I pinched my eyes closed. “Gabby,” I warned.
Their voices compiled in on themselves, until I heard a bang and they were both crying. I slammed my book shut and marched into the bathroom, finding Gabby with a fistful of his shirt and he with a fistful of her hair.
I grabbed one by the arm and the other by their arm, carrying them unceremoniously out of the bathroom and plopping them down at the breakfast bar. We didn’t have a kitchen table, so they had to share the small bar top separating the kitchen from the living room. They bickered back and forth as they ate. I’d grown used to it and could tune it out almost to the point of not even hearing it.
My ears were numb.
Unfortunately, so was I.
Getting them dressed and ready for school took up the rest of my morning. We ran out of the house, racing up the street for the elementary school so they wouldn’t be late.
I crouched down in front of their classroom when we got there. “Mama will be here to pick you up after school.” She used her lunch break later so she could swing by and get the kids and drop them off at the neighbor’s until I got home from work. “I packed your lunches. Eat it all. And don’t argue in class. You hear me?”
They both nodded, no longer grouchy now that they were about to be left alone. They held each other’s hand, a team in seconds.
I kissed both their heads. “Go.”
Gabby jutted out her bottom lip and then flung her free arm at me, giving me a hug. “I’ll miss you, Romey.”
“No, you won’t.” I patted her back reassuringly. “You have lots to learn. I want to hear about it all when I get home tonight.”
She held on to my shirt. Antony did the same, but he tried to act brave, looking off into the distance so I wouldn’t see his tears. They hadn’t gotten used to being at school. We’d spent every day together over the summer, and they’d had a hard time adjusting to being without Mama or me. But at least they had each other. The way Diego and I used to before the gang took him.
I watched them until they were safely inside the classroom, giving the teacher’s kind smile a blank one in return.
The moment they were inside, I took off, cutting through the soccer field and dipping under the metal fencing to cut the few blocks to school. I made it to my first class with a second to spare, falling into my seat with a heavy thud.
I tried to catch my breath, and then remembered I couldn’t breathe.
No matter how much oxygen I pulled in.
CHAPTER THREE
RYA
I checked out my reflection in the mirror.
“Awful,” I decided, flashing myself a smile before wiping it from my face.
I clutched my hand to my stomach and then stumbled out into the hall groaning like a zombie.
Mom was on the couch with her feet up. She gauged me coolly when I came shuffling out, her lips pursed.
“I think I’m coming down with something,” I groaned.
“I hope it’s not contagious,” Kenzie sneered, circling around me and heading into the kitchen, mumbling, “dweeb,” under her breath.
Dad patted me on the back. “You should think about taking drama classes.”
I straightened, huffing out my breath. “I’m sick.”
“You’re faking!” Kenzie crooned from the kitchen, followed by Dad’s chuckle.
“Plus,” he continued. “If you stay home, you’ll get your mother sick. Can’t have that.”
Mom touched her nose in agreement.
I straightened, clearing my throat and giving up the act. My only option left was to tell the truth. Counterstrike them. “I’m not going to school.”
Dad poked his head out of the kitchen. “Yes, you are. Rya, taking the bus isn’t as awful as you’re making it out to be. I had to take it all through middle school and high school. Look how well I turned out.”
He was wearing a Goonies shirt that had ten holes just in the front and a dozen more coffee stains. “I’m not comforted.” His cheery grin aggravated me further. “Everyone’s mean and scary,” I argued.
“She’s not wrong,” Kenzie said, far less confident in her tone. “The guys here are dicks. Like bad boys are cool and all but show some freaking support.”
That wasn’t helping me. Unsurprised by her lack of support—we’d been going to school for a week now and not once had she even acknowledged me—I stomped back to my room to get ready for my first day of riding the bus.
On the way back out, I heard my parents and my sister talking in low whispers.
“Hang close to your sister, would you?” Dad said.
“How about no? She’s not my responsibility.”
“She’s your sister,” Mom joined in. “And she’s having a much harder time than you are.”
