(029.) HIS LOVE YOURSELF PLAN

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CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE. ✧ ೃ༄
❝ HIS LOVE YOURSELF PLAN. ❞

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TW:// self-image issues,
gaslighting, toxic parents,
and child abuse

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Angelica's mom was great. She was great. She was a hardworking woman with a past that she couldn't recover from, but she was great. Though, she had her days. Yes, growing up Angelica would get beat up with the wooden spoon or a hanger hard enough to leave a mark and would get yelled at, but that was what other parents did to their other kids, too, right?

Growing up with four other siblings and being the middle child, it was hard. But, Angelica was grateful for having a roof over her head and being taught how to feed and take care of herself.

The amount of gaslighting and manipulation that her mom and dad had done throughout her childhood was an excessive amount, with words like "you're overreacting", "stop imagining things", "you are making a big deal out of nothing", and usual things like that. She didn't even know those phrases were gaslighting phrases until her therapist had told her when she was 15.

She also remembered that one time her mom slapped her sister because she had drank some tequila. But, that was normal, right?

Her father was great, too. He was hardworking and was a funny man. But, he could not bear the pain of knowing that his kids were leaving him. So, when Angelica told him that she was leaving as soon as she turned 18, he wasn't very happy. He thought she was kidding when she has mentioned it months ago.

But, he had his days, too. He used to lock her in the bathroom with him at a young age when she would start crying and then yell at her face when she would start crying more. He would sit her down, yell at her to stop crying, before threatening her with his belt, his words "I would give you a real reason to cry" echoing through her head.

They loved her and her siblings, though. It was fine. It was totally fine. They loved her and she... liked them. She appreciated them for teaching her how to communicate very easily with other people, they taught her how to cook, wash her clothes, and keep her house clean. For that she was grateful.

She was grateful.

Dream laid next to the girl on her bed. He wasn't sure what her mom had told her, but she was now bundled up in blankets. He was just scrolling through his phone with the playlist he had made her playing out loud. Patches was on his lap, napping, and Gumbo was between the two napping, too.

"Are you okay?" He glanced at her, eyes softening at the sigh that escaped her lips. "So, that's a no?"

"I hate myself," Angelica grumbled out, slithering even further down her blanket.

"Hey," Dream leaned over, making sure that he wasn't hurting the sleeping dog. He pulled down the blanket a bit, making sure to still keep her lower face covered, "don't say that."

"My mom just made me feel even worse," she groaned, trying to cover herself again, but Dream didn't allow her. He was staring down at her with a soft glare. "What?"

"What did she say to you?"

"She said that she saw the picture I sent to Rose about that new outfit that I got remember?" Angelica sighed, staring up at the ceiling as Dream continued holding the blanket above her nose, nodding, "and that I should start dressing up better and should start losing weight. She also mentioned how my cousin Karla looked like a model and just started comparing me."

"Hey," Angelica stared at the ceiling, "look at me." She looked at the boy and tried so hard not to blush at the intense eye contact. "You're beautiful," don't blush, "and don't listen to your mom. I get it, you're supposed to be listening to her but, it's your body, not hers. Do whatever the hell you want. If you want to eat junk food, go ahead. If you want to eat as many strawberry shortcakes as you want, no one's stopping you. But, you need to stop listening to her insults and you need to stop hearing yours."

"Yeah, you sounded like a dick."

"I can admit," Dream sighed, "I tend to word my words... badly. I don't know how to word my words sometimes and I tend to sound like a big idiot."

Angelica snorted a bit. "You sound like a bigger idiot."

"Hey!" He glared at her playfully and he could see the crinkles on her eyes as she laughed. He chuckled with her until he turned a bit serious, turning her face to look at him, thumb brushing against her cheekbone as the rest of his palm rested by the side of her head. "But, I'm serious, okay? If you need support, I'm here. I'm going to fully support you with gaining some confidence and building your self-esteem because I know for a fact as someone who has seen you, we don't count your face, that you are very beautiful your own way. Stop comparing yourself. It's not going to help, by now on, we only think positively about ourselves. No negativity here."

She softly sighed and nodded. "Okay, I guess I'll try."

He smiled before sitting up. "Do you want to get up and eat a strawberry shortcake? I bought more."

Angelica shook her head at him and covered the lower part of her face, looking around for her face mask. Dream immediately handed it to her and turned around to let her put it on. He jumped, though, when he felt a slap at the back of his head.

"Stop buying me strawberry shortcakes," Angelica scolded him, a smile on her lips as she continued shaking her head at him. "The whole entire fridge is filled with those."

"Do they make you happy?" Angelica nodded as she opened her bedroom door and walked out. Dream immediately followed behind. "Then I'll keep buying them."

"Sounds to me like you're starting to crush on me, Dream," Angelica smirked at him over her shoulder and he snorted, tugging on the ends of her hair.

"Please, you're already in love with me."

"Shut up."

"You shut up."

"I told you to shut up first."

"Guess what? I don't care."



































































































































AUTHOR'S NOTE:

...I forgot what I was
going to say... LOOK
AWAY

But anyway, I have
my AP English exam
tomorrow and I'm ready.
I work well under pressure
and can finish my essay 😤

Also, I hope I'm going
steady with building Ang and
Dream's friendship. It's chapter
29 and hopefully it's going steady.

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