Dear Tía Maria,
Whoever you are, I'm coming for you.
Literally.
Me and my mom were waiting at her front door. We stood at the front steps of the two story linen coloured brick house. Two beautiful flower gardens of tulips, roses and dahlias decorated the giant windows on both sides of the door. Two cars were parked in the drive way, a black Audi and a grey Nissan. I nod in agreement with the choice of cars before turning back to face the front door once again.
Why wasn't she opening it yet?
In the awkwardness of the complete silence, i begin a conversation with my mother. "Mamá did you ever meet her before?" I ask.
She gives me a small glance and looks back upfront. "Yes, many times." My mom doesn't try to continue.
Okay then she should know why she wasn't answering the door, no?
Where was this lady?
Silence fills the air and I'm left to conversate with myself, in my head.
Unable to hold it, I ask her another question. "Why isn't she answering the door?"
My mom sighs. "I don't know, Ariana."
How does she not know? She knows everything about everyone.
Kind of like Isabella, now that I think about it.
Silence fills the air once again, making me hesitate questioning her again, since her last answer was practically forced out.
"Do you think her kids are troublesome?" I risk asking her.
My mom snaps and tells me to shut up before she hits me with her Chancla. Way to dramatize things.
I tap my foot on the ground in impatience. Now my mom was pissed and I was tired of waiting.
Fed up, I knock on the door, instead of ringing the doorbell another time.
At that, we hear little kids running around and yell inside, warning everyone in the house about visitors.
The door finally creaks open and a little black haired boy grins up at us.
I look down at him admiring the cuteness of his face. "Hola mi amor, dónde está mamá?" My mom engages with him, using the sweetest tone she had in her.
I roll my eyes. Where was that sweet voice a couple seconds ago?
Then, the door opens wider and a lady a little shorter than my 5'5 mother shows up with a wide smile on her face.
"Glad you could make it Helena!" She opens her arms as the moms both lean in for hugs and kisses. "I hope you didn't wait too long, my doorbell is broken." She laughs.
Her attention then settles on me and her pearly smile widens. "You must be Ariana!" She hugs me tightly and I slowly hug her back uncomfortably.
She breaks the hug as she examines my face. "What a beautiful daughter you are." She says as her brown eyes flicker between mine.
I thank her as I shift in my place awkwardly in embarrassment.
She leads us inside the house and I instantly notice the smell of coffee filling up the house. The walls were painted in shades of linen and many plants covered every corner of the room. We sat in the living room that was connected to a hallway leading to the other rooms. There was also a staircase that lead to the second floor of the house.
The little boy who opened the door for us sat right next to me and started playing with the hem of my simple yellow dress with a flower pattern at the bottom.
My mom chuckled as he did so and started asking him basic easy questions in Spanish.
Mateo was his name.
Mateo answered her questions with yes's an no's until he got tired and left to play outside in the middle of my mom asking him another one.
The two mothers laughed as he slipped away mid conversation.
Right away, they started talking about subjects I could not keep up with. Switching from cooking to famous actors, I tried to follow as best as I could.
A short while later, Mateo came back in crying with two other kids by his sides.
Tía Maria swiftly turned around to see the cause of the ruckus and questioned the situation. "Antonio, what happened?"
"He slipped," the boy on Mateos right side explained.
As they cleaned up his bruise and the kids introduced themselves to us, I started getting bored.
My mom kept asking them questions about school and their hobbies.
"Antonella you seem like a smart young girl," she said to the girl who came in at Mateos left side. "Do you know what you will be in the future?"
Antonella, being the 10 year old that she was, claimed that she and her twin brother Antonio would both grow up to be footballers and play with Messi in the World Cup.
Soon enough, the kids left and the conversation kept on going, temping me to pull out my phone even though my mom had told me beforehand not to, because it would be seen as rude.
I started playing with my fingers until someone called my name.
"Ariana," I look up at the curly haired lady seated in front of my mom. "I don't know if you like it, but there's an Xbox in the basement if you'd like to play. It's at the end of the hallway." She points in the direction of the door while smiling at me.
Saved of boredom, I thank her for the offer and head off. The door was at the end of the hallway, so I open it cautiously because basements are terrifying. I step down the stairs slowly. The moment I reach the last step, I notice the wine red wall many meters in front of the stairs. A large TV was hung on it and a console table was below. On my right, there were two doors perpendicular to one another on different walls.
Shaking away my curiosity, I settle down on the couch opposite of the TV and grab a controller from the table.
Looking around, I pulled a car racing game disc from an album and inserted it into the Xbox. The game loads in and spawn in the lobby before I start to customize my sports car. Unable to decide, I pick an Audi R8 and settle with the black colour.
The game's music filled in the void of the silence. As I finished up my customization, I headed off into the racing area and waited for the countdown to the race to begin.
