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Gods & Monsters
chapter ten

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CHAPTER TEN
A Phone Call

"BOTH OF these fuckin' ninny boys, they, like, they called ambulances, right? They're both in ambulances on the way to Resurrection Hospital. And then one of the medical professionals who's time you're wasting says to you?"

"He goes," Richie began, his tone much lighter than before, "what in the hell did you do that for?" Carmen set the made hot dog in Miyeon's hand before starting another. It was the first time she'd seen him so at ease whilst cooking. His face was light, a smile infiltrating those icy blue eyes of his. She couldn't help but admire him, and the delectable food he'd prepared her without being asked. Their laughter grew in volume as the story was told. "Like, what the fuck? You think that their shit wasn't spicy?" Jimmy asked, grinning as he laughed. "Like, why would they lie about that, you know?"

She took her first bite as a fourth party approached. He wore an awkward smile. The kind of smile one wore in hopes of fitting in. A smile she recognized easily from experience. "What's up, dudes?" he greeted the group of people, hands jammed in his pockets. Carmen cleared his throat while both Richie and Jimmy dimmed ever so slightly. The taste of ketchup, cheese, and relish sat on her tongue as she attempted to chew the massive bite she had taken. Brown eyes focused on the man curiously and, almost like he felt her gaze, his met hers. "Hello," he greeted her with a small wave.

The corners of her lips lifted into a sweet smile, her cheek still stuffed with food. Her eyes twinkled as she responded politely to his words. The laughter died down. An awkward silence blanketed the group. For two beats, there was nothing. No words, no breaths, no birds. Until the new guy decided to speak again. "You guys just laughing it up over here?" he asked curiously. "Nope," Jimmy answered almost immediately before ducking away.

Surprise flashed across Miyeon's face. It suddenly hit her. You'll know him when you see him. "You must be Pete!" she blurted out, turning her attention towards the man. His eyes widened in shock by her revelation. He hadn't expected her to know of him at all. Miyeon rose to her feet and set her hot dog aside. She pinched a napkin between her fingers before wiping the ketchup from her skin. "I am, yes," he finally said, eyes scanning her face. "I'm sorry, I don't..."

"Miyeon," she introduced herself, holding her hand out between them. "But everyone just calls me Mimi. It's a lot easier." His eyes traveled toward her hand and, after a moment, he took it within his. His grip was firm, palm soft to the touch. A small smile curled across his lips. "Nice to meet you, Mimi," he said and her smile only grew. She was acclimating well. She was blending into Carmen's life easily, like the perfect cake recipe. It was strange and yet so comforting in a way. Carmen glanced toward the two for a moment, teeth grazing the tip of his tongue. Eyes focused on the way their hands came together, then her wrist.

"So, uh, what's in the cooler?" he finally asked as they retreated. Miyeon's hand grazed Carmen's back as she made her way to her little spot. "Made, uh, Ecto-Cooler," Carmen answered. Chills raced down her spine from her soft touch. Pete's brows lifted in interest. His smile became more genuine, more excited. "No way! Like Ghostbusters?" Carmen nodded his head. It was funny seeing Pete nerd out. Even though he couldn't stand him most of the time. Pete put on the dramatics as he imitated the sound of a proton pack, shaking like he was battling his own ghost.

Both Richie and Carmen watched with deadpan faces. Miyeon sat, hot dog in hand, and smiled awkwardly as Pete began to laugh. Richie cursed under his breath, already tired of Pete's shenanigans. "Oh, looks like it needs a refill." Sure enough, the liquid was diminishing. The kids seemed to really enjoy it, coming back for more when their cups became empty. "Yeah, yeah. I'm on it," Carmen spoke up and Miyeon's head turned toward him almost instantly. "Need some help?" she asked. He snorted, shaking his head. "You just.. sit back and eat, alright?"

His crystalline eyes were filled with humor. He wasn't really wanting to deal with another cut finger. She delivered a thumbs up in response and sat back in her chair. One leg crossed over the other. "Damn, dude," Pete spoke up as he filled up a cup for himself. "Fun birthday party, huh?" No one answered. Richie stared off into space while Carmen got to work. Pete took his first sip and they could hear him swallow from a mile away. "Whoa, no way! This is, like, identical, dude!"

An awkward smile crossed Carmen's face. "Good, good. Thank you." Pete laughed, clearly enjoying himself. His head began to rock before he bursted into song, "Busting makes me feel good! From the song." Miyeon finally understood why the three acted the way they did when he was mentioned. He was a huge dork. Cringe as hell, really. "No, yeah... I remember."

