Circles--Shawmila (Complete)

Truth

"That's right, isn't it mom? That's what you think" Shawn tried to make eye contact with his mother but her line of vision moved faster than a bullet, looking at him and then searching out random spots in the room then searching for Sinus eyes before once again moving off

"Come on, nows your chance to blow things for me for good. Tell Mrs. Cabello what I did, tell her why you have punished me ever day since I was 7 years old... Come on mom, tell her... TELL HER!"

Karen threaded her fingers together before letting her gaze finally settle on her son, the man she no longer recognized, the man with fire in his eyes, his heart bleeding before her and she couldn't find anything soft inside of herself for him, nothing at all

"For goodness sake Shawn, settle down, you are making a fool of us in front of your guest"

Sinu watched the mother and son in front of her and wasn't sure she'd ever seen a more heartbreaking sight in her life

Shawn looked to Sinu, her face was pale, her jaw tense, she was doubting him and he couldn't blame her so he sat on the chair next to her and looked right at her and didnt stop looking at her until she lifted her head and met his gaze

"Mrs. Cabello, when I was 7 years old my friend Roozhan and I loved comic books, every Friday the new edition would come out and my dad would drive us to the store to buy it and usually we would get snacks too, it was the highlight of our week"

"Shawn!" his mother's voice was a warning he wasn't going to heed

"This one Friday dad had been in meetings all day and was tired when he got home so he sat outside for a while and Roozhan and I stayed inside getting more and more anxious about the store shutting before we got our comic"

"He told you he didn't want to go, told you he was tired but you and that girl just kept going and going at him" Karen's voice was so quiet Sinu thought she was maybe talking to herself

" I was 7, at 7 you don't realise life doesn't revolve around the latest edition of a comic book  you like"

"Selfish then, selfish now, and this is the man u want for your daughter?!" Karen shook her head in disappointment at Sinu  but she continued gazing at Shawn, the need to share the burdon of this with someone obvious on his face

"What I also didn't understand at 7 was that when my mom said my dad was tired what she really meant was he had sat outside and drank a couple of beers to relax after work

" 2 beers Shawn, it didn't affect anything, I wouldn't have let him drive if it was effecting him. "

"Two beers and a lapse in concentration and my dad's dead, my best friend ends up in a wheelchair and it's all my fault, because I wanted a comic book"

"Because you were a selfish little brat that could never take no for an answer! " Karen's composure cracked as her face reddened "My husband died because Shawn had to have what Shawn wanted, even now you are still the same, Jacob gets his first proper girlfriend, Shawn wants her so Shawn has to have her, forget about his brother, forget about his relationship" Karen's hand slammed down on to the table and Shawn shot out of his seat

"Forget about Jacob? How the hell can I forget about Jacob, he's all you talk about, all you think about, if anyone has been forgotten here it's me. All these years fending for myself without a mother, 8 years old washing my own school uniform, making my own meals. My dad died in that crash but that day I lost my mother and my father and Jacob became the golden boy because I was with them and he stayed at home. That's the only difference between us"

"The difference between you is he is wanted and you are not!" Now Karen was on her feet as she and Shawn glared at each other "I know what you did, you are not innocent in this no matter how you twist it to make your self the victim"

"I was seven years old!! I wanted a mavazine!! I didn't pour dad those beers, I didn't put the keys in the ignition"

"You might as well have driven that car in to the tree Shawn! If it wasn't for you he would ha e been at home and not in the car and I would still have my husband"

"I can't listen to any more of this" Sinu pushed herself to her feet, her mind dizzy with everything she had heard and she saw the look of fear on Shawn's face, fear that she blamed him too and would take Camila from him but Sinu simply walked to the suitcase by the door, picked it up and then looked back over her shoulder

"Get in to the car Shawn, I'm taking you home"

Cabello House

"So, Shawn..." Alejandro Cabello pushed his pulled pork around his plate as he searched  for something to say to the stranger in front of him "Do you play any sports?"

"No sir" Shawn said whilst shaking his head, his confrontation with his mother still heavy in his mind

"Papa, Shawn's a musician" Camila gushed excitedly "You should hear him play, he's amazing" Camila grinned happily at Shawn but he just looked down at his plate, meeting the father was bombing  but he just couldn't lift his mood, his father, his mother.. Their broken family filled his head and made words hard to find

"Well, Mendes... " Alejandro blurted out, he didn't know anything about music or instruments so he wanted to stick to a subject he was strong in when conversing with a guy looking to date his daughter "Mendes is a great name. Was your father Mexican?"

"No I um... Im not Latino sir, sorry. Just an ordinary, white, Canadian, guy"

"Papa, Shawn's 'Mendes' is Portuguese, his famy are from Portugal originally you've been there before right, was it nice are all the guys as cute as he is?" Camila winked and Shawn forced a half smile. This was bombing, she knew it was mistake to carry on with dinner when her mom had be called away to work. Rubbing a hand over her face, Camila wracked her brain trying to think of a subject both Shawn and her father liked and came up with only one common topic of conversation...her!

"So Shawn, why don't you tell my dad how we met and how you fell hopelessly in love with me at first sight and how I had to keep telling you no after you wooed me with your great looks and witty personality I decided to give you a chance"

Shawn choked on his food slightly at her retelling of their early meetings but Alejandro just chuckled and shook his head before wiping his mouth with a lemon colored napkin and looking to Shawn

"So she stalked you then son?" a genuine smile spread over Shawn's face for the first time that evening

"Papa! I liked him and he liked me right back" she pouted playfully, enjoying the change of atmosphere

"This is like Liam Jackson all over"

Jumping up from the table, Camila slapped her hands over her father's mouth, whispering something to him in Spanish that Shawn couldn't understand, their faces were light, both obviously playing a game so Shawn decided to go along with it

"Who is Liam Jackson?" He asked innocently and Camila shot her father a look that dared him to continue with this conversation. Alejandro loved this story though, and he wasn't going to miss the opportunity of retelling it

"Well Shawn I'm glad you ask..."

"Papa no!!!!"

Clearing his throat Alejandro proceeded to tell Shawn all about 8 year old Camilas first crush... Liam Jackson. She had spent her art lessons drawing him pictures, English classes writing him loves notes and break times following him around giving him heart eyes. In the end Liams mother had called the principal to say he was nervous to come to school because Camila scared him.

By the end of the story Shawn and Alejandro were laughing together as though they had known each other their whole lives and although Camila sat pouting with her arms crossed In fake annoyance she was pretty sure she had never been happier to be the butt of someone's joke