𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐄 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃

a real smile

dina's pov:

i stared down at ellie while she slept, making sure i didn't see any signs of discomfort.

her hair was still slightly wet, the braids i did were halfway out from her crazy sleeping.

her alarm woke me up earlier, it's now 4:30am.

i'm letting her sleep in for a bit, just to get her mind off of last night.

she snored quietly as i got up, gathering a couple dishes and heading downstairs to put them in the sink.

meanwhile, i watched the clock. 5:00am is when i'll wake her up, she's already ready anyways.

i grabbed the last couple of dishes, placing them in the sink as i threw some of her trash away.

her room looked spotless by now, i pat myself on the back for that one.

she slowly began to wake up, rubbing her eyes as she did so. "good morning, baby." i whisper, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

she opened her eyes with a grin, wrapping her arms around my neck. "i missed you," i smile.

"what time is it?" she asks, noticing that the sun is now shining through her blackout curtains. "time for you to get up, my love." i rub her back.

she sits up, rubbing her eyes while looking around. her hair is a mess and she looks crazy.

she stands after awhile, i follow her to the closet to help her pick an outfit.

her cheek is now bruised, every time she touched it she seemed up flinch more than usual.

i went downstairs, grabbing a rag and some ice and guiding her to the bathroom.

"can we just skip?" she asks groggily, making me chuckle. "how many days have you skipped this year?"

"not enough."

"yeah, sure you didn't." i mock, and she chuckles lightly.

she's more skittish today, make any fast movement around her and she's basically on the floor.

i'm really sorry for her, mainly because i know deep down there's nothing i can do to help besides sit and listen.

i'd be scared to if i had a household like this, that's why i make sure i'm always here.

i hope she's okay with that.

ellie's pov:

i sighed, dina held the ice pack to my face while i did my hair.

taking out the two small braids she did last night, my hair looked wavier.

i brushed them out, biting my lip as the comb hit the tangles. dina left after awhile, it's now me and my dog.

"hey el?" she calls, peeking through the door as i got dressed. i hum, and she looks down at me. "we're gone be late, hurry up slow poke.

i roll my eyes tiredly, shaking my head as i finish with a lightweight jacket.

it's starting to get warmer now, i'm not sure why as it's the end of january but it's whatever.

i headed downstairs where dina sat on the couch, scrolling on her phone. "you ready?" she looks up smiling.

i hum and she stands up, kissing me gently before walking out hand in hand.

both of our hands were freezing, that changed a lot immediately as the sweat from our palms warmed them up.

i smacked on a piece of gum as we walked, dina showed me a new pathway she found to bring us to school faster.

"i'm really gonna miss you," i say under my breath, she looks over smiling. "what?" she laughed awkwardly.