Without You: Book 1 of the Changing Hearts Series

by Yesenia Vargas

  “Ariana.”

  “Yes.” But she looked away. She didn’t know if it was from embarrassment or what.

  “Manejen con cuidado.” Lucas wasn’t a crazy driver, so no worries there.

  She finally walked out the front door and sighed with relief once the door closed behind her. She saw Lucas’s car pull around the corner. She walked down the driveway towards their mailbox and met him there.

  Lucas stepped out of his car and smiled at her. She went up to him and gave him a hug, putting her bag on top of his car.

  “Did you look at your present yet?” he whispered in her ear as he held her at the waist.

  “I might have snuck a peek,” she whispered back.

  She felt his nose and lips roam her neck, and she leaned her head to the opposite side to give him room. She tried not to think about whether her dad was looking out the window or not.

  “Do you like it?” he asked as he pulled back.

  She smiled. “I love it. Thank you.” She got the box out of her purse. “Can you put it on?”

  He gathered the bracelet in his hands, and she outstretched her own. She watched his face as he clicked the clasp shut.

  “It looks beautiful on you, although it can’t compare really,” he said.

  She brought her face to his, and their noses touched. She tried not to stare at his lips, but she couldn’t help herself. Apparently, neither could he because he closed his eyes and brushed his slightly wet lips against hers just for a second.

  “I love you,” he said.

  It took her a few seconds to grasp what he had just said.

  “I love you.” The words were out of her mouth before she could even wonder if she should say them out loud.

  Lucas squeezed her and kissed her.

  “I wish we were alone right now,” he said as he kissed her under her chin.

  She chuckled.

  “I didn’t meant that,” he said with a laugh. “I just wish I didn’t have to worry about your dad, mom, or brother watching me kiss you.”

  “Or me,” someone from behind them said.

  They turned around. Mayra.

  She smiled and gave them each a hug. “You guys were taking forever, so I just decided to come on over here.”

  “We’re waiting on Jimmy,” she said.

  Just then, he came out of the house in a dress shirt, dark jeans, and fancy-looking brown shoes.

  She looked over at Mayra as Jimmy came down the driveway.

  “Sorry guys. My shirt was in the dryer. And then, you know, my mom insisted on ironing it real quick.” He came and gave Mayra a hug. Her mouth was still slightly open. Jimmy looked hot.

  “So where we going?” Jimmy asked, his arm still around Mayra’s shoulders.

  ###

  It had just gotten dark, but they had already had dinner and watched a movie.

  “That movie sucked,” Mayra said, sipping on her soda as they headed to a local ice cream shop.

  “I thought it was good,” Ariana said.

  “It was so unrealistic,” Mayra continued. “How can one guy, no matter how buff he is, land on the windshield of a car at like fifty miles an hour and walk around like nothing happened?” She rolled her eyes and put her soda in the cup holder beside Ariana.

  Lucas chuckled and kept driving. “It was okay. The fight scenes were good.”

  “Heck yeah,” Jimmy said from the back. “Especially the one between the two girls. That was epic.”

  They laughed.

  Lucas parked, and they got out. The ice cream shop was in a small shopping center. Each of them ordered and walked out.

  Ariana walked with Lucas towards one end of the shopping center. She looked back and saw Jimmy and Mayra walking in the other direction. She checked her phone and stifled a groan.

  “What? Your parents call you?”

  She shook her head. “No. I can’t believe it’s already nine-thirty.”

  “Yeah. That movie was long.”

  She kept licking her ice cream cone and leaned her head against Lucas as she walked. He put his arm around her. A few minutes later, they had finished their ice cream cones and thrown away the trash. Hardly anyone was shopping this late, and stores were closing.

  They stopped at the far end of the stores and walked up a small hill. They sat in the grass.

  She looked at Lucas and smiled.

  “What?” he asked, returning her smile.

  “You make me happy,” she said, taking his hand. He leaned over and began kissing her, running his hand through her hair. She put her hand on his arm, feeling the tight muscle underneath his sleeve. They kissed harder, and before they knew it, she had leaned back in the grass, and half his body was pressed against hers.

