Bella Leticia Zambada-García sat in her kitchen with her mother. She watched as the brown-haired woman made eggs and the young girl sighed. She looked just like her mother, and everyone kept talking about it. She hated that she could even be related to anything about her and it was the same way with her dad. Bella was exposed to way too much and she was far too young and it haunted her every day. She knew that there was absolutely no reason a young girl her age would go through what she did and Bella resented her parents for it.
"Estoy tratando de ser buena para ti...pero no estoy segura de cómo" Elvia tells her daughter, watching the young girls reaction. Translation: [Im trying to be good for you...but im not sure how]
The nine year old sat in silence, staring at her eggs. She wasn't sure what to say, on one hand she knew it would be nice having a mother there for her but on the other hand she was scared of her mother's tendencies to 'snap' and do something absolutely crazy for no reason. "¿Sigues usando drogas?" Translation: [Are you still doing drugs?]
The woman falls silent, her eyes glued to the floor and Bella can't even say anything. She's angry, her mom knows what she's capable of when shes drugged out and had forced her daughter to take care of her on several occasions. The girl cries, for the first time since the day her dad dropped her off and jumps off the chair. She wipes her tears with the wool gloves Veronica gave her and picks up her backpack on the way out. Bella walks to the Gallagher's house and opens the door. Steve is in the living room and he widens his eyes at the crying nine year old girl.
"Hey, hey" He kneels down, giving her a hug. "What's wrong?"
She covers her face, sniffling as she tries to fight the tears but they only grow harder. Carl runs down the stairs and taps Steve, he lets go and Carl wraps his arms around Bella's shoulders. The young girl sobs freely into his sweater and the Gallagher family crowds the room. "Hey, no school today" Fiona tells Carl and he nods, still hugging his girlfriend. "And she's staying here"
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Bella's mom came to Fiona the next day crying and begging to apologize to her daughter. Fiona refused the woman's offer but after a couple hours of knocking she just couldn't take it anymore. The next time she opes the door Fiona is the first to speak. "Your daughter came to my house crying because you're a fucking cokehead that thinks it's okay to decide to join her daughter's life whenever she feels like it! She is nine years old!" Fiona scolds, pointing a finger in the crying woman's face. "Now you go and you apologize the right way" She opens the door wide and Elvia steps inside the home.
Veronica plays with Bella's hair, staring the girls mother down as she enters the living room. Elvia Jimenez kneels in front of her daughter, grabbing her small hands. "I know I'm the last person you want to talk to right now. But Bella, I need you to come home with me. Your dad has no right leaving you alone all day every day" Tears grown in her eyes as she shakes. "Im your mom and I need you to come home with me"
"Home?" Veronica asks, wrapping an arm around the young girl protectively.
"I live in Texas, with my mother. She can help me take care of her while I go to NA. I'm trying to get clean" She reassures, looking around at the family. "I just want my daughter" Her voice breaks at the end and Fiona sighs, crossing her arms. Carl crosses his arms, sitting on the stairs. Ian looks at his kid brother who is looking down, not saying a word.
"I'll think about it" Bella says, playing with her fingers. "But for now I wanna stay at Fionas" Her voice is soft, almost unintelligible. Her mom mods, kissing her head before leaving the house. Everyone watches the middle-aged woman exit the house and then they all divert their attention to Bella who is clinging to V. Carl walks over to the couch and V moves so he can sit beside her. He leans her head on her and she wraps her arm around the boy aswell.
The rest of the night was unsettlingly quiet. The Gallaghers didn't know how to deal with it, but for once it was nice knowing that the two young children weren't up to any trouble. Instead they sat in the living room, watching tv while Carl held her tight. "I'm gonna miss you" He sighs, looking at her for the first time since they sat on the couch.
"I'll miss you too" Bella frowns and grabs his hand. "She says we can visit during the summer"
Carl nods solemnly. "School won't be the same without you" He sadly says and she nods.
"I know but maybe it's best that we actually make some friends" The girl laughs, making him smile. "Am I still your girlfriend?"
"Of course" Carl reassures her. "You always will be" And Bella smiles, kissing his cheek. She leans her head on his shoulder, watching the tv as some paranormal investigators explore some haunted house.
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Two nights before she left Bella snuck Carl out of the house. Her left hand was interlaced with his and the other carried a bucket of illegal fireworks she had bought from a man in an alley for a decent price. Carl grinned, squeezing her hand excitedly when they finally came to a clearing. They set up the fireworks in a circle so that they would be going in every direction. Bella fidgeted through her pockets, looking for the lighter she stole from Lip. She checked the phone she grabbed from her mother's purse and saw that it was 2:55 AM. Almost time.
The two kids sat in the grass, never letting go of each other's hands. "When I come back hopefully I can score some Mexican fireworks" Bella grinned and the boy nodded excitedly. "That'll wake the whole neighborhood up"
Carl kissed her, grabbing her face and his heart full of love. He wonders if this is what love will feel like the rest of his life and he hopes it does. He hopes it's enough to clear all the bad thoughts like it does now and he knows the only person he's gonna love is Bella. "It's 3 now" He says, checking the time on her mother's phone. The kids stand up, fist-bumping and taking out their lighters.
They light the fireworks quickly, staying until they are all shot in the air. They giggle and when the first boom of the firework makes a car alarm go off they retreat, zooming down the street. The sky is lit with red and blue, the booms still going and the houses light up with those inside cursing angrily. The kids decide to run through the backyards, hopping and scaling as many fences as they could until reaching the Gallagher house. They enter through the backdoor and find Fiona standing in the kitchen, crossing her arms at them.
