A few days had passed since the disastrous party, and Luka was in the Baked Potato with KJ. 

"Just a chocolate chip muffin please, Bolin", said KJ, before turning back to Luka.
"Are you seriously thinking of cancelling on your Mum?"

"She can't meet the others now!
They all hate each other", replied Luka.
"She's been looking forward to this day ever since I told her about it though.
I kind of just want to text her so I don't have to hear the sadness in her voice."

KJ shook his head.
"No way, look, we can handle the others.
You know, keep 'em in line."

"How?
Sutton and Jace still aren't talking, and Cassie's grandparents are visiting so Tabitha can't stay at hers anymore.
She's coming back today.
All three of them, under one roof?
That's just asking for trouble."

"Luka, this is your Mum we're talking about. Your family.
You both want this dinner to happen, and I promise, I'm going to do everything I can to make today great for you.
Even if I have to throw water on the others again."

Luka smiled softly, a chuckle escaping his lips.
"Thank, KJ.
I really appreciate that.
Let's just dunk their heads in the sink."

¤¤¤

Luka returned home pretty quickly, eager to get started on cooking.
Sutton offered to go shopping for some supplies he had forgotten, and although Sutton requested that Jace join her, Anvi went in his place.
They wanted to get supplies, not start world war three in the canned food aisle. 

Luka didn't mention what happened at the party to Tabitha, and she was grateful that he acted like it never happened.
Going to see Jace was the last thing she wanted to do, but she remembered she left her favourite necklace there.
She inhaled deeply as she got to the door, and Luka already started to fill a jug up with water—just in case. 

"J-Jace?
C-Can... can I come in please?
I think I left my necklace in your room."

"Alright."

Ok, that wasn't a 'no' or an 'I hate you, get out of my life.'
So... are we calling that a positive?

Tabitha walked into Jace's room.
She didn't know what to say.
She knew she had to say something.
She couldn't just root around his room in silence until she found her necklace.
Ok, so, what about a 'sorry'?
Or an, 'I was stupid'? Or maybe–

"Tabitha, look at me", said Jace. 

Tabitha slowly looked up, a nervous expression already on her face. 

"How did we go from making out in my bed to you not even being able to look at me?"

"I-I... I don't know."

"I still really like you, Tabitha."

"Y-You do?"

Jace nodded.
"I hate that you lied to me.
That my own sister lied to me.
But... I know you like me.
Ok, I know your feelings for me weren't a lie."

Tabitha hurried towards him, taking his hands in hers. 

"They really weren't.
I promise."

"Look, we can get through this.
I just, I need... I need you to promise me you won't lie to me anymore.
Ok?
No more secrets?"

Tabitha nodded.
"I promise."

After a few seconds, a small smile appeared on Jace's face, and he nodded.
He leaned forward and Tabitha pursed her lips.
He moved his face and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
Tabitha froze, stunned.
Ever since she left to stay at Cassie's, she had been dreaming about making things right with Jace.
About kissing him again.
But a lot had happened.
He wasn't ready to just launch straight back into the relationship they used to have.
She respected that.
She just hoped things could go back to the way they once were soon.

Meanwhile, Sutton and Anvi were at the supermarket.
An emboldened Anvi woke up feeling really good about herself.
She hated what was happening with her friends, but actually getting her feelings out at the party gave her this newfound sense of confidence.
She wasn't sure how long it would last, so intended to make the most of it.
She styled her hair in a messy bun, a few curls breaking free and framing her face. She had rainbow eyeshadow on, with small silver sequins in the corner of each eye, leading out to the end of her eyebrows.
She had a black turtleneck on with stripy flares that were orange and purple.
Her platform boots were also purple.

"Ooh, can we get fettuccine?", asked Sutton. 

"Is it on Luka's list?", questioned Anvi, to which Sutton responded to by shaking her head.
"Then no."

"You're oddly assertive today.
It's kind of hot but also scary at the same time."

Anvi chuckled.
"I just wanna make sure everything is perfect for Luka."

"Hey, I want that too.
I hate that Tabitha is going to be there, but I can play nice."

"Sutton, Luka was saying you almost poked out her eye out one point!"

