This was a very late chapter… Now that you all have a name (sort of) I will only reveal a little bit more about Raquél's admirer like where he was born and exactly HOW old he is. Hopefully, you won't freak lol. But since Raquél's emotions are kind of on-edge at the moment, hopefully you'll understand why she is suddenly acting the way she is even though Sanchez has never done anything to her. They'll eventually learn more about each other with this tutoring arrangement. Enjoy and Review!

Chapter 9: Common Ground

Raquél

Unbelievable!

Not only did that stammering idiot Sanchez get me into trouble with Mrs. Brown, but now I had to tutor him so that he wouldn't get kicked off the football team. As if I needed another burden on my shoulders, this threatened to ruin my afternoon.

I went about my typical after school routine, pushing my baby brother and sister in a stroller through the crowded school yard; enduring disapproving yet ignorant stares from people who happened to walk by; waiting for the 2:30 bus home… the usual.

As I boarded the bus with my siblings, I found the uncommon sight of Aurora, sitting near the back of the vehicle. She usually did not ride the bus from her high school, so I approached her to investigate. Upon catching a glimpse of me, her features did not perk up like they usually did on a typical day. Instead, I tried not to shrink under her startling icy glare; not knowing what I could have done to make her so angry.

My heart fell into my stomach as I tried to start friendly conversation.

"Um… Hi, Aurora. D-do you mind if I sit here?" I asked timidly, referring to the empty plastic seat beside her.

She only gave me a wordless scoff, and shifted towards the window. As much as I wanted to cry for receiving this harsh treatment by my friend, I took the seat anyway. I wanted to know what was going on and I wanted to know now.

"What's wrong?"

The innocent question seemed to anger her even more. I couldn't help but flinch as she suddenly turned on her seat.

"'What's wrong?' Is that all you can say after stabbing me in the back?" she exclaimed in outrage.

"Wh-what?"

"I thought we were friends…"

The hurt in her eyes sent me on an immediate guilt trip, as she folded her arms across her chest. The only problem was, I still did not know what she was talking about.

"B-but we are friends; I-I don't understand," I stammered, and dared to continue with my defense. "Why are you so mad at me? What did I do?"

Aurora's voice rose the more she spoke, which soon caught the attention of just about every passenger on the bus. They all listened intently, completely engrossed in our building argument. I was not nearly as mortified as I was devastated, but I felt my face growing hot with anxiety from being under so much pressure.

"You would really sit here and lie to my face? My boyfriend told me that last week, you tricked him into having sex with you! That's why I'm so mad!" she yelled above the roar of the bus.

Of all the boys to lose my innocence to, why did it have to be Aurora's boyfriend? Who else but Carlos would do something like this to me? It was only typical that that lying, heartless jerk would be the one to twist around a story just to pit someone against me. This only added insult to my injury.

"Carlos? He's your boyfriend? But I-I didn't know! He never told me that he was going out with anyone… He came onto me—honestly!" I argued.

I was desperate not to lose the only friend I had. Aurora rolled her eyes as if I had been lying to her the entire time I knew her.

"Oh, yeah right! Like he suddenly came up to you one day and told you that he liked you… Just like you told me that those babies were your 'siblings.' If they are your siblings, then why do you drop them off and pick them up every day, huh?"

"Because my mom works 16 hours a day, and she's going through a divorce right now! And who are you to assume that I'm some kind of whore for sleeping with your boyfriend and not knowing that you two were dating?" I retaliated, now equally as angry.

The scrutinizing gazes continued to rain down on me and my siblings; some of the passengers actually believing Aurora's accusation of me being their mother.

"You are a whore! Probably used me to get to him," she sneered.

It frightened me just how much she sounded like Maya.

"For the last time, I did not know!"

Only then did my brother André notice that that I was in distress, and began to fuss for me.

"Mama," he cried, which could not have been brought up at the wrong moment in the midst of our heated argument.

Aurora rose to her seat in shock at my supposed betrayal of her trust.

