Samara
Breaking up with Dio shattered me, but if I hadn’t done it, then how would I be able to find myself? Although he said he understood, I knew he was hurt, and that broke me even more. The idea of us co-existing in the same space with the same friends was going to be hard, but I needed to do this.
It was going to be a new season for all of us. Mine was just going to be a little rougher.
After Dio left, I waited for Zaria to come home. Chevy said he wanted me to see a therapist, but I wasn’t in a comfortable place to talk to anyone I didn’t know. However, I did seek comfort in Zaria and wanted to open up to her.
I’d made myself cozy on the couch as I watched King’s leaves sway slowly. I would often hear Chevy talking to his plants, and it seemed to soothe him.
“Hey, King,” I said to the swaying monstera. “Can you hear me?” I asked.
The subtle movement remained the same, not giving me any indication that it was listening, just as it seemed when my mother didn’t listen to me.
My phone rang, pulling my attention from the plant.
When I saw the girls' FaceTime group, I knew it was time to finally answer, since they had been calling me for days.
I hit join, and the moment all of their faces popped up on the screen, all I saw was pity.
“Aw, bookie, you okay?” Morgan asked.
I let out a light sigh. “I’m fine.”
“You want me to come over, bring ice cream?” Alyse said.
I smiled. “I’m okay.”
“You are not okay, and it is okay to say that. You’ve been through a lot. We just wanted to make sure you were good,” Paige explained.
I knew they were just trying to comfort me, and I understood. I wanted to tell them that Dio and I had broken up, but until I knew he was ready to share it, I wasn’t going to say anything. My loyalty still remained with him, even if we weren’t together.
We said a few more words before Morgan said she wanted to have a sleepover. The idea sounded good, and I wanted to try to move forward, but first, I needed to talk about what happened.
Just as I ended the call with the girls, Zaria was coming through the door with a sleeping Savior. Seeing him made me excited.
“Is Peace asleep?”
“Yeah. He’s upstairs. Do you want me to take Savior?” I asked.
“Please, if you don’t mind.”
I took my brother from her arms and walked him upstairs to his room. After gently laying him down, I stared at them both. Peace and Savior were little warriors. They were the very things that made me happy.
“I love you both,” I whispered before walking out of their room.
By the time I got back downstairs, Zaria was holding three succulent plants in her hands.
“More plants,” I laughed.
“These are special plants. They are special because all three have significant meaning, not only to me and of course June, but the Calloway house.”
Standing there confused, I asked, “Why?”
She smiled as she showed me each one. “Because this one gives us peace, this one is our savior, and this one—” she paused as she held it up, “—it’s really special because although she looks different than the other two, she is still a part of the succulent family, and she is the star that makes the rest of the plants feel full. Her name is Mars.”
A wide smile eased on my face. Zaria reached out and stroked my cheek.
“I don’t care what your past looks like, I don’t care how broken you are, and I don’t regret the tragedy of your mother.
You are my child, and I love you. Don’t ever feel like you’re not wanted because you are.
We are family, and here in this house, we stand beside each other until the end.
I hugged her. “They hurt me so bad,” I cried. “I can’t even get the feeling of them off me.”
“Oh, Samara. I’m so sorry that happened to you.”
“I broke up with Dio. I can barely look at him because I know he will never love me the same.”
Zaria rocked me from side to side as she tried calming me down. I honestly didn’t know if I could live with this.