# Garden Of Rosa Chapter 9

Garden of Rosa
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Chapter 9
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I walked Fang to her next class after the lunch bell rang, the two of us chatting like normal. It was nice, getting back to the way things were with Fang, the awkwardness brought on by the previous day’s conversation dispelled by our heart-to-heart. Fang even stood up for me when some girl brought up my waifu picture, clipping her books out of her hand with a well-placed wing before we both ran, laughing.
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“So, how’s Trish taking this whole ‘break’ thing?” I asked, panting slightly as we finally made to Fang’s next class. You’d think with all the time I spent outside gardening with Rosa, I would develop a little more endurance.
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“She’s not taking it too well.” Fang glances at the other students as they filter by, the bell sending many of them scurrying to avoid being tardy. Fang and I are well past caring about anything as lame as that, however. “Trish was my best friend for a long time, but it’s gonna be a while before I can forgive her for what she did. Besides, it’s not like I’m quitting the band, just taking a few days for things to cool off.”
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I nod along, leaning against the wall with Fang. “Still, not cool what she did to me. If you or Rosa didn’t walk with me to class, I think the back of my head would be nothing but spitballs.” A passerby glances in our direction, stifling a laugh as they hurried to their next class. Fang provided a middle finger of encouragement towards their back before turning back to our conversation.
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“Yeah, Rosa will have your back Anon, her and me both. Are you guys…hanging out, after school today?” I could tell by the way that Fang was intently studying her boots that the topic of Rosa and I together was not her first choice of conversation topics.
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“Umm, yeah, actually. There’s something I need to come clean to her about, so I’m gonna ask her to meet me in the gardens after school.” Suddenly it was my own turn to become engrossed with my shoes.
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“Pfft, you dweeb. Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to keep secrets from your girlfriend? Oh, shit, sorry…” Fang’s playful punch landed on one of my bruises, causing me to nearly double-over.
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“Gahh… Ffffffang, you did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
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“Maybe.”
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“Please die.
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“Looks like you’re first, dweeb. Anyways, good luck with Rosa, Anon. Seriously.” Fang’s apologetic hug helps ease my pain a bit. As we break apart, Fang turned to enter her class, seemingly indifferent that she’s now a few minutes late. “I’d hate to see you two break up, you make a cute couple.” As the door swung open, Fang raised her voice for one final verbal jab. “Remember, use a rubber dude!”
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Thanks Fang, so glad your entire class heard that.
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***
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The butterflies in my stomach only increased in intensity as the clock ticked down to the end of school. Rosa responded happily to me text asking her to meet me after school, no doubt expecting something a little more pleasant than my admission of guilt. As the final school bell released me at last, I hobbled as quickly as I could to where Stella and I had talked before, the stone bench serving as our rendezvous.
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Stella was already waiting there for me, a wrapped bundle of flowers in her hand. She had agreed to pick them up for me during her free period, promising that she knew Rosa’s taste in flowers better than anyone. The bouquet was beautiful, vibrant shades of red and yellow flowers arranged tastefully amidst a collection of other plants. I could recognize only one: the Middlemist Red Camilla, her favorite flower.
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“Hey Anon! Just like you asked, Rosa’s favorites. Don’t worry, you can pay me back for them later.” Stella’s voice is upbeat and cheerful, the stego clearly more excited for what’s about to happen than I was.
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“Oh, yeah, thanks Stella.” I had totally forgotten I needed to pay her back; this bouquet looked like it cost a fortune. I held it awkwardly in the crook of my elbow, the massive arrangement nearly dwarfing the size of my head.
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“Good luck Anon! And remember: It’s important to share the truth with Rosa, even if it hurts. She can’t understand you until you let her in.” Stella gives me a double-thumbs-up of encouragement before heading off, leaving me standing alone in the garden. Now that school was over, and with no Gardening Club activity scheduled today, I was the only one left among the carefully cultivated plants. Alone, surrounded by the gifts Rosa and worked her whole time at Volcano High to produce.
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A familiar sound behind me makes me turn around, the rhythmic slap of sandals across the pavement heralding Rosa’s arrival. I remember at the last second to hide the bouquet behind my back, the massive assortment of flowers no doubt peeking around my slim frame. Rosa looks even more beautiful among the flowers, their own radiance somehow enhancing her own. I can’t look away, captivated by her kind eyes, her beaming smile, the cute way she plays with her backpack straps as she approached me.
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“¡Hola, mi novio!” Rosa greets me with a quick kiss, not quite rising on the tips of her toes to do so. “Sooo, do you have something for me?” Swaying back and forth, Rosa bore an expectant look, having no doubt seen my gift for her.
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“Um, these are for you, Rosa…” Careful not to disturb the flowers too much, I present the arrangement to her, watching as her mouth drops open excitedly.
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“¡Dios Mio! An-on, they are beautiful, thank you!” Rosa pulls me into a half-hug, the flowers held carefully away. “Aww, you are such a sweet boy, An-on. Even when you are the one hurting, you bring me flowers.” Rosa inhales deeply, savoring the fragrant smell of the bouquet.
