"GABI!" Let me just tell you a few things about my mom. 1) She's really loud despite the time of day. 2) She's honestly my best friend in this entire world. 3) But she's also really annoying...like now.
"Gabi, it's your first day of middle school! Come on baby, get up!" I think my mom was more excited about middle school than I was but I have a good reason for not being excited, I'm just not allowed to tell her.
"I don't wanna go," I whined. My mom gets annoyed with my whining but sometimes she takes pity on me and obliges to whatever I want. I hope today is one of these days.
"What do you mean you don't wanna go? You were so excited a few days ago." I opened my eyes and saw my mom's confused facial expression, but she had a right to be confused. I was excited to start school a few days ago. Me and my mom had even went shopping for practically a brand new wardrobe and we got all my school supplies and I wanted nothing more than to go to school. But things have changed and I'm not excited anymore. I just wanna stay home.
"I don't wanna go, mom. Can I please just stay here with you?" I sat up in my new bed because I had outgrown my old one. The sun was streaming in from the windows in my room and my mom had a pout on her face. It was weird how our emotions were always so in sync. When I was upset, she was upset. When she was mad, I got mad. It's not always a good thing but I guess we understand each other like that.
"Did something happen at your dad's house?" I started to tear up but shook my head.
"Something did happen...what happened, Gabi?" My mom looked genuinely concerned now but I still couldn't tell her.
"Gabi, you need to tell me if something happened over there. Now what is wrong? Do I need to call Eiza or your dad and find out for myself?" She warned, her eyes narrowing into slits as I shook my head and began to cry out loud.
"I don't wanna get in trouble," I choked out as my mom tilted her head to the side.
"In trouble with who?"
"With Eiza," I breathed out. Now my mom looked really angry.
"Gabriela, you are gonna tell me what happened right now. What did Eiza do?" Also, when my mom asks questions, she always gets an answer whether you want to answer it or not.
"She hit me the other day when dad wasn't there..." I was speaking quietly but I knew she heard me because her eyes blackened and she practically dragged me out of my room and down the stairs to the car even though we were both still in our pajamas. I barely had time to buckle in before mom zoomed out of the driveway and down the street. My parents don't live far from each other because they figured it'd be easier for me if they lived close, which I think is stupid, but at this moment I was thankful for it because I'm pretty sure my mom was breaking all types of traffic laws. What would usually be a twenty minute drive was actually a ten minute drive and we were in my dad's driveway before I knew it.
"Where did she hit you?" My mom asked. I really didn't wanna tell her but we were already here and my mom was like my super hero so what could Eiza really do to me?
"She slapped me and then put makeup on it so you couldn't see," I answered. Mom clenched her jaw before exiting the car. I sighed and got out too but she was walking really fast so I had to run to catch up with her. She didn't knock either. She kind of just barged in which you're not supposed to do but given the circumstances, I think she had a good reason to.
"Demi? What are you doing here?" My dad tried to stop her but she pushed him off of her and narrowed her eyes, continuing up the stairs as I followed her with my dad behind me. Eiza was in the bathroom in her and my dad's room and as soon as my mom saw her she charged right for her. I've never seen her so upset before. I've also never seen her fight before but the way she turned Eiza around by her shoulder made me think that she had at least fractured it.
"How dare you? How dare you? Don't you ever and I mean ever put your hands on my child ever again!" My mom screamed, stepping dangerously close into Eiza's personal space.
"Demi-"
"You raised a spoiled brat. She doesn't know the definition of respect and she is rude and bratty and nasty and she needs some discipline because obviously you are failing as a mother!" Eiza screamed right back at her. Eiza is lying though because I always respect her. I have my moments but she had no right to slap me because my mom doesn't even discipline me like that.
"And you think that's your call? You think you're allowed to put your hands on my child just because you have a shiny ring on your finger? That is not your call. You are not her mother and all she has to do is respect you, which she does. If I ever, and I mean ever, hear a word about you so much as looking at my child the wrong way, I swear to God I will drag you around this entire damn neighborhood by a single strand of your hair. Do not, and I repeat, do not ever put your hands on my daughter ever again, do you understand me?" My mom was practically breathing in Eiza's face right now and Eiza looked really scared, which she should be, because I was kind of scared too.
"I said, do you understand me?" My mom hissed, and Eiza grumbled out a tiny "yes" which caused my mom to step back and turn to my dad.
"As long as your little wife is at this house, my daughter won't be coming over here. If you want to see her, you can come and get her but she is never coming over here again." I think she was mad at my dad too for letting it happen but he wasn't here so it really wasn't his fault.
