Chapter 2

"Sunniva what did I ever do to deserve you?" My mom says, moaning as she takes another bite.

"You purchased a tube of sperm." I giggle and reach for a cookie myself. Mom rolls her eyes but I see her stifling a laugh.

"Now, now Sunniva. It was more than just one test tube of sperm. It was a carefully calculated decision based on a measurement of genetics, IQ, physical ability, health, p-"

"And these were the ingredients chosen to create the perfect little girl!" Mom says theatrically interrupting Momma and making me laugh.

Momma looks between us confused but catches on eventually and is pulled in by Mom as she plants a kiss on her cheek and raises a cookie to her mouth.

"I think your daughter should pursue baking on the side of her teaching career." My mom says, smiling brightly up at me from across the counter.

"I'm aware this is a joke but I do not think it would be a failed effort." Momma says smiling at me with a half eaten cookie in hand, "These are very good, Sunniva."

"Thank you Momma.” I move around the corner to place a kiss on both their faces, "I've gotta go meet up with Lucy to check out this apartment in town. Feel free to finish off all those cookies." I say on my way upstairs.

My room looks exactly the same way and I feel like a kid again moving around in it. Even my old school books are stacked the same way and by the nonexistent layer of dust they've collected I can tell Momma either asks Pierre to clean it or does it herself.

My momma has Level 1 autism so it's high functioning and goes undetected by most people. She's also a scientist so in a way her ASD helps her already managed life get more managed. My mom is great at balance too so when she needs to she irons the creases of Momma's coats until their practically nothing but she also suggests a change of nail color or a trip to Cancun when she sees a monotonous tone set into their lives.

I reach for my phone and notice it's 3:05pm and the guy leasing the apartment to Lucy and I said to meet us there at 4pm. It’ll take me at least 20 minutes to get there so without thinking I'm taking two steps at a time on my way down.

"Sunny honey, be careful." My mom calls from the kitchen.

"I advice you to take a coat along, Sunniva. The temperature is going down outside and the weather report says there's a 50 percent chance of rain today." My momma says, making her way into the front room and opening the coat closet to pull out my yellow raincoat.

"Here you go." She hands it to me and stands still to watch me put it on.

"Much like your favorite childhood cartoon about that bear." She smiles and I know it's because she is proud of her funny observation.

"Goodbye Momma." I pull her into a hug.

"Goodbye Sunniva be cautious on the roads if it does begin to rain." I kiss her on the cheek and promise to be safe before heading out the door.

Downtown traffic is more backed up than I remember but I make it to the diner Lucy suggested we eat at before going up to the apartment blocks right next door.

I close the door to my car door and try to tame my hair in the reflection of the window. Like I always do I press my finger to my beauty mark and see Neoma's face looking back at me, sort of. We have slightly different noses and she has fine freckles that you'd have to get close enough to see.

Had. I correct myself. It's a bizarre experience having the person you came into this world with not be in it anymore but in some ways I feel like us being separated for 10 years before that prepared me in some way. Maybe that's the reason I'm taking it so well. The therapist my moms suggested I see said that in a session once when I mentioned the guilt I felt for not being more broken up about Neoma's passing.

Don't get me wrong I loved my sister with my entire soul. Every step she took I took and she liked to think it was because she was a couple minutes older than me but it was just because I trusted her. Even at as children I trusted her with my life not knowing how much it meant yet.

She was my moon, my North Star. So I couldn't grasp why when hearing that she passed in the Detention Centre I didn't want to throw myself in front of a moving car as well. We walked the same steps and shared the same face so why not the same fate?

I felt guilty having a life that wasn't shared with my sister for the second time since we were born.

The sound of someone tapping on glass breaks me from my thoughts and I look up to see Lucy smiling from the other side of the glass.

"I hope it's as good as you recommended." She says, smiling flirtatiously at the waiter as he puts her milkshake down. I notice his eyes not leaving hers and I'm impressed at how he doesn't spill the drink.

"Just lemme know." He licks his lips before walking away.

I grin and raise my brow at Lucy's glance following him as he leaves our table. She looks up at me and her grin matches mine.

"We're going to have a great time this year if the rest of the male population of this town resembles anything close to that." She laughs and I try to contain my giggling as to not disturb the other patrons.

"How was your flight?" I ask when I finally catch my breath.

"It was good enough considering how much I despise flying." She responds, shivering for exaggeration.

I smile because I remember Lucy's affinity for flying was born from the bad experience she had when she shared a flight with the 2016 regional Acapella championship team just hot off their win.

"You don't understand Sunny this was in the post Pitch Perfect days and those pricks were empowered enough to show the entirety of flight D122017 just how proud they were of their win"

I laugh at the memory and then on the still disturbed expression on Lucy's pretty face. She has long, dark brown, curly hair that always looks as if it's hugging her figure and the sweetest round button nose.

We met in my second year at LU State when I'd promised my mom I'd get out of my way and start making new friends. I think the universe was ahead of me because before I even put my phone back into my pocket Lucy had bumped into me holding a box full of things.

