WARNING:
EMOTIONAL CONTENT.
Includes mentions of abandonment, the care system, bullying, emotional distress.

In the morning, the roommates were sat around the dining table, having breakfast. Sutton and Tabitha heated up the leftover spaghetti from last night.
She also made a quick salad, because Anvi liked to cover her spaghetti in diced cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes. 

"So, Tabitha, have you thought about what you're going to do about Finn?", asked Luka. 

Tabitha shrugged, filling her glass up with orange juice.
"I don't know.
It's not like we're dating or anything", she responded, putting the carton of orange juice down. 

"Yeah, but, it's ok to be a little upset that he kissed someone else", said Sutton. 

Tabitha sighed.
"Maybe.
I'm just trying to forget about it, to be honest."

"Uh, KJ, what are you doing today?", asked Anvi, giving Tabitha a quick look.
Tabitha smiled back at her.

"Uh, Cassie needs to get a gift for her cousin's baby shower, so I said I'd go to the shopping centre with her", replied KJ.

"Aww, you're going shopping for baby stuff?", grinned Sutton.
"Babies are so cute!
With their teeny little toes and their–"

Jace shoved a forkful of spaghetti into Sutton's mouth, surprising her.

"Sorry, she gets like this when babies are mentioned.
The amount of times she's offered to babysit our newborn cousins—I can't even remember the number actually."

Gulping down the mouthful of spaghetti, Sutton whacked Jace's shoulder.
"Hey!
Don't act like you weren't looking at
'World's Best Uncle'
baby grows the other day."

"Best Uncle?", questioned Luka.

"It's really hard finding things about cousins", responded Jace.
"Total gap in the market."

"Or you're just not looking hard enough", said Sutton.

"Well, I hope you and Cassie have better luck", said Jace, turning to KJ.

◆◆◆

At the Baked Potato, Tabitha was stood behind the sandwich counter, staring at her phone.
She knew she told Sutton she wanted to forget about what happened with Finn, but her brain didn't seem to get the memo. It was convinced that, if she saw one text from Finn, something could still happen between them.
Or maybe it wasn't her brain, but rather, her heart that wanted to trick her.

"Oi, get off your phone!", exclaimed Venn. "I'm paying you to work, not mess around on your phone!"

"Alright, gosh! Calm down", replied Tabitha, quickly putting her phone away.

Venn not firing Tabitha came at a surprise to almost everyone.
She was still technically a new employee, and this sort of backchat wouldn't fly anywhere else.
Leia theorised that Venn was secretly a little scared of Tabitha, but Matt and Jace pointed out that that simply didn't make any sense, given how often he shouted at her.

Bolin, however, had a much different opinion.
It must be quite tiring, and tedious, owning a cafe and having to deal with so many young employees.
A part of Venn must get a kick out of their banter.

As soon as Venn left, Tabitha pulled out her phone again. She sighed loudly, a deep frown settling on her face when she realised Finn still hadn't messaged her. Noticing Tabitha's sad demeanour, Anvi and Bolin shared a look, before walking over to her.

"Hey, don't mind Venn", said Bolin.

"Unless... it's not Venn that's making you upset?", suggested Anvi.

Tabitha exhaled sharply, shrugging.
"Finn still hasn't texted me back.
I guess I'm mad that it's bothering me so much."

"Wait, what's this about Finn?", asked Bolin.

"The other day, we had this really nice conversation, and I, kinda felt sparks.
He gave me his number and... then later I saw him kiss someone else."

"Oh, Tabitha...", frowned Bolin, reaching out and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry."

"It's whatever", she shrugged.

"Except, it isn't", said Anvi.
"Not if it's effecting you this much."

"I just, well, I never misread signals, you know?", said Tabitha.
"I've always been able to tell if a guy likes me.
Am I, like, losing my touch?"

Bolin shook his head.
"People are complicated."

"I second that", said Anvi.

"And, life is too short.
Don't spend all your days trying to figure some guy out."

"You deserve to be with someone who knocks you off your feet", said Anvi.
"And you will find that guy some day. Whether that's Finn... or someone else."

Bolin nodded.
"But right now...", he said, taking Tabitha's phone and putting it into his back pocket. "...life is for living, Tabs.
Take a break from thinking about Finn, alright?"

Tabitha looked at both of her friends, knowing that they were right.
Of course they were.
It was hard to admit, but she didn't want to become obsessed with Finn.
If something was meant to happen, it would've happened by now.

"You two are like wise Yodas, or something", said Tabitha.

"I... don't know how to take that", said Anvi.

"Are you kidding?
That's like the best compliment ever!", smiled Bolin.

"Is it?
I've never seen Star Wars, so I don't know a lot about him."

The look of horror and surprise on Bolin's face was palpable.
Gasping, he placed a hand to his chest. "You've never watched Star Wars?"

"The movies are kind of boring, to be honest", said Tabitha.

Bolin gasped even louder.
"I-I can't even look at you two right now!"

