When we got home, I went up to my bedroom like my parents had told me to. I heard them talking, and eventually shouting.
"I can't believe she'd do something so god damn stupid!" my mother shouted.
"Nat, I know you're angry at her bu-" dad tried calming mom down.
"Yes, I'm angry! Im furious! She knew we were out on a mission! But of course she had to do something stupid like that!"
I sat on my bed, angrily picking my nails. Why the fuck had I gone ahead with it? Why had I listened to the rest of the gang and tried to rob that shop? I hated myself for it - I never meant to get arrested. I didn't think before I did it. I just wanted some excitement in my life. Not the same boring routine of I get up, eat breakfast, go to school, come home and eat dinner. All by myself. I knew why my parents were out, it was their job, and I didn't mind it. But it just got lonely sometimes.
As I sat drowned in my negativity, I didn't hear the door open.
"Ana," Dad said. "Downstairs."
Looking up, I saw he was clearly angry, despite his quiet voice. He left, going back downstairs. I waited for a minute, before following. When I got downstairs, my mom was looking out the window, her back to me. Dad was perched against the arm of the sofa. I waited nervously, fidgeting with my fingers.
"Why did you rob that shop?" mom snapped suddenly, spinning around to glare at me.
I looked at my feet and mumbled, "It wasn't for me."
"Anastasia, look at your mother," Dad told me sternly.
I sighed and looked up, struggling to keep eye contact with mom.
"I'm so fucked aren't I," I mumbled with a slight laugh.
"Sorry?" mom asked coldly.
"Nothing," I muttered.
"No, tell me!"
"I said 'I'm so fucked aren't I?'" I snapped.
"Drop the god damn attitude!" Mom shouted.
"Alright! God!" I sighed.
"Anastasia, watch your language!" Dad told me.
"She swore too," I pointed out.
But, that was stupid. Very stupid. Mom came over and stood right in front of me, glaring down at me out of her fiery green eyes.
"Anastasia Belova Romanoff-Rogers, be careful of your mouth!" she yelled, raising a hand up in the air.
I flinched involuntarily, then tried to cover it up. It didn't work of course. Both my parents noticed.
"Ana, why did you flinch like that?" Dad asked.
"I didn't!" I lied desperately.
I didn't know why I flinched. I'd never been hit by my parents. The gang would get violent sometimes, but only a slap that would sting afterwards.
"Ana, I wouldn't ever hit you," mom assured me, her voice shaking suddenly. "It was-"
"No, I know!" I cried, struggling to not cry.
What the fuck was wrong with me?
"I didn't flinch!" I shouted, before running up to my room and slamming the door shut.
I broke down on my bed, sobbing. Why had I gone out and robbed that shop? Why had I joined a gang in the first place? Why had I been so goddamn selfish?
I heard the door close gently and felt the bed sheets crumple as someone sat on my bed.
"Hey, baby, I didn't mean to scare you," mom whispered, pulling me into a hug.
I didn't protest to this, just letting her stroke my auburn head of hair as I cried into her chest.
"You didn't," I whimpered. "I didn't flinch."
"You did," my dad's voice made me jump.
He chuckled, patting my leg.
"I'm better at sneaking around than you think," he commented.
"I didn't notice you," I said.
"Exactly," dad replied with a smile.
I couldn't reciprocate his smile. I just buried my head in my mom's chest again.
"What happened when we went out on that mission?" she asked. "Tell me from the start."
I took a deep breath.
"You and dad were always out and I got lonely," I started, then scoffed at how pathetically sad it sounded.
"No, carry on," mom told me.
"I wanted someone to hang out with and I met Marley. He was fun, but he told me I had to join his gang if I wanted to be his friend," I continued. "So I joined."
I shrugged and laughed bitterly.
"I was fucking stupid."
"Yeah, did do something stupid," mom agreed with me.
"I just mess everything up," I muttered.
"No Ana, you don't," dad said.
"I got myself arrested so you had to come out of work and pick me up," I replied. "I was."
Mom stroked my head softly.
"We're both mad that you made a pretty shitty decision," mom said, honestly.
"Honey," dad muttered to my mom. "Watch your language around your daughter."
I saw mom roll her eyes. Of course dad would say something like that in a serious conversation.
"But you're a teenager. You're supposed to do that," mom continued.
"Am I forgiven?" I asked, sniffing.
"You're grounded for the foreseeable future, and I'm keeping your electronics for a couple of weeks, but yes."
I hugged mom tightly.
"Thankyou," I thanked emotionally, then hugged my dad. "I love you both, you know that right?"
"Of course baby," mom assured.
"We could never forget," dad said with a smile, patting my shoulder.
I was never doing that again. Getting in a gang and being arrested. Never again.