She was moving rooms like everyone else and she liked the fact that I was too shy to keep eye contact for longer than 10 seconds and we moved in together that same day. She's studying law and is going to intern at Fredrick's & Fredrick's paralegals in town for a few months.

We match because Lucy likes her own space but needs to be constantly surrounded and I'm a quiet but very needy. So in a way we fit perfectly into each other's broken pieces.

"So how're your moms?"

"They're good, excited about meeting you on Sunday."

"Of course they are." She dramatically whips her hair over her shoulder, "Who wouldn't be?" Lucy winks at me and giggles.

The rest of the restaurant must think we're out of it for laughing this whole time.

"I thought the same thing when I came in."

"Yeah, fucking freaky dude."

The two voices from behind us catch not only mine but Lucy's attention too.

"You got something to say boys?" She speaks up and I mutter under my breath for her to let it go.

"No, sweets but you want me to? I'll say whatever you want." One of them speak and I hear the scrapping of a chair.

My tummy turns as I turn around to face these 'boys' who are actually very large and scary men.

"We don't want any trouble sir we're almost done here." I say hoping it's loud enough for them to hear.

I rub Lucy's arm to placate her. I know she hates when I apologize for her.

"This a fucking joke or something Knives?" The man sitting with a black bandana around his muscular arm calls out and looks directly into my eyes.

"I'm s-sorry sir I don't un-understand." My voice along my with my body shakes a little and Lucy stands now, trying to get in front of me.

In a flash there's a pressure at my chest pushing me backwards and I look up to see the back of a large figure.

"Out now! Nobody wants you motherfuckers in Dolton." I hear his voice and it's scares me to the core but at the same time I can't believe he's here again, in front of me.

I take in his black T-shirt and his back muscles stretching it. And the ink beneath his sleeves that travels to his wrists and starts up again at his hands. I wonder how long it took and if he cried when he during. I know I would've.

"Sorry little Woo we don't take orders from you so we'll stay right here as long as we fucking want." The guy who's already standing and has a scar beneath his eye speaks.

"Well then I hope your boss won't mind me breaking your ribs for sparring practice since you enjoying hanging out on the south side so much." As he says this I notice two other guys making their way to us and when Lucy notices them too she pulls me closer to her. I see the slight fear in her eye and I instantly feel panic course through my body. Lucy does not get scared.

As the guys approach we notice them glare at the two scary men instead of us and Leo and I conclude that they're with him. Lucy notices too and her arms relieve a little bit of pressure around me.

"Let's just go, Donny." Black bandana says.

I watch Donny scowl at Leo and as if it wasn't already bone chilling second hand, my bones are practically ice cold when his eyes find me.

"Now, Donny." Leo threatens and moves in front of me removing me from Donny's ice cold glare.

I hear the sound of chair scrapping again and see Bandana walk past Donny and out of the building. Donny follows after with slow agonizing heavy thuds and when he's out I release a breath and notice now that the entire diner has their eyes on us.

Lucy coming out of her spell as well let's me go and pulls her hair between her fingers anxiously.

Leo's hulking figure turns around and I'm certain I hear Lucy gasp along with me. He truly is as mesmerizingly beautiful as I remember at seventeen besides the ton of muscle and tattoos obviously.

He eyes me up and down and I suddenly feel so odd wearing a yellow raincoat when the skies are clear.

"Uh.. you didn't have to-"

"What are you doing here?" His exasperated sigh and scrutinizing eyes have me wishing the ground beneath my feet would collapse and take me away from here.

"W-we were just grabbing a bite to-"

"There are restaurants near your home." His baritone voice speaks, making me feel worse than before. However I shouldn't be surprised considering his history of hurting my feelings and his reaction to seeing me in the supermarket yesterday.

My excitement made me feel silly when I realized how uncomfortable he was talking to me.

"Excuse me! What the hell is this? West side Story?" Lucy perks up next to me, pulling my arm and body closer towards her and further from him, "We are allowed to eat wherever we want."

My eyes refuse to lift themselves from the floor and I hear a shuffle of feet to my right.

"Of course you can. I'm sorry about my friend he must've just forgotten his manners this morning." I look up in the direction of the voice to see that it belongs to a man also annoyingly bigger than both Lucy and I.

He has light blonde hair but by the brown roots I can tell it's a dye job, a bright smile to match his bright hair and green eyes that are staring me down in shock.

"Oh my god." He says rather loudly, causing everyone to face our way for the second time in 5 minutes.

"C'mon." Leo mutters and drags him by the arm.

"Wait Leo." I call and either he didn't hear or didn't want to.

As he's dragging his blonde friend out the door the other guy with dark brown skin and a shaved head makes eye contact with me and I watch his face also morph into one of utter shock but before he can open his mouth Leo calls out to him at the door.

"Let's fucking go, Marc!" his deep voice booms through the diner.

I watch as Marc battles to make a decision and start backing up. All while still facing me before he begins laughing abruptly and running off behind Leo.

I turn to Lucy to see her looking as confused as I feel.

"What the hell was that?" She says, sitting me down in my chair again as she does hers.

"I have no idea." I mutter more to myself than to her.

"Welcome to Finridge I guess." She chuckles dryly with a look of utter confusion still etched on her pretty face.