The 4th CRIME

Chapter 21

There were some very mixed reactions to that statement. 

Time slowed down, honestly. It slowed down enough that I could see each individual reaction before it sped right back up again. 

Let's begin with Czar. Czar had his eyebrow raised and a huge grin on his face, as he laughed, throwing his head back like I had told the best joke ever. 

Aunt Galina had a look of pure shock and she had paled considerably. 

Uncle Hedeon drew out his two swords, flipping them in the air before catching them swiftly, looking ready to kill. 

My father on the other hand had a look of absolute horror and anger. It looked almost like he had been shot by someone and he was feeling the pain. 

My mother on the other hand, had an expression of nothing but pure joy and happiness. Her smile was wide, and her eyes were shut as she jumped up and down. 

"A boyfriend!?" They all said in unison, yet with different tones and different emotions. 

"That's it, he's dead," uncle Hedeon said and my father snapped out of wherever he was. 

"Get the cars, we're killing that bastard!" My father barked and I shook my head. 

"No!" I heard my mother scream over my father, "you are not going to do that, Joseph!" 

"Care to inform me why the f**k I will not?" He exclaimed right back. 

"Did you not hear her?" My mother asked as she looked around at all of us, raising an eyebrow, "Natalya has a boyfriend!" She gushed as she jumped up and down, "my baby has feelings! She has feelings for another person! Yay!" 

Czar scoffed, "so is that what we're doing now? We're going to completely disregard me, who's the actual robot, and focus on the girl who's always crying after doing her calculus homework?" He asked, sounding offended. 

"Ok, first of all," I began as I glared at Czar, "that s**t's hard and I'm sure I'm not the only teenager out there sobbing every time I have to figure that s**t out." 

"The point I'm trying to make is, Joseph," my mother paused as she put her hands on either of my cheeks and pulled my face close to hers, "my baby's being a normal teenager for once! No guns, no murders, no drugs...just a boy. This is great news!" She said as she let go of me and looked at everyone, "she's being normal. She's actually being normal. I'm just," she placed her hands on her heart as she grinned and then squealed again. 

She stopped as she turned and glared at my father and uncle Hedeon, "and you two better not ruin this. You better not ruin this, Joseph...or I swear-" 

My father rolled his eyes, "you swear what?"

"I will go on a strike." 

My father chuckled, "what kind of strike can yo-" he stopped as he looked at her and she had her hands on her hips as his smile came right off her face. "You wouldn't."