"That was an exaggeration.
But anyway, you don't know how it all went down."

"Yeah, about that... I've been meaning to talk to you about what happened.
I'm really sorry that I lied about having a boyfriend."

"Anvi, it's ok."

"No, it's not.
You're p*ssed at Tabitha for lying, so it's only fair you treat me the same way.
Just... tell me before you start trying to knock me out so I can get at least a ten second head start to run."

Sutton chuckled softly.
"No, Anvi... I mean it.
Your lie, well, it was a little odd, but you didn't hurt anyone with it.
You shouldn't have felt like you had to lie about that though.
Boyfriend or not, you're pretty d*mn special, Anvi."

Anvi smiled.
She placed the shopping basket on the floor, before reaching out and throwing her arms around Sutton.
Anvi sighed in relief.
After Sutton's reaction to Tabitha's lie, Anvi was really worried she'd lose Sutton's friendship.
This gave Anvi hope for Tabitha and Sutton's friendship though.
Maybe everything wasn't as messed up as it seemed.

¤¤¤

Tabitha and Jace finished setting the table, whilst KJ ran around the room making sure everything was tidy.
Luka was still cooking away in the kitchen, and was simultaneously nursing about three minor burns.
Tabitha fashioned a swan out of some napkins Luka had purchased—a skill she rarely had cause to use.
She placed the swan in the centre of the table, smiling to herself. 

"Wow, a woman of many talents", said Jace, before leaning forward and kissing her cheek.

Just as he did so, the door opened, and Sutton and Anvi hurried into the room. Sutton couldn't believe her eyes.
Sensing chaos would ensue, KJ grabbed the shopping bags from Anvi and Sutton.
He jogged over to Luka, who quickly emptied the bags and rummaged through the pile for the ingredients he needed. 

"I'm sorry, you're not seriously still together are you?", questioned Sutton.
"After everything that happened?"

"Look, we don't want any drama", said Tabitha. 

"Well it's too late!
If you didn't want any drama then you shouldn't have been sleeping with my brother and lying about it."

Tabitha groaned.
"Sutton, just get over–"

"I mean, seriously, how is Tabitha the biggest liar here but I'm the one Jace doesn't want to speak to?"

"You know what?
At least I lied for a reason.
If you weren't so controlling, I wouldn't have had to lie!
And why are we completely disregarding the fact that Anvi lied about having a boyfriend?
Who even does that?"

Anvi was too surprised to even speak.
She could understand being upset that she lied, but she wasn't sure where Tabitha's rage came from.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. 

"You made me feel really bad for calling you a cheater, Anvi.
Really bad.
But all this time you were fooling us all! Probably had a really good laugh at me, didn't you?"

KJ marched over to Sutton and Tabitha, a look of determination on his face.
He stood in between the two, his hands on his hips. 

"Indoor voices, both of you.
We're not having a repeat of the other day, ok?
Sutton, help Luka with the cooking. Everyone else, get changed into your best clothes", he ordered, before clapping loudly. "Get moving people!"

The roommates hurried to get ready.
Anvi kept her black turtleneck on but changed into black leggings and added a baby blue cardigan over her turtleneck.
She did a French braid in her hair, which wasn't very neat because her hands kept getting caught in her curls.
KJ put on a navy blue polo shirt with matching jeans.
The pair were in the bathroom, scrubbing at Anvi's face with cotton pads covered in makeup remover. 

"Why are we doing this again?", asked KJ.

"Because my makeup doesn't really go with my outfit."

"No I mean why didn't you take your makeup off before getting changed?"

"Because I'm stupid, now scrub!"

"I don't want to hurt you!"

"KJ we're well past that, she'll be here soon!"

Tabitha combed all of her hair back into a low ponytail.
She had wore black jeans and a green flannel shirt, which she didn't realise was Jace's until she looked in the mirror and saw it was a bit big on her.
She quickly unbuttoned it halfway, before grabbing both sides and tying them into a bow, which rested just above the waistband of her jeans.
Jace opted for a dark blue flannel shirt, with black ripped jeans. 

