✍🏻 Little Matchmaker

30 - Misunderstood

"Yeah," he said and returned to his game, "he had a tough life."

"You don't kill people because you had a tough life!!!!!" Sophie exclaimed, "If somebody kills people they are just assholes!! There is no justification for that!!"

"But he found out he was adopted!!!"

"AND??!!"

She heard her son growl in the backseat and could not believe he was trying to justify somebody murdering innocent people.
After a few deep breaths, she calmed down and chose not to pursue that topic any longer. At least not so early in the morning.

****

As expected, Akira seemed down when she picked him up from school but promised that the reaction wasn't as bad as they feared. Apparently, there were some good comments too and he tried to focus on that, sticking to her advice that it will soon go away.
The upcoming practice was cheering him up and Sophie was glad that she can at least resume her yoga exercise, disappearing into the gym the moment she entered TCC.
Seeing Yuzuru always sent thousands of little needles jabbing at her chest and she wanted to reduce her contact with him to the bare minimum. And hiding in the gym for Akira's practice session seemed like a good plan. At least until her anger and disappointment over him subsides. Until she gets over the fact that he is no longer her friend.

At least the dinner has improved that night as Akira was chattier and though Nari didn't say much or just growled a response here and there, she did not rush with eating her portion anymore.
When done, Nari went to her room and Sophie helped her son with his homework, assisting him more than she should so they are finished faster and he can go to bed. He was already yawning at the end of it so after agreeing he will take the shower in the morning she tucked him to bed and went to the kitchen.

Sophie stared at her wine selection, wondering which kind would Nari like. After some time, she reached for the one she herself liked the most thinking that the last thing she should concern herself with was what the woman who hit her son would like to drink.
Trying to ignore the uncomfortable feeling of hypocrisy that was growing in her chest. She took two glasses from the cupboard and a moment later found herself knocking on Nari's door.
This time her answer came with a sigh instead of a growl, genuine surprise over the girl's face when she saw the wine and two glasses.

"I hope red is alright?" Sophie asked and sat down on the bed, pulling her legs up.

"Um, yeah..." Nari answered, taking the glass from her, "I, um, prefer red in winter."

"Me too."

Sophie poured the dark amber liquid for both of them and silence filled the room. They sipped on the wine, Sophie staring into her glass and Nari darting with her eyes around as if trying to come up with something to say.
She wondered if the girl is thinking about how to politely kick her out from her own room and realized that what she wanted to tell Nari was becoming much harder than she initially expected. A lump start to form in her throat and she downed it with the content of the glass, immediately pouring herself another one.

"Um," Nari finally broke the awkward silence, "you okay, miss?"

"Call me Sophie," she answered but stayed quiet again for a while before taking a deep breath, "I.... I almost hit my husband once."

"Huh?!"

Sophie nearly choked on her own words, for the first time saying it out loud to anyone but knowing very well the girl would never open up to her if she wouldn't do the first step. And so she downed the second glass as well and refilled it once more.

At least this thing Jesus did right.

She thought with a small smirk and stretched herself on the bed, sitting against the backboard of it and still hypnotizing her glass, "he stopped me," she said slowly and took a small sip, "but I did raise my hand against him with the full intent of smacking him hard. The sad thing is, I considered it normal as well. After all, I was angry at him at that moment, eight months pregnant and I felt every emotion with way more intensity than ever before. So what do you do when somebody angers you beyond belief? You slap them, no? To make them quiet. To show you are the one in control."