"There you go again! Lying to me when the truth is apparently sitting in your lap!"

The pressure of trying to regain the trust in my dwindling friendship; the pressure of being humiliated in front of strangers who now knew my most intimate secrets; the pressure of my harsh everyday reality that was just a glorified hellhole. As much as I fought to keep my tears at a standstill, they only accompanied my heavy sobs.

"You don't know me! You have no idea what goes on in my home and in my life! If you would believe some worthless guy over me, then I guess we can't be friends anymore."

"I guess so! I knew you were a slut from the beginning, anyway!" was her parting retort, right before she stormed off the bus in a huff.

I was left to pick up the pieces of our broke friendship, exposed and vulnerable to the critical throng of passengers. My only means of comfort was my baby brother, who I held in my arms for the rest of the commute home.

To make matters worse, I still had to tutor this Sanchez…

~RMCR~

Sanchez

This was it… my first journey into the mysterious life of my crush, Raquél.

As I parked my car in the parking garage of the building, I had not expected to end up at such an elegant complex. This was not like any other apartment, but an upscale condominium.

Equipped with only the address of the building, I made my way into the lobby and wandered to the reception desk. The employee that sat behind the desk—whose face was half-concealed with the uneven height of his chair and the desk—raised one eyebrow at my presence.

"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?" he asked while pausing from his task of typing.

"Um, I'm looking for someone named Raquél Richmond… Does she live here?"

"Yes, she does. But why do you want to know if she lives here?"

"I'm only going to be here for a couple hours. She's supposed to be tutoring me," I replied.

Still unconvinced that I deserved to be trusted, the man reached for the phone beside his computer. His features remained frozen with suspicion, as if he thought that I was there to do more than get tutored.

On the opposite line I heard Ángelita's faint, sweet voice once the phone picked up.

"Yeah, Raquél? I have a young man here by the name of…?" he trailed off, waiting for a name.

"Sanchez," I said.

"… Sanchez. He claims that he's here for a tutoring session… Oh, he is? Alright, then; I'll send him up, sweetie… Okay, goodbye."

The man grew slightly red in the face, embarrassed that he had even judged me in the first place.

"Well, then… her apartment is on the 25th floor; door number 214," he said after clearing his throat.

Once I had been granted permission to head towards the elevators, the receptionist let me off with a departing warning.

"And hey, don't you try to pull anything while you're up there with her. I won't hesitate to call her mother…"

"Trust me, I won't," I replied to myself, as I disappeared behind the doors of the elevator.

Once at my destination I was surprised to find that the corridor resembled that of a fancy hotel. I imagined that only the most successful of business associates and families lived in this kind of place. If Raquél's parents happened to be successful, no wonder the girl was gifted with such a sophisticated level of education.

Not knowing what I was about to find behind those doors, I approached the apartment I'd been searching for with slight hesitance in my step. As I raised my fist to knock on the door, I remembered what I was really here for. This was not about my low grades in English, or the danger of losing my position on the school football team. At that moment I only wanted to know more about Raquél.

Following the few confident knocks I made against the door, there was the patter of little feet. And only then did I realize the glow of a doorbell alongside the frame.

Blunder number one: Failing to notice the obvious. I could not let this one mistake break my confidence.

I was greeted by an adorable baby girl once the door swung open, and she cooed at my presence. My attention focused on the baby, I did not notice the pair of feet that were planted behind her… until I brought my gaze up.

From then on, all my thoughts could come up with was, "Damn…"

Aside from her typical attire of a baggy sweater and loose-fitting jeans, I was rendered stunned silent at the sight of Raquél; clad in jean shorts, a fitted black tank top and a scarf. Now she looked beautiful and hot. What was this girl trying to do to me?

"What did I tell you about sitting behind the door, miel? Do you want to get hurt?" Raquél gently scolded her sister, briefly tossing her into the air. The baby giggled, and in response, gladly accepted a kiss from her sister. This new side I had discovered—her affectionate side—only strengthened my attraction to her.

Her smile faltered slightly once she noticed me. I stood frozen in place; my mind blank.