Richie took a swig from his Diet Coke. He met Miyeon's eyes for a brief moment, and it became increasingly obvious how uncomfortable he was. First Cicero's shit, and now Pete. It didn't seem like he could quite catch a break. Pete cleared his throat before taking another drink of the Ghostbuster's themed beverage. "What is it, like, nap time or something?" he asked suddenly. Her brows lowered curiously. It was oddly quiet compared to just a few minutes ago. No irritating screaming or obnoxious laughter. The trio all looked around curiously when they spotted the children all laid out in the yard. Presumably napping. "That's weird," Carmen commented.

It was weird. They were being little crotch goblins not long ago. What had tired them out so swiftly? "Richie, how you been, man?" He just wanted to continue the conversation, to fit in with them. And yet no one seemed to want him to be there. Miyeon felt a little sad for Pete. Richie dropped his head, unable to meet his eyes. "I got to, uh... You know."

"Cool, cool.. Cool, cool," Pete replied, watching as Richie began to duck away. She bit into her hot dog once more to take her mind away from the unease. An awkward laugh slipped past Pete's lips before he took another drink of his beverage. "Wow, man. This is so good, dude. You killed it." All Carmen could do was thank him. He didn't want to seem like a douche, but having Pete hovering around him was starting to get draining. Like he was hooked up to some machine that was sucking out his energy. But Pete wasn't done yet. Not even close. "Hey, I know that, you know, sometimes things are weird or whatever with..."

Carmen's chest grew tight. His movements halted, head snapping toward Pete's direction. "Oh, we don't-- We don't have to do that." Pete began to sway on his feet. His face fell from the rejection. "Yeah. But I'm, you know, I-I'm a bit of a foodie." Carmen snorted. An almost pained smile crossed his face. "Jesus Christ, Pete," he muttered softly.

Her mouth was stuffed full. She watched silently as the moment began to escalate. She could have stepped in. Protected Carmen from whatever was coming, but it looked like Pete really needed to state his peace. "Alright, I know that's not cool or whatever, but, uh, you know, I did just-- I wanna say that I followed everything you were up to out there, man, and, uh... just, uh, I know how much courage that took for you, so... And, uh, just was pumped for you, you know? I bet probably a lot of people don't realize, like, how much work that must have took and dedication or whatever, and so just... I thought it was cool man."

He sure wasn't a poet, but his words were meaningful. Meaningful enough to make Carmen's skin crawl. He could hardly look his way. He could barely stand to listen to his kindness. Because he was not the person who deserved it. In his eyes, he did not deserve such care from anyone. Especially not from Pete, someone he could barely stand to be around. He swallowed thickly, his throat tight. Slowly, he began to nod his head. The words thank you trapezes along his tongue. "And your sister frickin' was really pumped for you. Really, really pumped. Yeah. But she also, you know, really missed you a lot, too."

She understood that. More than anyone would really realize. Carmen cleared his throat. "Thank you. Thank you, Pete." Her heart fluttered upon hearing his voice. Her fingertips itched to comfort him, whether it be a small stroke along the back of his hand or a subtle squeeze to his arm. Pete smiled, happy that he was able to get out what he needed to say. "Yeah, man," he replied before breaking out into a massive yawn. "Freaking tired all of a sudden."

"So, uh... She's not really busy at work, huh?" Carmen asked and Miyeon could only assume he was talking about his sister. Pete sighed softly. "Oh, no, she's, uh, pissed at you," he admitted without a thought. Miyeon was a bit surprised, but didn't say anything. She didn't really feel like it was her place. "Yeah, I owe her a call."

"Or, you know, like fifty calls," Peter said jokingly, but it didn't strike the other two as funny. "I mean, you know, I don't wanna get in the middle of anything or whatever, but, uh... I mean, it was hard for her, too, you know?" Those words really struck Miyeon. Suddenly, she was seven again, standing outside her parents' bedroom. The sobs of her mother like aftershocks after the massive tragedy of her older sister leaving. She remembered hearing her mother praying, pleading with God to return her baby back to her. She would do better. She would love her unconditionally. And Miyeon would listen, silently, her mother's pain becoming her own. Because she wasn't the only one broken by her disappearance.

