Darling | All16 | ✔

TWELVE

"Yes," I say as I walk through the front door.

"Yes, what?" Kota asks, confused.

"To both of your questions," I tell him blankly. "Yes, please."

Nathan inserts, "He didn't ask a question."

I sigh. Do I have to spell out everything?

"The smell of fruit shows that it has just recently been cut. The most likely person to cut fruit? North. I can hear Luke muttering under his breath which means he is annoyed at the lack of sugary options. You shuffled your feet as you came to open the door, meaning you wanted to ask me something but were a little nervous. Considering your behavior patterns and the way you inhale right before you ask a question, it was only natural to connect that you were going to ask me if I had fun. Question number one. Answer: yes. Question number two: you were about to ask if I would like fruit but were worried because you know that I ate not too long ago. Answer: yes, please," I observe simply.

Their stares burn into me and Kota finally asks, "How did you find out that I know you ate not too long ago?"

"Simple. Gabriel has been texting up a storm. It's only a matter of probability and chances are he was updating you all on our shopping adventure. Now, I'm going to go see if North has some fruit salad for me. Unless I was wrong?" I ask with a frown. I don't think I was wrong, the signs were pretty obvious, but there is always a chance that I am wrong.

"No, you were perfectly correct," Kevin chuckles.

I grin in his direction. "Thank you," I tell him, blushing a little.

Sometimes, I get so worked up with my observations. I'm just glad I didn't offend them. When I was much younger, I realized that I needed to be more observative. This way, I can be normal despite my blindness.

Counting my steps under my breath, I enter the kitchen and stretch a hand out to reach for the counter. I use the kitchen counter as a guide and find my way to a stool.

"So, fruit salad?" I say with a smile.

There's a pause before North exclaims, "Oh! Sorry, I forgot you can't see! I mean, that's not what I meant! I j-just nodded! Oh, you don't know what tha—"

I giggle, causing him to stop and calm down.

"North, don't worry about it," I laugh. "I can't see you nod, but I can feel the air shift a tiny bit when you nod. If you just tilt your head, I won't notice it, but a bob of your head is more noticeable. Make sense?"

"Yeah," North agrees sheepishly. "Sorry, Sang Baby."

He sets a bowl down on the counter and gently places a fork in my hand. I stab the fork into the bowl and stick the fruit in my mouth, smelling the pineapple right before I eat it.

"Did you have fun at the mall?" He asks, coming around the counter to sit down next to me.

I nod, swallowing my food. "It was fun. Victor and Gabriel were really nice and I found my friend, Greg."

"Greg?" North repeats, stiffening. "Greg Finley?"

I throw my hands in the air, forgetting about the fork and exclaim, "What is it with you boys and Greg?! Sure, he used to be mean, but now he's really nice!"

"Sang Baby!" North barks. "Be careful! You nearly stabbed me in the eye with your fork!"

Blush burns my cheeks and I duck my head a bit.

"Sorry," I squeak, mortified.

North sighs, "It's alright, Sang. I probably shouldn't have been so close, anyway."

"I liked it!" I blurt, before covering my mouth. "I-I mean, you can sit next to me whenever you want. Or not. It's up to you. Actua—"

This time, it is North who cuts me off with his laughter.

"Don't worry about it, Sang Baby," He says, putting his warm hand over mine.

The flames of my blush burn brighter. I shove a piece of mango in my mouth to keep from blurting out something again.

"And we don't have a problem with Greg, really," North informs me. "It's just we all know about the terrible things he did. We don't want you to get hurt, especially not by him."

I smile. "Thank you, North. And don't worry, his girlfriend would be furious if he ever hurt me."

I giggle at the thought of Jade getting mad at Greg. It isn't likely. She is so in love with her boys. She's been dating Rocky, Derrick, and Greg for a while now.

"Girlfriend?" North echoes. "Who's he dating?"

"Jade," I answer. "My best friend."

North falls backward, his stool crashing down with him.

"North!" I exclaim. "Are you alright?!"

Kevin, Luke, Silas, and Sean all burst into the kitchen.

"What happened?" Kevin laughs.

"I don't know..." I say slowly. "We were talking about my best friend. All the sudden, he collapsed."

Sean laughs, "He's fine, Pookie, don't worry."

I giggle at the name. "Pookie?"

"Yup!" Sean says, sounding oddly proud. "A cute nickname for a cute girl."

I blush and change the subject, asking, "Is North alright?"

"I'm fine," He grunts.

"His ego has a bruise, though!" Luke chortles.

"What do you mean?" I ask, tilting my head in confusion.

"Nothing!" North exclaims, rising to his feet. "Did you say that J-Jade is your best friend?"

"Yup!" I chirp.

"Jade?!" Sean repeats, horrified.

"Jade, as in Jade the slut?" Kevin says.

"Jade the bitch?" Luke reiterates.

I gasp, "Jade is not a-that! She is a very nice person now! She had an older sister who was very, very mean person. Jade was a confused victim and lashed out because of it. Now, that's no excuse for her behavior, but she is not soulless!"

Frowning, I stab another piece of fruit and stuff into my mouth. I soften a bit as I eat the delicious raspberry.

"Sang," Silas calls softly, coming closer. "We're sorry. We weren't trying to be rude. I guess we just haven't met Jade since she changed."

I smile warmly. "That's okay Silas. You guys are so nice that I know you must not mean it. You are all my friends now, too."

North mutters something under his breath that I don't catch.

"Wanna watch a movie with us?" Luke offers.

"Ooh! Can we watch Tangled?!" I squeal, following Luke into another room and ignoring the groans that arise.