The parking lot was almost empty, and Jimmy was sitting on the sidewalk by himself. He got up when she pulled up.
“Where were you?” he asked. He slammed the door again.
“Sorry. The movie was longer than we thought, and we grabbed something to eat really quick.”
He shook his head.
“How’d you guys do?”
“We won.” Sure didn’t sound excited.
“That’s awesome. Did you get to play?”
“Yeah. The whole second half. I made ten baskets.”
“I wish I had been there.” She turned to go home. Their parents were waiting.
“You should have been.”
“I will. Next time. I promise.”
“I hope so. Mom and Dad already said they’d come to the next game. I called them after I got out.” He looked out the window. “Man, I’m starving.”
chapter thirteen
It was dark and a little chilly as Ariana walked down the street to Mayra’s house where her friend was waiting. It was the weekend after Jimmy’s first game, and they were going out. As she got closer, she saw that Mayra had on a shimmery top and skirt with high heels. Ariana had gone a little more conservative with hip-hugging blue jeans with a blue v-neck top and pumps. Plus her favorite pair of hoop earrings. She had also dashed on a bit of matching eye shadow and straightened her hair.
“Ready?” Mayra asked. She was all smiles, ready to go out and have fun.
“Yep.” She replied. “Are the guys on their way?”
“Should be here any minute.”
She nodded. She turned with her hands in her back pockets and looked back towards her house. The lights were off. Her parents were asleep. Jimmy was up, and he had covered for her once again, although very reluctantly. She definitely owed him. She wasn’t sure how she would pay him back, but she would. She had started by going to his game yesterday.
A car came around the corner. They jumped behind a big bush in Mayra’s yard in case it was one of their neighbors. As the car got closer, she realized it was Carlos and Miguel. They pulled into Mayra’s driveway, and the girls came out of their hiding spot.
They walked over to the car. Carlos rolled down his window, and he smiled at them. Miguel was also inside. He waved at Mayra. She walked over to his side, and he got out so they could climb in the back together. Ariana got in the front passenger seat. She shut the door.
“Hey,” Carlos said softly.
“Hey,” she whispered with a smile.
He leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips. She closed her eyes and savored it. She had missed him during the week.
Carlos drove out of the neighborhood and into town.
“So where do you guys want to go tonight?” he asked.
“I want to go dancing,” Mayra said immediately. “Let’s hit the club!”
“Sounds good to me,” Miguel said as he put his arm around her. “You know, I’m a pretty good dancer.” Mayra rolled her eyes but smiled as she shrugged his arm off of her.
Ariana didn’t say anything.
“What do you think, Ariana?” Carlos said, glancing at her as he drove.
“Sounds good.” She responded with a smile.
“You sure?” he asked.
“Yeah. Let’s go. It’ll be fun,” she said. “How are we getting in? I know you have a fake ID, Mayra, but I don’t.” She turned back to look at her friend.
“I got you covered,” she said, clearly pleased with herself. She searched through her pocketbook and took something out. She handed the plastic card to Ariana, who took it in disbelief.
“I borrowed it in case,” Mayra said proudly.
It was a fake ID. There was a picture of a girl who had dark hair but otherwise looked nothing like her. She turned it around and inspected it. She read the date of birth and name. She could tell this was a fake.
She swallowed. What if she got caught? What if they immediately saw behind her lies and called the police or something? What if they arrested her? She would die of embarrassment, first of all. Then she would surely really die because her parents would literally kill her.
But she pushed these thoughts away and put ID in her purse, determined to prove she could do this.
***
Twenty minutes later, they were downtown and parking. They got out and began walking down the street towards the club. They could hear the music on the street. Carlos and Ariana were holding hands. Mayra and Miguel were talking and walking together, but that was it. She could see Miguel was pretty charming by the way he kept making Mayra laugh, but her friend had already told her she didn’t really like him like that.
They got to the entrance. Mayra began to open her purse to get her fake ID out. So did Ariana. Her fingers shook a little as she slipped the card out. There was a line of about ten people in front of them so it was a bit before they were up. The bouncer took a sort of plastic gun and swiped their bodies from neck to toe, making sure they weren’t carrying any weapons. He let them through, and they stepped forward.
She and Carlos stepped to one window, and Mayra and Miguel went to another. She tried to peek over at Mayra and see what she was doing. Of course, she commanded confidence. She smiled and said hi to the guy at the window. He asked for their IDs, and they handed them over without thinking. At that same instant, the lady at their window asked them for their own IDs, and she handed hers over, trying to smile but ultimately failing. The lady didn’t seem to notice, though. She barely glanced at them.
“It’s thirty dollars,” she said. Carlos took out his wallet, and she almost told him she could pay half before she remembered Mayra’s advice to let Carlos pay for her. She stood there politely as Carlos handed the lady two bills and she gave him back his change. He put the money in his wallet, the wallet in his back pocket, and he led her inside.
The club was packed with people. The music was so loud she didn’t know how anyone could hear each other. But then again, she thought, no one’s here to chat. They’re here to dance. Carlos took her hand and led them through the crowd.