"H-Hey," I stammered after a few agonizing seconds of silence.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come in."

Uncertain where I was supposed to do next, I awkwardly took off my coat, then followed her past the foyer and into the warm living room.

My eyes, seemingly equipped with a mind of their own, drifted down her back in search of the teasing pairs of dimples. I had yet to meet another person on earth with these eye-catching features. While her arms swung back and forth, the pair on the back of her shoulders repeatedly winked at me. The pair on her lower back—which drove me the craziest—narrowed to complement the sway of her hips. I was sure that if she were to catch me, I'd certainly earn a slap in the face.

Not now! Stop checking her out, you pervert!, my subconscious voice reprimanded in an effort to put an end to my provoked thoughts.

I casually placed my coat onto the armrest of her couch, when another child, this time a baby boy, toddled around the corner. As I knelt down to his level, he smiled up at me, letting the pacifier drop from his mouth.

"Venga aquí, Papi. Time for bed," Raquél said before quickly grasping his palm and leading him away.

Once the siblings disappeared into a lit hallway, I was left to observe the apartment for myself. The room had been neatly arranged and spacious, with an assortment of matching, contemporary furniture. The floors were cluttered with baby toys and books of every kind, but I loved the family-oriented atmosphere.

The long-cherished memories of my childhood came flooding back. The place reminded me of the home that I once shared with my family, back in my old country. I missed the beautiful sandy beaches, the friendly locals, and most importantly, the seclusion from the hectic city.

As Raquél returned, her green eyes narrowed at me once she found my snowflake-speckled coat draped over her parents' furniture.

"Uh, I don't think so… This is my house; not yours. Go put that away in the closet," she demanded calmly, which disturbed me the most because I sensed that she was at her most dangerous.

"Sorry—I'm so sorry."

With her hands anchored on her hips, she observed me like a guard would when watching over prisoners. On my way towards the closet in the foyer, I nearly stumbled over a child's toy.

Why was I so incapable of keeping my composure in front of this girl? Most importantly, why was I so afraid of her? I knew that Raquél did not bite… the girl hardly reached the middle of my torso. There was no reason for me to feel this way about her. But then again, elephants held a deathly fear of mice. I hoped to find a quick cure for my intimidation so that I could get closer to her.

If I wanted to get on her good side, I had to keep the friendly conversation going. Humor always worked, I figured.

"Can you believe that that guy at the front desk thought I was some kind of creep for asking for your apartment? I mean—come on; that's ridiculous! I'm a junior for Christ's sake," I laughed, more to myself when she did not find my attempt funny.

"Well, you can't blame him… I'd think the exact same thing, since you're like, 20 and still in high school."

"I'm 19, actually," I corrected, while spreading my books across the coffee table.

As if she wanted to say," like that's a difference," Raquél blew out a sigh and sat beside me. It was the closest I had ever gotten to her. I quickly found myself fighting off the urge to put my arm around her shoulders. However, somewhere in the back of my mind, I sensed that she was not as comfortable.

"Whatever—look, let's just get this over with so you can go home. What was Mrs. Brown's assignment for you?"

"Uh, she said that we needed to go over my test."

"Okay, then. Take out your test," she said.

Despite the previous embarrassment I faced in receiving my failed test, I reluctantly let her observe my test. Her scrutinizing gaze turned from confused, to shocked, to incredulous in a matter of seconds. I looked away knowing that I would have to brace myself for a storm of criticism. A few torturous moments of uncertainty ticked by, accompanied by Raquél's quiet, perplexed sighs.

After propping her chin onto her upraised palm, all she could manage was a breathless, "Wow. Just… wow."

"I know… I-I'm not really good at English to begin with," I randomly decided to include.

And so, the rant began.

"I mean, it's one thing to get a low score on a test, but this is just ridiculous! Out of 60 questions, how did you manage to get only 26 correct? There's no excuse for grades like these, especially for this test. Mrs. Brown gave us a whole week to learn these words. Maybe I didn't need to look in a dictionary, but what the hell made you so busy all week that you couldn't study?"

