Black and White

7- Nico

⚠️TRIGGER WARNING- this chapter contains violence and suicide- please be warned and feel free to skip it if you want!⚠️

After a week of pranks, including Will filling my entire playlist with songs droning about how black isn't my color and then me temporarily dying his hair black, we finally stopped to talk.  Like, actually talk to each other.  Will still had dark shades in his hair when I unexpectedly sat myself next to him at lunch, grudgingly mumbling about how the other tables were filled up.  He smirked or something- I turned my head away.
"So, Di Angelo." He started. "Aside from the fact that you are the cause of all my recent problems, I don't really know you. Who is the boy behind the infuriatingly genius pranks?"  I let the corner of my mouth twitch upward, but didn't smile fully. "Shut it, Solace." He ignored me.  "I mean, I get that you're all lonely and dark and brooding but what else do you do?" Now I smiled slightly, flipped him off and started to get up.  A hand fell on my shoulder as I stood, effectively turning me around.  "No, seriously," Will said, his eyes hopeful. "You wanna hang out?"  I stopped. What? "Um," I started. "Sure. Uh, when?"
"You can come over after school. Say, 5:00?"
"Cool." I nodded and he beamed, letting my shoulder go. A surge of cold flew through me as his touch left me, and I shivered slightly. "I'll send you the address." He said, and I quickly left before that happened again. 

After school, I avoided going home as long as possible just in case Mama was awake.  Sure enough, less than ten minutes after I had left the building, my phone buzzed. 

Why the hell aren't you home right now
Bzzz bzzzz
Nico don't you dare avoid me
Bzzz bzzzz
You're more than damn getting it when you get here
I shoved my phone in my pocket, perfectly aware of what my mother was capable of.  Sighing, I knew she would be ready for me, so the most I could hope for was that she would knock herself out after drinking and wake up without the bottle in her hand.  Kicking a stone, I walked slowly up and down the street until I realized I had to face it sometime or other. 
Mama was, once more, waiting on the couch when I slipped in, her bottle in hand.  My arms instinctively shot up in defense as I closed the door behind me. She whipped her hair towards me. "Where the hell were you?" She snarled. I bit my lip. "I was out."
"Not good enough." The glass from her bottle smashed into my arm, and a couple drops of blood landed on the carpet.  I hissed, pushing my arm against my shirt for pressure.  "Mama please-"
"You're not my son. You're a disappointment." She growled, slapping me hard across the face.  As I whipped my head around, I caught sight of the clock on the wall.  4:48.
"Mama- I have to go." I whimpered, clutching my bloody arm.  "Where the hell do you have to go now, boy?"
"To.. see a friend. I told him I'd be there." My voice cracked.
"What, are you going to see your boyfriend?" She was just mad now. "No!"
"Are you gay?" She spat the word out.
"Oh for gods- yes!"  I spat back, a little blood dripping from my lip.  Her face went eerily calm, and I involuntarily shivered.  "So. You are. I have nothing left to live for." She turned to the door and opened it.  The sound of an incoming truck rumbled ahead of us and I understood what she meant. Oh. No. No. Mama. Tears stung my eyes and I grabbed her arm.  "Mama. No. Please. No." I choked, but she just tugged her arm back and stared at me with cold, unforgiving eyes. Silence, except for my sobs.  And then? My screams as she stepped in the road and the truck blared its horn and I crumpled to my knees, knowing that now, I was alone. She was gone.  I ran into the road, forgetting my own injuries and collapsing.  Through my sobs, I did the first thing I could think of. I called Will.
"Hey! Nico, um, it's 5:00." His cheery voice answered.  I choked out a response, blubbering into the phone. "Will, I need help, I need help, she's gone," I said, not thinking straight. I heard his breathing quicken. "Ok, um. Don't worry. I'm coming. I'm coming right over, just breath, where are you?" I told him and nodded shakily, turning off my phone.  True to his word, the tall boy was at my side in a minute, and I leaned into him, sobbing and shaking with my head in his chest.  He didn't even know what happened, but he held me close and  rubbed my back, muttering condolences into my hair.  It started raining, and I vaguely could hear Will using his free hand to call the police. After a while, I pushed myself away and stood up, using my arm to balance myself on his shoulder. The sirens were growing louder, but to me, they were muffled. A shock blanket. Some questions, and for some reason I couldn't remember anything. Will spoke to a police officer, who then turned around and told me I didn't have to go anywhere if I didn't want to. For some reason, I didn't know what he meant. Go where? A foster home? An orphanage? I wasn't 18 yet. But if I didn't go, where would I stay? In my empty house? I winced, the pain in my arm waking me up a little. I realized the ambulance had left, and they had taken my mothers body with them. Will glanced over at me from his conversation with a policeman- who seemed to be taking some notes- his expression concerned.  "Is something wrong?" He excused himself and came over to me, where I was pushing my shirt over my injured arm again. "Hey, hey, we can go now.  Come with me." Taking my hand gently, he led me across the street.  "This is my house." He opened the door and I was hit with the warm smell of wildflowers and honey.  My vision doubled. Then tripled.  And then my knees buckled and I fell, darkness overtaking everything.