Austin

I haven't been able to keep my mind off Stephanie since the party. I didn't want to text her just in case if Carlos or anyone else was keeping an eye on her phone. At school I stop myself from coming up to her when I see Jorge following her every step of the way. I wait for her in a janitor's closet when she comes by. I grab her arm to drag her into the closet.

"Dios mío." She gasps, "Austin, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry I just wanted to be sure that you were okay after what happened."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just an argument but nothing I couldn't handle." She continues to look out the crack of the door. "The only problem right now is Jorge. He's following me everywhere and watching my every move."

"Then we should be more careful with ourselves."

She looks at me with a stun face, "What? You mean you still want to…after seeing the tight leash my brother has me on?"

"To be honest your brother isn't the one that's been on my mind lately."

She smiles, "I have to go before Jorge notices I'm gone from his sight." Before leaving she pecks my mouth with her lips, "I'll see you in Spanish class."

At lunch I'm anxious to go to Spanish class, the only place where I can be in the same room with Stephanie and without Jorge standing by.

"Alright bro, give me some info." Jake says taking the seat next to me.

"What're you talking about?"

"What's going on between you and Stephanie?" He emphasizes his question with the rise of his eyebrows.

I shrug my shoulders, "I went on a date with her. What's the big deal?"

"Dude, Jorge is out for you. What did I tell you about that girl? You didn't listen and now you've gotten yourself into some serious trouble."

I laugh to how much he's overreacting to this as though it was his problem to deal with, "I get it, bro. I should've listened, but I couldn't help myself."

"You're lucky it's just him and not the whole Hispanic group."

"Yeah, I get that can you drop it and talk about something else?"

"Oh come on, not even one little detail about what happened on the date?" I stare at him hoping that he would move on to another subject until he gets the hint. "Alright, I'll drop it…for now."

Finally Spanish class comes around and I get to see Stephanie. She's working hard at Mrs. Nunez's desk shuffling, filing, and grading papers from this class and others. She looks beautiful with her hair straightened; even though, she looks just as stunning with her hair naturally curled. I raise my hand for her help when she finishes which works pretty quickly.

She leans over my desk, "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to come over my house after school." I say.

"Oh that sounds very tempting."

"It's not what you think." I don't want her to think I'm trying to get her into bed. "My housekeeper wants to meet you."

"Your housekeeper," She says confusingly.

I chuckle, "I may have mentioned you to her. Besides she's like family to me."

She smiles, "Alright, but we have to do something about Jorge. If he finds out he'll got to Carlos then you and me both will be screwed."

I smile back, "As long as it involves you and me together I won't mind it." In all seriousness we do have to be careful. I don't care what happens to me but I don't want to be the cause of Stephanie getting into trouble.

Stephanie

After class is over Austin and I go our separate ways. As expected Jorge is outside the classroom waiting. I see Maria coming out of her class and an idea slaps me upside the head.

I catch up with her before I lose track of her, "Maria, just the person I was looking for. I need a huge favor from my best in the whole world."

"Uh-oh, I'm scared to ask what it is." She murmurs.

"Austin invited me to his house."

"Please tell me you didn't say 'yes'?" My silence was enough to answer her, "I know I've asked this already but are you crazy? Jorge is following you every move and if he sees you going into his house he'll get Carlos, get you out of the house, and burn the house down with Austin in it."

"I know and that where you come in. I need you to cover for me while I'm with Austin."

She scoffs, "Again, are you crazy?"

"Please, Maria. Just this one time, I promise that you won't get into trouble. If we get caught I'll take all the blame." I give her the puppy dog eyes.

"How do you expect to fool Jorge?"

"Tell Jorge and Carlos that I'm hanging out with you at your house and leave the rest to me."

She's arguing with herself on whether or not to do it, "Esta bien, but you owe me one big time for this."

"I know and I love you more than yesterday."

The plan worked as I knew it would. Maria and I drove halfway to her house then we switched cars. I got into Austin's car and Maria drove my car to her house. I told her to leave the keys under the mat for me to get when I come back.

Austin pulls the car up into his driveway. The house looks different in the day and quieter than the last time I was here. I suddenly get a different vibe from the house when I enter its emptiness. Austin leads me into the kitchen where a woman stood at the stove cooking.

Austin approaches her, "Brenda," she turns towards us, "I'd like you to meet Stephanie."

The woman comes towards me with her hands extended, "Hola es un placer conocerte. Austin habla de ti todo el tiempo."

"¿En serio?" I wonder how much Austin as talked about me with Brenda.

Austin turns red, "I heard my name what are you two talking about?" Brenda and I don't answer, we just laugh.

Brenda smiles looking at Austin and me, "Well I'm going to get back to the house work. If you two need anything let me know."

After meeting Brenda Austin showed me around the house. The last time I was here I didn't get to focus much on the details of the house due to the fact that people were staring at me. Once I walked into his bedroom it overwhelmed me the view from his balcony window. His room really showed his personality. I look over at his drawer of pictures and see him and his dad, Brenda, and one woman that I'd never seen around before. Austin looks about five years old and happy in the woman's arms.