Finally, the race track loads in and I see three cars in front of me while multiple are behind. I eye the Lamborghini in front of me, which was pissing me off for some reason. Well, it was actually because the car was neon green.
Who paints their car neon green?
I shrug and watch the numbers of the countdown go down from 10. "Three... two... one... go!" I say, starting the race in 4th place.
As the cars move along, many of them cut me and my vehicle ends up slamming against the side because of the same green Lamborghini, who hit me in an attempt to surpass me.
"Stupid Papaya," I grit in annoyance.
Zooming along the other racers, I tried to keep my place at least in the top 5. In the end, I finalized in 6th place. Ashamed of my performance, I throw my head back and sigh.
When I open my eyes, I notice a figure standing right behind the couch I was sitting on. I turn around to see who that person was.
His hands were rubbing a towel on his ink black hair as water droplets came down his face, from the tips of his har. He squinted his eyes at the screen, wearing a black shirt and sports branded shorts.
His piercing black eyes never turned to look at me or acknowledge my presence but simply observed the screen carefully.
Andrew.
Finally, the situation hits me.
Stupid papaya, I said. And he heard that.
He HEARD that.
I wish I could be invisible right now. Thankfully, he wasn't looking at me so it was somewhat tolerable.
Done with drying his hair, Andrew throws the towel on a one seater couch and goes around mine to sit right next to me. The couch dips a little and his presence could not be ignored, despite the plans I had in mind.
What the hell do I do?
My heart raced rapidly as many thoughts came into my head.
Why was he sitting next to me? Did he want to play? He was probably waiting for me to finish so he could play on his console. His console. I had no right to be using it. I don't know why I ever thought coming down here would save me from embarrassing myself in front of the adults.
Suddenly, he grabs another controller from the table and turns it on.
"I'm sorry," I blurt out nervously. "I didn't know you wanted to play." I continue while he paid me no attention, a frown he held since the beginning sat still on his face.
I notice multiple fresh cuts on his jaw. I would've asked about them but I wasn't going to be doing another stupid thing.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
As I got up to leave, Andrew finally looks up at me from his seat and squints his eyes at me, not saying a word.
Intimidated, I mumble another 'sorry' and look down, quickly making my way out of the tension of the basement.
Pulling my phone out, I text my friends.
Pulling my phone out, I text my friends [https://img.wattpad.com/b5e8da067a9e41a2c5c5e382be5e253d637e2006/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f36325f514f646a43704258576e673d3d2d313436313933353432332e313765326361653239633037313439383436333739303538373137382e706e67?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
They didn't try to help me.
I was left to die alone.
Here.
With Andrew.
Shaking my head, I make my way back to my mom and her friend.
I've never heard of a Latino named Andrew. How the hell could such a beautiful woman be related to such a...
I sit down on the sofa and make sure my presence is not noticed. Against my hopes, tía Maria notices me and gives me a questioning smile. "Did you not want to play anymore?"
Her saying that to me made me feel like a 12 year old, despite me being 20.
I kind of liked it.
Not in a weird way.
I inhale and explain to her. "No I just noticed that your... your son wanted to play. So I left." I say truthfully, fidgeting with my hands.
She sighs and makes her way into the hallway, leaving a trace of her floral perfume along the way.
I realize what she was doing. SHE WAS GOING TO SNITCH ON ME!
She opened the door to the basement and yelled inside as if this was a daily occurrence, "Andrew let Ariana play on the console! Don't throw your attitude on this sweet girl!"
I melted into the couch in embarrassment.
After her argument, she came back to us and told me that I was free to go back and play and that he wouldn't bother me.
"I really don't mind," I shake my hands. "If he doesn't want me to, I-"
She shakes her head at me quickly. "No, I'll make sure he'll let you play if he wants to or not." She fake smiles, thinking of her mannerless son.
"Okay..." I say in defeat as i get back up.
Making my way to the door, I hope for the best. I slowly nudge it open and go down the stairs at a dramatically slow pace.
Once the last step was reached, I watched the back of his hand still seated in the same position I left him in. I didn't know where to sit.
Next to him?
On the couch with the humid towel?
I'll just sit on the stairs.
I pat the wooden stair and sit down on it, trying to get my butt comfortable. Peeking at the man in front of me, I notice that the screen was frozen on the home page of the game. He wasn't playing anything.
What a shame. I was smashing that game.
Scrolling on my feed, I like Laurie's new post. She was leaning against a white fence next to a lake with a Ferris wheel in the back. The lighting was hitting her face in every angle.
She should really try modelling.
Suddenly a shiver went up my spine, like I felt someone was watching me. I look up to see if my spider senses were right.
All the way from the couch, Andrew was staring at me with a frown. He eyed my face then the phone in my hand.
