Kill Me ✔️

Chapter 25: Cry

My mom was staring at me with an emotion that nearly made me shake.

I guess Nico could sense this because he put his hand on my back and rubbed up and down in a comforting motion. And as much as I appreciated it, it only made my mom's glare turn more intense.

"This is Nico, do you remember him?" I asked nicely. "He was our neighbor 10 years ago."

"No, I don't remember. Why are you here, and why is he touching you?" she asked while raising her voice as if we were doing something horrible. I gulped, always feeling nervous whenever somebody yells at me.

Nico answered her without removing his hand, "I'm just trying to comfort her."

"I wasn't talking to you," my mom spat at him.

Nico grabbed onto the back of my shirt and pulled me closer to him, "Well you got an answer from me."

Seeing the look my mom was giving Nico made me want to speak up, "Nico is my self-defense teacher. And he's....."

My voice trailed off. My parents were strict about dating, even Romeo wasn't allowed to date unless my parents 'approved' of the relationship. My mom always loved me the least, and I felt my eyes turn glossy as I was about to make her love me even less. 

Nico squeezed my shirt in an encouraging motion. I swallowed my saliva and finished my sentence, "He's also my boyfriend."

My moms' brown eyes widened. If Nicos' hand wasn't on my back, I probably would've started crying.

She shook her head, "You can't date a boy I know nothing about."

"She's an adult, so she can," Nico spoke up, but his voice was calm and even. 

My mom glared at Nico. She forced her eyes back to me, "Get in the car, Maribelle. I'll have Romeo come get his car, and you can explain what you've been hiding from me at home."

"She's not going alone with you. You're gonna make her feel like shit even though shes done nothing wrong," Nico said while his grip on my shirt tightened.

"She's my fucking daughter, so yes she will," she snapped at him.

I hated how I felt. I felt like a child, too scared to stand up to their parent. I took a deep breath, watching the look on my moms' face. And as I looked at her, memories filled my brain.

She never treats me like I'm good enough. 

She wants to control what I do, who I see, where I go to school.

But Nico treats me like I am good enough. 

"Nico is my boyfriend, mom. Whether you like it or not," I spoke up, not trying to sound disrespectful, but just defend myself. "And if you respect that, then I'll come home-"

"I don't have to respect anything, Maribelle. I came to America to give my future children a good life. I left my own parents and siblings for you, so don't tell me what I need to respect," she spat at me, and guilt sank in my stomach.

Maybe she's right.

"Don't try to guilt trip her," anger began to seep into Nicos' voice. "You want to give her a good life? Treat her like a human being and let her be happy."

My mom started to walk towards me, and Nico protectively stepped in front of me so that she couldn't grab onto me. My mom started, "Move-"

"She can make her own decision. Even though I don't want her to go with you, I'll respect it if she does. But it'll be by her choice, not because you're dragging her," the anger was now prominent in his voice.