Thug Like You

Chapter 33: Love is.....

"None o' that now baby. I just wanna know you okay and taking care o' yaself. I'm busy at the house or work a lot so I know we wasn't able to get together or do nothin as a family. But never forget where ya home is. Cuz ima always have ma arms open for you. We might not be blood, but you my family okay. And I'm yours, don't never forget that." Katalina tells him as she wraps her arms around him and blinks away her tears.

Ares squeezes his eyes shut as they burned with unshed tears, his aunts words hitting him hard as she held him.

And as they pulled back, he let out a small sniffle, covering it up as he cleared his throat and looked at her through glossy eyes.

"I won't..." he answered her, shoving his thumbs into his jeans pockets. She hums.

"Alright good. Now ima make sure your allowance checks start mailing to you and update everything in the system alright. If you need nothin..." she spoke to him as they walked to the door, spinning around as she got outside. "You know my number..... I'll see you, okay?" She finishes. Ares nods and she smiles, waving as she walks away.

"Assiana how you feelin hunny? Good enough to go to school today?" Assiana hears and her eyes crack open to see her mom.

Letting out a sigh, she sits up, looking around before shrugging.

"Yah, I...... im feeling ok I guess" she , giving her mom a small smile.

Katalina returns it, allowing the smile to hide the worry that grew inside her as she looked at her daughter.

She didn't know how to ask and if she even should.

Should I wait for her to talk to me? She wondered. She wasn't sure if she was sick or not but understood she definitely wasn't feeling well or like herself.

"Alright sweetie. I put some money on your side table for Starbucks or breakfast before you get to school. Grab it before you leave. I'm heading out now okay?"

"Thanks mom. Uh... wait uhm.... Have.... Have you heard from Ares?" She asks. Katalina raises a brow at the question.

"You don't know? He moved out Assi. Got his new place and everything last week" she tells her.

Assiana feels her chest tighten at the news, feeling intentionally blind sided. But they were fine before he left. Maybe he just forgot to tell her?

Or maybe it's a surprise?

Mmm.....

"Oh wow, I completely forgot. Ha it just slipped my mind" she lets out a small laugh to sell her little lie and Katalina decided to leave it be.

Katalina leaves her to get ready for school and she goes to work. Assiana gets out of bed slowly and drags herself over to her bathroom to shower. When she's done she brushes her teeth and washes her face before drying off.

Throwing on an outfit that covered her completely and seemed boring enough to allow her to go unnoticed, she decides that's enough and grabs her things to leave.

Once she'd made it to school, she slipped through the halls, avoiding the other students like the plague as she beelined it for her classes.

And even when lunch came around and she knew some of her friends had seen her and awaited her presence outside at their usual spot, she still couldn't find it in her to join them. She looked down at her feet as she walked past them, hoping they wouldn't see her.

But of course they did.

Unbeknownst to her though, they decided to leave her be, not sure if she was still sick or if she'd just not seen them.