I pointed at the framed photo, "Who's this?" I ask.

He stares at the photo for a few seconds before answering, "It's my mom, my real mom." That explains the difference between Austin and his step-mom's appearances.

I try and change the subject, "So you kick-boxing?" I ask seeing a few medals hanging on the wall.

"I did for five years then eventually I thought it was time to retire." He says playfully.

"So you know all the moves huh?" I raise my fists humorously as he nods with a smirk. "How good are you?" I take a swing at his shoulder, but in a blink of an eye he grabs my wrist and pulls me towards him.

"I guess you can say I have cat-like reflects." He whispers to me.

My eyes suddenly make their way from his eyes to his mouth. My knees begin to shake causing me to inadvertently lean closer to him to a point where our mouths touch. I begin to feel his arm wrap around my back and his other hand roaming through my hair. I begin to feel a rush when I hear a moan escape his lips. A gasp escapes my mouth when I'm suddenly lifted from the ground. My legs are suddenly wrapped around his waist as we begin to move, but I'm too distracted to wonder where we're moving to. I realize that he was moving me to his bed. He laid me down on his bed then I feel the heat of his body fall on top of mine with my legs still wrapped around his waist. The warmth of his lips embarks on their own journey along my jaw line to my neck then slowly reaching my collarbone. My hands swarmed his hair as my heart pumped harder and faster by the minute.

Knock, Knock,

I hear the doorknob rattle, "Austin, are you home?" A voice came from the other side of his door.

Austin and I jump from the bed in an attempt to look like we weren't doing anything wrong. I stood in front of Austin's trophies trying to act as if I was interested in them again.

Austin opened the door to his stepmom, "Obviously I'm home, Sarah." She walks pass Austin then stops once she sees me.

"Oh, you have company that I was unaware of." She says sarcastically looking back to her stepson.

He scoffs, "I'm old enough to have friends over without your permission so if you don't mind…" he points towards the open door.

"Alright well try wrapping it up," she scans me up and down in a face of disgust then walks out the door.

We stand in a moment of silence from the awkwardness of the moment. I keep my eyes on my shoes feeling somewhat embarrassed that we were almost caught by a woman who already sees me as a threat.

I'm snapped out of my train of thought when a pair of warm hands grabs a hold of mine, "Hey, are you okay?" I don't answer then he places his forehead against mine, "Listen don't worry about it. She doesn't she what I see in you." A smile comes across my face as he kisses my cheek, "Now where were we?" He says in a flirtatious tone.

"I think I remember," I wrap my arms around his neck pulling him into me until by phone begins to ring. We both sigh in aggravation.

Not moving from my position I reach into my back pocket for my cell phone, "Hello?"

"Hey, where are you?" There's a rush of worry in her voice that scares me.

I look up to see a set of hazel eyes still watching me, "I'm with Austin, what's up?"

"Look, I don't mean to rush you or anything but Jorge has been driving around the block like every twenty minutes." I shut my eyes in distress knowing that all this has to end or else I'll be in more trouble than it is.

I sigh, "Alright, just keep me informed." I put my phone in my pocket and lean into Austin's embrace, "I hate to say it but we have to go."

He nods, "Okay," I can feel the disappointment in his voice.

"Maybe next time we can try again." I say hoping to bring his smile back.

I managed to get back to Maria's house without being spotted by Jorge. Austin dropped me off a few blocks away from her house. I snuck through the back gate that Maria left open for me to get in easily. I knocked on the back door and Maria opens the door then immediately pulls him in out of sight.

"Thank god you made it back. I was getting scared that Jorge was going to come knocking at the door to get you."

"I doubt it but thank you for covering for me."

"Look Steph I can't keep doing this?"

I turn to look at the seriousness on her face, "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying…I can't stand by and watch you lie to everyone who cares about you. I mean I love you like a sister Steph, but you are risking so much right now." Her eyes turn glassy, "Is he really worth what you're doing right now."

"Yeah, he is." I take my keys from the counter and leave her house ending on that notes. I may have just lost my best friend but it's better to have her uninvolved then make her worry so much.

I sit in the car staring at my house for about thirty minutes until finally going inside to find it once again quite. Mom must be working a double shift again tonight but I'm more curious as to where Carlos is and if Jorge has talked to him yet. I get to the top of the stairs when I see him leaning against frame of his door looking at me.

"I'm not in the mood right now Carlos so please let me go to bed in peace."

"I don't want to argue with you. I just want to apologize to you. I shouldn't have raised my hand to you and you're right I'm not dad, but I am your brother and the man of the house so my job is to take care of you and mom. Especially you, after what happened I've been blaming myself ever since."

"Carlos it wasn't you fault and I don't blame you but all I ask is for you to trust me. When I mean trust I mean loosen the leash."

A hug came out of the conversation then I felt more closely to my brother than ever, "Alright, go to sleep then."