by Kamille Rose
"Buenos Dias mi amor —”
“And Joseph?" my mom said, finishing my father's sentence.
"Oh. Right, Joseph was out on a run and stopped by to say hi," I said with a casual shrug. He shuffled closer to the counter, trying to hide his feet.
"That's fine," my mom answered, heading for the coffee machine.
It seemed to me she was hungover. She spoke very faintly and seemed a little lethargic. Not to mention that her usually neat hair was gathered into quite the mess of a half bun, half ponytail.
My father, on the other hand, was as chipper as ever. Rounding the kitchen aisle, he waltzed over to me and placed a kiss on my forehead. I handed him the bowl of rice and eggs I just finished making.
"How was your night, Princesa?" he asked, happily taking the bowl.
"Hm, I was just about to ask you the same thing. Good thing I didn't wait up, huh?"
He laughed as he plucked a fork from the dish rack and began chomping away. "This isn't about me. This is about you," he continued.
"Prom was amazing, I can’t remember when I’ve had so much fun." I stole a glance at Joseph who'd already been staring at me.
"I'm glad, honey. You deserve everything good in this world," he told me. Smiling, I squeezed his torso in a loving hug.
"Damn right she does," Joseph murmured to himself. My lips pulled into an even wider grin that my dad didn’t miss. However, he let the moment pass and went on to finish the rest of his food.
I walked over to where Joseph now sat at the dining room table, he wore a grin that matched mine.
“It’s kinda freaky how similar your dad and my mom are,” he said. “No matter the time of day she’s just a ball of positive energy.”
“Which is funny, seeing as David comes across a bit more reserved, kinda like my mom. I guess opposites really do attract when it comes to our parents,” I added on.
“What about us?” Joseph asked.
I quirked a brow in question. “What do you mean?”
“You say opposites attract, but I really don’t think you and I are all that different next to the trivial things.”
“Well, isn’t that somethin’,” I whispered.
At this moment I’d have liked to give Joseph a quick peck, but two things stopped me. One, being my parents in the same room as us, and two, the sudden harsh pounding on the front door that made everyone freeze in their positions.
Curiosity nudged me toward the closed kitchen door, but my father told me to stay where I was. He set down his dish and went to answer it himself, returning a moment later.
"Joseph, your mother's outside. She says it's urgent."
A pang of fear shot through me. Joseph sped out without a backward glance. I immediately walked to the kitchen door and pressed my ear against it. There was a light hum of voices, one being Marlene's, in which there was a tremor.
I pushed the door slightly ajar, and Joseph caught my eye. He mouthed an apology before rushing out of the house altogether. Back in the kitchen, I looked helplessly at my father.
"What's going on?" I asked him as if he had the answer. He did when it came to most things.
"I don't know, sweetheart. I'm sure he'll explain everything when it's all dealt with. For now, try not to worry," he told me.
I nodded, starting to worry anyway.
After I wrapped up talking to my parents a little while longer, I excused myself to the living room and grabbed my phone from my clutch that was left in the entryway. With an exaggerated flop, I sat down on the couch and thumbed it to life. There were no messages from Joseph, and I didn't want to bother him, so I sent a text to Alex asking if she wanted to go out to eat with me; knowing her, I wouldn't even need to ask.
"Pa! I'm going out to have breakfast with Alex at the diner!" I called out.
"Bueno, hasta luego," (Okay. See you later.) he replied.
I slipped on my sneakers by the door when my dad called my name; likely wanting me to bring him something on my way back home.
"Yeah?"
"Can you pick up a donut for me por favor?"
As I predicted.
"You got it."
The walk to Alex's seemed to get shorter and shorter every time. As I rounded the corner, I saw that she was already outside. But instead of walking up on the normally empty pavement driveway, there was a brand-new Mercedes parked in it and I knew exactly who deposited it there.