"Let's go Gabi." I didn't wanna make her even more upset so I followed after her. We went out to the car and she rested her head on her steering wheel. I saw her shoulders start to shake and then she sat up and wiped underneath her eyes with her thumbs before turning to look at me.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, Gabi and I'm sorry you had to see that. I know you love your dad but I really don't want you coming over here anymore as long as she's here, okay? She had no right to put her hands on you at all, you know that right?" I nodded and my mom nodded too and then sniffled, which she always told me that I wasn't supposed to do, so I handed a few tissues to her.
"Your cheek doesn't still hurt or anything, right?" I shook my head no because Eiza had iced it before she put the makeup on it a few days ago. It had stopped hurting a few hours after that so I was okay.
"Okay. You don't have to go to school today. How about we go home and get dressed and then we can figure out what to do today?" Mom looked down at us still wearing our pajamas and she started laughing so I did too because my mom has a really funny and loud laugh. Everyone says I laugh like her but I don't think so.
"Okay," I responded. I would do anything to make my mom happy again because she seemed so upset. Mom nodded and started the car. It took us longer to get back home because she wasn't speeding this time and when we finally made it the first thing that we did was take showers. But I didn't know what to wear so I put my robe on and walked into my mom's room.
She was dressed but she was on her bed crying and her hair was all wet. I climbed onto her bed and sat against her headboard, running my fingers through her hair like she does when I'm upset and occasionally stroking her cheek.
"Gabi, what are you doing?" Mom giggled through her tears.
"Doing what you do when you try to make me feel better," I answered. Mom smiled and took me into her arms, laying me across her lap as she squeezed me as hard as she could.
"Why aren't you dressed?"
"I don't know what to wear. Come help me mom!" I knew that would cheer her up because she loved picking out my clothes and doing my hair and stuff like that, the stuff that I used to do when I played with Barbies.
We left her room and went into my closet and she started looking through all my clothes. I have a lot of clothes here and at my dad's house which is cool but it gets annoying because sometimes I wanna wear something when I'm here but it's at my dad's house.
"It's kind of cold outside," mom said, not to anyone in particular. She talks to herself a lot. She says she does it to remind herself of things and stuff like that but that doesn't make it any less weird.
It took her about five minutes to put together an outfit for me. It was a pair of Rock & Republic jeans with a pretty floral tank top and a light cardigan to wear over it. She let me pick out my shoes so I chose a pair of sparkly Sperry's and then she told me to go brush my hair. I brushed through the tangles and then let it naturally dry while she was downstairs cooking breakfast.
There's a long staircase that you have to walk down to get downstairs. On the wall there used to be pictures of my mom and my dad and then pictures of all of us together, but now there were just pictures of me and my mom from some of the photo shoots we did together or just normal pictures we took together. My mom loves taking pictures.
I miss the pictures of all of us together though. I don't know where my mom moved them to because I can't find them. I know both of my parents are happy right now, or they seem to be, but it'd just be nice if they could get together again, like they're supposed to be.
My mom got me a phone when I turned twelve in the summer. My dad said I was too young to have one but my mom said that it was so she could always keep in touch with me. Dad was calling me from that phone right now, while me and mom were deciding what store we wanted to go into.
"Hello?" It was nice that my mom didn't make me go to school and we were spending the day together. We were starting with the mall and then lunch and then nails and then whatever else I wanted to do. I don't know right now but I'll think about it before the time comes.
"Hey princesa, I went by your house and you and your mom aren't there. Where are you? I wanna talk to you," my dad asked. I looked up at my mom and she must've heard our conversation because she just nodded her head.
"We're at the mall. I think we're about to get froyo," I said. Dad said some other stuff that I wasn't paying attention to and then we both hung up. We went to go wait for him in the froyo shop because mom said that he could be the one to pay for it.
Dad came in a few minutes later and I hopped up to greet him. I think mom was still a little bit upset but she still hugged him and then we got froyo together. I got vanilla but both of my parents got a giant cup of strawberry yogurt to share which is nasty and weird. I got a whole bunch of toppings but they only got fruit and yogurt chips which is still nasty and weird. Dad did end up paying for it all and then we sat down and talked, just the three of us.
I liked it because for a while it had just been me and my mom or me and my dad but now it was all of us together and they weren't fighting and it wasn't weird. We were laughing and having a good time and it felt nice. It felt like I was five years old again and my parents were my united force, ready to conquer the world with me right by their side.