She quickly snapped out of her thoughts to the sound of Carmen's voice. He was reaching into the cooler, fingers wrapping around a little orange bottle. "What is it?" she asked, brows frowning. He didn't bother to look at her. Instead, he continued to curse under his breath. Her curiosity spiked. What could have gone wrong? "Shit, uh... Fuck," was all he could say. He finally turned toward the woman, wielding that little bottle in his hands. Her eyes zeroed in on the problem before widening in disbelief. "No. That's not..."

Her voice trailed off as footsteps neared the two. "I got a little more, uh, ketchup here," came Jimmy's voice. Carmen licked his lips. He nodded his head with a polite thanks before deciding to just come clean. "Uh... Don't kill me."

"Oh, I can't wait for this," Jimmy said. He stared hard at Carmen, a worried furrow between his brows. Carmen drew in a quick breath, biting at the inside of his cheeks. How was he supposed to tell this man that he had accidentally drugged a whole bunch of kids? "We, uh... we spilled a bottle of Xanax in the cooler."

A silence fell over the three. All you could hear was the breeze passing by. Miyeon watched Jimmy as he digested Carmen's words. Then he looked out toward the kids. All of them were out there, laid out along the lawn. Peaceful compared to before. "What, are they fucking dead?" he suddenly asked. Miyeon bit her lip. Had they killed them? "No, no, no. I think they're, um, they're just sleeping?"

"Should we check?" she asked. She had a hand mirror in her bag. It wouldn't hurt, would it? The three watched the sleeping children for a moment, quiet. "Actually... I'm kinda into it," Jimmy admitted. Carmen and Miyeon looked stunned. "Yeah?"

"Oh, yeah. Keep up the good work. You're killing it."

"Alright," Carmen chuckled with unease.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍮 ⋅ ☆

It started with screaming. No son of mine will dress like that, their father had said. It was over a denim skirt. A denim skirt that was found shoved into the deepest part of her sister's drawers. Tucked away like a secret. Miyeon was only seven, locked away in her bedroom as her sister listened to their parents shout and scream. Glass shattered, plates thrown from the dining room. Food littered the floor; food that had been prepared for dinner.

"I'm not a boy, Appa!" she finally screamed, her voice cracking with despair. With fear of the unknown. And, for the first time since she had gotten home, it became quiet. So quiet that Miyeon could hear every hitch in her breath. So quiet that she could hear the clicking of the ceiling fan a room over. Those words sat in her little brain. She didn't understand them at first. She was raised to believe that her older sibling was a boy. They dressed like one, had a boy's name. They played boy sports.

"Get out."

Her head picked up.

"You are no family of mine."

Miyeon scrambled to her feet. This couldn't be right. Her little hands pulled open her door, socked feet sliding over the wooden floors. Her sister looked broken. That same denim skirt was clutched tightly within her hand, her face streaked with tears. Her hair had started to grow out a little, falling over her forehead and into her eyes. She stared at their father in pain. Miyeon felt her little heart racing.

"No!" she cried. This wasn't right. How could they toss her aside like this? "No, appa! Jisung can't go. You can't make him!" She hurried toward her side, arms wounding around her sister's waist. She buried her face into her shirt, begging her not to go. "Please. Please, don't go. Please don't leave me."

"Miyeon," their mother's shaky voice spoke up. "Miyeon, let him go, baby."

"No!"

Tears began to pelt down her face. Her grip tightened. Jisung looked down at her little sister. A soft touch brought the little girl's head out of her sister's shirt. "It's okay, Mimi," she whispered. "Listen to Eomma."

The anger on their father's face would be forever ingrained in her mind. Her sister was so calm despite the change. Despite the fact her parents had given up on her over something she couldn't control. With one last pat to the head, Jisung left. Miyeon watched as she walked down the driveway and out of sight from the front window. She cried for her sister to come back, for her parents to stop.

That night changed her life completely. She only hopes that it's for the better.

rumi says . . .

surprise !!

ik its been a while. i am SO sorry.
i promise i'm trying. things are
just so crazy for me right now.

in case u don't know, i have moved
in with my boyfie. we've been living
together for two months now and life
is just so much better with him. i am
also in the process of getting my driver's
license, buying a car, and finding a new
job. so its all just hectic as hell right now,
along with a seven year old in school lol

ive been so busy that every time i sit to
write, i get five words done and i'm burnt
out.

but we are here. we've finally got another
chapter and a little background for ms
miyeon !! we're introducing her older
sister a bit.

did you guys like the chapter ?
what was your favorite part ?

thank you for reading!
feedback is greatly appreciated!