EPISODE FIFTY SEVEN.
HAZEL’S POV.
TWO MONTHS LATER….
“Where have you been? The class is starting soon.”Lana, my roommate and coursemate yelled from the entrance of the class.
“I’m sorry, I woke up late.”I groaned tiredly, wiping off the sweats on my head.
I barely catch up to two hours of sleep which is indeed a bonus to me. Ever since Stefano left, I barely had a good sleep which is taking a toll on me.
My baby is clocking six months and none of his family has heard from me ever since the night of our anniversary. I was just ashamed to face them, It was very hard to ignore Amanda calls at first but with time, I managed to live with the fact that I will never have anything to do with them anymore.
I ruined their life, I exhumed the bad memories they’ve buried many years ago, it’s all my fault, and it’s all on me.
I don’t deserve to be with them.
“Are you okay?”Lana asked, collecting my bag from me, I mumbled appreciatively while we walked to the hall the class will be holding.
“I’m fine, I made some coffee for you, it’s in the bag.”
“Oh, thank you.”She offered me a cute smile which is one of the many adorable features of her.
I met Lana when I came to register for my physical classes and we clicked right away, We rented a house together because her family lives in Utah.
Luckily, we’re also in the same class and she’s been helping me with lots of catching up.
“The exams are coming soon, made the payment already?”She asked as we both scanned through the large hall for a seat with a better view and that will be more comfortable for me. I’ve developed to hate heat so much now that my baby is coming soon.
“Yes, I paid for it this morning. What about you?” I asked in a more careful tone.
Lana’s Dad is more of a deadbeat, drinks and beats his mom who hustled hard to send her to med school and her brother is also in business school. I’ve tried several times to offer to pay for it but she’s quite stubborn.
Stefano left me a fortune which will last me for several years to come and I’ve been spending it shamelessly since then, I can’t afford to raise his child alone.
“My mom has barely found half of it. I’m screwed.”
“We’re talking about $10000 here, let me loan you.”I persuaded holding her hand.
She chuckled and nodded after a while.”I will make sure to pay back, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”I beamed happily and sauntered to the seat she pointed to.
After our classes, we went to the cafeteria to get us something to eat, I ordered a lot since we aren’t having classes anymore so I eat them slowly while Lana guzzles down her food faster to meet up with her newly found chef job.
“You’re sure you don’t want to take them along with you?” I asked, eyeing the portion of her food worriedly.
“No, I’m fine. Besides, I will be cooking there.”She chuckled and picked her bag.
After blowing me a few kisses, Lana ran off to the bus station.
Approximately an hour later, I finished my food and walked to where I packed my car.
Shockingly, Meghan and Amanda are there, waiting for me as they converse in hushed tones.
How did they find me? What the hell are they doing here? They were dressed in black trousers and matching blazers, looking amazingly hot as ever.
They’re probably getting over with the grief, or maybe their way of coping with it is acting as if they’re fine. Because I’m not, I’m barely living.
“Oh fuck. She’s here.” Meghan mumbled, throwing her gum away.
“Hey!”Amanda squealed and pulled me into a bear hug, almost suffocating me.
I didn’t reply due to the shock still in my body so she let go of me after a while.
“How did you find me? you shouldn’t be here.”I shook my head, trying to make my voice sound as harsh as possible.
“We’ve men all over the country, Hazel.”Meghan shrugged, walking closer to me.
“And what’s that supposed to mean? You’ve been watching me?” I asked, bereft.
She nodded in guilt after a while.”Then why didn’t you meet me? Are you okay with me being a bitch to you? Are you okay with me ignoring your calls and hiding the baby away from you.” I yelled angrily, tears laced my eyes.
Why are they acting like my father didn’t kill their only son? Why are they acting as if this isn’t my fault?
“You can’t hide the baby away from us, Hazel. You can’t hide it from anyone, I mean, look at you.”Amanda jokes, pushing her glossy hair back.
“I…. I…. I’m sorry, I….”I trailed off as the tears choked me from saying more words.
“It’s fine. No, it’s not fine, actually. I’m mad at you for leaving, But I’m not mad at you concerning Stefano. It isn’t your fault.”
“Your brother is dead, what are you talking about? We won’t be seeing Stefano anymore. I won’t have him as my….”
“You have this tiny life in you, you will be having a mini version of him, we haven’t approached you since all these days because we wanted to give you the space that you need. And I think it’s enough already, Mom has been asking for her grandchild ever since you left. And she misses you more now that we’re going for the trip.”
“I just had to leave, it was too overwhelming for me.”I mumbled, shaking my head.
Everyday felt like a struggle for me ever since Stefano died, even the burial, I was barely there, it felt as if something heavy was weighing me down, And I didn’t know how to deal with it, I just had to leave, but it didn’t get better as well.
When I sleep at night, I relive the moment where he apologized to me with tears in his eyes. I couldn’t get over it, it’s as if I’m trapped in there forever, It’s excruciating.
“I now have a life, Amanda. I go to classes now, I have a friend, I….”
“And you will continue to be with them, Don’t worry, we won’t force you to go to Italy with us, It’s just a few days. And we will be back soon, I just want you to see Mom before we leave.”She said softly, rubbing on my shoulders.
I nodded, cleaning the tears off my eyes. Maybe this is for the better, maybe I will feel better if I meet his mom.
Maybe.