Hector

by Elizabeth Reyes

  Charlee had fallen apart all over again, and Drew dove right in with her best friend duties of holding her, consoling her, breaking out the ice cream, and then staying up with her into the late hours of the night talking. Drew was able to finally convince her of one thing, and as jagged a pill it was to swallow, it made sense. This was a good thing.

  “You’ll get over it, and you’ll be stronger for it.”

  Drew hadn’t been aware of just how sweet Hector had been to Charlee that night at the party—how convincing, without even having to say it, he’d been about making her feel as if she weren’t just another one-night stand—how deeply he’d looked in her eyes and melted her completely. It hadn’t been just a hot and heavy moment between them.

  She knew none of that mattered now, but she wanted Drew to understand she wasn’t being such a crybaby over nothing. After what she’d already been through, she knew better than to trust some fake, kind words from a guy. She’d been completely naïve the first time. This time she felt what Hector was saying to her. There was no way to explain it, but Drew got it. That’s why she loved her so much. She totally understood.

  “I believe you, Charlee.” Drew said with that sympathetic smile. “I saw it too. There’s something about the way he looks at you. I saw it at the party again. But maybe he’s just that good. Even though, with his looks, he doesn’t have to be.”

  “I know! That’s what I keep thinking. Even if his act had been as obviously bogus like Danny’s . . .” Charlee stopped and Drew stared at her silently. Charlee hadn’t said that name in over a year. “I probably still would’ve fallen for it,” she whispered, glancing down at her hands.

  Drew reached over and took Charlee’s hand in hers. “No you wouldn’t have. You were younger and completely inexperienced when Danny got a hold of you. Plus that was totally different. There was no way you could’ve ever imagined what he was up to. But just like that experience, Charlee, you grew from it. I’ve watched you be overly cautious about these things, and trust me, even with my sixth sense I’m always going on about, I didn’t see this coming from Hector. Sure, I was nervous this would be the case, but I truly believed I saw something else in the way he acted with you. So if you say you even felt it, then I believe you.” Drew sighed. “I guess the jerk is just really that good.” She smiled weakly at Charlee. “That’s why this is a good thing. We were both duped by one of the smoothest, if not the best at being smooth. Anyone else who comes along now will have nothing on our reinforced asshole radars.”

  Surprisingly, her words made Charlee laugh out loud. Ironically, they made her think about Hector explaining his scar. He’d learned from it, and ever since, he hadn’t let his guard down as much. Charlee had another scar to reinforce her asshole radar. She only hoped she’d be strong enough to not let her guard down again.

  By Saturday she was over it. At least she told herself that, and she did her best to enjoy her time at Walter’s and then at the play Drew’s dad had gotten them tickets for that night.

  Since then, she’d seen Hector one time. He decided to grace the team with his presence Wednesday afternoon. She and Drew had gone over the game plan. She wouldn’t give him the pleasure of letting him see he’d affected her life in any way. Instead, she’d keep up the “I’d already forgotten about that” attitude. Drew had been especially proud of Charlee for making that comment. She’d even high-fived her.

  So when he showed up Wednesday, she did just that—smiled sweetly at him, showing absolutely no resentment whatsoever. A few times she couldn’t help feeling annoyed that their eyes would meet and she thought she saw what she had the night he kissed her. That’s when it was hardest to not feel aggravated. He already knew he had the power to make her melt, and he made it clear it wasn’t something he wanted to continue, so why was he torturing her now? It was the sickest kind of cruelty, and she’d walked out of the lab, cursing him under her breath again.

  Day two, Thursday, hadn’t been much better. She’d caught him looking at her more than once in that way that did crazy things to her insides. Charlee was trying so hard to remain composed and to act indifferent about the entire thing. It didn’t even hurt as much as it made her angry now. How could anyone be that mean? Did he enjoy stroking his ego again and again each time he managed to get her caught in one of his intense gazes?

