Petalos Machacados

Author's note: If by chance you are reading this fic and notice extreme similarities of my using EJami and Days characters in a Jane the Virgin scenario, you are correct, because I thought how interesting a storyline would be using EJami in a JTV theme based story. So this is an EJami love story loosely based off of the JTB premise in the lead roles instead of Jane, her family, her friends and last but certainly not least, her love interests.

My daughter insisted I begin watching JTV and now I am hooked on it. Thank goodness for Netflix for having all of season one available for me to binge watch the show, which I have been doing this entire weekend.

For the most part, this story will be a parody with moments of romance scattered along with way and it goes pretty much by the JTV storyline. If you have never seen this show, you should try to find a way to watch it because it is perfection. I love, love, love this show!

Petalos Machacados

Chapter one

I, Samantha Gene Brady, have always been a planner even though some would claim I was a schemer instead, yet they don't truly understand me. I have to have things mapped out in explicit detail, because following your dreams can most definitely be the ultimate heartbreaker.

I made a pledge to myself, a long ago not to have my heart broken ever again. I've endured enough in my short life to feel justified in this pledge. You see, when I was a small child my mother left our family claiming she had to find herself. Sadly almost twenty years later she must not have found herself because we have never seen sight of her since. After a few years of hoping and praying she would return home to us I finally gave up on that impossible dream of having a mother and father to parent me and my twin brother Eric.

My father was on the Salem police force and on his salary he barely made enough for us to survive, much less have money saved up for such things as achieving a higher education beyond high school. The Brady family motto was a simple one, they served God, worked hard, never accepted handouts from anyone no matter what the situation and being honest was the most important attributes to being an honourable person.

Then when I was only a naive sixteen year old teenager another hard life truth knocked me for a loop. Since I wasn't the type of girl who went to the football games and those other kind of high school social events, I was on my way home from studying in the library on a Friday night. I had to be sensible; I needed to have top grades since my father didn't have the extra money to send me or my twin brother both to college. We had scraped by for years, proud in what we did have even when sometimes pride was all we had in our possession.

Eric had supposedly gotten a calling from the Lord telling him he was to be a priest, which no doubt made him the star of the entire family since the Brady clan was hard-core God fearing Catholics. I wasn't jealous of Eric though, he was such a good person, he never complained when we had to buy our clothes at the thrift store instead of being able to shop in department stores or when I made a terrible meal since most nights the cooking was up to me. I admired my brother and tried to model a sense of unselfishness like he had, even though most times it was a difficult task for me.

Well back to the reason as to why I was venturing home from the school library on a Friday night instead of being at the game. I passed by a group of boys who were supposedly celebrating after what I assumed must have been a victory for our high school football team. I walked with my head down; not looking their way because I was shy and I certainly didn't fit in with the popular crowd at all.

Then I heard one of them call my name. I couldn't believe one of the popular boys actually knew my name, but apparently he did and I turned around to face him. I really wish I had kept walking because things that seem too good to be true usually are, and this guy in particular wasn't a good guy at all.

A boy I believed to be truly interested in me as a person took shameless advantage of my insecurities and convinced me to give away the one thing I should have saved for the right person instead. A few weeks after I had met him I carelessly gave Lucas Roberts my virginity and instead of everything suddenly blossoming into some kind of wonderful fairy-tale existence for me, my life became a living hell. Lucas had only been using me, making me believe I was something special, but he had only taken an interest in me as a bet with the other guys in his circle of friends that he could bed me before the month was out.

Needless to say I was mortified when I began to hear the words whore and slut being whispered behind my back as I walked down the hallways and even more so when I approached Lucas and he acted like he didn't know me at all. He had cruelly made a joke out of everything I thought had been sacred between us.

It didn't help matters any when Eric found out what Lucas had done to me. My gentle and kind brother who never even raised his voice in anger was expelled from school for beating Lucas up for what he claimed that the jerk was lying about his sister. The crestfallen look upon his face when I begged Eric to stop because Lucas hadn't lied was enough to kill me.

But Eric soon after forgave me, and he would always be my hero because for the first time ever he lied to our entire family over why he had gotten into a fight with Lucas Roberts. He never revealed the real reason to any of them and when we were alone I asked why he had lied. He told me I had suffered enough and that he would never ever let anyone take advantage of me again as long as he lived.

Things died down after a while at school, no one called me names anymore and I mainly kept to myself. My escape from life was writing stories even if I wasn't brave enough to tell anyone I made up imaginary tales of life and love with characters that felt so real, it was like they were right beside me in my own bedroom.

After graduation Eric went off to a seminary college to begin his career in the church. The great thing for Eric was as long as he agreed to serve the church in some capacity even if he decided not to become a priest; the church would pay for his entire education.

So after Eric left I was lonely, I missed my brother since he was my best friend too, but I was able to occupy my time with a new job when I wasn't writing on my stories. I worked all summer as a waitress at the Salem Yacht Club to earn enough money to make up the difference for what the Hope scholarship wouldn't pay for me to attend college.

I worked hard and made a few friends amongst the staff as we served the wealthy upper class of Salem. Luckily I didn't run into Lucas anymore since he had graduated the year before Eric and I did, and he had left Salem to go to college back east. I never paid attention to any of the guys my age. I had specific goals in mind, I would attend college, keep my grades up and not to get distracted by another guy ever again.

I was going to be a teacher, hopefully a good one that would make a difference in their lives and inspire my future students to be kind to others as well. I did not want anyone to feel like I had in high school. And I kept true to my goals until one fateful day.