The answer was quite obvious, but I dared to reply, thinking that she expected me to come up with a response.

"Football," I said meekly.

"Yes, I know that you play football. That's all you people think about around here! I don't know why you even bother to show up to school since you're obviously not interested in learning anything."

"I do want to learn… it's just that—"

"What? Are you scared that it's going to affect your precious clique? You think your friends are going to make fun of you for wanting to actually learn something?" she shouted, making blind assumptions.

In my usual infatuation with her, my patience slowly began to wear thin. I didn't like the feeling of losing my patience with Raquél. I rose from my seat, raising my palms in defense.

"Please don't yell. I really don't want to start an argument."

By this time, she was also on her feet, stabbing my chest with a painful finger.

"I have to yell! It's the only way I can get anything through that thick head of yours!"

"Wait, me? Why are you yelling at me? I just met you." I reluctantly elevated my voice to match hers.

The more she pressed closer to me, the more I discovered the pain etched in her darkened features. I fell into a whole new dimension. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. As she continued to yell at me, her voice, racked with emotion, ripped through my bones and struck me to the core. Her balled-up fists on either side of her waist tightened with every harsh remark she spat.

Raquél may have appeared infuriated at first glance, but as I looked deeper into her captivating gaze, I saw a struggling girl, searching for a way out. It soon became apparent that she had tried to get out; once the scarf around her neck loosened as a result of her wild gestures. I was horrified to catch a glimpse of the deep purple bruise stretching across her neck.

I had not seen that type of streak since I was thirteen years old, and watched my older cousin lie motionless in a wooden box; among a throng of mourning relatives. It was the exact same bruise marring his fragile neck.

Raquél had attempted to commit suicide by hanging herself. Images of my beautiful crush, suspended in the air and lifeless, came flooding into my thoughts. Nothing had ever overwhelmed me before what what I found, that afternoon.

As I stumbled backwards in alarm, the world seemed to resume at its normal pace, bringing me back to reality and Raquél's angry shouts.

"… and if you're not willing to take any of this seriously, then I suggest that you stop wasting my time and leave!"

Not knowing where I had lost all awareness of the one-sided dispute, I was still too stunned to utter a word. Without a further response from me, Raquél decided that I would have been better off on my own.

"You know what? If you're not going to listen to me, just… forget it," she sighed, dismissing herself with a faint wave of her hand.

Soon, I was left alone in the middle of the living room once she stormed off to her bedroom. Suddenly, my legs fell numb, and I sunk into the couch, burying my face in my hands.

I had nearly lost Ángelita. It seemed like Maya had finally crossed the line and she nearly ended her own life… all because of me. Only because I did not bother to come to her rescue. I should have stood up to my friends sooner. I should have realized that I was selfish to not give up my high school fame sooner.

Unsurprisingly, I was stricken with grief, and found my palms had become damp with tears. I cried because I didn't know what else to think. If she would have died in her attempt, there would be no other reason for me to move on with my life.

Promising to change my views on happiness was better said than done. Basking in the glow of popularity and the glory of leading a winning football team had easily consumed me. Those things did not bring me true happiness. I considered true happiness to be built upon good morals, instead of superficiality. I concluded that if I wanted to be happy, I knew that I would have to make this afterschool arrangement work with Raquél.

Placing my emotions aside, I quickly dried my tears and stood up to find her room. Behind a door at the end of the hallway, I heard what sounded like Ángelita furiously typing on a keyboard.

"Raquél," I called gently, while knocking on the door.

The heavy typing stopped, only to be replaced by her muffled tone.

"What the hell do you want? I thought I told you to leave!" she snapped.

"I just wanted to say I was sorry. It's completely my fault for not listening in the first place," I began.

The following response? A quiet scoff.

I tried again.

"You don't have to like me or anything… but I could really use the help right now."

There was no further response, and after a full minute passed, I was convinced that she wanted me to find another tutor.

