Between the Days and Nights ✔

Chapter 9: Coming Home

WARNING: This chapter contains triggers for those who are sensitive with the topic of rape and abuse. Please proceed with caution.

Tam

"No. Go change. You look like a candy cane." Vinh shakes his head with his eyes closed, pointing his finger toward my closet. I roll my eyes and follow his stern instructions. I don't see a problem with wearing a white skirt with a red tank top, but I guess I don't have the best judgment on this kind of thing.

We've been at this for an hour and I think I'm starting to sweat from wearing my own clothes. I stare at the massive pile of clothes I've created and sigh in resignation. I let myself fall face-down onto the mountain of fabric. "Ugh. Why don't you just choose for me," I groan into lavender mini skirt.

"Fine," Vinh says as he stands up and dramatically stomps toward my closet, "But since you're being a lazy bum with weird clothing choices, you have to wear whatever I choose. No arguments."

I lift my head to raise an eyebrow at him, a gesture he ignores.

"So who's it gonna be?" His question sounds like he thinks I already know what he means. Which I do.

"What do you mean," I ask, avoiding eye contact. Instead, I stare at the pair of shorts he has hanging on his pinky finger as he continues searching the racks.

"You know what I mean," he answers without looking, and when I don't answer, he goes on, "Damon or Silas?"

"And why, exactly, do I have to choose one? They're both great guys. Friendly."

Vinh turns around and glares at me. "Don't bullshit me. You don't just suddenly have two new hot guy friends, when you clearly already have one to begin with." He fans himself with his hand, holding his chin up and I giggle. He laughs along, but then his face was serious again and his tone composed, "Look, I know you don't like to think about dating, but it looks like the clock's ticking. Don't you like either of them?"

I sigh. Vinh knew me more than anyone and he understood when I told him that dating has always been off my list of to-do's. I just want to get through high school and college, get myself a decent job, and take care of my mom. I don't need the distraction, especially hot distractions like these two boys. I can't even think properly around either, so what would happen if I make some commitment to one?

"I don't know. I care about them both, believe it or not, but I just don't know if it's worth it..." I stare at the black tank top lying inches from my nose.

Vinh sits beside me, with one knee up and the other bent under it. He rests an arm on the propped up knee and stares at the wall opposite to us. "It's worth it, believe me. With the right person, you're gonna feel like you're floating in heaven. You're gonna think to yourself, 'why did I ever doubt this?' and you're gonna feel like it's just the two of you, alone in your world."

"Are you talking about Jeremy?" I ask and he responds with a weak smile. That was all I needed to know that he meant Scarlett. He's still hung up on her, and it doesn't help that they still run into each other all over school. He's told me before that he feels conflicted about seeing her: he feels happy to be able to see her, but it reminds him that they aren't together and he has no idea why. "You still miss her," I state.

"Yeah," he sighs as he lies his back on the carpet behind him. "I still love her and I never even got closure. I just don't think it's fair to Jeremy..."

I wince at how easily he says the L word. It makes me wonder how one could grow into a romantic sap like that.

"Anyway," he diverts and throws some clothes over my head, covering my face, "Wear these with sensible shoes so you can shake some of that booty on Damon."