Heartstrings ━━ Miguel Diaz ¹

𝟬𝟮. nature vs nurture

CHAPTER TWO
it might be worth it for once

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     𝐓here were a lot of realizations that hit her when Miguel was in a coma. The only thing was, they didn't come one by one. They came over her like an avalanche, and Raegan was left suffocating under the truth, facts, and worst of all, the reality, in which not all people are as good as they seem to be. Her friends were one thing, but what more if it was her family? She didn't know if she could take it. People close to her turn against each other for the millionth time.

     All she ever wanted was peace. Tranquility. But it was kind of hard to grasp when everyone around you seemed pretty adamant that fighting was the only answer. Even her father. I mean, he may regret it now after what happened, but it was already over. The damage was done, only thing was it was a person she cared about that had to deal with it for God knows how long.

     Until now, she still wasn't sure what started all of it. Was it because of their different dojos? Or the fact that none of them had enough guts to admit that they were wrong from the start? Or maybe it was her fault after all. Maybe Raegan was the one who started all of it. And maybe if she didn't fight back, Miguel wouldn't have the reason to do the same.

     Raegan didn't realize she'd been staring into space until someone placed a hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly but relaxed when she saw Amanda hovering over her. Her adoptive mother had a small smile on her face, her brown eyes warm, and understanding, and she didn't say a word about it.

     "Carmen called," Amanda said, and that seemed to wake her up as she shifted on her bed, turning to face her instead. Her face showed anticipation. "She said Miguel is awake."

     Raegan almost forgot to breathe. Then her words came crashing down on her. "Oh my God... He's awake."

     Amanda smiled, brushing a stray hair from her daughter's face. "Yes, baby. He is."

     "I should go." She cleared her throat, abruptly standing up from her bed. She almost couldn't think straight. Her hands were trembling, either from excitement or nervousness. "I should go."

     "Okay," The mother nodded, keenly watching her scramble around and grab her things. "Do you want me to drive you to the hospital?"

     Raegan looked up from trying her shoes. "Is that okay?"

     "Of course, baby," Amanda said. Then smirked playfully. "Now, come on. We don't want your boyfriend to keep waiting."

     For the first time after the school fight, Raegan let out a breathless laugh. "No, we don't."

     Amanda had to hold her a few times so she wouldn't start running in the hallways of the hospital. Raegan couldn't keep her excitement. Her joy. She wanted to see him again. She wanted to see his brown eyes, his smile, and she wanted to hear his voice and that laugh she loved so much.

     So imagine her face when she entered his hospital room and saw him flicking through a page of a comic book that looked awfully familiar.

     "Miguel," Raegan breathed, and the moment his eyes fell on her, she swore she could finally be happy again.

     "Raegan." Even Miguel could keep his smile inside when he saw her standing there by the doorframe with that disbelieving smile on her face. He almost got up from his bed but then realized he couldn't, and his face fell slightly. He tried to mask it, not wanting to sadden her, but it seemed like Raegan had already seen through him. Like she always does.