. Just as he said, there were some heavy differences. One being that his brother didn’t have white hair. He had a couple scars, but nothing like the one that Zach had across his face. His eyes were also a blue-green. They were identical in every other way though. She took the picture that Zach was offering and looked over them. His brother seemed to be the more outgoing one of the two. He had an arm wrapped around Zach’s shoulder and a wide smile on his face. They looked to be about 21 or 22 in the photo.

“York and Zach…” Lailah read the back of the photo. “York? That’s your brother.”

“Just his middle name.” Zach shrugged. “His name is Francis York Morgan. But everyone calls him York.”

Lailah looked at the photo again and saw how bright and genuine Zach’s smile was with his brother, albeit somewhat awkward. She smiled at the photo and handed it back to Zach, who tucked it back into his wallet like it was his most precious possession. Truthfully, it might be. She could tell how much he valued York just from the way he treated the photo. It was probably six or seven years old, but it looked as if it were printed yesterday.

“So, what was your question?” Lailah asked.

“How many orders of that bread did you want to take to go?”

“H-Huh?” Lailah almost choked on the bite she had in her mouth. She swallowed it and looked at Zach. “I’m fine.”

“Lailah, I specialize in human behavior and psychology. I can tell you’ve been trying not to devour that bread this whole time. I’ll order us some to go.” Zach said and looked at his coffee. “I’m about done anyway.”

“A-Alright. Thank you, Zach.”

The waitress came back, and Zach ordered her 10 orders of the bread to go. When she said that it was too much, he just waved her off. Ten orders was quite a lot, but she hadn’t eaten in a long time other than the meal that Yui had made her. So honestly , she could probably eat all of it by the end of the day. She was thankful to have Zach as a friend. When he found someone in the future, she knew the girl would be extremely lucky. He was soft-spoken and rather awkward at times, but she enjoyed every second she spent with Anthony Zach Morgan.

By the time that they decided to leave, they had been there for a few hours. Spending time with Zach was exactly what she needed and she felt like a large weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Of course, whenever her mind traveled to Frank, it would send her spiraling into the depression again, however, she felt better knowing that she had Zach in her corner as well as Yui and Feng. Zach walked her all the way up to the apartment, and stood outside the door.

“This was fun.” Lailah said.

“Yeah, it was.” Zach smiled somewhat shy, “We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

“Good. Good.” Zach said. Lailah put the code in the door’s pinpad and Zach held the door open for her so she could go inside. He followed her inside and saw Feng there with a suitcase and Yui sitting on the couch.

“Did you have a good time?” Feng asked, clasping her hands together.

Except for the fact I embarrassed myself and made Zach bring up some painful memories, yeah totally. I couldn’t blame him if he never wanted to see me again.

“I can’t speak for Lailah, but I had a good time. I hope to do it again sometime soon.” Zach smiled and handed the container to Yui. “This is her to-go order. Make sure she eats it.”

“I will.” Yui smiled.

“I mean it, Lailah.” Zach looked at her.

“I told you I would. Thanks again, Zach.”

“Alright. I gotta head out. Bye. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

Lailah waved and waited until Zach was gone to turn back around and face her friends. Even though she still felt depressed deep down, she felt a little lighter. That alone made her feel like she could keep going. If Zach could keep going through everything that he’s been through, she could keep going from this. He was a bit of an inspiration in that aspect.

“You look like you’re feeling a bit better.” Yui said, placing the bread on the counter.

“I am. I mean, I’m still sad, but… I feel like it’s easier now.” Lailah explained. “I can’t promise I won’t be depressed anymore, but I’m going to try a bit harder.”

“Just… take some time if you need it.” Feng said and looked at her phone. “Shit, I gotta get going. I’m worried about leaving you though.”

“Don’t. I have Yui and I’ll be fine.”

“I know, I know, but… alright. If you’re sure.” Feng sighed and hugged them both before heading out.

Lailah went back to her room after thanking Yui once more and took a seat on her bed. Even though she had been sitting the whole time she was with Zach, there was always something relieving about sitting down on her bed. It was soft and squishy and felt like a hug. She glanced next to her and saw that the photo album was exactly where she left it. Of course it would be, Feng and Yui wouldn’t go in her room and move things around. It reminded her how she felt when she was leaving.

The old, red book felt just as she remembered it did. Inside the slightly yellowed pages were filled with this and that. Pictures from field trips in elementary school, projects and science fairs and other events in middle school. Birthday parties and bowling trips with some friends. Then the pictures turned to just pictures of her and her parents, this was after Reynolds. After she lost all her friends because no one believed her. She could tell the visible difference in her face and how her eyes didn’t sparkle like they used to.

The next pages were rather sparse. It was various events in highschool. There was one girl that was in some pictures. A girl that she hung out with for a few months, but she ended up getting transferred by her parents. Lailah couldn’t even really remember her name, but she did remember trying to find her on social media after she had left, but she was nowhere to be found. Her parents had been like helicopters, so it didn’t shock her—looking back on it—that she was unable to find her.

One of the photos made her stop, it looked like a photo of a basketball game. There were very few games she attended, but her friend’s brother was on Comstan High’s team, so she ended up attending one. This picture she recalled was taken by her friend and given to her. She was holding two trays of what looked like food, her tongue was sticking out as she focused on not spilling the food. She furrowed her brows, feeling a strange sensation in her stomach.

On the next page, Lailah saw an off center photo where the food was on the floor. It looked like her friend had taken it accidentally. Same for the next photo, as it was crooked. Lailah wasn’t really sure why she decided to put them in the album, but she was glad that she did. Someone in a basketball jersey was talking to her. Her brow was raised and she looked at the jersey wearing boy with a disinterested look on her face. From the angle, she could see he was smirking. It wasn’t the cheek lifted in a smirk that caught her eyes, it was the jersey. There was a Spartan helmet on it, and a large 43.

“Fairview High. Home of the Spartans.”

Lailah furrowed her brows. She stared at the photos, looking for some sort of joke. Some sort of explanation, but it was there in those three photos. In plain color. She turned the page, but there were no more photos of her and the basketball player. Flipping back and forth between the pages yielded no more results. There was no one else that she could go to for confirmation. The friend that had taken these pictures was almost out of her memory, and the person she suspected to be in them wouldn’t talk to her.

“How did you meet?”

“We uh—well, go ahead and tell it. It’s always better when you tell the story, Frank.”

Lailah continued to look at the photos. Perhaps there was another one there that would clear something up. Maybe it would confirm what she thought, but honestly, she hoped that it would just deny it. That there was no way what she was thinking could be true. She shook her head. She stopped dead after seeing another photo. It was sophomore year. Her and that friend were standing together as Lailah’s mom took the photo of her getting an award. She was 16.

Her blood went to ice. She tore the photo from the page so fast she almost ripped it. Sliding down to her computer, she searched through the tabs until she found the one about The Legion’s most recent attack. She scrolled down, trying to control her breathing that was slowly turning to hypoventilation. The paragraphs seemed to go on forever until she found it: the photo of the missing girl, Piper Takeuchi. She held up her photo next to the screen. They were almost identical.

What… does this mean?

Notes:

There you have it! I hope that you enjoyed reading it! Let me know what you think! Thank you once again for dropping by and I hope to hear from you and potentially have you drop by the server. Have a good one guys, I'll see you next time!

P.S. I got the inspiration for Anthony Zach Morgan, and Francis York Morgan from a video game called Deadly Premonition. It's available on multiple consoles and the second one just came out recently. The first one is my favorite though. I would recommend playing it before you look up anything about these two so you don't spoil anything. I tried to keep it as spoiler free as possible for those that would go and play it. It's a psychological horror game, and it's just amazing to be honest.

Chapter 32: Man on the Inside

Summary:

"Yeah, I do. I saw it."

Notes:

Howdy everyone and welcome back! Good of you to be here and I'm excited for you to read this chapter. Thank you to those that joined my discord server. Come join us, you get sneak peeks and other things for being in the server.

Here's the link: https://discord.gg/nEJgbSChzZ

An annoying sound roused him awake. The sleep had not been restful, not in the least bit. Trudging from the surprisingly comfortable bed to the bathroom, he peeked in the mirror. His reflection attested to how restless his sleep was. His brown eyes were red, his pupils were still extremely dilated, making it extra hard to keep a light on in this stupid room. Frank turned his head from side to side in the mirror. He’d need to shave soon, his stubble was getting longer. Another sound came from the bedroom making him audibly groan. All he’d wanted to do was grab a shower and something to eat before starting his day.

Can’t fucking get anything that I want.

The ringing continued and Frank stormed back over to the nightstand, grunted against the back light that was shining bright on his phone, and audibly groaned. ‘Morgan’ was displayed across the screen. The call went to voicemail and for a mere second he had peace in the silence of his room before the ringing started again, this time it sounded more shrill. He knew it was just because his agitation level was rising so early in the morning. Frank had to physically fold his hands and take a deep breath before answering the phone.

“What?!” Frank snarled into the phone.

“Ooh, someone ain’t happy this morning, huh?” Morgan asked, sarcasm dripping from his tone. It made Frank want to spike his phone right then just from the patronizing tone in Morgan’s voice. Deal or not, they didn’t get along. He didn’t think that they ever would.

“You always so chipper in the morning?”

“Only when I need to be.” Frank didn’t try to hide his scoff. When would someone need to be chipper? “How’s the room?”

Frank looked around the hotel room that he had been staying at for the past week. By himself, he’d never be able to afford this room. Luckily, he had a pretty wealthy benefactor; the FBI. So while he was coming back down to Earth, at least he could enjoy the plush room. He ran his fingers through his hair and yawned. He had told Morgan that line was a one time deal, but didn’t mean it. With how much he’d been in contact with Morgan over the years, he probably figured it out as well. If he had, Morgan hadn’t said anything. Perhaps he was finally content to let Frank ruin his own life and didn’t need some agent trying to “steer him on the correct path”. That path was too shrouded in fog for him now. No way he’d find it.

“Better than I would’ve guessed.” Frank admitted, rubbing his sore eyes.

“Good. I’ve been meaning to ask you that for a bit, but I never got around to it.”

“Yeah, cause—” Frank stopped when his eyes landed on the nightstand again.

Frank reached down and picked up what his attention had caught; a photograph. It wasn’t just any photograph. It was a photograph of her. One morning after they had a few too many at home, he was going through his gallery. He’d learned many years ago that it was a quick way to get a synopsis of what happened the previous night. And there he found it, this photo of Lailah. She had a beer sitting next to her. Her hands were clasped together and she was in the middle of laughing at something he said. But it wasn’t just that she was laughing, it was how. Lailah’s hair was down from any buns or ponytails. It was splayed over her shoulders, and she was leaned over the table as she laughed. Her eyes were closed, but he could picture how they looked when she smiled with all her might. Slowly, he ran his thumb along her face.

“Hey! You listening, Morrison?!” The scream in his ear brought him back to reality.

“Huh? Uh, what?”

“Focus!”

“Sorry, I was uh…” Frank looked at the photo again. “spacing off.”

Morgan sighed, much to Frank’s own displeasure. He didn’t feel like getting a lecture from this dude. Being only a few years older than him, it would be like getting a lecture from a big brother—if he thought of Morgan in such an endearing way.

“You sure you’re up for this, Morrison?” He asked, sounding completely unconvinced. “You go at this the wrong way and you could end up getting killed.”

“Depending on who I’m with, I could end up dying in jail.” Now it was Frank’s turn to laugh. “Doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Aren’t you the angsty young man?”

“Don’t patronize me, Morgan.”

“Be ready in five, I’m already heading your way.” Morgan instructed, ignoring Frank.

“Don’t tell—hello?” Frank looked at his phone to see ‘call ended’ underneath Morgan’s name. “God, I hate that guy.”

Frank took the photo and put it in his wallet next to the photo that he had been carrying around since Lailah agreed to be his fake girlfriend. He put it in between that one and one with him, her, Feng, and Yui celebrating Tea You Later’s two-year anniversary at their apartment. A soft smile came to his features, and he sighed, closing his wallet and putting it back on the nightstand. Even if he carried these photos around, it didn’t change anything. He’d said what he’d said, done what he’d done. As much as he told Lailah it changed nothing now that she knew the truth, he knew deep in his heart the instant she saw that mask; it was going to be over between them.

He brushed his teeth and got dressed. So much for being able to take a shower and relax a little bit. Just as he was heading to grab his wallet, there was a single knock at the door. Then three. Then two. Then three more. Frank groaned and shoved his wallet in his back pocket and put some glasses on before flinging the door open.

“Took you long enough.”

“Could you get any more annoying?!” Frank exclaimed.

“I’ve got years of training under my belt, wanna really find out?” Frank sighed and raised his hands in defeat. “That’s what I thought. Come on, I’ve got coffee.”

Frank didn’t have it in him to protest anymore. He closed the door and followed the agent to his car. He had wanted to take his car for this whole endeavor, but Morgan said that his car would stand out too much with the dents on the side. If they were going to Ormond’s underbelly, it would make sense to have some dents and dinged up parts. He thought that Morgan’s car would stick out more being all pristine and shiny.

“You getting in?” Morgan asked.

“I still think going in your car is a bad idea, but,” Frank got in and closed the door. “if you want to pay for all the repair bills that are inevitably going to be drawn out for you, then that sounds like a you problem.”

Morgan scoffed and reached in a cup holder and handed Frank a coffee. The young man hesitated for a moment before grabbing it. He had expected to be burned with some hot coffee in the mornings, but the cup was cool. He shook it and heard ice shaking back and forth inside.

“Who said anything about us driving around?”

“What?”

“You’re gonna be walking, my friend.” Morgan waved his other hand like he had just told Frank something new from a whole other world.

“Walking?”

“Yeah, you know, the opposite of running—you know, the thing you like to do.”

… I literally cannot stand you.

“You know the temperature is below freezing, right?” Frank asked in disbelief.

“I got you something in the glove compartment for that.”

Frank raised a brow and opened the drawer, almost rolling his eyes in the back of his head from aggravation. There were packages of disposable hand warmers inside the glove compartment for a total of 40 uses. There was no telling how long he was going to be out today, so he would have to use them sparingly. Morgan wasn’t hiding his disdain for working with him. He took out the packages and put them in his pockets, grumbling the entire time. He didn’t miss Morgan smirking as he did so. It took everything in him not to reach over and smack him upside the head.

He sighed and took a sip of his coffee, shocked that it was exactly how he liked it. Him and Morgan didn’t have enough common ground or gentle talks to have brought up and talked about how he liked his coffee. Frank knew that Morgan wouldn’t have cared if he had offered the information, just as Frank didn’t care to know anything about Morgan. So…

“Lailah told me.” Morgan said from out of the blue.

“…?”

“How you liked your coffee.”

Frank looked down at the cup, picturing Lailah explaining with the excruciating detail she was known for, how he liked his coffee. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips at the thought of how Morgan most likely hated every second of that conversation. Even if it was for a little bit, he was glad he could torture the self-centered FBI agent.

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Frank didn’t really have any questions to what he was going to be doing for Morgan. He didn’t really care. All he cared about was getting to the bottom of everything, serving his sentence, and going on with his life. When he got out, he tried to think about how life would be. No doubt he wouldn’t be in college anymore, nor on the basketball team. Lailah didn’t want to have anything to do with him, she didn’t know how Joey and Susie would feel after everything was over, nor how his parents would feel when they found it all out and after—if—he got out of jail.

“She misses you, you know.”

“… Don’t care.” Frank said with some hesitation. He hoped Morgan didn’t pick up how his voice wavered and subtly cracked. He looked out the window and sighed. “It’s better this way, anyway.”

“I know you’re doing all this to protect her, but, don’t you think everything you said in the hospital was pretty rough?”

“You don’t know anything about me.” Frank snarled back.

Morgan took a right, and Frank could instantly tell the difference between this part of town and the part of town he was used to being in. As they passed an alleyway, he saw a girl giving a guy head and he clicked his tongue. Disgusting. He was all for fucking, but he figured it was more enjoyable not in freezing weather to where your dick would fall off if the wind hit it a certain way.

“… She must’ve cried.” Frank whispered more to himself. He hated to be the reason that tears fell down her face, but, he really was just doing this to protect her.

“She did. A lot.” Morgan affirmed. “If you’re so worried about her, about everything, you can call her and explain things.”

“I—”

“I know, you’re too chickenshit to do it.”

“Don’t patronize me, Morgan.”

Morgan drove in silence the rest of the way until he was at the central part of Ormond’s underbelly. He parked out of sight from anyone else and unlocked the door. Frank noticed how different Morgan was; alert, focused, professional. He might have even been impressed if it wasn’t for the fact that Frank knew how he was outside of professional mode. He clicked his tongue and gave Morgan a once more look before opening his door and stepping out.

“Don’t forget—” Frank closed the door, silencing the agent.

He sighed and shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets. It dawned on him that he had forgotten his coffee inside the car. Even though it was iced coffee, he was sure that he’d be on his feet all day, working for hours on end. It would be the only thing that helped him with the boring monotony. When he faced the car, he saw Morgan take the coffee and wave it before tossing it out his window and driving off.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Frank had to hold back from screaming out. He supposed that’s what he got for cutting Morgan off when he shut the door, but still. Did he have to be so childish in his retaliation? One could argue that he was childish to start off with, but… details. Who needs ‘em?

Frank tore open one of the hand warmer packets and shook it, putting it back in his pocket. They were warmer than he thought they’d be. It was a shock that Morgan had even thought of him, even a minimal amount. 

The underbelly of Ormond was much how he remembered it; dark, dreary, and incredibly full of various smells of unknown origin. Frank continued down one of the alleyways, almost falling in one of the snow covered holes. Grumbling, he took the case out of his pocket that Morgan had given him, popped it open and looked at the two pieces inside. He hesitated once he took one out, it was small and squishy. He pushed small button on the side and put the device in his ear. It made a small dinging sound.

“About time.” A voice came through the device.

“Huh… it works.”

“Of course it—you gonna put both in?”

“Absolutely not. Having you in one ear is bad enough.” Frank mumbled.

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.” Morgan said. “Fine, I’ll deal with the one.”

“You don’t really have a choice.” Frank said, dodging another hole that he saw due to the footprints of some poor soul having fallen in it.

Frank turned the corner and found a woman dressed as scantily clad as she could be, given the subzero temperatures. When he took a few moments to look at her, he noticed it was the same woman that was giving head earlier. She reached into her coat pocket, a ridiculously expensive coat from the looks of it, and took a cigarette out. She patted her pockets and rolled her eyes to the sky. The woman was about to take her cigarette out when Frank reached his lighter out to her. She jumped and looked over at him. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, and Frank just raised his brows.

“Thank you.” The woman said, slight suspicion in her tone.

“Sure.” Frank waited until she lit her cigarette and then took it back, lighting one of his own and leaning next to her on the crumbling brick wall. “Long day?”

“You can’t even imagine.” The woman flicked off some ashes into the sludge-like snow beneath their feet.

“I’ve been browsing the alleys for a while, I assure you, I can imagine.”

“…” The woman huffed a laugh and pulled her jacket around her more. “That so?”

“Mm.”

The woman leaned up slightly off the wall and turned to look at Frank. From the corner of his eyes, he saw her wiggle, almost like she was settling into her skin. Internally sighing, he took another drag of his cigarette and followed suit in flicking off the ashes. In a moment, Lailah’s face flashed in his head of her disappointed face instead of disposing of the ashes properly.

…Don’t look at me like that, there’s no ash tray around.

“How could I ever repay you?”

“No need. It’s just a light.” Frank muttered.

“What are you doing?! This is the perfect opportunity.” Morgan’s voice screeched in his ear. Frank had to physically force himself not to cringe.

“Surely there’s something I can do.” The woman said, trying to make her voice soft like silk. Frank watched as she looked at him up and down.

“Actually, there is something.” Frank said.

“I knew it.” The woman said, grabbing onto his jacket. “My rates are pretty high, but since you helped me out, I’ll give you a discount.”

“I just need—”

“If you want me to swallow, that’s 75 extra.” The woman interrupted.

“Heh, no thanks.” Frank said, taking her hands from his jacket. “I’m spoken for.”

The woman gave a small smile and shrugged,

“Most of my clients are.”

“Information.” Frank finally cut to the chase. “I need information.”

“What makes you think I know anything about what you want to know about?”

“Call it a hunch.” Frank shrugged.

“Alright.” The woman’s salesperson’s demeanor switched back what he assumed was her true personality. She lounged against the wall once again, taking a drag of her cigarette and blowing the smoke away from Frank. At least she was polite.

“You know those murders going on?”

“The Legion ones?”

“Unless you know about some other murders.”

“Heh… hardly.” She smirked.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing, Morrison?”

Frank wished he could just take the earpiece and throw it out. It was a lot harder than he originally thought to deal with Morgan’s screeches. But, he needed to do this. If it was for Lailah, he could do anything he needed to. Even deal with an FBI agent.

“Not sure how much help I’ll be though, Kid.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.”

“You could be walking into something dangerous.”

“Heh, I can take care of myself.”

“You a cop?” She asked.

“Those are fighting words.” Frank chuckled.

“Mm.” The prostitute exhaled. “Alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. A couple of my girlfriends work near the murder sites. They tell me… things.”

“…” Frank flicked off some ashes, adjusting his stance so he could get comfortable.

“Something doesn’t add up with all these murders. The Legion never killed before. So why now? My girlfriend, Thalia thinks they’re a distraction. Honestly, at first I didn’t believe her.”

“Now you do?”

She bit her thumbnail and looked around. What was it that she seemed so scared of? Frank knew that living this way, especially doing business right out of the underbelly, you could garner many enemies. But, what did she have to be worried about other than fucking someone on someone else’s turf. Kinda made Frank wonder if there was something really important she knew. He had said anything helped, but maybe he had stumbled upon a goldmine first go around. Maybe Karma was giving him some good juju. Heaven knows he needed it.

“Yeah, I do.” The woman put some hair behind her ear. Perhaps a nervous tick. “I saw it.”

“The murder?!”

“What’d you see?”

“… Maybe I shouldn’t say.” 

“Look, I’m not gonna lie Lady—”

“Cardia.”

“Cardia, look. I really need this information you have.” Frank admitted. He reached into his pocket and took out a couple of the hand warmers. “I don’t have a lot of money, but here. They should at least keep you warm.”

Cardia took the hand warmers and squeezed them slightly. It looked like she was thinking of something, her thumb kept rubbing over the surface of the unactivated hand warmer. Her lips were moving, but he couldn’t hear whatever she was saying. Finally, she nodded and looked up.

“I saw that girl being taken.”

“The one from the news?”

“Yeah. I was working in Calgary and… I saw it. Some people in masks took the parents out and gutted them. There was a woman, she was about to finish off that girl from the news, but… she stopped.”

“Why did she stop?” Frank asked, no longer caring about the cigarette that was slowly burning between his fingers.

“Someone told her to. It was a man’s voice. It came from something she pulled out of her pocket. It was dark, so I couldn’t tell if it was a cellphone or a walkie talkie. Either way, all of them stopped. He said to ‘take the girl’ and that ‘a car would be brought around’.” Cardia explained, her words flowing out like a dam had burst.

“So, she might still be alive!”

“Do you think she might still be alive?” Frank asked.

“I… I don’t know for sure, but I heard the man say that they needed her. He emphasized “her”, like whatever he was planning could only work if they had that girl.”

“Ask about the car.”

“Did they bring a car around?”

“Yes.” Cardia nodded, pulling out another cigarette. Frank lit it up for her and she took a deep drag off that one, he was shocked that she didn’t choke herself out from it. “They knocked the girl out. She was crying the whole time. Horrible cries, I don’t know how no one heard her. One of the men knocked her out. A black car came around and two men in suits got out and took the girl and shoved her inside the trunk.”

“…” Frank’s eyes darted back and forth on the snow.

“Someone’s commanding the copycats.” Morgan mused in Frank’s ear. 

“Thanks for the info, Cardia.” Frank said.

“No problem, I hope I helped.” She said and then looked around before gathering her coat more around her body. “Sorry, I have to go.”

“Stop her! She needs to be placed in police protective custody.”

“Cardia, wait!” Frank called, following the woman around the corner she disappeared behind. But she was gone. There were back doors of abandoned buildings lining both walls of the alley. It would take hours to find which one she was in. Not to mention, Cardia knew her way around and she was most likely out of sight by now. “Dammit.”

“It’ll be okay, Morrison.” Morgan said, but his tone was unconvinced.

“I hope you’re right.”

Frank turned around and headed towards another direction of the underbelly. Two men in suits put Piper in the trunk of a black car. Cardia must not have seen who was inside because she didn’t describe the man. Logical reasoning would assume that this was the person that was commanding the copycats. So it went further than either him or Morgan guessed. They had thought it was just copycats trying to pin the blame on the real Legion to get away with the crimes. However, the news of this man was even more disconcerting than their original theory. It meant that there was a plan, a well-formed one, and even worse was that they were already putting it into action.

He sighed and looked back at the way Cardia went before continuing down another path. It was desolate, almost eerily so. Even in the cold, there were people that would roam around doing their business in some sense or another. Now though, there was no one. It was rather uneasy. Frank looked back and forth as he continued along the slush filled streets. Each step that he took sent his stomach further down like a hot coal in his stomach.

“You looked up anything on Piper Takeuchi?” Frank asked, returning both his hands to his warm pockets. He had his phone on his ear so it looked like he was on his phone if anyone did happen by him. Better to get information that way instead of looking like a cold, insane person bumbling about.

