Chapter 44: Mama

                                    

                                          
Hiccup and I are laying on my bed kissing passionately. The takeout boxes are still standing on my nightstand as we make out. I rub my bare leg up agains his jeans. His hand runs from my hair and down to my waist. But before we can go further my phone rings. The sound makes me shot up quickly ending our make out session. My heart starts beating fast like it did during the shooting. Everything feels blurry and far away, I hear mumbles words but they don't make sense.
                          
I feel dizzy. I close my eyes trying to gain control but that's when I lost it. Suddenly, my apartment is gone and I am back in the classroom. The screams from my classmates, the gunshots in the hallway and him standing right there in front of me. I want to hide but I'm frozen. The world disappears into his gun. I can't breathe I need air yet I don't dare to breathe.
                          
"Astrid?!" Hiccup snaps me back to reality and wakes my up from my nightmare. 
                          
"Astrid are you okay?" What felt like minutes of deathly uncomfortableness turned out only to have been seconds of a panic attack. I look down not wanting Hiccup to see me like this. 
                          
"Astrid?!" Hiccup won't let me snap back into my nightmare. His arms are holding me up firmly and I'm sure if he let go I would fall to the ground. 
                          
"Astrid" I finally look in his eyes. The greeness in his eyes makes me feel grounded. My breathing normalizes after a bit and the nightmare disappears as I breathe. 
                          
"I'm fine, I'm fine" I whisper like I'm out of breath. I slowly get off the bed trying to process what just happened. My phone is still ringing and I need to take it. 
                          
I drag my body across the room to my kitchen where my phone is. As I grab it my arm feels numb. My body is heavy like I just ran a marathon. I pick it up and try to stand still but the whole room still feels kinda blurry.
                          
"Hi" I say plainly. I didn't even check the caller id before taking it so I have no idea who it is. But in two short seconds I found out who it is. 
                          
"¡Ay mija, estás vivo! gracias a Dios" It's my mother's sobbing voice who cries out loudly. She sounds relived yet far pass the verge of tears. Even though, I grew up bilingual and speak Spanish fluently it doesn't sound right in my ears this minute. 
                          
"Mom" I say trying to calm her down but she continues to sob.
                          
"Astrid I was so scared so terrified" My parents watches the news every evening but I didn't think the news would travel this fast across the states. 
                          
"I'm okay mamá" I reply and I can hear her holding back her tears. 
                          
"I know God wouldn't take you away from me" She whispers a prayer in Spanish and I stay quiet. My mother is very religious, so ever since I was a kid we've been praying and going to church. I've never really followed my mother's footsteps into religion and neither has any of my brothers. But I still appreciate her prayers it makes me feel loved and I know it means she's thinking of me. 
                          
"Amen" she says and I can finally speak to her again. In my family we support her belief and she supports her children's decision of not following her footsteps.
                          
"Mom, I promise you I'm fine" I say. Every mother's worst fear is loosing their child but I was so caught up in what I just experienced to think about what they went trough when they saw the news.
                          
"Mija come home. Change your college, you're an amazing student every university wants you. Don't go back there" She preaches. Her voice is so pleading it makes me almost want to oblige. I can see her point of view if I was a mother I wouldn't want my child going back to the place they almost died either. But this was my dream university in my dream city. I don't want to leave it and I don't want the shooting controlling my life forever.
                          
"Mamá you know I'm going to stay" I say and I can hear her sigh. 
                          
"Mija don't go back to that place!" My mother is a very firm woman so it's not hard to see where I have my stubbornness from. Blood related or not I'm a true copy of my mother.
                          
"Mom please I can't let one event ruin my dream" I explain and she sighs even louder. 
                          
"We'll talk about it when you arrive here" she says firmly. I stand up confused by what she means.
                          
"When I get there? I can't go to Missouri now" I say but I can almost hear my mother shaking her head.
                          
"Oh yes you're going to be on the next plane back home" she says seriously. I know better than argue when she uses that tone.
                          
"Mamá" I start but I stop myself. She has a shorter temper than me so arguing with her won't take me anywhere but home. And to be fair I want to see my family again. I want to hug them, and kiss them so the idea of going home feels very quenching. 
                          
I look to Hiccup who is petting Stormfly he looks so cute as he strokes her head.
I smile seeing the two of them playing.
                          
"Well Mamá can I bring somebody?" I ask and I hear a shift in my mom's voice. I've never brought anyone home before. Not Heather, Ruff, tuff nor William back when we were dating. To be truthful I've never introduced my parents to any of my boyfriends before. I always thought it was a very serious step and I haven't been ready to take it before today. Something happened that made me grow and I finally feel ready. 
                          
"Who is it?" She asks curiously. I look to Hiccup who gives me a smile. Maybe I'm crazy for doing this but it feels so right. Maybe it's the near death experience talking or my new found respect for life but I reply with a simple.
                          
"My boyfriend".
                          
From the spoiler the spoiler the majority guessed it was Stoick calling Hiccup back home, but that isn't going to happen... or maybe it will. 
Now get ready for our love birds to conquer Missouri, let's hope nobody recognizes Hiccup there ;)
But first Astrid has to go to therapy so stay tuned for tomorrow's chapter!
                          
Spoiler for next chapter:
"Well I'm a college student so I survive on 3 hours of sleep and a lot of coffee"