After getting the shit knocked out of her a couple of days ago, Karmin really needed some sense of normalcy.

Because, you know, kids her age didn't participate in illegal fights where they purposely got beat up to raise money for their parent's surgery.

And let's not forget the card from a shady man with an even shadier business was always on her mind. She kept it with her at all times, the piece of paper burning a hole in her pockets. Maddox wanted her to throw it away, but Karmin couldn't get herself to do it.

But she could really use one day where she didn't have to worry about the money or how she was going to get through a fight without a cracked skull.

However, every time she moved, she was reminded of the bruises scattered across her abdomen. A part of her was thankful that the majority of the wounds could be easily hidden. Her face didn't take too many hits, and nothing was broken, so that was a plus.

Damn, my standards were low.

Karmin stayed at Viola's apartment for two days until the pain was slightly more manageable. She had wiped away most of the blood before she got to her place, but that didn't stop her from freaking out. Choyce and Adanna kept trying to convince her to quit her job as a personal punching bag, so at least they weren't suspicious.

At home, when she got off the couch or stretched, she wanted to cry in pain, but she had to hide her winces and groans away from her parents. They couldn't see how much pain she was in.

Her mental health, on the other hand, was going downhill. The amount of hiding, lying, and pretending was starting to get to her. She had to force herself to study or do her assignments, and luckily for her, she wasn't taking any major courses like Organic Chemistry or Anatomy.

Not to mention, crying, and binge-eating had become her favourite pass time.

You know those days where you would wake up feeling sad? Like everything you loved doing no longer brings you happiness, and you're in a constant state of numbness the entire day?

Sounds depressing, I know.

But, yeah, those days were a lot more frequent nowadays.

However, you would be proud to know that she was overcoming her slump and going out with Viola. Dressing up always made her feel better, and socializing helped her escape her mind. The motion of wearing a dress and doing her make-up was therapeutic. When it came to people, she would smile and smile, until she felt better inside.

It worked. Most of the time.

She pulled the sleeves of her navy collared sweatshirt and fixed her tennis skirt as she, Viola, and her now-girlfriend Eva, sat around a table at the Gujrati Bistro, an Indian restaurant that was owned by her friend's family.

The table was filled with delicious varieties of food with hints of turmeric, cardamom, and cloves. The three of them had already devoured most of the food, but before, it was Instagram picture worthy. The steel cutlery with cultural engravings and the laughter from people speaking all types of languages made the experience even better. It was a beautiful place that shone with elegance, but it also displayed hints of South Asian culture from the field paintings to the marble elephant statues.

"I just realized I'm fifth-wheeling," Karmin remarked, eyeing Viola as she lovingly brushed Eva's thick black hair behind her ear.

Viola laughed, gazing over at her. "Oh yeah. We got us, and then Zara and Parker. They should be here once they get off their shift."

"I gotta get myself a boyfriend," she said jokingly. "But hey, I love being a young, independent woman."

Karmin didn't need a boyfriend. She was perfectly fine on her own. But one would be nice, especially when she saw how happy her friends were with their significant others. She was low-key bitter sometimes.

"Wish I could help," Eva replied sweetly, "but all of my friends are gay."

"I can only blame myself. I sit here thinking I'm going to find a boyfriend, but how? It's not like he'll show up at my doorsteps," she remarked amusedly.

"How are things going with Leo?" Viola asked.

She sighed, slumping in her seat as she played with the metal straw in her water. "That's the thing. It's not going. Everything is very much stationary, moving at negative 5 miles."

"Oh, who's Leo?" wondered Eva, resting her head in her hands in interest.

"Some boy that I have a massive crush on," Karmin said. "But I don't know, he's starting to annoy me."

Karmin had hoped that he would pick up his weight since she was struggling. She didn't want to let him down with the essay, but he had to give her something. Every time in class, Leo would ask her about the progress and how much she had done so far.

At first, she was excited to work on the essay with him, but now, she was starting to regret it. She tried to speak up about it and tell him to work on it, but he would distract her when he touched her, and suddenly, she wasn't mad anymore.

"Is he still not doing the essay?" Viola questioned as she paused from eating her tandoori chicken.

Karmin shrugged. "I mean, he's trying."

"Don't do all the work," she chastised.

"That's what Maddox said," she muttered as she played with the rice in her bowl.

Viola opened her mouth to say something but was cut off when their other friends came bustling to their table. There was Zara Dixit with brown skin similar to hers and a sparkling nose ring, who Viola had introduced to her. She was quiet when they first met, but after some time, the two of them became good friends.