“We’re working on it now. We’re having a hard time getting clearance for her file.”

“What? Why?”

“Well, as it would have it, she was born in America. However, she’s a citizen of Canada now, so it’s trying to get the FBI and RCMP on the same page.”

“Aren’t they already and that’s why you’re here?” Frank asked, slightly wary.

“Yeah, it’s just more a formality. Paperwork and whatnot.”

“That’s dumb.”

“Yeah, it’s just a matter of time really. But I agree, it is a pain.”

“Finally, we agree on something.”

“Should mark it on the calender.”

“Don’t wanna celebrate anything that has to do with me and you.” Frank admitted. 

There was radio silence for a while. All Frank heard was Morgan typing on a computer. No matter where he turned, there was no one to be seen. It was alarming to say the least, however, this was to protect Lailah. He had to know why Julie attacked her. Frank had a theory that Julie was working with the copycats. If that was the truth, then if what Cardia said was true then there were two possibilities: either Julie had gone rogue in her attack of Lailah or Julie’s new boss was targeting Lailah and she was merely taking orders. If this boss was targeting Lailah, then… why? To what end? And who was it? Lailah didn’t exactly have a ton of enemies.

Frank heard a ding from the earpiece and a sound of surprise from Morgan,

“Got the approval! Alright. Piper Takeuchi, 16 years old. A sophomore at Comstan High, daughter of Celia Takeuchi and Akira Takeuchi.” Morgan read, “She’s got honors, likes cooking, it doesn’t really sound like—”

“Comstan High?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, you know it?”

“That’s where Lailah went to highschool.”

“Really? Hmm…” Frank heard rhythmic tapping through the earpiece. “It’s not really unheard of for people to go to the same highschool, but I agree. It doesn’t set right. I’m gonna do some more research, you doing good Morrison?”

“Alright.” Frank looked around. “Yeah, I’m doing fine. It’s just—”

Frank heard a sound and stopped dead. His eyes widened. His breath hitched in his throat. Shakily, he brought his hand to his abdomenand pulled it away. His hand was coated with red. Frank’s phone slipped into the slushy snow beneath his feet and he collapsed to his knees. He found it difficult, almost impossible to breathe.

“Morrison? You alright?”

Frank collapsed, full frontal view in the snow. His eyes were heavy and he could barely hear the choking sounds he was making.

“Morrison?! Hey, what’s happening?”

Frank’s vision faded to Morgan screaming his name in his ear, almost begging and pleading for him to answer.

Lailah… I’m sorry.

Notes:

Welp! There you have it. I did as you asked, Lailah isn't admitted to the hospital now. XD Either way, I hope you like it and enjoyed the change in POV. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 33: Journey to the Past

Summary:

“How long were you planning on keeping that from me?”

Notes:

Hello everyone! Thanks so much for being here for chapter *checks* 33! Whoo! I can't believe it! I have literally been working on this chapter almost all day (other than eating, running some errands, etc). Sorry it took so long to get out. I really don't know what else to say since I'm running on fumes rn and I'm going to hate myself when my daughter wakes up early in the morning. So let's just jump right on in!

Lailah stared at the photo of her and the girl. The same photo where she looked almost identical to Piper Takeuchi. Over the past couple of days, she had been so focused on trying to figure out what the connection between her and Piper was. Yet she was coming up with nothing. It felt like the answer was right in front of her, but so far away. Frowning, she tossed the photo to the floor. She could ask her mom about it, but something told her it wasn’t a good idea. Realistically speaking, it might be her only option. And, it was a good one; ask her parents and she might get some long-awaited answers on many topics.

What will I do with those answers? Do I really want them?

Her gaze turned to the photo that was lying on the floor. There were so many questions that she had. Not just about Piper and her similar appearance. About this friend that was with her, about the pictures, and about her potentially having met Frank before. Knowing what needed to be done, despite not wanting to do it, Lailah picked up the photograph and stuck it into the album before getting bundled up to head out. There was no way that she could continue about her day when a potential path to getting answers was staring her in the face.

Lailah packed the album into a tote bag along with a few snacks and headed towards the door. Perhaps she could make it out of the apartment without alerting Yui. Not that she wanted to keep secrets from her friend, it was just… she knew this was crazy. If there was this whole other part of her life that she somehow didn’t remember—for whatever reason—she wouldn’t be sure how she would react to everything coming up to the surface. She had heard that exposure to shocking events could make a person violent. Lailah would like to consider herself a rather tame individual, but… she didn’t know what she would find.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Lailah froze as her hand touched the doorknob. She didn’t have to turn, she recognized the voice; the tone. Yui was behind her. She had caught her, and she was upset. Clearing her throat, she turned around and shyly looked at her. Yui’s brows were furrowed together and her arms were folded. Yui didn’t have to say it; Lailah knew. She wanted answers and she wanted them yesterday.

“I’m going to visit my parents.” Lailah explained, hoping her friend wouldn’t push her more than the surface of her plans.

“You had to sneak out for that?”

“…”

“Look, I know things have been difficult for you since you found out about Frank. Feng and I are still having a hard time coming to terms with it, but… we’re here for you. And we have your back and we just want you to be safe.”

“I-I know that—”

“I’m not saying you have to be holed up in the apartment. In fact, that’s the last thing I want. I… want you to go out and have fun and do what you have to do. But, I want you to be able to come to me and tell me—us—when something is upsetting you, or you’ve found out something.”

Lailah looked down at the floor. Shame. That was the only way to describe the feeling that was coursing through her. Feng and Yui had not only given her a place to work, but also a place to live. They expected nothing more out of her than she felt she could give. So why couldn’t she give them the same courtesy back? It was probably a good thing that Feng was gone to a tournament, because she probably would’ve been on the business end of Feng’s palm strike.

“Talk to me.” Yui’s voice was almost pleading.

“I just… I don’t know how I’ll react, or what I’ll find out.”

“To what?”

Lailah gripped tighter onto her tote bag, weighing the options in her head. Sighing, she took a seat on the edge of the couch and grabbed the album out of its safe space. From the corner of her vision, she could see that Yui had a look of confusion on her face. She turned to the pages where she found the photos with her and whom she suspected was Frank. She turned the book to show Yui. Her friend scanned over the pages and opened her mouth, but Lailah intervened.

“When my parents and Frank’s all had that dinner together, they asked how we met. Frank told them he met me during half-time for one of the games. I had just gotten food and someone ran into me and knocked it everywhere. Then he started to talk to me.”

“That—”

“Yeah, it happened. But I don’t remember it. Or remember this girl. I don’t remember a lot of it. Of high school I mean, and it was only a few years ago.” Lailah shook her head. Forgetting that much of what was just about four years ago isn’t normal. “I have to go talk to my parents. To find out what happened.”

“… Mm. You’re right. Seems like you’ve got a lot of figuring out to do.” Yui said.

“That’s not all.” Lailah turned the page and showed the picture of her and her friend in high school.

“Piper Take—wait, no.” Yui furrowed her brows. “That’s you?”

“Yeah.”

“But you…” Yui trailed off, she didn’t need to finish.

“I have to figure out what the hell is going on.”

“You could post that picture online, like on social media. It can spread far, really quick like that.”

Lailah would be lying if she said that she didn’t think about that. Social media was a great way to try and find someone. Friends of friends would see it and then they could gather them together again. The problem was, she didn’t want it to be out there. She still wasn’t sure what her similarity to Piper Takeuchi meant, and before she could know, she didn’t want it out there for public knowledge. Honestly, she didn’t know what the truth would mean for her once she found it out.

“I can’t. Not yet.”

“…”

“I just—”

“You don’t have to explain. I understand.” Yui hugged herself. “Be careful. A storm is approaching.”

Lailah chuckled and replaced the album into the tote bag,

“I didn’t figure you to be the mystic type.”

“No, I mean literally. It’s supposed to storm.” A smirk grew on Yui’s face.

“Right.” Lailah smiled. “Noted. Thanks, Yui. I’ll be home soon.”

Lailah got into her car and put her tote bag in the passenger’s seat. She took a deep breath and looked back at the apartment building. She knew, somehow she knew, that whatever she found out at her parent’s house would change things. Nothing in her life would be the same. It wouldn’t be something that was fixable either. She could stay here, in her bubble with Yui and Feng not knowing. But she had to know. She had to know her connection to Frank, to that girl, why it was all forgotten, and how? Perhaps it would help her current predicament somehow. Her strikingly similar appearance to Piper Takeuchi would be another topic of discussion.

I can do this. I have to do this.

Lailah drove as carefully as she could while maintaining a decent speed. The quicker she got to her parent’s house, the better. About halfway there, just as Yui said, a storm began to brew. Snowflakes were slapping against her windshield and crystallizing before they had a chance to be wiped off. Sighing, Lailah turned on the heat and defrost as high as they would go. Getting out of the car would be more difficult than normal since she would be so toasty, but, she didn’t want to risk making the transition easier by making her drive harder.

I have the worst feeling of dread.

Surprisingly enough, on the whole way to her parent’s house, she had only seen one accident. When the snow got as bad and in the flurry that it was, she was prone to seeing more accidents than she cared to admit. At least luck was on her side for this portion of her travels. Lailah knew she could’ve called her parents and talked to them over the phone, but she had to do this in person. If they tried to hide something from her, she would be able to tell in person. She hoped, prayed that her parents wouldn’t do that. She hoped they could sense the urgency and they would just tell her what she wanted to know.

Having been lost in her thoughts the whole trip, she turned down the road that held her parent’s home before she knew it. An hour passed on the car’s clock was the only proof she had that she had traveled the appropriate distance and hadn’t somehow teleported or crossed the distance in some other faster than light travel. Lailah parked and bundled her jacket tighter around her before she got out of her toasty car to ring her parent’s doorbell.

“Coming!” Lailah smiled, hearing her father’s voice. The sounds of locks being undone was preceded momentarily before the door opened. “Li?”

“Hey Dad.” Lailah smiled. He blinked and stared at her. “Can I come in?”

“Oh! Yeah!” He stepped to the side and let her in, closing the door behind her.

The warmth of the house soothed Lailah’s worries slightly. She had to keep telling herself that there was nothing to be upset about, her parents would tell her the truth. If it was a less than favorable one, she knew that there had to be a reason. They loved her. They wouldn’t harm her; physically or mentally. Exhaling, she gripped onto her father’s shirt when he hugged her. It had been a bit since they had seen each other. It felt like forever, though.

“You want some coffee, Sweetheart?”

“No, I’m good.” Lailah said, following her father into the kitchen so he could grab his morning cup. “Actually, yeah.”

“Lailah?” Her mother’s bright voice came from the living room. She heard muffled footsteps and saw her peek her head around the corner. Her smile became as bright as her voice and she slid over in her socks and wrapped her arms around her, hugging tight. Lailah melted slightly in her mother’s warm hug before grasping her into a tight hug of her own.

Her father grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured her some coffee. Normally, she would just wake up with some sweet iced coffee or with a movie and relax at home. However, she felt like she might need all the hot bean juice there was in the house when she confronted her parents with her questions. They had to know something was up since she hardly visited out of the blue like this. Not that she didn’t love her parents; she loved them more than anything in this world. Just with everything going on, she didn’t want to worry about them and get them involved.

“Mom, Dad, I need to talk to you.” Lailah said, finally letting go of her mother.

“Okay?” Her father said, holding his cup and Lailah’s as they headed for the living room. “You could’ve just called us for that.”

“We’re happy you decided to drop by though.” Her mother assured.

“No, I-I had to drop by. I had to talk to you all face-to-face.”

“This sounds serious.” Her mother said.

“It… It kinda is.”

Lailah said nothing more and reached into the tote bag and pulled out the album. She pretended not to notice both her parents stiffening.

So I was right, they do know something.

“What uh… what can we help with?” Her father asked, clearly trying to remain neutral sounding… and failing.

“I was looking through my things, and I found this album. Now, most of the pictures were normal. But there were a few that was confusing to me.” Lailah skimmed through the photos. “These. And this one.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The tick of the clock on the wall, and everyone’s soft breathing was the only sound for a little bit. She wondered if she had been barking up the wrong tree for a minute, then her mom sat down her coffee cup and put her face in her hands. Her father rubbed her back and whispered things to her that Lailah couldn’t hear. If they had been carrying this for a long time, they needed to tell her. To help her get it off their chest and help her understand what the hell was going on.

“You had such a hard time in middle school, we were so happy when you finally graduated to high school. We switched school districts for you and everything.” Lailah’s mother explained, her voice cracking.

“For a while, things were going good. You made a friend. You guys spent all the time together you could. You two were practically inseparable. It reminds me of how you, Feng, and Yui are now.”

“That damn boy transferred in,” Her mother whispered, shaking her head. “Then it all went to hell.”

That damn boy? Wait… who?

“What boy?” Lailah asked. She hoped, prayed with everything that she was, that it wasn’t who she was thinking it was.

“I don’t remember his name.” Her father shook his head. “But he bullied you. Relentlessly.”

“Wait, wait what?” Lailah shook her head. She remembered being tormented in highschool, but she thought it had something to do with Reynolds. That wouldn’t be possible if she had switched districts. Things weren’t adding up. “I was bullied in highschool because of what happened with Reynolds. No one believed me when I told them the truth.”

Her parents looked at each other and then at Lailah. They seemed to have something akin to… pity in their eyes. Lailah felt rage build up, but it was just a front for the more prevalent emotion; fear. Terror. Why were they acting like something completely different than the truth happened? She remembered it. She remembered it.

“Sweetie—”

“No.” Lailah stood up. “I remember it. I was there. I lived it. All the relentless teasing because they called me liar. They refused to believe someone like him could do that. That someone as perfect as him could be a rapist.”

“Lailah—”

“No, that’s not right.” Lailah shook her head.

“That’s not what happened.” Her father said gently.

“Yes it is!”

“Lailah. Sweetheart.” Her mother took her hand. It was sweaty. “That never happened.”

Lailah adjusted her jacket. The snow was always such a difficult thing to deal with during the school year. The staff would make sure that it didn’t blockade them in when they were present, but it was still difficult when going from one building to another. Not to mention cold. She looked at the groups of friends that she passed on her way to the next class of the day. How she wished that she could be in a group of friends… Sometimes she would be at home and sit, thinking about what it would be like to have a couple people that she could talk to about everything and nothing. People that wanted to hear what she had to say. Actual, true friends.

Snickers could be heard from a group as she passed. Lailah knew it was a dream. That was all it would ever be. She couldn’t shake what he had done to her; the ramifications that she still had to face on the daily. When the police found no evidence of her claims against Reynolds due to her waiting so long to speak out, it was treated as a student who was sour that a teacher didn’t reciprocate her feelings.

Pain. Lailah groaned and pushed herself off the ground. A group—mixed of boys and girls—laughed from a short distance away. Tears welled in her eyes. But she couldn’t let them see, she would not allow them to see her crying. Some water and paper towel to her scrapped cheek, arm, and palm would eventually make the blood stop. For there being a lot of snow on the ground, she would fall into the most shallow part to hit the concrete beneath.

How many times had she come home with marks on her? How many times had she told her parents a lie about how she got the bruises and scrapes? She would just have to come up with another believable one. Luckily, it was still relatively morning, so she would have mostly all day to come up with a lie.

Lailah left the bathroom. Passing two doors, the third opened and she was pulled inside. That same group was there. A group of Reynolds’ students. Students that he’d have over the years in classes or extracurriculars. Splatters fell on her. Paint. Water. Soda. Others. Their lips parted to call her names; “liar”. “Slut”. “Whore”. They pulled at her clothes, ripped them. Stained them. Laughed in her face.

“I’ve always known, you were nothing but a slut”. Words hurt more than any lashing.

It wasn’t me! I’m not lying! I’m telling the truth, why won’t you believe me?!

“Lailah?” Her father’s touch burned. She slapped his hand away and backed up, fisting her hair.

“It… never happened? How can you say that?!” Lailah yelled frantically. “How… How can you… after what I went through! After what you know I went through, how can you tell me that it didn’t happen?!”

Silence was between them for a few more minutes as her parents looked at each other. It seemed they were holding onto something internally, something that they needed to tell her, but they weren’t sure if it was a good idea or not. Tears were gathering in Lailah’s eyes. How could they just dismiss her trauma like that? All the times that she fell and came home bleeding! She could still feel the pain and hear the whispers and laughs.

“After what happened in middle school, you were leading a successful high school life. You went to the school games, you had a lot of fun. You had a friend. At the end of your junior year, that boy came and he started teasing you. Things you used to like about yourself, you started hating. Your clothes, your face, eyes, smile, hair, all of it.”

“Then your friend had to transfer, and you were alone. The boy said that he was teasing you because he liked you and invited you to prom. But… it was a ploy. Lailah, he tried to—… he tried to do the same thing Reynolds did.”

“What? No, that—”

“Someone ended up saving you. We met you at the hospital. You were hysterical. Nothing happened, but you said you couldn’t get it out of your head. You kept begging us ‘help us forget’.” Her mother explained. “I’m your mother, I couldn’t see you in pain anymore. You couldn’t sleep. You wouldn’t eat… Just, it was horrible. I was watching you slowly die. So your father had a solution one day; hypnotherapy.”

“What?” Lailah looked at her father. “Hypnosis?”

“I came to you with the idea, you barely let me get out the whole explanation before you kept asking me to do it. I tried to tell you that it might have some side effects, you would forget some things… some other things might become distorted, and your brain may make things up to try and put something in where nothing was. You didn’t care.”

Lailah sat down. She couldn’t believe it. It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie. She was hypnotized to forget a second rape attempt in high school? Who was it? More importantly, who saved her? She wanted to be mad at her parents for not telling her the truth sooner, but… if what they said was true—and how could they just make this shit up—then she had asked for this. If they set her straight, then they would’ve been making her remember the attempted rape in high school. They would’ve been making her remember what she asked to forget. Was it a false memory implanted by whoever had done the hypnotherapy? Or was it her own brain making something that never happened? Lailah couldn’t believe it. But pictures didn’t lie.

“… This friend…” Lailah trailed off, her voice a mere whisper.

“Yun-Jin Lee.”

“Yun-Jin Lee…” Lailah repeated. “We were close?”

“The closest.”

Lailah looked at the photos. The girl behind the camera; Yun-Jin Lee. The girl standing next to her in the photo. All smiles and a bright, exuberant personality. She wished that she could remember the girl. Her desire to get rid of the attempted rape was so strong that she was willing to forgo any memories of her and Yun-Jin Lee together. Past her must have been so traumatized. Finding Yun-Jin was a task for the future. Now though, she had more questions. If she didn’t find out everything that she could… her mind would fail and she would fall into the pit of despair that was desperately trying to pull her down.

“This is me and her in this photo, right?” Lailah pointed to the one where they were both smiling bright, perhaps the brightest that Lailah had ever seen herself smile.

“I remember when you showed me this picture, you and Yun-Jin were having a sleepover. You were so excited…” Her mother said.

“Why do I look like Piper Takeuchi?”

Lailah was working so desperately to keep her breathing even. After finding out that everything about her high school career that she recalled was a fabricated memory, she was barely clinging to her sanity. There had to be a light at the end of the tunnel. She had to find something that just wasn’t hit after hit. While she liked to consider herself a strong individual, even she had her breaking point. She couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way to reverse this therapy, like a way to unlock what her mind was trying so hard to keep hidden?

What would finding the truth about Piper Takeuchi do? Would it make her go insane? Would she have to go to a hospital where they would do shock therapy? Would she be in a padded room with padded floors while a doctor with his eyes and mouth pried open experimented on her for his own demented gain? Lailah shook her head. No, nothing like that would happen. Whatever it was, she could take it. It might be surprising, it might be shocking, it might even hurt… but she would be able to take it. She had gone through and done so much already that quitting right now wouldn’t set right with her. Wherever this took her, she needed to see it through, until the end.

“Piper Takeuchi is your sister.”

All sound became a dull hum. She had been thinking it was something like that, but to have it confirmed so absolutely was jarring. Her sister? So then the man and the woman that were attacked would’ve had to have been her parents. Well, her mother at least.Her biological mother. She furrowed her brows, trying to blink her thoughts onto a singular track instead of having them all running around. It wasn’t working. She couldn’t believe it. “The Legion” had tried to gut her biological mother and her husband. Now, for some reason, her sister was missing. It was vain to think that the world revolved around oneself, that people’s motives had to do with you, but Lailah couldn’t think of any other explanation. Her mother. Her father. Her sister.

“Celia Takeuchi didn’t die, did she? I haven’t been following the news.”

“No. She didn’t.”

“I need to get to Calgary.” Lailah stood up and turned to leave. She hesitated for a moment before heading back to her parents and hugging them. They looked worried, especially her mother. Lailah took her hands and looked at her with every bit of soul she could muster in her eyes, “no matter what happens, or where I go. You are my mother.”

Lailah hugged them and stuffed the album back in the tote bag and headed back outside after donning her jacket and boots. Celia Takeuchi… Akira Takeuchi. Piper Takeuchi. Her sister was missing. Perhaps if she talked to Celia Takeuchi, things would become clearer. Perhaps, she might have even been able to find out what happened to Piper. If it wasn’t too late, she might have even been able to save her. The only problem was, Celia was most likely protected by the police.

Zach.

Lailah knew that he was busy, but this was important. If she needed to, she could just leave a voicemail. Turning on her car’s heat, she sat and relaxed as the phone rang. An out of breath Zach answered the phone, making her blink. It was so out of character to have Zach as anything other than all put together.

“Zach?” The panting continued. “Zach? Are you there?”

“Li…” Zach’s voice was broken, his huffs so loud it felt like he was standing right next to her. “Lailah…”

“Yeah, Zach. Can you hear me?”

“Yeah. Lailah… Lailah…”

“Is everything alright?”

“No…” Zach said. “Frank. He-He, oh God… Frank. He just—”

“Frank?!” Lailah sat forward. “What happened to Frank?”

“He just, and I tried—I tried to get to him, and I just—I don’t know what to do. He just, he was just trying to help me. And I—oh God it’s all my fault.”

“Zach, whoa whoa. Zach, what the hell are you talking about?”

“It’s all my fault! I always thought he’d be here… and, did I—fuck!” Zach screamed so loud that Lailah had to put the phone from her ear. “Goddammit! He’s just a kid!”

“Zach!” Lailah screamed. “What the fuck happened?!”

“… Lailah, it’s Frank. He was helping me with an investigation and—and—”

“And what?!”

“… Lailah, someone shot him.”

Lailah almost dropped her phone. Someone shot Frank? As in… with a gun? Despite all the harsh words he had said, she couldn’t shake the feelings that she had for Frank easily. Now someone was trying to take him away from not just her, but from the world? From his friends? His parents? All the blood went cold, turned to ice and made her veins become hardened. She put her forehead against her steering wheel, her stomach churning. Bile rose in her throat. Was she going to lose her food?

“…Zach, did we lose him?” Lailah managed to squeak out her whisper.

“No, he’s in the hospital in Ormond. I got to him before he bled out.” Zach said softly. “He’s protected by some of the force.”

“Now?! Just now you’re protecting him?!” Lailah screamed. “Are you out of your ever loving mind?!”

“No, Lailah—”

“What the fuck, Zach?! He has a family! Friends! And he almost loses his life and now you decide to protect him?!”

“…”

“…” Lailah sighed and slammed her head against the steering wheel again. “Zach, I’m sorry…”

“No,” Zach sighed. “You’re right. We should’ve protected him to start out with. I have to go, but I wanted to let you know.”

“Thank you, Zach.” Lailah sighed and dropped the phone when the line went dead.

Frank…

Lailah couldn’t contain it and started crying. She couldn’t believe it. Frank had gotten shot. He was alive, but for how long? Since he didn’t get killed, would whoever shot him come back? Would he make it out next time? Lailah buckled up and backed out of her parent’s driveway. Resolute, she headed towards the intersate to head back to Ormond. A red light caught her.

No… I need to get to Calgary. I have to find out more.

“Dammit…” Lailah slammed her hand against her steering wheel. She looked at the red light and then at the signs. She could go to Calgary and find out more about the past; to find out more about the Takeuchi family. Or she could head out and see Frank. She could see him again, smack him for saying those things to her, she could apologize for not being there. The light turned green. “Fuck!”

The snowflakes pelted her windshield. The highest setting of the wipers tore them away letting her see the ravenous slush beneath her tires as they dug into what was once a white blanket. This was ridiculous. How the hell could she have been presented with such a choice? Lailah sighed and slowed down, noticing that she was going about 30 km over the speed limit. She could plead her case to whatever officer caught her, but they wouldn’t care. They would just tell her it wasn’t their problem and she needs to keep her emotions under control or she didn’t need to drive. Tears welled up and fell down her face. She touched her cheek and wiped them off with the back of her hand, only for them to be replaced by more.

After what felt like an eternity, she saw the welcoming sign. The tears hadn’t ceased, but they had lessened. She was sure it was partially because her tears had turned to sobs and she most likely didn’t have too many tears left to cry. Lailah would be lying if she said that she wasn’t slightly angry at herself for crying over Frank at all. She wanted to be angry at him for good, but some part of her wouldn’t allow it. Lailah stared at the sign as she drove past:

Welcome to Calgary

A deep pit settled in her stomach and she started to feel nauseous again. Lailah parked onto the side of the road and put the hospital in her GPS. She had to figure things out. There were questions that she had—no, needed to ask. Answers she needed. Lailah wasn’t sure how this was going to go down, but, she needed to try. She couldn’t feel complete until she did. Pulling back onto the road, ignoring the honking from the other driver’s. She exhaled shakily and followed the directions from the automated voice. She was shaking by the time she found a parking place.