  His hand went to her waist and began to slide up. Right when she was about to get goosebumps, it slid back down. And further down to her hip. His thumb swept near an area that did make her shiver. Then it was on her thigh.

  She pulled back.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah,” she said, catching her breath.

  “Did I go too far?” He pulled his hand back and sat up straight again.

  “No,” she said, taking his hand. “It’s just…I don’t want us to get carried away…here.”

  They smiled at each other.

  “Let’s head back,” he said.

  They got up and went looking for Jimmy and Mayra.

  As they walked closer to the ice cream shop, they noticed two figures leaning against Lucas’s car. Jimmy was pressed up against Mayra, and her arms were around his neck.

  She looked at Lucas.

  “Should have walked slower maybe,” he said with a wink.

  “Look at those two,” she said as they inched closer. “Supposedly they’re just friends.”

  She coughed loudly. Anybody else may or may not have thought she had tuberculosis.

  She saw Mayra push Jimmy away and pull her fingers though her hair.

  They walked up to the car, and Jimmy wiped his mouth with his hand,. Mayra looked away and headed to the other side of the car to get in.

  “We should probably get home, huh?” Jimmy said as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

  Lucas laughed. “Probably.”

  chapter thirteen

  Happy three month anniversary. I miss you.

  Ariana sent the text to Lucas. Then regretted it. Maybe she should have waited and seen if he had remembered. She shrugged and kept walking to her car.

  Jimmy’s first basketball game of the season was tonight, and she, Lucas, Mayra, and her parents were going to be there to watch him and Ryan play. Jimmy and Ryan had just found out a couple weeks ago that they had both made varsity.

  She was excited, although she had to admit it was also because she would get to see Lucas. He’d been working a lot lately.

  As she put her bag in the backseat of the car and climbed in, her phone buzzed.

  I promise I didn’t forget. I overslept ;) See you soon.

  She smiled. Poor Lucas. He’d probably gotten home past ten, had to have a late dinner and shower, and to top it off, do homework before having to get up again at six.

  She turned on the heater in the car. She liked winter, but it was really cold this morning. She waited for Jimmy to finish getting ready. A few minutes later, Ariana was starting to worry about being late to school when he finally came out the front door with his backpack and gym bag slung over one shoulder, a huge burrito in his hand, and an even bigger smile on his face.

  He got in and threw his bag in the back along with his gym bag. He took a bite that almost encompassed half the burrito.

  “Um, please don’t get that on my seat,” Ariana said as a random lump of refried pinto beans slopped onto the seat. Jimmy swiped it up with his pointer finger and put it in his mouth. “No need to worry about that.”

  “So mom made you breakfast?”

  “Yep. You should have stuck around.”

  “No thank you,” she said look
ing at the overflowing burrito and turning on the car. She backed out, looking through her rearview mirror.

  “Completely understandable. Eating beans in the morning gives me gas all day too.”

  She stared. “Ew. I promise you. If I catch one whiff—”

  “Relax. I’ll open the window. Besides, I’m a gentleman,” Jimmy said, taking another bite. “I would never do such a thing with Mayra in the car.”

  “Lucky Mayra,” Ariana said to herself as they pulled into her driveway. They noticed a strange car near Mayra’s house. It was burgundy and not too new but not completely crappy either. She noticed the front bumper was missing, and it was just parked in the grass.

  Mayra came out of her house. She ran up to the car and got in the back. “Morning, guys. Guess what?”

  “What?” Jimmy said with a mouth full of burrito.

  “You know you’re not supposed to have beans in the morning right? You know what they do to you,” Mayra said.

  Ariana choked back a laugh as Jimmy turned to her, no longer chewing his food.

  “I might have already mentioned what happens to you when your body digests beans in the morning,” Ariana said, looking out the window at the car again.

  “I am going to kill you when we get home,” he said under his breath, putting extra emphasis on “kill.”

