Romeo and Juliet is a Toxic Love Story [Miguel Diaz x OC]

01 - Boldness Be My Friend

TW- implied trauma

You look just like your mother... it's your fault she's gone... gunshot...

"Xiomara! ¡Despierta, tenemos mierda que hacer! (wake up, we've got shit to do)"

"¡He estado despierto más tiempo que tú! (I've been up longer than you)" I call back to Xalvador. He's my older brother. He's annoying, but he's all I've got left so... I can't hate him too much. It's all in good fun though. I know what him calling that means. It means the CPS is coming to check on us one last time before school starts. They'll be here later today, so the apartment has to look like we aren't two teenagers living alone. Colette, the lady who's supposed to be our legal guardian as of now, will be here too. She's never around though. I guess Xal and I aren't as interesting as parties and whatnot. I don't care. At least her signature is easy to forge.

I get up from my desk chair where I was reading- or, trying to- and join him in the living room.

"Took you long enough," he quips. I just roll my eyes at him.

"What do we have to do? The apartment looks good," I say, looking around and seeing noting but a cup here and there that can easily be washed, and we probably have to sweep too, but that's it.

"Sink is leaky again," he responds. I sigh. It's like every time I fix it, some other part of it breaks.

"I got it,"

"I know. And while you're at it, why don't you take out the recycling? Don't look at me like that, I'll mop and vacuum. You're not the only one doing stuff around here,"

"Bien," I say, and with that, I pick up our bin of recycling and take it down to the recycle bin.

"Buenos días, Señor Lawrence," I say to the middle aged man who lives in the apartment under ours as he passes by. I see him around sometimes. He's lived here since before I have. He's usually drunk, I've found. I've lived here for five years now and I don't think he knows who I am, even though I give some sort of greeting every time I see him.

"Hey kid," is all he says to acknowledge my presence before he walks off, and I swear he mumbles something about me not understanding English. Ay caramba. Just because I revert back to Spanish when I'm nervous and I get nervous when I talk to people, but if I don't greet people I feel like I'm being rude, doesn't mean I can't speak and understand English. Xal just says Señor Lawrence has probably had a rough life. I believe it. His comments feel a little insensitive on his part, but it seems as if his life isn't all sunshine and rainbows.. and mine hasn't been either... so the least I can do is try to be nice.

———

I'm exhausted. They came, they left, everything is fine. Things would be a lot easier if it was just Xalvador and I and we didn't have to worry about dealing with Colette...

It's your fault she's gone... you look just like your mother... you could've done more... I hope you remember this sound no matter how far away you move... gunshot...