Exhaling, she got out and headed to the reception desk. Lailah felt like she was going to vomit once more. What if she wasn’t recognized? What if she didn’t want Lailah there? She shook her head and looked at the receptionist who smiled gently. She tried her hardest to seem like there wasn’t anything wrong.

“H-Hello, I’m here to see Celia Takeuchi, please.”

The receptionist typed on her computer and furrowed her brows,

“I’m sorry… but family is only allowed to see her right now.”

“I’m her eldest daughter.”

“Oh, I see!” The receptionist said. “She’s in room 707.”

“Thank you.”

Lailah followed the signs and got in the elevator. All her life she had been wondering what she would say if she ever met her biological mother. She had run through so many scenarios in her head. Now, she’s going to have the opportunity. Lailah looked at the room marked with 707. She reached out and grabbed the handle and hesitated. Her hands were sweating. Clearing her throat, she lifted her fist and hesitated once more before knocking.

“Yes?” Lailah froze momentarily before opening the door.

Hooked up to machines and raven hair against pale skin was a woman. Short, tired-looking, and clearly in a fair amount of pain was her biological mother; Celia Takeuchi. There was no denying her. Lailah could see how she’d look in about twenty years time because she was staring at her in the bed.

Celia’s eyes widened the instant she lay eyes on her,

“…!” 

Does she know who I am?

“Piper…?”

“I—”

“No, it’s you…” Her chest felt heavy. “Lailah…”

Everything that Lailah had thought about saying was flown out the window with the way her biological mother said her name. It wasn’t full of love, but it wasn’t full of hate either. It was… neutral. Like she was an inconvenience that had been swept under the rug for many years. Almost like she had forgotten that she existed. 

“Hello, Celia.”

“So I was right…” Celia huffed a laugh. “It was you.”

“Yes. It’s me.”

The heart monitor beeping and the oxygen flowing into Celia Takeuchi were the only sounds in the room. She could hear the muttering of the nurses on the floor not too far from the room. It was a situation she had wanted to be in for years—minus the hospital—and now she wasn’t really sure what to say or do.

“… Why are you here, Lailah?” Celia asked in between wheezes.

“I came to see you. To ask you some questions.”

“I can’t imagine what you’d want to ask of me… I can’t imagine how you see me.” She took a deep breath, Lailah almost cringed hearing how hard the oxygen was working. “How much you hate me…”

“I should—”

“I wouldn’t blame you—”

“But I don’t.”

Celia’s eyes widened and she looked genuinely shocked. How could Lailah express just how she felt? She didn’t hate Celia. Realistically, she knew that she should. She should harbor some hatred for her. She was given up and Piper was born and kept. But, there was no hatred for her. Lailah had hated Celia many years when she was young, when she was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she was adopted, that her mother hadn’t wanted her. Now that she was in front of Celia, having been almost murdered… she couldn’t find that hatred that she had when she was younger. It was almost… pity.

“You… you don’t?”

“At one point, I did. I hated you. I hated that I remembered you. I… hated your existence.” Lailah gave a small laugh. “But, because you gave me up, I got a mother and a father. A couple that loves me and just—I am their daughter.”

Celia smiled. A genuine smile. One that she could tell was from deep within.

“I’m so glad for you.” She said. “I wanted to find you, but I couldn’t face you. Not after what I did.”

“… Why did you do it?”

“Your father. What him and I had… we shouldn’t have. He was married, I was with Piper’s father. He’s important. Very important.”

“Important… how?” Lailah asked, feeling dread sink in.

“Laliah, I… I can’t.” She shook her head.

“Alright. I can’t force you.”

“Thank you. I’m so glad that you found a family. One that loves you just how you deserve to be loved… Piper deserves that too…” Celia said the last part to herself. She saw tears gather in her eyes.

“What… happened then, Celia?”

“I… I don’t know. We were sleeping. Then all I saw when I opened my eyes was masks. Smiling masks… and snow on our backs. Akira… I heard him gurgling on his blood. I cried out for Piper, at least… I thought I did. She was put in a trunk, I believe. Just… please tell me Piper is okay.”

“Celia, I-I wish that I could.” Lailah said softly. “I’m going to try and find her.”

“You… You are? Even—that… you…”

“Piper isn’t to blame for what you or my sperm donor did. She wasn’t even here yet. I want her to be safe. I want her to be able to grow up.”

Celia smiled and exhaled.

“If you find her… thank you, I’ll owe you in a way I never have before.”

“I have a question, Celia.”

“Ask away.”

“You won’t tell me who my father is?”

“I can’t.” Celia shook her head. “I’m sorry, Lailah.”

“… I see.”

“If it means anything, I want to say Lailah… I’m so proud of you. Of the woman you’ve become. You’re so strong, and… honestly you have none of me in you. You’re your parent’s daughter. You’re stronger than I ever have been… or ever will be. You have a bright future ahead of you… chase your dreams, Lailah.”

Lailah exhaled softly. She smiled at Celia. There was no feeling of maternal love for her. Just as she could tell that Celia held no love for a daughter for her. If anything at one point they could be friends, but nothing more. There was more that she wanted to ask, about Piper, potentially more about her father, about what happened, but—

“Celia… it was nice meeting you. Again. I have to go.”

“I see… be safe, Lailah.”

Lailah didn’t look back at Celia and headed out of the room and past the police that were guarding her room. She lef the hospital and got in her car. When she was younger, she thought that she would cry upon seeing her biological mother for the first time once more. She didn’t. She didn’t feel upset, if anything she felt relieved. Relieved that there was no more burdens, relieved that she was no longer held by the fact that she was adopted, just relieved to be Lailah Collins to the fullest. It was almost like she was finally allowing herself to be who she was for the first time truly; Lailah Collins. That’s who she was; she was not Lailah Takeuchi.

She got back onto the interstate and headed towards Ormond. There was no telling what she was going to do or say when she got where she needed to go, but she wouldn’t know until she got there. Hands starting to sweat the closer she got to Ormond, she shook her head. There was no way in hell that she needed to have sweaty palms to add to her aggravation. Lailah turned on the radio trying her hardest to keep her mind off everything. Her mind was reeling; she had promised that she would find Piper. Why the hell did she do that? She didn’t even know where to begin looking! She supposed that she couldn’t just let Piper take the heat for what she felt like her fault.

This has to do with me… this is my fault somehow, I have to fix it.

Lailah eventually arrived at the Ormond hospital. She got out and hesitated for a moment before taking her phone and dialing Zach.

“Lailah? Is everything okay?” He answered on the first ring.

“Yeah, I’m here… Can I come in?”

“To see Frank? Yeah! I’ll make sure you’re allowed to his room.”

Lailah smiled softly and put her phone away. She was so thankful to have Zach on her side. She walked inside and got Frank’s room. Nervousness, she walked inside and saw Frank laying in bed watching TV. She watched him for a few seconds before walking farther inside.

“…! Lailah?!” Frank exclaimed.

“Frank… you’re okay.” Lailah exhaled.

“…Y-Yeah, I’m fine. How did you—”

Lailah tore off her jacket and threw it at him earning a shocked expression. The aggravation evident on her face while the shock remained on his. He looked so content a few seconds ago to just have her in the room and now he looked worried.

“What the hell?!”

“I should push you out the window!”

“W-Wha—”

“You’re such an ass!”

“…” Frank sighed. “Lailah, I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have said all those things to you.”

“You think an apology just,” Lailah threw her hands in the air. “makes it okay? Makes it poof!?”

“No, I—”

“You think you can be an asshole one minute and sweet the next and I’ll just forgive you?”

“…”

“Words hurt, Frank. You hurt me. I cried. Why would you do that?”

“You hurt me too!” Frank defended. “You held a knife to me, Lailah!”

“I was shocked! What the hell did you expect?!”

“To not get held at knife point.” Frank sighed.

The room was quiet. Both of them were clearly still stewing in the aggravation and the words unsaid with each other. There was so much that needed to be brought to the open. Now that Lailah knew he was The Legion’s leader, she had a decision to make. Could she look the other way and still be with him? Zach had said that he was working to try and put the imposters behind bars at the expense of his own freedom, as well as to clear his name.

“… I’m sorry. Whatever my reasoning, I shouldn’t have said those things to you. I just wanted to protect you from… all this.” Frank gestured around them.

“I’m a grown woman. It’s not your job to protect me.”

“I’m your boyfriend, or… was.” Frank corrected himself, looking down at his hands. “I shouldn’t have let it get to the point where you were in danger at all… so I had to protect you. That’s my job as your partner.”

Lailah sighed and looked down at the tiled floor. There was no one else like Frank Morrison. If her and him didn’t end up together, she didn’t think she could be with anyone else. Zach was a good guy, but she didn’t feel that way about him. Sighing, she crossed the distance to his bed and took a seat next to his bed side. Perhaps part of the reason that they had this falling out was because… he had planned on turning himself in for a while and he just didn’t want to get involved. There was the problem though. They were involved. As much as Lailah wanted to deny it and pretend they weren’t, all of the hurtful words Frank had said… she still cared about him.

“I went to Calgary.” Lailah said after about twenty minutes of silence between them. “I went to see my birth mother.”

“What?” Frank sat up slightly from his spot at the head of the bed.

“I told Celia I would find Piper, it was stupid to promise, but… I had to.” Lailah admitted with a small laugh.

“No, I-I get it.” Frank said slightly, looking nervous. “Wait, Celia Takeuchi is your mother? So Piper—”

“Before that, I visited my parents. I found out some things about my past. I found out Piper Takeuchi is my younger sister. I found out my highschool career isn’t at all how I remembered it and—” Lailah covered her face and pushed the tears back. “I’m a fucking mess.”

“Aren’t we all?” Frank asked, giving her a small smirk.

“I had a friend; Yun-Jin Lee. We were close and because of an incident that happened in senior year, I apparently chose to forget her… to forget everything just to not be reminded of that.” Lailah shook her head. “It was stupid.”

“…”

“That story you told at the family dinner. It was true.”

“W-What?”

“The story of how we met.”

Now it was Frank’s turn to look awkward. It looked like he had been hoping that she wouldn’t bring that up. Lailah wasn’t able to tell in that moment if it was a good thing or a bad thing that she found out they had briefly met before. Since she didn’t remember Yun-Jin at all, it made her wonder what the extent of relationship with Frank was before they “met” that day on the college campus.

“… So?”

“What do you mean ‘so’?!” Lailah asked. “How long were you planning on keeping that from me?”

“… Long as I could.”

“Why?”

Frank clicked his tongue and shook his head. Closing his eyes, he turned his face towards the ceiling. Lailah was almost positive she saw his lips barely moving in some sort of silent prayer. Dealing with her could use some divine intervention at times, she agreed.

“Yeah, the story I told was true. Look, I met you during halftime. I got your number, just like I said. I thought you were… well, I thought you were pretty cute, alright?” Frank clicked his tongue again and looked away, but this time it was from embarrassment over aggravation. “We hung out a couple times, as friends. Julie and I were broken up at the time. I asked you out on a date and…”

“Huh?” Lailah asked, leaning forward.

“I said ‘and you said yes’!” Frank sighed.

“So we…” Lailah cleared her throat, her cheeks turning pink. “We uh, went on a date before?”

“No.”

“But you said—”

“You didn’t show up.”

Lailah furrowed her brows. She tried to remember any of it. The scene in the pictures, hanging out with Frank, being asked out on a date, and standing him up. However, she didn’t remember any of it. Lailah wanted to apologize, but she didn’t have anyone to blame but herself. Was there a way to get hypnotherapy reversed? Or was she just doomed to spend the rest of her life with holes and fake memories?

“I tried to message you and call you, but your number had been disconnected. Never heard or saw you again. Till that day at the college.” Frank sighed. “I was so angry, but more than that… I was hurt. You didn’t remember me, you looked at me. I don’t look any different, but you held no recognition. It hurt that the girl I really liked had just forgotten about me. So I just wanted nothing to do with you. When I found out that we were supposed to be rooming together, I thought ‘what a sick twist of fate’. And I just thought that I should just make your life as much as an inconvenience as I possibly could, then you would leave again and I would never have to see you again.”

“…”

“But you didn’t leave.” Frank whispered. “You stayed, and I grew attached.”

“You did?” Lailah asked, feeling a fluttering in her chest.

“Way, way too attached.” A small smile came to his face. “I’m sorry I hurt you… and I’m glad that I know now about what really happened.”

“Me too.”

“Maybe we can find this Yun-Jin Lee.”

“You’d help me?”

“If you’ll let me.” Frank told her.

This is it. Do I knowingly continue a relationship with a gang leader? Or—despite our history together—do I tell him that this is where it has to end?

“…”

“I understand if you don’t want to have anything to do with me anymore. I did hurt you. Extremely… seems I’m not good at a lot of things, but I am good at that.” Frank’s smile was self-loathing.

Lailah said nothing and carefully leaned down and placed her lips against Frank’s.

I belong with you.

Notes:

Welp there you have it! It was a lot to write, but I didn't feel like a cut off point would have been acceptable anywhere else. So 31 pages later I bring you the completed chapter. Thank you so much for reading and stop by my discord if you'd like. we have a lot of fun and just talk and joke around plus you get sneak peeks of the chapters to come.

link: https://discord.gg/nEJgbSChzZ

Thanks again for reading and let me know what you think. Cheers!

P.S. Fun fact about me, I actually went to middle school with a Korean girl named Yun-Jin. She was wonderful and I think about her all the time. She taught me how to write my name in Korean and opened up the language to me that I grew to love to speak and sing and watch shows of. My Yun-Jin spoke almost no English, but we had an understanding that didn't need words. I thought about her--understandably so--when I was writing Lailah's Yun-Jin. Wherever you are girl, I hope you are thriving.

Chapter 34: Back in my Life

Summary:

“You heard me, you… you buff moron!”

Notes:

Hey there everyone! It's been a long time. So a lot happened to keep me from writing this chapter right away:

First of all my grandfather ended up passing on July 23rd at the age of 82. He fought a hard six year battle with cancer and just couldn't fight anymore. But damn he was a warrior to the very end. It was really hard for all of us. We lost a grandfather and father figure for me, a husband for my grandmother, and a father for my mom. We were starting to try and figure out life without him in it, when my grandmother decided she couldn't go on anymore without him. She passed two weeks later on August 9th at the age of 82 from what we believe was a broken heart. So it was just another sweep of emotion. We're still trying to figure out how to live without them. The only thing we're taking consolation in is that they're together again.

So I wasn't really feeling writing for a bit. Things are starting to get a little more semblance of what our new normal is going to be like, so I felt able to get to writing once more. I really hope you like the chapter and if you don't, I apologize and understand and hopefully you'll like what I have in the future.

Lailah looked in her rearview view. Brown snow squelched onto the road behind her car. New snow was falling onto the windshield, hitting against it in fluffy, white flakes. The academic side of her wanted to preserve the flakes and look at the intricate patterns that Mother Nature had carved into each of them, but the more prominent; tired side of her wanted to head home.

“Are we there yet?” A groggy voice came from next to her. A small smile came to her face as she looked at the culprit; Frank.

“The answer hasn’t changed since the last time you asked me,” Lailah began, looking at him in the passenger’s seat. “thirty seconds ago.”

“But you’re driving so slow.” Frank sighed, leaning back in his seat.

“It’s snowing and you literally just got out of the hospital.” Lailah clicked her tongue. “Some roads are bumpy, I’m just trying to make sure your stitches don’t open up.”

“If they open up from a bumpy road, my doctor needs to resign.”

“I’m just making sure that you’re safe,” Lailah scoffed, turning one of the vents to Frank ensuring that he stayed warm.

“So you’re saying I’m… precious cargo?” Frank asked, leaning over to her.

Don’t say it like that.

“I-I’m saying I care! Sue me!” Lailah exclaimed.

Frank parted his lips to say something, she was sure that it was something that she wanted to smack him for, but whatever he was, he had enough common sense to keep it to himself.

It had been a week since she kissed him at the hospital when she went to see him. In the week that she had been camping at the hospital, Lailah had gotten to see more sides of him. She listened to him talk more about their actual first meeting. In addition, Lailah was able to spend more time on Acebook trying to find Yun-Jin Lee. At first, she hadn’t wanted to search for the girl. After all, she was a part of her past. Yes, the past was only a few years ago, but, it was the past nevertheless. Lailah had decided to forget the past, so she was stuck between honoring her past self’s wish, and wanting to dunk that wish in the trash. The latter eventually won out and she spent most of the time trying to find the girl. However, there were quite a few young women with the name Yun-Jin Lee.

“You really don’t have to watch over me all day.” Frank said, breaking Lailah from her thoughts once more.

“Look, I can’t bring myself to let you go about your life—”

“Without you in it?”

“Without me in it and—” Lailah’s face turned red as she stopped at a light. “F-Frank!”

“I get it. I know. You’re way too kind to let me just live in that apartment.”

“G-Glad you understand.”

“You could always come back and live with me.”

“…”

Ever since that kiss, things had been slightly different between them. Lailah had showed him that her feelings remained despite the mask that she had discovered—despite the fact he was The Legion’s leader. Things were still odd though, she couldn’t go and live at that apartment. It wasn’t the apartment itself that made her wary. Just… every time she closed her eyes over the week, she thought about the attack. She thought about how Julie had sunk the blade into her skin, she remembered how slippery everything was that she pushed against, her blood staining the walls and floor.

“Is it… because of what happened?”

“… I just, Zach and you have said that it was more than likely Julie, but even still… I don’t know. It just is difficult to stay there.” Lailah explained.

“I’m sorry that she did that. I know that’s not good enough, but—”

“It wasn’t your fault, Frank.” She said. “But since I can’t trust you to take care of yourself, you’ll just have to stay with me for the time being.”

“Keep it up and I might get spoiled.”

“… That sounds dangerous.” Lailah continued down the road once the light turned green.

Part of her wanting Frank to stay with her was because she wanted to be near him again. The whole time that they were separated, it was so painful. She never wanted to go through it again. Hopefully, this was the biggest secret between them. She had told Frank that if there was anything else that he needed to tell her, that he could do so. He had assured her that was it. Everything else between them was normal. The other part of her wanting Frank to stay with her was simply because she knew that he wouldn’t take care of himself. The after care instructions that she was given with his discharge papers felt like the size of a book. There was no way in hell that Frank would have the patience for that, so the only way to make sure his aftercare was what he needed was to look after him herself.

They kept in relative silence the rest of the way to the apartment complex. Lailah was simply enjoying his company. Life could be over in a mere moment. Every ounce of blood in her body turned to ice when she heard that Frank had been shot. She had heard that life could be over in an instant, but she didn’t understand until that call. That call made her appreciate just the small moments of spending time with Frank, moments like this where they were just silent listening to music play in the car as they headed back. Moments that once they were gone, that was it… there was no getting them back. If Frank hadn’t been shot, would she have gotten back together with him? It wasn’t until Zach called her that she realized how much she still cared for him.

Not that him getting shot was a good thing…

Lailah found her parking spot and turned off the car. She walked over to Frank’s side and waited until he got out and closed the door before locking it. She looked him over. He looked to be in excellent condition. If she saw him on the street, she wouldn’t know that there was a wound underneath all those clothes. She waited on him to start moving. She couldn’t expect him to walk at her pace right from the get go. After all, the most walking he had done in the week he’d been hospitalized had been to the nurse’s station and back as well as to the bathroom and back to his bed. 

Warmth erupted in her hand, making her look down. Frank’s hand had overtaken hers. His fingers laced between hers, making her eyes widen and her cheeks tint pink. She looked up at him for an explanation, but all he gave was a smirk. His dark brown eyes shining with an emotion that she couldn’t read.

“Don’t want me falling, do we?”

“U-Uh… no, of course not.” Lailah stammered, clearing her throat.

I kissed him. I told him I wanted to be with him, so why… why am I being so awkward now?

“Lead the way, Lailah.” Frank whispered.

“Of course, just… be careful. Okay?”

I hope you can’t feel how much my hand is sweating…

Together, making sure to take it slow enough so that he wouldn’t get winded, they made their way up to the apartment. She put the code in and walked inside, instantly being surrounded by the warmth of the heat. She exhaled and took off her coat, hanging it up. She took Frank’s and hung it up next to hers. Gently, she took Frank over to the couch and let him sit down.

“Anything I can get you?” Lailah asked.

“Li, I’m not an invalid. I just need to take it slow, you know?” Frank said, patting the spot next to her. “You don’t have to wait on me.”

“W-Well, I know, but are you really gonna take it easy?” Lailah huffed, raising a brow.

“If you’re here by me, I think I can manage.” He said, brushing some hair from her face, making her jump.

Shit… calm down me.

“…” Frank stood up. “I’m gonna grab some beer.”

“Frank—”

“Just one won’t hurt. Will it?”

“Just one. Okay? Then have something else, like some water or tea.”

“Yes ma’am.” Frank said, already having made his way to the kitchen.

Lailah turned the kotatsu on and the television. It was on the international news network. She made some tea for herself and sat the cup on the kotatsu. She headed to her room and got changed into some relaxing clothes. Exhaling, she headed back out to the main room. Frank was relaxing on the couch with his legs under the kotatsu. He looked comfortable; at home even. Gently smiling, she went over and sat next to him.

“Well, don’t you look comfortable?” Frank commented.

“Probably because I am.”

“That’s good.” He smiled, nestling down into the couch. “Hey, did you ever find that Yun-Jin Lee?”

Lailah wanted to seem upbeat, but the question had taken her by such surprise. She hung her head and her shoulders slumped. There were so many people named Yun-Jin Lee. Not to mention that she also had no clue whether or not that she was using her given name. It was also extremely possible that her friend could be married and therefore changed her name. She scratched the back of her head.

“Her name sounded so exotic when we were in high school, but I guess that it’s pretty common.” She muttered.

“Just keep on it, I’m sure that you’ll stumble on her.”

“You really think so?”

“You have the strangest luck that I’ve ever seen.” Frank gave a small chuckle when Lailah’s face scrunched up. “Problem is, I can’t tell if it’s good luck or bad luck.”

“Me neither…”

Will just continuing looking really do any different?

“Hey—”

“Ah!” Lailah exclaimed. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t seen him get up. It was a dangerous thing, and something that she was doing all too frequently. She was supposed to be looking after Frank, not the other way around. “Sorry, I was distracted.”

“No problem. I’m heading to take a shower.” He said. “Just didn’t want you to wonder where I was at.”

“Oh, I see. Alright. Just be careful.”

“Of course.”

Lailah leaned back into the couch. Yun-Jin Lee. She hoped that her friend was thriving, wherever she was. Whatever she was doing, she just hoped that she was doing the best that she was able. Life could be so cruel, she hoped it was kind to her. Yun-Jin out of all people deserved it. Back when they were in high school together, she had confided in her. During the week that Frank was in the hospital, Lailah was slowly starting to chip away at the walls of what her mind was protecting her from. She recalled Yun-Jin telling her about her parent’s debts, how they always worked, and the “hovel” that they lived in. She recalled with such detail what it was like to hold her sister as she cried while everything was taken from them.

From what she understood, her parents were in debt to the wrong kind of people that wouldn’t hesitate to take lives as payment instead of the needed multiple million won owed. If they did, would they go after the people that owed the debt, or would they go after Yun-Jin and her sister. Lailah was terrified that the latter would be true and her friend was un an urn somewhere and she had no clue.

No… Anything but that.

What if Yun-Jin had passed? What if it was from the stress? What if it was something more malevolent? Would she be allowed to visit her? Would her urn be placed in storage with no one else to pay for it? Surely it wouldn’t be dumped out. No… that wouldn’t happen. People were terrible, but Korea had respect for the deceased. Of course, she couldn’t really think of anyone that would dump out an urn. It was just her brain working in overtime again. Groaning, she leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. Resting her hands on her head, she started to panic. It wasn’t likely to happen, but… what if it did? Could Yun-Jin be recovered? What about her sister? She couldn’t even recall her sister’s name.

A loud sound shocked her from her thoughts. It sounded like something falling.

“Frank?!” Lailah screamed. Nothing. “Frank?!”

Lailah got up and ran to the bathroom. Without thinking and saying anything, she burst through the door. Standing in the middle of the bathroom was a very toned, very naked Frank. Her eyes widened, she looked up and met eye contact with Frank’s brown gaze. She didn’t have to look at the smirk on his lips to know what he was thinking, yet she did anyway. He was looking over his shoulder at her, a towel on his left leg. Clearly he was about to wrap up.

“Lailah, not that I mind the look,” Frank began. “but you look like you’re about to pass out. Are you breathing?”

“S-Sorry!” Lailah exclaimed, pulling the door shut. The laughter from inside didn’t fester inside as anger, only fueling her embarrassment. She opened the door again. “I didn’t see anything!”

Frank was turned around this time. Thankfully, there was a towel around him. The smirk hadn’t left his face, nor did the red leave hers. She tried to make eye contact, but every time she did, she looked away.

“Oh yeah?”

“Just letting you know!” Lailah exclaimed, slamming the door closed again.

Retreating back to her room, she sat in the middle of her bed. How the hell was she going to explain this to Frank? He would know that she didn’t mean to do that, right? It was just that she was worried about him! Why the hell didn’t he answer her if he was alright?! Now she looked like a creeper. Exhaling softly, she rubbing a hand down her face. A knock came at her door, making her jump. She was so jumpy… maybe she needed to talk to someone about that.

“Lailah?” Frank’s voice came from the other side of her door.