  “Anyways,” Mayra continued. “That’s my new car. Well, not new. But you know, new to me. It’s gonna take a couple of months to fix it, but as soon as it’s ready, I won’t be riding to school with you two anymore. Unless you two want to ride with me.”

  “Oh, I want to,” Jimmy said, also looking at the car.

  “That’s awesome, Mayra. What all does it need?” Ariana said, getting on the road.

  “Um, I forgot all the part names. But hopefully, it won’t be too expensive.”

  “Maybe our dad can take a look at it. He knows some stuff about cars, and maybe he can help.”

  “Okay,” Mayra said with a smile. “I’ll tell my mom.”

  “And I can help dad,” Jimmy said, winking at Ariana as he took another bite of his burrito.

  ###

  Friday dragged on, but finally, it was time for the annual basketball pep rally at the end of the day. They all got to skip their last class. Even though they were supposed to sit with their class, Mayra and Ariana sat together on the bleachers. They saw Ryan, Jimmy, and the rest of the varsity and JV basketball teams sitting across the gym and the cheerleaders doing flips and waving pompoms everywhere. The band was playing music, and everyone was chatting. Even some of the really strict teachers seemed to be in a really good mood today.

  “Remember they got second place in state last year, but they’re hoping for first place this year,” Ariana said.

  “With Jimmy, they definitely stand a good chance of that. Really, the whole team is pretty good,” Mayra said, clapping as the school mascot, a bull, ran down the gym with a basketball, jumped on a mini trampoline, and dunked the ball.

  Everyone shouted, clapped, and stood on their seats. Several people had their phones out, but the teachers weren’t saying anything.

  “You’re staying for the game, right?” Ariana asked as they sat back down.

  “Psheah,” she said. “It’s not like I’d have a ride home anyways.”

  They smiled.

  They noticed the basketball team wasn’t in their seats anymore. Suddenly, they ran out into the gym, some members of the team screaming and cheering. Others were just jogging with a smile on their faces. Jimmy was last, and he had a ball in his hand. He turned towards them, and Ariana waved. They caught his eye. He winked at Mayra—there was no confusing it—and then he ran and did a slam dunk, hanging onto the rim for a few seconds.

  Some people had turned in their direction, but they ignored it, clapping for Jimmy. Ariana had never seen Mayra blush before. She pretended not to notice as she bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling too hard.

  ###

  It was six o’clock that evening, and Ariana, Mayra, and her family were back in the school gym.

  It was the last quarter of the game, and Jimmy’s team was losing by five points. Ryan had played a short while but had just been benched.

  “They shouldn’t have been so cocky in the first half of the game,” her dad said, mostly to himself. She nodded. The team had come back, but it still wasn’t a sure thing that they would win. Just a few minutes were left, and each team kept making a basket. She realized she was chewing her nails, and she stopped. Lucas was beside her. He took her hand and smiled, kissing her on the cheek. Mayra was on his other side.

  “I think they’re gonna win,” she said. “They have to. This isn’t even a tough school.”

  “They’re really not,” Lucas said.

  They watched Jimmy’s teammate dribble the ball down the court, putting his hand up to indicate a play.

  Jimmy was on the far side, moving around. Suddenly, he feinted to one side and then sprinted the other way, behind the hoop and to the other corner, which was practically empty. A split second after he got there, the ball flew through the air, straight at him. He caught it, faced the hoop, and shot the ball, even though a player from the other team was coming straight at him. That player jumped, high, trying to block the ball, but it was no use.

  “It’s a three,” she heard Lucas say. But would it go in?

  It did. The crowd erupted in applause. People stomped their feet on the bleachers and screamed so hard it was impossible to hear anything else. Arianna laughed and cheered.

  “Just two more points,” her dad said.

  Her mom was busy taking pictures. “Si se puede!” she screamed.

  “There’s less than a minute left,” Lucas said, looking at the clock and back at the game.

  Thirty seconds later, they were just a single point behind. Jimmy’s team had made another three pointer while the opposing team had scored two more points.