  Once again, she walked out of the lab, feeling thoroughly nettled. Drew met her by the waterfall in the middle of campus, where she always did Thursday afternoons. “How was it? Was he there today?”

  “Yes,” Charlee huffed.

  “That bad, huh?”

  “I suppose it’s my fault for giving him opportunity after opportunity to get me caught in a trance with him because I can’t stop looking at him. But why does he have to keep doing that?”

  “That just seems so weird,” Drew pondered, holding her books to her chest and staring straight ahead as they began walking. “If he’s really that attracted to you that he can’t stop looking, why cut things off? Even players like him have to eventually get bitten by the love bug.”

  “Drew,” Charlee warned. She wasn’t about to get pulled into that again.

  “Okay, okay.” Drew turned to her. “Maybe not love. You two don’t know each other well enough, but it seems to me there’s more than meets the eye here. Maybe he’s fighting it because he’s just never been that type of guy.”

  “No, please don’t start with this.”

  “No, no, I’m serious, Charlee. You hear about these types of guys all the time. There are guys who are seriously afraid of commitment.” She squeezed Charlee’s arm. “He fits the profile perfectly. These guys are usually the very good-looking ones who are used to having tons of girls at their beck and call but never have to commit to any one of them. That’s him!”

  Drew’s excitement about her newfound revelation only irked Charlee further. “And how in the world is that a good thing?”

  “Because, at some point, they meet their match.” Drew was getting more and more excited with each word that came out of her mouth. “They have to fall for someone eventually, right? Maybe Hector’s finally met his match, and you’re it! And why wouldn’t you be, Charlee?” Drew’s excitement finally calmed. She stopped walking, making Charlee stop too then faced her tilting her head and looking very thoughtful. “I know you don’t believe this, but you’re beautiful, not just on the outside but the inside as well.”

  This, coupled with all the emotion she was still holding in, instantly choked Charlee up. She pressed her lips together, trying desperately to keep them from quivering. “Stop, Drew. You’re gonna make me cry.”

  Drew smiled big. “Don’t cry. And, no, I won’t stop because it’s true. This is good. I really think I’m onto something here. We should go have dinner and brainstorm—somewhere a bit fancier than Taco Bell.” Drew snapped her fingers suddenly and her face scrunched. “Crap! That reminds me. I forgot something.”

  “What?”

  “My check. It’s ready.” She took a few steps backwards. “They called this morning to tell me I could pick it up. I’ll be right back.”

  Charlee watched as her friend hurried away toward the humanities building. Drew worked part-time in the office, even though she didn’t have to. Her dad gave her all the money she needed.

  Smiling now after having gotten all emotional just earlier, Charlee wondered what exactly Drew had in mind as far as brainstorming. She’d just as soon move on and leave this behind. Trying to figure out why Hector had no interest in doing anything more with Charlee would only make things worse. As soon as Drew came back, Charlee would tell her she was done analyzing this.

  “So, is it possible to cash that rain check in now?”

  With a flinch, she turned to face Ross. For once, he looked bright-eyed and fresh with no lingering smell of marijuana. Her eyes were immediately on his newsboy type brown cap that somehow made him look even more cleaned up. His smile was even a bit humbled, unlike all the other times when there was something so smu
g and cynical about it. Still, she knew she must’ve looked as alarmed as she always did when he’d approached her because he put both hands behind his back.

  “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself. In fact, they’ll remain this way the whole time.”

  Relieved to see Drew walking toward them, she smiled softly, gulping back the inevitable apprehension she felt about even holding a conversation with Ross. “I’m waiting for my friend. She’s right there actually,” Charlee pointed in Drew’s direction, and he turned to see her as she got closer to them. “We’ve got somewhere to be.”

  Ross’s smile dimmed a bit, but he shrugged. “I’ll get my chance eventually, right?”

  A bit curious suddenly and because he didn’t appear so menacing this time, Charlee had to ask. “A chance for what exactly?”

