Hey everyone. I thought the Weeknds new song deserved more credit. Love you all <3
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It wasn't long before I heard the bathroom door swinging open. As I dabbed at my eyes, I sincerely hoped it wasn't Hero. I wouldn't have put it past him to do such a thing, honestly. Much to my relief, it was my mother looking distressed at the entire situation. 

"Do you realize how rude that was?" She demanded. "I swear, I didn't pay for those etiquette classes for sport. I taught you better. It embarrassed me-"

"Please, mother," I murmured, "Not now. I just can't..."

We both stood silently as a random elderly woman exited her stall, making her way over to the porcelain sinks. As soon as she made for the door, my mother continued.

"I'm sorry honey. These past few years, I've been so hard on you, I know that. I'm so proud of everything you've accomplished."

I didn't reply. I stared down at the tiny grains on the sink. Never in my life, had I ever heard either one of my parents say this. I never thought they would.

"You're in love with him, aren't you?" My mother asked. 

I turned around, mystified. What she'd said sounded so simple, relaxed. Everything she said in the past had some sort of discipline to it. 

"What?" I asked. 

"The boy. The-"

I sighed. "His name is Hero."

My mother took a struggled breath.

"Hero, then. You love him. I know you do. You can't seem to stay away from him, going around town every chance you get. I don't have to have a tracker to know what you're up to. I know how you feel. I had to lie to your father when he asked for daily check-ups. He has your phone linked to the cloud."

I couldn't seem to come up with a response for this. My father really was crazy. As far as I was concerned, he would do anything to keep me in chains, figuratively speaking.

"I know how you feel," My mother surprised me by saying, "I fell deeply in love once too."

Could this man possibly have been my birth father?

"He liked to take risks." She went on. "He was what my parents considered a troublemaker back in my day. Wherever he went, I went too. We were like links, always finding our way to each other. There were no secrets between us."

This made me frown. There were no secrets between us. That was the difference between Hero and me. There were always secrets, it seemed.

Speaking of finding our way to each other, though that was true, I hadn't realized for the past few weeks Hero hadn't been attending English. I'd been so consumed with my obsession with avoiding him and trying to get my grades up that I hadn't bothered to notice. 

"I don't know if I love him," I answered honestly. 

"You love him," My mother confirmed, "I know you do. I know I've been nasty to him and it was uncalled for. I wish I could tell you to forget everything we've taught you and be with him, but there are bigger things at play here. My parents taught me to do whatever I needed to stay at the top of the totem pole."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "But I can't just forget him. No matter what I do, he always seems to show up. It's like we're linked."

"Is he really worth it?" My mother asked. "After that display with him and his party girl? I didn't like how public that was. Very distasteful."

Was that what Kylie was? His party girl?

"Have you slept with him?" My mother went on. 

This took me off guard. I stood frozen, unwilling to open my mouth. I tried to shake my head. My mother folded her arms across her chest.

"You know what I mean."

I shut my eyes, nodding my head. "Yes."

My mother surprised me by looking somewhat unaffected by my response. 

"It's okay, darling. This stays between us. Just do me a favor and swear that you will do your best to stay away from that boy."

I huffed, feeling annoyed. Didn't I just finish explaining myself?

"Please," She begged, "I want the best for you."

I thought this through, remembering how Hero had kissed Kylie. 

"I'll do my best." I lied. 

"Okay." My mother smiled. "I'll be heading to the courthouse to get all the necessary paperwork together. Please, please, try to keep your distance from your father. To get this case in the bag, you and I need to be convincing in the fact that we don't want him near us."

"Hey," I interrupted, "I haven't decided on this yet- I still have things to discuss with you and him."

"You can't-" My mother began to say, but stopped herself before she could say much more. 

"Why? Why shouldn't I speak to him before I embark on this... restraining order? If there really is a good reason, tell me and I'll do it."

My mother seemed pained as she remained silent. "You just have to trust me that I'm doing this in your best interest."

I shook my head defiantly. "No. I need to talk to him. I'll be fine. He's never hurt me before physically."

My mother looked like she wanted to say more, but like the smart woman she was, she kept silent. 

"Okay, fine. I should get you back to your dorm. Let's go."

After we paid and made our way to the car, I checked my phone for any messages. As expected, Josephine was blowing up my phone asking about work and if I was okay. She'd been on my tail since we met with Hero's parents. I didn't tell her where he had taken me and we hadn't brought it up.
 
What I didn't expect was the threatening message blaring at me like a beacon:

IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU YOU'LL WATCH YOUR BACK.

"What's wrong?" My mother asked as she got the car running. 

"Nothing," I replied as she accelerated out of the plaza. 

When we reached the dorm hall and I hurried into my room, I was glad to see that Josephine wasn't there, though it was odd. We had classes soon in twenty minutes. I really didn't want to take the bus.

As I continued to stare at the unknown number, I saw I had two missed calls. This couldn't have been my father, could it?

Without another thought, I called back. After the third ring, a crisp, feminine voice answered.

"Kristina. I was hoping you'd give me a call in this century."

I sat on my bed, shaking. "I'm sorry. I'm not sure I know you-"

"You're not telling me you've already forgotten me?" The woman demanded in a playful voice. "I thought my dear son would have mentioned me a few times."

I gasped. "Hero's mother..."

"Ah, I knew there was somewhat of a brain in there," She went on, "how are you?"

I took a deep breath, ready to test my limits. "Not good now that you threatened me."

Hero's mother cackled over the line. "Threatened? Oh no, you're not worth the aggravation. I was simply issuing a statement. My son has a lot going for him and the last thing I want is a wretch like you coming and messing things up."

My mouth fell open. "Him and I-" I began but stopped myself. "How did you even find my number?" I had a feeling no matter how angry Hero was, he wouldn't give his mother my number. 

"I have my ways," His mother went on, "I have connections that help me with that sort of thing."

Somewhere, deep inside me, I found the will to stand up for myself. 

"You know what, I won't put up with this. My parents have a lot of money and they will you sue for-"

"Your meaningless threats mean nothing to me." Hero's mother laughed. "I know exactly who your parents are and if I'm not mistaken, your dad has himself in a tight spot. I have more money than God and if I want something to happen it will."

"Look," I spit, "Hero and I aren't even together. We've... gone our separate ways..." 

"Good. So, you understand what I'm trying to get across."

I sighed, grinding my teeth. "Yeah. If you don't mind, I have some things to get to."

Before I could finish my sentence, The line went dead.

I eyed my reflection in a nearby mirror, wondering what I'd become in the past months.

So I am aware that this chapter is a bit long :3

Bet you didn't expect that cliffhanger lol!

I love you guys. Please comment and vote if you enjoyed this chapter :]

Btw, am I the only one that writes while I watch Family Guy??