Hazel and I went on talking for a long while about nothing in particular. I learned that she loves animals (with a few exceptions like most monkeys and the range of dogs epitomized by a Chihuahua), she has never had chocolate because of her chitin allergy (which I found extremely gross and funny, considering what she said when she explained that chitin wasn't in chocolate naturally, any why it was in most commercial chocolate products), she hates the cold, she gets panic attacks on occasion when she in a tight or artificially lit place (yes, she told me, like the Night School), she has a very bad fear of needles, Megan has to physically force her into a dress for special occasions (but has stopped and allowed Hazel to wear suits after an incident with a perverted twelve year old boy trying to sneak up her dress at Megan's boyfriend's mom's wedding- and the kid somehow ended up running away screaming when Hazel pulled a knife. She justified it by saying that she was still to early out of the Academy to consider that the boy was just a twelve year old probably just barely entering puberty- who was being an asshole pervert, but was a twelve year old. I frowned and took a breath to go on an agism rant, but I couldn't disagree with Hazel because she was trying to make my point. If a kid tries to crawl up your dress, age and sex aren't excuses.), and that she absolutely loves scented candles.
Apparently, Megan had taken her out to a Yankee Candle department store -owned by a friend who'd let the ex-Acedemy agent roam the store on a day where the building was closed and no one would see her- or something for their first birthday together since Hazel started siding with Alexa, and Hazel, brainwashed and unstable from the Academy, had found some kind of peace of mind with the fires and the different scents. Made sense to me, considering how sharp Hazel's sense of smell seemed to be.
What I found heart wrenchingly cute and altogether overwhelming was that she also said that she associated some of her prior foundations of emotion with different scented candles. She remembered that she'd assigned all that she felt towards Alexa to a candle that was supposedly a limited time product and had long since vanished from existence. And Hazel told me that Megan was jasmine. She thought that jasmine was what Megan's personality reminded her of, and she loved the scent. She also said that Megan didn't know about this ritual, and still has no idea of it today. Which translated to: oh my god, Hazel told me something even Megan doesn't know!
Anyway, we'd ended up relocating to the living room after I realized that if my parents showed up and we were alone in the bedroom, they'd get a bad idea when I told them that Hazel was now my girlfriend. We were sitting on the comfy three person couch, Hazel curled up with her head on my lap; me pretending to watch The Lion King 1 1/2, while Hazel didn't object to me playing with
her silken hair. I think she fell asleep, considering how quiet she was, and her eyes were closed. She even let me touch her face and shoulder without so much as flinching. She actually only moved to breathe, make a sleepy noise that was just as cute or more cute than a room full of kittens (okay, nothing is cuter than the kittens. But Hazel was right up there), or to try to move closer to me.
She was just too much for me. How did the woman who dislocated my friend's arm, told me to leave her alone, and claimed on many occasions that her kisses were without emotion- how did the same woman end up sleeping beside me, in my home, in my heart? I wonder if I would be able to get over her if she left me right now. Maybe I could survive.
Watching her peaceful figure, I could only remind myself over and over what a beautiful creature she was. A tattered, broken, crippled creature with such a person unlike any other. And she was beautiful. And I felt the abyss of my emotions draw closer and closer like a looming high tide.
It occurred to me that she'd physically attacked some of my friends, and verbally attacked others, but I couldn't remember a time when she'd been purposefully mean to me. Sure, she'd pinned me to a few walls but that was because Hazel was a very jealous sort of being. From the start, she said she didn't want me as an enemy- she just didn't know how to say so nicely. And I found it hard to believe that she ever hated me because I'd been furious and frustrated and hurt by her, but never really hated her. The line between my feelings for Hazel, and feelings synonymous to hatred for Hazel, was always unclear- but how could I really hate her? Asleep and relaxed, she looked like perfection. And I couldn't imagine having the audacity to hate the beautiful woman- not after all I've learned about her.
I touched the tip of my thumb to the corner of her lips very lightly, and she smiled in her sleep.
"What am I going to do with you?" I barely made any sound when I spoke- I didn't want her to wake. When she was awake, she was confusing. I realized that there was no in-between with Hazel- it was easy, or hard; yes, no; hot, cold; falling in or falling out. I guess it was almost funny how such a black-or-white personality was so utterly impossible to figure out. But, maybe it was the opposite for her. Maybe she wanted binary- yes or no. Maybe she wanted an equation. I guess it could make sense.
