(Andi's POV)
My name is Andrea Futura Doctora Cruz, Emma Alonzo's best friend. I know most people see me as a rebellious tomboy, but it wasn't always that way. I actually used to be class-A girly-girl. But everything changed when I was eight years old. I guess I should start from the beginning.
My mom accidentally got pregnant with me when she was nineteen. My dad (who was her boyfriend at the time,) promised he'd stay with her and married my mother a few months before I was born. Everything was smooth sailing for the next six years until my mom began drinking. She would come home in the wee hours of the night smelling of alcohol, threatening to kill my dad, and beating me for no reason. She filed for divorce a few months later and my dad gladly complied, however, I ended up in my mother's custody.
She would bring home a new guy almost every night. For hours I'd home alone waiting for my mom to return with yet another drunk man from the bar. She went through countless men for months until she began dating a man named Hugo.
I hated Hugo. He had shoulder length black hair, a big potbelly, and the hairiest arms I had ever seen. He also had a bad tendency of wandering around in tighty-whiteys and a wife beater two sizes too small. He didn't have a job and it seemed like he spent all day watching TV on our couch and ordering my mom to bring him more beer. That is, when he wasn't upstairs getting down and dirty with my mom. When I was younger, I always thought of him as a big, fat, lazy bear dating my mom.
Anyway, when I was eight years old, Hugo proposed to my mom and everything changed. I remember the day like it was yesterday.
**Flashback**
I was sitting on the floor of my room in a baby blue dress, playing with my barbie dolls.
"But Atlanta Anna, you can't leave! The big pageant is tomorrow!" I said, using a high-pitched voice to act out the doll's words.
"I'm sorry, Northridge Nancy. I just must go to my aunt's wedding."
"But we'll never make it without you! Each team has to have five members. Without you, we'll be one girl short!"
"London Lucy, I'm sure you'll be able to find someone new. I hear Miami Michelle is in town. She's the most famous pageant girl ever. She'd be happy to help you out."
"Well, I suppose you're right, Anna. I bid you good luck and fair travels."
"Thank you all. I'll-"
"Andrea! Dinner's ready!" my mother's voice called from downstairs, cutting me off mid-sentence. I dropped my dolls and dashed out of my room, racing down the stairs to the kitchen. I skidded to a stop, bouncing up and down in front of my mother.-
"What are we having for dinner, Mommy!?" I asked excitedly.
"We're having spaghetti with meatballs and garlic bread," she replied, placing two silicone pot holders on our round kitchen table.
"Yay!" I cried, jumping up and down with a huge grin on my face. However, my face fell as I saw Hugo walk in from the living room.
"Smells delicious, babe," he said, leaning in to my mom for a quick kiss on the lips. He grabbed some plates and sat at the table.
"Oh. You're here," I stated angrily, crossing my arms as Mom walked by, setting a large pot of pasta and a small pan of sauce on the pot holders. I huffed and plopped into the chair farthest away from Hugo. My mom bustled around the kitchen, grabbing silverware, napkins, and a platter of garlic bread. She sat right next to Hugo, which only made me angrier. There were five chairs at the table and I hated sitting alone on the opposite side. "Let's eat!"
We all silently served ourselves. I noticed that both of them were unusually quiet. Normally, my mom was really chatty, but she had only said three words since we started eating. She wouldn't stop fidgeting and she seemed really sweaty, like she was nervous about something. We had been eating for fifteen minutes when she abruptly dropped her fork onto her plate, getting my attention.
"Andi, Hugo and I have some exciting news!" she said giddily.
"You're breaking up?" I asked hopefully.
"No, silly! We're getting married!" I felt my jaw drop and a meatball roll out of my mouth.
"What!?" I screamed. "You can't get married to this greasy potato!"
"Andrea Cruz! How could you be so disrespectful to your new father!? Apologize to Hugo right now!"
"No! Edward is my daddy! Not him!" I ran up to my room, tears in my eyes. I locked the door behind myself and turned out the lights. I ignored my mother's yells and cried myself to sleep.
The next morning, I was still pouting. My mother approached me with a scowl on her face.
"Andrea Cruz. Hugo and I are getting married, no questions asked."
"Why!?"
"Because I love him and he loves me."
"He doesn't love you, he loves our TV and your beer!"
"He does love me! Do you know how much money he spent on this blown-glass ornament for our Christmas tree? He made it himself!" she retorted, holding up a round, fragile blown-glass ornament that said 'My Darling Olivia' in blue letters on the inside of the glass ball.
"He bought that at a gift shop! They have them in everybody's names!" I cried, snatching the trinket from my mother.
"Andrea Cruz. Don't you dare break that!" my mom warned dangerously.
"Then don't marry Hugo!"
"No. I will not be blackmailed by my own child. Now, put that ornament down, right this second!" My face was emotionless as I let the knickknack fall to the floor. Mom gasped, a horrified expression on my face. Before I knew what was happening, my mother's palm crashed into my face, bruising the skin immediately, leaving a big purple welt on my face, and bringing tears to my eyes. I never called my mother Mommy again.
Long story short, on the day of their wedding, my mother discovered pictures of countless other women Hugo was involved with. She broke it off with Hugo, and began dating my father, Edward, again. My dad is the only thing that stops Mom from being a complete sociopath. But with his new job it seems like he's never home. So I'm left alone with my abusive alcoholic mother again. My life is basically a spiraling drain of depression. I can cover myself up with my bad girl attitude, but I'm cracking. And soon enough, I'm gonna break.