⚠️ trigger warning for this chapter !!

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after miguel had talked to his mother and grandmother, he escorted gioia over to her parents.

"guys." bianca pulled her daughter and her best friend into a hug, "you two did great, congrats miguel."

"thank you, bianca." miguel nodded at the lady politely.

"thanks mamma."

the diaz boy turned to fredrico and put his hand out, "miguel."

"this is gioia's best friend." bianca explained.

fredrico nodded and shook the boy's hand, "fred, nice to meet you." although being from italy like the rest of his small family, the man had a more faint accent.

"you too."

the man turned to his daughter who had been gazing around the room, looking anywhere but at him.

"hey kid, you did amazingly." he complimented her.

gioia sighed with her eyes on the ground, "thank you."

"my parole officer let me come." fredrico motioned to the burly man stood a few feet behind him.

"cool." miguel grinned, "that was nice of him."

"yeah... although, i had to do a lot to get here." fredrico chuckled nervously.

"your father has one week of time and then a few more weeks of community service before he is a free man." bianca explained gently.

gioia nodded, "okay."

"your mamma invited me to stay with you guys - we can be a family again, yeah?" fredrico quizzed.

"fred..." bianca smacked his arm, he wasn't suppose to just say the statement out of no where, they had a plan. but fredrico was getting nervous around his daughter and couldn't help himself.

gioia stared at the man, her eyes fluttering and her head becoming dizzy. the girl groaned out as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell unconscious into miguel's arms.

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that night, miguel stood with his mother, outside gioia's hospital room. as they talked, he would peek inside to see what his friend was up to - she was watching a teen drama show on the television.

"miggy, her body is lacking the proper minerals and vitamins it needs to heal her." carmen explained to her son.

"i don't understand." miguel muttered while running his hands through his hair in anxiety.

"to be vague... she hasn't been eating properly." carmen said quietly, "has she been eating at all?"

miguel's face scrunched up and it was easy to tell he was confused. he thought for a moment and shook his head.

"her mother and i have been looking at adolescent-focused psychotherapy for her while she was out." carmen continued.

"does she know?"

"no, miggy i need you to-"

"break the news to her?" miguel asked, his voice cracking.

"i am so sorry." his mother started. "but you'd be the best person to talk to her, she listens to you. if you don't want to-"

"no, it's fine." miguel took a deep breath.

"she's taking a break from karate, don't forget to mention that." carmen reminded him.

he nodded, "i'm going in."

carmen quickly pecked his cheek and sighed while he entered the girl's hospital room.

"how are you doing, general?" miguel questioned as he sat on the bedside chair.

"never better, soldier." gioia told him, weakly.

"well... that was a lie." miguel shook his head.

"sorry."

"gioia... why didn't you tell me?" miguel asked her.

she tightly closed her eyes, "i feel so pathetic. i did not want you to look at me any differently."

"i wouldn't ever do that to you."

"i know." she sobbed out, "i am sorry, miguel."

miguel's face fell. the boy stood up and leaned over her hospital bed, attempting to give her a hug.

"please, do not tell johnny - he will make me quit." gioia begged.

the diaz boy pulled out of the embrace with a frown on his face, "he knows... most of them do. our moms are looking for people to help you."

"i do not need help? i am fine." she refused.

"you're laying in a hospital bed."

the blonde girl fell silent, he was right. "does that mean-"

"you have to take a break from karate until you get better." miguel cut her off, knowing what she would ask.

"but that is not fair?" she shifted up in her uncomfortable position.

"i'm sorry." miguel told her, "but if it was up to me, i wouldn't let you do karate either."

gioia turned her body to face the wall, her back facing miguel. he got the hint and sighed.

"they're discharging you soon." miguel told her while he made his way to the door, "i'll see you later?"

quiet sniffles were her only reply. miguel took a deep breath and exited through the door, closing it on his way out. as he walked down the hallway, he couldn't help but feel bad for her best friend.

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gioia's whole morning had been filled with her having to be tested. blood tests, checking her blood pressure, urine tests, checking her iron levels and much more.

the girl laid in her hospital bed, exhausted with a bowl of now lukewarm chicken soup in her lap. she had been concentrating on the show on the small television.

"caio, hija." bianca spoke out from the doorframe.

gioia's head quickly turned to make eye contact with her mother, "hello, mamma."

"your friends aisha, demetri and  eli are in the waiting room." she explained, "they brought some cards and told me they'd like to play them with you."

"miguel?" gioia asked.

the blonde woman shook her head softly, "miguel isn't here, i'm sorry."

"it is my fault, i was not nice last night." gioia sighed.

"no one blames you, trust me." bianca reassured her, "he will probably be here later today, i know him."

"grazie, mamma." gioia gave her a small grin, "and papa?"

