BTTxDepressed!Reader: Part 12

Previously, you had been driven home by the Bad Touch Trio; and after a bit of thought, decided to invite your newfound friends into your house for a while. The sun was barely setting, so you figured you could spare a few minutes with them, so you wouldn’t be labeled as impolite. Though it turned out you weren’t as lucky as before, and your mother came home early and caught the Trio at the door as they were preparing to leave. What is she going to do now?

BTT Point of View I guess

Gilbert stumbled back as he was lightly pushed away by you. For once he wasn’t offended, in comparison with other times he was cut off from a hug by a girl; because this time he was concentrated on this new distraction that had appeared at the door.

Looks were shared between the three of them, not sure what to do and feeling a bit awkward with everyone just standing there. The atmosphere of the room suddenly made them feel uneasy, and a type of unseen tension was felt between _____________ and the person standing at the door.

“Mom!” ____________ said, her voice in an unusually falsetto tone, “You’re early...” She coughed lightly and wore a smile on her face, though her anxiousness shown through more than what she had hoped for; but the trio was used to seeing her being nervous, so they thought nothing of it.

Antonio swore he thought he saw a flash of irritation on the mothers face; but before he could confirm his suspicions, she grinned widely and stated in a singsong voice, “Of course I’m early, I worked extra hard today, so my boss let me off earlier than normal.” As if she had just noticed them, she turned to look at the boys and ask, “Now, who are these fine men?”

None of the trio noticed your expression slowly twist into horrified confusion; all they noticed was the sweet mother standing at the door, they never had heard a voice that sounded quite so motherly.

Snapping out of their trance, Francis instantly turned on his charm, “Oh, you flatter us! But no, we’re just some friends of ________, she told you about the project we were working on today, non?”

“No.” Her mom stated in a happy voice, a tone that sent shivers down your spine, “She had said that she had to work on a project. But she never mentioned anything about friends, and she hadn’t mentioned that she was going to have them over at our house today.”

Antonio frowned lightly; he hoped that they weren’t interrupting something, “Oh! We’re so sorry! We weren’t planning on staying over,” Gilbert coughed awkwardly, looking very awkward as he shuffled from foot to foot; “I hope we didn’t ruin any plans for you.”

Francis and Gilbert caught on to Antonio, realizing that they could have been imposing on some family time. They started to apologize as well, words stumbling over one another accompanied with wild hand gestures and tone full of regret; as if they had done something wrong.

You knew it shouldn’t have bothered you, based on what they thought the situation was; but you couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed when they apologized, it almost felt like they hadn’t enjoyed being around you.

“No no no, it’s alright. I completely understand,” your mother stated simply, taking another step into the house. Doing so, she accidentally hit a can, causing it to roll across the floor and brought at an abrupt halt by hitting Gilberts shoe.

The groceries lying on the floor had been long forgotten until now.

Snapping into action the trio fell to the floor with smiles and apologies and fleeting hands that quickly grabbed at the items.

They were too preoccupied that they didn’t notice your mother send you a silent glare empty of emotion, yet promised that what was to come wasn’t going to be as filled with smiles and apologies nor fleeting hands that helped instead of hurt.

Consumed in their own thoughts, the trio shared glances,
‘Talk about a first impression.’
‘I hope she doesn’t think we were doing anything sketchy... I mean she caught me hugging her daughter...’
‘But she’ll totally fall in love with us once she sees how much of a help we are!’

They rushed the groceries to the kitchen and came back empty handed. You were now standing by your mother, smiling the same as your mother and they were glad to see that you had a good relation with your mother; assuming the tension in the room was because of their not supposing to be here. Which was completely right, just much more dire than they thought

“Well then...” Antonio started, breaking through the silence. He figured just leaving would be terribly awkward, so they waited for either of the two ladies to motion for them to leave.

They didn’t have to wait long.

Ushered to the door, the three were gently, yet firmly pushed to the open door, “Well no need to dawdle now, I’m sure your parents are worried sick about you!”

Seeing their eyebrows crease as they now stood just outside the door, “I know I would be.”

With a sweet smile and a nod, the door was slammed into the faces of the three standing in slight disbelief.

---

Not a moment more was wasted before your mother turned to you, and you wondered what had happened to the sweet woman that had stood there just moments before.

You tried not to think about how it reminded you of the good days.

“Disobeying me again?” You stumbled backwards as she quickly approached you.

