I stand in the middle of the street in confusion. I don't remember coming home and going to bed. So how am I here?
"Violet," I hear a deep voice say, and when I focus my attention behind me, I see Taehyung standing there, hands in his pockets.
I frown. "Taehyung. Why am I here? I don't remember what happened."
"You fainted," he says, shrugging.
I groan in annoyance and sit down in the road. "Fantastic. They'll never let me come to work tomorrow now."
Taehyung sighs and sits down in front of me. "Isn't that a good thing? You need rest."
"You're inside my mind. You know my situation and you should know why I can't do that."
"Life is funny that way," he muses. "It seems the people with the best intentions get handed the worst situations to weather."
"I wish I could just stay here," I confess, pulling my knees to my chest. "Nobody relies on me here."
Taehyung smiles. "I'll see you later, Violet."
My eyes pop open and I'm met with a very worried-looking Jin looking down at me. My head is resting in his lap and his hands are on either side of my face.
"Hey," he says, sighing in relief. "You passed out."
I blink a few times to make the blurriness in my vision go away, and then I sit up, rubbing my temples with my fingers.
"I'm okay," I assure him as he helps me get up and then sit down in a chair.
"You're burning up," he says, taking my hands in his as he kneels down in front of me. "I am begging you. Please take tomorrow off. You will end up in the hospital if you don't slow down. You don't want even more bills piling up, do you?"
I shake my head slowly, afraid if I move too fast, I'll pass out again.
"Give me your phone," he says and I frown in confusion. "Please."
"Why?" I ask cautiously as I pull my phone out of my jacket pocket.
"You're sick, Violet. What if it's contagious? You could spread it to your father and I'm sure his body couldn't handle getting even sicker, right?"
My heart skips a beat when I realize how careless I've been. What if I do get him sick?
"What should I do?" I ask, wringing my hands together in worry.
"I'm going to call your house and tell them you're staying with me until you're better," Jin says as he snatches my phone out of my hand.
"Wait, no," I exclaim, standing up as Jin moves out of my reach. "I can't leave my father alone with my step mother. What if she doesn't feed him?"
"I'll call and have food delivered there," he says. "And doesn't she feed him breakfast and lunch while you're at work?"
"Barely," I say, rolling my eyes. "She gives him toast for breakfast and a sandwich for lunch. The only decent meal he gets is when I cook for him. Jin, I can't just leave him."
"I'll check on him then," he says, reaching out to hold onto my arm when I feel myself getting a bit dizzy. "This isn't a request, Violet. I have more than enough room in my apartment for you. This is to keep your dad safe from getting sicker, okay?"
I sit back down in the chair as he leaves the room to make the phone call, and I rest my head in my hands. My heart feels so broken in my chest; I feel like I'm trying so hard but it's still all crumbling around me. I'm failing my father just as my birth mother failed him.
"Okay," Jin says as he comes back into the room, twirling his keys around his finger as he hands my phone back to me. "We're gonna stop by your house and get some things for you to rest comfortably. I've talked to our boss and he's completely fine with you taking a few days off; he said take as long as you need and he'll find someone to cover for you."
"I don't need any time off," I say quietly, standing up and following him out of the restaurant towards his car.
"Good thing you have no choice on the matter," Jin says, smiling as he opens the passenger door for me. After I get in, he gets in on the driver's side and heads toward my house.
"You can take tomorrow off, and I'll see how you look and feel after then," he explains as he focuses on the road. "If you still look like this, you're taking another day off."
"I have bills, Jin," I say, desperation in my voice. "Medications. I can't just take time off work when my father needs me to pay for the things keeping him alive."
"Nobody in that house is taking care of you. You're not even taking care of yourself. So, I'll do it. I'm stepping up to tell you what YOU need right now, Violet, and you need a break," Jin says in a calm tone. "All I'm asking for is a few days. Your father will still be taken care of. I'll make sure of it. All you need to focus on for the next few days is getting well again."
I look out the window, watching the buildings rush by. My heart hurts thinking of my father being without me for a few days. I can't stand the thought of him thinking I abandoned him like my birth mother did. I do have to admit that I'm feeling worse and worse every day, and I know if I'm not more careful, I will end up in the hospital. That will just be more bills I need to pay, and the hospital won't be so willing to let me go back to work as quickly as Jin would let me.
I sigh. I realize I have no choice. I'm being forced to take a break from my hell of a life for a few days.
I feel so selfish for being excited about leaving that house.
