-Beyond the illusion-

Memorys

As I walked up to the front door, the weight of the day hung heavily on my shoulders. I pulled out my phone to check the time, my heart sinking as I saw the hour flashing back at me. I opened my notifications, and my stomach dropped at the flood of missed calls and texts from my mom.

"Oh shit, I'm so late!" I muttered to myself, frantically rummaging through my bag for my keys. The jangling metal seemed to mock me as I struggled to find them, and I finally fished them out just as I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from inside.

The moment I stepped through the door, my mom rushed toward me, her eyes wide with a mix of worry and frustration. "Where have you been?!"

"I was just out with friends," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady, but the agitation was creeping in.

"Do you know how late it is?" she demanded, her voice rising. "It's dangerous to be out at this hour! I've been trying to call you! What if something happened?"

I rolled my eyes, irritation bubbling up. "I'm fine, Mom! I told you I was with Bakugo, and we were just sparring after school. Nothing happened!"

Her expression shifted from worry to disbelief. "With a boy? You know you're not allowed to have a boyfriend! Why can't you understand that it's not safe out there?"

"Bakugo is just a friend! He's not going to hurt me," I argued back, my frustration spilling over. "I can take care of myself. Why can't you see that?"

"This isn't just about you being safe!" she shouted, her voice trembling with emotion. "I can't help but worry! You have no idea what kind of dangers are out there—villains, creeps, anything could happen to you!"

I felt the anger rising, and I crossed my arms defensively. "I'm not a child anymore, Mom! You treat me like I'm some paranoid freak! I'm just trying to live my life. I don't want to be trapped in this bubble you've created!"

Her face fell, and for a brief moment, I saw the hurt flash across her features. "I'm only trying to protect you," she said softly, her voice breaking. "You don't understand what I've been through. I've seen things... things that you can't even imagine. I just want to keep you safe from that world."

"Safe from what? From living?" I shot back, my words sharper than I intended. "I'm not asking for permission to breathe! Just because you went through something doesn't mean I have to live in fear!"

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" she exclaimed, her voice cracking under the strain of her emotions. "I'm your mother! I know what's best for you!"

I shook my head, my own anger clouding my judgment. "You're being paranoid! Just because something happened to you doesn't mean it's going to happen to me! I'm not you!"

"That's not the point!" she yelled, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "You don't get to dismiss my fears like they're nothing! I don't want you to experience the pain I went through! You don't understand the kind of dangers that exist out there!"

"I'm not a child, Mom! You have to stop treating me like one!" I snapped, feeling the weight of my words. "You can't keep me locked up forever just because you're scared. Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with protecting me, I wouldn't feel like I have to hide things from you!"

Her face fell, the hurt evident as the tears finally spilled over. "I'm just trying to protect you," she whispered, her voice shaking. "I thought I was doing the right thing..."

"You're not protecting me; you're suffocating me!" I retorted, the anger in my voice making me feel hollow. "Maybe if you let me make my own choices, I wouldn't feel so trapped! You've built this mental prison around me!"