Meanwhile, in the shopping centre, KJ and Cassie were on the hunt for the perfect baby shower gift. They found a shop called 'BABY FEVER', which focused on childcare items. The smell of baby powder and scented lotion was faint, and felt quite appropriate for the kind of shop it was.

"Thanks again for coming with me", said Cassie.
"I know this isn't exactly an ideal date location."

KJ shook his head.
"No, I just like hanging out with you.
It doesn't matter where."

Cassie beamed KJ, her heart melting at his words.
He didn't even know he was saying all the right things, which made it that much sweeter.

"So, did your cousin give you any hints about what they might like?", asked KJ.

Cassie shook her head.
"No, I–ooh!
What about these?"

There was a whole row of teddy bears, each different colours.
They looked so soft and inviting, which felt like the perfect things you'd want a baby gift to be. Cassie jumped up enthusiastically, pointing to the bright pink one. Chuckling at Cassie's sheer effort to get it, KJ reached up and grabbed it for her.

His fingers pressed against a button on its back, which caused the bears eyes to light up.
"I love you so much!", squealed the bear, causing KJ to let out a shriek, throwing it to the ground.

Cassie burst out laughing, doubling over and clutching at one of the shelves to steady herself.

"What the heck?", called out KJ.
"What kind of demonic bear is that?"

He looked over at Cassie, who was still dying laughing.
His face turned bright red, but he couldn't help but stare at the pure joy on Cassie's face.

"KJ... loads of bears say stuff like that!"

"I know, but I thought it was just a regular stuffed bear", said KJ.
"And why'd they make it sound so creepy? Cass, I'm telling you, you can't give that to a baby!"

Still giggling, Cassie shook her head.
"Ok, ok... we'll keep looking."

KJ cracked a smile, unable to hold back any longer.
"Come on, let's go", he said, reaching out and grabbing his hand, guiding her away from that aisle.

"Wait, this is cool!", she exclaimed, running towards the next aisle.

She saw a wooden box, with the word 'baby' engraved on it.

"This is cute!
She can keep it like a memory box for her baby", suggested Cassie.

KJ looked at the box, freezing in place.
It looked similar to the one his birth parents made for him.
Since looking at that first picture, he hadn't thought about his birth family that much. Their faces would flash through his mind whenever the roommates spoke about their families, but they'd quickly be replaced by his adopted parents.
His real family.

But now, seeing this box, made KJ think about all the things Cassie's cousin might put in it.
More than that though, it made him think about all the moments and memories she'd create with her baby.
Moments her baby would actually get to experience.

Because all KJ had were pictures.
Pictures of moments he couldn't even remember.

"What do you think about–KJ?", questioned Cassie, stopping when she turned to look at him.

His face was red, and his eyes were brimming with tears.
Cassie quickly grabbed his arm, but KJ pulled away, coughing to clear the lump that had formed in his throat.

"What's wrong?", she asked.

KJ shook his head.
"N-Nothing, I just uh, I'm sorry, I have to go."

Without explaining further, KJ took off, leaving Cassie confused and concerned.

◆◆◆

At night, the group sat on the sofa together, watching Stand By Me.
KJ, Sutton and Jace had seen the movie before, but the others hadn't.
It was actually one of KJ's favourite movies. He was twelve years old when he first saw it, and he dreamed about finding a group of friends like the ones in the movie.
As bittersweet as it was, for a moment in time, there was hope.
Hope and laughter for that group of friends. KJ wanted that.
Even if only for a few years.

KJ was in the kitchen, stirring his hot chocolate, absentmindedly.
Anvi approached him, placing a hand on his arm.

"Hey."

"Hi."

Anvi was the only person KJ told about him running out on Cassie. It wasn't that he didn't trust the others, he just didn't feel like repeating what happened.
Cassie had texted him quite a few times, wanting to check up on him, but KJ didn't know how to respond.
He was pretty embarrassed about it all.

"You and Cassie are going to be ok", said Anvi.

"What if we aren't?", he asked.
"What if I blew it?"

"By running away?
KJ, if you just explain to her–"

"Explain what?
That I'm too messed up?"

Anvi's face didn't soften into one of concern. Instead, her expression hardened, and resolve built up in her eyes.

"You are not messed up", she said sternly, refusing to accept that response.
"Years ago, you thought your childhood meant you'd never be able to make friends. Well, you have five of them right here, in this flat.
And more outside of it."

"Anvi..."

"Look, I'm sorry.
But I just, I can't accept that this is how you see yourself.
Like a mess."

KJ frowned.
"I-I can't help it!
I just kept thinking about how, like, I missed out on so much.
So many important moments.
What if... what if that means I'll be a bad dad one day?"

"KJ, bad dads walk out on their kids.
They do horrible, cruel things.
You missing out on childhood milestones doesn't mean you'll end up like that. Because, to you, those milestones will mean so much more.
And you'll never, ever leave your child."

With Anvi, everything just seemed to make sense. She never just told KJ what he wanted to hear.
She told him what she truly saw in him. What she truly believed.
Just talking to, and being around her, made all the noise and fog vanish from KJ's mind.

