***
ONE MONTH LATER.
HENDIA'S POV
This past month has been a long and painful one. It's been a month since I was shot and had surgery. I haven't done anything or moved around much this whole month. I will say that I have been with my lover, who has helped me throughout this whole painful experience.
I've finally fully recovered from everything, and I went to my last doctor's appointment yesterday. Being that I was going through all of this, I haven't been able to look for a job or do anything productive with my life. I also haven't heard anything from that stalker guy this past month. But I'm sure sooner or later he'll figure out I'm alive and try murdering me again.
Anyways, Geo's twenty fifth birthday is next Saturday and being that he was there for me this whole month, I think he deserves something big. His family and I have decided to throw him a huge surprise party. I know Geo loves his public parties so of course there will be numerous guests there.
It's currently three in the afternoon and I'm waiting for Nolan to come get me. We were going outfit shopping and party supply shopping. I'm a bit scared though because Geo's dad and his stepmom agreed to help so they are coming with us today.
I know that I've seen them both that one time Gigi and I hung out, but I've never actually spoken to or had an actual conversation with them. Today I will be spending a whole day with them so it should be fun.
We would have gone sooner, but I was still trying to get back to my old self plus, Geo is out of town for this weekend with his cousins from South Korea. Apparently, he hasn't seen them in years, and they decided to take him out on a surprise trip for the weekend.
***
"Bitch I'm here!" I heard Nolan yell as he slammed my door, making me jump at the loud sound. I headed downstairs to see him and he ran over to me before giving me a hug. "I haven't seen you in so long! I've missed you." Nolan said to me. I pushed him back before punching him in the arm. "Never slam my door that hard again." I said, making him laugh.
"Sorry bitch." Nolan said and I grabbed all my stuff before walking over to the door. "Are you scared to meet his parents?" Nolan asked as I locked the door. "Terrified." I replied, walking over to Ryder's car before getting in.
***
"I've never ate from a mall's food court, but this is so good." Ryder said as he chowed down on his burger and fries. "You've never eaten at a mall's food court? How bougie can you be?" Nolan said, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "Don't judge me." Ryder laughed at Nolan's smart remark.
"You guys are too cute together. What do you guys have planned to wear to the party?" I asked, changing the subject from the rich eating food court food. "I don't know, but this is going to be a huge party, so I have to find something amazing to wear." Nolan said and Ryder gave him a death glare.
Ryder: "Why are you trying to look good for other people?"
Nolan: "I'm not! I just want to slay."
Ryder: "Yeah right. Let me catch you talking to some random guys, I'll murder you both."
Nolan made a growling sound as he smiled at Ryder. "Brutal. I like it." Nolan said, giving Ryder a kiss, which made me laugh. I loved seeing Nolan happy with Ryder, it made me feel amazing knowing that my best friend was finally getting treated like the king he is.
"Hendia my question to you is, how do you expect to keep Geo out of the house all day?" Ryder asked, taking another bite of his burger. "I have a list of activities that we're going to do for the day. We will definitely be occupied the whole day." I replied to Ryder.
"Are you paying?" Nolan asked. "Of course. It's my treat to him for his birthday." I said, thinking of all the fun him and I were going to have. "Good luck getting Geo to let you pay. He hates when women spend money on men." Ryder said and that sounded exactly like Geo. "I know, but I'll figure it out." I shrugged my shoulders.
"I hope you go all out for my birthday!" Ryder said looking over at Nolan. "If you want to have a party, that's on you, but we're going somewhere alone." Nolan whispered, smirking at Ryder, giving me an idea of what he meant. "Oh baby I don't think you're ready for that again." Ryder said, causing my eyes to grow widely. Again?
Me: "You two had sex?"
Ryder: "Yeah, a few weeks ago and it was so funny."
Me: "Spill the dirty details."
Nolan: "Ryder please don't."
Ryder: "Why not? It's funny."
Nolan: "No it is not!"
Ryder: "My dad walked in on us, and he had to meet him after that. It was so awkward talking to him after that."
Me: "Your dad walked in? What did he say?"