You shook your head furiously, “No! I mean, I said we were working on a project- and we did! Really! But we finished early and I thought-“

“Finished early,” your mother mocked, “Sure you did, and then they decided to drop by for a cuppa tea?”

Panic was threatening to take you over, it had been a while since your mother had been this  angry; her body language nearly screamed at your to run away, to take cover, to hide, but it was all you could do to just stand there and take this, nevertheless hide.

You didn’t have anywhere to hide anyways.

She would have caught you still, and reminded you again that there was nowhere else for you to go and nothing else for you to do without her-

A crack echoed through the air and you were brought out of your thoughts and your cheek burned from the slap.

She looked down on you as she stood up straight, when had you fallen to the floor?, continuing with her verbal abuse; things that you had been told over and over and over again, yet still hurt as if they were terms being told to new ears.

“Lying to me again?”
“Friends? Is that what they are to you?”
“You saw what happened the last time that happened.”
“The last time you placed trust in others. Remember?”
“They left and it’s only a matter of time for these three to as well.”
“You’ll be alone and hurt again.”

The words were as much for you as they were for her, to the point where you wondered whether she was speaking to herself or if she was still criticizing you but it didn’t matter either way and it echoed through you with a renewed vigor

“Can’t you see my dear? It’s better for everyone if you just

<sub>don’t
Fall
In love.”

And the worst part was that you believed her.</sub>


---
Back to the BTT

Trees and houses passed by in quick flashes as they drove away from your house, Antonio resting against the window as he looked at the blurred scenery passing by: green grass blurring into the white of a house and back again.

They were silent as Gilbert sat at the wheel, thinking over what had just happened.

They felt regret, they supposed.

Not regret from meeting you, or getting to know you. Not from inviting you to the party. Not regret from befriending you in that almost split moment. They felt regret from leaving you there.

They didn’t know why, they just did.

“It feels like we weren’t supposed to just leave like that,” Francis muttered, “Non? Or is it just me?”

Antonio hummed in agreement and Gilbert nodded, “It felt... tense in there. I dunno, there was just some sort of tension and it felt weird being there suddenly.”

“But wasn’t it because we were there without permission? Her mom did say that she didn’t expect us there, and we made it better by picking up the groceries.... didn’t we?” Antonio was mumbling, rethinking what happened.

“Actually now that I think about it, she never mentioned anything about having something to do with her mom. She never stopped us when she could have simply told us that we weren’t welcome for the day.” Francis side glanced at his friends, “Why is that?”

....

The brakes squealed as Gilbert violently pulled the car to side of the road, at an abrupt halt.

Antonio composed himself and turned to glare at his friend, “What do you think you’re doing, huh?”
Francis laughed, exhilarated despite the fact that he had been thrown against the passenger seat in front of him.

“Just a second, guys, don’t we- doesn’t her mom seem... familiar?” Gilbert waiting for his friends to catch on, staring at them expectantly, but when they didn’t respond he added, “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the one time we managed to sneak into a bar?”

And the figurative lights turned on in their minds: their eyes widening as the memory resurfaced.

“Yeah! When we wanted to see what it was like in one, and we totally broke in!” Francis nodded and clapped his hands together, remembering the day.

“And we got kicked out because this lady... Oh my gosh, that lady-“Antonio’s eyes widened, “It was her: __________’s mom was that lady.”

Gilbert barked out a short laugh, “I thought she looked familiar!”

They sat silently for a moment, the information sinking in.

“Wasn’t she rude?” Francis’s voice barely carried to his friends. And they nodded. Rude may be an understatement.

They had managed to sneak into their first bar: after hearing many rumors told by many about bars that stroke their interest, from sketchy schoolmates to Gilbert’s father, they had decided that the best way to understand was by firsthand experience. At least in this case.

And so they had made their way to a bar: meeting with each other late at night when their parents were asleep. They had been junior high students, with Antonio the only who knew how to drive at the time- the other two had fallen behind with getting their licenses, the epitome of procrastination.

They didn’t try drinking, deciding that it was best to keep their wits so they could thoroughly examine the bar- as well as the fact that they were too young. Not that anyone noticed really, they had hit puberty at the time and most were drunk anyways. Those who were at their senses, like the bar keepers, didn’t question anyone when they made it in the bar, assuming that the security at the doors had only let in those of age.

So they had wandered, open-eyed and drinking in the new sights and behavior, away from the dance floor and towards the actual bar.

And that was where they met her.

She had several emptied cups set next to her, waiting for someone to tidy the counter. Looking disheveled and definitely weary, she brushed a hand through her thinning hair. She resembled a percentage of the older females here. They wouldn’t have spared another look at her hadn’t she addressed them.