"Okay, then… I guess if you don't want me here, I'll leave," I said dejectedly, before turning back to collect my belongings.

But once I returned to the living room, the door creaked open and out walked Raquél, seemingly not as cold as she was before. Her attitude towards me was no longer harsh, and instead of rattling my confidence with a sharp remark, she sighed to herself in surrender.

"You'd better be serious about this… I'm not really in the mood for any crap, so if you set me off again, you're out of here."

She really knew how to lay down the law, which appeared to scare me into compliance.

"That's okay; I won't give you any more trouble. I just want to learn some English."

The girl suddenly took a step close and began to observe me as I stood before her. Without a trace of hesitation, she looked into my eyes, reading them. My stomach gripped once my gaze drifted down to the concealed bruise on her neck. Now I began to feel insecure. Did she notice that I had been crying?

For the first time, Raquél had taken a sudden curiosity in me.

"Why are you 19 and in high school?" she asked.

"I can tell you. But, just so we don't get sidetracked, let's start the homework."

Even as we returned to our earlier designated seats on the couch, she scooted closer to me as I reached over to grab the tests. She turned to me with an expectant glance, indicating that she wanted to know my story. This time, the olive green in her eyes brightened to a dazzling shade of emerald. It only ensued whenever she grinned.

"Since I'm going to be tutoring you for a while, you might as well give me an explanation," she explained, leaning forward in anticipation.

"Okay, um… I'm not a slow learner, if you may have believed that before. But I basically had to repeat high school when I moved from my country."

"Are you Cuban?" she guessed expertly, which clearly left me stunned.

"Yeah! How did you know?"

"I can tell by your accent… When you speak in Spanish you drop the 'S' instead of pronouncing it. I do the same thing since I'm Puerto Rican, but I can tell the difference."

Now I was starting to get an exact idea of just how intelligent she was. Predictably, it attracted me to her even more.

"That is really cool. Usually, I can't even tell a Cuban from a Boricua outside of my country," I laughed, and to my relief, she cracked a smile.

"Was it rough growing up?"

"Definitely. I used to share one house with my parents and the rest of my family; and we went from middle class to poor from time to time. I still love my country, though. I just wished that I could've done something to keep the bills from piling up. But anyway, my parents always had a plan for us to move to America, and because of the immigration laws, we had to go to a lottery system to get a visa."

"Oh, yeah, the Green Card. That must've been really hard to get," she empathized.

"It was… We tried for a few years but we were never chosen, so we quit. My Aunt got to go eventually; only because she married this Dominican guy who lived in New York. That was a long time ago—when I was 8. But around my 16th birthday, my parents decided to try one last time after overhearing my older sister saying that they were quitters. They didn't like that, and they proved her wrong. All of a sudden my mom and dad came in one night crying, and when I asked them what happened they told us to start packing. We finally got a green card and we were moving to Miami, Florida. I was ready to go… I didn't have to take much ESL classes because I knew a little English; and our relatives there were going to let us stay with them until my dad got a job."

"That's good. But what happened with school that you had to repeat all four years?"

I was ecstatic. Raquél seemed to be really interested in my reason for being here. Surely, I knew that she would warm up to me if I continued to find some common ground with her. Our English homework, long forgotten, sat on the coffee table without a care.

"Well, for some reason, when I tried to enroll in a community college to finish my third year of high school, they told me that I didn't have the required finished courses to graduate the next year. In my high school back in Cuba, we didn't have the best education because we couldn't afford some books for the academics. I was supposed to take four years of Math and three years of Social Science, but I only finished two by the time I reached 11th grade," I explained to her.

"Oh-no, that must've sucked. How long did you stay in Florida?" she asked.

"I decided to take a year off from school in Miami to brush up on my English, and the summer I turned 17, my father got a job in New York and we moved again. My only problem was, I was embarrassed because I was a freshman again… only I was with a bunch of kids. Since I'm 19 now, I have the option to get my GED. But I'd rather graduate and receive an actual high school diploma… I'm hoping to get a football scholarship too. My mom always told me that it was important to finish what I started, so I'm determined to finish high school. No matter who gets in my way."