“That’s because she’s a dweeb. No one wants to hang out with her. She reads at lunch. Like who does that? It’s not the kids at school that’s the problem. It’s Rya. She’s a stuck up, goody two shoes; always has been. Kings River is no different.”
Anger made my face hot. I gritted my teeth together, so mad I could hardly think. I didn’t need her. I hadn’t thus far. I grabbed my backpack by the door and stomped out of the house without breakfast, too angry to respond.
What did my sister know? She hadn’t gotten to know me my entire life. Why did I think now would be different? Silly me thinking that my sister would be there for me during a hard time. And maybe deep down I wanted to be there for her too. Or at least I wanted her to need me. Something she’d never done.
The bus stop for my neighborhood was two blocks down in front of a daycare. When I approached it, there was already a line of groggy people standing around. The sight of them made my stomach drop. One week at my new school, and no one had even spoken to me. Unable not to, I had to consider Kenzie’s words. Was it me? Did I put people off? Or did I simply not fit in here the way I did at my old high school? Things had been so much easier. We’d known each other since before we could read; friendships were easier to keep when they came from the early days.
I hung near the back of the line, ignoring the eyes cutting in my direction. One girl in particular gave me a deeply dirty look. She was unfairly pretty, with hair so brown it looked red. And long; it flowed down her back. She was the same girl who’d bumped into me in the hall and she’d done it four more times since my first day.
Giving me dirty looks that were far more dirt than I preferred. At first, I thought she was mistaking me for my sister, that Kenzie might’ve pissed her off, but she couldn’t make the same mistake that many times.
She had to have a problem with me.
She whispered something to her sleepy-eyed friend and she too looked over at me, visibly snorting.
I snapped. Why did I have to stand here and take their crap when I’d done nothing to her? I hadn’t spoken to anyone and no one had spoken to me. Her attitude couldn’t possibly be warranted. Nor was it appreciated.
“What are you looking at?” I demanded.
The girl’s spine straightened. “What?” she spat, so much hatred in her word.
“What are you looking at?” I repeated slowly, just for her. “You’re always staring at me. What’s your problem?”
A few of the people standing near me scooted away, like I had the plague. Some of them even widened their eyes, making me wonder if the mean girl was scary or something. Too late to back down, I didn’t.
“It’s not me who has the problem,” she sneered, coming close to me. Her friends followed. Three against one was so not fair, but the odds hadn’t been in my favor since I’d gotten to Texas. “It’s you.” She pushed me back hard, making me stumble into the rusted gate around the daycare center.
I gaped at her. “I don’t even know you. You’re a psycho. And don’t touch me again, or you’re going to be sorry.”
She cocked one mahogany brow at me. “Is that right, gringa? And how are you going to accomplish that?”
“Well, I wasn’t sure. Hadn’t gotten to that part yet. Bu
t when I do, you’d better believe it’s gonna hurt.”
Her friends, and some of the other kids, laughed at me, shaking their heads.
“Kick her ass, Rosa. That’s what she gets for moving in on your man.”
“Your man? What man?” This was about a boy? Were they freaking kidding me? “I haven’t even talked to anyone over the age of thirty since I got to this hell hole. What’re you even talking about?”
She stepped closer, the smell of cinnamon on her breath. That close, her friends couldn’t hear her. No one but I could. “Stay the hell away from Romeo, you hear me? He’s not yours, never gonna be yours. He’s mine. Are we clear, white girl?”
No way was this about Romeo. The boy I’d met on my first day. The same boy who looked through me every single day since. The only one who’d remotely acknowledged me was his friend Raf, who was piggish and didn’t have a personality to match his cute face.
I couldn’t help but laugh at her. “Get real. I don’t even know Romeo.”
“I saw you two talking. I saw you all hugged up.” She pushed me again. “He’s mine.”
