My Girl

29 | restless

I sniffle as Keisha hands me a tissue. Since I've been kicked out of the house, going to Keisha is the only option I can think about. Going to Cal after the big fight with Dad is a bad idea.

"Have you told Cal about this?" Keisha asks with concern.

We're sitting on her bed, facing each other. I shake my head slowly, wiping the tears under my eyes with the tissue.

"I don't want him to know about this," I croak. "I don't want to cause him such a burden. Besides, it's already not fair for him to be judged by my parents like that."

Although Cal never spoke of it, I know that the way my parents looked at him must have bruised his pride.

"Mia," Keisha whispers with worry, squeezing my arm gently in an attempt to comfort me. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry that this happened to you. What should I do, Mia? I had a part on this too."

When I look into her eyes, I notice that tears are pooling in them too. She must be feeling guilty for what happened. I shake my head again and hold her hand.

"It wasn't your fault at all. I fucked up," I say. "Even if they didn't figure out that I was lying, they would eventually know sooner or later. I can't keep lying to them."

Another tear falls from my eye when I remember Dad's wrath. I've never seen him so angry and broken. I must have hurt him so much with my words and decision, but he'd pushed me to my limit too. It hurts so much to know that he wouldn't let me be with Cal.

I beg that he didn't mean everything. I beg that he didn't mean to kick me out of the house. That this is all just temporary.

Anger had taken over us that we hurt each other so much while we actually didn't mean to do that.

The other reason why I don't want to stay with Cal now is that I'm afraid of how Cal would react if he knew that I was kicked out of the house because of him. I have this fear inside me that he might not allow this to happen, and the worst would be him edging away from me for good, just like my parents want him to. What would I do if that happened? The thought of it alone is enough to shatter my heart into pieces.

A knock on the door startles me, and a moment later, Keisha's mom appears at the door. She looks just as worried as Keisha. I feel embarrassed for acting so childish, running here to escape from my problems.

"We've called your parents, Mia," she says. "I'm sorry, but they have to know. They're very worried about you, and they have to know that you're safe here."

I almost burst into tears because of those words.

Worried about me? Didn't they hate me? Despised me? Wanted me gone?

I grip my chest, as though it can lessen the pain.

Sadness crosses her expression. "I could only tell them to give you some time, Mia, but I hope that all will be settled soon," she says softly. "I know that you're devastated for leaving them." With that said, she closes the door with a soft thud.

Keisha pulls me into a hug, and I cry softly on her shoulder. She strokes my back gently, trying to soothe me.

When it almost reaches the end of the week, I find myself in Cal's apartment again to keep Jasmine company on this Friday night while Cal isn't back yet from work.

I can hardly believe that I've been away from home for almost a week. This is the longest I've been against my parents. I've told Cal that I would spend the night in his apartment during the weekend without him knowing what actually happened.

While Jasmine is watching Cinderella on TV, I stroke her hair gently, her head on my lap. But I'm not paying attention to the movie at all. I keep glancing at the clock hanging on the wall. It has just passed 10 PM, and I know that Cal might still be working with his band, but my heart is restless. Jasmine seems to notice that, so she looks up at me with wonder.

"Did Cal tell you that he's going to be a bit late tonight?" she echoes.

I nod. "Yeah, he did." I stroke her hair again, trying to put a smile on my face despite my worry. "He said that they would be celebrating the second anniversary of the formation of his band, so it would take longer than usual."

Jasmine shifts her attention back to the movie, but her lips purse. "Nah, it's just Zavier being difficult." The tone of her voice lets me know how displeased she is when she talks about the said leader of the band. "But Cal never stays long with his band after he performs, so he should be here soon."

If only I could be as optimistic as Jasmine now. Ever since Cal told me about the story behind his band, I can't help but be paranoid.

Sometimes, I'm haunted by the possibility of him finally giving in to Zavier's tricks, finally trying the drugs. Zavier could have put the drugs in his drink, or told him that it was only to boost his stamina, or maybe convinced him how phenomenal it was to feel like flying to the clouds.

In short, I don't trust his bandmates at all.

"Amelia?" When Jasmine's voice snaps me out of my thoughts again, she's already sitting up on the couch, staring at me with worry. Her innocent big eyes glint with curiosity. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Quickly, I compose myself. "Yeah. I'm sorry. I think I might just overthink about it."

"Don't worry. He'll be back soon after he finishes his job, especially knowing that you're here, waiting for him." She yawns and rubs her eyes, which means that she's already feeling sleepy.

I sigh and smile softly. "Do you want to go to bed now?"

She yawns again, now covering her mouth with her hand. The TV is now showing the credits rolling after the end of the movie, and I turn it off. I hold Jasmine's hand before we walk into her bedroom.

Once she lies down on the bed, I pull the cover up to her chest, and she smiles. She then starts mumbling about the movie she has just watched and soon falls asleep.

I sigh, my glance shifted again to the clock on the wall. A horrible feeling stirs my insides, like something bad is happening to Cal. How would I not be restless if he's spending time with those druggies?

I know that this is wrong, but I have to do it. I step out of Jasmine's room, grab my jacket lying on the couch, and slip into it, ready to go.

Telling Cal that I'm coming over to Wily Dragon bar would be pointless, because I want to figure it out myself. I want to convince myself that Cal is indeed not involved with whatever his bandmates are doing.

I trust Cal, but my worry won't let me calm down until I see it with my own eyes.

***

AN:
Up next is Chapter 30. Keep scrolling to proceed. :)