  Seeing Ross smile so big, especially about something she just said, felt wrong somehow. She didn’t mean to get friendly with him. She’d just been curious and in a cautionary way, not in the way she knew he was thinking.

  “Everything okay, Charlotte?” Hector walked up to them out of nowhere and stood right next to her, his presence even bigger now than normal. “Is this guy bothering you again?”

  Chapter 15

  With his hand fisted and ready to go, Hector stared into the guy’s anxious eyes. He didn’t even care that they were in the middle of campus and this could get him in trouble. All Charlee had to say was anything remotely negative about what this guy had just said or done to her, and he’d make sure it was lights out for him again.

  The guy spoke first. “I was just telling Charlee—”

  “No! You don’t get to call her that,” Hector got in his face now, feeling the real need to punch something, and this guy’s face would do just fine. “You don’t get to call her anything, you disrespectful asshole!”

  Charlee attempted to get in between them, but Hector wouldn’t budge. “I’m fine actually,” she said, sounding almost annoyed.

  Hector turned to face her. Drew was there now too. Looking almost as irritated as Hector felt, Drew asked the very thing he was thinking, “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I’m sure.” Charlee said to Drew then turned to Hector. “We were just talking.”

  The guy had backed up away from Hector the second he’d turned to face Charlee. She then turned to the guy and actually smiled. “I gotta go, but we can talk another time.”

  “I look forward to it.” Ross said, attempting to sound cheery, but there was no masking the dread in his eyes. “And I’ll answer your question then.” He tipped his stupid hat at her, glancing at Hector just before turning around and walking away.

  Hector’s mouth nearly fell open. “You’re seriously talking to this guy now?”

  Charlee started walking, but Hector kept up walking alongside her. “What’s wrong with me talking to him? He’s apologized for what he did already—more than once. He wants to make things right. That’s all.”

  Unfuckingbelievable! “That’s all? Really? Has he apologized to Walter too? Your friend—you know that one that ended up in the emergency room because he came to your rescue from this asshole and his friends?” His insides were on fire now. Was she really this stupid? Then it hit him, and he got in front of her, making her stop. “And exactly what question do you have for him?”

  Her expression had changed from annoyed to a bit regretful when he mentioned Walter ending up in the emergency room. He hoped that meant she got how chicken shit this was of her to be hanging out with the dude now. But her expression went back to annoyed again. “That’s none of your business, now, is it?”

  Suddenly this wasn’t about Walter anymore. Suddenly what he felt was more than just anger, and he didn’t even care how clear he was making that. “You into this guy, Charlee? Is that it? You’d actually consider something with that piece of shit?”

  Her pink lips parted, but she said nothing. He was done. If he stood there for even another second, he might just spill his guts—tell her why he was really so ready to beat the shit out of this guy. Because seeing her standing there with him, having an obviously enjoyable conversation, had set him on fire, and he was ready to blow now. From what Walter had told him already about Charlee making excuses for the guy, he had a feeling what that might mean.

  He started walking away before he could explode but then stopped and turned to her again. “You might wanna let Walter in on this shit; otherwise, he may still think you need saving from this prick.” She stared at him wide-eyed now. “You wouldn’t want him to end up in the emergency room again in case he sees you and your fucking little boyfriend snuggling up somewhere.”

  Just the thought made him want to roar. He glanced at her friend Drew for a second, taking in the strange expression. She’d seemed just as irritated by Charlee moments ago. He wondered what the near smirk she wore now meant.

  Without giving it another thought, he walked away before he spit out any more venom. He’d said enough. If she hadn’t figured it out already, she would if he stayed there and continued to let it all out.

  Stalking through the parking lot now, he tried to make sense of everything. Charlee was not a stupid girl. He’d heard of people being book smart but dumb as rocks when it came to street smarts. That could very well be the case, but he still didn’t buy it. Shy girls that had the brains to get a full ride in college and did volunteer work for charity would have more respect for themselves.

