Bubble Gum Kisses

**Kapittel 9** ***Vanessa***

**"What, frozen in spot?"** he asked mockingly, "That's not how someone like you should act."

His cruel words struck me in the chest like a sharp knife. Friso was never capable of saying someone such terms before. Had I hurt him so much back then to the point that he'd turn out like this?

"Just because I hurt you doesn't mean that... you'll think of me that way," I tried to act strong, but my voice came small along with a hiccup. My insides churned when tears were starting to brim my eyes. "I know that you're angry at me for what I've done before, but please do have some decency!" I bellowed and turned away with the cart, running away from the store and back to the car with tears cascading down my cheek and the dormant emotions that I had been suppressing back then bursting fresh.

I didn't know... I didn't think he turned into some insensitive jerk one day!

"Van...nie..." I hear Zach evoking me with his faint, small voice.

I sniffed and wiped the waterworks before looking at him through the rear-view mirror. "Yes, baby?" I asked him in a thick, cracking voice.

Good thing I didn't turn the car on yet, or we would've possibly been caught in an accident because of my lack of attention. I had been crying here in the car for long minutes, long enough to see Friso leave the mart, which rendered my heart lurch in pain. The sore confrontation earlier left me a mark and a warning: avoid that man at all costs. I had been waiting for us two to meet again one day, talk peacefully and have closure, then become strangers. That's all. But why did it have to turn out like that? What was with that arrogant aura and mischievous smile? That was different from the Friso, who used to smile warmly at me and look at me with loving eyes.

Wait. A realization struck me like a bolt of lightning. Used to, I bitterly smiled when I remembered that phrase. He'd changed. After all these years, of course, he would change after that happened, after I've hurt him. Pain would cause a person to change.

"No cry," I hear Zach's little voice say, "Vannie... stwong," he struggled to murmur, looking at me comfortingly with his big doe-like eyes. My heart fluttered in ease and ecstasy when he said those words. I wiped the tears that rolled down my cheek.

Sometimes, Zach's advance in speech and the way he expressed his emotions made me ponder that he was once a wise person who died and reincarnated with his memories of his past life still intact. But of course, that would be absurd. My love for the idea of reincarnation and fantasy novels had brought me an illusion of fantasy mixing into reality. I'm sure if anyone knew this hidden side of mine, they'd probably avoid me forever.

I sniffed as I curved my lips into a happy grin. "Of course, Vannie is strong," I uttered and removed the seatbelt before reaching over a hand to the little guy to caress his cheek. "I am strong..." I repeated and added, my voice cracking into a cry. He held my forefinger with his little hand. "Zach love Vannie," he stated, staring deep into my eyes, rendering my lips to curve into a sincerely joyful smile.

"I love you too, Zach," I reciprocated and leaned further to kiss his chubby, red cheek before fixing myself and proceeding to what was to do next: go to another store and drive home.

**"Honey, dinner's ready,"** I heard mom say while knocking on the door. Instead of standing up and opening the door for her, I paid no attention and hugged my knees tighter, staring blankly at the wall with endless tears in my eyes. I didn't know what I was feeling right now. I was fine when Zach comforted me. We even went to a supermarket and bought the things on mom's list. But as soon as I went home, I felt like crying again, and I did. My chest was heavy with an emotion that I could liken to be a combination of anger, sadness, surprise, and disappointment.

Friso. He was still being the same asshole in the last semester of middle school before I moved away. No, he actually became more of a total asshole. Even though I hadn't expected that we'd meet sooner, I thought that he would at least go back with his old self, and we'd be able to break the wall that separated our long relationship, patching things up right in that store at that moment. I thought it was time for healing and forgiving. But I guess they were just my assumptions, and many people fell to their demise because of useless assumptions.

Sniffing, I reminisced my childhood, my times with the twins and Friso. We used to play in the park's playground, especially in the sandbox, build sandcastles, smash them to smithereens when we were done marveling at our childish creation, then make another one again. We'd also recreate at the playhouse and family where Angel would be the mom, and Angie would use her Sharpie marker to draw a mustache on her face and pretend to be the dad. Friso and I would be their children. When we get tired of it, we play tag and hide-and-seek.

I made a small giggle and wiped my flowing tears when I remembered that I always get easily caught when playing those games. It was pretty annoying since my feet were tiny, and I was the smallest in the group, while Angie and Angel were the fastest to run in tag. The easiest to find in hiding and seek was Friso since he was pretty bad at hiding, while I was best at it since I could still get into the smallest space due to my stature.

I hugged my knees tighter as my eyes began watering again. Back then, when he or the twins would catch me, he would comfort me using his bright smile and say that I'd improve next time. When I got overwhelmed and began to cry, he would make me a flower crown and ring. He was so... gentle until the near end of middle school.

*"I didn't know you've already got laid early. Oh, you did get laid early, right? Back in ninth grade. Too bad I wasn't your fir_"*

*"I have never thought that you are this kind of person. What happened to you? You weren't like this before!"*

*"Unfortunately, sweetheart, people change..." he trailed off and began stepping closer to me, and I stepped back as a response.* *"Especially when some bitch hurt them."*

*"They change... in a bad way."*

Remembering the words he told me back then, I felt my face burning red, anger seeping inside me. He told me such hurtful words without any attempt to listen to my side of what had happened before. But it was partly my fault anyway, he tried to explain to me as well, but I only snubbed him. Him acting like what he did was the consequence of my previous actions. With this happening right now, I shouldn't expect for our old friendship to be back. I had to get over it. I needed to get over it. We needed to change as time passed on. Like what Friso had said, people unfortunately change.,

"Vanessa." I heard mom knocking on the door.

Hearing the serious tone in her voice, I decided to stand up and head to the bathroom to wash my face. I didn't want mom to know that I was crying, but I'm sure she'd recognize that I was since my eyes were bloodshot red. Looking at my reflection in the mirror, I took a deep breath and made a small smile. Life's beautiful. It was what dad used to say, and I agreed with him. I needed to live it at its fullest. I made a small sigh after motivating myself before grabbing a tissue and blowing my nose. "Remove all the toxic vibe just as I did to my snot," I joked to myself before throwing the tissue in the bin and leaving the bathroom, heading towards the door.

"Vanessa. Get out of there now, your Auntie Re-" she stopped saying midway when I flung the door open. She scrutinized me from head to toe before asking worriedly, "Oh, are you okay?" "Yeah." I sniffed, feeling another load of snot crawling out of my nose. "I'm fine," I answered, but I knew that she knew I was lying. My face revealed the obvious truth that I was not okay. "Are you sure that you're okay?" she tries to reassure, looking at me with her brows raised and forehead creasing, a sign that she's getting more worried.

"Is Auntie Rebecca and the others here? We shouldn't make them wait," I said, changing the topic, and began taking strides to the stairs. I heard mom's small steps following behind me.

**

Thank you for reading Bubble Gum Kisses! To keep up with my works, future works, and endless frustrations on Twitter: https://twitter.org/RiosMorpheus**