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“Actually, um… Rosa, there’s something else that’s been hurting me.” I motion to Rosa to sit with me on the stone bench, trying my best to ignore the concerned look in her eyes. I take a deep breath before I begin, knowing that when I start, I will have to finish. “Rosa, I haven’t been entirely honestly with you. Do you know the place where I live?” I wait for her to nod, confusion building on her face. “Well, I don’t live there, not really. I, uh, I live in… in Skin Row. Yeah, the bad part of town.” Rosa just wants for me to finish, her brows knitting together. “When we fist started dating and you drove me home, I didn’t want you to see where I live. I mean, that place is a shit-show, Rosa, really it is. And I guess I just got so caught up in not wanting you to know that I just kept lying to you. I’m sorry Rosa.”
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Seconds pass, the ornamental fountain the only sound in the gardens. Rosa just stares at me, her crimson eyes searching for something on face, perhaps for some greater lie. She’s not yelling yet, which is a good thing, no Spanish shrieks or anything. And both sandals were still on her feet. I may just avoid the worst of it…
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“Why, An-on? Why did you lie to me?” Rosa’s voice was soft, full not of anger but with disappointment. Her eyes were sad, the wonderful smile slipping quickly from her lips. Even her body looked sad; her shoulders sagging, her hands idly plucking at the leaves of the bouquet.
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“Rosa… I think it’s because I was ashamed, when we first started dating: Of who I was, where I lived. You were this amazing, beautiful, sexy woman, and you had picked me, of all people, and I just felt like I was letting you down just by being me. So, I lied about where I lived, thinking that maybe if I could hide that part of myself from you, I could hide everything else. But I know now that’s not how a boyfriend should be, not how a familia should be, and you deserve the truth, Rosa.
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So, for the second time today, I spilled my guts out on that stone bench in the gardens. Rosa didn’t say a word as I laid out my life’s story, from my shitty home life to my equally shitty school life. She just listened, just like Stella, just like Fang. For the first time in my life, people listened to me, really listened, and no matter how hard it was at the beginning, it was nice to be heard.
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By the end of my diatribe, my voice had become scratchy and weak from so much talking. I waited for Rosa to say something, anything, praying that she wouldn’t be too mad. Finally, Rosa stood up, grabbing me and hauling me up by the hand, a bossy look on her face.
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“Show me, An-on. Show me where you really live.”
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***
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The drive over to my part of town didn’t take long. I connived Rosa to park a few blocks away, with the understanding that the last thing she needed was to have her car stolen while visiting her boyfriend’s shitty apartment. Still clutching the bouquet, Rosa follows me in silence, still sporting that same bossy look. Sheepishly, I unlock the door, flicking on the lights as I wave Rosa in.
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“Welcome to Casa Del Shithole.”
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Mercifully, the room’s not in too bad of shape. Only a few dirty dishes remain in the sink, and the bed is MOSTLY made. Viewing my room through Rosa’s eyes, I can tell how empty it looks, the walls utterly devoid of any decoration save for an old wooden cross nailed to the wall by a previous tenant. Except for the appliances I brought with me, nearly everything else in the room was there when I arrived in Volcaldera, all those months ago. To Rosa, someone whose house was filled with evidence of life and love, this must look like a prison.
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Rosa still hasn’t said anything yet, casting her eyes across everything in silence. I didn’t dare say anything first, instead content to wait with my hands in my pockets, watching her take everything in. Eventually, Rosa walked to my desk, setting the bouquet down with care before rounding back on me, a look of pure rage in her eyes.
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“¡Estupido! An-on, how could you hide this from me?!” To punctuate her words, Rosa slaps me across the shoulder, the loud slap ringing in the desolate apartment. “Do you really think I care where you live?! As if I wouldn’t go out with you, just because you lived in the bad part of town! ¡Estupido, tonto chico!”
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“OW! Rosa, I’m sorry, really – Ow!” I try to shield myself from her blows, wincing wherever her smacks impact one of my bruises. I could feel my legs bump into my bed as I backed up underneath the onslaught.
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“¿¡Ay, que voy a hacer!? To think, I fell in love with such a stupid, stupid boy!” Rosa’s slaps were getting harder, and worse still, her shoe was coming off.
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“Ow! Really, I’m sorry! I love you too, Rosa, please-“
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At once the blows stopped. Rosa stood there, shoe up-raised and ready to strike, her chest panting from the effort of pummeling me. Her bossy look had returned, this time her cheeks flushed.
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“Say that again,” she ordered, her voice quiet. “Say what you just said again, An-on.”
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“I love you Rosa. I know I haven’t really said it before, but it’s what I wanted to say, today.”
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Rosa slowly lowered her shoe, letting it fall from her hand as she stared at me. I could see tears beginning to well up in her eyes, that bossy look slowly fading away. “Ay, you really are a stupid, stupid boy, mi novio.” Rosa’s hands guide me down onto the bed as she straddles my lap. Her dress is shed is seconds, followed quickly by the rest of her clothing.
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“No, no mi novio. Mi amor.”