"Grace?!" I jumped -nearly tossing Hazel onto the floor- when Sawyer's loud voice barged into the house.
Hazel sat up, fully awake, and shouted something in some foreign language that I only caught one word of- the word I recognized being Megan's name.
"What?!" Sawyer shouted again.
"Indoor voice, moron!" I shouted back at him.
"Kids! Argue quieter!" My mom's voice was added. "Grace?! Where are you?!"
"Living room." I rolled my eyes. Hazel sighed and the atmosphere around her shifted a little.
"You said you wanted us to have a family dinner? Oh- hello sweetie, you're... You have a twin sister... So you're... Starts with an M..." My mom kept thinking.
"Hazel. My sister's the M name." Hazel smiled. Admittedly, I found it slightly disturbing but kind of a relief.
"Of course, I'm sorry. Maggie, was it?"
"Megan." Hazel chuckled. She didn't quite act like Megan, there was definitely something more... Cunning about her, but it wasn't as apparent as it usually was.
"Right." My mom nodded. "So, Gracie, what's up?"
"Well, I wanted to have dinner as a family and introduce Hazel..." I took a deep breath. "As my girlfriend?" Why was it a question? And was it healthy for my heart to try and break my ribcage?
"Really? Looks like your father owes me a shopping trip." She smirked and pat my head.
"Wait- she got a girlfriend?!" Sawyer literally appeared out of nowhere. "I'll go get the baby pictures!" And then he was gone.
"Sawyer, I will feed you to cannibals!" I screamed after him.
"I'd taste like laziness!" He snickered from the stairs.
"I don't know how you two manage to get girlfriends." My mom shook her head.
"Neither do I." Hazel snorted with a smirk.
"I like this girl. She's funny." My mom laughed at me.
"I'm laughing." I grumbled sarcastically. Hazel giggled. Why isn't the woman living in Hollywood right now?
"So, Hazel, how long have you two been dating without telling us?" My mom mused as she made her way to the attached kitchen and started going through the grocery bags I hadn't seen her bring in.
"A week or so." Hazel wasn't totally lying. She just made it sound less abrupt than the fact that we'd a) never actually been on a date, and b) made us official only this morning- wait really? No... Maybe it was yesterday... Nope it was this morning. Jeez. The whole kiss n' run thing Hazel had going for her really made it seem like we'd been a thing for a while.
"Oh, well that's not too bad. Have you two talked to Hazel's parents, or just me and, soon, Grace's father?"
"My parents died a while ago, Ms. Daniels." Hazel pursed her lips. Is it just me, or was Hazel letting on that she was acting? If you knew what for and where to look, you could see that her formulaic behavior was struggling to find the right ways to keep up her charade and still accomplish whatever she wanted to happen.
"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie..." My mom frowned.
"You and your daughter are a lot alike. You share that expression." Hazel mused. Hm. Did I really look like that? My mom looked very saddened and piteous. It made me want to protect Hazel from the pity. "And my parents died well before I was able to remember them, so I guess it's less of an impact." She shrugged.
"That's too bad. And of you ever need a mom, I'm always here." My mom smiled at Hazel like she was a lost puppy.
"Thank you, Ms. Daniels." My girlfriend nodded.
"Don't mention it. Hm, I didn't mean to make everything sad; Hazel, sweetie, how old are you?"
"Nearly fourteen." Hazel tilted her head a bit. My mom blinked.
"You're thirteen?" Hazel nodded in confirmation. "You seem so much older. How did you two meet? I believe you told me you're in Grace's grade, but you've got to be in middle school at thirteen."
"I am in Grace's grade." Hazel was faltering again, her guise was nearly cracking enough to see the mask. "I was brought up a grade or two."
"You must be very smart then. What kind of classes are you taking?"
"A.P. Calculus and A.P. Chemistry, honors world history, English one, and I take independent courses after school." Hazel listed. My mom tried to hide her shock.
"Wow. Well, I'm going to make dinner, expect your father in about an hour so dinner will be then. Any allergies, Hazel?"
"Chitin." Hazel gave me a look when I giggled.
**A/N: so Ima make this a two part ordeal so here's the first half of parents meet Hazel.