TRISH:
I put my arms around the neck of my boyfriend, Jace Dillon, and affectionately plant a kiss on his lips. He's such a perfect guy- he's the sweetest guy ever, he's cool and confident yet he has a sensitive side, he has an adorable personality and sense of humor, he understands me better than anyone else can, he treats me like a princess and spoils me rotten, he accepts other people with wide open arms, and he is very fatherly and has earned the nickname "Dad" by my friends because of his caring persona and will to protect other people. He is also an awesome kisser and the hottest guy ever.
"You wanna know a secret?"
he asks me. I say,
"Sure."
He cups his hands around his mouth and whispers,
"You're beautiful."
I say,
"Stop it!"
And I blush and tingle. Jace and I are an interracial couple- I'm latina and he's white. We're both christians and attend church on sundays. I'm the first person in my family to date someone non-latinx, much less, a white person, and he's the first person in his family to date a person of color. We are about to kiss when I hear the bell ring. I slightly pout in an exaggerated fashion.
"Aww, I don't want to go to class! I want to kiss your lips."
He says,
"You can kiss my lips when we go to lunch, Trish."
I say,
"OK. I'll miss you, baby."
Jace says,
"I'll miss you, too."
I pick up my backpack and I head to English class. I roll my eyes as Chuck McCoy, who has been my stalker since the first day of high school, takes his seat beside me. He smiles at me in a creepy, rapey way.
"Hey there, hot tamale. Wanna smash me sometime?"
I say,
"Chuck, I wouldn't have sex with you if you were the last person on this planet."
He persists.
"Come on, Trish. You know you want to."
"I'd rather drink rattlesnake venom than have sex with you."
Chuck has quite a reputation for sexual harassment. He has sexually harassed a multitude of girls from Marino High, his actions ranging from sexual comments and comments about girls' bodies to touching girls sexually with unwanted massages, fondling, caressing, kissing, among many other sexual actions. It blows my mind and almost impresses me how he's able to get away with it. He has done it to many girls, but I'm his favorite target apparently.
"You know you'd rather be with me than that clown you're dating."
"At least Jace has respect for women, Chuck."
He's like a virus that won't go the fuck away. I won't be surprised if Chuck ends up on the sex offender registry someday. Oh well. At least I get to see my baby at lunch. I sit beside Jace and I say,
"Hi, baby."
He smiles at me.
"Hi, cuteness."
We both sit nose to nose and are about to kiss when we're both interrupted by Chuck. Chuck is holding a jar of skippy creamy peanut butter. My heart starts to race as I see the peanut butter jar because Jace has a severe allergy to peanuts. Peanuts, peanut products, or anything processed the same facility as peanuts make his throat close and he could potentially die. If I get him snacks, I always read the label first.
Jace is asthmatic, as well. He was diagnosed with asthma at 3 years old and when he was younger, his breathing troubles were a lot more common, and as he grew, he had an easier time breathing, and he does have to use an inhaler when it's winter, when he has a respiratory infection and sometimes, when he exercises. No surprise, his allergies are one of his triggers. He is allergic to dust, mold, shellfish, cats, dogs, and peanuts of course.
"Chuck! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?"
I ask. Chuck smiles at me with his creepy, rapey smile as he opens the jar of peanut butter and dips a plastic spoon into it.
"Giving Prince Charming here his just desserts."
The way he refers to Jace as "Prince Charming" is always in that condescending tone of voice. Jace asks Chuck,
"Chuck, how do you know I have a peanut allergy?"
"Don't ask! Just eat the peanut butter."
Chuck applies peanut butter liberally to Jace's lips and he says,
"No! Chuck, don't! I can't…"
He then starts to break out in a rash all over his face and arms and his throat starts to swell. His lips are turning blue and he faints to the floor. I take my phone and I call 911.
"911, what's your emergency?"
I start panicking.
"This is Trish De La Rosa. My boyfriend had an allergic reaction and now he's unconscious. He was forcefed some peanut butter. Please get here as soon as you can!"
"We'll be here as soon as possible."
In about ten minutes, paramedics show up, wheeling Jace onto the stretcher, giving him the oxygen mask and wheeling him into the ambulance. I glare at Chuck and I say,
"Go to hell, you asshole. You probably just killed my boyfriend."
Chuck says,
"You're welcome, Trish,"
And smiles nefariously. I give him the middle finger and I say,
"You will pay for this, Chuck. I'll make you sure you do."
I walk off and I sit by the library and burst into tears. Chuck has never liked Jace, and he has been trying to sabotage our relationship ever since. I never thought Chuck would ever try to kill him, though. It's one thing to be jealous of someone or to dislike them, but it's another to try to murder them. You'd have to be sick or demented to think it's OK to kill someone.