Sutton still had her micro braids in, and decided to wear a mint green midi dress that went a couple of inches below her knees.
She kept her makeup on, because it was a 'no makeup make up' look, which suited her outfit.
Luka had already changed his clothes, and was wearing black knitted jumper—made by his mother, and blue jeans.
He painted his nails dark blue, except for the index fingers, which he coated in black nail polish.

KJ and Tabitha were throwing random food packets into the cupboards and wiping down the kitchen surfaces with a damp cloth.
They didn't have a window, so Jace opened the door whilst Anvi got a small fan from Sutton's room and waved it around, in an attempt to get rid of the fumes from the kitchen. 

"Oh cra*p, she's here, she's here!", exclaimed Luka. 

Luka ran over to the front door, before returning two seconds later.
He scanned the dinner table, making sure everything was in the right place.
When he was satisfied, he ran to the front door again, with the roommates following after him.
Luka opened the door.

A woman with shoulder length black hair, styled into a bob, stood on the other side of the door, her hands clasped in front of her. She had a blue dress on, with black heels.
It was hard to explain, but she just gave off this aura that made you feel safe and protected.
She smiled brightly, her dimples poking through. 

"Eomma!", beamed Luka, holding out his arms and wrapping them around his mother. 

"Aw, Luka... let me look at you", she said, before quickly pulling him away and looking at his clothes.
Her smile got brighter when she saw that he was wearing the jumper she made for him. She looked up at Luka's face, her eyes sparking a little as Luka grinned.
She gently cupped his face with her hands. 

"My little gong-ah-ji", she smiled. 

Luka chuckled at the nickname.
When Luka first got his dog Cloudy, he wouldn't leave it alone.
They were practically joined at the hip, so his mother called Luka her little gong-ah-jii, which is Korean for puppy, as an affectionate nickname.

Luka stepped aside to let his mother into the flat, before gesturing to the others.
Sutton smiled brightly as she gave Luka's mother a small wave.
"Hello, Mrs Johnson!
I'm Sutton."

Anvi held out her hand, her nerves growing as Luka's mother just stared at it.
After a few seconds, she shook Anvi's hand. 

"Hi, Mrs Johnson.
My name's Anvi.
It's really nice to meet you", she smiled. 

Tabitha reached out and shook her hand as well, her firm handshake taking Luka's mother by surprise. 

"It's great to finally meet you! I'm Tabitha."

"Hi, Mrs Johnson.
Um, I'm KJ."

Jace grinned at Luka's mother.
"Welcome to our flat!
We've heard so many things about you. Good things, I promise."

Luka's mother smiled.
"I'm glad it's all good things!
I'm very happy that I'm finally meeting the people my Luka spends so much time with that he neglects his poor mother."

Luka frowned.
"Eomma–"

"I'm only joking, Luka!
Really, you all seem like lovely people.
Now, who is going to give me a tour?"

"Well, a tour will have to wait because the food is getting cold", said Luka.

¤¤¤

Everyone tucked into their food, an unfamiliar sense of peace descending on the group.
Even back when they were all still talking, there was still something chaotic about dinner time.
The random conversations, playing pass the parcel with the salt, the inevitable spilled drink.
Still, it was nice.
Dinner time was when the group felt most connected.
It was just a shame things ended up the way that they did.

"I'm sorry, Luka used to play his trumpet for buskers?", questioned Sutton.

Luka's mother nodded.
"He adored the first trumpet he ever got. He'd take it everywhere with him.
We'd walk through the shopping centre and if he saw a busker playing the guitar or piano, he'd run up to them and play his trumpet!"

"Aww, Luka that's adorable!", exclaimed Tabitha. 

"Music was in your blood from day one", said Jace. 

Luka chuckled.
"Alright, alright, enough of the embarrassing stories!"

"Oh, you have more?", asked Anvi. 

"Plenty more!
Would you like to hear them?"

"Oh, yes please", replied Tabitha, earning a quick glare from Luka. 

Tabitha laughed, before looking over at Jace. He smiled at her and placed a hand over hers, intertwining their fingers. 

"Well, first, I would love to hear more about you all!
Luka, I didn't know you moved in with a couple", said Luka's mother. 

"Oh, they're not a couple", said Luka. 

"Actually, uh, yeah, we are", corrected Tabitha.
"We've decided to give it another go."