"he's back in his cell." she confessed, "but he'll try and visit."

"you really invited him to stay?" gioia quizzed.

"he's your father." bianca reminded her, "and he's trying to do better."

"alright."

"i'll let your friends in." bianca told her while she turned on her feet and left.

gioia groaned and picked up her spoon. she slowly brought the liquid to her lips and drank it. her face scrunched up in disgust and she placed the bowl onto the bedside table.

"il serpente!" hawk's voice was heard in italian.

gioia laughed while the blue-haired boy came into her eyesight, "no, no. that only works with miguel."

"your loss, i like the nickname." hawk shrugged as he placed a box in the corner of the room.

"what is in the box?" gioia peered over.

"some old sweaters, in case you get cold in here." hawk shrugged.

"it is nearly summer." gioia reminded him, "but graize, eli. i will wear them either way."

"cool."

"hey girl." aisha smiled.

"hello, gb." demetri greeted while he placed a plastic bag onto her hospital bed.

"caio, guys." gioia's face brightened up, "thank you for coming."

"of course, we were getting bored." aisha admitted, "well, i was also being engulfed with too much testosterone."

the blonde chuckled, "sorry about that."

"don't sweat it." aisha waved her off as she dug through the plastic bag.

"we're going to grab some chairs." hawk announced before him and demetri shuffled out the room.

"aisha, i apologise for snapping at you yesterday." gioia finally said.

aisha looked at her in disbelief, "i already forgot about it."

"thanks."

"and we don't have to talk about... it if you don't want to." aisha added.

"i would prefer if we didn't." gioia agreed, "i already have to talk to so many people in psychotherapy."

"right." aisha nodded, "but... are you going to eat that soup?"

"pardon?" gioia hummed before glancing at the soup beside her, "it tastes gross."

"you have to." aisha said calmly.

gioia shut her eyes tightly and sighed, "okay, okay." the girl reached over to the bowl and carried it back into her lap.

"let's get started!" hawk yelled as he and demetri returned.

"i say we start with uno." demetri suggested.

"i doubt gb knows how to play."

"don't doubt her, hawk." aisha scoffed, "we play every time she comes to mine, and she..."

"say it aisha." gioia beamed, "say that i beat you every time."

"not every time." aisha rolled her eyes, "maybe, once in a while."

"sure, sure." gioia nodded.

"well then, i can't wait to beat your ass in this game." hawk told the barbusca girl.

"you're on."

"oh, and we've rescheduled the victory nachos." aisha explained while demetri shuffled the cards.

"you did?"

"well, miguel did." demetri classified.

"he said he didn't want to celebrate if you weren't there." hawk added.

gioia sadly smile's , "i will have to thank him for that."

"or you could thank us. it's basically the same thing."

"shut up, eli."

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"sorry i wasn't here before." miguel spoke while he entered the girl's room, a tub of food in his arms.

it was currently the evening. aisha, hawk and demetri had left a few hours ago and gioia was left alone with her mother for a while. even johnny had came to say a few words, but all gioia wanted was to see her best friend.

the girl grinned when she saw him place the tub of food on the bedside table and take his jumper off.

"uh, yaya packed you some food. incase you get hungry of course." the boy informed her, "she suggested i spoon feed you if you aren't feeling up to it."

gioia let out a laugh, a growing smile on her face, "tell her i said thank you. and that i love her suggestion."

miguel nodded as he sat down in the chair beside her.

"i apologise for being such a jerk yesterday." gioia said softly.

miguel shook his head, "it's okay, you have every right to be angry."

"but i don't have the right to take my anger out on you." gioia said.

he shrugged, "gb, it's okay - don't worry."

"and i don't have every right to be angry. i did this to myself."

miguel's face fell, he turned to her in astonishment, "don't say that."

"pardon?"

"you didn't do this to yourself."

"no, but i did." gioia explained, "after the dance, i just thought maybe if i looked a little different, things would be easier. and i remember looking at food and just being disgusted by it. i couldn't bare to eat any - so i did not. all the things i use to enjoy eating, i started to hate."

"gioia-"

"i did not think of the consequences. i was getting more tired and weaker, but i did not make the connection that it was being i was not eating. until eli asked me what i had for breakfast at the tournament." she hadn't noticed she had been rambling, "i froze, because i had not had anything. i knew he had noticed my habits, but i did not know how."

"i'm so sorry, i didn't notice." miguel's voice cracked, his eyes welling up with tears, "i've been such a bad friend- so caught up with sam a-and my relationship problems."

"miguel, you are the best friend i could ever ask for." gioia laughed through tears, "and trust me, if i get into a relationship, i would do the same."

"i love you."

"love you too."

⎯ ❃ janine speaks!

SEASON ONE IS A MF WRAP, SEASON TWO GET READY

okay but this chapter is so sad why did i do this