  So she let Hector kiss her at the party. That was different. They had a connection. He felt it. She certainly hadn’t been so keen about that other guy she’d been dancing with. He may’ve been a douche, but he wasn’t necessarily bad-looking. If she was really the type of girl she now wanted him to believe she was, then she would’ve just gotten friendly with that guy.

  As much as she appeared to be at ease with pretending nothing ever happened between them, Hector was beginning to think maybe that wasn’t the case—not entirely anyway. Since it’d been impossible to not stare at her like he did so often, there was no denying that she was having just as hard a time not looking his way. At first he thought he’d imagined it, but he was sure of it now. The irritation he thought he’d picked up on was loud and clear when she told him she was fine talking to the guy, even though she thanked Walter for saving her again just days ago. He picked up on it again when she’d told Hector it was none of his business. At the moment he’d been on fire—too wound up to put it together.

  This actually calmed him now as he climbed into his truck. If that were the case, if she was, in fact, upset about him telling her to forget anything ever happened between them, then maybe that explained why she’d want him to believe she was really the kind of girl she made herself out to be. She didn’t want him to know she actually was upset about his dismissing the very special time they spent together that night. It was special, damn it. He’d go with that for now. It was easier to accept that than the alternative.

  By the time he got home, he’d calmed down some. His theory made total sense. The only hole in it was one nagging thing: I’ll answer your question then. What the hell could she have asked him that she was so quick to say was none of Hector’s business? Was it possible she could actually have some interest in the dirtbag? The guy who’d made her scream so loudly that if she hadn’t, Hector never would’ve gone out of his way to see what was going on? No way.

  “Mijito,” his mom called out when he walked in. “Come look!”

  Hector walked through the small living room into the kitchen where his mother stood over the kitchen table, holding some papers. Abel sat at the table with a plate full of food, looking through the papers also.

  “This one!” she said excitedly, holding a paper out to him. “This is the one I like.”

  Hector took the paper from her. Now that Abel had signed such a huge deal, he was using the advance he got from it to buy their mom a house. Of course, she insisted they still live with her, and, for now, Hector wouldn’t have it any other way, only he couldn’t see himself bringin
g home girls to spend the night at his mom’s house. She was old-school and considered it disrespectful unless he was married, and Hector knew that wasn’t happening for years.

  He smiled when he saw the pictures of the luxurious-looking home. “Damn, Abel! All this?”

  Abel nodded then smiled at their mom. “Why not? Mom deserves it.”

  “Ay, mi rey.” His mom got teary eyed, leaned over, hugging Abel by the shoulder, and kissed his head. “I told him, Hector. I don’t need all that. I’ve lived in this little house for years, and we’ve been fine, but he insists. You know I’m not asking for all that.”

  “I know that, Ma.” Hector laughed.

  Of course, his mom would never ask for something this lavish. He and Abel had been telling her for years she could buy the more expensive stuff from the supermarket to make life easier on her since she still insisted on cooking them home-cooked meals almost daily. But, no, she still bought the whole chicken, skin and all, instead of the more expensive boneless chicken breasts.

  “Estan locos!” she’d say. “Pay over three dollars a pound when I could pay thirty-nine cents!” Abel and Hector had taken over the grocery shopping for the most part in the past year or so.

  “Is that what I think it is?” Hector looked at Abel with a hopeful smile.

  Abel looked up at what Hector was pointing at on the paper. “Yeah, but don’t get any ideas. That place would be for me.”

  Well, shit. For a moment there, Hector thought he’d figured out a way around his mother’s not-having-girls-overnight-at-her-house rule. The house his mother liked had a separate pool house way behind the main house, a house Abel would be making the most of.

  “But don’t worry. The place has two master bedrooms on either end of the house, and the house is huge. Each master has its own separate entrance.”

  “Cochinos!” Their mom said, frowning as she walked around the table to check the food on the stove. “Is that all you two are worried about?”