Luka nodded.
"Oh!
Well, cool.
Sorry, they weren't together when we first moved in, but are now."

"Against my better judgement", muttered Sutton.

Tabitha rolled her eyes at Sutton's comment. 

"You know, seeing young love makes me hopeful for the future.
Things did not work out with Luka's father and I.
I don't mind as much anymore, because in the end I got a beautiful son from it, but if I can give you any advice?
Always be honest with each other.
Lies tore apart my marriage."

Sutton snorted.
"Well their relationship is basically built on lies."

"What did you say?", asked Tabitha. "Because the reason our relationship is so weak is because you lied about me.
The only way you could keep a friendship is by making them live by your rules."

"Um, guys, maybe we should–", started Anvi.

"Stay out of this, Anvi.
You're in no position to talk", interrupted Tabitha. 

"I-I'm sorry, did I miss something?", questioned Luka's mother. 

"Um, uh, Mrs Johnson!
What do you think of Luka's cooking?", asked KJ.
"He made it himself because he said it was your favourite."

"Ah, yes, bibimbap is my favour—well, one of my favourites.
There isn't enough gochujang in it, but I'm very impressed, Luka.
I assumed all university students ate was pasta, so I do worry if he's eating well enough."

"Oh, we definitely do eat pasta quite a lot", said KJ.
"It's cheap and easy."

"Hm.
Cheap and easy?
A bit like someone we know...", said Sutton.

"Oi!", yelled Tabitha.
"If you're going to insult me, have some balls and say it with your chest."

Without missing a beat, Sutton turned to face Tabitha, her ice cold glare taking Jace by surprise.
"You're cheap, and you're easy, Tabitha.
You couldn't wait to drop your knickers for–"

Tabitha shoved her hand into the salad bowl, picking up a handful of salad.
She threw it at Sutton, hitting her right in the face.
Sutton gasped, a piece of lettuce sliding down her face and hanging off her mouth. She dug her hand into her bowl of bibimbap, scooping out a large chunk of it. She threw it with as much force as she could, smirking triumphantly when it landed on Tabitha's chin and dripped down to her neck. 

Luka's mother gasped.
"What is going on?"

"Mrs Johnson, I–", started KJ.

"Luka, are these really the kind of people you hang out with?"

"Eomma, they aren't always like this!"

"Guys, please stop!", begged Anvi. 

"Oh, shut up Anvi!", shouted Tabitha, reaching for her glass of lemonade and throwing it at her. 

"Oi, leave her alone!", defended Sutton. 

She picked up another fistful of food and threw it, this time misjudging her aim.
It landed on Luka's mother, hitting her right in the chest.
The chunks of food seemed to roll down, ruining her dress.
Sutton let out a horrified gasp, and Tabitha covered her mouth in shock. 

"Eomma...", whispered Luka, unable to comprehend how it all went south so quickly. 

"Luka... I let you leave home because I trusted you.
I trusted that no matter what bad influences you'd encounter, I raised you well enough to make the right choices.
I was wrong."

Luka shook his head.
"No, you weren't! I–"

"These people... they will hold you back, Luka.
You will only fail in life if you surround yourself with people like this.
I won't force you to leave, but if you have any respect for me, you'd prioritise your education over getting mixed up in the horrid antics of your roommates.
I only want what's best for you, Luka."

Luka's mother grabbed her bag and headed towards the front door.
Luka ran after her, desperate to get her to stay. 

¤¤¤

KJ was in the Baked Potato, guzzling down his fifth cup of tea. 

"Ah, multiple cups of extra strong tea. What's got you drowning your sorrows?", asked Bolin. 

KJ sighed.
"The dinner thing with Luka's Mum?
A complete disaster."

Bolin frowned.
"Oh.
I'm sorry to hear that."

"I promised Luka I'd keep everyone calm and I couldn't even stop them verbally arguing let alone physically fighting."

"They fought again?"

"Well, it was a food fight."

"Oh wow.
Sounds awful."

"I'm clearly not cut out for this friendship thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to prove I could actually do this whole 'family' thing.
Luka... he's been a pretty great friend so far. He's interesting, and when we first moved in, we kind of just always hung out with each other when we were at the flat.
He's a genuinely nice person.
He hates drama as much as I do, so I wanted to make today perfect and drama-free for him.
I just wanted to be a good friend and
I couldn't even manage that."