I was more uneasy than I already was.
"I swear I didn't mean to snitch on you," I blurt out, uncomfortable. "You don't need to let me play I'll just stay here." I nervously laugh.
He didn't say anything and just turned back around towards the screen. I let out a breath and continued watching on my phone.
Suddenly, I see a pair of legs show up in my peripheral view. Slowly raising my eyes, I gasp at the sight in front of me.
There he was, standing in all his might, right in front of me. His shorts barely exceeding his knees, shirt clinging to his torso and his hair pointing in all directions due to its dampness.
He was looking at me expectantly, holding out a controller for me. I stared at him in shock.
Confused, I hesitated in the action I was supposed to take next.
I could see the impatience grow in his eyes so I quickly grabbed the remote from his hand and stood up, placing my phone down on the wooden stairs.
I follow him around the couch and sit on the seat right next to him, avoiding the couch he threw his towel on.
Why wasn't he speaking? Is it really that hard to speak? If he was going to let me play he could've just told me directly.
I watched him start a new game and we begun to pick our cars.
He ended up taking the Audi RS5 in the matte black colour. Not trying to copy him, I chose the Porsche 911, settling on a yellow shade.
"Why didn't you take the R8 again?" He asked with the same grumpy look on his face, staring at the screen.
I turned to him, surprised he finally spoke to me.
"I... didn't want to copy you." I answer honestly.
He shoots a look at me that catches me off guard. His eyes were giving me a curious gaze yet the rest of his face looked somewhat disgusted. "Why the fuck does that matter?" He asks, sounding more like a statement than a question.
Menaced by his stare, I turn away and look back at the TV.
Why was I doing this again? Why am I about to play with him?
The countdown of the race pulls me out of my hesitation to leave.
3... 2... 1....
Go!
I speed along, placed in 3rd position on the leaderboard. Andrew was all the way down in 12th place. Pride drew all over me. Maybe if I showed him I was better than him, someway his ego would diminish and he'd be nice to people, especially me.
The car flashed through the tunnels and the roads, cutting in front of other cars and finally taking the first place spot. As the final lap approached, I tried my hardest to preserve my number 1 spot. Making other cars crash and tricking some other ones into surpassing me just to make them lose, I was able to keep my position until halfway through the final lap. I peeked at Andrew's score, 7th place.
I was winning. My prayers were finally answered and I would finally win something for once.
My dreams came crashing down the moment I saw the finish line. Andrew zoomed right past my car and crossed the checkered line before me by a couple hundred meters.
My jaw dropped at my loss.
I lost. I lost?
No.
He cheated. How could I have lost when I was so close to winning? I turn to observe his face. I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination but I could see a weak smirk trophying on his face.
Was he toying with me?!
"Rematch," I demand.
He doesn't argue and starts another race.
Just like last time, I start at the top and end up at 2nd place, passed by the same guy.
"Again." I frown.
I try to change up my game by choosing the car he's been using, this time, but I still fail, yet again.
"How..." I complain. "I always beat my brother at Mario Kart."
I feel him staring at the side of my head so I turn to examine his expression. "Welcome to the real world," he says with a straight face.
Did he just try to joke with me? This was so confusing.
"Why..." I hesitate asking. "... are you joking around with me." I chuckle.
He seemed like he didn't know the answer to the question so he remained silent. Running a hand through his damp hair, he clears his throat and gets up without a single word.
I watch as he made his way to the door on the other side of the basement and went inside.
A feeling of guilt and disappointment formed inside my stomach.
I shouldn't have asked him that question.
Why was I like this?
The sound of my mom calling my name brought me out of my thoughts and I quickly ran up the stairs before I got into trouble.
◆◈◇
I walked around the hallways of my college. Bag on my back, notebook in my arms and pencil in my hand, I had everything I needed. Expect one thing. The most important thing of them all.
Suddenly, I notice my group of friends turning around the corner of a hallway. I hesitate between walking back around or staying straight.
Then, Laurie sees me from a couple meters back and notifies the rest of the girls.
"Why haven't you been answering your phone?!" Bella yells at me the moment she spots me.
Spooked, I jump at her shouting and cover my face. "Stop! Leave me alone!" I whine dramatically.
I peek through my fingers only to see my three friends (one of them my cousin so technically it would be two friends and one cousin) eyeing me judgementally.
None of them spoke and waited on me to fill them in on the situation at hand. They were clearly not going to leave me alone.
But I knew that. I just wanted to make myself the victim here.
In defeat, I sigh and explain my situation. "I forgot my phone at Andrew's fucking house."
Their jaws all drop at my statement. They all glance at each other nervously, making me wonder the seriousness of the problem.
I feel a weird sensation forming in my stomach. Something was definitely up."That's not good," Layla mumbles in shock. "You're dead Ariana. We all are."