"He's ridiculous, Sienna!" Alex exclaimed. "I'm returning this to wherever it came from because I'd rather walk a hundred freaking miles than drive a block in that damn car. I'm not some charity case, I'm his daughter!"
"Come here," I hushed, pulling her onto the steps.
She lay her head on my shoulder. "I couldn’t give two shits about the money, the electronics or the jewelry. All I want is for him to act like a dad who loves his daughter and his there for her, but apparently, that's a lot to ask for."
My heart shattered when she started sobbing silently. I cradled her trembling body in my arms as a hurricane of emotions ripped and rocked from inside her.
"Oh, Alex... I got you," I cooed, rubbing her back. "I don't know what's going on in your father's head, he's wrong for leaving behind such a beautiful girl like you."
I felt her shake her head against me.
"I'm sure you know this already, but Josie and Lucas are as much your parents as they are mine. We love you, and if living here gets to be too much, you can always come stay with us."
Sniffling, she peeled her head from my shoulder to look me in the eyes. "You sure I won't be too much trouble?" she asked.
"Of course not. Yes, we may have to shop for groceries twice as often, but you won't be trouble in the slightest," I reassured her, giving her a small smile.
"Okay, I'll think about it," she told me.
"Do you wanna go inside?" I instantly regretted asking. Of course, she didn't want to be stuck in an empty house way too big for her needs.
"No. Let's just take a walk," she said.
"Feel like going to the diner? My treat," I asked.
"Yes, please. I could go for an omelet but let me clean myself up first."
About 5 minutes later she came hopping down the stairs. "I'm ready.”
"That's my girl."
She looked at me quizzically.
"What, do I have dried toothpaste on my face or something?" I questioned.
"No. It’s just that bright smile of yours. It’s starting to blind me," she said, covering her eyes.
"Ha, I guess you could say I have a few reasons to smile these days. But I can say the same about you."
"What do you mean?"
"Your mystery date at prom. You looked head over heels for the guy."
"He isn't a mystery. He's just Ethan," Alex said, wearing a shy grin.
"So he has a name!" I shouted, dramatically jabbing my finger toward the sky.
"Shut up." Alex giggled. "Speaking of prom, where'd you and Joseph run off to?"
I fidgeted with the hem of the slightly oversized shirt I threw on this morning. "Oh, right. We went for a walk."
Which technically wasn't a lie? I mean, we did walk for a few minutes.
"For the whole night? Don't give me that weak excuse,” she said, poking the middle of my chest with her tiny index finger.
"Relax, Officer Johnson. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. I'm eating with or without you," I retorted, leaving her driveway, and starting down the sidewalk.
"Okay! I'll stop for now."
⋅. ✯ .⋅
"Mmm. These taste like syrup flavored clouds," I groaned, shoving another forkful of pancakes into my mouth.
"Those look really good," Alex said.
"Keep your eyes on your omelet, greedy," I growled.
"You know, I'll never understand why you're so extra when you eat," she commented.
"Que quiere decir, extra?" (What do you mean, extra?) I mumbled.
"I'm not sure what you said, but I think you asked why. I'll tell you why," she s
aid, propping her elbows up on the table.
"Pancakes and syrup are supposed to mingle together! Why do you separate them?"
"One, I separate all of my sauces when I eat," I told her, pointing my butter knife at the pool of syrup sitting beside my plate. "And two, how haven't you learned at least ten Spanish words from listening to me speak it for years??"
"If I didn't do well with Spanish in middle school, there's no way I'd do well with it now."
She took a generous bite out of her omelette and I smiled at her. I was so glad to have a best friend who loved food as much as I did.
"Plus, my psych teacher told me that people 18 years or older have a harder time learning a second language. We're a lot less adept because over time our brains kinda slow down or something like that," she finished with a shrug.
"Whoa, you actually learned something from a class at school and not from a social media post?" I said, teasingly.
"Oh, relax. I'm not on social media nearly as much as I used to be," she said, wiping the corners of her mouth.
