Ellie and Nick were at home since they had a day off.
They were talking when they heard the door being slammed and pounding footsteps in the stairs.
"Annie?" Torres asked loudly. "Anniela?!"
"I think something might have went wrong at school, we should go check on her." Ellie said getting up.
"No El, you're still injured from the suspect's hit. I'll go."
"I'm fine!"
"You're resting babe, I'm already up."
"Fine..." she sighed.
"Hey An?" Nick asked knocking on her door.
When there was only a weak 'yes' coming from the other side of the door, he stepped in.
What he saw broke his heart.
"Hey baby... What's up?"
Annie never cried, like never. So when she was sobbing to the point oxygen wouldn't reach her lungs, he couldn't shake that bad feeling.
"I- I- she- I-" Annie said sobbing in her pillow.
"Hey, take your time An, I'm here, take your time." her dad said sitting next to her.
"She- heart- mine- I-"
"Shh, take your time, try and calm down before you explain."
Annie took Ellie's struggle with words and emotions. And Nick wasn't very good with words, at all. So An wasn't gifted with that.
"Dad-"
"Yeah, okay I'm here." he said taking her in his arms.
She continued the loud sobbing for around 5 minutes and Ellie was now with them upstairs.
She kept trying to talk but her pain took over every time. Until she was drained and could only fall asleep.
"What do you think happened? Something with Mary?" asked Ellie.
"I think so, she said something about her heart... Do you think they broke up?"
"There's more than just a break up behind those tears Nick. It must have gone really wrong." sighed Ellie looking at Annie.
After several minutes she woke up.
"Hi sunshine." said Ellie.
After Annie regained full consciousness, she started to have watery eyes again.
"Do you want to talk about the reason behind those tears?" asked her dad still hugging her tightly.
"Mary- she- she-" Anniela started fidgeting. "Take your time baby."
"She kissed some guy in front of me and told me I was just a bet and that she wasn't gay and that I'm disgusting for liking girls and then- then- then-" she said in one short breath.
And here goes the tears again.
"She what?!" asked her dad. "She told you hat you're disgusting for loving? She's disgusting!"
"Nick, let her finish." whispered Ellie. "Do you want to tell us what happened next?" she continued stroking her daughter's hair.
"Then she- then she grab my arm and throw the- the bracelet you guys ga- gave me when I came out- I couldn't- I didn't find it- I'm sorry..." she said now sobbing again and twitching as she touched her wrist.
"She hurt you?" asked Ellie seeing Nick ready to kill someone.
"It's noth- nothing..."
"Let me see. I'm gonna go get some ice."
"Dad? Dad..." Annie asked desperate.
"You know it's not true right?" he asked calm but anger evident in his voice.
"What?"
"You're not disgusting. You're not choosing to like girls, like I'm not choosing to like girls. And I'm not choosing to love your mom, I just do and love it. Feelings are not under control. What Mary did is disgusting. You're not less of an human then anyone to be treated like an object. If she sees you as a bet, then she's loosing a lot. You are perfect the way you are. Don't try to change for anyone Annie."
"Thanks... What am I gonna do now at school?"
"Thank you next bitch!" said her mom coming in with ice.
"Eleanor!" screamed Nick.
"What? I'm right."
"No swearing in our house."
"Yeah well, just don't pay attention to her, if you do it'll only get worse."
"How do you know?" asked Annie hiccuping.
"Trust me on this An."
"I always trust you mom."
"Okay, don't worry about the bracelet."
"I think- I think she broke my heart..." Annie said sadly.
"It's okay baby." said her mom.
"I wanna sleep now..."
"Okay, no problem, good night, sweet dreams, I love you." said both her parents.
Nick got down the stairs as fast as a train.
"Nick wait!" yelled Ellie running behind her husband. "Look at me."
He looked at her with so much anger in his eyes, but she wasn't scared, not a bit.
"Talk to me babe."
"She- How could she said that to someone?! I can't understand teenagers. First you then An?! Like she's filled with love and just wants to give it and happiness. Howcome she's not getting this?! Annie's heart's broken because she was a bet. Like- a litteral bet. What the hell?! She doesn't deserve that!" Nick said now fully crying.
Ellie didn't say a thing, she knew better. Instead, she stepped closer to him and hugged him.
"I just love her so much El..."
"I know... It'll be okay- she'll be okay. She'll find the perfect girl." Ellie said soflty caressing her husband.
"I want to- to be able to protect her. I want her to be happy. Not to be heart broken because she's a bet! I- I- I-" Nick continued but started to hyperventilate.
"Okay, breathe babe, breathe." she said breathing for him to copy her.
It was the first time Nick had a panic attack.
"What's- hap- can't-"
"Don't try to talk for now. You're having a panic attack. It's okay. Try to breathe Nick."
After a couple of minutes he was breathing evenly.
"That shit's hard Dios mios. You and An go through this a lot?" he said exhausted.
"Yeah... you did great Nick."
"I love you." he said hugging her tighter.
"I love you too."
