MAFIA

Chapter 32

The next morning after what was a rather eventful day Lauren and Camila set into the office with a fresh mind for business, with mounds of work to be completed and various meetings to attend there was no room for drama nor altercations which only deemed at threat when once again Marco didn't show up on time.. Lauren waited knowing the pill given had probably wiped him out however after a solid hour of no sign she was left wondering from her desk to go and pull him from his slumber

"Go easy Miss green eyes.. he's probably on a come down right now.."

Camila joked as Lauren reached for the door, her mind already set to take a gentle approach as she knew all too well of how rough a comedown was, she left quickly strutting down the halls coming towards the door that opened into a sight she hadn't entirely expected, the boy laying facing away not asleep but gently crying into the base of his pillow, she entered with caution closing the door behind before perching gently beside his warm body with a moment of pause

"Talk to me Papi.. why are you crying?"

"I quit!"

He spat under a cracked voice slightly louder than Lauren would usually tolerate however in the moment more so intrigued as to what had caused the hasty response, she simply took a breath to cool her temper before parting her lips to speak

"You can't quit Marco, that's not how this works"

"I'm useless AND I'm stupid! Everyone says it even Fallon! She thinks I'm a waste of space so I might as well quit!"

"Ai Niño! I see your upset but I'm not talking to you if you're just gonna yell at me! Calm down, take a breath and start again!"

Lauren called sternly listening in as the boy took a long deep breath, his back not yet turning to face her as he look down into the sheets to as requested start again

"I heard Fallon yesterday, she said it all right in front of me calling me fucking stupid and a waste of space, she said all I do is fuck everything up and she's right! Even the guards think I'm stupid! They called me a retard!"

He explained in a calmer tone, soft but sad as he remained crying between his words, Lauren felt hurt by them in honesty as she hated how Fallon had reacted in the moment of rage, he was sensitive obviously and it only showed now more than ever

"They called you a retard- baby you're not a retard and you're not stupid either! You just have a lot to learn that's all and it's not a bad thing! if you listen to every little thing people say about you, you're always going to feel like this.."

"But it hurts! When they say it! She said it and I was sitting right there! She didn't even care!"

He cried out clenching his eyes together to release a new set of tears that Lauren reluctantly lift a palm to soothe over the back of his neck, she wasn't the best at these emotional moments as she rarely had them herself but felt almost bound to make him feel better as he resembled that of a clueless talking puppy..

"You know people used to call me stupid all the time.. not just that but dumb, mentally ill.. thick, brain dead.."

She spoke out of no where causing the boys tears to stop for a moment in confusion as he bunched the blankets up and under his chin, the moment waiting to register the statement leaving him to question her judgment

"No they didn't? You're like the smartest person in the world.."

"Mhmm yeah they did! You know why? Because I could never read, write or do math.. it took a nanny coming along when I was 12 to tell my I was not only dyslexic but dyspraxic too.. everyone would laugh at me and call me stupid because I couldn't do the things they could.."