“U-Uh… yeah?” She tried to sound normal, but Frank’s form flashed in her mind again. Thankfully, he had been facing away from her. She didn’t think that she’d ever be able to look at him again if she had seen his front.

“Do you think you could come out here?”

“Is it… is it an emergency?”

“Well, no. Not really…” Frank cleared his throat. “I just kinda need help a couple wounds I have. But, I can do it.”

Dammit… Well, he really can dress a few wounds, but… I promised that I would look after him.

Lailah grabbed onto the door and opened it. Standing there with the kit for dressing the wounds that they received in the hospital was Frank. He didn’t look as confident as he had been a bit ago. In fact, he looked a bit nervous. She took the package and gestured for him to go back out to the living room. It wasn’t that she was uncomfortable with them being in her room alone, it was just that the lighting was better in the living room.

Frank sat down and Lailah sat down next to him. She took out some gauze and ointment. Using some applicators that were in the kit, she was able to apply the ointment with precision. Frank started squirming and Lailah clicked her tongue.

“Would you stay still?” She asked, placing an arm against his chest to keep him from squirming.

A hand grabbed her arm, pushing her back further. She looked up with wide eyes. Frank was looking at her. Some heat was smoldering underneath those brown eyes. Something that she was familiar with, yet did not recognize at the same time. The look took her breath from her lungs, depleting them completely leaving her utterly breathless. Even once Frank’s hand had left her arm, she stayed shocked in place.

Warmth brushed against her cheek. Hair was brushed from her face, tucking it behind her ear. The air between them was stifling, but it didn’t really bother her. Frank leaned closer. She wanted to pull away, but at the same time; get closer. Softness touched her lips, her eyes started to close.

Boyband NO SPIN relaunches with new producer. 

“The poorly performing boy band known commercially as NO SPIN relaunched today with a new sound! New sound! New producer! Producer known as Magnum Opus currently rising through Mightee One Entertainment’s charts takes on a new project! And it succeeds! Here is the feature of the first video!”

Lailah felt the warmth leave her lips. She looked and saw a group of young men. The video wasn’t anything like she had seen from other K-pop bands. She furrowed her brows, it was a risky move, and the main man seemed to be in the yellow jacket. It became picture in picture to the group—NO SPIN—sitting by a woman dressed in a fur coat with a beautiful outfit. She furrowed her brows, the woman looked… familiar. Another beautiful woman holding a microphone labeled KBS smiled bright, looking clearly star struck.

“What does it feel like to have a new producer?” The reporter asked.

“It feels amazing. We didn’t think that we could sound this good.” One of the young men said, looking down the line at the group members.

“Ji-Woon has been such a great addition to the team.” Another member said, gesturing to the lavender haired male with the yellow jacket on. He was perfect looking. Almost too perfect. There was something in those eyes, but she had to admit, she liked the sound he had.

“I’ve heard that the sales for NO SPIN’s re-debut album are hitting record numbers. Is that true?” The reporter asked.

“Well, I can’t say too much about it, but Miss Lee has been essential in cementing our place.”

Lailah froze. Miss Lee? Surely that… she wouldn’t be, right?

“Yun-Jin Lee. You’ve been Mightee One Entertainment’s underground sensation for a few years now, correct?”

The woman that the reporter called Yun-Jin Lee smiled gently and adjusted in the seat, crossing one leg over the other. She was the air of dignified. Was it possible? Frank seemed to be thinking the same thing. He put a hand on her shoulder. She couldn’t explain why, but she felt better that he was here with her listening to this; even though Lailah was the only one that could really make out what was being said without the subtitles.

“Yes, Magnum Opus was an identity I needed to take to help me blossom. I… I channeled a lot of my past. Past friendships, hardships, everything like that to create the distinct sounds that I do.”

“It’s her!” Lailah exclaimed. She had heard Yun-Jin talk on the phone numerous times to her sister, strictly in Korean. She knew her friend’s voice. “That’s Yun-Jin!”

“So we can expect to see more from you in the future?”

“Of course, not just with NO SPIN, although they are my primary focus right now.”

“What about family?”

Yun-Jin gave a small smile. It looked like something had been bothering her, but whatever it was looked like it was finally in the past. Was everything alright with her family? With her parents? Sister? She looked at the members of NO SPIN and then smiled at the woman.

“My sister, Se-Yeon, has been one of my biggest motivations in life.” Yun-Jin smiled. “She deserves everything. So I’m not only going to work hard for NO SPIN and myself, but also for Se-Yeon as well.”

“We can’t wait to hear more from you and NO SPIN.” The woman turned to the camera and smiled bright. “There you have it. That was an exclusive interview with NO SPIN and Magnum Opus. I’m Seonkyoung Kim with KBS.”

Commercials overtook the screen. Lailah got up and went over to her phone. She pulled up Acebook and looked up Mightee One Entertainment. She tried to delve further to find Magnum Opus or maybe Yun-Jin Lee’s personal page, but she wasn’t quite sure what she was looking for. This was Korean entertainment after all. She blinked and furrowed her brows. She felt like an idiot. It seemed so obvious now. She switched to Nstagram. Not only did she find NO SPIN’s official page, but she found Ji-Woon Hak’s official page. Along those lines, she saw it. Her page. Magnum Opus. Yun-Jin Lee. She looked over at Frank, worry on her face.

“Go ahead.” Frank said and leaned over, kissing her temple. “You can do it.”

Lailah took a deep breath. She wiped her hands on her shorts and thought for a moment. She pulled up the messages. There was no point in commenting on any photos. Yun-Jin was a celebrity now. She was most likely flooded with comments, questions, adoration messages, and no doubt hate comments too. She hoped that Yun-Jin would not only remember her, but she would read the message and respond:

 

Hello. I’m sorry to bother you when you’re so busy. Um, this is going to sound really, really weird, but you and I went to high school together. Comstan High. Some stuff happened and I suppose that I chose to forget everything, including the memories of you. But my parents told me we were the best of friends. And I found photos you took and things like that in a photo album. I understand if you’ve forgotten. It’s been a few years. But, if you do recall, I would be really honored to hear back from you. My name is Lailah Collins.

Thank you. I just wanted to say, for what it’s worth, I’m extremely proud of you, Yun-Jin. The Korean you taught me paid off, I was able to understand the interview. I’m glad to hear that Se-Yeon is doing well too. Bye. ^_^

 

“Do you really think she’ll respond?” Frank asked, leaning close to read the message that she had sent Yun-Jin.

“I can hope so.”

“I’ll hope with you.”

“Thanks.” Lailah smiled.

She hoped that Yun-Jin would respond and understand what had happened. She hoped that she could get some more answers from the girl and maybe hang out with her, even if she wasn’t able to do it in person anymore—due to the distance—she hoped that she could maybe talk to her friend. If Yun-Jin was angry at her for choosing to forget her friends and everything, then Lailah would have to understand and come to terms with it. She looked at a few commercials on KBS. Some of them were for NO SPIN’s new album.

The door opened and Lailah turned to see Feng and Yui walking inside. It was great to see her friends. She had been staying primarily at the hospital with Frank. She worried that being away from him from even a fraction of an hour would end up resulting in his demise. Realistically speaking, she knew that it didn’t make sense. Frank was in a hospital. If something went wrong, there were tons of alerts that the nurses would get. Not to mention that anyone that went to see Frank had to sign in and provide identification to prove they were who they said they were to prevent someone trying to shut him up; after all… he was in police protection.

“Oh! You finally got released!” Feng said and went and put the bags she had in her hands on the counter.

“Yeah, it was a pain in the balls being stuck in the hospital.”

“Try not to get shot in a spot that causes so much blood next time.” Yui said.

“Uh…” Frank scratched the back of his head. “I’m gonna try not to get shot again… at all.”

“Fair point.” Feng said. “You clear to drink?”

“Yeah.”

“Lailah?”

“No, he really is.”

“Am I not reliable?” Frank said, faux hurt lacing his voice.

Lailah couldn’t help but laugh. She knew that Frank did have a tendency to pretend that he was better than he was if it came to alcohol or something else that he was deprived of. It was rather entertaining that all of their friends seemed to know that about him too and take it consideration. She watched as Feng grabbed some alcohol and came closer, slamming it onto the kotatsu.

“Is this what we’re doing?” Frank asked, leaning forward.

“What?”

“We’re totally doing this.” Feng said, her smile widening.

“Do you know what they’re talking about?” Yui asked her friend.

“I assume they’re talking about a celebration.” Lailah shrugged.

“You’re damn right I am!” Frank said, his brown eyes shining with anticipation.

She cracked open one of the beers that Feng had brought home and handed it to Frank. He looked really at peace. Lailah was shocked in a way. He hadn’t been hanging out with Susie or Joey in a bit and she was worried that perhaps they were drifting apart. He really cared for his friends, so Lailah didn’t want to see that happen. Then again, she couldn’t force Frank to continue to be friends with the other members of The Legion. It could also be that he was being wary because he wasn’t sure how far Susie and Joey were into this. After all, Zach said that they were going to turn themselves in as well after this was all over.

“So, Lailah,” Frank began, popping a chip in his mouth.

“Mm?”

“You my girl again?”

Nani?!

Lailah spit out her alcohol all over the kotatsu. She started coughed, trying her hardest to gather herself. Taking a deep breath, she felt her throat was scratchy. Coughing from deep within her chest, she wiped the tears that had gathered in her eyes. When she looked up and blinked the world into focus, she saw Yui staring at her with a blank expression. It took Lailah a moment to realize why she had the face and Feng and Frank were laughing. When she saw the drops falling from her cheeks, she almost mistook them for tears. However, she realized that when she spit, the alcohol had went to a straight projectile… to Yui’s face.

“Thanks,” Yui said, wiping her face.

“I-I…” Lailah said through her fits of laughter. “Oh my God. I am so sorry.”

“Well, you didn’t answer my question.” Frank said after he got done laughing.

“…” Pink dusted Lailah’s cheeks and she looked down at her beer can. What was she supposed to say to that? How could he just ask that?

“Well?” Feng asked. Lailah peeked up from where her gaze was focused.

“C-Can you—”

“Wait for you to answer?” Yui interjected. “Absolutely.”

It wasn’t that Lailah didn’t want to give Frank an answer. It was that she… she just really couldn’t with her friends sitting right there. With six eyes on her, it just made her even more nervous. Clearing her throat, she opened and closed her mouth a few times. Each time that she did, Feng and Yui would lean forward just a little bit more. She rubbed the back of her neck and looked over at Frank. He had a smile on his face, but it wasn’t really reaching his eyes. His shoulders even looked slightly slumped.

“… If you’ll let me, then… then yes.” Lailah said softly, looking down.

Frank leaned closer to her and the blush deepened when she felt the warmth of his lips on her temple. She was just about to look over at him from the corner of her eyes, but she heard his voice in her ear. It was low, husky. It enveloped her in comfort. When she heard him like this—or just him in general—she knew that she would be okay.

“I won’t let you down this time.” He told her.

“Let me…” Lailah turned and looked at him fully. “You didn’t let me down. If anything, I let you down.”

“Agree to disagree.”

“But—”

“If you wanna make it up to me, let me take you on a date.” Frank said, taking another sip of his beer.

“O-Oh.” Lailah blushed. Feng and Yui’s smiles were blinding. “Y-Yeah. I’d like that.”

Frank smirked and kissed her temple again. She was unsure whether she would ever get used to the looks that he gave her.

“Tomorrow?”

“Yeah.” Lailah smiled. “Sounds good.”

“For now, let’s just enjoy the night.” Feng said with a laugh.

Lailah hadn’t realized just how much she missed Frank until they talked, laughed, and watched movies into the wee hours of the morning. The TV was still playing even when Feng and Yui were passed out in their spots at the kotatsu. She was swaying back and forth at her spot. Frank was in the kitchen, washing the multiple dishes that they had from their snacks. Washing dishes hadn’t ever been attractive to her before, but… for some reason, when Frank was doing it, it just seemed… different.

With some difficulty, she finally managed to get up. Staggering, she headed to the kitchen and leaned against the fridge. She placed her head against it and stared at Frank. His shirt clung to his body, all the muscles present as they contracted while he moved.

Damn…

“Howdy there.” Lailah said, her voice slurring.

“…?” Frank turned from the dishes left in the sink. “Howdy…?”

“Didja know somethin’?”

“Uh… I know a lot of things, Li.”

“I’m sure you do.” Lailah said, leaning slightly closer.

“Hey, Li?”

“What can I do for y—”

“Hey, careful!” Frank caught Lailah as she tripped. He grunted and pulled her away from where she would’ve fallen. There were knives everywhere from all the cutting and prep they had done. “What’s gotten into you?”

“Nothin’… yet.” Lailah commented, snorting a laugh.

“Oh. You’re drunk.” Frank cleared his throat, brushing some hair away from her face. “So, so drunk.”

“Maybe.”

Frank wrapped an arm around her. Lailah liked the closeness. She didn’t recognize the fragrance that he had by name, but she knew one thing for sure… it was solely for him. Lailah leaned on him. A soft sigh escaped her lips when he tightened his grip on her. Staggering, she let Frank lead him towards her bedroom. He kissed her forehead and guided her further to her bed. Lailah snorted a giggle when Frank laid her down.

“Alright, Li.” Frank said softly. “Get to sleep. Okay? See you in the morning.”

Lailah grabbed onto his hand and pulled him closer. Frank’s eyes widened. He stopped himself from falling on top of her with his hands on either side of her. Both of their cheeks were pink, but from completely different reasons. Frank’s cheeks from Lailah’s advances and Lailah’s from the alcohol giving her liquified courage. She tugged at the edges of her shirt. A shocked gasp escaped her lips when Frank grabbed onto her wrist, stopping her from pulling her shirt up.

“W-Whoa whoa. What are you doing?” He asked, his voice frantic.

“Trying to show you something nice.” Lailah whispered.

“No.” Frank said, his voice becoming firm.

“But—”

“Lailah. Stop.”

Fear replaced the courage that had once been running through her veins. It took a lot, an extreme amount of courage to show this side of her. Yet, here he was denying her. Lailah swallowed the lump that was in her throat. She locked eye contact, trying her hardest not to let the tears swell in her eyes.

“… You… You don’t wanna see?” Her voice was a mere whimper.

“No.” Frank said. “I want you to go to sleep.”

The tears that she had been trying to keep at bay were starting to blur her vision. Was it because she was damaged? Was it because the goods were spoiled? Was it because… she wasn’t like Julie? Lailah knew that she wasn’t a “sexy” girl or anything like that. The only thing that she knew was that she wanted Frank. She craved the closeness and the sense of security that only he could give to her. But she must just be a replacement. He had asked her to be “his girl” earlier. Perhaps that was only until he could find someone else… someone sexy.

“Are you crying?” Frank asked softly.

“…N-No…” Lailah looked away from him, burying her face into her arm.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” He turned her face to look at him. “Li, talk to me.”

“D-Do you have any idea how attractive I think you are?”

“…N-No, I don’t really.”

“Well, I think you’re really attractive!” Lailah exclaimed. “And how upsetting it is that I want to be close to you… and I’m so scared to be! And… and when I finally get the courage to try to get close to you… you turn me down. Is it because I’m not sexy like Julie was?”

“Wait… what?” Frank blinked, watching the tears fall.

“You heard me, you… you buff moron!”

“Lailah,” Frank fought to try and pull her arm away from her face while fighting the laugh at her child-like insult. “hey, lemme talk to you.”

“… what?”

“Listen to me. I think that you’re plenty sexy, alright? You’re innocent and sweet. There’s just something about you that really gets me going. Kinda weird because you’re the only innocent girl I’ve ever been interested in. It’s not that I don’t wanna be with you. But, Lailah, you’re drunk. You’re so drunk, Li. I want you to want me with all your attention.” Frank told her. Gently, he grabbed onto her hand and put it to his chest. Underneath her fingertips, she could feel his heart beating quickly. “If you still want me when you’re sober, then after I heal completely because I know you’ll never forgive yourself if a stitch busts, then I promise that I’ll show you just how much you mean to me and how much I want you.”

Lailah sniffled and looked over his face. She gave a soft smile and nodded. In spite of herself, a yawn tore through her. Frank was about to get up, but Lailah grabbed onto his bicep. She cleared her throat and looked up at him.

“Will you stay with me, Frank?”

“How can I say no when you look at me like that?” Frank smiled and laid next to her after she scooted over to give him more room. The smile from Frank was contagious and she ended up smiling as well. Frank’s arm wrapped around her waist and kissed the top of her head. “There, now you’re snug and comfortable?”

“Mhm.” Lailah nodded. With the comfort from Frank’s embrace plus the food and the alcohol, she was being lulled to sleep.

“You’re the most important person in the world to me.” Lailah exhaled hearing the words before she drifted off to sleep.

 

Notes:

Well! There you have it! I wanted to give a shoutout to my reader DD. She really helped me with the Korean aspects of this chapter such as knowing what news stations are there. There's more that her and I have collaborated on that will come up in the future. I wanted to take the story in more of a fluff direction and give everyone a break (including myself) and just let Frank and Lailah be themselves and enjoy each other.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know I enjoyed giving them some fluff moments, and some moments where Frank was able to tell Lailah a bit about how he thinks of her.

I'm on Discord btw! Come join us! We talk about a lot of things and about the story. It can be dead at times because we all do have our own lives to live, but it's also a boat load of fun and nice to talk to everyone. Not to mention that you get exclusive previews and if I come to you for collaborations and help, I give other additional previews and other goodies.

link: https://discord.gg/nEJgbSChzZ

Let me know what you think! Until next time!

Chapter 35: Making Up For Lost Time

Summary:

“Go get changed and join us, Frank!” Feng called.

“Y-Yeah. Totally.”

Notes:

Hello everyone! Thanks again for coming back to read another chapter of B&B! I appreciate it more than you know. Some things happened in between the time between the last chapter and this one: I ended up getting a job and have been trying my hardest to do good at that. We also found out that I'm expecting once more. Shockingly enough, we ended up getting this one while I was on birth control to prevent this from happening. Haha, but hey things happen.

Anyway, enough of that. Here is the chapter! I hope you enjoy!

“You want one?”

Lailah paused mid chew of her lip to look at the proprietor of the voice. Zach was holding an open bag of chips in her view. She blinked, looking from the goodies inside to Zach’s dual colored eyes.

“Are you even supposed to have outside snacks in a hospital?” She emphasized, the ghost of a smile one her features.

“No.” Zach said, popping another snack. It wasn’t chips, but a mix of different things, into his mouth. “Not really.”

Before Lailah could protest that he really shouldn’t be eating at a time like this, he shook the bag in her view again, pressing it closer to her face. She snorted a small laugh and rolled her eyes. Sighing, she reached inside and grabbed a handful. Adjusting in the uncomfortable chair, she popped a wafer from the mix of snacks in her mouth. She had been so lost in her throughts, she wondered how Zach knew that she was starting to get hungry. Lailah stopped mid chew; had she been so lost in her thoughts that her stomach had been growling and she hadn’t realized it?

“You looked like you could use something to eat. If you didn’t, then you might end up biting all the skin of your lip off.” Zach smiled. “Then there wouldn’t be anything for Frank to kiss.”

“Wh—!” Lailah gasped, a shard of a crispy chip sticking itself in her throat. She started coughing, covering her mouth to try to muffle the flurry of desperate attempts to expunge the foreign object from her esophagus. Zach shook his head and reached over into his bag. Lailah could hear things being moved around.

Is this how I go out? Death by snack?

“Here.” Zach smirked, handing her a bottle of water after he opened it.

Lailah snatched the bottle, chugging about half the bottle in one go. It hurt to swallow a little bit, but after another deep cough, she was able to breathe once more.

“Dammit, Zach.”

“I didn’t tell you to choke.”

“…”

“What? Did you think that you were being slick?”

“W-Well no.” Lailah said, crunching on a pretzel. “It’s not like we’re really trying to hide it. I’m just kinda not used to this sort of relationship. So simple things like this take me by surprise… still.”

“No need to look so down about it.” Zach exhaled and nestled more into his chair. Her friend was silent for a few moments before he glanced down at his watch. “They sure are taking their sweet time, aren’t they?”

“Mm.”

It had been a couple months since Frank was discharged from the hospital. He had been healing up nicely, and this was the final appointment that he would have to clear him fully. Frank had said that he didn’t need it, and argued with Zach that there was no need to take him back to the hospital over it when a primary doctor would have worked just fine, however Zach believed that a hospital was more secure. They hadn’t found out who shot Frank, but both factions in America and in Canada were working to try and figure it out.

Lailah thought that perhaps she was just being impatient. After all, once Frank was cleared he would be good and they wouldn’t have to go to doctor’s checkups or any other appointments anymore. It would’ve been natural for her brain to think that they had been sitting for four or five hours when only fifteen minutes had passed, but if Zach was commenting on the time then it must really be taking a long time. Chancing a look at the nearby clock on the wall, she noted that almost three hours had passed. Exhaling, she popped another snack in her mouth. This time it was more to quell the anxiety than it was to actually give her body sustenance.

What if something happened…? What if the person that shot Frank was able to plant themselves here and had ahold of Frank? What if he was bleeding out on the floor in the room and she didn’t know it?!

Thoughts that got worse by the second flew through her mind. Some made her worried while others made her sick. Taking a deep breath, she stood up. Just as she did, the door opened and Frank walked out. He noticed her standing there and stopped just outside the door, tilting his head.

“…?”

“U-Uh… y-yay! You’re out.” Lailah cheered, raising her fists and giving them a pitiful shake. She couldn’t tell Frank or Zach that she had been worrying on an unhealthy level.

“Geez, Morrison,” Zach stood up, stretching and letting out a sigh. “you sure took your sweet time.”

“Spare me, Morgan. I wouldn’t have even been here if you and Li hadn’t forced me to come.”

“So, what did they say?” Lailah chimed in.

“Said I’m good to go. Healthy as a horse.”

“Did they really?” Zach asked.

“Made me do all sorts of tests to prove I was good. You ready, Li?”

“You really just ignored me, didn’t you?”

Lailah rolled her eyes. It was hard to believe that one was a hardened gang leader while the other was an FBI agent. They both acted to childish around each other. If she didn’t know any better, she would swear that they could be siblings. Maybe there was something about Frank that Zach saw as his brother York. From the way that he described him, York and Frank didn’t seem too similar, but she never met him. An arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer. It took her by surprise, she almost dropped the snacks that Zach gave her.

“Honestly though, I appreciate the drive here, Morgan.”

“…” Zach smirked. “No problem. I have a meeting to go to though. You gonna be okay heading home?”

“Yeah,” Lailah nodded. “Thanks again, Zach. We’ll see you later. Okay?”

“Sounds like a plan. Later.”

With Frank at her side, they headed outside the hospital. A nice breeze blew by them. She was glad that it was mid Spring now. The couple months just being with Frank again was so amazing. He was even kinder and more gentle than he had been previously. He never said so, but she wondered if it was to make up for the horrible things that he had said previously. She knew the reason, so it didn’t hurt her anymore. Knowing Frank, he was beating himself up over it though.

They walked in silence, enjoying just the simplicity of each other’s company. It was hard to imagine how close they had come to having this ripped from them; not just from their breakup, but from the shooting. Lailah didn’t want to think of how life would be if Frank was torn from her. Once the handful of snacks that Zach had given her was gone, Lailah dusted off the crumbs. She barely finished before Frank grabbed onto her hand, lacing their fingers together. Lailah’s gaze traveled up to him, but his gaze continued to look straight. Was it possible that she made him as nervous as he made her?

“Hm?” Lailah asked, leaned over to him. She had sworn that she heard him say something.

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Hm? Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Positive.” Frank said. “Hey, um… Li, you got plans today?”

“Other than the Lazer Bear party Feng invited us to?”

“Heh, yeah. Other than that.”

“Mm…” Lailah furrowed her brows, thinking. “Nope. Not until 10.”

“Mind if I borrow you until then?” Frank asked, squeezing her hand.

“Of course not. What’s up?”

“Just… something.” Lailah raised an eyebrow. “Nothing bad, I promise.”

“I trust you.”

Frank let out an exhale and guided her back towards the apartment complex. She’d be lying if she told him that she wasn’t nervous. At the same time, excitement coursed through her. She wanted to know what he had planned. They arrived and Frank headed towards the elevator. Lailah wanted to ask, but she knew him well enough by now to know that he wouldn’t tell her. They walked inside the apartment and Frank instantly went over to the pullout couch he had been laying on. Later she would have to thank Feng and Yui for the hundredth time for letting him stay with them. Frank ruffled in his bag for a moment. Lailah didn’t even have time to sit down before he stood up and shoved his wallet in his pocket.

“It alright if we drive your car?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Anticipation bubbled inside of her. There was clearly an entire plot working its way inside his mind. A plot that she was a protagonist of. The fact that Frank wasn’t telling her anything—in a strange way—excited her. Surprises had been the bane of her existence from a young age. Now, though, she was starting to look forward to them. Questions flurried around in her mind like the gusts of a blizzard, but none of them found their way out. Letting Frank drive, she was able to let her mind wander. What was he planning? The smile on his lips made her relax. She knew that she was safe with him.

The scenery whirled by. Emerald green grass continued to grow past the monthly white confines of fluffy snow. Not that Lailah didn’t enjoy Winter time, but she was thankful to see some grass. This past chilly season brought almost nothing but terrible memories. It was one that she would rather push to the back of her mind and forget. A hand gathered hers, enveloping her in warmth. Smiling softly, she turned to look at his profile; strong, confident, protective, and above all… kind.