Mayra and her date were in front of them. Mayra, unsurprisingly, was already moving to the music as she walked. They got to a fairly open yet small spot on the other side of the floor.
Carlos turned towards her. She saw that Mayra and Miguel were already dancing to the latest hip hop hit. So was everyone else, except for some people on the sidelines who were holding a drink and watching. Carlos grabbed both of her hands and leaned in towards her. At first, she thought he was going to kiss her, but then awkwardly stopped when she realized he was speaking in her ear instead.
“You want something to drink?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No,” she said. After what had happened at Henry’s party, she didn’t want to even hear the word alcohol for a while. He nodded in reply.
Another song began, bachata this time. Her hips wanted to move. She liked this place. It played a mix of Latino and American hits and classics. She began feeling more at ease as Carlos came in close to her, grabbed her hips, and began swaying with her to the music.
She closed her eyes and forgot where she was, focusing only on the music. He turned her this way and that. Twirling her. Pulling her in close. She wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face into his neck. He was so warm, but he was starting to sweat already so she pulled back a bit.
They danced until the song ended. Another immediately began. Hip hop, but the DJ transitioned to the next song seamlessly. She saw a guy check her out, and the girl next to him shoot her a nasty look. She turned the other way and saw a couple of girls checking out Carlos. She noticed that Carlos looked at them for a split second before turning the other way. Ariana’s body tensed, but she decided to ignore it.
After the song was over, Carlos leaned into her ear. “I’ll be right back. I’m thirsty.”
She nodded, and she headed to the sidelines to just watch the action for a little while. Carlos got back and offered her a drink. She took a sip. Then they got back o
n the floor.
About an hour later, they were still dancing, but Carlos had downed two more drinks. She was starting to get worried since he was supposed to be driving everyone home. He never drank this much.
Ariana watched him tilt his head back and pour the entire drink down his mouth. She wanted to tell him to stop, but she didn’t really know how.
A few songs later, a rap song began playing. All of a sudden, the dancing got raunchier. People were grinding on their partners or even on each other. Even Mayra was doing it.
She froze on the dance floor, uncomfortable. She had never really danced this way. Maybe when she was by herself. But not in front of others, and certainly not with a guy, even if it was Carlos. She felt kind of embarrassed. Carlos also stopped and stared at her. He seemed amused.
He leaned in. “What’s wrong, Ariana? Tienes pena?” he asked, teasing.
“No, well, yeah.” Of course she was embarrassed to dance to this kind of music. She just wasn’t ready. But Carlos took her hands and pulled her towards him. He began dancing to the music. Obviously, he was expecting her to dance along anyways. She looked at Mayra, who smiled at her and egged her on, encouraging her to grind against Carlos.
All of a sudden, she panicked, pulling away from Carlos. She skirted the other dancers and made for the bathrooms.
She felt someone grab her from behind. It was Carlos. His breath smelled from the drinks he’d had. He looked upset. She took deep breaths, not knowing what to say. He took her aside, a few feet away from the bar. A few girls passed by them and one unashamedly put her hand on Carlos’ chest as she walked by. Ariana felt hot with anger, grinding her teeth and staring at the girl’s back as she strutted away. She noticed Carlos staring after her.
This night was not going as she expected. First of all, she looked like a prude compared to the girls here. She was practically dressed like a nun in her jeans and v-neck top with minimal cleavage. She had thought less was more, but the girls here obviously didn’t get that memo. It looked like they had forgotten to put their pants on before leaving the house. And their breasts were all but hanging out. They left nothing to the imagination. Pair that with grinding so hard the only thing in the air was their rear ends, and Ariana felt seriously undermined.
“What’s going on?” he said in her ear. He wasn’t holding her hands anymore. Instead, her arms were crossed, and she leaned her body back as if to get away from him without stepping back.
“Let’s just go. I’m tired,” she said.
“I don’t think that’s what’s wrong, Ariana,” he said.
“You’re right. I don’t like being here. Now can we please go?” she said.
“But we just got here, baby,” he said. He tried to spin her, but she refused.
“Please take me home,” she said one more time.
As soon as she saw that he was making another excuse and trying to get her back on the floor with him, she turned around and began making her way towards the exit. She pushed past people without apologizing or waiting for them to move. A couple of girls shot her dirty looks. She power walked until she got to the entrance, and Carlos wasn’t able to catch up to her until she was outside and about fifteen yards away.
“Hey!” he shouted behind her. She didn’t stop.
He ran up to her, out of breath. He stood in front of her, and she finally stopped. She looked away.
“Hey, listen to me,” he said quietly. They heard some girls laughing loudly in the parking lot. She turned towards the noise, angry that they were having a good time and she wasn’t.
“Hey, look at me,” he put his hands on her face and slowly turned it towards him. “What’s wrong?”
She didn’t say anything. Instead, she stood there, seething.
“Look, we don’t have to dance like that. Let’s just forget about it, okay? Come on. Come back in with me. Let’s have fun.”
She looked at him but wasn’t totally convinced.
“Let’s not ruin the night, okay?” he said.