And she wasn't lying. In fact, she'd been detached from her phone for the longest time I'd ever seen.
"You must really like him, huh?" I asked, resting my chin in my hands.
"What are you talking about?" she asked, squinting at me.
"Ethan. He's bringing out a lot in you. Things I didn't know existed within you, like paying attention in class, studying."
"Well, that's because he's a good teacher."
"You smile. A lot."
"That's 'cause he makes my lips very happy.”
"He makes you more... Alex."
"He's amazing. People always categorize him as this brainless, beefy jock since he plays football, but that's not even close to the truth," she said, with a firm shake of her head. "Yeah, he can defend himself when necessary, but underneath the shoulder pads and his resting 'get outta my face' face, he's sensitive and sweet. He balances me out.”
"Lex, you’re gonna make me cry!” I reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "I don't know anyone who deserves this kind of happiness more than you do."
"I can think of someone.”
"Who?"
She answered with a pointed look.
"Oh Alex, I'm happy, really. Don't worry about me."
"So, in that case let me ask you a question. Does Joseph have anything to do with it?"
"Yes."
There was no point in me even thinking of saying no, because like always, my body would betray me and give away the truth. I'd never intentionally keep anything from my best friend, but I wasn't exactly ready to get into the details of me and Joseph's relationship, if I could even call it that.
"That's all I get? A plain old 'yes'?" she asked, eyebrows shooting up in disbelief.
I simply nodded at her, finishing the last bite of my pancakes.
"If you two are dating, blink once."
I blinked three times.
"If you’ve kissed at least once, blink twice."
I blinked twice.
"I knew it! Was it everything you imagined it would be?" she asked, uncharacteristically clasping her hands together with a dreamy look on her face.
"No. It was nothing like I imagined it would because I never thought it would happen," I said, taking a slow sip of my orange juice.
"Sienna, you're blushing!!" Alex hollered.
"Will you be quiet!? It was just a kiss."
"Huh. From what I saw out there on the dance floor at prom, you guys might as well have been fuc —"
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I said between gritted teeth.
"Okay, okay, okay. But if all that happened was a kiss, why are you getting so defensive?" she said, with her face scrunched up in confusion.
I was growing more uncomfortable by the second. "I'm not getting defensive. I just don't want to talk about this stuff right now."
"C'mon, Sienna. I'm your best friend. Since when do you get anxious talking to me?"
"Alex, please just leave it."
"Seriously, what’s going on with you?"
"You wanna know so bad?! Fine! Joseph and I had sex!"
Chapter Thirteen
Alex gasped, covering her mouth. “Bitch… what?!”
"I woke up this morning with his arms wrapped around me, and it was one of the best feelings in the world,” I told her with my hand on my chest, attempting to calm the rapid beating of my heart.
“He freaking gives me heart palpitations and even though I'm a terrified, I want nothing more than to be with him."
I took a breath, trying to steady myself as I looked back at my stunned best friend. Moments later, she pulled out her phone and began typing.
"Are you kidding?? I bare my soul to you and you're not even going to respond? Isn't this what you wanted?!" I questioned, raising my voice again.
"Um... what are heart palpitations?" she asked.
"You know what? Figure it out while I pay for the food," I retorted, quickly seeing the cashier before storming out of the diner.
"Sienna, wait!" Alex called after me.
I halted at the corner of the street with my back facing her. "Are you ready to be a good friend and help me?"
"Yes, I'm sorry.”
I turned around to face her.
“I'm just shocked that's all. I can't believe my two best friends actually…” She trailed off, making an obscene hand gesture.
"Well, how do you think I feel?" I asked, dropping my arms to my sides in exasperation.
"I know, I know. Okay, tell me everything from the beginning," she said as we began walking down the sidewalk in-step.
Starting with the night Joseph and his parents came over for dinner, I told Alex about everything all the way up until prom.