“Something on your mind?” He asked; voice low, almost like to not break the personal heaven they had created with just each other’s company.

“Mm, no. Not really. Just…” Lailah trailed off, looking down at their hands.

“Just…?”

“Happy.” Lailah admitted, her cheeks turning pink. “Content.”

Frank said nothing, but a smile lifted his cheeks. Lailah wondered if he felt the same; content. Happy. Did he enjoy her company? Was he looking forward to spending all this time together? Did she make him as happy as he made her? These—and more—questions swirled in her mind like the blizzards of winter. However, she asked none of them. They were in their own personal world as of this moment, asking some questions that could be answered with a simple “obviously” or some other word would ruin it. Of course he was looking forward to spending the time with her. Frank wouldn’t go out of his way to spend time with anyone that he didn’t want to. He had to enjoy her company. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t want to be around her. Frank was a lot of things, but shy wasn’t one of them. Not at least when it came to telling things how it is.

The scenery continued to pass. As minutes passed, her curiosity continued to grow. Where was he taking her? Asking him was out of the question, because of course, he wouldn’t tell her. She was just about to roll the dice when they pulled off a road and into a large parking lot.

“We’re here.” Frank said, going through the aisles of metal transports trying to find an empty spot.

“Where’s ‘here’?” Lailah asked, peeking out the window to catch a glimpse of something that belayed their location.

“You’ll see.”

Frank eventually had to turn into a small parking garage as there seemed to be no parking places in the main parking lot. Lailah watched him skillfully whip into a space that looked to be too small for her car. Yet, with him behind the wheel they made it in the spot and had room to spare. He put a hand behind her seat and looked behind them as he backed up, straightening them out.

“You okay?” Lailah jumped, ceasing in fiddling with her fingers when he spoke.

“Y-Yeah! Of course, I’m fine.” She smiled. “Just excited is all.”

Frank merely smiled once more and turned off the car. Lailah got out and joined up with him. She walked side by side with him for a few moments before she felt the warmth of his hand around hers again. Pink tinted her cheeks again. Before a thought could enter his brain that she didn’t want this, Lailah squeezed onto his hand. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hold hands. She loved having his hand envelop hers the way it did. However, she just wasn’t used to displays of affection yet. If Frank was impatient or aggravated, he wasn’t letting on. She peeked over at him as he led the way back towards the main parking lot.

Thank you for being patient with me, Frank.

“What?! No way!” Lailah’s eyes widened when the sign came into view:

Weaver’s Aquarium of Canada

Lailah had read about this aquarium in one of her classes. It was ran by marine biologists and other scientists and was partnered with sanctuaries from around Canada for marine life. It was full of marine life that had suffered at either the hands of humans, their negligence, had birth defects, or otherwise had received injuries in the wild that would prevent them from living a full life back in the wild. Weaver’s Aquarium of Canada was a massive building with multiple enclosures, giving the animals large space to be free. They worked with the marine biologists and the sanctuaries to make each enclosure just another sanctuary. Weaver’s also made sure that their enclosures weren’t packed to add distress to the animals. It was really one of the—if not the most—well thought out and humane aquarium on the globe. Lailah had been wanting to come here ever since she read about it.

“You excited?” Frank asked.

“Are you kidding?! This is amazing!” Lailah grabbed onto his arm and ran towards the gates.

Lailah was practically bouncing on her heels while Frank paid for them. One of the marine biologists that worked the front gave her a map and began explaining each area to her. There were dolphins, fish, smaller sharks, rays, whales, turtles, and various other animals. Each one was taken care of to the best of the biologists’ abilities. Lailah couldn’t wait to see everything that she could. The instant that Frank’s card was handed back to him, she grabbed onto his arm and pulled him further inside.

“Hey hey, hold on there, Tiger.” Frank smirked. “Lemme put my card back.”

“O-Oh, right. Sorry.” Lailah admitted with a nervous chuckle.

“It’s all good.” He joined her side when his card and wallet were placed back in their correct places. “I’m glad to see you so excited about something.”

“I’ve been wanting to come here forever!” Lailah emphasized.

“No kidding?”

“Yeah!”

“Well good.” Frank jutted his chin at the paper in her hands. “That the map?”

“Yeah, isn’t it huge?” Lailah had to unfold the map six times to let it out to its full size.

The aquarium was almost shaped like a dome with multiple tiers of carefully orchestrated placement of the animals, putting shops and refreshments in just as precariously placed areas. Worry started to set in. Even if they started this instant and didn’t stop for bathroom breaks or any snacks, there would be no way that they would be able to see every thing that Weaver’s had to offer. She knew that the tickets weren’t cheap, as a lot of these animals required very special care so the tickets were priced as such, she dind’t want to have his money go to waste. Plus, she had already made plans with Feng to go the Lazer Bear’s Spring Party tonight. She couldn’t renage on her promise for that.

“What’s on your mind?” Frank asked, walked towards the turtles as it was the closest area to them.

“There’s just so much to see…”

“Good thing we’re here then, hm?”

“Yeah, but, we won’t be able to see it all today… and that kinda makes me sad.”

Lailah blinked when a deep chuckle came from Frank. It was almost like he had been trying to stifle it, but she had nevertheless heard it. He reached into his pocket and took two cards. He handed one to her and she stopped, reading the print.

“Reservation for yearly pass?” Lailah looked at Frank and blinked.

“Yeah. Just before we leave, we talk to that lady you were talking to before and we’ll get some yearly passes made. That way we can come and see the aquarium more.” Another wide smile spread across his face when she gasped. “So we don’t have to—”

Lailah had pulled Frank down to her level and kissed him. It wasn’t something that she had the courage to do often, but it just welled inside her and burst before she had any sense of what she was doing. He drove a couple hours to take her to this aquarium, had gotten them yearly passes because he knew that they wouldn’t be able to see the whole place in one day. He just always seemed to take care of everything and think of everything.

“O-Oh gosh!” Lailah exclaimed, touching her lips.

“Whoa…”

“I-I’m sorry—”

“You should do that more often.”

Frank followed Lailah, letting her be the guide this time. She looked at the map, deciding for sure that she wanted to go to the turtles. Together, they got to the large turtle enclosure. Every turtle had scars on them. Some were face scars from where boats or humans that had thrown trash into the ocean. Others were fin scars and there were some that even had parts of fins gone. Lailah pressed herself up against the glass, looking at the turtles. They moved so gracefully in the water, even with their injuries. It almost made tears come to her eyes that something—despite all its injuries—could still be beautiful. Some of the turtles even looked to be socializing, but Lailah didn’t too much about turtles to know what socialization between them would look like.

“Kinda sad, isn’t it?” Frank asked from behind her, wrapping an arm around her.

“Yeah, but… they’re still beautiful. Aren’t they?”

“Just because something has been hurt doesn’t mean its ugly.”

“I know that—”

“Do you?” Frank interjected.

Lailah looked at him, but his brown eyes were trained on the turtles,

“Sometimes the most beautiful things are those that have been hurt.”

Frank…

They went and saw so many different creatures. It was sad in a way to see them all because there wasn’t a single enclosure that didn’t have a maimed animal of some sort. However, as Frank said, they were still beautiful. Lailah wasn’t quite a fan of sharks, but she even liked the shark’s enclosure. Families populated the area as well; children and toddlers were amazed at the beautiful animals.

“You wanna stop and get something to eat?” Frank asked.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Hand in hand, they made their way to the food stalls. Deciding on a chicken sandwich and some fries, she was practically drooling when Frank took the tray and headed to a table. Exhaling softly, she sat down and opened her sandwich before practically unhinging her jaw to take a bite.

“Hungry?” Frank asked with a laugh.

“Just a lil bit.” Lailah smirked with a cheek full of food.

While they ate, the pair gabbed. They talked about this and that. It didn’t matter, just being in each other’s company was enough for them. Frank brought up the Lazer Bear party and Lailah admitted that she was more excited than she thought that she would be about it. The last time they were at the Lazer Bear house, Lailah had realized that she had romantic feelings for Frank. They had kissed. Now they would be there as a couple. It was rather ironic, but in a good way, she thought.

They talked about potentially taking Yui and Feng to Weaver’s sometime in the future. She thought her friends would enjoy it. Then the conversation turned to Yun-Jin, as it usually did since she sent the message. Unfortunately, she hadn’t gotten any response. Of course, Lailah didn’t truly expect one. Yun-Jin was legitimately famous now. Not just in Korea, but with K-Pop making its way to the West in popularity, a lot of people here in Canada already knew about Magnum Opus and NO SPIN and their new debut.

Lailah sighed and ate at some of her fries. She couldn’t blame Yun-Jin though. If she did read her message, it was possible that she was bitter that Lailah chose to forget her and the memories of their friendship. Just… if Lailah could go back and change it, she believed that she would. It was just so difficult with all the nightmares and trauma back then, she was ready to get rid of it… whatever the cost.

“Ready to get back to it?” Frank asked, looking at his phone. “We got a couple hours before we should head back so we can make it to the party on time.”

“Sure am!” Lailah exclaimed and stood up, throwing away the trash.

Time passed so fast when she was with Frank. Of course there were the hard times between them, yet, he was the only one that could make her smile like she did as she was right now with the manta rays swimming in their habitats. She took pictures, making sure that she moved slow enough so that she wouldn’t spook the water pancakes. One came up to where she was and waded in the water, Lailah was sure that they were making eye contact for a few seconds. She smiled and waved at it.

“I’m gonna name him Water Pancake.” Lailah said, pointing towards the ray.

“Water Pancake?”

“Mhm. Cause he’s flat like a pancake and he’s in water.” Water Pancake turned and swam off to the deeper part where Lailah couldn’t hardly see him anymore. “Bye, Water Pancake.”

Lailah took one of the escalators down to another layer of the aquarium and tossed her empty cup into the trash can. She turned to Frank who was looking at his phone. A smile was on his face. When she went over towards him, he cleared his throat and put the phone in his pocket.

“It’s about time to head back, is that alright with you?” He asked.

“…?” Lailah looked at the pocket where his phone was at. “Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.”

As they were leaving, they stopped at the front to take photos for their yearly passes. In hers, Lailah wore a large, bright smile. It was clear to anyone who would look at her pass that she was so excited to be here and have that pass. It was put on a lanyard and Lailah hung it around her rearview mirror when her and Frank returned to the car. She wanted to ask why he hid his phone the way he did, but she was sure that it was something completely different than any terrible thoughts that would come into her mind. She kept a smile on her face, trying her hardest to push away those insecurities. There was a reason. She trusted Frank.

The ride back was just as calm as the ride there had been. The souvenirs that they had bought in a small bag by Lailah’s feet and the yearly passes hanging from the rearview mirror. This date had been extremely fun. It was the most fun she had quite possibly had her whole entire life. How could she adequately explain to Frank just how much fun she had and how much this meant to her? Biting her lip, she looked over at him. A small ghost of a smile was on his face.

“Did you have fun?” Lailah asked.

“I always have fun when I’m with you, Li.”

“Yeah?”

“100%.” Frank assured, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. Keeping his eyes on the road, he brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it.

“I’m glad…” Lailah whispered.

The rest of the drive back to Ormond was uneventful but peaceful. Lailah was almost asleep by the time they pulled back into town. As they were heading back to the apartment, Lailah’s phone went off.

[Besties]

Yui: Hey, we’re at the party, so the door will be locked.

Me: Oh? I thought it wasn’t until 10.

Feng-Feng: It’s not, but we wanted to come and hang out for a bit. Why don’t you join us?

Me: Sounds like fun. We were heading back to the apartment to grab things.

Yui: Frank just needs to grab his things, Feng already gathered your things.

Me: Really?

Feng-Feng: Sue me, I’m impatient. Tell Frank he’s getting in the pool this time! It’s Spring!

Me: Alright, alright.

“So you gotta grab your things for the party. Feng said make sure to grab your swimsuit cause you’re getting in the pool this time.”

“Can’t really deny her that. I did promise her after all.” Frank said with a sigh.

Me: No problem. He’ll grab it.

Feng-Feng: If anyone could get him to follow through with it, it’d be you.

Yui: See you when you get here!

Lailah waited patiently while Frank gathered his clothes for the party. She sat on the kotatsu and stretched. It was so nice to go on the date and Lailah felt like it made them closer. She stood up and it dawned on her that she had forgotten her souvenirs in the car. She clicked her tongue at her absent mind and ran down the stairs and grabbed it before heading back in the apartment and unpacking them. She put her stuffed animals on her dresser and smiled, giving their heads little pats before putting a couple figurines on her desk. She put the bag on her nightstand, she could use the bag for something she assumed.

“Li, you ready?”

“Yeah!” She called and left her room and saw Frank standing at the door with a plastic bag of clothes. “Ready?”

“Yeah. C’mon before they start calling you again asking what’s taking so long.”

Lailah couldn’t help but laugh. He knew her friends so well,

“Alright. Fair.”

45 Dundston Street was just as beautiful as she remembered, honestly probably even more so now that snow wasn’t covering the ground and the gardening that the Lazer Bears paid for was able to be seen and appreciated now. Flowers bloomed near the door and in planters on either side of the pathway up to the door. She couldn’t help but wonder how much the team paid for landscaping in general to get it to look so beautiful let alone how much it must cost to keep it. Of course, it was between all of them and wasn’t solely Feng’s duty, but she was sure that it was more than she made at her job. She climbed up the steps and was about to ring the doorbell when Frank grabbed her hand.

“Hey, uh… Li, can we talk for a moment?” Frank asked.

“Right now? Yeah, of course.” Lailah said. Her hands instantly got clammy. “Is… Is everything alright?”

No, push those thoughts away… it’s all fine…

“Yeah, I just… I wanna talk to you, a-about something.”

“Okay.” Lailah said, putting some hair behind her ear.

“We’ve kinda known each other for a few years. A-And I know that you don’t remember. And I understand that and why. I get it. B-But, like I remember.” Frank cleared his throat. He looked at Lailah who tilted her head. It sounded like he had a lot of thoughts and didn’t know how to articulate any of them quite well. “That kinda sounded mean, I didn’t mean it to sound mean.”

“I know that.” Lailah assured.

“O-Okay, good.” Frank took a breath. “Anyway, I have something for you.”

“Something for me?”

“I’ve been trying to figure out when the right time to give it to you, but… I didn’t know when that would be. So, I-I decided on now.” Frank thrust an envelope at her and wiggled it in front of her, looking away seeming to be embarrassed.

Lailah took the envelope. It was wrinkled and looked like it had been folded and unfolded multiple times. There was a little bulge near the middle of the envelope. She looked at him for a moment, but Frank had his attention anywhere but her. On the front in Frank’s writing had just her name Lailah written on it. She tore open the envelope with her pinky and took out the piece of paper. She unfolded it and looked at the writing:

Lailah,

It’s been a great couple of weeks that we’ve hung out. A smile came to her face when she saw that the line had been scratched out and it looked like Frank had tried again:

Lailah,

I really enjoy hanging out with you. You’re just a really bright and energetic person to be around. I uh… I haven’t ever met anyone like you and I’m glad that we’re friends. You’ve taken the time to get to know me and not judge me for the things that are rather difficult to bring up. It’s not that your friendship isn’t great or anything. It looked like Frank had crossed out that last line thinking different about it. Anyway, I was hoping maybe… we could be more than friends. Don’t feel guilted into anything, I want to be your friend over anything else. That’s the most important thing to me. I just… I wanted to say, thanks for being you.

Frank.

P.S. I saw this and thought of you. I hope you like it.

Lailah looked at Frank, but he was still looking away. She tilted the envelope over and let what was inside fall into the palm of her hand. It was a phone charm that was a cute cat holding onto a small cup of coffee. From the way the letter was worded, she was wondering if Frank had written this back when they first met in high school. The envelope and the letter did look rather old in comparison to something that would’ve been written more recently.

“Frank…” Lailah said softly, pulling out her phone and putting the cat charm on it.

“I’ve held onto it for a while. I didn’t know why, but… I guess it was so I could give it to you when we met back up. I thought about throwing it away a lot, but now that I know everything… I’m glad I didn’t.”

“So, back then, you… really wanted to date me? L-Like we are now?”

Frank blushed and cleared his throat.

“Yeah. And then I couldn’t get ahold of you. You dropped off the face of the earth and… well, Julie comforted me and we just got back together again.” He gave a soft laugh. “It was hell being with her again, but it was worth it because it brought me back to you.”

Frank leaned in and just as they were about to kiss, the door opened and they both turned to see Feng and Yui smiling down at them with raised brows. Lailah cleared her throat and put her phone in her pocket. Frank grabbed her hand with a laugh and went inside.

Inside was just as beautiful as Lailah remembered from those months ago. The only difference was that it was a lot cleaner and there wasn’t as many people. Of course, considering that the party hadn’t really started yet, that was understandable. Lailah checked at a clock they passed as they headed towards the gaming house behind the pool. The party officially started in about 20 minutes. When they pulled the sliding glass door to reveal a couple of Feng’s team members playing a fighting game while sitting on some oversized bean bag chairs. Crunching suddenly sounded from beside Lailah. She turned and saw that Frank had a bowl of chips and a smaller bowl of what looked like salsa inside the bowl.

Crunch. Crunch. “What?” Crunch. Crunch. “I got hungry…”

“Geez…”

“You’re good, Bro. Have as much as you like. Hwan-gi can always run to the store and grab some more.” One of Feng’s teammates—Thomas if Lailah recalled correctly—said, nudging the young man next to him. He clicked his tongue.

“Nah. If the dude eats it, he has to go and get more.”

“Seems fair.” Frank said with his mouth full.

Lailah reached over and grabbed a couple of chips and dunked them in the salsa before shoving them in her mouth. They all took seats on the large sectional leather couch behind Thomas and Hwan-gi and watched them play the game. It was nice to spend some time with friends and just relax. She had learned from over the years that she needed to appreciate the little moments in life with those that she cares about.

Reclining and munching on the chips and salsa with Frank, they cheered for Feng’s teammates. Her friend, however, was backseat gaming. Feng watching her teammates and cheering them on her in own way was something she was used to by now. Her teammates knew she meant well. Lailah reached in and was rather shocked when she touched Frank’s hand. She tapped his hand a couple more times and instantly looked down. Between him, her, Feng, and Yui there were no chips left.

“Gottta run to the store.” Frank muttered, standing up.

“I’ll come with you.” Lailah said.

“Go ahead and stay here with your friends. Ive hogged you all day.” He kissed the top of her head before heading out.

Lailah watched Frank head out and smiled. It was very kind of him to think about her spending time with her friends. He knew how much they meant to her and especially with what they’ve done in the past for her when they got into their fights and when Frank pushed her away, he appreciated them. Lailah leaned back into the couch and continued to watch the two Lazer Bears. She leaned forward and was completely enveloped by how well the two teammates of Feng’s pushed the buttons and just seemed to memorize the combos. It was extremely impressive.

“Hey, you wanna go for a swim?” Yui asked, leaning forward breaking the awed silence that Lailah had achieved.

“Swimming?” Lailah was visibly nervous. “I-I don’t know.”

“Oh come on!” Feng exclaimed, grabbing her friend’s hand. “The pool is really comfortable and it’ll be nice to just relax in the pool. I even brought your swimsuit!”

“You did?!”

“Mhm! Please please!?”

“Alright, alright.” Lailah said with a small chuckle. It was them. And she could end up getting out of the pool and putting some extra clothes on before everyone comes to the party. There was no doubt it was going to be packed, from people from the gaming community and otherwise. It’s the Lazer Bear party. “Let’s go change.”

Lailah looked at herself in the mirror. It had been years since she had been in a public pool. Her mother had bought her the swimsuit hoping that it would give her some incentive to get back into a pool. It was a simple pastel blue and black one piece swimsuit. She exhaled and tried to keep the horrible thoughts of how she looked and what others would think of her in the recesses of her mind. Feng came from the bathroom of the bedroom they were in and clasped her hands together.

“Wow! You look beautiful!” Feng exclaimed.

“Y-You think so?” Lailah asked, looking over herself in the mirror.

“Absolutely! I have the towels. You ready to go? Yui already changed I’m sure.”

“Okay.”

Lailah walked with Feng and went back to the pool. Yui was there waiting for them in a two piece swimsuit. Even though she wasn’t in racing anymore, she must’ve been going to the gym or something because she was extremely toned. Feng was in a two piece red swimsuit. It looked like it had a phoenix on it. They gathered together and Yui looked at Lailah with her mouth slightly agape.

“Wow you look great!”

“Doesn’t she?!”

“Gee…” Lailah blushed. “Thanks you guys.”

The three girls got into the pool. Lailah was the last one in, but when the water enveloped her, she felt exhilarated and liberated. It had been a long time, since she was so scared of having that much skin exposed. She exhaled softly and laid on her back and let herself float. The movements of her friends around her made the calmer. It was so nice to just relax. She enjoyed the Lazer Bear house. They always made it very friendly.

As minutes passed, more and more people began showing up. Soon, it was harder to hear her friends even though they were right next to her. The music was loud and people were talking and laughing, of course there was alcohol that was being passed around. Some of the guests had jumped in the pool. It was a little more crowded in the pool than Lailah was comfortable with, but they were all invited just as she was so they had every right to be in the pool as well.

“I’m gonna jump back in! Come with me!” Feng exclaimed, pulling onto Lailah’s hand. She couldn’t help it and laughed.

“Okay okay. Yui, you come too.”

“What?”

“Come on, all three of us together!”

“Alright alright.” Yui laughed. “You win.”

Lailah pushed herself up from the side, following Feng and brushed some water from her face. Crashing heard from in front of them and she wondered if Hwan-gi or Thomas got upset and slammed something because they lost. She had seen Feng’s rage in gaming multiple times. It was part of the reason that she had many keyboards and mice for her computer and controllers because she was so angry. When she looked up, she saw Frank standing there with what looked like a couple bags on the ground.

“Frank, you’re back!” Lailah said with a bright smile and made her way over to him.

“Y-You uh…” Frank began, clearing his throat. “Wha—uh…”

“Did you get the chips and salsa?”

“…”

“Frank?”

“T-The what?” Lailah furrowed her brows,

“The chips and salsa?”

“A-Ah! Oh! Right!” Frank looked around and looked at his hands. He looked confused for a split second before he looked down at the ground. Understanding and some awkwardness came over his face. He opened and closed his mouth rather awkwardly and then cleared his throat once more. “I uh… I dropped it.”

“Oh…” Lailah was disappointed. She had wanted some chips and salsa. What was with Frank? Did he get some alcohol on the way and was tipsy?

“Doesn’t Lailah look awesome in her bathing suit?” Feng asked.

“I gotta go get some more soda, so I’ll run and get some more. Go ahead and get in the pool or,” Hwan-gi looked at Lailah, Feng, and Yui and then clasped Frank on the shoulder. “get some cold water or something, Buddy.”

Hwan-gi headed out with Thomas and Lailah realized what Frank’s issue was and Lailah was suddenly embarrassed. She cleared her throat and put some hair behind her ears. She didn’t know what to say and ended up turning around and following Feng and Yui before jumping back into the pool and swimming around.

“Go get changed and join us, Frank!” Feng called.

“Y-Yeah. Totally.”

When Frank returned, he joined them in the pool. Minutes turned into hours. They joked and laughed. When they got hungry, they got out and went and got some food. Music bumped and people danced. Games between the tipsy, drunk, and sober commenced. Lailah laughed and had a lot of fun. When enough alcohol entered her body, she found herself on Frank’s shoulders trying to knock Feng off Yui’s. She laughed and with Feng’s surprising strength, she yelled out and fell off Frank’s shoulders. In a panic, she brought Frank with her and had his face between her thighs.

When she came up for air, she turned and saw Frank with a dreamy look in his eyes. He exhaled and Lailah was about to ask if something was wrong if potentially she might have cut off some air, but he spoke up first.

“Not the way I was picturing being in between your thighs, but I’m not complaining.” Frank smirked.

“W-What?!” Lailah exclaimed and splashed some water on him with a short scream. Frank didn’t seem anything other than amused as he merely blocked the water and laughed.

A familiar tune was heard from the room where they had been relaxing watching the Lazer Bear teammates play the fighting game. Lailah gasped. It was her phone. She got up and went and looked at the notifications. It was a message. She tapped on it, her eyes widening:

Lailah,

I didn’t think that I would ever hear from you again! I’m so sorry that something else happened. I completely understand why you did what you did and I’m not mad at all! I’d like to see you again, if that’s okay. Give me a call sometime, if that’s alright. Here’s my number,

With Love,

Yun-Jin.

Notes:

There you have it! Let me know what you think! Thanks again for reading!

Chapter 36: The Legion's Return

Summary:

“I have to get back. Stay safe. All of you.”

Notes:

Hey there everyone, it's been a while. I've had a lot going on in my personal life that prevented me from writing. I had taken a break from DBD and then life decided to throw me one curveball after another. But, I found enough time and--more importantly--motivation in order to finish up another chapter. I thank you all for your patience with me, and I hope that you'll enjoy what I put out for you. Thanks for hopping by.

Widened eyes read and reread the message over and over. Yun-Jin. She really messaged back? Not just that, but… she actually wanted to talk to her and understood? There definitely was a reason that she made friends with her in the first place. Even though Lailah didn’t remember really any of their friendship, she could agree that her past self had good pick in friends. Her thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Should she message her back? What if she was busy? What was even the time difference between Ormond and Seoul? A quick Moogle search let her know that it was about a fifteen hour time difference.

Panic coursed through her. It was almost like the reality of everything was setting in on her all at once. She looked around and waved her hands frantically. Mind racing in a jumbled mess, she ran out of the smaller pool house and headed back out towards the pool with phone in hand.