"Why does everything seem to get better when you're around?", asked KJ.

Anvi froze for a second, taken aback by his admission.
Anvi always prided herself on being a good friend, but Anu never gave her any validation.
She wasn't expecting to be praised endlessly, but when you give so much of your love and time to someone else, just a simple acknowledgement that you were helpful went a long way.

So, hearing those words from KJ, meant a lot to Anvi. She reached up and wiped away the tears that had fallen from his eyes. He caught her hand, holding it close to his chest for just a couple of seconds. Smiling, he pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh my gosh!", gasped Tabitha.
"Finn's just texted me!"

Luka and Sutton practically jumped on Tabitha, peeking at her phone screen.
She grinned from ear to ear as she read his message.

FINN
Hey

Saw a picture of something cute today and it reminded me of you

TABITHA
Ah, so you do know how texting works

What picture?

F

INN

TABITHA
You cheeky cow

What the heck is that

FINN
A pufferish

Beautiful, isn't it?

TABITHA
It looks like something my roommate's cat would cough up

"Hey! My fluffy angel's hair balls are not that big", said Luka.

FINN
😂

Did you see the match against Marleyport?

TABITHA
Ugh don't remind me

Can't believe we lost

I'm still licking my wounds

FINN
Can't your roommates cat help you with that?

TABITHA
Oh haha very funny

FINN
Why yes I am, thank you for noticing

"Ok quit being all cute and ask him about the kiss!", exclaimed Sutton.

"What? No, I can't just outright ask! I'll look like a stalker", said Tabitha.

"Then ask him if he's seeing anyone", suggested Sutton.

"Oh hey, you could always ask Jace to spy on him for you", suggested KJ.
"He's good at that."

Sutton raised an eyebrow at a guilty looking Jace. Jace whipped around to face KJ.
"Bro, we agreed never to speak about that..."

"Terrible lapse in judgement?", suggested Luka.

"Total tomfoolery?", added Sutton.

"...yes, yes, all of the above", said Jace.

Someone knocked at the door, which caught everyone's attention.
KJ was the closest to the door though, so he went to go open it. His eyes widened and he let out a quiet gasp.

"Cassie?"

He didn't think she'd actually come to the flat.
His guilt resurfaced.
How was he supposed to face her, knowing that he just left her on her own, with no explanation?

"Can we talk?"

KJ nodded.
"Y-Yeah... my room is free."

"Out here is fine."

"Oh.
  Ok."

KJ stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

"KJ... did I do something wrong?", asked Cassie.

KJ's eyes widened.
"What?
No!
I... I'm so sorry I made you think that."

"Then what happened?", asked Cassie.

KJ sighed.
"I... that memory box, it reminded me of one my biological parents made for me.
Last term, my biological grandad found me, and gave me the box.
It... it had all these things in, you know, that my birth parents wanted me to have.
I, uh, I haven't properly looked through it yet, but I did look at a photo of them, on their wedding day."

"Oh, KJ..."

"Your cousin, she's going to get to make so many great memories with her baby.
It just, uh, it just reminded me that I... I didn't get those memories.
I mean, I remember none of it.
None of the good times.
My whole childhood was stripped away from me.
And it just... hurts that I can't ever get it back."

KJ couldn't bare to look at Cassie when he spoke, but when the silence crept in, he forced himself to look up.
Cassie's lashes were coated with tears, with some even rolling down her face.
She didn't know what to say. Instead, she stepped closer and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so, so sorry KJ.
Why didn't you feel like you could talk to me?"

KJ sighed, hugging her back.
"I-I didn't want to scare you away."

"Scare me away?
KJ, I'm not just here for the good stuff, alright?
The good, the bad, the ugly—I'm here for all of it, KJ.
I came all the way here, didn't I?
If you need any more proof... I-I don't know. I don't know what to say to make you feel like you can trust me.
But, if you'll let me... I can show you?"

KJ pulled away, looking into her eyes.
What he liked most about Cassie, was that conversations were easy with her, but today had shown him that he still had a long way to go until he felt comfortable opening up fully.

"This... this is all still really new to me.
But, I-I wanna try.
I promise I'll try not to run."

Cassie smiled softly at him, before gently taking his hand in hers.
"If it gets too much, and you need to run, then go.
But... just remember, I'm still going to be here for you when you get back."

___ ___ ___

Hi! This is the penultimate chapter of Term 2! It has flown by so fast! There was a lot more that I had planned, but I decided to get rid of some, and move some to Term 3 instead.

Bolin and Anvi were on hand to help Tabitha out, and it seems things between her and Finn are good right now. But what about the girl he kissed? Is she still in the picture?

KJ and Cassie are starting to have deep conversations. As he said before, Cassie makes him feel comfortable enough to talk about deep things. The roommates definitely had a hand in that too.

What are your thoughts on this chapter?

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett / celestiallydesigned

niallhoranslovebot

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