Then, it was her boyfriend, Parker Collins with adorable features of dimples and freckles who couldn't walk six feet without bumping into something. He was a genius just like Viola and the two had gone out on one date before, but they were still close friends.

"Hey, guys. Sorry, we're late," apologized Zara as she took a seat while still wearing her uniform. "Parker broke some plates, and the chef tried to fire him again."

"Jokes on him. I'm basically a part of the Dixit family. He can't do it," Parker smirked, slinging his arm around Zara's chair.

"Oh, about that..." Zara faltered, eyeing him carefully.

"What?" he asked, shocked, and genuinely upset. "Your Dad wants to fire me? But I love working here. I get to see you and eat free food."

"That sounds like a win-win to me," Eva remarked.

"Maybe, if you stopped breaking the dishes," Viola helped.

"Or messing with the chef, Chayton," Zara added.

Parker stole a fry from Viola's plate and munched on it harshly. "I didn't come here to be attacked, alright," he sassed.

"Guys," Karmin announced. "If we just ignore the lack of coordination, stealing food from customers, and destroying the place, Parker is perfect for the restaurant business."

"See, Karmin gets it," he said, grinning at her.

"That's because she's a nice person and she hasn't experienced any endangering accidents due to your clumsy antics," Zara pointed out.

Parker rolled his eyes, dragging her seat closer to his and pulling her towards him. "Just admit it. You love it."

Zara scoffed, and if it wasn't for her tan skin, Karmin knew she would be blushing right about now.

"Okay, enough of this cuteness, please," Karmin joked as she smiled softly at them. "Did you guys hear about the new fashion exhibit at the Met?" she asked, recalling the advertisement she saw on the subway station about the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The elegant and bejeweled dresses were right up in her ally.

"Yeah, I did!" Eva exclaimed. "The vintage dresses were gorgeous. We should totally check them out."

Viola nodded frantically. "Choyce was telling me about it. You two in?" she asked Zara and Parker.

"Um..." Parker hesitated, side-eyeing Zara.

"We hate the museum," she blurted. "All that history... makes me want to vomit."

"Right," Parker laughed awkwardly. "Like, let's live in the present, ya know? And all those armless statues? They scare the shit out of me."

Karmin chuckled, gazing at them weirdly. "Okay, we can go somewhere that involves statues with all their limbs attached," she teased.

"How about the Time Out Market our prof was telling us about?" Viola asked, looking at Parker. "It has a bunch of food places."

"I need to stop spending money on food," Eva sighed as she played with her band t-shirt. "But I'm in."

"Oh, the same prof that got his laptop broken by Parker?" Karmin asked, chuckling.

Parker nodded grimly. "That's the one. Let me add him to the long list of people who don't like me."

Karmin and the group laughed as he shook his head sadly. She smiled at the four of them, feeling at ease for the first time in weeks. The make-up on her face disguised her pain for the day and the smile was slowly breaking away from its fraudulent mold to a more genuine, care-free one.

As they talked about their future plans, she heard her phone ding in the pockets of her purse. Karmin dug through it, placing her unnecessary receipts, cards, and lipstick on the table. She finally found it only to see a text from Aaliyah reminding her to bring some food home.

Viola glanced at her questioningly with a hint of concern. Ever since Karmin Dad's hospitalization, both of them were on edge every she got a notification on her phone. She smiled at her reassuringly, letting her know there wasn't a problem.

Karmin began to shove everything back into her purse to see Zara reaching over curiously, slowly grabbing a card.

"Where did you get this card?" she asked softly, but her tone was underlying with danger.

She leaned forward, eyeing the card to realize it was the one Cesar Perez had given to her during her fight. She should've thrown it away like Maddox strongly suggested, but what if she needed it later?

"Um..." Karmin hesitated, unsure of what to say.

"Trust me when I say this. They are bad news," she whispered firmly.

Her brows shot up in surprise. "How do you know about them?"

She sighed tiredly. "It's a long story, but it's not important. Just be careful. I know the money is appealing but do not do it. It's not worth it."

Karmin gulped nervously at how serious she was. She wanted to ask her more, but from her tone, it looked like Zara wasn't ready to say more. But did she really want to know more? Ignorance was bliss, after all.

Nonetheless, she agreed wordlessly and took back the card to only carefully place it inside her purse.

She zipped her purse, and settled it back on the ground, returning to the lively conversation.

But her eyes kept flickering towards it every few moments.

***

Author's Note:

Hi!

I wanted to say how important mental health is. It is totally okay to be 'unproductive' and give yourself time to do nothing.

And Zara and Parker made an appearance!! For those who haven't checked out Origami Love, I recommend you should before continuing with the book. It will have spoilers!

Until next time - m.k.t