Immature Mistakes | mj.q✓

Thirty-One

Ava looked around the Ma's house as she stood in the living room. It was so much better than their place, but it was probably the average house for most of the other students at the school.

She looked at a photo of the entire family somewhere near the window: it was Mr. and Mrs. Ma along with Jiaqi and his two older brothers.

'Wow, your family is really cool. I bet you get along with your siblings.' Ava commented.

'Well, more or less,' he answered as he also looked at the photo. 'I just hated being compared to them, they were so perfect. I understand now though, maybe my parents were just trying to motivate me to be like them.'

'But you must really like it here right? I know I would.'

'It's fine. But if it was actually perfect I wouldn't have tried to commit suicide. I could have just run home and drowned myself in the love of my family and forget everything.' he smiled at the imagination. 'But that didn't happen.'

'I wouldn't have thought so.'

'No home is perfect. That's why it's really important to find a peace within yourself.' He advised.

'Jiaqi dear!' Mrs. Ma called from the kitchen. 'Come help me a little bit with the food for Ava.'

'Okay!' Jiaqi answered then turned back to Ava. 'I'll be right back. Make yourself comfortable.'

He walked into the kitchen and found his mother mixing a salad. She smiled at him.

'Well you didn't tell me that your friend was a girl.' She laughed to herself.

'I didn't think it was important.' he answered. 'Well you never told me you don't want me to be friends with girls.'

'It's not that. You like her?'

'Oh mom,' Jiaqi face palmed. 'That's seriously what you're thinking right now?'

'What? She's not bad.'

'We are not having this conversation mom.'

Mrs. Ma continued to tease Jiaqi, but he was quite used to her teasing by now. He rolled his eyes several times and chose not to say anything. Once Mrs. Ma was done preparing Ava's supper, she left the meal for her at the dining table and invited her to sit there and have her meal. Jiaqi decided to keep her company while his mother once again continued to watch TV.

'Even the food is much better here.' Ava told Jiaqi. 'This is really good.'

'Oh my mom doesn't always cook like that. She probably cooked like that because you're a guest.'

'Hmm, wanna try?' Ava raised the spoon with a smile.

Jiaqi chuckled. 'Nah I had mine and I'm full.'

Ava was already feeling better being with Jiaqi. It was almost like what had happened with her father was fading into the distance, being around him always made her feel better.

'Anyway, I was wondering why your mom looked really familiar.' she changed the subject and became more serious. 'I saw her on my father's photo. And she really looks like you!'

Jiaqi tilted his head. 'Your father's photo?'

'Yeah, that day he got super drunk. I'm 100% sure it's her. You don't think they were together do you...?'

'With how things are, everything is a possibility.' Jiaqi thought over it, a bit overwhelmed. 'I guess that would also explain why my dad hates your dad. They probably fought over the girl or something.'

'This is so awkward but makes so much sense.' Ava chuckled without humor. 'And I think your mom broke his heart. He keeps talking like the most heartbroken person in the world sometimes.'

'And when my mom and dad were arguing my dad said something about my mom and some guy in her past.' Jiaqi observed. 'Wait, we can prove this. I haven't introduced you to my mom yet. Let's see her reaction when I tell her your surname.'

'I guess let's do it.' She encouraged.

Once Ava was done with eating, the two of them walked into the living room and stood in front of Jiaqi's mother. She looked away from the television and smiled at them.

'Mom, I realized I forgot to introduce my friend.' Jiaqi started. 'Her name is Ava, she's in tenth grade. Ava Habibe.'

Mrs. Ma looked at Ava in surprise. 'That's so funny, I used to know a Habibe back when I was younger. He was an immigrant.'

Jiaqi looked at Ava then back at his mother.

'Wait, your father doesn't happen to be Michael does he?' she asked.

Ava certainly confirmed what both Jiaqi and she were thinking. She didn't know what to feel, but mostly she felt surprised with the revelation.

'He is.' Ava replied.

Jiaqi who still wasn't sure of Ava's father's name looked at her in surprise, then back at his mother. Even though he had his suspicions, he still hadn't confirmed it until Ava mentioned agreed with her mother.

'Oh,' the smile on Mrs. Ma's face disappeared, and it was replaced with an uncomfortable look. 'Wait, Michael is being abusive now!?'

Before Ava could reply, Mr. Ma's car pulled up outside.

'Mom I think we have to go.' Jiaqi said immediately. 'Dad will kill the both of us if he realizes that the person he told me not to talk to is here.'

'He told you that?' she wondered.

'I just don't want to start more arguments between you and dad okay? I have to hide her.' he grabbed Ava's hand and started walking with her to the stairs.

'Jiaqi put her in the guest room! You're not...' Mrs. Ma started to warn him.

'I know.' Jiaqi cut her.

He pulled Ava towards the guest room door. 'Here's where you'll spend your night but I'm so shocked right now. And my mom is so surprised with how your dad acts, maybe the heartbreak made him like that.'

'Heartbreak sure is a...' Ava started before Jiaqi's phone rang.

Jiaqi took the cellphone out of his pocket and checked the caller. 'Oh it's Janine.' he said to her.

'You still have her number?' she asked in a disappointed tone.

'Well I didn't but she has been calling me a lot lately so I just had to save it.' Jiaqi told her before picking up. 'Hey,' he started walking away from the scene to get to his room.

Ava knew she had no right to, but she felt jealous. There was an anger rising in her chest, and there was nothing she could do about it. It wasn't as if Jiaqi was her boyfriend after all. She shut the door to the guest room and sat on the bed in thought. If it came down to competition, she didn't stand any chance against Janine. She was even better off standing a chance against Evelyn than Janine.

She could hear Jiaqi talking to Janine on the cellphone and they sounded quite friendly. She sighed. If Jiaqi forgave Ava, what would keep him from forgiving Janine anyway?

As she continued to think, her cellphone started to ring. She quickly took it out of her pocket and silenced it, not wanting Mr. Ma to hear her cellphone ringing from the guest room. She checked the contact and saw that it was her father.

She scowled, he obviously didn't care, all he wanted was to do was to probably find her and beat her up. He called several more times, and Ava did not see any need to answer. She simply watched it ring again and again.

The next person to call was Evelyn, and neither did Ava answer this call. At the moment, she wanted nothing to do with her family. And even though she was in a place where she had to hide, it made her feel more comfortable than being home ever had.