𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐘 𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐄𝐒, Alex Alvarez

five - daddy

•~3rd person P.O.V~•
TRANSLATIONS: SPANISH TO ENGLISH (done by google translate so the translations are probably shit😭)
-none
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Maria heard her front door open and then slam shut, followed by heavy footsteps. She knew her dad was home, and she knew he wasn't angry. Maybe tired, but not angry. Tired was an emotion to be danced around, tired could fuel anger or sadness or any other dangerous emotions that could lead to her dad lashing out.

But, if she didn't tell her dad that she was doing a project with "Alexis" then he'd be angry that she kept a secret from him. That would lead to Maria getting punished, and Maria wanted anything but that. So, she drew in a large breath, attempting to calm her nerves before she walked down the steps.

She saw her dad, in the kitchen, heating up the plate of food she'd made for him in the microwave. She gulped, seeing his droopy eyes and tense shoulders. This was one of the days where he was so tired, he didn't have time to pour himself a glass of liquor. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to smile and show how relieved she felt.

"Daddy?" He looked up, and a small, tired smile spread across his face. It didn't warm her insides, or make her return a smile, it made her feel nauseous. He always looked at her as if he were a predator and she was prey. Sickeningly, Maria had gotten used to it. She'd lived with him for fifteen years, she was bound to. The nausea was ten times worse now, now that she had to tell him something important.

"Hi, baby." He pulled her close and kissed the top of her head, squeezing her slightly. She told herself not to tense up, to be like waves and move the way he wanted her to. Go with the flow, the flow of him. If she'd tense, he'd pull away with a confused face, and ask why she was so stiff. If she thought he was going to hurt her as if he'd do such a thing. He'd get angry.

So, she didn't tense. She'd taught her body not to tense around him. Instead, her body tensed whenever someone else touched her. If they noticed, or her dad noticed, then her dad would say she was just so attached to him that she felt uncomfortable with any touch that wasn't from him. She wasn't sure if he was making excuses, or if he genuinely felt that way. Maybe a bit of both.

"Are you okay? You look tired." She asked hesitantly. So far he'd been happy tired, which was better than grumpy tired. Grumpy easily turned to anger if Maria talked too much.

"Long day, meetings, and boring conversations." He sighed, pulling a coffee cup from the cupboard. "Just glad to be home with you." He smiled at her again, Maria made sure to return it this time. It felt stupid, weird, and foreign, to fake smiles. Especially since Maria was sure everyone else could tell when she fake smiled. The corners of her lips would twitch and her eyes didn't crease the same.

"Today, Sister Barbara assigned the end-of-the-year project." She started, glancing at his face as he poured coffee into his cup. His lips didn't twitch, his eyes didn't narrow, and he didn't grip the handle of the coffeepot until his knuckles turned white. She was still in okay waters. "I got a partner, she's okay at science but she said she might need a bit more of my help on it. Her name's Alexis." She watched her dad's lips turn down into an understanding frown as he nodded.

"Your projects about...?" Maria drew in a relieving breath, a small smile pulling at her lips.

"We have to demonstrate the theory of evolution, research, have a poster board, and everything." Her dad nodded slowly, sipping from his coffee mug. "I went over to her house today, so we could brainstorm some ideas and it turns out that she lives in an apartment building that Schneider owns." Her dad's head snapped in her direction, one of his eyebrows raising.

"Pat Schneider?" Maria nodded, putting her arms behind her back and interlacing her fingers. She hoped mentioning Schneider wouldn't ruin everything for her.

"Yes sir." She added, remembering how angry he got if she just nodded her head instead of responding with words. Sometimes, she just couldn't help it. She didn't notice when she just nodded and didn't respond, it was a habit because of school.

"Does he remember you?" He asked, a small laugh falling from his lips. Maria felt a part of herself curl up in a ball inside of her. Was she really so easy to forget? Could her dad just forget her in six years?

He seemed to forget her mom in one year. Maybe she really was that forgettable. She gulped, telling herself not to think of it. Her dad liked seeing her upset, he liked seeing her cry, he liked seeing her hurt. Not giving it to him wasn't good either, but she could deal with that later.

"Yeah, he said he missed me." His eyebrow fell, but his lip twitched slightly. Maria had said something wrong, and now it was too late. Too late to turn back, maybe she could fess up now and get it all over with.

"He didn't touch you, did he?" Maria remembered the hug, she knew she couldn't tell him about that. She shook her head, her lips feeling glued shut. "Good, because I'm the only one allowed to, remember?" The rules, the long list of rules framed on her bedroom wall. It could easily slide off the wall if they had any guests, but they never did.

"Yes sir, I remember." She replied, nodding along. Her dad gave her a strong nod, just as the microwave beeped.

"Go to bed, it's late." Maria pressed a small kiss to her dad's cheek, internally throwing up at the act she had to do every night.

"Good night, Daddy." Every time she said those words, she felt even more disgusted, which seemed impossible now. Every time she said it though, it proved to be entirely possible.
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A/n: currently at this place that has an amusement park and a water park?!?!
Word Count:1,064