“Ah! Ah!” Lailah exclaimed, weaving around the people that were hanging around the outside of the pool; talking, drinking, and socializing. “Frank! Frank!”

A couple of people moved out of her way, some others she ran into and had to quickly apologize to. She moved around a group of girls that were bunched up by the door and stopped. Feng and Yui were standing in a triangular pattern with Frank, talking. Whatever Yui had said had made Frank nod and laugh. A small smile came to her own face. It was so nice seeing them all smiling and joking with each other.

“Oh my God, look at him. He’s so hot.” One of the group of girls whispered to her friend.

“I know right?”

“Think I should try to get a date with him?”

“Please, you don’t have a chance.” One of the other girls laughed.

Some friend you are putting your friend down like that.

“Oh, and you do?”

While Lailah was rather proud that other women thought that her boyfriend was attractive, she was also aggravated at the same time; contradicting her own feelings. All these women were rather beautiful, almost model-like, but still. She had to remember that no matter what, Frank chose her.

“A better chance than you do.”

Actually, none of you have a chance because he’s mine.

Lailah remembered why she was searching for Frank in the first place and started to panic again. She pushed past the girls and went over to Frank, grabbing onto his arm. He looked down at her, when he realized who it was, a smile spread across his face. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. He must have saw the look on her face because the smile on his face faded and he looked worried.

“Li? What’s wrong?”

“I-I just, Frank holy shit—”

“What?” Frank turned fully to look at her, worry setting into his deep brown eyes.

Lailah thrust her phone at Frank, letting it do the talking since she was out of breath from the panicking and the run and dodging over to them. It wasn’t necessarily a far distance, but she wasn’t an athlete. Feng and Yui crowded around Frank looking at the screen. They brightened and looked at Lailah. All of them seemed happy, various levels mind you, but happy nevertheless. While she was worried. Yun-Jin’s message was extremely sweet and kind, just like she was sure she was. Why was she so worried?

“That’s great, Lailah!” Feng exclaimed.

“Sure is.” Yui nodded, folding her arms. “I’m glad that she understood.”

“Me too.” Lailah nodded. “I-I just don’t know how to respond.”

“The message from your heart seemed to reach her the first time,” Frank said, putting a hand on her head. “Just talk to her from your heart. It’s what you’re good at; speaking from the heart.”

Lailah looked at her friends. The moral support was enough to give her the second wind she needed to message her back. Deciding that she needed some space, she went to the pool house and plopped down in one of the large, oversized bean bags. The synthetic hug from the large bag helped calm down the rising anxiety. Exhaling, she copied and pasted the number into her messages and decided sending a text would be a better bet. She wasn’t sure that she would be able to converse with Yun-Jin on the phone right now. The loud background wouldn’t help either.

Me: Hello, Yun-Jin. It’s Lailah. I hope it’s alright to text you right now. I wasn’t quite sure if it was alright to call you.

Lailah stared at her message, rereading it multiple times before taking a deep breath and sending it. There wasn’t too much to worry about. If Yun-Jin didn’t want to talk to her, she wouldn’t have given up her number in the first place, right? That’s… that’s how it would work… right? She exhaled and was about to lock her phone when three dots jumped up, dancing letting her know that Yun-Jin was responding. She leaned forward and watched as they disappeared and came back up. Disappearing. Reappearing. Multiple times.

Yun-Jin: Lailah… it’s so great to hear from you. I’m so glad you’re alright.

Me: Me too. I’m a lot better than I was.

Yun-Jin: I thought something awful had happened. I tried to contact your parents, but… I couldn’t get ahold of them either.

Me: I’m fine. Thanks for being so concerned for me.

Yun-Jin: Of course. We’re friends. At least, I still think that we are.

A smile spread across Lailah’s face. Yun-Jin not only still wanted to talk to her, but she still considered her a friend. From the smile, it graduated to tears forming in her eyes. It was selfish of her to get rid of everything to just get rid of the hurt too. While she could understand her past self just wanting it to all go away, she wished she could go back in time and smack her. Because of it, there was so much that she would have to relearn about her friend. Would she even want to continue to be her friend when she learned just how much Lailah had willingly forgot?

Me: I’m sorry that I was selfish then. That I chose to forget our friendship…

Yun-Jin: No! Don’t think like that. Whatever happened, we were young. And you had trauma before that, it’s understandable. You’re only human, Lailah.

Me: Thank you.

Yun-Jin: It’s no trouble. (: Do you still live close to where you did before?

Me: Uh yeah, about an hour or two away—depending on who drives and how—why?

Yun-Jin: I’m taking a vacation to Canada and… I wanted to know if it would be okay to meet up?

Me: Meet up?

Yun-Jin: If you don’t want to, that’s fine. I completely understand. You may need more time.

Me: No! I really want to see you again. I live in Ormond now with my boyfriend and two best friends.

Yun-Jin: I’m so happy to hear that you have some people you let in. I have some things to finish up here in Seoul, but I should be there at the end of next week.

Me: That’s wonderful! I saw you on our international news network doing an interview for NO SPIN’s second debut.

Yun-Jin: Oh my. You saw that? How embarrassing…

Me: Don’t be embarrassed, you did great!

Yun-Jin: Thank you.

Yun-Jin: Crap, I gotta get to an appointment for NO SPIN. I want to make sure I can come over with all of my checklist done so I don’t have all the worries in the back of my head.

Yun-Jin: I’ll talk to you later, if that’s okay.

Me: Yeah, that sounds great.

Yun-Jin: Alright. Talk to you later, Lailah. It was wonderful to hear from you again. <3

Lailah locked her phone and leaned back in the bean bag chair. All these years, and she would get to see Yun-Jin once more in a week. What if her friend was disappointed by the person that she was now? Was she so different that her once closest friend wouldn’t want to have anything to do with her anymore? It wasn’t like she didn’t have other friends and would be left all alone if Yun-Jin didn’t accept her, but at the same time, it felt like a chunk would be taken from her heart and thrown into the trash.

“There you are.” Lailah turned to the voice seeing Yui leaning against the door frame. “What’s up? Have you been crying?”

“Ah, no…” Lailah said, touching her cheeks. They were slightly wet. She supposed the tears had started to fall unknown to her.

“Bullshit. Who do I gotta kill?” Yui asked, cracking her knuckles.

“No one, Yui.” Lailah stood up, holding her hands out. “Calm down, Tiger. I just got overwhelmed and I guess… happy is all.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, here,” Lailah handed Yui her phone “read my latest conversation.”

Lailah remained silent while she watched Yui’s deep brown eyes look through the conversation. Slowly, a smile spread across her face. Feng leaned into Yui’s space with Frank close behind and she could only assume that they were reading the conversation between the three of them. Once they all met eye contact, Lailah noticed that they were smiling. Honestly, she had been a bit worried that they were going to think she was attempting to replace them with Yun-Jin, but of course, that thought had never crossed her mind.

“So? What do you think?” Lailah asked.

“Sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.” Frank assured.

“Sure does!” Feng smiled. “I can’t wait to meet her!”

“Seconded.” Yui nodded. “If she was a friend of yours, I’m sure she’s a pleasant person.”

“To say the least. Lailah has good selection in friends.” Feng agreed.

The rest of the party was spent between gaming, the pool, drinking, and spending time with each other. A couple times girls had tried to come onto Frank, but he had made it abundantly clear that he was not only taken—but happily so. He even went so far as to kiss Lailah in front of some of the girls as if to prove a point. Sometime after midnight, she had decided to call it a night—or rather—morning. Frank made sure that Lailah was warm before getting inside the car and heading back to the apartment.

“Kinda a shame that Yui and Feng decided that they would stay at the party, huh?” Lailah commented about halfway home.

“Why?” Frank asked. “You don’t want to be alone with me?”

“Psh!” Lailah scoffed, playfully hitting him. He knew better, and she knew it.

Frank skillfully pulled into his parking spot and headed up to the apartment with Lailah. While she was heading to her room to change into some pajamas, Frank made his way to the kitchen. They had more food than she ever thought possible at the party. It is really possible that he could be hungry? When they were living together in the other apartment, she could definitely say with certainty that he was a bottomless pit. There was no denying that.

“I know that look,” Frank said, catching Lailah’s eyes. “you’re wondering how the hell I’m hungry right?”

“To start.” Lailah confirmed, a sheepish smile on her face.

“Well,” Frank said, getting some leftovers of some Hujiao Bing that Feng Min had made. “if I can’t have you, then I suppose I’ll have to make due with the leftovers.”

Lailah froze, blinking repeatedly with her mouth agape, looking like a dying fish. There were plenty of times where people’s words didn’t quite process correctly in her brain, but she didn’t think that… Clearing her throat, she looked away when Frank made eye contact, a smirk on his lips. In a matter of mere seconds, her face had turned bright red as if all the blood in her body went to her cheeks.

“W-What did you say?” She asked, keeping her gaze averted.

“You heard me, Li.”

“… You’re drunk.” Lailah managed.

Taking a mental breather, she calmed herself before she looked over at Frank, letting out a squeal. He was so close, she could feel the heat radiating off him and the smell of alcohol under his breath. Staggering backwards to put some space between them, she tried to avert her gaze again. She hadn’t even heard him go from the kitchen to the living room where she was. He was so silent, almost serial killer like. She knew Frank didn’t have it in him to be anything like that though.

“Just a little bit.” Frank whispered, gripping onto her chin.

“…” She knew that alcohol could give you courage to say some things you didn’t before, hence the name liquid courage. That being said, she had only drank a bit, so she wasn’t even tipsy. Frank had to be more drunk than he let on, surely he wouldn’t say these things otherwise. It was the alcohol talking 110%. “Maybe you should go sleep.”

“Lailah. Look at me.”

From the side of her vision, Lailah peeked over at him. Damn, he was beautiful. More than that, though, he was kind. Sure, he had flaws. Some really big ones, but didn’t they all? He was human as was she. He had proven numerous times over their friendship—as well as their fledgling relationship—that he was a gentle person that genuinely cared about her. He had been very caring about her apprehensive nature to affection. She could see all the caring in his deep, brown eyes; glazed over from either the alcohol or whatever he was feeling. Slowly, his fingertips ghosting along her cheek, he entangled his fingers into her hair. Just as slow, almost like he was worried that she would break, he leaned down and their lips connected.

They had kissed multiple times during their time together, but this was something different. A hand snaked along her body to come and rest on her lower back, pulling her closer. The heat of his body melded into her own. A desperate need to breathe, but also the desire to not part from him conflicted in her brain. His tongue glided along her lower lip. The gasp from shock was the entrance he needed. In a mere instant, Frank took the kiss to a deeper level. New sorts of chemicals and feelings bounced around in her brain, demanding to be noticed. She gripped onto his shirt, her eyes fluttering closed.

The heat between them grew, the kiss growing more desperate and intense. A strange desire pooled in her lower abdomen. Shaking hands gripped onto his shirt tighter, hoping to convey her thoughts and emotions from the touch; fear, worry, and desire all melded together in one strange concoction. The room tilted around and Lailah found her back on the large bed inside the couch that Frank slept on. Terror from past trauma tried to surface, banging on the door in her mind. Without even realizing it, Frank’s gentle fingers and—while feverish—just as gentle lips calmed those negative feelings.

Goosebumps rose on her skin as Frank broke the kiss and trailed his lips along her jawline and down her neck. The feeling in her lower abdomen grew in intensity, her exhale ragged. Lailah tilted her head to allow him more access to her skin. Once his lips touched the space between her shoulder and neck, a sound she had never even realized she could make left her lips; something halfway between a moan and a whimper. Lailah felt like a bucket of cold water had dumped over her. It took a moment to realize it was because Frank had pulled away. Her eyes opened, panic now coursing through her in full force. He looked down at her with wide eyes and red lips, his chest heaving.

“I-I—” Lailah’s sentence was cut off when Frank joined their lips again. He broke for a moment and Lailah heard the sound of his shirt landing somewhere in the room. The warmth of his bare chest pressed against her; the thin fabric of her shirt the only thing separating their bodies from skin on skin contact. A blush covered her face all the way to the tips of her ears. Frank’s hands trailed along her sides. He pulled her closer, and Lailah jumped as something hard pressed against her thigh. Their kiss broke and Frank placed his forehead against hers.

“Lailah.” Frank spoke, brushing her cheek with his thumb.

“Hm?”

“I—”

“Hey, we’re—whoa!” Lailah looked up seeing an upside down Feng holding onto the doorknob. Before she could say anything, the door was slammed shut.

“… dammit.” Frank murmured, releasing a sigh from deep within.

Oh my God. I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life!

Frank parted from her, standing up to his full height again. Despite herself, her eyes darted downwards at what she assumed was poking her. Choking on air, she looked away and sat up, putting her face in her hands. There were so many things that she wanted to say, but she couldn’t get any of the words out. She bit her lip and shook her head, hearing a soft laugh coming from him.

“They’ve got the worst timing.” He murmured, leaning down to grab onto his shirt. He went over to the door and yanked it open, raising a brow. “You can come in now.”

“You sure? We could always leave.” Feng said, a teasing lilt to her voice.

“It’s fine!” Lailah exclaimed, trying to hide the embarrassment. One look at her red face though and she would be 100% found out.

Lailah couldn’t look any of them in the eye. Although, the air in the apartment was brimming with awkwardness. She stood up and brushed off her shirt. She tried to come up with some sort of excuse as to what could’ve been happening, anything that she could play it off as. Yui and Feng weren’t idiots though. They would know before she even began her lie. Keeping her gaze averted, she headed towards the bathroom. She needed a shower. A cold one. Now. Thankfully, no one attempted to stop her. Dialing the water until it was almost too cold, she hopped in and rested against the wall.

In her mind’s eye, she flashed back to every detail of what had just happened. All the emotions and touches that circulated. The feeling that had been pooling in her lower abdomen jolted through her again when she recalled his bare chest against her, his rough hands along her sides, and the hardness that pressed against her thigh—the need clearly evident. She covered her mouth and looked at the water going down the drain. It couldn’t be. Could it? A shaking hand, she trailed a single finger between her thighs. Wet, and not from the water.

Am I… was that really? Was I—Am I… aroused?

Realistically speaking, she knew that she didn’t have anything to be ashamed of. Yet, she couldn’t stop the feeling from creeping in. Frank wasn’t anything, anything remotely close to her abuser, but she still felt like any sort of sexual encounter—no matter how close or far they got—was something she shouldn’t partake in; something she should even be disgusted or ashamed by. Truthfully, she wanted to put that feeling behind her and… maybe wanted to continue further with him, but… she couldn’t stop thinking of how she should be feeling as opposed to what she was feeling.

A knock came at the door after an unknown amount of time had passed.

“Lailah? You okay in there?” Yui’s muffled voice came from the other side of the door.

How am I supposed to face everyone?

“Mm. Yeah. I’m fine.” She called back.

“Lailah—…” Yui cut off her words and sighed. “Alright. If you want to talk, I’ll be in my room. I’ve got a bit of a headache, so I’m going to relax.”

“Thanks.”

Once her teeth started chattering, Lailah decided she needed to turn the temperature up. Slowly, the warmth seeped into her bones so she wasn’t acting like she had just been dunked in a frozen lake. Trying to push everyone’s faces from her mind, she finished her shower and headed towards her room, wrapped in a towel. She got dressed in silence, glad that the feeling had finally disappeared. After getting dressed, Lailah took a seat on the edge of her bed as she dried her hair. A glance at the clock made her sigh once more, 4 AM and she wasn’t even close to being tired. Sighing, she supposed she could always take a sleep-aid.

Lailah tossed her towel in her hamper and opened the door, choking on air when Frank stood there with his fist raised like he had been about to knock on the door. A blush was dusted on his cheeks, and she watched him clear his throat and rub the back of his neck.

“Frank.”

“U-Uh, hey.” Frank’s voice came out uncharacteristically meek.

“…”

“…”

“So, what’s up?”

“I, uh… wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine, Frank.” Lailah assured, looking anywhere but at his face once he had started talking. “I’m just going to get some water.”

Lailah tried to brush past him, but stopped when he grabbed her arm. It wasn’t painful, or rough. Truth be told, she could probably pull right out of it if she tried with little to no force. But when she looked at his face, his eyes kept her glued to her spot.

“I wanted to apologize.”

That… I wasn’t expecting.

“Huh? I should apologize. I was the one who just up and retreated.”

“It’s understandable. After everything that’s happened to you, and I just—”

“No, it’s fine.” Lailah assured once more. “I just… I know I shouldn’t, but part of me feels somewhat… I don’t know, ashamed almost.”

Lailah swallowed the lump in her throat when she saw Frank’s shoulders slump. She had worded it wrong. Without saying anything, she turned and grabbed his hand; interlocking their fingers. This reassurance seemed to be all that Frank needed, as he stood at full posture once more. Gently, he cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb along her skin.

“I just,” Frank furrowed his brows like he was attempting to find the correct words. “Lailah, I—I care about you.”

“I care about you too.”

“Like a lot.” Frank added. “And, I let myself act on impulse instead of considering your feelings.”

“Frank. Really, I promise. It’s okay. I… I didn’t mind. That’s what I’m so confused about. All my life, I thought I would mind if something like that were to happen, but, I didn’t; now I’m just so confused.” Lailah admitted. She knew that she was bumbling and fumbling with her words, but she hoped that Frank would be able to understand her. When a smile spread across his face, she relaxed.

He understood… well, truthfully, he always does.

“Alright.” Frank kissed her forehead and then broke apart. “I’ll let you get your water and go to bed.”

Nodding, she watched him head out first and disappear in the bathroom. Lailah went to the kitchen and got herself some water. She wasted no time in popping a couple sleep-aids when she returned to her room, getting in bed to watch some videos on her phone until sleep eventually took hold.

Color filled the world as Lailah opened her eyes. Sleep crust had almost molded them shut and she instantly began rubbing at them. Dry mouth accompanied with a somewhat sore throat let her know that while she had slept soundly, she had more than likely slept with her mouth open. Groaning, she pushed herself up and looked around. The light beyond her curtains was still somewhat dim. Furrowing her brows, her gaze went to her clock. It was going on 5 PM. She must have been more tired than she had originally thought. At least she didn’t dream the whole time she was sleeping. That could have been a bit difficult if she was unable to wake up. Sighing, she stood up and grunted when her back popped. Muffled talking could be heard from the living room, piquing her interest.

Lailah made sure her appearance wasn’t embarrassed in any way before she headed out into the living room. Her eyes widened when she saw who it was.

“Susie?” She asked.

“Lailah, hey there.”

It had been a while since she had seen the other friend of Frank’s. Susie was smiling so politely at her, it was a bit shocking that she was once a part of the terror group, The Legion. She gave a casual wave and headed further into the room. Frank’s bed had been put up and Susie was reclining on the couch with a glass of something—more than likely alcohol. Frank and Feng were there as well, each giving her a small smile when she came out to the room to socialize. She took a seat between the two and noticed something on Susie’s lap.

“You slept a while.” Feng smiled. “You okay?”

“Mm. Yeah, I’m alright.” Lailah assured her friend and gestured to Susie. “I haven’t seen you in a while. How is everything?”

“Really.” Frank agreed. “You good?”

“Yes.” Susie’s expression changed. “Well, no. Hmm, kinda.”

Frank leaned back, putting an arm on the couch behind Lailah. There was something in his eyes that was suspicious. He had known Susie for quite a long time, so it was thoroughly possible that he was seeing something in her face that she was unable to. After all, they had spent a lot of time together for a long while. He raised a brow and Susie sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

“It’s about this.” Susie said, holding up the book. It was a spiral-bound notebook. It looked completely normal. Was there something that she was missing? She looked over at Frank who also looked a bit confused. “I found it wedged between Julie’s things in the old hideout.”

“What were you doing there?” Frank asked.

“I’m trying to find her.”

“Julie?” Lailah asked.

“Ew, why?” Feng asked with a scoff.

“Feng—”

“No,” Susie interrupted, a sad smile coming to her face. “She’s right. I understand, what she did was completely unforgivable. But, she wasn’t always like this. I guess… I’m having a hard time trying to separate who she was from who she is.”

“You’ve been looking for her, haven’t you?” Frank accused making Susie freeze.

“… She’s my best friend, Frank.” Susie sighed. “Or… was. But, yes, I’ve been looking ever since she went completely rogue and disappeared.”

“So this notebook, it’s Julie’s?”

“Yeah.”

“What’s so special about it?” Feng asked. “I doubt you’d come over here to show us some class notes.”

“You’re right.” Susie looked at the notebook, a sad expression on her face before she handed it over to Frank.

Frank took the notebook in his hands. The front looked like it had been etched into, but there was no telling with what or even more important, what it said. He opened it and Lailah gave a sharp intake of breath. There were numerous drawings of Lailah and always nearby was Julie with a demented smile and blood off some kind of murderous instrument. Each page that Frank turned, the more her stomach churned. Was she really this bent out of shape because her and Frank had gotten together? Enough to where she’d have a murder notebook of ways that Julie dreamed of murdering her? Surely there had to be some other reason that Julie wanted to harm Lailah so bad, just because she had somewhat a hand in her and Frank breaking up shouldn’t warrant this.

“She’s sick.” Feng murmured as Frank turned the page once more.

“More than that, she’s dangerous. After seeing this, I’m positive that Julie wouldn’t stop at harming Lailah. If she were to get her hands on her, well…”

“…” Frank tightened his grip on the notebook, turning another page.

It’s like a bad car accident I can’t look away from.

On one page, dotted among more drawings were what could barely be made out as plans. Words that made no sense were strung together in just as confusing sentences. Either Julie had completely lost it as she was writing the scribblings, or it was encoded in some way. Honestly, Lailah was banking on a little bit of both. It was difficult to make sense of anything and what she could read had been scratched out so many times, the pen had went through the page and to the next few.

“After seeing this, I think it would be better if I stopped looking for her. I’d like to think she could still be reasoned with, but… if she knew that I was friends with Lailah, she might try to harm me too. So, I’m doing my best to keep myself away from her. At least, until she can be captured.” Susie explained.

“What about Joey?” Frank asked, looking at his friend.

“He’s in America spending some time with family while all this tries to calm down. He had a bad feeling about Julie’s mental state as well, and, I can’t blame him for wanting to be as far as he possibly could.”

“Mm.”

“He told me he’s coming back sometime soon though. He didn’t give me an exact date, I think he’s trying to keep himself safe through messages too. You know, just in case.”

“Thanks, Susie.” Lailah said softly. “I appreciate you bringing this to us.”

“Morgan can probably make some sense of it—at least if it’s encoded that is.”

“That’s the agent on the case?” Susie asked.

“…”

“I understand your worry, but, I’m on your side. Please, give that to him.” Susie said and stood up, shoving her hands in her jacket pocket. Nodding at the three of them, she headed towards the door. “I have to get back. Stay safe. All of you.”

“You too.” Frank said.

“At least let me walk you to the elevator.” Lailah said. “It’s the least I can do for you since you brought this all the way here.”

“I’ll come with.” Frank said, setting the book down.

“Same. It’s probably safest to move in groups from now on.” Feng stated.

“Thanks.”

The group headed out of the apartment, making sure it was locked behind them. Lailah folded her arms, all the disturbing images and crossed out fanatical writing running through her head. Julie really wanted her dead. After seeing that, there was no doubt. Susie was right. If Julie was to get her hands on Lailah, she would be dead. More than likely tortured first and would never be found. It was possible that Julie was keeping an eye on them, and if so, then Susie would be in danger. Maybe sending her back to wherever she was staying wouldn’t be a good idea. Perhaps, she could talk to Morgan and see if he would send some protection to Susie and Joey whenever he was coming back.

A grunt left Lailah when she ran into Susie. She hadn’t even realized that she was somewhat trailing behind. She looked up and covered her mouth. Standing at the entrance to the elevator was Joey. But he wasn’t focused on them. No, not at all. His focus was on the person in front of him; a smiling Yui. It was a smile that she had never seen coming from her dear friend. It looked… shy, almost. Joey said something making the blush prevalent on Yui’s face now before tucking some hair behind her ear. He grabbed onto her chin and leaned down. Yui’s eyes closed just before their lips touched.

Notes:

Well, there you have it! It's been a while, but I hope you enjoyed it. If you'd like to get in touch with me to chat, have suggestions, questions, or anything of the like; you can find me on LINE. My user ID is mikuxmew85. Let me know what you think, and thanks once again for dropping by here to read the chapter.

Chapter 37: Creating Alliances

Summary:

"... it's really you."

Notes:

*waves*

Well hey there everyone. Bet you didn't expect to hear from me again, maybe like... ever. But I am here. So, SO many things ended up happening in the time I've been away. I had no intentions of leaving the story for as long as I did, but things just ended up happening that way. It most likely is not going to be worth the 1+ year wait, but I hope you enjoy the chapter anyway, and know that through thick or thin my ass is gonna end up completing this story.

For all of you that are here from the beginning, thank you so much for having faith in me and enjoying my story. You being here means more than I can say. For those of you that are just coming to read, welcome and thank you so much for being here. I'm super glad you're here and have an interest in my story.

With all that said, I'll see you at the end!

A short circuit. That’s really the best way that she was able to describe what was happening when she saw Yui and Joey kiss. There was a miscommunication from her brain’s “seeing” to “understanding”. Small sounds left her parted lips, trying to form some sort of sentence, but was left mute.

