Found | Shuri (Searchin' Sequel)

| N I N E T E E N |

| Hazel |

A month had passed since that night and somehow I was managing just fine.

Shuri didn't cross my mind as often as before and my main focus was on me and loving myself.

Riri had just finished up another semester, meaning we would be spending the night on a rooftop at the first pool party of summer break.

I didn't actually want to go, I was afraid of running into KJ or worse, Bria, but I was being forced to go.

I stood in the mirror ,in my two piece, yellow bathing suit and black bathing suit cover, doing something to the braids that were in my hair.

I threw them back into a low bun while Riri sat on the bed, waiting for me to finish.

"So..." She started, making me look at her through the mirror. Usually this was her way of starting a conversation about Shuri. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." I shrugged, wrapping the ponytail holder around my braids.

She gave me a look like she didn't believe me, and I knew there was probably no way I could convince her.

I think after so long of pretending, I was actually starting to feel fine.

"What?" I asked, facing her with my hands on my hips.

"Are you sure?"

"Riri, I'm positive. I'm doing a lot better. You can't tell?" A smile spread across my face. A smile that hadn't been genuine since leaving Shuri, was now real.

She just nodded slowly, looking down at the shorts that she was wearing.

"I talked to Shuri."

There it is.

Every time I heard her name my whole body would tense up. It was almost like it was a defense mechanism. I took a deep breath, reminding myself of the progress that I had made so far.

"Yeah?"

I walked over to my closet, grabbing a pair of sandals and sliding them on my feet.

"Hazel, she sounds miserable. It was so sad to hear."

The thought of her being sad broke my heart, for a second anyway. Then my mind immediately went back to the same heartbreak that I had to endure when we first broke up and when I heard her with Nadia.

"I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Hm." She hummed, a look of disappointment took over her face. "When did you become so heartless?"

I let out a dry laugh, trying to remember if she's even been present this past month.

"What do you want me to say Riri? I hate that she's going through that, but I guess she's gotta get through it the same way that I did."

"Maybe she needs someone... like you, to help her get through it."

"Absolutely not. You ready?" I asked, hoping to end this conversation and go in with our lives.

"Fine.." She mumbled standing up from the bed.

For some reason, I felt like this wouldn't be the end of this conversation and she definitely had something up her sleeve, as she always does.

We headed downstairs, hopping into the car and making our way to the pool party.

The wind hitting our skin as Drake was blasting through the speakers of the car. It was the perfect way to start summer.