Tied Together

Chapter 5: Truth

**Disclaimer:** This deals with traumatic family situations, including verbal and physical abuse. If this is a trigger, please be warned.

I facepalm in utter disbelief that Tina would utter such a thing around Amelia of all people! "Can somebody please tell me what is going on?" Amelia says, clearly confused by what has just been said. "Are you two... together?" she asks slowly, her face growing a little flushed.

At the same time, Tina and I reply, "DEFINITELY NOT!" Then we both look at each other with a blush. "L-l-like I'd date this pervert!" Tina says, stuttering. "PERV—" I'm not a pervert. Who does she think she is? "You were undressing in front of me!" I exclaim, getting frustrated, yet a blush still lingers on my face.

"U-u-undressing?" Amelia mutters, her eyes shaking at just the thought, her face crimson, her hands grabbing the mattress protector of the nursing bed she's sitting on, clenching it. "N-no! Not like that! See what you did, Tina? You're corrupting her mind!"

Tina turns her body away from me, making a cute hmph, trying to sound annoyed but her blush makes it seem almost impossible. "Perrrrrrvert!" she says.

"WHAT! Stop calling me that! That does it! You're not staying at my house. Find somewhere else to stay!"

She gasps in shock. "Wait, Dante! I-I-I'm sorry! You're not a pervert! Don't leave me with that slimeball!" Tina grabs my shoulders, pleading. I scoff and turn away from her, not giving her my attention. "CAN SOMEBODY EXPLAIN WHAT'S GOING ON?"

Tina and I turn around and face Amelia, whose face is crimson red, a mixture of anger and embarrassment. "Well, erm, you see..." Tina tries to make an excuse without mentioning a problem with her family, not wanting to upset Amelia.

I watch as Tina struggles to come up with an excuse and decide to help her. "It's because we were staying up late to work on your birthday party! Right, Tina?" I nudge her with my shoulder.

"Oh righttttt, of course, for your birthday party. We just didn't want to say it so openly because we didn't want to ruin the surprise. But Harry ruined it!" Tina punches my arm hard. "You dummy!" I make a noise of pain. "HEY! I've already been beaten up enough for today, don't you think?"

Hopefully, Amelia buys it. Thankfully, my notes remind me a week before a person's birthday because of how forgetful I can be. "But if that's the case, why did you undress..." Amelia couldn't say that without her blush giving it away.

"Well, you see... Tina had to crawl through my window. My mom doesn't like the idea of a girl being in the same room as me; she's protective like that. Then after working hard all night, we lost track of time, and next thing you know, Tina fell asleep." I try to explain this wild story, mixing things up a bit to avoid giving Amelia the wrong idea.

"Y-yeah! That's right. I fell asleep because I didn't expect we'd be working so long on it! Hehe." Tina laughs nervously. "Then after that, Tina was..." My mind recalls that moment, and my cheeks flush at remembering it. Tina punches my arm again. "OW! Stop hitting me!" I rub my arm.

"Well, you see, Amelia, I was getting changed out of my casual outfit to get ready for school. Dante just happened to open his eyes at the wrong time. Cough cough, pervert." I swear... I hate this woman. She's going to get bullied so hard if she thinks she can casually stay at my house after this.

Amelia smiles, not the kind of smile I've been dreaming to see on her face again, but a start. "You guys sure are funny. Then... to be doing all this just for a party for me. You really are good friends."

Tina and I look at each other, feeling embarrassed about lying about the party. After that, the nurse came into the room, and we were asked to leave while she did her check-up on Amelia. We're both sitting on the floor, feeling guilty about lying about the party.

"Aughhhhh! I hate lying to her..." Tina gives me a glance, nodding vigorously, then suddenly smiles. "Then let's make it so it's not a lie... let's really throw a huge party for her!" For the first time, I actually feel pumped. I want this... I really want to throw the best party Amelia has ever seen!

"Let's do it!" I shout, then get up off my butt, feeling excited to set this up. "We will plan this at your house later tonight. And oh, don't think I didn't forget all you said about me in there." Tina looks at my facial expression in horror. "W-what are you going to do?" she asks.

I laugh in an evil voice. "You have no idea..."

After some time passes and school finishes, I walk home with Tina, who is walking slowly, dreading what I'll do to get back at her. Eventually, when we get home, I lead her towards my dirty washing basket. "You're going to do my dirty laundry!" I laugh.

Tina kneels down, picking up a dirty sock and some boxers. "You're the worst! Pervert!"

"Oh wait, aren't you worried about your mom seeing me?" Tina asks in a concerned voice.

"Hm? Don't worry about it. My mom doesn't get back from work until late. You should be fine," I explain.

After a few minutes of moaning and complaining, Tina eventually does my dirty laundry, a faint blush on her face. She walks nervously through my house and sits down in the living room. "So, this is your home? It's nice." I raise my eyebrows at her unexpected kindness. "Thanks."

After thanking her, the room stays silent. Tina wiggles in her seat, seeming restless, her face showing signs of sadness. "Dante, about my family..."

I gulp before leaning forward, listening to what she's about to say with care.

She takes a deep breath before continuing. "My dad and mom were really happy together. She made him so happy in life when he was alone. They'd always go on dates, watch movies together, and were really happy." I listen carefully, giving a smile at what she says. I mean, it sounds nice. And yet, why is she pulling such a sad face?

"My mom died giving birth to me. My dad... blames me a lot for it. He..." Tears are running down her cheeks. She chokes on her cries before continuing. "My dad drinks a lot since my mom died. He calls me a 'murderer,' and sometimes hurts me when he's really drunk. Normally he's never this bad, so I rarely mention it. But it's closing in on the date of her death, so..."

My heart aches just listening to this. I feel so bad for her. I can't believe she's been going through such troubles by herself, carrying such a heavy burden. "Tina... I—" I'm cut off by her gesture, Tina putting her hand in front of my face.

"I just need a place to stay until my dad calms down on the drinking. I know we're barely close compared to your friendship with Amelia, but I ask... can I be selfish just this once... can I stay here until then?" Tina's cries are growing harder and harder, her body shaking.

I stand up and sit next to her on the couch, placing a reassuring hand on hers. Her eyes meet my gaze, and I give her a soft smile. "Of course." As those words leave my mouth, the waterworks come charging down. Tina lunges into a hug, crying into my chest.

"You know, for such a tough girl, you really are fragile." I say, stroking her hair. "You can confide in me anytime." After what felt like 20 minutes, we eventually decide to go upstairs into my room, Tina holding my hand like a lost pup, feeling like she doesn't want to be alone in this moment of vulnerability.

"Thank you..." she says in a soft voice. I reply with a smile in return.