It was late in the afternoon; I was cleaning up the dining room in the hours we were closed after lunch was served until the time for dinner to be served. I was by myself, enjoying the silence after the bustling lunch crowd had emptied the room. When I heard the tapping on the door from the outside I almost ignored it, but when the tapping didn't stop I turned around to see who was trying to gain entrance in the closed dining room and there he was the tall guy whom I had seen around a few times. While some of my friends had claimed he had to be the best looking guy they had ever seen and went out of their way to somehow cross his path, hoping he would notice them, I had done my best to avoid him.

I wasn't swayed by good looks anymore, I had learned the hard way that you couldn't judge a book by its cover. Looks could be deceiving and most times they were especially in my few encounters I had in life so far.

I was hoping he would notice the sign, the dining room was closed, but he was persistent and finally I walked over to the door. He flashed me a smile that made me realize why all the girls had been fawning over him and I did a stupid thing.

I opened the door and let him in and when he spoke with that English accent of his, I forgot all those resolutions I had made to not be swept away by a guy ever again. He said he was hungry and apologized about trying to come in when the dining room was closed, but I went to get him some food and then he asked me to sit down and talk with him.

We talked for what seemed like hours and he even got me to laugh a few times, which was something I rarely did around guys beyond my brother. He told me I had an enchanting laugh and a beautiful smile. He asked me what my aspirations were for the future and I asked him did he want to know the practical ones or the ones I was too afraid to pursue. He wanted to know both starting with my practical views. I told him if I was being practical; then I hoped to become a teacher one day, and then he asked me to tell him what I truly wanted to do with my life. I told him something I had never told anyone before.

I wanted to be a writer.

He gave me another one of those killer smiles he possessed, told me I should follow my dreams to become a writer and then he did the last thing I ever imagined he would do, he kissed me. It was a kiss that felt magical; this was one of those kisses I wrote about happening, the kind that could change the entire course of your life kisses.

He told me his first name and asked for mine, along with my phone number. Silly me, I actually thought he would call me, that I would get to know him better, but after a few days passed by, he hadn't called and I never saw him again before the summer ended and I began college.

So now you all know why that I, for one, put aside foolish dreams long ago. I am now totally practical, a no nonsense kind of girl, romantic daydreams and wishes are for other girls, not me. I had vowed I wouldn't ever get swept away by passion; I would wait until I married before I ever slept with another man.

That was five years ago and within the year I should graduate college. It has taken me longer since I have had to work full time while attending school. I have been a waitress for almost three years at the newly renovated Salem Towers. I don't even mind being a waitress, it is something I'm good at, and hope to continue, at least until I acquire a teaching job one day.

I also have a boyfriend. I've dated Rafe Hernandez for almost two years now and he understands my position. He told me if I wanted to wait to have sex until we got married, he would wait. Rafe is a good man, a safe choice for me. He is kind and considerate and even if my heart doesn't flutter when he kisses me, which is all right. I don't expect fireworks and magic anymore, those were childish fantasies of mine that I locked away with all those other dreams I had long ago.

Rafe doesn't make fun of my plans; he agrees with me that we can wait until I'm finished with college before we get married. Since the only time I ever had sex when I was sixteen with Lucas Roberts and it was such an ultimate disappointment, I am sure I'm not missing anything by waiting at least another six months before I become Rafe's wife.

So that is where I'm at in my life right now. Things are good and really the only thing to happen lately is that the hotel where my friends and I work has been bought out by some ultra rich family. Tonight the hotel is hosting a big party to launch the new ownership and all staff is on hand to wait on the myriad of guests who are attending what is touted to be the biggest party to hit Salem in ages.

I have been working for a few hours, taking around trays of drinks, flashing smiles all around as I serve the people until I come back to refill my now empty

tray . I'm tired, but the money is good, so it is worth the extra hours we have to work tonight. Then my best friend Chloe nudges me to look because the new owner of the hotel is apparently walking our way. I can hear her commenting on how hot he is before I look up to see for myself.

There is no mistaking him for someone else, it's him, tall dark and even more handsome than I even remembered, and believe me it was difficult to try and forget him. But I had thought I had successfully pushed him into the back recesses of my mind.

I had even told myself he was only a figment of my imagination, since he only existed in my dreams at night, the ones I couldn't control, the ones where my subconscious still tries to highjack my practical self and let that foolish girl who believed in love at first sight emerge.

Our eyes meet and I almost think he remembers me as well. For the first time ever since I began being a waitress. , I lose my composure and drop an entire tray of drinks, the crystal glasses shattering all around my feet while the liquid spills out of them splashing my legs.

Thank goodness my mind is instantly brought back to reality, I bend down to pick up the mess I've made and pray to god he won't come close to me that this was all some kind of crazy mirage my tired mind is playing on me since I've already worked over twelve hours today..

I can't be seeing EJ again, I just can't.

Then I hear his voice, that distinctive voice I would know anywhere even if I hadn't of saw his face. He bends down beside me to start helping me pick up the broken pieces of glass even though I exclaim I am perfectly fine and can do it on my own. I refuse to look him in the eyes again even when he tries to help me up which thankfully my reflexes are good enough to dodge him before he can touch me.

Still looking down at the multi pattern tile that covers the entire outside patio area, I mumble an apology for breaking the glasses and excuse myself before he can say anything else to me. I rush to the employee changing area, needing to get to the restroom to splash some water on my face.

I look down at my shaking hands after I had cupped them together under the faucet and after I manage to get some drops of water on my face I look into the mirror willing my practical side to emerge back to the forefront of my being.

I tell myself it's no big deal, so what if EJ is my new boss. I can handle it; I have weathered worse things than this in my life. I'm all grown up now; I'm not some eighteen year old girl with a silly crush on a guy who never even cared enough to call me back. I'm engaged to be married; my life is all perfectly mapped out.

I don't have room for romantic fantasies in my life anymore and I certainly won't act like some kind of love struck fool the next time I see EJ.

I won't…

And so it begins…