For you, Erica (MsSchneeheide)! ¡Felíz cumpleaños!, buon compleanno chica! :) I hope you have the most awesome day ever and a really fun time celebrating with your loved ones! Thank you for helping me with my writing (especially the Spanish!) and leaving detailed comments on my work... it warms my heart immensely! I also like the fact that we both are into Catherine Zeta-Jones and Salma Hayek...and other older actresses, you know which ones teehee ;) but yeah, I enjoy our conversations in general!
Happy reading, everyone!
On a nice Friday evening, Maritza Ramos is going out for the first time in eleven years, since her husband left for war and never came back. Unfortunately, he hadn't ever gotten the chance to see his beautiful baby daughter. Juliana has begged her mother to talk to people on dating sites so many times since this spring, and Maritza has finally caved in.
She slips on her red dress and black high heels and twists her hair up into an elegant bun. Just as she finishes putting her makeup on, her daughter, Juliana, bursts into her room. "Mami, you look fabulous! Aquí están tus pendientes." Juliana hands her the silver earrings that she had gotten her for her birthday.
Here are your earrings.
"Gracias, querida!" Maritza says brightly, putting them in. "You must really want a papi, huh?"
"I just like when you're happy, Mami...and I can tell you get lonely."
"¿Sola? Nunca contigo, darling." She rests a hand on Juliana's cheek and kisses the top of her head.
Lonely? Never with you
Just then, the doorbell rings. "He's here!" Juliana announces excitedly. Maritza runs downstairs and opens the door for her date, Humphrey.
"You're lovely, Maritza," he compliments her, taking her hand.
"Thanks," she says, resisting the urge to wrinkle her nose. He looks nothing like his picture and she thinks she's been catfished. He reminds her of a creepy mailman. She turns to Juliana and hugs her goodbye.
"¡Te quiero, Mami!" Juliana calls out, waving.
"¡Yo también te amo!" Maritza responds as she looks over her shoulder and heads out the door.
Once they get into the cab, Humphrey starts kissing Maritza. When they get to the restaurant, he orders food for them both, steak and potatoes. After getting steak sauce all over his face while she looks down because she hates seeing people eat messily, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a box. Oh, hell nah, you ain't doin' what I think you're doin'! I just met you! she wants to yell at him.
"Maritza," he says, with his mouth still full. Juice dribbles down his chin from his lips. Ew! she thinks.
"Can you, um, please finish chewing?"
"Yeah, sure, babe."
She cringes, not wanting him to give her any pet names.
He takes both her hands in his when he swallows his bite. "Maritza, ever since we met in person for the first time after we talked for hours on Tinder, I was in love with you. Will you please marry me…next week?"
What? Maritza takes a drink and spits it in his face once he proposes.
"But…that's…kinda... short notice. I don't even know if you're hubby material..."
He wipes off his face with a cloth napkin and sighs heavily. "Come on, I don't have all night...we can get to know each other a lot better as spouses."
Maritza rolls her eyes. "All you've told me is how big your dick is and how fast you think you can get me in bed...and that drink made of a few Jäger shots and a raw egg or whatever. They don't call ya Humps for nothin..." She shudders at her own words.
"Uh, well, you've said millions of times that you wanted to be a trophy wife and all that matters is that I'm a tycoon. Is that still true?"
Maritza nods. "Yeah, but we haven't had like, meaningful conversations and shit."
"That'll come, alright? So will you, if you know what I'm sayin'..." He winks.
She closes her eyes and shakes her head. "What if we find that we ain't compatible? Divorce is expensive...and...what would I say to Juliana? I don't really want to be tied down to just one dude! I need time to look around. I'm into chicks too, ya feel me?"
"Why would you want a woman when you can have a real man like me?"
She scoffs and rolls her eyes.
"You can think about my offer for a few months. Remember, I make a lot of money and once I become your husband and Juliana's dad, you'll both be very rich. It's not the smartest idea to turn me down. You totally have the option to, though."
Maritza rubs her temples. He's not too attractive, but online, he's made her laugh. He's also starting to sound like a douchebag. "I dunno what to say. I mean-will we have to move or anything?"
"Well yeah, I'm only on vacation, you know. I return to my hometown in a few days for a business trip, and then I'll come back here to New York and take you with me, and your daughter too, of course."
"I…guess so." Maritza shrugs. She'll give him a chance. Maybe he won't be so bad, and once she gets used to his appearance, she could grow to love him. She can shoot him down if he behaves like a jerk in any fashion.
"Great! Let's go."
"Pero, the bill..."
"Who cares!" Sighing, he pulls out his wallet and pays for their meal. He then drags Maritza out of the restaurant and they talk the whole way home.
Juliana is finishing up the dinner Maritza has made for her when she hears a knock. They're back. She peers through the peephole just to make sure and then opens the door. "Oh, hi! How was your date, guys?" she asks.
"It was wonderful," Maritza states, smiling.
"Terrific. Maritza, you have a beautiful daughter." Humphrey says, making Juliana blush and avert her eyes from his gaze.
"Um, thanks," she mumbles. They shake hands.
"So, tell me, Juliana, what do you think of-wait, you tell her, Maritza."
"No, you gotta do it, you're better at it," she whispers back.
