Expect the Unexpected

Shea: Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Shea

            **This chapter contains sexual content. I'll put stars before and after each scene to warn you guys. **

            "You know," Julian's mother, Ms. Torres, says as she pulls out of her driveway, "my son, he loves you." I'm fidgeting nervously in the passenger's seat of Ms. Torres's car because she insisted on driving me home. Julian got discharged from the hospital an hour ago, and we just dropped him off at his house so that he could rest. He had to get a total of 55 stitches inside of his mouth, on his cheekbones, and on his forehead because the mall cops beat him up so badly. Luckily, I escaped the ordeal with a couple minor scrapes and bruises.

            "Really?" I reply curtly. I'm honestly not in the mood to discuss my feelings for Julian with his mother, and I'm hoping that Ms. Torres will take the hint.

            "Yes, really, mami." She says in her thick Puerto Rican accent. I sigh as I lean against the window. I guess that she didn't take the hint.

            "Ms. Torres," I sigh, "I don't think that Julian even knows what love is." She stops at a red light, and she stares at me for a moment.

            "You're right, mami." She says as she runs her hand through her curly black hair. "He might not know what love is yet, but that doesn't mean that he can't feel the emotion. My son loves you, Shea." I look out of the window nervously, because Ms. Torres has a point. She grabs my hand absently as she makes a sharp right turn. She appears to be deep in thought.

            "But just because he loves you doesn't mean that he's good for you." She says quietly. It almost seems as if she's talking to herself. "I know that you're good for him, but he might not be good for you. Do you love this new guy? The White guy?"

            "Yes." I answer immediately. "I love him with every part of myself." Ms. Torres stares at me for a moment, and then she starts to tear up. She's always been an emotional person. She cried more than Julian did when he broke his arm in ninth grade. 

            "I've never heard you talk about my son that passionately." She sniffs. "I guess life just works like that sometimes. People can't always get what they want- what they need."

            "What do you mean?" I ask as we pull up to my house. Ms. Torres stops the car and she turns to look at me.

            "My son needs you." She says as she brushes the tears from her cheeks. "But you two shouldn't be together, because you seem to need this new guy right now. This White guy, he's good for you, just like you're good for Julian. And even though my baby loves you, you shouldn't feel obligated to be with him because you deserve to be happy too." I nod as I reach over to hug Ms. Torres. She's been like a second mother to me for years, but I know how much she loves Julian. It took a lot of selflessness for her to tell me that I deserve to be with someone else.

            "Te amo, Ms. Torres." I whisper into her hair. She smiles at me weakly as she holds back her tears.

            "Te amo tambien, mami." She sniffs. "And ya sabes, if that White boy ever does you dirty, my son will be ready and willing to kick his ass, and then to propose to you afterwards."

            "Ehh, we'll see." I chuckle as I step out of the car. "Bye Ms. Torres!" She waves to me as she pulls away from my house.

            When I step into my living room, I realize that no one is home. All of my siblings are at their grandparents' houses, and my mother is at her boyfriend's. A lump emerges in my throat, and my chest start to feel heavy. I rush into the kitchen, looking for someone or something, because I desperately don't want to be alone. The feeling of desolation hits me like a ton of bricks, and I start to cry. I'm tired of being alone all the time. I hate crying, but the tears won't stop coming and the bruised side of my face really hurts. I take the stairs, two at a time, up to my bedroom. I just want to stand in front of my window and look at the Philadelphia skyline until I'm able to breathe again.