“Aren’t you boys a little too- dunno, young to be here?” she slurred, nodding a head towards them to indicate that she was, indeed, speaking to them.

They halted their exploring and shared a look between one another; no one had really noticed them until now so it caught them a bit off guard.

“You look the age of my kid aren’t you? Bet that your parents don’t care ‘bout you if they leaving you alone like this,” Francis raised an eyebrow at her words: the three of them not the least amused, what did this woman know?

She stared at her drink as it swirled around in her cup and Gilbert stated, “Sounds ironic coming from you; you said you had a kid our age, so what are you doing out here instead of home with her and your family.”

Her expression twisted to something dark, and they understood what she had been blocking out by drinking: anger.
But despite her new demeanor, her next statement surprised even them.

“I hate her.”

They stared back sadly: no one wanted to hear harsh words as these and it struck them a bit personally since her child was supposedly around their age.

Her knuckles whitened as she grasped the cup tightly, “What she has done to our family... I can’t forgive her. Despicable,” they hadn’t ever heard a voice this bitter before- and it angered them. Turning to face them again she added, “You three wouldn’t like her if you met her. Definitely not. It’s not a surprise she has no friends anyway- pushing them away for good reason, really-“

“Stop,” Antonio’s face mimicked that of his friends; all three of them fed up with her antics.

“That is no way you speak to a lady,” added Francis, borderline furious, his voice sharp.

“Especially your own kid,” Gilbert but in, “That’s low and we’re not going to hear it.”

She gawked at the kids outburst for a moment, before she aggravatingly said, “You’ve never met her. Take my word on this one babes- she’s not a girl worth your time.”

She took another swig and the three composed themselves; they knew from past arguments that anger could cloud better judgment and that the calm one in a fight tended to be the victor.

“Wanna bet?” Gilbert grounded out.

“... Excuse me?”

“I bet,” Gilbert smirked, an expression that would later be a trademark smile of his, “that if we got to know her- we’d become the best of friends.”

She frowned as Francis and Antonio nodded along, liking this new idea of his.

’Always the one with the crazy ideas...’ Francis and Antonio thought happily.

She was speechless but the annoyance registered clearly on her face, “Wouldn’t happen.”

Not a doubt in her voice.

“And if we win this bet,” Francis joined in, “Then we’ll take her out of your life.”

“And you won’t have to bother with her horrible self again,” Antonio mocked.

Her drink was forgotten and she stood up, only a little taller than the boys themselves, and they half expected her to strike out at them in her drunken stupor. “The only catch- is that I won’t tell you who she is, or where she goes to school, or anything else- if you’re so convinced that she’s such an angel, then get to know her yourself,” She spat out.

They looked at one another worryingly, but still nodded along, their young eyes looking straight at her. Antonio decided to pull out at least a bit of information from her, “But do you live in this area?”

A nod.

Perfect; that means that she lived close by, and that her child must go to the same school as them- if not a grade under or higher than their own.

“Thank you. That’s all we needed to know. We’ll find her.”

One more look was shared silently amongst the four before the trio turned- they were done for the day, and decided that they had seen enough.

But a few steps were taken before the lady mumbled, “If she doesn’t die before then.”

The words carried to them and they halted, fists clenched.

That was when Francis turned, taking her by surprise: the last thing she saw was a furious face before the view was replaced with his fist.

They had fortunately made it home without getting hurt themselves- leaving the only one with bruises being the rude mother. Those around them had to separate her from the trio, and the trio had been brought home to disapproving faces of their parents.

Francis had never punched a woman, not before nor since that one occasion at the bar all those years ago- not that anyone blamed him; and none of them had taken another step into a bar since then. It hadn’t left a terribly good impression on them.

But they remembered.

They remembered the promise, and it took them a while to process that it was you.

That you were the one they had made the deal with against your mom.

“We have to go back,” murmured Antonio, staring expectantly at Gilbert.

Without another word, Gilbert stepped on the brakes and the car was jerked around, back to the direction of your house.

---

No time was wasted on standing at the door knocking- they knew that no one was going to open it, and the muffled shouting only confirmed that.

Stomping their way quickly to the source of all the noise, they found you and your mother in your room. You were crouched against the wall, your mothers screaming had been loud enough that neither of you were alerted to their presence.

