Soulmates

Chapter 41

god damn it riptide2406 you made me a tiny Swiftie. Two songs today, none of which requested. Leave it alone by Hayaley Williams (really just, like, three lines) ad Jump Then Fall by Ms. Swift

Nobody tell Jaz that God doesn't have a sense of humor. Because now that she has someone to live for, the things she loves are dying.

    The things she loves are dying.

    But it's a known fact: If you know love, prepare to grieve. Let it enter your open heart, and then prepare to let it bleed.

    Hayley Williams wrote that line, and Jaz never knew why she related to it so much.

    Until Jaz knew that she chose to bleed.

    She didn't cry, scream, or run when Leila uncovered her notebook. No, she just stood there on the foot of her bed, allowing her heart to bleed out onto the pure white sheets of her soul. She was waiting for the blood to begin to weigh it down so she could feel something.

    But the blood would disappear, evaporating into the depths of her soul as her heart was slowly drained.

    Jaz felt the final drop of blood left and could only see emptiness.

    That was grief, wasn't it? Allowing yourself to drain until there is nothing left unless you decide to fill it again.

    Jaz forced herself to stop looking at the metaphors and watched as the door opened, revealing Leila.

    She was still pissed. Her face was beet red, and her breathing heavy as she stiffly walked to Jasmine.

    Jaz prepared herself to cry because nothing hurt more than yelling parents.

    And cry she did.

    In the end, her father, who had joined halfway through the yelling match, hugged her tightly. "We're doing this because we love you," he'd whisper.

    It did nothing but make Jaz hate him.

-

Frank awoke the following day to Hazel calling him.

    "Hello?" He barely managed to get the word out with all the morning vocal fry.

    "What the--oh!" Her voice was equally incomprehensible. "Sorry, I didn't mean to call."

    "It's okay, how are you at..." he looked at the time, "5 am."

    "Wait, it's 5, holy shit, I'm so sorry," Hazel groaned.

    Frank smiled; he liked how she sounded in the morning, in this call without warning. "It's okay, I promise."

    "Okay." He could hear Hazel's smile. "You know what we haven't done?"

    "What?"

    "I haven't really gotten to know you. Other than how much you hate American Chinese takeout," she added.

    "No, because it's so fucking bad! Panda Express is an insult to literally everyone in the entirety of Asia."

    Hazel gave a tired laugh, and Frank realized it was the best sound he'd ever heard.

    They talked on the phone until they met outside Chau's classroom.

    Frank could hardly keep his focus on Cecil, who was fawning over Lou Ellen for existing.

    "She's fucking perfect. I, on the other hand, am a literal fucking trash bag with the vomit of a drunk teenager inside it. I am not worthy of her affection," Cecil said.