Ryder: "The look on his face was priceless! I guess it's because we're two guys and he's never seen two guys before doing that."
Me: "Or maybe it's because you're his son?"
"No one told him to just walk into my house. There's a doorbell for a reason." Ryder went off. "I have no other words." I replied, trying to process what I'd just been told. "Hendia!" I then heard someone said and I turned to see Gigi holding hands with Trent. I stood up before greeting them both with a hug. Gigi had the biggest smile on her face and it kind of creeped me out.
Me: "You seem very happy today?"
Trent: "She's had two large Starbucks coffees and lots of sugar cookies."
Gigi: "One and a half!"
Trent: "Yeah because you stole mine!"
Gigi: "Whatever! Hi Nolan, hey Ryder."
Gigi gave them both a hug before walking back over to Trent. "I just have to ask, are you two dating?" Trent asked staring at Nolan and Ryder. "Yes, we are." Ryder replied aggressively. "I didn't mean anything by that question. I was just curious." Trent defended himself. Ryder slowly nodded his head, looking Trent up and down. Nolan pushed his shoulder before shaking his head at him.
"Gigi!" I heard someone yell I turned to see her dad and stepmom walking towards us. When they made it over to Gigi, her dad punched her arm softly. "Don't slam my damn door like that ever again." He said, causing her let out a sigh of relief.
Gigi: "I thought you were about to come bash my head into this table or something."
"Scared your ass, didn't I?" He asked her and she nodded her head really fast. He then looked over to me and he smiled. He gave me a hug before pulling away.
Me: "Well it's nice to meet you too, Mr. Maxwell."
"Please don't call me that. Gi or Mr. Gi is fine." He told me and I couldn't help to smile at his very unique nice.
Me: "Okay Mr. Gi.."
Mr. Gi: "This is my wife, Mindy."
Mindy was absolutely stunning. She was a Hispanic woman with beautiful brown eyes and flawless skin. I looked her up and down, admiring her beauty. "You are too cute." She complimented me, making me blush. Gosh why was I blushing over my boyfriend's mom.
Me: "Funny thing is I was just thinking the same about you."
Mindy: "Awe, thank you so much sweetie."
Mr. Gi stared at me for a moment before letting out a laugh. "You look so much like your mother from when she was your age." Mr. Gi said, making me smile. "Thank you so much." I thanked him.
Mindy: "So what are we here for?"
Me: "You guys didn't have to come here. We're just here to get our outfits."
"Oh. Gigi, do you need something to wear?" Mindy asked, turning to Gigi who was overly hyper. "Yes!" Gigi replied. Me, Gigi, and Mindy then split off from the boys before we made our way around the mall. I couldn't find anything until my eyes fell on this off-white puffer jacket. I hurried over to it, searching for my size.
Gigi: ''You should totally get that.''
Me: ''Oh I am thinking really hard about it.''
Mindy: '"That color would look amazing on you."
"In that case. Let's go over to the check out.'' I laughed, heading to make my purchase. Mindy walked over to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. "I know this is very random, but I want you to know that I am very sorry about what happened to you recently." She said, rubbing my back in circles.
"Don't be sorry it's like you know who did it." I replied. "Do you have any idea who would want to hurt you?" She asked and I looked over to her. "If I had to point fingers, my middle finger would be pointed at Derek." She rolled her eyes before paying for Gigi's outfit.
"Derek is such a fucking prick. The guy gets his own businesses and starts treating everybody like shit. He needs to remember that he wouldn't have anything if it weren't for Gi!" Mindy snapped and she sounded as if she was upset. " Please tell me you don't still work there." I instantly shook my head, letting Mindy know I did not.
"I quit a month ago. He slapped me and I kind of punched him." I said, making both Mindy and Gigi laugh. "You punched Derek? I wish I could've saw that." Gigi said, rolling her eyes. "That would have been the highlight of my day." Mindy said, making me laugh.
"Have you found anything new as a job?" Mindy asked and I shook my head in disappointment. "Well, what are you looking for?" Mindy asked and it made me happy that she actually wanted to hear. "I've always had a passion for cooking since I was a kid. Never looked into any other career besides being a chef." I replied, making her smile.