"That explains the whispering over the phone and the whole ‘sleeping together’ thing," Alex commented as realization began to dawn on her. “Talk about foreshadowing.”
"He called you that night?" I asked.
"Yeah," she said.
"What did he say?"
"He was just filling me in on your situation, so I'd have an alibi in case your mom came over to check in."
"So that was after I passed out."
The two of us walked for a while, passing house after house, fence after fence.
"If I'm being honest, it wasn't in my drunken stupor that I realized I liked Joseph. I felt something for him the night he took me to the cliff, but it wasn't as intense as it is now. Every other moment after that just solidified my feelings.”
"I'm happy for you, Sienna. I really am. But Joseph has been through a lot, some things that still affect him to this day... he has the best heart though. Please don’t let him down and please don't hurt him," she said, giving me a pointed look.
"I promise I won't.”
"I’ll be telling him the same thing. On another note, I still can't believe he almost fought that guy at the bar."
"Yeah, it was scary.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I'm just glad he didn't get hurt. I'm even glad that sleaze came out okay cause if the look in Joseph's eye was anything to go by, he was ready to unleash a demon."
"Honestly, I can’t say Joseph’s ever lashed out like that. But fast forwarding back to the present, has he contacted you at all?" she asked.
"Nope. I really hope everything is okay."
"I haven't heard anything. Want me to give him a call?" Alex suggested.
"It's up to you."
She pulled her phone from her back pocket and dialed Joseph's number but was instantly sent to voicemail.
"His phone is either dead or turned off,” she said.
"Let's just give it time. Will you be okay walking to your house from here?" I asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," she replied with a smile.
"See you on Monday."
⋅. ✯ .⋅
"Pa!" I shouted, taking off my shoes by the door.
My mom entered the living room, draping a freshly washed linen over the back of the couch. H
er eyes looked much brighter than they did earlier, and she was now dressed in comfy house clothes and had her hair done in a low ponytail.
"You just missed him, hon. Your father is on-call today and was just asked to go in."
"Hon." That was new.
"Ah, well okay. I had brought home a treat for him," I said, holding up a paper bag.
"Give it here, I’ll put it up on the counter. I'm sure he'll get to it later."
I handed her the bag and marched toward the stairs. "I’ll be up in my room.”
"Sienna?" my mom called.
"Yes?" She looked at me for a long minute before responding. That made me question whether what she said next was what she really intended to. "I'm making your favorite for dinner tonight."
"What's the occasion?"
"No occasion, it's just been a while since I've prepared it for you... and I know that I've- I know you have a cookie stash, so don't fill up on those,” she said, exiting the living room.
Huh.
When I reached my room I collapsed onto my bed, letting out a groan as my body melted into my soft mattress. I grabbed a pillow and buried my face in it. Oh my, my, my did it smell like Joseph. The scent of vanilla and pine invaded my nostrils and I fully welcomed it.
I snuggled up more comfortably, throwing my blanket halfway over my body. I didn't even realize how tired I was. When I glanced over at my digital alarm clock, the time just hit twelve noon on the dot. I figured I could sleep just for a little while.
"Just for a little while," I told myself, hugging the pillow tight.
Too soon, my mom was calling me downstairs to eat. Flipping onto my back, I looked over at the time. It read 6:25. I couldn’t believe I slept for 6 hours.
"Ya voy, ya voy," (I'm coming, I'm coming.) I responded, rolling out of bed and onto my feet.
⋅. ✯ .⋅
"Hello, sleepyhead. Your hair tells me you had a good nap."
My mom greeted me as I joined her in the kitchen. In front of me was a piping hot plate of steak with gravy over a bed of rice and extra green olives, just how I liked it.
"Does it look that bad?" I asked, trying to smooth down the mess on my head.
“Come here.”
I rounded the table to where she was now standing and turned around as she directed. She tucked a few wild strands of hair behind my ear and gathered the rest into a high ponytail.