She just looked at him with a daring look before she looked at me with a smile, "come on baby, I want to hear all about this boy first thing tomorrow morning. Don't worry, your father, uncle Hedeon, aunt Galina and your brother will do absolutely nothing, nothing at all to your boyfriend." 

~~~

First thing in the morning as I was getting ready for school and, my mum was already asking me questions about my "boyfriend". It almost had me wondering if Chang-woo was my boyfriend. I mean, I've never done this whole dating thing before but he hasn't asked me so I'm sure he's not my boyfriend. 

"So, tell me about him," my mother encouraged as she adjusted her silk robe around her and looked at me with a wide smile as she sat on my bed. She looked up at me as I walked around the room, getting dressed for today. 

"What do you want to know?" I asked her, as I looked back at her when I put on my school shoes. 

"Like everything," my mother laughed, "I'm just so happy." 

I rolled my eyes as I looked at myself in the full length mirror and I spun to see if everything looked perfect. I was almost tempted to raise my skirt and make it a bit short. Almost. 

"I've been dying to have this talk with you. I mean, I thought it would never happen but yet here I am, looking at you...be someone's girlfriend!" She sang as she hopped on my bed and I laughed. 

"It's not such a big deal..." I shrugged as I walked to my bed and sat down on the bed as well. "I don't," I sighed as I mentally rolled my eyes, "I'm not sure if he even sees me as his girlfriend honestly." 

"What do you mean?" My mother asked, sounding way too excited and happy to hear this as she laid down on her stomach and placed her face in her hands and she looked at me with interest. 

"I feel like it's more of a love and hate relationship. I mean, one minute I want to pull out my gun and shoot him," I admitted, "and the next second...I hate it when he's not giving me his full undivided attention. I can't even go an entire day without seeing him and talking to him. It's like..." I groaned as I closed my eyes and threw myself back on the bed, hating myself for sounding like such a girl. 

"I can't help myself," I said honestly, finishing what I wanted to say. 

"Damn," my mother sighed, "you really have it bad," she answered me. "And him...how does he act around you?" 

"Oh, I'm sure he's interested," I said laughing and she joined in. "He's just so annoying, and irritating and he talks, a lot. Like it's all he does the entire time. Talk, talk, talk and get on my nerves. I think he really enjoys making me angry and getting me all worked up." 

"Mhm, he's got it bad," she sang and I looked at her. 

"You think so?" I asked her, needing a second opinion on that. 

"Oh, for sure. I've been with your father for years, and when men love a woman, they love to just...irritate them," she said with an eye roll, "males are weird like that." 

I hummed. 

"So, how old is he?" She asked me and I licked my bottom lip, looking into her eyes trying to see if I should tell her the truth about his age or just be quiet. 

"He's...not a boy..." I answered slowly as I looked at her and her eyebrows raised. 

"What?" She whispered in shock as she looked at my bedroom door like my father was going to come and burst through the door, "how old?" She asked like she was finding out a deep juicy secret. 

I know she's not expecting to hear anything near 30 something. She's after all just a few years older than him. He's my uncle's age and I want to keep my lips sealed, but I also want to tell someone who isn't Czar my boy problems. 

"I don't," I began as I shook my head. Realising I shouldn't be talking to my mother about this. 

"No, please tell me. I swear I won't tell your father," she begged me as she gripped my hand and pulled me back down. "I've been dying to talk to you like this. Like mother and daughter, and I swear," she held up her fingers, "I swear I won't say a word to anyone. It'll just be between you and I. No matter how big, no matter how shocking...I promise I'll be there and I won't hit you, or...get too angry. I promise." 

"I'm not so sure-" 

"I promise, baby, I promise. I want to know everything. Please tell me and don't shut me out," she pleaded and I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose. 

"Fine..." I sighed as I opened my eyes and looked at her, "he's really older than me." 

"How old? Like 21?" She gasped, a naughty smile on her face and I just bit my lip as I shook my head, "damn...23?" She asked and I shook my head. "He's older than that?" She gasped. "Holy...how old?" 

"You swear you won't tell dad," I looked at her, "if you so much as even breathe another word to someone else. Mum, I swear I'll never speak to you." 

She nodded, "tell me!" 

"Fine...he's...in his..." I groaned, "thirties." 

"Thirties?" She exclaimed. "This-" 

"You said you wouldn't get angry!" I argued. 

"I said I wouldn't get too angry! What the hell are you doing with a man that old? Thirties!? What the f**k, Natalya!" 

"Ok, that's it," I just said as I shot up from my bed but my mother stopped me once again. 

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry, baby. I'm sorry, I won't...never again," she begged again. She groaned as she sat me back down, "it's just...I'm a little bit shocked." 

"I shouldn't have said anything." 

She shook her head, "I'm sorry baby. Ok tell me everything. Mama's listening to you." 

I sighed, "do you still want to know?" I asked her. 

She nodded, biting her bottom lip, "can I ask you a question?" I nodded. "Did you...and him...what I'm trying to way is..." She paused, "are you a virgin?" 

I choked, "oh my god, mum!" 

"What? He's older...I'm just asking," she spoke hesitantly, "did you guys do the dee-" 

"No, mum, no!" I said as I shook my head. 

She laughed, "ok, I was just asking...so how did you meet him?" 

"At school," I said as I looked at her. 

"Oh my god, please don't tell me he's someone's parent at your school? I'm really going to beat you if you say yes." 

"No, he doesn't have any children," I answered.

"Ok, then how? How do you know him?" 

"I really think I should stop telling you right here, mum," I said to her, "you don't want to know, at all." 

"I do. I really do want to know." 

"If I tell you this, I know you're going to faint. Or do something extreme." 

She shook her head, "I swear, I swear, I swear. Just tell me the truth. I swear I won't freak out. I swear I won't hit you, I swear I won't do anything extreme," she said giddily, "now...how did you meet him?" 

I licked my lips nervous, as my hands played with the hem of my skirt as I looked at my mother nervously, "his name is Chang-woo...Kim..." 

She furrowed her eyebrows, questioning and confused before she laughed, "that's funny, it's almost the same name as-"

"-my English teacher," I finished for her. 

~~~