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˖*°࿐chapter twenty two. xxii. FAMILY MATTERS
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𝐅𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊
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𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟒
Going into Kai's bedroom, Janelle found him sitting on the bed. His head was hung low, and his breathing pattern was uneven. A frown found its way up to her lips.
She didn't like seeing him this way.
Janelle finally approached him, kneeling and taking Kai's face in her hands. He tried to avoid his girlfriend's gaze as she forced him to look at her.
"Kai," She whined as he continued to stare at the ground. "Look at me, please," He sighed but finally brought his eyes up to hers. "What's wrong?"
"My family," Kai answered. "They hate me."
"What? No, they don't," Janelle said softly to him, but he only shook his head.
"Yes, they do. They hate me. I know it," he repeated, more to himself. "My own father barely even acknowledges me anymore all because I can't manifest my own magic. He thinks I'm a failure at being a son."
"Awe, Kai," Janelle cooed, caressing his cheek. She got up from her position on the floor and sat back against the pillows on the bed. "Come here."
Kai crawled his way over to her and laid his head down on her chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. He started to play with the hem of Janelle's shirt, mumbling, "Maybe I am a failure. And maybe Josette is right. You'd be better off without someone like me."
Kai's words were like a jab towards Janelle's heart.
A few weeks prior, Janelle and Jo were having a conversation, and Jo brought up Kai. She told Janelle that she could do better than her twin brother, but Janelle refused to listen to what she had to say. What neither of them realized was Kai heard the entire thing. But Janelle still couldn't believe Kai took it seriously and thought his girlfriend really could do better.
"Hey, listen to me," Janelle demanded, making Kai glance up at her. "I don't ever wanna hear you say something like that again. You're not a failure, and I'm not going to leave you, okay?"
"But —"
"No," she cut him off, "I love you, Kai. And nothing you or anyone says to me is going to change that. Because I know what kind of person you are. Your family just hasn't taken the chance to see that yet. But I don't want that to bring you down and make you think you're not good enough."