“Holy shit!” Frank’s… eloquent exclamation startled the two by the elevator; four eyes suddenly locked on them. Joey was wiping the corner of his mouth with his thumb, a small smile quirking his lips as his best friend approached, a laugh of disbelief coming from deep within his chest. “No fuckin’ way!”

“G-Guys!” Yui’s face was dusted a light rose color. “What are you doing out here?”

“We were just walking Susie to the elevator.” Feng explained, a devious smile coming to her lips. Lailah could already tell she was mentally prepping for all the teasing that Joey and Yui were now going to undergo. “Sorry we interrupted.”

“…”

“How long have you two been a thing?” Susie blatantly asked, a smile on her face.

“‘bout a month.”

“What?!” Lailah exclaimed, turning her attention from Joey to Yui. “And you didn’t tell your best friends?”

“I-I didn’t think it was the right time…”

Susie and Frank had pulled Joey a few feet aside and started to interrogate him. It wasn’t like they were really two groups anymore; Lailah and Frank had broken the barrier while Joey and Yui seemed to cement the bridge between the two. The two groups mingling seemed less taboo now with them. Though, Lailah couldn’t help but wonder if it was truly because Julie’s toxic influence had been devoid lately.

Thankful in a way that Joey had been pulled away, this gave her and Yui time to talk to Feng without interruption. Lailah huffed and put her hands on her hips, clearly displease that they hadn’t known something like this was going on for about a month. Hiding obviously passionate like that, in such a natural way, was honestly impressive to say the least. But until she got all the information that she wanted to get from Yui she wasn’t going to let her know that right away.

“I’m sorry, guys.” Yui came with a heartfelt apology straight out of the gate.

Well that’s not fair.

“Aw c’mon…” Feng clicked her tongue and folded her arms.

“Joey and I wanted to tell you guys, but, with everything going on it just seemed like a really rough time. We’ve all got so many important things going on, I mean Lailah is supposed to be meeting up with Yun-Jin by week’s end—we didn’t want to seem like we were trying to take the spotlight from you, Lailah.”

“What? Oh God, please take the spotlight.” Lailah said with a laugh. “I’m not some protagonist in a story, Yui. This is all of our lives and with everything being as crazy as it is, having some good news like Joey and yourself would have been the proverbial icing on the cake. In a good way!”

“She’s right. We don’t want you to feel bad, but we also don’t want you to feel like what’s happening in your life is less important.” Feng explained, putting her hand on Yui’s shoulder. “Just remember that we’re best friends, and we’re always here for you.”

“You’re right. Thanks, guys.” Yui smiled.

“Yui?” The ex-street racer turned along with her two friends to see Joey smiling at her, almost still oblivious to the world around them. His whole world was in Yui right now, and Lailah couldn’t help but glance at Frank. When she did, their eyes met for a moment and a smile quirked his lips upward. “I’m going to walk Susie back home. I’ll call you tonight.”

“Alright. Goodnight.” Yui said and waved with a shy smile.

Shy looks good on you, Yui. It makes you seem a bit more human—softer.

“Night.” Joey said and waved at all of them before heading out.

“Joey will make sure Susie’s safe. We’ve been friends for years—they’re like siblings.” Frank assured, seeing that Lailah and Feng looked the tiniest bit stressed out.

“I trust them.” Yui assured.

“Well, at least we can head back inside.” Feng said, leading the group to the apartment again.

Lailah went with Feng to the kitchen to grab alcohol and food for chatting when Frank and Yui sat at the kotatsu, turning on the TV for some background noise. The two worked silently for a bit, but she knew both their minds were running millions of miles a minute. She had thought so too—that Yui and Joey looked good together. It looked like genuine care and intimacy too, not something that was tainted by him being a fan of her street racing career; that was more than likely relieving for Yui to see.

“So, Joey and Yui huh?”

“Looks like it.”

“You and Frank…” Feng continued on, her voice sounding a bit sad.

“Yeah…?”

“I’m the fifth wheel; literally.”

Oh shit. I didn’t even think about that. Susie swings both ways, but I’m pretty sure that Feng doesn’t. It’s not really a rush to get into a relationship, but I know that it’ll sound like basic comfort if I tell her that now.

“Don’t think of it like that. Whoever ends up with you will be lucky as hell. To be honest, I think Thomas might have a thing for you.”

“Lazer Bear Thomas?” Feng asked.

“Yeah. At first I thought Hwan-gi, but, he just seems like an all around chill guy.”

“First, about Thomas; ew. He’s like a brother. Second, Hwan-gi is gayer than a picnic basket.” Lailah couldn’t help but laugh, holding onto the counter. “I’m serious!”

“I believe you, just… what a way to put it.” Lailah managed through her laugh; heating up some more leftovers.

“They ready?” Feng asked, holding some bears in between her fingers.

“Sure are.”

The two brought the alcohol and leftovers to the kotatsu, walking in on a conversation about how Lailah had gotten ahold of Yun-Jin and how she was going to be walking into a strange friend group if she so chose to. It was something she wanted, to have Yun-Jin become friends with all of them. Being the producer for a K-pop band had to be really demanding and even lonely.

“You’re the best.” Frank said, moving the plates around so there was more room on the kotatsu for all the plates.

“All I did was heat it up.”

“Do you need us to leave again?” Yui asked with a small smile.

“We know we interrupted you last night.” Feng added, watching with a growing smile as Lailah’s face deepened in shades of pink to a flurry of red.

“Oh just be careful, I don’t think the kotatsu will support that kind of activity.”

“Wh—”

“Good to know. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Frank!”

“Lailah!” Frank retorted, popping some food into his mouth.

“Why would you say that?” She harsh whispered like the damage hadn’t already been done.

“Cause they already know.” Frank gestured to their friends. After all, they had walked in on them getting hot and heavy.

If Feng and Yui hadn’t walked in when they did, would it have progressed to something… further? Would we have…

“Anyway,” Lailah put some hair behind her ears as she cleared her throat. “Feng. Yui. Would it be alright if I invited Yun-Jin to Tea You Later after we close so we can talk a bit?”

“You’re gonna be meeting her again this Friday, yeah? I think that sounds good.” Yui agreed, looking over at Frank. “That way she can meet everyone at one time.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

“Now let’s drink! I’m thirsty!” Feng said, popping open one of the beers.

She’d had a good week bouncing from online assignments down to her shifts at the shop. Other than going out to Tea You Later, she stayed primarily in the apartment. She didn’t feel comfortable going anywhere now that she knew the true identity of Piper and especially because she had seen Julie’s “Murder Notebook”. If she did go out, Frank walked or drove her to wherever she had to go. It was a way to give them all peace of mind, traveling in groups like this. 

During the week, she’d sent messages confirming the meet up with Yun-Jin; time, location, and exactly where she’d be. Lailah didn’t think that she looked that different than she had back in highschool, but just in case—she wanted to able to accurately identify her friend. Yui had already promised that they would stay together past closing to meet her as a group. Not only did it make the most sense, but it lessened the anxiety that Lailah was feeling over the meeting as a whole. 

Now the day was here, and though Lailah was keeping a smile on her face as she worked, she was internally losing her mind. Frank had stayed abnormally close during the week, all wanting to “make sure she was safe”. The closeness did bring her peace of mind, and soon Yui was talking about seriously employing him since the female—and gay male—demographic started to increase the more that he helped out. It’d be a bold faced lie if Lailah said she didn’t feel a little proud that his presence had that much affect on the nearby customers.

“It’s about closing time.” Frank said, coming from the back with a strawberry danish in his mouth and a coffee in one hand. “You did say eleven, right?”

“Yeah, that gives us a couple hours to clean up. Thanks again for agreeing to all this guys. I really appreciate it.”

“For the hundredth time, we’ve told you don’t worry about it. We’re always here to help.” Feng assured, glancing at the clock. She headed to the door to close and lock it, switching the sign from Open to Closed.

“I know, but,” Lailah sighed and shut down the register, printing out the end of day reports to hand to Yui so she could start to clean the machines. “I still want you guys to know that I appreciate it as a whole, and you.”

“We know that, Li.” Frank smiled, gently ruffling her hair before he started on cleaning the lobby.

Trying her hardest to remain busy so that she didn’t let her mind wander, she kept to cleaning the machines and stoves that they had used that day. She had been thinking of this all week, and couldn’t be more thankful that her friends were there for the night to help her through this. Despite Yun-Jin’s seemingly forgiving texts, meeting her in person could have a whole other air about it. Should the meeting take a drastic turn in an unsavory direction, she wanted to be sure that she had back up. She didn’t think that her old friend would attack her, but things had been rather strange as it was.

A sound like a knock came from the front of the house. Instantly, Lailah froze and turned her attention to Feng who was washing the dishes. There was a silent affirmation in her eyes; ‘it’s going to be alright’. She wanted to believe her friend with all she was without worries, but, it was just natural for her to worry. She wiped off her hands and straightened her clothes and apron as she moved from the kitchen. Frank was at the door where a beautiful woman was standing. He nodded to whatever she had said previously and opened the door after Yui’s approval, letting her inside.

It’s her. It’s Yun-Jin. She looks exactly like she did on that interview…

“Lailah?” She asked, staring at her with the hint of a smile on her lips.

“I-Is… it’s really you.” She said, nervousness still hanging in the air.

“Oh thank goodness you’re okay!” Lailah grunted as Yun-Jin crashed into her, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. It was a familiar feeling, calming.

I remember this feeling. I remember… her .

The hesitation seeped out and Lailah wrapped her arms around the woman, hugging her tightly.

“Go ahead and take a seat. You must be exhausted.” Yui gestured to one of the booths that was for larger parties near the further side of the shop. “I’ll bring some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Lailah scooted into the booth with her friends. True to her word, Yui stayed behind to make some tea. She still couldn’t believe it, just from looking at her, she could tell she was a very successful woman. That made her happy, that she had still managed to have a good life despite herself just dropping out of it for seemingly no reason.

“So you’re Yun-Jin.” Feng finally spoke up. “It’s good to meet you.”

“It’s wonderful to meet you too.” Yui emerged from the back room and sat tea all around the table, scooting into the booth now. “And you’re Yui, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“I can’t thank you enough for all being there for Lailah and taking care of her.” A small chuckle left her as her eyes turned over to Frank. “Though, I have to admit seeing you here was a bit of a shock.”

“A-Ah well…” Frank cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck before freezing. “Wait a minute, you remember me?”

“Hard to forget you from how much Lailah went on and on about you after that game.”

“Oh really?” Frank raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Lailah.

“Ah! Wait, you said you wouldn’t tell!” Lailah exclaimed, a deep red blush covering her cheeks before she could think, shocking everyone at the table including herself.

Does that mean that those memories are still hidden somewhere in there? That they didn’t get erased just… buried? I thought that sort of thing was solely for science fiction novels. Seems like the truth is really stranger than fiction.

“Glad to see you guys are friends.” Yun-Jin said, taking a sip of her tea and instantly brightening. Seems like even the popular Magnum Opus was a slave to Yui’s tea.

“Oh, they’re more than friends.” Yui commented, laughing once Lailah practically broke her neck to look at her.

“Oh really?” Now it was Yun-Jin’s turn to raise an eyebrow. Lailah and Frank looked away from each other, both different degrees of embarrassment entering them. A thoughtful hum left Yun-Jin as she took another sip. “Seems like you can’t stop fate no matter how hard you try, hm?”

“Fate? T-That’s a bit intense, isn’t it?” Lailah asked, looking over at Feng who merely shrugged her shoulders.

“Is it?”

Silence fell over the booth for a few moments, letting the words sink in as they all enjoyed their drinks. Strange to think of her and Frank being destined for anything. Granted, Lailah now knew the reasoning why Frank treated her the way that he did when they met back up, but she’d more call it a string of coincidences instead of fate. Truth be told, Lailah wasn’t even sure if she was a believer in fate. She liked to think that they all had control over their own lives primarily—not some primordial being that sat back with popcorn and a drink watching it all play out like actors on a stage. Then again, what the hell did she know?

“As much as I’d like to say that I messaged you only to catch up, that’d be a lie. I wanted to tell you what’s going on and hope that you could help out a bit.” Lailah admitted, playing with her fingers. She didn’t want to have Yun-Jin think that she hadn’t meant what she said when she poured her heart out about how much she had missed her and wanted to meet her.

“Are you in trouble?” Yun-Jin leaned forward, like the walls had ears—her voice lowered.

“I… I don’t really know.” Lailah admitted, feeling Frank reach over and grab her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze. “Things have just been… crazier than I ever thought possible.”

“How crazy are we talking?”

“Like, murder is involved.” Lailah admitted, watching Yun-Jin stiffen. 

She didn’t want to drag her friend into this without her full knowledge of how dire things were and just how dire they could get. She had a sister, a career. If she was going to be involved, she wanted it to be fully informed and fully consenting. Yun-Jin seemed to sense the weight of her next choice. She could stand up, walk out the door and keep Lailah at a distance as a past friend. But getting back into contact, becoming close again would inadvertently drag her into the bullshit tsunami she was wading in. Each second felt like an eternity as she waited, watching Yun-Jin run over everything on her face. Finally, she looked up and locked eye contact with Lailah,

“Tell me everything.”

Lailah exhaled and took a deep breath. It took her a few minutes to gather her thoughts, lining up all the events that happened. If she wanted Yun-Jin to be as helpful as possible and understand what was going on she would have to tell her everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly. She started from when she decided to move from her parents’ house to be closer to school and how she ended up finding a perfect listing for an apartment online. She continued through everything that had happened, letting Yui, Feng, and Frank chime in when necessary. Throughout the whole explanation, Yun-Jin only interrupted when she needed clarification on certain things.

By the time she had explained everything, her tea was more on the lukewarm side. Yun-Jin was silent as she processed everything that she was told. This was more than a story about her present. It included her past and even her future; the American government, murder, gangs, domestic violence—all the big tags. Lailah wanted to know what she had done to get tangled in such a crazy web. But, perhaps it was just as Yun-Jin had said. Perhaps it wasn’t something she had done or not done. Perhaps it was part of the grand, cosmic design of things—her fate. What worried her more was the outcome. Was it a fate where everything turned out okay in the end? Or was it an ill fate?

“You’re sure that Julie doesn’t know you’re current address?”

“As sure as I can be, yeah.” Lailah nodded as Yun-Jin sighed and leaned back.

“I’ll do whatever I can to help.” She took out her phone and exchanged numbers with everyone. “Call on me whenever you need me.”

“What about your job?”

“I’m on vacation for a little bit. Even when I go back, I can use connections I’ve made throughout the industry to try and gather information.”

“In Korea?” Frank asked, his eyebrow raising. “Not trying to be rude, but how is that going to help out here in Canada?”

“You’d be surprised how many people are connected from just a single mutual follower.” Yun-Jin said. Social media was both a blessing and a curse; a double-edged sword.

“You’d know more about networking than I would, so I’ll take your word for it.”

“Smart.” Yun-Jin turned to Lailah and reached over, grabbing her hand. “So, to make sure we’re on the same page, you’re working on trying to find any trail of your sister, right?”

“Yeah.”

“We should start with who took her.” Yun-Jin said. “Tonight, I’ll see what I can dig up on Piper through my circle. It won’t be considered too strange since I’m known to have friends from my school years here.”

“I don’t know how to thank you.” Lailah said, tears filling her eyes.

“No need. That’s what friends are for.”

“I think that’s a good place to call it for tonight.” Feng said, looking over at the clock. It was going on three in the morning.

“Sounds good.” Yui agreed, gathering the cups and heading to the back to put them in the sink.

“I’ll send a message out when I find anything. I think it’d be better to keep everything else on the down low as much as possible.”

“I agree.” Frank said, his eyes focused and stern. “If there’s one thing I know, it’s organized crime, and I think this goes a lot higher than any of us are expecting. Keep on your toes everyone and report anything out of the ordinary.”

“I like to watch crime dramas, not be a crime drama.” Feng said with a small pout. For a moment, Lailah felt extremely guilty but she watched as the pout turned to a smile—bright as the sun. “Well, I always did like hands on learning anyway. But I have to admit, what can a group of college kids do?”

“More than you’d think.” Yui said, emerging once again from the back.

“With a group as diverse as ours, we can scour more avenues than the police would even think of doing.” Yun-Jin said and patted Lailah’s hand before standing up with the rest of them.

“Thank you again, Yun-Jin.” Lailah said, hugging her old friend.

“Think nothing of it. Thank you for inviting me. It was good to see you.”

“Message me when you get back to the hotel safely, okay?”

“Will do. It was nice to meet you two. And Frank?”

“Mm?”

“Take care of her.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Frank nodded.

Closing down Tea You Later for real that night—or well, morning—let the tiredness set in. Despite it all, she felt rejuvenated in a way. This felt good. This felt right. The birth of their Investigation Team was going to crack this case. As she lay in bed that early morning, she felt worry start to sink in. What if when they cracked the shell there was nothing but horrendous insides? She tried to think of exactly what could be at the center of this. What was the point of targeting her sister, a high school student who was just living her life? What was the point of framing The Legion for the murders? There was as common denominator here, and she couldn’t hammer down even where to begin looking. Remembering that they had Yun-Jin on their side was a relief.

Lailah sighed, unable to shake the sense of dread that was gripping tightly onto her chest. She grabbed her remote from the nightstand and turned it on. It was some sort of movie that she was catching about halfway. It wasn’t even that she really wanted to watch TV, she just needed some background noise for her brain to focus on enough to let her sleep. Holding the remote to her chest, she laid nestled in bed. She was fine here, in this apartment. Her friends were fine. Frank was fine. Yun-Jin had gotten back to the hotel safely; a luxury place that Lailah didn’t have to worry about her safety in.

Everything will be alright. It’ll all be okay.

A knocking made Lailah open her eyes; unaware of when she closed them or how long she had been really sleeping. Grunting, she pressed herself up and wiped the crust from her eyes.

“Frank?” Lailah asked, opening the door seeing him standing there in his pajamas. “What are you—!”

Large hands held her face gently. Her eyes widened as he leaned down and kissed her. The warmth spread through her body, that aroused feeling trying to bubble in her stomach once again; the sound of the door closing behind him lulled her to close her eyes as she relaxed into his grip. One of his hands slid down her body, placing his palm firmly against her lower back and pulled her closer; no space between their chests. A soft whimper filled the space between them as his fingers dug into her skin a bit; trying to hold her tighter than he already was. Lailah gripped onto his shirt. Just as quick as it started, the kiss stopped, but Frank didn’t pull away. He rested his forehead against hers, his breath small gasps.

“Frank, is… is everything alright?”

“I kept thinking about what you said at the shop, about how this has something to do with you.” Frank began to explain, through shaking breaths. “Then I had this awful nightmare, and I just…”

“Shh…” Lailah said, parting from him a bit so she could place her hand on his face. “It’s okay. It was just a dream, Frank. I’m still here.”

“Yeah.” He said, holding her in a hug as he rested his chin on the top of her head. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. It just seemed so real.”

“Following the attack last night, Miss Cardia Blake, the victim of the brutal mugging on the South side of town has succumbed to her injuries. Miss Cardia Blake was pronounced dead at 2:26 AM this morning. Death was believed to have been a combination of massive blood loss as well as internal bleeding.”

“Cardia?” Frank’s attention turned to the TV where they posted a picture of a woman with a casual smile on her face. “… fuck.”

“Who’s that?”

“She’s… or was an informant for the police. I talked to her about everything going on just before I got shot that day. I thought that it was a coincidence, but—…”

Lailah looked over at the TV in horror. She had thought that Frank had gotten shot because he was on the wrong side of town and just happened to get caught in some crossfires. But, her stomach dropped. An attempt on Frank’s life had been made, but they ended up taking Cardia out instead. Fear engulfed her. Whoever was behind all this was starting to take out everyone who was close, or had been in contact with them.

“I’m putting you in danger, aren’t I?” Lailah asked, her heart thundering in her chest as her eyes darted around. She felt like she was going to throw up. All of her friends were in danger just by being near them.

“No.”

“I… I gotta get out of here.”

“What?” Lailah pulled from Frank like just her touch would get him killed. Tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled a duffel bag from her closet and started filling it with clothes. “Whoa, Lailah, what are you doing?”

“I can’t be around you anymore, Frank!” Lailah said, the tears starting to make her vision blurry. “I’m just putting you in danger.”

“So you’re just going to run?”

“What am I supposed to do?” Lailah asked, turning around to look at him. “… I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you. To any one of my friends. They’ve already tried to take you out once.”

“And failed.”

“What if next time they don’t!?” Lailah asked, turning back to stuff more things in her duffel bag.

“Where will you even go?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Lailah said, heading towards the door.

Arms wrapped around her from behind, making her stop in her tracks. Tears started to fall down her face as she was pulled to his chest. His heart beat against her back, his whole body begging her not to go. Didn’t he understand that he was in danger just from being around her? 

“Don’t go.” Frank whispered, placing a soft kiss on her temple.

“Frank—”

“That’s what they want.” He tried to reason, his lips gliding down her skin to place another kiss on her neck. Her skin started to heat up under the gentle touches. She didn’t know how else to describe that she could feel his fear of her leaving through the door. He knew her. Knew her well. If she left, she wouldn’t be coming back. All contact would be dropped. It would hurt, almost kill her even… but, she’d do it if it meant that he would be safe. “They want you to act on impulse. I’m not going to lose you again.”

“I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you.” She admitted through her tears. Just the mere thought of his death being her fault was almost more than she could handle. Her chest hurt trying to even imagine it. “I have to go.”

“I’ll protect you.” Came his desperate plea.

“… Frank.”

“No, listen.” He turned her to look at him, brushing some tears from her cheeks. “You are everything to me. I will protect you.”

Goosebumps rose on her skin as they locked eye contact. There was no wavering in his eyes, no backing down. He meant what he said with everything that he was. It wasn’t his job to protect her, he should be worried about protecting himself. The words wouldn’t form though. He held her chin, tilting her face to look at him. His lips were soft against her forehead, her eyelids, down to her cheeks and to rest at her lips. Her hand lost its grip on the bag, it crashing down to the floor by her side. She could feel more tears gathering in her closed eyes as the kiss continued, his silent promise of always being there, no matter what in his actions.

“Stay with me tonight.” Lailah whispered, opening her eyes to look at his shocked expression. “Please.”

“Lailah… I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.” Frank tried to reason, his body already trying to kickstart from the mere idea.

“I just, I feel the safest when I’m with you.” Lailah admitted. She knew that it was rather awkward to ask him that.

“… alright.” Frank finally agreed.

Lailah was relieved to say that least, having him so close would help her go to sleep in no time at all. She nestled into the bed with him, the blankets warming her—but his arm around her body was the most comforting thing she felt like she’d ever experienced in her life. A shaking exhale left her body. The weight of everything slowly starting to feel lighter as he pulled her closer.

“Frank, what—”

“W-Well, I can’t help it. You were the one that wanted me in bed. Can’t blame me if you get poked…” Frank muttered, the embarrassment obvious in his voice as he tried to adjust to a comfortable position behind her.

“It’s fine.” She said with a small laugh. It was awkward and made her stomach churn, but, it wasn’t a bad feeling either. In a way, it was like letting her know that she was wanted. “I’m just glad you’re here.”

“Well that’s not fair, being all cute like that...” Frank mumbled. “Get some sleep.”

“Goodnight.” Lailah said, feeling the weight of tiredness fully engulf her.

I love you.

Notes:

There you go!

I know it was relatively short in comparison to other chapters that I've written. But since I've been so rusty in terms of Bruises and Bitemarks, I wanted to shake the rust off with an entry chapter. I had to actually reread my own story to see what I've said and done in it--as well as seeing what I could potentially have been setting up. It seemed like there were some minor plot points I was working on, but some of them I can't seem to recall. In lieu of being unable to remember, I'm hoping to fill the holes with new and (potentially) more interesting things.

Some on my personal life on why I was away; I had a hard time acclimating to being a new mother. My baby is going on 3 years old now. We're trying to get her evaluated for autism as she's displaying quite a lot of symptoms. I'm also a single mother now as my boyfriend that I had while I was writing before left me and our daughter for a coworker. I'm attempting to have a civil co-parenting relationship for our kid, but things can get difficult as I'm trying to move past the emotional and mental abuse I went through. My father ended up passing away and I've been locked in legal issues and aggravating issues with surviving family members.

I started a twitch channel and ended up making affiliate. I ended up starting a Kofi for comfort letter commissions and things like that. So, I've been extremely busy--but I never forgot about the story. My personal life is probably not the funnest thing to read, but I wanted to share because I wanted you all to know that I wasn't just up and leaving you guys and the story I've created--I've just genuinely been hit for months with bullshit.

That all being said, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you think and I will see you next time.

Chapter 38: All Together

Summary:

I WILL TURN THIS CAR ROUND SO HELP ME!

-Frank Morrison

Notes:

*peeks around corner* WELL HELLOOOOOOOOOOoooooOOOOOoooOOOOO everyone! It's been quite a long time. I should maybe be a magician instead of a writer since I tend to pull these disappearing acts a lot. *crickets chirping* Okay, clearly I'm not cut out to be a comedian.

On the real real though guys, I had absolutely no intention of taking a long break like that again. But, as usual, some things happened. A lot of things happened actually. But, as it stands now, things are not as bad as they once were. I'm trying to still get on my feet and find real, steady solid ground. But I wanted you all to know that I never forgot about the story nor did I forgot about all you kind people who have been commenting, leaving kudos, bookmarking, or even just reading. I can't tell you how much your continued support means to me.

