“It’s too crowded in here, I’m going outside,” I told my older brother, Ricardo. He nodded and I left, closing the door behind me. Outside, I breathed in the cool May air. My brother and I go (almost) everywhere together so here I am. At my brother’s friend house at Naches with their friends and their parents.
A black Lexus interrupts me from my reverie, bringing me back to the present and a tall guy wearing a jaded green sweater and faded colored jeans steps out of the vehicle followed by his mother and younger brother. The guy’s gaze locked with mine a minute or so as they made their way towards me. The guy has brown hair, light skin, a charming smile and light brown eyes. I pointed to the door with my thumb, “Everybody is in there,” I inform them. The attractive guy opened the door for his mom and younger brother. His mother smiled at me as she went inside, her younger son in the other hand, ignored me and her older son gave me a gentlemen’s bow. Once the door closes, I giggle. The guy appeared to be around my age, eighteen.
“You’re not cold?” Nancy, my Mexican, short and 14 year old friend asks me after a while. I jump “I didn’t hear you” I tell her and she shrugs casually. “Let’s go inside, the meeting is about to start” she says.
We made our way to the living room couch. “Settle down and find a seat!” Frank, my brother’s friend, yells at everybody. The attractive guy I saw earlier, sat in front of me with his younger brother and mother beside him. His gaze met mine for the second time and I look away blushing. While Frank blahs about the party he is organizing, Nancy turns to me “The guy in front of us is looking at you,” she whispers. I merely shrug.
“It’s too crowded in here bro, let’s go outside” My brother requests, which is followed by agreements from the juniors in the room. I groan I didn’t want to sit on the hard floor or stairs outside but we distance ourselves from the adults. I found a nice place to sit which was on the cement porch, just to listen to the enthusiastic chatter around me.
“Hello” the attractive guy with light skin and brown eyes said, sitting next to me in the hard cement porch. I blush profoundly and answer hello politely. “What’s your name?” he asked. I looked straight at him and caught my breath “He’s outrageously handsome” his eyebrows raise an inch but he smiles widely as he patiently awaits my answer.
“Victoria,” I whisper, since my voice didn’t want to cooperate, he leaned towards me.
“My name is Pablo, Victoria… it’s a pleasure to meet you” he whispers back, politely sticking out his hand and I took it. Once his hand made contact with mine, it was like an electric current that initiated my heart.
“Are you coming over every Sunday?” he asked still holding on to my hand. I turned to look at my brother who was watching us; he made a gesture as if to say, “I’m watching you.” I ignored him and turned my attention back to Pablo “If my brother drags me along,” I said and tugged for my hand, wanting it back.
He smiled “Your brother is Ricky?” he asked and I nod slowly. He stared at me attentively.
“What?” I ask uncomfortably after a minute, he smiled “I don’t see the resemblance” he said.
“Hey Pablo are you up for some volleyball?” Frank asked and Pablo’s brown eyes sparkle. “Would you like to play a game with us?” he asked, elbowing me gently. I raised my eyebrows at him.
“Err, bro my sister doesn’t play sports…so are you playing or not?” Ricky, my brother asked him. Pablo raised an eyebrow at me.
“We’ll talk later, now go!” I shove him.
“You promise?” his eyes lit again.
“Just go,” I insisted and he shrugged off the cold cement porch we were seated at together to play ball.
Every time Pablo or my brother scored I cheered. Nancy was my companion, cheering with me only when Pablo scored. She sat next to me when he left. Every once in a while, Pablo would glance at my direction to smile or raise his eyebrows, which would cause me to giggle or roll my eyes. His cheeks were already colored; he didn’t have his jaded green sweater on anymore just his plain white T and he was breathless because of all the jumping and hitting that was required with that sport.
“He seems to like you” Nancy observed, I snorted like ‘yeah that would ever happen’. “He is so handsome,” she breathed in. I glanced at her. “What?” she asked after I cleared my throat. “You got that right” I said.
Nancy raised her eyebrows. I didn’t know what that meant until I heard footsteps coming from behind me.
“Hola” a panting Pablo whispered close enough to my ear. He sat on my right (the spot where he was seated not so long ago) and Nancy was on my left. “Oh, Hello…” he reached across to shake hands with Nancy.
“Nancy… and you are?” Nancy said flirtatious, gripping his hand tightly.
“Pablo” he said smiling politely. Nancy didn’t seem interested in letting go of his hand but he pulled his hand between hers anyways and turned to me “So Victoria… do you have a shorter name that you prefer to be called?”
I thought for a while “Call me Tory,” I said.
“Tory, I like it” he breathed in. “It suits you” he said.
Nancy cleared her throat and Pablo glanced at her like if he forgot her presence. “Do you have a girlfriend?” Nancy asked him too eagerly, I would say if you ask me. He looked at me then away “No, how about you?” he asked her.
“Nope” she grinned.
“And you Tory?” he asked me.
“I don’t date girls” I said and he chuckled.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked.
I hesitated to answer but finally I said “No, but there is this guy”
He pulled his eyebrows together “You love him?” he guessed.
“I didn’t say anything about love” I informed him.
He nodded “if you don’t love him why do you wait for him?” he asked. I narrowed my eyes and he knit his eyebrows.
“That is none of your business” I growl at him and stood up.
