It was official that Zonnique was now on her own. Still she had no place to stay.
Instead, she turned herself into a hospital for cutting and smoking. They kept her in, and she was in their custody until she was better.
Five years later, without talking to any family members, any friends, or Ray, Zonnique was getting better. She was 23, and she even mentored middle schoolers and high-schoolers who were going through tough times like she did.
Her face was still the same, but her hair grew to the ends of her shoulders. Her blue hair dye eventually grew out also.
One day, she was resting in her hospital bed, watching old soap operas. There was a quiet knock at the door, causing her to grow annoyed.
"Who is it?"
"It's Ms. Marilyn, Zonnique."
Ms. Marilyn still worked at the hospital even after Isabella died.
"Come on in."
She opened the door with a carton and a full tray of food on top of it. "Your lunch looks good today!" she cheered.
Zonnique sat up and rolled the covers down to her thighs as Ms. Marilyn placed it on her lap. After thirty minutes of talking, she left, leaving her to go to sleep.
Forty minutes later, it was time for Zonnique to get up and talk to the group of teens and pre-teens she'd usually talk to. They were all sitting in the multi-purpose room in a bunch of chairs. There were about 103 of them in there.
Zonnique stepped onto the podium and cleared her throat. "How are you guys doing today?" she smiled.
"Good."
"Well, today we will be talking about a little thing someone told me a long time ago- confidence."
She looked into the sky and started smiling. "She's dead now, and... I didn't know her that long, but her words had such a powerful impact on me that I had to share it with someone."
The crowd looked uninterested just like they'd looked every other day; but this time, some students were actually sitting upright in their seats, showing that they actually wanted to hear what she had to say.
"I'm gonna start it off this way- by asking a question. Who in here has anything they're self conscious about?"
A couple of students exchanged glances to see if they'd actually raise their hands. That's when one brave soul raised hers. She was a white 13 year old with two red ponytails in her hair.
"What are you self conscious about, sweety?" Zonnique asked as she took the mic to her mouth.
The girl bowed her head down a little and cleaared her throat. "...my-my pale skin. I wish I was darker.."
Immediately, a group of 15 year old boys starting laughing in the back. Zonnique lifted up then searched the crowd for them. "You guys! In the back!" she shouted over everyone.
They stopped and slowly turned to her. "Us?" one of the boys asked.
"Yes, Y'ALL. What the hell is wrong with you? What's your problem? This girl is self conscious about her skin, and you have the nerve to laugh at that?"
"It was funny!" they pleaded.
Zonnique walked over to them and brought the mic to one of the darker boy's mouth. "And what are you self conscious about, sir? Come on. I know you don't like everything on your body."
He clenched his jaw and lowered his head to the mic. "..I don't like my lips."
A few people in the front started giggling, trying their best to hide it. "And why don't you like your lips, hunny? Didn't God give you those lips?"
