𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐒, Alex Alvarez

four - chasing

•~3rd person P.O.V~•
TRANSLATIONS: SPANISH TO ENGLISH (done by google translate so the translations are probably shit😭)
"Papito." - (Alex's nickname)
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"What's up, Mom?" Alex asked, sliding into the dining room chair across from his mom.

"I wanna talk about Maria." Schneider perked up slightly as if he were ready to protect her from anything Penelope said. "And you." She added.

Alex gulped, leaning back in his seat as he tried his best to play things cool. He could see all about Maria for hours. To his friends, to Elena (now that she knew her), and even to Schneider but his mom? He couldn't talk to his mom about Maria.

He talked about Maria the way Elena talked about facts and protests. Almost obsessively. He knew so little about her, yet so much at the same time. Everything she told him made him wonder more about her. Especially what she had told him only moments before.

"They love you, that's cool enough."

She said it as if she were implying her family didn't love her. Which led them not to be cool. It worried him and made him feel terrible. He wished he had asked more about it, but he didn't think it would be appropriate to do so.

"What do you mean?" He asked, knowing exactly what his mom meant.

"She seems like a great kid. An amazing kid, really, but I think you see her as more than a friend." Alex shifted uncomfortably, feeling his mom's eyes on him. Like she was picking him apart till he was bare.

"What? No! Maria's just..." He couldn't even bring himself to lie and say she was just a friend. It felt terrible to lie when Maria was involved, almost filthy. Not to mention the unfathomable thought that Maria was simply just a friend.

"Pen, if you're worried about Maria, I can tell you anything you wanna know!" Schneider said, slipping into the chair next to Penelope. Sure, he hadn't seen her in a while, but not that much could've changed. Even if it did, Schneider was sure Alex could fill in the gaps.

"What's her family like?" Alex leaned forward, he wanted to know too. He hadn't heard Maria talking about her parents before, until today.

"Well, her dad's an important businessman. He owns buildings all over the country." So, Alex thought, Maria really was rich. "Her mom was a stay-at-home mom until she died when Maria was nine." Alex's lips tightened. That was what all of those past tense words meant.

"Aw, poor girl." Penelope frowned, wondering if Alex knew. It now made sense why she didn't talk about her parents like most kids did. Most kids groan about being grounded or not being allowed to go places, Alex included, but not Maria.

When she told her friends she wasn't allowed to go somewhere, she apologized. Saying she must've forgotten they had plans of some sort. Or she'd explain some rule she had that she should've remembered before getting her friend's hopes up.

"Her dad's real strict, even more than you guys, won't let her wear certain things, stuff like that." Elena sat up straight, her eyebrows pulling together.

"What?" She asked, sounding offended. "What stuff is she not allowed to wear?" She asked and Alex could already tell what this was leading up to.

"Tank tops, crop tops, formfitting stuff, leggings, yoga pants. Stuff like that." Schneider shrugged. "She can wear them inside just not in public." Elena's jaw dropped, she didn't like formfitting stuff but she chose not to wear them. Her mom didn't care. Not to mention, she couldn't wear tank tops?!

"Why, that's so dumb!" Penelope went to put a hand on Elena's shoulder, to tell her that some dads were just like that when Schneider spoke again.

"Well he's scared she'll get assaulted." Elena began to speak, and Alex knew exactly what she was going to say.