“Yeah, you said that already.” I pushed her back, earning a gasp from the peanut gallery gathered around us. My pulse pounded in my ears, but so did anger. “Didn’t anyone ever teach you not to put your hands on people?”
“No, actually, they taught the opposite.” She hit me so hard and so fast, I hadn’t even seen the blow coming.
I’d never been hit in the face with anything other than a soccer ball during gym one year. The pain was shocking. I stumbled back against the gate, my mouth open in shock. Rage followed. I launched myself at her, scratching my nails down the side of her beautiful face.
She grappled with me, and I quickly realized how dumb it was to fight a person who had two other friends. They pinned my arms to my sides and Rosa crashed her fist down on my face. The bitter taste of copper filled my mouth and harsh pain flowed through my body, clouding my brain.
“Hey!” someone screamed. “Get off of her!”
Rosa sneered at me. “This ain’t over, chica.” Her friends tossed me away and all three looked at me like they’d won.
Which was more infuriating than getting jumped, the bullies thinking they’d beaten me. I struggled to my feet, swaying a little; I steadied myself against the gate.
Kenzie was there, face serious for once. “Rya, what the hell? Who were those girls?”
“No one.” I shrugged her off, touching my face with a shaking hand. “Am I bleeding?”
Kenzie paled. “Bleeding? You need stitches.” She grabbed for me again. “Let’s go get Mom.”
“No, we can’t. She doesn’t need stress.” The bus pulled to a stop on the curb. Everyone piled in like nothing happened.
Maybe to them it hadn’t.
“I’ll call Dad then.” She pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket, the lesser cool smart phone compared to the one she’d had before.
I stopped her, pushing her phone away. “Don’t call him. He’s got a lot to worry about too. Do you have a mirror?”
She gaped at me, but did what I asked, pulling out a mirror from the front of her backpack. I studied myself, ignoring the water in my eyes and the fury in them too. I had a cut above my lip that was bleeding into my mouth and another on my left cheek. Bruises were already forming. But there wasn’t anything that would warrant an outrageous hospital bill. My parents couldn’t afford it.
“Do you have a tissue? I just need to wipe the blood off.”
“Rya,” Kenzie said, touching her hand to my chin. “Are you okay?”
I pulled free. “Like you care. I’m the problem, remember?”
I shoved past her, determined to get on that bus. No way was I letting them get the best of me. The bus driver gave me a disgruntled look when I got on, but he didn’t ask. I found an empty seat in the front and sank down.
Kenzie plopped down beside me. “I didn’t mean it like that, Rya.”
I didn’t answer. I found a used napkin in my bag and wiped at my lip and cheek, pressing on it to apply pressure.
Kenzie looked over her shoulder for a second before returning straight. “I’ll handle this.”
“Don’t.” Red blossomed in my eyes, making them look raw. I closed her mirror. I didn’t want to see it anymore.
She didn’t answer.
Neither did I.
The ride to school was bumpy and the longer I sat there quiet, the darker my thoughts became. As soon as the bus stopped in front of the school, I hustled off.
Kenzie followed, joining me in the bathroom. “What happened?”
I stared my reflection down. My hair was in a ponytail. I tore it free so the strands could hide some of my face. “Romeo happened.”
“I don’t get it.” She wet a wad of napkins with cool water and pressed it to my lip. “What’s a Romeo?”
“Not a what. A who. I talked to her boyfriend. Once. And that’s the thanks I get.”
She shook her head in disgust. “Some girls are pathetic like that. Five bucks says he broke up with her and she’s still not over it. Want me to find him and kick his ass?”
“No,” I groaned, hissing when she pressed too hard. “I need ice.”
“Come on.” She took my hand, pulling me down the hall, past the west corridor, and into a quiet classroom. There was a teacher drinking coffee at his desk. “Mr. Santos? You wouldn’t happen to still have those ice-packs we DIY’d the other day, would you?”
Mr. Santos looked at me, and then at my sister, and then shrugged. “There should be a few left in the fridge.”
