POV: Victoria
“What is wrong mom, are you okay?” I asked her in a panic as I rushed to her side and tried to see if she was still breathing. She looked as if she was suddenly possessed by a strange spirit, I had never seen her react this way before.
Could this be because I mentioned my friend’s name?
I know that it was the moment I mentioned my new friend’s name, Miguel Myers, that mom’s face drained of color, and for a heartbeat, it seemed as if the air had been sucked from the room like she wasn’t breathing.
“Mom, wake up, breathe!
Breathe Mom, you need to breathe right now before you pass out. Breathe Mom, breathe!” I yelled in panic as I rushed to my mom’s side, feeling for a pulse. She sat frozen, eyes wide as if she had just seen a ghost. I shook her vehemently, yelling for the maids and calling for help as I tried to restore her back to her normal self.
After what felt like an eternity, she gasped for breath, inhaling sharply as color returned to her cheeks. I sighed in relief, pulling her into my arms and hugging her tightly. I wanted to find out why she had almost passed out on me, but it was a furious gaze that replaced the pale shock I just revived her from.
She glared at me as if I were the devil and without provocation, without a word, her mother’s fury erupted and she pushed me away from her arms and got up from the couch and landed a hot slap on my cheek, glaring daggers at me,
“How can you make friends with the Myers, Don’t you know they are bad people?
How could you go close to that family?” she asked me, more like screaming at the top of her voice, glaring dangerously at me. I flinched, the sting of her slap still echoing on her cheek and in my ears. Tears welled up in my eyes as I tried to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling in the room.
“Mom, what’s wrong with you, why would you slap me like that, what did I do?” I yelled as I tried to stop the tears from spilling out of my eyes. I glared at her, confused by the sudden shift from shock to mad rage. I wonder what has gotten into her, what could be wrong this time?
She ignored my questions, acting as if I wasn’t standing there and she didn’t just hit me so hard on my face. She just paced the small living room space, pulling at her hair, and muttering under her breath like a freaking lunatic.
“I’m finished!
I’m dead!
How can this be, What is he doing in this city, How did he meet my daughter?
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
Oh my God!
It’s happening so fast, I’m not ready for this now, I’m not ready to face reality. Everything I’ve worked for is getting snatched away from me, my whole world is crumbling before my very eyes. What is happening to my beautiful family?” she sobbed sadly, her tears flowing freely down her cheeks.
I’m scared of this new behavior, I think she is going insane. I wanted to pull her in for a big, but she put her hand up to stop me, refusing to touch me. I just stood there like a moron and watched, my heart pounding as I watched her delve deeper into her thoughts, her eyes glazed over as if she were staring into a past filled with shadows and sadness.
“My life is ruined, ruined!
All my hard work, all my hard work, it’s all gone.” she kept talking to herself, staring into empty space.
“Mom, please!
Stop this please!” I cried, stepping closer, desperate to reach her. I finally got close enough to hold her hand and look into her eyes, wondering what I did or said this time to make her feel this way.
“What do you mean, Mom, our lives are not ruined.
What’s going on, is it the Myers, What do you know about them, Why are you acting like this?” I asked desperately, seeking for answers. That name seemed like a trigger to her, the moment I mentioned that name again, she turned to me and pulled her hand away, her expression fierce yet distant, as if she were looking at me but not really seeing me.
“I won’t let that happen. You are my daughter; I won’t let them have you. They can’t take care of you like I did. They don’t deserve you; I won’t let them.” She swore.
“Stop it, Mom!
You’re scaring me!” I shouted, tears streaming down my face. I have never seen her like this, not even when we lost everything after Dad seized everything and cut us off. I don’t know what the Myers did to make her this scared of them, I’m beginning to feel that mom may have a mental breakdown soon because this is so overwhelming for her.
I think she is reacting to Claire’s decision to stay with Dominic and never come back home to us again. She thinks Miguel would also take me away from her and she will be all alone. I thought we had moved past this, I didn’t think that mentioning Miguel would trigger her anxiety and make her act this crazy. I walked up to her again and hugged her tightly,
“I’m sorry I hurt you mom, I’m never leaving you like Claire. I won’t leave because of some boy I just met, I promise.” I told her.
“Good!” She responded with a sneer, holding my hand and looking into my eyes eagerly.
“You can’t see him again, Victoria!
You must stop seeing that boy. He is not good for you. He will destroy us completely, he is here to destroy our family and break our bond. Stop seeing him, cancel lunch with him, never call him or listen to him ever again. I’m your mother, Victoria, you have to listen to me. That family is evil, he is not good for you!” she warned sternly. The words hung in the air, heavy with a weight I just couldn’t understand yet.
“But, Mom, he’s just a friend. He didn’t do anything wrong!
I’m not dating Miguel, I’m just hanging out with him as a friend. I like his company, he’s cool and I’m happy around him.” I confessed, smiling to myself as memories of our day came flooding my mind. Mom saw this and her eyes blazed with an intensity that frightened the shit out of me.
“You don’t understand!
You don’t know what they’re capable of. I won’t let you get hurt. You’re all I have left. Claire is gone, Vee, I can’t lose you too. Why won’t you listen to me, why can’t you just do as I say, just this once.” She asked sadly, confirming my fears that she was doing this because she thought I would leave her too as Claire did. I stared at her feeling both anger and confusion.
“You’re being irrational, Mom! You can’t just decide who I can be friends with!
I’m not Claire, I’m never leaving you. I think you need to stop being irrational and overly dramatic. I have never had a good friend, and I think I need someone to talk to aside from you and Raphael. I need a friend that understands me and I find all that in Miguel. Please don’t make me leave him, I won’t do it.” I told her firmly.
“Rational?
Dramatic?
Do you think this is irrational and overly dramatic? You have no idea what I’ve been through, what I’ve seen, and what I’ve done!” she let out in a stern tone, revealing the pain and anger buried beneath her fury. Why is she so angry with me, what is wrong with Mom?