“How could it be ruined?” she shot back. “Just go back in there with all of those girls who are all over you. They’ll make sure your night doesn’t go to waste.”
She shook her head, remembering how that girl laid her hand on him and that he hadn’t done a thing. Just stood there, probably enjoying it.
“Those girls don’t mean anything to me. I came here with you. To spend the night with you,” he said. His voice didn’t sound right, and it looked like he was having trouble focusing his eyes.
“Yeah, right. How stupid do you think I am?” she said. “And you’re drunk. I hate that. Why do you need to drink to have fun?”
He looked away, annoyed, and shook his head. “You’re such a little girl,” he said.
She spun on her heel and walked away, and Carlos didn’t bother to follow her.
She headed towards the parking lot, where she couldn’t be seen from the club but was still fairly close. She went to the sidewalk and sat down, putting down her purse beside her. She had no idea what she was going to do next.
Carlos was the one with the car. He was her ride home. He obviously wasn’t a choice anymore. Mayra was inside, dancing the night away, probably completely unaware that she had even left. She had her phone and some cash on her. She contemplated going in to ask Mayra to leave with her, but she was too proud at the moment to go back in and possibly run into Carlos.
Or worse. See him dancing with girls all over him.
He was so cute. And there was nothing wrong with that. The problem was that he knew he was cute. He wasn’t blind. He saw girls checking him out when they went out. She had been so stupid to go out with him in the first place. She just squeezed her eyes shut and tried to forget everything that had happened since she had met him. But she couldn’t. She heard steps coming near her. She turned around and saw a guy coming up to her.
“Hey, baby,” he said. “You need some company?”
She made a face and turned back around.
She heard him mumble to himself and walk away. Could her night get any worse?
She heard more steps coming towards her, and she turned around to tell them to leave her alone when she saw that it was Mayra who was approaching her.
“Hey, what’s going on?” she asked. She sat down next to her. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I saw Carlos dancing with some other chicks, and you were gone. What happened?”
Ariana shook her head, and Mayra put her arm around her.
“Talk to me.”
“He’s such a jerk,” she said. “I just want to go home. Please, let’s just go home. Maybe we can call a cab or something.”
Mayra stayed quiet, obviously not wanting to go home yet.
“Mayra?” she said in disbelief.
“Oh, okay,” she said.
“Sorry to spoil your night,” she said.
“No, no, it’s fine,” Mayra said. She obviously didn’t mean it. “It happens. I’ll go home with you so you don’t go by yourself.”
“Thanks.”
Mayra took her phone out of her bag and dialed a cab. She hung up after a couple of minutes.
“It’ll be here in about ten minutes. I’m gonna text Miguel and tell him I’m leaving.” She began typing.
***
Almost thirty minutes later, they were getting out of the cab at Mayra’s house. It was about three o’clock in the morning. Her parents would be waking up in about three or four hours to go to work. They’d both ended up with short shifts on Saturday. Good thing because she would probably be sleeping until they got home in the early afternoon.
They paid the cab driver, and he drove off. They went inside for little bit. As usual, Mayra’s mother was not home from work, but she would be soon. They sat on the couch. Mayra spread herself out and relaxed. She looked over at Ariana, who was slumped and staring at the ceiling. How had her life taken such a sharp turn for the worst in such a short period of time? She sighed.
“So you think it’s over” Mayra a
sked.
“I think so,” Ariana said. “After what he did.”
“Yeah. Sorry to say it, but he was clearly having a good time with a few girls after you left.”
“I’d better get home. You never know when my parents will randomly check in on me in the middle of the night.”
“That would be so like them to do that,” Mayra giggled.
“I wonder how Carlos is gonna get home. He was pretty drunk when we left.”
Mayra shrugged. “Miguel will have to drive, but I saw him have a drink too.”
Ariana got up, opened the front door and walked home, trying to focus on anything besides the ache in her chest.
chapter fourteen
The next day Ariana stayed in bed until one o’clock in the afternoon, and even when Jimmy came and knocked on her door, she covered her head with the pillow and tried to go back to wallowing. After five minutes, Jimmy left, and she readjusted herself. She pulled the covers over her entire body, only her eyes peeking out.
Her self-imposed bed rest was her vain attempt to forget the night before. She supposed she and Carlos were unofficially broken up now. To think she had told him that she loved him and almost bared herself to him.
She had screwed up. She should never have gone out with him. Just when she felt the tears coming on again, she heard Jimmy at the door again.
This time, he didn’t bother knocking. Instead, he picked the lock. It took him about a minute, and then he barged in. He ran across the room and jumped on the bed, landing on top of Ariana and tickling her.
Ariana screamed and tried to pry him off, unable to contain her laughter. Jimmy was also laughing, pinning her down. Finally, he stopped, and they both sat up. She punched him playfully on the shoulder.
“Didn’t hurt,” he said. She cocked her fist again, but he leaped out of the way. She chased him out of her room and shut the door behind him, not bothering to lock the door this time. She went back to the bed and sighed. She looked at the big mirror on her dresser and saw her red eyes and messy hair. She shook her head at herself.
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