The Radiant Reira

20. A Kiss Hello

A few days have passed since Reira said those four words to him. "Love?" he thought, he immediately blushed when she said the phrase, he told her that he loved her too. Orion truly meant it. He never thought that a girl like her could love him. He never thought that he could love a girl like her.

As for his mother, after the stress of everything that had happened, speaking to lawyers, and having to witness her son experience a traumatic event, Diane Michaels was heartbroken. She saw real, raw pain that both her and her husband inflicted on their son. It was difficult to notice their impact on Orion emotionally, but to see it take a physical form... It made her feel extreme guilt. Despite Orion's forgiveness towards her, she felt as though she already failed him.

"I'm sorry," said Diane.

Her and Orion were in the kitchen, he was confused as to why she was apologizing. "Mom, I already told you it's not your fault."

He didn't like that his mother continuously apologized, she was already showing that she was sorry through action. He already knew she was trying her best to fix her wrong doings.

"I may not have thrown the punch son, but I enabled a lot of things." Guilt and regret took over, "You know that when a child is trying to communicate, a parent should never push their kid away." She looked down.

He was silent, not knowing what to say.

"I mean you were right, I constantly disrespected you... and that was the first time you ever raised your voice at me. I deserved that... " She sighed, "Orion, you yelling at me is what caused me to rethink everything, it's pathetic."

He still didn't know what to say.

The real factor that contributed to Diane's re-evaluation of her marriage and parenting was Orion yelling at her. "You're just such a strong kid, I don't know how you deal with parents like us." She shook her head.

So did he, "Mom I swear it's okay."

"No." Her voice got high, "I should've been a good parent and shown respect towards you and myself, and most importantly, our relationship."

"You're making up for it and that's what matters... So please, don't overthink this." He sighed, "Our relationship will continue to improve as long as you and I keep up what we've been doing for the past few weeks. Cause what you've been doing so far has really shown me that you're trying your best and I thank you for that Mom. Seriously." He gave her a faint, but sincere smile.

There will always be a scar left on Orion, and there will always be that underlying resentment towards his parents. But he knew that time was moving forward, and that he also had a lot to look forward to. As for Diane, she's making up for her past mistakes. Day by day, doing her best to improve as a parent... and as a person.

...

As for Reira Rennell, she managed to stay strong during the tough move of her life. Struggling with grief and dealing with the lack of acceptance from her peers, she pushed through and focused on her future. She passed sophomore year with a 4.0 GPA in both schools, and began saving money by working a part-time job. As time went by, Reira began to communicate with her father about grief, how she's truly dealt with the death of her brother, the lack of acceptance from others, and the difficulty of the move. Asking for help took her to a better direction and the real healing process began.

...

It was time for their second date, and the pair chose to take a trip outside of town to see the bigger city. It was glamorous, filled with city lights and a diverse group of people, it was different.