Impress Me Not: Neon Underground

Chapter 86

He left him alone for five minutes...

Five

Mateo should have just held it in until they got to the grocery store or something. He hated going to the grocery store, or doing any of what Melvin said he needed to do, but he didn't want to leave him alone. And, while the man's addiction to cigarettes, and Mateo's own clinginess to him, were definitely factors to why Mateo wanted to follow Melvin around so much.

This was also another reason why he was feeling paranoid.

"Do you want me to punch him?" Mateo asked. They were both watching as the old man walked away, a little girl right beside him. Melvin had told him that he adopted, and it was to try and replace him. It was a little too freaky that the little girl had black hair just like Melvin.

Not to say that black hair wasn't uncommon. It just seemed like they were trying to take some of Melvin's qualities into account when they went looking for a new one. And that didn't sit right with him.

"No," Melvin told him. "Let's go and get what we need. It's not worth the drama."

"Is he going to be coming back?" Mateo asked, following him to his car. He grabbed the keys from Melvin's hand right when he pulled them out of his pocket. "Should you get a restraining order or something?"

"No," Melvin answered, not even fighting him about the keys. He just went to the passenger's side and got in. "I believe I've humiliated him enough. He's not like you who actually likes it."

"He's sure acting like it from how many times he's tried to talk to you," Mateo frowned, starting up the car. He turned to look at Mel before he took his foot off the brake. "Are you okay?"

Those dark blue eyes showed a lot of pain and sadness in them. There was, however, a tiny bit of peace. It was strange to see in them, considering those eyes are usually deep and stormy with a bunch of emotions flowing through them. Mateo hadn't realized they were until he finally got to see all of those emotions while Melvin was sick.

"I will be," Melvin nodded. "I think I've finally come to terms that he's not my father. I used to wonder if he would ever want to change his mind and see the world in a different perspective." He took in a deep breath, his eyes moving to his surroundings before coming back to Mateo. "As much as it hurts to know that he won't ever change his mind, it's freeing as well. I don't ever have to wonder. I feel like I can finally shed that part of my life away and move on."

That was...a very heartwarming but fucked up thing to realize. Like, Mateo was glad that Melvin could finally let it all go, especially since he didn't think his father was the best to him. But damn...people really had to go through this stuff with their family, didn't they?

Well, Mateo had his own family that he had to disown in a way. But they never really tried to replace him. And they never called him a monster. It was fucked up in its own way, but it was nothing compared to this.

"Let's get home," Mateo grabbed Mel's hand and squeezed before finally starting to drive.

"We still have to get groceries," Mel said, much to Mateo's dismay. "And gas."

"Do you really want to do that now?" Mateo asked, trying not to groan. Leave it to this man to have gotten his heart ripped out of his chest by his own parents and still somehow remember that they needed to get groceries.

Mateo bet he was the kid that reminded the teacher about homework in school.

Actually...no, Mel was probably the quiet kid that everyone was afraid would shoot the school up if they messed with him too much.