At the conclusion of my story, I wondered what Raquél thought of me now that she knew one of my most personal secrets. She brought her gaze upwards, and eased my agitation with an accepting nod.

"Wow… For a jock you seem pretty serious about your education. It's nice to know that not all of you are the same," she said, which couldn't have lofted my spirits any higher.

"Well, we're not all the same."

Stressing how eager I was to prepare for a make-up exam, I lifted my textbook from the coffee table. I wanted to prove to her that I was not only willing to learn from her, but that I was different than the common high school athlete.

"Would you mind showing me how I can find the meaning for these words without using a dictionary?"

"Oh, you mean by identifying the word in parts? It's really easy if you know the origin and grammar," she explained.

I watched intently as she pointed out one of the many complex words in which I'd gotten wrong on my test.

"Here… let's use this word as an example: Denominative. With these types of words, you can break them down into smaller parts and analyze them by the root word, prefix and suffix. First, see if the prefix belongs to a Greek or Latin origin… The prefix 'De-' is a Latin word, meaning to take something away. And what I do is separate each part into three so that I can distinguish between the prefix, suffix and the root word. So you can put a slash between 'de-' and 'nomin', then a slash between that and '-ive.' The word nomin means 'name,' and the suffix –ive means 'to have the nature of/ to be like.' If you put all these word origins together, what does 'Denominative' mean?"

Could this girl get any more amazing? Without the help of a dictionary or her own test, she managed to dissect such a complex word as if her exceptional knowledge was a mutual trait of the everyday public. Although determining the correct meaning of a word was a piece of cake for her, I saw this word puzzle as a slight challenge.

"De-nomin-ative," I hesitantly sounded out the word, and leant back in contemplation. "I think it means—it's the name of something. Is the word an adjective?"

"That's correct. Go ahead."

"I-I… That's pretty much it for me. All I know is that it has to do with a name, right?" I fathomed.

"That's really close; but it means 'constituting a distinctive designation or name.' If you just stick to this method, you'll past English in no time."

Just then, as Raquél surged forward to collect her test, the dictionary was accidently knocked out of my grip.

"Sorry," we both apologized in unison, while leaning over to grab the book.

Jolting sparks coursed through my veins as her palm covered mine. My heart raced; my thoughts evaporated, and dizziness had begun to set in… All from the touch of an angel—Ángelita. The temporary high was enough to keep me perched on Cloud Nine; but that didn't last very long.

Aside from the friendly conversation we had just shared, the sudden awkward tension rendered us silent. The feeling, unfortunately, was mutual.

"Well, um… I-I think it's starting to get a little late. My parents must be wondering where I am right about now," I stammered as my face began to burn scarlet.

Hesitant to look directly into each other's eyes, our gazes shifted back and forth to avoid locking.

"Right. I need to start dinner for my brother and sister anyway."

The agonizing silence rang in my ears once I fumbled to collect my belongings. Raquél stood up to help me pack, equally as rattled. A curtain of curls swung over her face, seemingly making her more beautiful under my stare.

After slipping into my coat, I gave her a quick parting smile and wave. I watched the corners of her mouth raise slightly. She must have noticed the deep hollows indenting my cheeks.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" I asked, making no effort to hide the building hope in my voice.

"Y-yeah. I guess I'll… see you too."

Treading into the corridor, I mumbled a quick "bye" before striding away in good spirits. I wondered how this tutoring lesson had changed the way Raquél saw me out of my usual football element. I hoped that she knew that I was a truly kind person, and how eager I was to get along with her. If I greeted her at school the next day, there was a definite possibility that she would try to avoid me; but I set out to become friends with her. And with the help of my cousins, I could someday turn our friendship into a relationship.

With any luck, there would be more common ground to be discovered.

Even though there was some minimal drama in this chapter, there will be even MORE in the next, so be on the lookout. Promise I won't take this long again lol.. REVIEW please!