Mindy: ''I see. I believe that I have a few people I could talk to about you. If not, I will see if I have a spot open at my place.''
"You have your own restaurant?'' I asked confusedly. In fact, it is two blocks away from the Lipthion." Mindy replied and I was completely because I knew nothing of this.
Me: "I know exactly what restaurant you're talking about. It's such a beautiful place. I've tried working there once before, but it didn't work out so well for me.''
Mindy: ''Are you serious?''
Me: ''Yeah. I was pretty hurt, but I got over it when I got the job at the Lipthion."
Mindy: ''The workers I had from three years ago were terrible. They were all snobby teenagers who only wanted to drink and smoke on the job.''
Me: ''Now that I think about it, they did look younger than me.''
Mindy and I laughed before it went silent for a moment. ''So, how long have you been seeing my son?'' Mindy asked breaking the silence. "We've been dating for three or four months now, but if we're talking about crushing then- well that's a much longer time period."
"Before I had any idea who you were, he wouldn't shut up about you. When you two would argue or fight, he'd come to me about advice. That one time you hung out with Gigi, he'd stopped talking about you for a while, and I knew something went wrong." Mindy said.
I asked him something about his biological mom and he took it terribly." Mindy winced as if she knew that was a huge mistake. "Geo isn't someone you can easily get to show emotion. Don't worry, he gets upset with Gi when he asks about her also." Mindy placed her hand onto mine, letting me know it was all going to be okay.
"I can't sugarcoat this enough so I will just ask. Do you two plan on giving me grandchildren?" Mindy asked and I froze up. I had never been asked that question before and it caught me off guard a bit. "I've never even- you know what? That's a question I do not have an answer for yet." I replied to her, and we both laughed at each other once again.
***
After hours of shopping, we finally were able to make our way back over to the boys. As we were trying to find them, I bumped into someone, catching them before they could fall. I turned around to be faced with Nevaeh before I pushed her off of me. She looked over to Gigi before she waved at her. Gigi looked her up and down before putting up her middle finger.
"Rude much Gigi?" She said, making Gigi laugh. "Screw you Nevaeh." Gigi replied, rolling her eyes. "I don't know why you're being so rude to me when your brother broke up with me first." Gigi took a step closer to her, looking her up and down once again.
"You're a skank who cheated on my brother too many times to count. Never speak to us as if we don't hate you." Gigi said to her. Nevaeh took a step closer to Gigi and I stepped in front of Gigi. "She's fifteen." I said, making sure she didn't put her hands on a minor. "She talks shit like she's a big girl." Neveah said and Gigi took a few steps back.
I stared at Neveah, praying that she'd do something so I could lay her ass out on the ground again. "Bitch!" I heard Gigi yell before she leaped forward, attacking Nevaeh. Gigi grabbed a handful of her hair before she punched her. Mindy yelled Gigi's name before pulling her away from Nevaeh.
I screamed, hyped that Gigi got her. "You just got your ass kicked by a fifteen-year-old bitch! You're weak as fuck." I yelled at her, being pushed away by Mindy. I could hear Mindy going off over the phone with Mr. Gi as we walked around the mall trying to find them. Gigi and I looked at each, fighting the urge to let out our laughter. We finally found the guys and they rushed over to us asking what happened.
"I don't understand why we can't go anywhere without someone causing problems." Mindy said to Mr. Gi and I could tell she was upset. "What exactly happened?" Mr. Gi asked confusedly. "That skank Nevaeh happened." My jaw dropped hearing Mindy say that.
"I haven't heard that name in years." Mr. Gi said. "She came over to us and she was very nice, but we hate her for obvious reason. Your daughter took matters into her own hands and physically attacked the girl." Trent and Ryder's eyes widened as they looked over to Gigi. "Did you beat her ass at least?" Ryder asked curiously.
"Do you see any bruises or blood on my face?" Gigi asked aggressively. "That's my girl!" Mr. Gi cheered Gigi on, making all of us all laugh. "Let's get out of here." Mindy said before we all exited the mall making our way to pick up some party supplies.