Lethal

Chapter Twenty-Three.

We continued talking, covering an array of topics from family, to relationships, but we mostly stayed on theme and discussed our art forms and what they contributed to our lives. Regardless of if we were being filmed or not, it was nice to talk with a person who I considered a friend.

I was starting to feel like a functional human being; at least when I was around other people. Though the stray thought about Jibri couldn't be helped. It was the middle of our third week apart and I still cried myself to sleep every night and was still woken up with a delivery of fresh flowers; except for the first day of the present week. I'd felt deflated when I opened the door and no bouquet was waiting for me, though the next day there were two, I assumed that there was a mistake at the flower shop. His notes made me feel better, they'd graduated from apologies to affirmations that put a smile on my face.

When the interview wrapped, I said my goodbyes and headed back to my apartment. I hadn't had a drink since my would-be intervention; instead I'd taken up a different form of stress relief. After heading home, I quickly changed into some workout gear and decided to test out my newest investment.

In the corner of my living room, I'd set up a punching bag to blow off some steam. I'd spent all of one day at the gym with my sister before determining that I would get much more out of the exercise if I was alone. At the gym, I was too preoccupied with my form or people looking at me. On the other hand, when I was at home I could release all of my emotions without the fear of being judged. Carefully, I wrapped my hands following a YouTube tutorial and then started punching.

It felt good to hit something, to expel all of the negative energy that had clouded my judgement for too long. I'd been through all of the stages of grief- except acceptance. As my fists connected with the bag, I felt like I found the answer to my problems. I punched and kicked and screamed all of my sadness out until I was too exhausted to do anything else.

I could hear my phone ringing from its place on my couch and I contemplated letting it go to voicemail. When I noticed that it was an unknown number, I decided to answer in case it was work related.

"Hello?" I answered.

The voice on the other end sounded vaguely familiar. "Hi Zana, it's me."

"Hi, me. I'm sorry but I'm gonna need a name." I told the person as I wiped my face free of sweat.

The person giggled uneasily. "It's Raquel, uh Jibri's sister?"

"Oh! Hey! I'm so sorry, my mind spaced trying to place your voice." I put her on speaker as I headed to the kitchen. "What can I do for you Raquel?"

She seemed nervous when she spoke, "I was just wondering if your prom dress offer still stood... after y'know..." I'd been so wrapped up in my feelings that it has completely slipped my mind.

"Of course babe, my promise to you has nothing to do with your brother and I." I chuckled, "I'm going to send you a few pictures and we can start figuring out which style you're most comfortable with, then we can go to a few places whenever you're free."

Raquel sighed, "Thank you for doing this, especially after everything."

"No worries babe, word is bond. You had nothing to worry about." I replied earnestly. "Call me if you have any questions."

"I will, thanks again Zana." She responded, preparing to end the call.

I bit my lip and groaned, "Wait! Raquel, how is he?" My masochism knew no bounds when it came to Jibri.

"He's... I don't know if it will help you to know that Zana." Her voice grew softer, "And he's my brother, I wouldn't feel comfortable discussing his current mental state like that."