“Don’t get mad Tory,” he said, looking up at me but I made my way towards my brother anyways.
“Let’s go” I told my brother. He was about to smack me with the volleyball I could see it in his eyes but he eventually agreed.
We said our goodbyes to everybody and I looked back at Nancy and Pablo who were seated together laughing exactly where I left them. A pang of jealousy shot right through me but I tried to ignore it as we left.
We were on our way back to Yakima when Ricky’s phone vibrated. I answered it and it was Frank, wanting to go to the movies, although we were at his house not so long ago. We agreed to meet at eight. Frank, his sister and Pablo were waiting when we arrived. The minute I saw Pablo, I gripped my brother’s sleeve “What is he doing here?” I asked referring to Pablo.
He shrugged “I asked him if he was coming and he said no but when I mention you were he said he might…dude I think he likes you” he said. We bought the tickets and Pablo opened the door for us, I hesitated to go in “If you will, Mademoiselle” he said and I went in.
“Would you like anything” Pablo asked me as we were headed to the booth. “No thank you” I replied. We gave the lady our tickets and made our way to the line for popcorn, my brother was going to buy a drink for me and him.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Pablo asked again. “I mean before the movie starts”
I sighed “I already told you, no thank you”
Pablo waited with me, shifting uncomfortably every few seconds.
“You know, the bathroom is right over there” I told him.
He pinched his nose bridge and sighed deeply then turned me around to face him, his arms around my waist.
“Can’t you see that I like you? Since the moment I saw you outside.” he said. I didn’t know what to say but a ‘YES!’ about summoned it.
“Dude, are you hitting on my sister?” Ricardo asked horrified, with our drinks and popcorn in his arms.
“Is that okay with you bro?” Pablo asked, nervously.
Ricardo looked at me for about a minute, a look of ‘how could you?’ was easily read. “I guess, can you guys stop hugging and help me with the drinks” he said.
My brother sat at my right and Pablo sat on my left. He took my hand in his during the film. As we exited the theaters, Pablo held me saying it was love at first sight. “I’ll see you next week, and I’ll text you right after I get home okay?” he said. I nodded and he kissed my forehead then left to his car.
I turned to face my brother, smiling timidly, he shook his head sadly but didn’t say anything about that as we left home.
Next Sunday arrived; Ricky and I arrived extremely early, only Nancy was there with Frank and his sister.
Nancy made her way towards me as she saw me “I want to tell you something!” she pulled on my arm and took me away from my brother, Frank and his sister. In other words, outside so nobody could hear.
“I like Pablo” she grinned at me. “He is sweet, funny, tall and hot!”
I looked away uncomfortable, “Nancy, I… like him too” I said slowly.
Her grin disappeared “Well let the best girl win” she said and started to walk away. I shook my head and grabbed her arm.
“No! Nancy I don’t want this to be a competition between us, you’re my friend and he is just a guy!”
‘The love of my life,’ I thought.
“I don’t want to fight with you because of a male” I continued, she looked down at her arm and I let go “Then leave him alone… I want him for myself, his mine” she said. I was about to smack this girl.
“Even, if he doesn’t want you?” I said, jealousy getting the best of me. She flushed with anger. “Nancy your only 14 his 18, an adult he can get in huge trouble if he dates a minor,” I said taking a deep breath and trying to reason with her.
“Nobody has to know,” she stated.
“Word get’s around,” I tried again.
“You just don’t want me to be with him” she jabbed her finger at me.
‘True’ I thought. “He doesn’t want to be with you” as soon as I said that, I regretted it. A black Lexus was entering the driveway, Pablo was barely arriving.
“Did he tell you that?” she wanted to know.
“Nancy, please understand that he is not good for you.” I pleaded.
“Sure, his not good for me but for you he is?” she bit back. Pablo was out of his car and making his way towards us; concern in his eyes, as he saw us outside and basically yelling at each other with no one else around.
“Why should I give him up? Why don’t you?” I asked giving up in reasoning with her. “Hey, girls what’s going on?” Pablo wanted to know, wrapping his arm around my waist to separate us.
“Because if you’re my friend you would, Victoria!” she said and pulled on Pablo’s arm.
“So… if you were my friend you would do the same?” I said.
“Girls! What’s wrong?” Pablo wanted to know, tugging at Nancy to let go of his arm.
“What you feel for him is just a crush” I told her.
“No! I think I love him!” She basically yelled.
“What?” Pablo and I said at the same time.
“For crying out loud, you’re only 14!” I said with gritted teeth.
“Age doesn’t matter when it comes to love” she said sharply letting go of Pablo’s arm.
I rose my eyebrows at her “You’re just a kid, you don’t know what you want” I said.
“Tory” Pablo whispered at my ear. I looked up at him then back at Nancy feeling like a complete jerk.
“I’m so sorry Nance that was rage talk.”
She snorted “Fine, keep him, I don’t want him anymore” she said and left.
I sighed “This isn’t going to work,” I said. He nodded slowly. “We can be friends right?” I suggested.
He looked down at me “Of course, but it just doesn’t seem right…we like each other, so why can’t we be together?”
“Because of that” I said with a nod to Nancy’s retreating figure. He hugged me tightly the minute Nancy let herself inside the house.
“We’ll find a way to be together, with out Nancy finding out, so we won’t hurt that poor girl’s feelings” he said.