Mine

Tahani

Kaycee's POV

"I can't believe I forgot that she works here. Man, I must be a bad friend," I thought to myself. Suddenly, Tahani appeared and asked, "What the hell is going on here?" I paused for a moment, then tried to explain the situation to her. But before I could say anything, Tahani spoke again. "Save it, Kaycee. I don't want to hear it unless it's something about him kidnapping you," she said, referring to Sean. Tahani then turned to Sean but was interrupted by her manager. "Is there a problem here?" he asked. Tahani quickly responded, "No, Sir. I was just asking this young man what he would like to order," emphasizing the "young man" part, which made Sean nervous. The manager nodded and left. "Sean Lew. Wow, you somehow ruined my day by just existing," Tahani faced him and spoke. "Tahani... long time no see," Sean replied, dragging the words with a high-pitched voice that I had never heard him use before.

"I want to make this clear," Tahani said as she lowered herself to Sean's face. "I'm going to tell the group about this so they can handle you," she whispered, her voice low and serious. I had never seen Tahani like this before. It would be great if she was like this all the time.

"Tahani, please don't do that," I pleaded, hoping she would listen to me. Tahani turned to me, her face showing disbelief. It was almost like she was looking at a different person.

"What do you mean 'don't'?" Tahani asked. Then she looked at Sean and continued, "Is he forcing you to say this?"

"He's not forcing me to say anything, Tahani. I promise I will explain once you are done with work," I begged her. Tahani looked at me again, this time her eyes showing concern. She didn't respond, but instead walked away while giving me a stern look.

"Sean, I think you should leave," I faced Sean and spoke. Sean was about to say something but stopped himself and nodded. He then got up from his chair and walked out of the café. Now, I'm sitting all alone, trying to think of a way to explain this. I don't want Tahani to say anything to the group or else I wouldn't be able to hang out with Sean anymore. They would keep an eye on me like a hawk. I need to find a way to convince Tahani.

~later (because again I'm lazy)

Tahani drove me back to my house after telling her mom that we would be having a sleepover. Now we're sitting in my room, staring at each other intently. Neither of us wants to speak first. I know I should say something, but I'm scared. The thing is, I'm not sure what I'm scared of. It's Tahani, after all. She's funny, kind, and caring. But right now she's not herself. She's furious, and I don't see that side of her often. The last time I saw her this angry was when the incident happened. I hope everything goes well. Fingers crossed, I won't die.

"I know you have a lot of questions right now," I started to say, but Tahani interrupted me. "How long was this going on?" she asked, crossing her arms. "When Sean asked to hang out with me," I answered. "That was a few months ago, Kaycee," Tahani replied, tilting her head. "What are you guys, a couple?" she asked. I suddenly felt panicked. Why was she getting that idea? Sean and I were just friends. Why was I even thinking this?

"No, we're just friends," I replied, feeling like I was being interrogated. "Last question," Tahani began, then suddenly shouted, "Are you out of your mind?" I felt like the whole neighbourhood could hear her voice. I hissed at Tahani to lower her voice. 'Why should I, Kaycee?' she asked, but then lowered her tone. 'You're going to wake up my family,' I reminded her.

'So, answer me. Did you lose your mind? He was mean to us, Kaycee, don't you remember?' Tahani asked. I could understand her concern, but Sean is a different person now. If she got to know him, she would see that.

'He changed. I guess being alone got him to his senses. Why don't you get to know him?' I suggested softly. 'Why would I want to get to know him?' Tahani asked bitterly, gritting her teeth. I wondered why no one was giving Sean a chance. 'Just try to get to know him,' I pleaded, feeling tired. Tahani unclenched her jaw and calmed down.

'Kaycee, stop hanging out with Sean,' Tahani said, looking at me seriously. She seemed concerned, confused, and done with what I was saying. I couldn't believe it. She wasn't even listening to me. Tahani got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. But before she could reach the door, I managed to whisper, 'No...' Tahani turned to me.

'What did you say?' she asked. "I said no. Didn't you hear me?" I asked, my voice turning harsh. Tahani's eyes widened. "Are you hearing yourself, Kaycee?" she asked. I responded coldly, "Yes, I am." I'm tired of my friends controlling my life, telling me who I should or shouldn't hang out with. It's my life. Tahani looked surprised when she heard the cold tone of my voice.

"Can't you see that we are fighting because of Sean?" Tahani asked, looking a little heartbroken. I chuckled coldly and replied, "It's not because of Sean, it's because of you." I glared at her, and Tahani looked hurt. "I'm frustrated because you never listen to me. You won't give Sean a chance and you try to control who I hang out with as if I'm a child," I said, my tone growing more bitter with every sentence and my voice getting louder. Tahani was completely stunned. She had no clue that I was capable of what I just did. I couldn't blame her though, because I didn't even know that I had it in me. Throughout my life, I always pretended to be happy and cheerful even when I was feeling sad or angry. And throughout my life, people have always made decisions for me or controlled me. Well, I am fed up with it.

"Kaycee, it seems like Sean is controlling you. You are not being yourself," Tahani said firmly.

"No, he is the only one who's not controlling me. All of you are!" I snapped, frustrated with Tahani's constant blaming of Sean.

"So you forgot that Sean was mean to us!" Tahani snapped back.

"Oh my God, Tahani. We were seven! It happened a long time ago! I have moved on and why can't you?" I yelled in exasperation.

"BECAUSE I CAN'T FORGET IT!!! I CAN'T FORGET THE WAY THAT HIS SO-CALLED FRIENDS BEAT US UP. WE WERE SEVEN BUT THEY WERE TWELVE!!" Tahani broke down in tears. I felt guilty. I didn't mean for her to cry.

"I can still feel the black eye," Tahani said softly. "All of that happened because Sean refused to acknowledge that he knew us," Tahani tried to hold back her tears. I hugged her and kept repeating "sorry" over and over again. I was so consumed with anger that I didn't even notice how much Tahani was hurting.

"It's okay," Tahani whispered. "You're right, I can't control who you hang out with. I'm sorry," she continued. I smiled and then hugged her tightly. "And..." Tahani started. I stopped hugging her and looked at her face.

Tahani smiled reassuringly, dry tears clinging to her face. "I won't even tell the group. You're welcome," she said, putting my worries to rest. "Thank you for doing me a huge favour," I laughed. Tahani joined in, and we shared a much-needed moment of levity after a tense situation. "One more thing..." Before I could continue, Tahani cut me off. "Yeah, yeah, I will give Mr Sean Lew a chance. Happy?" she said. Yes, the plan that me and Sean thought of is back on. Our second target... Tahani. Okay, that sounds like we're going to kill her. Sean, I hope you're ready for this because Tahani is not easy.

Author's notes: found a half written draft and decided to finish it off. completely forgot about this. Well... I'm back... hope you enjoy