I tilt my head in curiosity. I mean, I know it was terrible that I forgot my phone there but I didn't think it was that bad.
I could just ask my mom to call up her friend and tell her what happened. I'm sure she'd be glad to hand it back to me.
"What do you mean?" I ask worriedly.
Looking down, my friend hesitates answering. "Ariana..." Laurie starts. "We said some really, really horrible shit about him on the group chat."
Oh.
Oh, fuck me.
Did he see the messages? Did he not? Why did this have to happen at this exact time?
I whimper. "Why..." I cry dramatically.
"Listen," my cousin starts. "I don't think he saw the messages. Otherwise he would've answered my calls." She tries to comfort me.
Frustration rises in my eyes. "My notifications can be seen even when my phone is locked." I admit. "There's no way he didn't see them." I spit back.
She rolls her eyes and tells me to calm down.
"You don't understand," I whine louder. "He's going to tell everyone and ruin my life." I explain. "You don't know how scary that guy is." I widen my eyes in fear, reminded of his nasty stares.
Laurie chuckles. "Ari, he has no friends," she states. "Who's he gonna tell?"
Suddenly, everything became clear.
Laurie was so right. Who was he going to tell? Who would believe him? As if he knew how to speak in the first place. Yesterday he could barely form a sentence. No one ever wants anything to do with him.
"Okay," I calm down finally. "How do I get my phone back, now?"
We were parked in front of the gym. It was the same gym Ethan told me he exercised in and where Andrew also did his workouts in. Too terrified to go inside, I remained seated in my seat.
"Just go!" Bella throws her head back. "Be strong!"
I shook my head no. I was terrified.
First of all, I'd have to go through the judging looks I'll get the moment I step inside. Second, I'd have to confront Andrew about my phone. Finally, if Ethan catches me there talking to Andrew he will get the wrong idea and he'll think that I'm a two faced person.
However, if I just let him keep my phone...
"You can do it," Layla cheers for me.
I take a deep breath and open the passenger door. Stepping out of the vehicle, the two story building comes into view. The bottom floor's walls were just windows that reached from the ground to the ceiling. The top floor had only a few big windows that we could see some equipment through them.
As I walk to the entrance, Bella shows up next to me and crosses her arms whilst looking straight ahead, "I'm just coming in case of emergency."
The doors open and the busy receptionist doesn't give us any attention, allowing us to take the opportunity and head inside to look around.
"I'll look in the gym room," she states. "You check in the locker rooms."
I nod my head and do as she says. I checked the signs for directions and made my way over to the changing rooms. There were separate changing rooms for each gender, but luckily the locker room was for both. I walked into the locker room and froze in place.
Andrew had a locker door open as he was looking around inside. His tall figure shuffled inside the locker, towel on his shoulder and wearing no shirt. I kept staring at him like a creep until he backed up a little from the door of the locker and noticed my presence. His eyebrows raised in shock but quickly came down into a frown.
"Why are you here?" He asks dryly.
I fidget with my hands, hesitating. He seems to notice my fidgeting so he squints his eyes at my hands.
"I wanted to talk to you about yesterday," I mumble.
He crosses his arms and leans on the lockers. "What's there to talk about?" He asks blandly.
Was he playing dumb or did he actually not notice that I forgot my phone in his home?
I stay quiet before finally deciding to address the situation. "I forgot my phone at your house."
"I know." He answers right away, hinting that he knew exactly what I wanted to talk about.
He knows.
Andrew didn't seem like he was going to continue his sentence so I spoke up. "Can I have it back?" I asks lowly.
As if thinking of how to answer my question, he stays silent for a second before taking in a breath, "I don't have it with me." He answers and examines me, waiting for my answer.
"Oh," I blurt out. "Thank you anyway." I smile, glad that this interaction was over.
"When will you have it with you?" A voice from behind me speaks up.
I turn around to see Bella frowning right back at him.
I'm frustration, I try to make Bella forget about it so that we could leave without any more problems then there already were. "Isabella, it's okay. I'll just ask his mom or something-" I blurt out before getting cut off.
"Are you Bella?" He walks up to us, or more like, her.
She talks back with the same attitude he gave her. "Yes, I am. So what?" She smiles evilly.
He leans in closer to her face, "Fuck. Off." He spits out, enhancing his tone on each word.
I notice her jaw clench as she looks him up and down in disgust.
"Give her the phone, and I will fuck off." She grits with her teeth.
He humphs and walks back to his locker in frustration. "Have the fucking phone, damn it. Take it back for all I care." He shoots me a terrifying glare while slamming the phone in my hand and shutting his locker door with force.
He leave the room and goes into the men's bathroom.
I turn to face Bella, shocked.
"Just what exactly did you guys say about him?" I ask, scared of what she would tell me.