I wipe my eyes and sniffle. I look at a picture of Jace on my phone and I say,
"I hope you'll be OK. I'll be praying for you."
TRISH'S DREAM
That night, while I'm sleeping, I have a dream. I'm sitting in a cemetery and I sit in front of Jace's monument.
"Jace, we're only in the middle of our relationship. I can't lose you. Please, come back to me. Please, baby. Please."
I start crying in front of his grave. I can't believe he's gone. The only boyfriend I've ever had who actually treated me the way you should treat your significant other. Chuck McCoy is a murderer and I wish him ill for what he's done to my boyfriend.
TRISH'S DREAM ENDS
I wake up. It literally took me hours to fall asleep. I'm not doing the best job at processing what I saw yesterday at school. I hear my phone go off and Jace's mother, Agnes, is calling me.
"Hello?"
I say. Agnes says,
"Hi, Trish. Sorry to wake you up at this time. I just thought I'd give you an update on Jace."
My heart races again. I don't know if this is good or bad. I have to face my boyfriend's mother and all I have to do is hope for the best possible outcome.
"Sure, go ahead."
"Jace is going to be OK. I'm sitting here with him right now. You can visit him. I'm sure he'd love you to see him."
"That's what I want more than anything else in the world right now. What hospital is he at?"
"South Miami Baptist Health."
"I'm on my way."
That's the one thing I wanna do more than anything else. It's 6:00 in the morning, but I don't care. What I care about is the fact that Jace is alive now and can breathe again. I'm so thankful that Jace's mom called me to let me know he's OK. His mom liked me the minute she met me and after he asked me out, we got to know each other better by going for a high tea. Jace has all brothers, three of them, so she has no experience with daughters. I reach the hospital, check in and I go to his hospital room, where his mom is waiting almost expectingly for me. I tightly embrace Agnes and she embraces me back.
"I'm so sorry you had to watch Jace have an anaphylactic shock. It must have been very scary for you."
I say,
"It was. I cried several times about it. I couldn't sleep and I had a nightmare he died."
"I'm so sorry, Trish. I know how much you love him."
"I'm sorry, too, Agnes. It must have been just as scary for you when you heard."
Jace is sleeping in the hospital bed, wearing the hospital gown and he has an IV and he has a nasal cannula in his nostrils. I go over to my boyfriend and I whisper,
"Hi, baby."
I gently grasp Jace's hand and he wakes up and he smiles.
"Hi, Trish."
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah. I'm fine. What happened?"
I say,
"Chuck McCoy put peanut butter on your lips and then you had an allergic reaction and you keeled over. It was so scary for me and I'm glad you're OK."
I kiss him on the temple.
"I couldn't stop crying because I thought you were dead. I'm sorry, Jace."
"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault."
"I'm just glad you're OK, mi amor. I couldn't stop crying for you."
Jace sits up in the bed, detaching the nasal cannula from him and he hugs me tightly and kisses my lips. I kiss his cheek.
"I love you, Jace,"
I say.
"I love you more, Trish. Thanks for coming to visit me,"
I say,
"Hey, thank your mom. She's the one who let me know you're OK."
I go over and hug Jace's mom.
"Thank you, Agnes, for letting me know Jace was OK."
"You're welcome."
I'll make sure that Chuck pays the price for what he's done to Jace. I send an e-mail to Mr. Conley, the school principal. I say,
"Dear Mr. Conley, I must bring to your attention that Chuck McCoy exploited Jace Dillon's peanut allergy by putting peanut butter on his face. Jace had to be hospitalized and is recovering, but the school needs to take action to punish Chuck. Yours Truly,
Trish De La Rosa."
ONE WEEK LATER
Chuck has been expelled from school for what he has done to Jace. His dad, John Dillon, who just so happens to be a lawyer, has prosecuted him for attempted murder and assault. The judge slams the gavel and says,
"Charles McCoy, you have pled guilty to attempted murder in the case of exploiting Jason Dillon's peanut allergy, as well as multiple instances of sexual harassment at school."
Chuck says,
"Yes, I plead guilty."
"As punishment, I sentence you to one year probation and two hundred hours of community service."
I smile vengefully at Chuck.
"Told you you'd pay. Enjoy jail,"
I whisper. He makes kissing noises at Trish and gives Jace a dirty look. We go over to John and I say,
"Thank you, John."
Jace says,
"I never thought I'd be one of your clients, Dad."
John says,
"Anything to protect my son. I'll make sure he gets what he deserves for attempted murder."
Jace and I exit the courthouse, holding hands and I put my arms around his neck, and we start passionately kissing. I love Jace so much.
"I love you,"
I say to him.
"I love you more,"
he says as we continue to passionately kiss. Jace is my knight in shining armor and he treats me like a princess. I love him more than life itself.