Frank opened his eyes in the morning. He groaned and tried to rub the sleep away, but found he couldn’t move. In the demisleep state he was still in, he started to feel the familiar cold sting of terror run through him… until he looked down. Instantly, he relaxed; body and mind. Lailah was laying on his arm, a serene look upon her face. Yeah, some could argue it was creepy to watch her sleep, but, she looked so peaceful.

“What are you dreaming about, I wonder?” Frank whispered to himself, brushing some hair from her face and behind her ear, sighing a laugh when she moaned and pulled the blanket up and hummed before settling against him. He could lay here for hours, watching her sleep and would never get tired of it. Yeah, it could be seen as a bit creepy. But… after everything that she’d been through, she deserved the peace even if it was just in her dreams.

Being as careful as he could, he pried his arm from underneath her head and waited while she settled once more before making his way out of the bed and tucking her back in. Even though they really needed to try and figure out what the hell was going on with Julie and if she was potentially behind Cardia’s death, he didn’t have the heart to thrust her back into this criminal drama they found themselves in by waking her up. He took another look at his girlfriend’s sleeping form, her chest rising and falling with her soft breathing.

I will always protect you, Li.

Smiling, he opened the door and went to the living room, stopping to stretch. A long line of popping sounds came from his spine; turning him to putty for a moment.

“Morning after stretches feeling extra good this morning?”

“Jesus!” Frank turned around, seeing that Feng was standing there in her pajamas and slippers, the ever present devious smirk on her face. Frank placed his hand against his heart, feeling it slamming against his palm.

“Oh c’mon, Feng, you know they didn’t do anything.” Yui called from inside the kitchen. Frank hadn’t even noticed that she was there.

“Thank you—”

“He came out clothed.”

“Wh—” Frank blinked, scoffing to hide the embarrassment.

“True.”

“Whoa whoa. You two should know I wouldn’t come out here all naked.”

“So you did?” Feng accused with a wiggle of her eyebrow.

“Jesus hot sauce Christmas cake.” Frank wiped a hand down his face, glaring at Feng. It wasn’t like it bothered her any, she just kept with the accusatory smile. “No. You should know better than that.”

“Calm down.” Feng clicked her tongue, patting his shoulder as she walked by to join Yui in the kitchen.

“You should apologize.”

“What? Oh come on, he knows I was just fucking with him, right, Frank?”

“Yeah, it’s cool.” He assured, heading to the fridge to grab something to drink, but Yui reached out a glass of orange juice. “Oh, uh… thanks.”

“No problem.” Yui said and scooted something along in the pan. Frank wasn’t really sure what she was making and Yui didn’t really enjoy people hovering over her while she cooked—not that he could really blame her for that. “How is she, really?”

“Good and bad… it teeters really.” Frank admitted with a sigh. “She tried to leave last night.”

“What?” Feng asked. “And go where?”

“To be honest, I don’t think she thought that far ahead. All she was thinking about was trying to protect us.”

“Separating is just what they want, though. It puts us all at a disadvantage.”

“I know. That’s what I told her.” He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

“I’m glad you could get through to her.” Yui said and Frank watched as she slid the food—bacon and eggs from the looks of it—onto a plate before cracking some more eggs into the awaiting pan. “Now more than ever, we need to think before we move.”

Feng took the awaiting plates and glasses over to the kotatsu to set up for breakfast. She sighed and Frank noticed the worried look on her face,

“We may have Yun-Jin and Zach on our side, but we’re still in the dark as to what the scale of it all is.” She sighed.

“Yun-Jin and Zach have a wide range of contacts. I’m sure we’ll find something out soon.” Frank started to fill his glass of orange juice again.

“Morning.”

“Mm?” Frank followed Yui’s gaze to see a groggy looking Lailah with hair sticking up in all directions. A smile broke on his lips watching her sleep filled eyes try to take in her surroundings. “Morning, Sleepyhead.”

“mm.” She mumbled and went and crashed on the couch bed that Frank had been sleeping on, sliding under the blankets.

The lump under the blanket got comfortable and he smirked when her face peeked out from her cocoon and looked at them.

Yui handed a couple plates to Feng and he heard her turn the stove off. Frank walked over to the kotatsu and took his seat, taking a small peek at his girlfriend wavering between consciousness and sleep under the blankets. Their course was clear. They needed to find any sorts of leads on Piper. But to do that, they’d have to trust in Yun-Jin’s network. It wasn’t that Frank didn’t trust in the smart woman, but more just how far her reach could go halfway across the world. Lailah, Feng, and Yui seemed to trust her and that was all that Frank really needed.

“Hungry…” Lailah’s tired voice called Frank from his thoughts.

“Come on out here and eat.”

“…mm…” She grumbled and scooted closer.

“C’mon,” Frank said in a sing-song voice. “I’m not going to feed you.”

“You would too—” Feng began, rolling her eyes.

“Shh!” Frank interrupted, placing a finger to his lips.

Of course he would. He’d do anything in the world for Lailah, but he didn’t need the girls to put that out there. Slowly, he pulled the blanket up a little so he could take a peek at his hiding Princess. Frank watched as Lailah slowly made her way out of the cocoon to slide to her spot at the kotatsu. She grumbled at having to move, but Frank merely kept smiling as she started eating; visibly perking up the more food that she consumed. Frank wondered for a moment if all women were food motivated or if it was just Lailah and her friends.

“You know, I was just thinking that maybe you guys wanted to take a trip together.” Feng said, taking another sip of her orange juice.

“So sudden? What’s this about?” Lailah asked, seeming to have fully come to life.

“You know, that’s not a bad idea.” Feng commented, swallowing the food that was in her mouth. “It’s been so long since we’ve been able to just fully let go. And even longer since we went on vacation.”

“We all haven’t went on vacation together before.” Frank commented, raising an eyebrow.

“Exactly.”

“You know, that’s not a bad idea.” Yui mumbled, tapping her nails against the kotatsu. All of them going on vacation? It definitely could be interesting. But was now really the right time for something like this?

“I know what you’re thinking,” Feng began. “And yes. It’s the perfect time. Sitting around here is just going to make us all worried and anxious. If we go somewhere and relax, just enjoy being alive and with each other, we could get a lead before you know it.

“Hm… you know, I kinda like the idea of that.” Frank admitted, leaning against the bed and folded his arms. “Alright. I’m in.”

“Got any ideas on where to go?”

“That—”

“Ah!” Yui exclaimed, slamming her fist onto her palm and brightened. “That’s it! The beach house!”

“…? You’ve got a beach house?”

“My grandfather had one. When he died, he left it to my grandmother. She rents it out but as of right now, I’m pretty sure it’s free.”

“Would it be able to accomadate all of us?” Lailah asked, sounding pretty hopeful. A vacation on the beach?

“Wait, are you talking about the beach house we used for the after party one year?”

“Mhm.”

“Holy shit. That place is gorgeous.”

“To answer your question, yes, it could easily accomadate all of us. In fact, I think we should invite some more people to fill it out more.” Yui said.

“You could invite Susie and Joey.” Feng pointed to Frank.

“You think Joey could handle being on a vacation with Yui?” He snorted a laugh and jutted his thumb at the ex-street racer. “He may just cream his pants.”

Yui cleared her throat and turned away and down to her food, trying to hide the pink that was on her cheeks. Frank smirked. Even though they’d kissed, Frank wasn’t really sure how far their realtionship ran. He’d wanted to ask Lailah, but a lot of things had been happening.

“You’re sure your grandmother wouldn’t mind letting us stay there instead of renters?” Lailah asked. “I don’t want to take money from your grandma.”

“She’s gonna be so damned excited to know that we’re all there.” Yui said.

“Invite Yun-Jin too.” Feng said.

“I can do that.”

“So, does that sound good? After breakfast we’ll send out the invitations and I’ll get on the phone with Grandma to hammer out all the details.”

“Hell yeah. It’s about time we get some relaxation goin on.”

 

---

 

Frank sighed and leaned his head back on the bed. The food had been amazing, and three helpings later, he was completely stuffed. He had managed to get both Susie and Joey on board for the beach vacation. He had to admit, he was pretty damn excited for it himself. He didn’t really go to the beach too too much, but the idea of having a nice house and having all his friends and his girlfriend there? He was lucky as fuck. Not many people—especially those in his age bracket—got to have a luxury vacation such as this. Everyone was supposed to be meeting here, but when Susie and Joey asked what they were supposed to pack, he hadn’t really known. Just prepping for a beach trip, but for multiple days?

The door to the balcony was cracked. Frank glanced over to see Yui on the phone with a smile on her face, pacing back and forth as strings of Japanese came from her lips. Even though he didn’t understand a word of it, he loved to listen to it. She’d been on the phone for almost an hour, and for the first five minutes, he was rather worried that her grandmother was going to decline, but just as Yui had said she was more than happy to let her precious granddaughter and her friends use the house.

“I’m telling you guys, the house is great. I can’t believe I didn’t think about it before.” Feng said, coming back out to the living room and setting down a duffle and a suitcase off to the side.

“I can’t wait to see it.” Lailah said, coming from her room with a suitcase and a duffle as well, her phone resting between her shoulder and cheek.

“What did Yun-Jin say?” Frank asked, knowing that the chance to spend some time with her friend and rekindle the friendship was at the forefront of his girlfriend’s brain. Honestly, he thought it was important as well in order to integrate her into the friend group. Lailah deserved to have as many good friends as she wanted.

“I’m on hold right now.”

“She put you on hold?” Frank raised a brow.

“Nah,” Lailah snorted a laugh. “I couldn’t get through to her phone since it was busy. And I still had her card, so I called KBS.”

“You called a Korean company to get ahold of your friend who’s somewhere in town?”

“Well, when you say it like that, it sounds dumb!” Lailah scoffed. “But she has a phone separate for calls from the agency, so they’re—ah! Yun-Jin!? Hey, it’s Lailah!”

Frank smiled, watching his girlfriend light up. She was as bright as the sun, perhaps even brighter; lighting up the room. He rested his head on his open palm and watched her pace back and forth in the living room as she quickly tried to explain everything that was happening. Planning a trip was hard enough as it was, but planning an impromptu one could really cause problems. First thing was first. They all needed to be on the same page. She waved one arm as she spoke, becoming more animated with the already bright smile becoming even brighter. He knew that he was lucky, but times like this when he could just watch her and revel in just how lucky well… he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“Okay, sounds great. Yeah, no problem! See you soon!” He watched as Li hung up the phone and turned to him. “She’s getting ready now and then coming over.”

“Hell yeah!” Feng’s muffled voice came from the kitchen where Frank saw her snacking on something.

“How are you still hungry?”

“That’s my secret, Cap, I’m always hungry.”

“I understood that reference!” Lailah straightened up, a smile on her face.

“All settled!” Yui came from the balcony and stopped when she passed Feng who had once again took a big bite of whatever the hell she was eating. “You’re gonna pay for that the moment you hit 30.”

“We’ve been over this! That’s future me’s problem!”

“Your grandma is awesome.” Frank commented, glad to know that their home was locked in. They were going to be having the times of their lives. He’d never been to Japan before. Especially in a private beach house.

“We’re going to have to do something to show her our appreciation.” Lailah said, making Frank smile. Always so considerate.

“For her its enough that I’m happy.” Yui smiled. Frank only knew the bare bones about Yui’s relationship—or lack thereof—with her parents and how her grandmother stepped up to fill that role. But just from the little bit that Yui’s spoken about it, he could tell that she held much love for the older woman.

An annoying buzzing sounded in the room. Once. Twice. Three times. Then just a long buzz. Frank groaned and covered his ears while Feng went to the intercom near their door and pushed it. From his position, he could see three people on the video screen, each with a large smile on their faces.

“Gosh, c’mon c’mon!”

Frank rubbed his temples when the intercom video shut off. He was almost positive that that was Joey’s idea. Maybe Susie’s. Hell, both of them liked to drive Frank crazy. He raised a brow as his mind started to form scenarios on what the hell could happen at this beach house with all of them grouped together.

“You—”

“The party has arrived!” Joey burst into the apartment with a couple duffles over his body and held two bottles in the air while Susie and Yun-Jin followed close behind, looking halfway between amused and embarrassed. Same.

“I don’t think they’ll let us take alcohol on the plane.” Frank said, shaking his head.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Lack of foresight, as usual, My Friend. Hello, Beautiful.” Joey leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on Yui’s forehead. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to seeing Yui’s face heat up red like a tomato. But it was nice to see that she was still human underneath the carefully built exterior.

“That’s what I tried to tell him.” Susie shrugged and went and plopped down on the side of the bed. “Come in and sit down, Yun-Jin.”

“Oh! I get it!” Feng said and went over and grabbed one of the frosted bottles from their friend.

“Want to let us all in on the secret?” Yun-Jin asked with a laugh as she sat down by Lailah, giving her a one-armed hug.

“Pregaming!” Feng exclaimed.

“Feng, I dunno.” Lailah began, leaning her head on Yun-Jin’s shoulder. It made Frank’s heart warm. It seemed like almost no time had passed between the two and she was just pulled into the group. He wondered if it had something to do with the atmosphere of the friends or if Lailah was just that magnetic.

“Well?”

Frank looked up and saw that everyone was looking at him. He cleared his throat, and shrugged and nodded. He would never hear the end of it if everyone knew that he’d been looking and thinking about Lailah to the point where the rest of the conversation became mute. Damn, that woman held such a power over him.

“Y-Yeah, no problem!”

What the absolute fuck did I just agree to?

“You’ll be the best DD there is.” Yun-Jin held up an encouraging thumbs up.

“Designated…” Oh hell… “Wait—”

“He is the best!” Lailah exclaimed and leaned over, placing a quick kiss on his cheek. Frank felt his skin heat up from the innocent and sweet peck, and turned to look over at Lailah who’s eyes were brighter than the sun.

Okay… maybe it won’t be so bad.

“Sure. No problem.”

Okay, so, for future reference. Being the DD for a group of rowdy college students completely sucked dick. It was less than an hour trip to the airport, but in the span of the twenty minutes that they’d been on the road, he’d already had to dodge a can that had flung towards him and threatened to turn the car around fourteen times! Feng and Susie were on their 40th game of Hot Hands while Yui and Yun-Jin were on round 115 of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Joey and Lailah were in the middle of a heated round of “I Spy”. And Frank? Frank had the worst headache that was ever created in the history of headaches. Seriously, it should be studied by scientists.

“I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE, SOME PLACE FRANK SHOULD STOP!”

“IS IT THE MCDONALD’S OVER THERE?!”

“DING DING DING!”

“McDonald’s?!”

“Ooh! Fries!”

“Milkshake!”

“BURGERS!”

The whines and excitement between the friends came so fast that Frank couldn’t even tell who was saying what anymore. This is what he got for not paying attention. Though, truthfully sans the headache, he didn’t really mind being the DD for everyone. After all, they all seemed to be having fun. And once he was clear and able to drink, better believe that he’d be drownin’ in it too.

“Guys, we really don’t have time to stop at McDonald’s.” Frank said with a sigh which caused a plethora of whines and cries of various octaves from the other occupants in the car. It was like driving around a group of children. Frank stopped at a red light, keeping his eyes forward not wanting to know the faces of the people in the surrounding cars.

“But look!” Lailah leaned over in front of him, pointing to one of the signs across the way. Frank tried to look at it, but brushing some hair from his face and spitting out the rest. “It’s not even that far! It can be on the way!”

“Li—”

“Green light!” Feng called. Frank switched the peddle and went rigid as the car jolted forward. It sent everyone fumbling about with some giggles. Even Lailah who had flung into his lap was giggling. But Frank, he wasn’t giggling so much. Lailah’s hand was splayed on the space between his thighs, barely brushing the front of his pants while her other was grabbing onto his upper thigh.

“You okay, Lailah?” Yun-Jin called.

“Yup! I caught myself.”

That’s great. I’m not okay though.

“Please!?” Lailah begged.

Frank’s mind was running millions of miles a minute. Her face was so close and the alcohol was mixed in with her breath. His mind wandered to the sweetness that she knew she tasted of mixed with the bitterness of the alcohol. Her hands weren’t helping matters. Each wobbly move she made, she brushed against the front of his pants. His hips jutted forward a little at the prolonged contact, the little angel in his head beating down the demon that wanted to be released as he begged for some semblance of reprieve from the delicious torture that Lailah was unknowingly giving him. He sighed, hoping to mask it as defeat as opposed to exhaling the moan he barely bit back.

“Fine! Fine!” He said, tossing his hands up from the wheel for a moment. “You guys win. But we’re only going through the drive-thru. We gotta get to the airport.”

The cheers that rang through the car pierced his brain like an icepick. Ibuprofen. Tylenol. Any sort of pain killer. That would be great right about now.

“Now sit right, Li. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Okaaay.” She flopped back in her seat with a series of small claps, a couple missing her own hands.

Frank pulled around to the speaker, stopping and lowering the window. An automated voice came through the speaker with their latest promotions. Some of them may have been good, but it was rather hard to hear with a group of drunken young adults frantically trying to climb over each other to look at the menu. Finally after what felt like forever, a human voice came over the speaker welcoming them.

“Hi!” Feng called from the backseat.

“We’re on our way to a trip. It’s gonna be in Japan!” Susie called.

“O-Oh. That sounds wonderful.” The worker sounded very awkward.

“Yeah, my grandma—”

“Guys, sit down! Or we’re leaving without food.”

“But—”

“Sorry about that. They pregamed a bit before our trip. Or a lot.” Frank sighed and cleared his throat. “Can we get uh—”

Flurries of orders came from around the car.

“I-I’m sorry, could you repeat that?”

“Guys!” Frank waved his girlfriend and friends back so that he could have some room to order and breathe. “Who wants a burger? Okay… one two three four, so everyone?”

“I want fish!” Yun-Jin called.

“You raised your hand when I asked about burgers.”

“Nu-uh!”

“Your hand is still up!”

Yun-Jin looked from her arm and followed it to her still raised hand.

“Oh.”

“Fucking hell…” Frank sighed. “Could I get 10 cheeseburgers, 10 chicken sandwiches, and 10 fish sandwiches. Please.”

“And fries!” Joey called.

“…. And 10 orders of large fries.”

“I’m thirsty…” Yui mumbled.

“And I guess six waters.”

“Ice cream?” Lailah asked.

“Li—” Frank looked over to see her widened eyes. “Fuck… and one vanilla ice cream.”

“Sorry, our ice cream machine isn’t working at the moment.” The worker commented making Frank’s eyes roll.

“Alright. Then that’s it.”

“Come around we’ll have your total at the first window.”

He may have been over a hundred dollars pooer, but the screaming and yelling from every corner of the car was finally calmed. Now it was just chewing and swallowing and sips from a drink. While it wasn’t the most pleasant sound in the world, it was better than the alternative. One thing was for sure, when they got onto the plane and even better, actually to Japan and at the house, he was going to be the one drinking. It was also the last time he ever was going to be the designated driver for a group event. The next time it could be someone else, or they could hire someone to drive them. Cause absolutely and positively fuck this. Though… the look on Lailah’s face as she sipped on her water made him almost want to consider doing it all over. Almost.

The signs marking the Calgary International Airport were a welcome relief. It was like a starving man finally getting food, a deserted individual finally getting that first sip of water after being subjected to mirage after mirage. In layman’s terms, it was a welcome as fuck sight. He had been prepping the whole time for the hell that was airport parking, but it seemed that one thing was going right as he found a spot for extended parking with absolutely no problems. Holding the ticket in his hand from the parking garage, he leaned his head back on the seat and turned off the car.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Let’s McFreakin’ go!” Yun-Jin exclaimed, shaking Lailah’s seat. He watched from the corner of his eyes as she lit up and clapped undoing her seatbelt. Frank pushed the trunk button on the key fob and enjoyed the blissful few seconds of silence once all his friends had gotten out and were ruffling through the trunk to gather their bags. Taking a deep breath, he braced himself before exiting the car and entering the cloud of loudness that was the friend group.

Luck continued to be on his side all the way to checking in and boarding. It seemed that the alcohol his friends had consumed went from making them a group of hyperactive toddlers to a group of sleep depraved toddlers. To be honest, Frank wasn’t quite sure which he preferred. While his friends were quieter, he couldn’t really thank whatever diety was above for it as the sounds of the airport were more than making up for it. Once they sat in their seats—first class courtesy of Yui and Feng—Frank closed his eyes and leaned his head back. At least he could relax without having to be hyper alert. His friends weren’t drunk enough to try and get off a moving plane… right? Frank opened one eye, seeing the girls were chatting among themselves.

“Hello Sir, welcome to First Class. Is there anything I can get for you?”

“Any kind of pain medicine.” Frank muttered. “Please.”

 

---

 

Frank opened his eyes and took a deep breath. He’d fallen asleep. And it was now dark outside. Whatever pain medicine that flight attendant had given him, he’d felt like he’d gotten hard core drugged. That was one of the best sleeps that he’d ever had in his life. A calm quiet had fallen over the plane, his eyes searching for his friends like a mother hen counting her chicks. Lailah, calmly sleeping next to him. Yui? Sleeping with her head on Joey’s shoulder. Joey looked like he had woken up a bit before Frank and was rubbing his eyes. Susie and Feng were conked out, but Feng had her mouth open and was snoring… and from the looks of it drooling. Though, that was relatively normal for Feng and a sound he’d grown accustomed to. Yun-Jin was swiping on her phone, looking none the worse for wear. Frank would admit he was slightly curious to what she was doing, but they weren’t exactly close enough to pry nor realistically was it any of his business.

Frank turned his attention back to Lailah who was relaxed in her little cocoon with a blanket. He reachecd over and pulled it up higher on her and tucked it in a little bit. A small laugh caught his attention, following it to the amused eyes of Yun-Jin. Heat rose to his cheeks, not really embarrassed at the action. After all, he cared deeply for Lailah, that was plain to see for everyone. It was more just being caught doing something like that, or rather being observed while he wasn’t aware.

“You really care for her, don’t you?” She asked, softly as to make sure not to wake any of the sleeping passengers.

“I wouldn’t be dating her if I didn’t.” Frank tried to answer non-chalantly, clearing his throat and averting his eyes from the Korean woman. What was it about Lailah that attracted women with such intense stares?

“It’s much more than that, isn’t it?”

“…” His attention went back to the sleeping form, finding peace in the gentle rise and fall of her chest letting him know that she was still here. Still alive. Still with him.

“Very well. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want.” Yun-Jin assured with a gentle smile.

“It’s… it’s not that.” Frank said, a small laugh. He didn’t want Yun-Jin to think that he had something against her. “I just, I’m not very eloquent. And, I’m constantly worried that I’ll mess it up. Again.”

“Some things don’t need to be put into words. Anyone with eyes can see how much you’re in love with her.”

In love?

Frank furrowed his brows. He knew he cared for Lailah. Deeply. Immensely. Though, he hadn’t really thought on if it bordered to love or not. What he had intially thought as love was—according to Lailah—very different than what it truly was. She had opened a world completely new to him, dragged him from the darkness and into the sunshine. It was corny and hella cheesy to admit, and if he ever tried to tell her that he’d probably die from embarrassment. Such things were best saved for holiday Hallmark movies, but… he’d be lying if he said that it wasn’t true.

“I suppose you’re right.” Frank smirked, watching her snort in her sleep and rub her nose before settling in a comfortable spot once more. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

“Not any more so than any other man in love.” Yun-Jin darted her eyes over to Joey who had fallen back asleep with his tablet in his hand, his head resting atop Yui’s.

“I’m glad that you came back into Lailah’s life. I think you filled a part she’s been missing. Even if she didn’t know it.”

“I’ve missed her. More than words can say.” The Korean woman said with a smile. “But, I’m glad to see that she was well taken care of in my absence, and that you all welcomed me.”

Frank smiled, but he felt rather awkward. Having a heart to heart with Yun-Jin wasn’t exactly something he’d been thinking about doing. Ever. But, she deserved to have everything out in the open and gain the closure that everyone else was searching for as well. But truth be told, he thought of her rather close as an old friend as well even if they’d never really hung out.

“How are you feeling, by the way?” He asked.

“Little nauseous and groggy, but otherwise, I’m pretty fine.” Seeing the confused, and rather impressed look on Frank’s face, she continued. “I’m used to having parties with clients and others in the music industry. They love to drink. You get used to it after a while.”

“Make sure you’re taking care of yourself. Li would be pretty upset if something happened to you after just getting you back.”

“Noted.” Yun-Jin said after a small laugh. She turned her attention to the scenery passing by, the puffy clouds, and the water. “We’ve got a few more hours to go, so I think I’m going to try and grab some more sleep.”

“Not a bad idea.”

Frank settled down in his cocoon, turning towards Lailah a bit and covering her back up before closing his eyes and getting comfortable. Only a few more hours and they’d be in Japan on their way to this wonderful house. Spending a wonderful time in a wonderful house with his just as wonderful friends and beautiful girlfriend. It was almost like it was too good to be true, and he couldn’t help the nagging feeling in his mind prodding him that after everything he’d done, he didn’t deserve it. Shaking it away, he tried to focus on how much fun they would have.

Notes:

I will be quite honest with you guys. It was hard coming back to the story as it's spanned quite a lot in my life. Some good, and a lot bad. Truthfully, though, I have always loved writing the story and the characters. It's been so long that I actually had to reread everything (and holy fuck I need to learn to proofread) to make sure I was on the same page then as I was now. I'm going to do my best to line everything up 100% to how I had it originally planned, but I'm sure there will be more added and some things taken out, rearranged and everything like that. Despite that, I genuinely hope that you enjoy the chapter and the story itself for what it offers. Thank you guys so much for always being there and reading.

See you next time. <3