  Seven seconds were left.

  Ariana was tapping her right foot like mad, Lucas’s hand forgotten at her side.

  One of Jimmy’s teammates went for the shot. It didn’t go in.

  The whistle blew.

  “Oh my God!” Lucas said, standing up and sitting back down.

  Two seconds left.

  “What?” Mayra and Ariana shouted. “What does it mean?

  “Foul. The other guy hit his hand. He gets two shots. He needs to make them or they’ll lose or tie.”

  They turned back to the game.

  Jimmy’s teammate went up to the free throw line. The gym fell mostly silent. The referee blew his whistle again, signaling for him to shoot.

  He looked down. Sweat dripped down his nose, but he wiped it away. He bounced the ball a few times. Ariana could see him taking a deep breath. The gym was silent except for that one baby that could always be heard crying at public events. He looked at the basket, put the ball in his hands, and threw the ball.

  In.

  Everyone cheered.

  The ref threw the ball back to him, and again, the gym was quiet. A baby was still crying. Ariana hoped the guy down there wouldn’t be distracted because of it. He did the same thing. Bounced the ball. Took a deep breath. And the ball left his hands to make a long arc towards the hoop.

  The ball danced on the rim for two seconds before going in.

  Ariana, Mayra, Lucas, and her family stood up, clapping along with everyone else. The other team got the ball and began dribbling down the court again. They had two seconds to make a comeback. Not likely but not impossible. The guy flung the ball across the gym with one second left. It hit the backboard, gasps could be heard all around, but the ball bounced away.

  Nothing. They had won. Jimmy ran and lifted the coach into the air. Meanwhile, Ariana and Mayra screamed and clapped along with their entire half of the stands.

  ###

  Ariana wondered how to ask Mayra her question without completely embarrassing herself.

  They were at Mayra’s house. They had jus
t a few days until winter break. Ariana shifted on the bed. Mayra was at her desk, finishing up some homework. Ariana had finished a few minutes ago, and her stuff was already in her bag.

  She watched Mayra’s pencil scratch the worksheet in front of her. Mayra sighed, flipped the pencil over, and began erasing entire lines of writing.

  “Mayra?”

  “Yes? Kinda busy here if you didn’t notice.” She began writing again.

  “I’ll help you if you want. But I wanted to ask you something first.” She leaned on her elbow and made herself not chew her lip.

  “What is it?” Mayra asked, swiveling her chair around.

  “So,” she began, wondering just how to word her thoughts. “Lucas and I—”

  “You’re not a virgin anymore!” Mayra exclaimed, dropping her pencil on the floor.

  “Oh my gosh,” she said, sitting up. “I am a virgin. I swear.”

  “You want to not be a virgin anymore,” Mayra said, hopping onto the bed. Her homework lay forgotten on the floor.

  Ariana studied the bedspread. Mayra gasped. “Have you and Lucas talked about it?”

  “No. Not yet. It’s just… I want to be prepared.”

  Mayra nodded.

  “I feel like I might be ready, but I’m not sure. But just in case we decide to…I want to get birth control.”

  “That’s a smart thing to do,” Mayra said. She got up from the bed and went over to her night stand. She opened a drawer and began rummaging through it. She got out a circular plastic container and some small square packages. Condoms.

  “Here,” she said, throwing them on the bed. “Take some of these.” She scooted a few condoms towards her. Ariana picked one up.

  “Don’t these expire?”

  “You’ve been researching,” Mayra said with a smile.

  Ariana stuttered. “I like to be informed.”

  Mayra laughed. “These are still good. It’s always good to be double protected. I use condoms, not that I’ve had occasion to use them in a while since I just haven’t gone out with anyone anymore. But I always carry some with me in case of a fling.”

  Now it was Ariana’s turn to laugh.

  “Not that I’ve ever had one. But you just never know when you’ll run into a Channing Tatum look alike or something. Oh, and if a guy ever says he doesn’t want to use a condom, no matter what excuse he gives you, grab your panties and run the other way.”