Kenzie dragged me over to a mini fridge beside his desk. “Did you know you could make an ice pack with alcohol and water?” She pulled out a plastic resealable bag housing a clear gooey liquid and placed the cold pack on my cheek. “Hold it there.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, the bell ringing overhead. “I gotta go.”
“Rya, wait. We need to talk about this.”
I didn’t give her the chance, fading into the crowd like I’d done my entire life. I found it hard to breathe. Harder than I had for the past couple weeks. The shaking in my hands had moved to my entire body. I tossed the ice pack in the trash and managed to make it to my first class just as the late bell rang. A few people turned to look at me, faces showing mirror expressions of curiosity. Whispers mumbled around me, no doubt pointing out my already black eye and busted lip.
I sank down at my usual desk and put my face in my hands.
I hated this city.
I hated this school.
Tremors rocked me, but on the outside I remained still.
I didn’t look anywhere but straight the entire class. I felt the stares but didn’t acknowledge them. I didn’t hear a single word the teacher said. My face was already throbbing. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, my entire jaw and mouth ached. When the bell rang, I shot out of my seat so quickly I didn’t realize I was being followed until a hand gripped my wrist and pulled me to a stop in the crowded hallway.
“What happened to your face?” they accused, pointing at my face like I didn’t know it was a mess.
Romeo. The sight of him sent my heart burning. I shook his touch off and forced myself to meet his eyes. “Ask your girlfriend.”
His eyes narrowed. Not in shock, but in understanding. “Rosa did that?”
“Yes.”
Before I could say anything more, he was already gone, marching purposely down the hallway. My stomach dropped. What was he going to do? Whatever it was, I hoped it sucked. I promised myself that that would be the last time I talked to him. Boys shouldn’t bring so much mayhem with them. They should bring butterflies and first times.
My face hurt worse by the time my second hour was over. I was the last one out, taking my time. A body shrugged away from the door when I exited, falling into step beside me.
“I handled it.”
I didn’t look at him. “I didn’t ask you to.”
“You didn’t have to. Rosa�
�s a crazy bitch and breaking up with her was the best choice I’ve ever made.”
“Good for you.” I walked faster.
So did he. “I’m sorry she did that to you.”
“Me too.” I could see my next class. So close.
He grabbed the end of my backpack and yanked me to a stop. “Look at me.” He whipped me around to face him.
I closed my eyes. Tears threatened to seep out. I fought to keep them in. “Leave me alone, Romeo.”
“Rya,” he whispered harshly. “I didn’t have anything to do with that.”
Maybe not directly, but it happened because of him. “Are you done?” I opened my eyes slowly, finally meeting his. I felt numbness seep through me, eclipsing what little light survived the move.
He got a good look at my face, and his darkened. He reached over and gently skimmed his fingertips over my tender lip. Next, he toyed the cut on my cheek, his touch sliding down to gently grasp my chin. He tilted my head up, catching my eyes. His were glittering with negative emotions. “I’m so sorry, Rya.”
I stepped out of his touch. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Go back to ignoring me.” I left him there, not looking back.
To his credit, he did what I asked.
After school we were both walking down the hall, the only other time I’d seen him that day; he only looked at me once, and that was an accident. I turned the corner and he looked over and I wondered if both of our eyes were the same kind of empty.
Rosa made it her point to make eye contact with me for weeks after the fight, but she didn’t come near me. Whatever Romeo had done or said had worked. I slipped into this mist for the forgotten. The overlooked. I thought I was comfortable with myself, but that was before the only person I could talk to was me. Kenzie remembered she was a jerk not soon after, and Mom and Dad were focused on getting things ready for the twins.
And since behaving like everyone else wasn’t an option, I offered to help when I could. I had been in Kings River for over two months the day I decided to tackle the grocery store by myself. Dad had to work on the weekends to make extra money and the kitchen was looking bare. It was noon on a Saturday, and Kenzie was still passed out snoring.
Romeo and the Angel: Impossible Crush Chronicles Page 3