They didn’t waste a moment to bounce straight into action: Gilbert and Antonio strode forward to apprehend her, dragging her away from you. She had startled and jerked a bit to pull away from them until she saw what was happening. She was confused as to why they all had come back, so she stood there puzzled for a moment.

Francis was standing next to you, but you weren’t really responding. You were numb, still caught up in words, lies, told to you- to say the least, you were terribly exhausted. He wrapped an arm around your shoulder and helped you dazedly stand up.

“I’m sorry boys, can I help you?” Apparently she had snapped out of her confusion and she addressed them calmly.

“Just coming to keep up our end of the bargain,” Gilbert stated with a dramatic sigh.

“We’ve missed you, lady! It’s been such a long time,” Antonio felt his lips twitch into a smile.

The perplexed look she gave them was priceless and Gilbert couldn’t help but smirk again, like all those years ago, “Have you forgotten so soon?”

“N-No,” her eyes widened when things seemed to click in her mind: she had definitely seen that expression before, it wasn’t one to forget, “It can’t be- I, I won’t believe it.”

The other two had moved back to stand next to you and Francis- it seemed that you had fallen into a half-asleep stupor, awake enough to stand yet not enough to hear of what was occurring in your surroundings.

“But-, “Gilbert’s smirk darkened slightly, his voice lowering, “It is. It’s us, just as we promised.”

“And a deal is a deal,” Antonio crossed his arms, observing your mothers reaction.

Her hands were brought together and she fiddled with them, eyes darting across the room as she thought of a way out of this- whatever it was. The three had been long forgotten and deleted from her memory, just as they had almost forgotten about her. She had started to perspire- her eyes now shut tightly.

“What do you want to do now?” the smiles weren’t easily concealed on the faces of the trio when they heard these words from the mother. She had given up now: they had won.

“Like I said, we’re keeping our side of the bet.”
“And I believe we specifically said,”

They all said this at the same time, remembering the words, “’We’ll take her out of your life.’”

Before she was allowed to protest Francis spoke up, “Uh uh uh, a deal’s a deal. An odd deal, to say the least, considering you are her rightful guardian. But she should be turning eighteen this year, if she’s not already- so you’ll soon have no say in what she does.” He looked around to his friends, “And as of now, __________ is officially out of your life.”

---

A bit of arguing had passed between the trio and your mother then- regardless of how she treated you, you were her only daughter and family left, but she knew of your plans to leave at the end of high school despite you never telling her. She knew it was inevitable. She had been ignoring that fact, pushing it to the back of her mind and living in denial.

And she had made a bet.

Now you were currently asleep in the car as Antonio drove them towards his house. They had come to the conclusion that you could stay over at his for the time being- since Gilbert already was living with his father and brother, and he didn’t want to think up an excuse as to why a girl was staying over, and Francis didn’t want to get questions from his roommate housemate? either.

Of course Antonio had eagerly volunteered- he wasn’t living with anyone else in his small dorm this year, his parents had told him that he wasn’t going to go to a dorm in college without some firsthand experience.

It was settled, and the three of them could finally relax. They still couldn’t believe that they had found you, the supposed cruel girl, the one who no one would be friends with. And they had become friends with you without their knowing who your mother was. They had done it without even remembering the deal.

They had to go back and thank that teacher for his amazing grouping skills.

Gilbert and Francis had insisted on sitting in the backseat of the car with you as Antonio drove- their reasoning being that ’they had forgotten where his house was.’ Of course they all knew it to not be true, so Antonio didn’t complain when neither of them took the passenger seat- they usually always fight over that spot- and sat next to you.

After a bit of your head lolling, you had fallen asleep immediately when you got placed in the car and after a jolt from hitting a stray rock, your head had tilted to lie on Gilberts shoulder. They all smiled fondly at you- well, not Antonio, he was paying attention to driving because he’s a safe driver.

Francis had started to play with your hair, singing a French song that calmed everyone down significantly, and at the end of it, he let his hand fall back down to his lap.

You stirred and blinked your eyes wearily; your eyes small slits that barely showed you your setting. In a tired voice that everyone recognizes as that tone of I-just-woke-up-what-is-happening, you mumbled, “Guys?”

They weren’t sure how to break it to you, what just happened, and they didn’t want to tell you when you were half asleep, so Gilbert and Francis shared a glance that asked the other what to say.

Antonio sighed, “Don’t worry, and just concentrate on sleeping right now.”

You turned your head to look at Francis questioningly, “Where are we going?”

He smiled wistfully and his gaze turned to the window.

“Home, ____________, we’re going home.”