Perfect Storm

10.

"The pizza here is amazing" David sounded eating. I knew  Joy told him what happened and he'd been trying to avoid the subject ever since. And I haven't said a word since that chick left my place.

"You're going to apologize to Anastasia" Joy finally said after taking a long drink from her cup.

"I don't apologize" I brushed it off.

"I don't think I asked you that" she looked at me. I shook my head.

"I don't see what I did wrong. You raised me to say what I felt was right and defend myself-" but she quickly interrupted me. Something I'd done countless times to her.

"I never taught you to insult other people because you don't like what they have to say!" She yelled. I looked over when David groaned annoyed but Joy never took her eyes off of me as Mali got up and carried her plate up to her room.

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was, for me to have to apologize as many times as I did because my son doesn't know how to act?!" She continued her rant.

"And her kid does?! You're sitting here blaming me for something I didn't even start! You didn't hear or see anything! You came in when we stopped talking!" I hollered at her. She grabbed me by my arm and yanked me to her.

"You have one more time to get an attitude with me, do you understand?" She growled. I snatched my arm away glowering at her and stood up leaving the table heading up to my room without a word. I should've known she wasn't going to listen. She never did. I shut my door behind me making sure to lock it and lay on my bed calling the one person I knew would understand.

"Hello?" She answered after 2 rings.

"Zaria, give Zzumi the phone" I demanded. Zaria is Zzumi's little sister. Zzumi's older than her by 11 years.

"Hi, Calum" she giggled into the phone. I sighed rubbing my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose. I had to have patience sometimes when it came to Zaria, She's only seven and she's a really curious kid. And, she  really liked to talk to me.

"Hi Zaria" I tried to dial down my anger but it was incredibly hard. She started to say something else when Zzumi started yelling at her in Japenese for a few seconds before answering me.

"Hello?" She chirped back up.

"I needed a distraction" I said.

"Wow, down boy. I can hear the steam in your voice. What's going on?" She asked.

"I haven't even been here a full day and Joy's already jumping down my throat about what I said to some stupid girl that was the daughter of her friend like i'm supposed to care. She didn't even hear the full conversation and she just immediately jumped to the conclusion that I fucking started it! Then she wonders why I have so many problems with her! She just jumps to conclusions and it pisses me off. I didn't even-" but she cut off my rage.

"What have I told you to do when you get like this?" Her soothing voice asked.

"Breathing tricks aren't going to help me, Z" I spat.

"Just do it, Hood" she said impatiently and ignoring me.

"I swear you act more like a girl than I do sometimes" she added. I rolled my eyes and did so and just like always, she was right.

"Happy?" I mumbled.

"What is this about a girl?" She ignored my question.

"She's Joy's co-worker/ friend's daughter" I informed her.

"Ooh that sucks, they're friends? That means she'll be over a lot huh?" She said.

"That's besides the point" I said stubbornly.

"Kind of, but what if your mom randomly turned gay, left your dad and married her, then she'd be your stepmother, and the girl you're telling me about would be your step sister, then you'd have to live together" She told me. I rolled my eyes. As much as I love Zummi, sometimes, she can be the weirdest person ever. 8 times out of 10, if you tell her something she'll come up with an insane scenario for it. And right now was not the time.

"You know what, never mind. I'll figure it out myself" I said lowering the phone from my ear prepared to hang up.

"No, no, wait, I'll help, I'm sorry" her voice sounded after she finished laughing. I groaned holding the phone up to my ear again.

"Look, why don't you just talk to the girl?" She sighed.

"Why the hell would I want to talk to her? She's not worth my words" I said laying back in my bed.

"Calum, I want you to take this as personal as possible: you are such a baby. Give her a chance" she told me simply.

"I can't give her a chance. I hate her, and I don't even know her name" I growled.

"You are so dramatic, you only had one conversation with her" She said to me.

"And that's one too many" I said.

"Look, all I'm saying is: maybe you're wrong on this one. You thought the same thing about me and we turned out pretty alright didn't we?" she asked.

"Yeah but that's different" I told her.

"How so?" She asked amused. I waited for something to come to me but nothing. I laughed pinching the bridge of my nose lightly.

"Why are you always right?" I smirked. She chuckled.

"It's a woman thing" she told me. I sighed laughing too this time.

"Zzumi Keng Liwah, you are kind of amazing" I smirked.

"You're not too bad yourself, Calum Thomas Hood" she teased.

"When will you stop playing hard to get and let me make you mine again?" I asked her earning a laugh.

"Don't hold your breath, darling" she said.

"But at least if I did you would come and rescue me" I said playfully. She chuckled.

"You're crazy" she laughed.

"Only for you" I said feeling quite clever.

"Shut up, and even if I did choose to date you, I don't think that Zaria would appreciate it all that much" she teased making me laugh. Zaria has had a huge crush on me for a few months now and Zzumi thought it as hilarious.

"I'm sure she won't mind" I played along.

"I don't know, just the other day I saw her write Zaria Chi Tao Hood on her pencil box yesterday" she told me. I smirked.

"Aw, she's cute" I grinned.

"Bye, remember what I told you" Zummi said.

"I love you" I told her.

"I know" she teased. Then she hung up and  I laughed putting my phone down.