Bolin's face softened.
He looked around at the few customers that were still there.
He placed his notebook and pen on the table, and turned back to face KJ. 

"I get it.
I have a great family, but I had a... different childhood.
I was adopted when I was really young, and I don't remember much about my life before then.
I met my birth mother once but I never really felt a desire, or urge, to meet her after that.
She had her life and I had mine.
My adopted parents are the most loving, funny, basically bonkers people you'll ever meet!
They actually have other partners though. My father is with another man and my mother is with another woman.
They grew up in a time and a place where same sex marriage was frowned upon.
So, they came up with an arrangement that protected them and also meant they were free to be with who they truly loved."

"Wow... I had no idea you were adopted too."

Bolin shrugged.
"I'm not ashamed of it, it's just not something I feel the need to tell people.
But, what I'm trying to say is... all my life, I've been taught that family is what we make it.
That's why I see the Baked Potato as a family.
Because family means so much to me, I feel more pressure to keep it intact.
To not mess up.
But that's not how families are supposed to be.
A little messy.
My parents chose me.
And they chose each other to love and protect, like their own family.
And I choose to love and protect the Baked Potato employees like my own family.
I guess, what I'm getting at here, is that... you may not get it right all the time, but you want to love and protect Luka and the others.
So I'd say you're not doing as terrible a job as you think."

¤¤¤

With his mother adamant that she didn't want to stay another second in that flat, Luka walked back alone.
He thought about all the milestones in life. Getting your first adult tooth, making your first friend, having your first crush, passing secondary school and then college.
His mother had been his strongest pillar of support throughout all of that.
His father was never really someone he could rely on, so in a way, his metaphorical house had always leaned.
Any builder or architect will tell you that one pillar isn't enough to support a building or roof, but his mother managed to support Luka all on her own. 

All he wanted was for her to be happy. 

When he got to the flat, he called all of the roommates into the living room.
He looked calm and composed, but there was something unsettling about his demeanour. 

"Look, Luka, we–", started Sutton.

"No.
For the past few days, all you've ever done is talk.
Is shout.
Is fight with each other.
Well I'm sick of it.
It's my time to talk.
Your drama has ruined life for me, for KJ, for Anvi, for Jace... and now it ruined my mother's day.
All I asked was for one day, just a few hours where you didn't fight!
And you couldn't even give me that!
I don't care how, but you guys better sort your mess out, because I am done."

--------

Hi. 

KJ being quite assertive is something I enjoyed writing. I don't think anyone would've guessed he'd be like this, but I do think that it takes sense given everything that has happened. He finally started to feel comfortable around these people, and he's really worried about losing that. The stakes are even higher for him, in a way, which is why he sees this all as petty squabbling. It's a nice dynamic to have, because we're all KJ in a way, thinking that they're just being dramatic, but in reality, they both believe they have genuine valid reasons for acting the way that they do. And their reasons are valid. That doesn't mean it's justified though. Remember, they are only nineteen, and even older people act this way sometimes too. When emotions are heightened, a lot of different things can happen.

I have confession to make: Bolin's addition at the end was not something I planned until I actually started writing the chapter. I plan a lot of these chapters in advance, and I added Bolin at the beginning just to change the setting, but as I started to think about how KJ felt, it didn't make any sense not to include Bolin. I am so happy with their final conversation, and I think it is such an important thing to talk about. I've talked about chosen family before, and even discussed it in this book, but their conversation perfectly encapsulates it for me. It is actually how I feel about the people who read my books. Family really is what we make it. I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

Luka has officially had enough. With things going from bad to worse, will they ever be able to mend this friendship? Jace has forgiven Tabitha, because he really wants to make things work between them, but is he just trying to ignore a bigger problem?

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

Translations:
Only the one I didn't translate in the chapter.

Bibimbap: Is a Korean rice dish.

Eomma: Mum

Gochujang: a red chilli paste commonly used in cooking. 

(Not a Korean to English translation, just a different term in English: knickers= underwear.)

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

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