Swim

Those who love you the most, may need more time to grow

As part of her therapy, Grace had assigned her one task, something that Regina is terrified of doing.

Regina had been asked to call her dad, to confront what he did to her mum, and to her, and if she wants to, she could even confront how he affected her friendship with Janis, and the Sarkisian family.

So here Regina sits, her roommates are out for a few hours, Regina had early morning practice and had bumped into Gretchen and Karen as she was in the elevator on the way back up. So she knows she has the house free for a few hours.

She calls the number, she only uses this very few times a year.

It rings.

And rings.

And it doesn't stop ringing, not until it goes through to tell Regina he can't come to the phone.

Regina isn't sure whether she's relieved or not, cause she is scared, so maybe this is for the best.

Then her phone starts ringing.

"shit" Regina whispers into her room, staring down at the caller ID, it's her dad. She presses answer, putting her dad on speakerphone.

"Regina? What is this about?" Her father asks, Regina gulps heavily.

"Hi, dad... I needed to talk to you about something, I was told by my therapist that this can help." Regina explains.

"What? Are you on something, are you drunk? Wouldn't surprise me if you were following in your mum's footsteps."

Regina seethed internally.

"I need you to shut up and listen to what I have to say!" Regina exclaims in annoyance. This is why she doesn't talk to her dad very much anymore.

"I hate you, I hate you for how you treated mum, I hate you for every time you gave me money instead of actually being around me, I hate that you went off and started a new family like mum and me weren't enough for you and I fucking hate you for how you made me feel. I felt happy and you ruined it. Do you remember Janis? Huh, dad? I kissed her you know, and then I fucked everything up. BECAUSE OF YOU!" Regina is crying now. She's so sad, and angry and all she wants to do is blame her dad, but some small part of her knows it's also her own fault.

"The dyke daughter of the Sarkisian. Are you a dyke too? You should be ashamed of yourself. Please don't talk to me again, I don't think you are of the right mind if you can do that disgusting act." Her father hung up.

Regina felt the tears pour, she chucks her phone at the wall before curling up facing the other way on her bed and crying. She just cries and cries. Her chest constricts painfully, as if it knows exactly how much that hurt.

She hears her roommates come back a few hours later and she tries to stay quiet. Her chest is tight and she vaguely aware of the building panic attack. She'd forgotten how hard it is to talk with her father. And why she'd stopped talking to the bastard.

Gretchen knocks on the door, she'd been told that someone had been yelling from this apartment and with herself, and Karen out, and Cady looking at an apartment in the same building up for sale.

"What?" Regina says, she tries to get her voice to stay steady.

"I was told that someone was screaming in the apartment earlier, I was just wondering if you are okay" Gretchen asks softly, the girl on the other side of the wall sounds worried. Regina is mad that she upset her friends but at the same time she just doesn't want to talk to her.

"I'm fine. Please leave me alone now. I'm tired." Regina gives a half lie, she is tired, but she doesn't know if she is fine.

Gretchen walks away from the door, she can't get through to Regina, but she knows who might. She goes to make a quick phone call.

A little later on that night, Janis, who is exhausted from work, makes her way up the hall towards the apartment that Karen, Gretchen and Regina share. She'd gotten a worried call from Gretchen, expressing her concern for Regina. Sure, Janis hasn't been overly close with the three ex-mean girls in recent but she'd always had a soft spot for Gretchen and Karen, even when Regina was in Janis's mental burn book.

And sure, Janis may be worried about Regina too, especially after what happened last week, Regina had pretty much gone full radio silence.

Janis knocks on the door and waits. Karen opens the door. The Indian girl looks sad, her eyes are showing her sadness. She still throws her arms around Janis, hugging the girl close, sniffling into her shoulder. Janis pats the girls back, trying to soothe her the best she can. Karen had always been a bit emotional, but Janis understands that she's just special that way.

Gretchen helps pull Karen off of Janis, and quickly distracts the girl with iCarly on the tv. Janis makes her way to Regina's room; she knocks on the door.

"Go away Gretch... please" Regina's voice sounds strained. Her nose is stuffy. And her chest hurts from the strain of crying for so long.

"It's not Gretchen, please can I come in? I come baring myself, and Damian if you need, I can call him. He cares about you, you know." Janis says from outside the door.

Some shuffling is heard from inside the room and then Regina opens the door, her face is red, and swollen. Her breaths are haggard as she tries to regulate her breathing again. Janis feels her heart clench.

Janis feels her voice catch in her throat for a moment.

"Oh, Gina." Janis says, pulling the blonde into a hug which causes her to cry harder. She holds onto Janis tightly and Janis can assume who made her cry like this. As it usually is the same person. Even when they were 11.

"What did your dad do? And can I kick his sorry ass so hard he not be able to walk comfortably for weeks." Regina gives a small, half-hearted giggle.

"He-" Regina looks at Karen and Gretchen and then stops her sentence. Janis guides the girl into the bedroom and shuts the door behind them.

Janis sits the girl down on her bed and just holds her hand as she takes in some deep breaths.

"I- I've been going to therapy and she told me that I should talk to my dad." Regina starts, she clears her throat and drinks some water,

Janis just listens, not wanting to disrupt the girl while she was talking.

"I told my dad about... well, when we were younger and we kissed. And I told him I hated him, for every thing." Regina says, witholding something.

"And? What else did he say?"

"He called me..." Regina chokes back a sob "he called me a dyke. And he never wants to speak to me again"

Janis's heart aches for her friend.

"It's okay Gina. It'll be okay"