"You're her mother," he hisses through clenched teeth. "Hurry up and tell her."
Juliana glances between them, thoroughly confused and extra curious.
Maritza blows out a huge breath. "He popped the question tonight."
"What?!" the preteen nearly shouts. "It's way too early-"
"And she accepted," was the final blow.
"I'm for sure gonna take your last name! I've been called Hoe-fler too many times to count. Emphasis on the ho part."
Flaca Gonzales frowns at her soon-to-be adopted daughter Michaela's statement. "Nena, kids are so rude in middle school! They mature in high-" She thinks for a moment. "Nah, you know what, some don't. You just gotta ignore those bitches."
"That's what Armaria's abuela says, too. What bothers me most, though, is that it reminds me of my birth mom, and the fact that she killed my baby siblings. I know she was mentally ill, but it's fucked up."
"Lo sé...lo siento...pero I'm so glad you survived her." Flaca tousles Michaela's hair and chucks her chin.
"Same here!"
"So...how would sloppy joes sound for tomorrow's sleepover? I know you hate those," Flaca teases her, and she laughs.
"I'd love you to make that, ¡gracias, Señorita Flaca!" Michaela gazes around Flaca's decorative, colorful apartment. "Thank you for everything, really."
"De nada, querida. So, who's comin', the usuals?"
"Yep, Armaria, Vanessa, Pepa, and Isla!" she confirms. "We're a pretty tight group...been goin' to camp together for six years! Luckily, we all live near each other."
"Mm-hm, that's so awesome!"
This is all too fast for Juliana. She's not ready to replace her papi. Humphrey is doing just that, and her mami is allowing him to. She stomps up the stairs and Maritza takes a trip to the bathroom.
"Juliana, what are you mad about? I'll be your new father!"
"You're not my father!" she hollers down the stairs. Then, she runs into her room and shuts the door as hard as she can. She grabs her book and begins reading when she hears heavy thuds up the stairs. Humphrey bursts in with his face beet red. His fists are raised. "Let me tell you somethin', you little cunt, I'm marrying your mother in a week, hear that, bitch? Get that in your tiny little brain!" are the first things out of his mouth. He grabs the book out of her hands and slams it on her head, bringing tears to her eyes and causing her to writhe in pain. He's whispering violently, which makes chills run up and down her spine.
"Please, don't…" she wails. Humphrey just sneers.
"You shut up right now, you hear? Or this belt is coming hard on your ass. I've had my fair share of brats in my forty years, and you're the worst. I'm gonna pummel you if you say one more word about your stupid dad. He's dead, and there's nothing you can do about it, whore. I'm gonna knock up your mother tonight, and if you say anything about what I just did to you, you'll be punished severely. We're talking you're gonna end up pregnant." He grabs her chin and forces her to look at him. "Got it, you nasty slut?"
Before she can answer, light, ascending footsteps fall on the stairs. "Humphrey? Where are you? Juliana, mija, are you okay? I heard a scream and a thump."
"She's fine. She just had a nightmare," Humphrey says darkly, letting go of a trembling Juliana and digging his nails into her arm as a reminder. Maritza opens the door and Humphrey leaves the room.
"What were you doing in there? This is my baby girl's private space. We barely know you." She shoos him out. "Pa fuera."
"Sorry, I was comforting her," he mutters and goes further into the hall.
Maritza walks to Juliana's bedside and smoothes her hair back while she lays down. She picks up Juliana's book from the floor and sets it beside her. "You have a bruise on your forehead," she notices aloud.
"Fell out of bed," Juliana lies easily. Even though she can just tell her mother what happened in Spanish, she fears that Humphrey will accuse her of ruining his plans and rape her. "I had a nightmare that you died along with Papi."
"Don't think about that, sweetheart. I'd stay alive for you. Humphrey and I are about to go to bed. Good night, Juli."
She kisses Juliana's forehead and then her cheek. Juliana starts crying again and reaches up to pull Maritza back down to give her another hug. Maritza embraces Juliana until she's calm.
"No te cases con él, Mamá. Demasiado rápido."
Don't marry him, Mom. It's too quick.
"Lo sé. No lo soy...de todos modos todavía no. Necesito conocerlo mejor," Maritza assures her, and she relaxes slightly. She hopes Maritza will see his true colors soon enough.
I know. I'm not...not yet anyway. I need to get to know him better.
"Maritza, get in here!" Humphrey yells. Juliana shivers at his voice and quickly slides her body under the covers.
"Alright," Maritza sighs. "Buenas noches, mi niña. Come get me if you need to, okay?" She squeezes Juliana's hand and leaves the room.
"I will. Adiós, Mami,"
Maritza blows her a kiss and closes the door. She rolls over, silently sobbing herself to sleep.
"She hates me. She thinks I'm replacing her dad," Humphrey says softly, tracing along Maritza's shoulder and arm. She tries so hard not to squirm.
"Well, she's also used to just us girls in the house, and she's never met her father. She misses him. It'll be awhile before you two become friends. She's a happy girl, but the quick proposal just put her into shock. We need to make it clear to her tomorrow morning that we aren't actually engaged. I never said-"
"Yeah, okay. Now, are you on top, or me?"
"Well…we just-"
"I'm on top," he interrupts her. He starts undressing and Maritza blows out a huge gust of air. She's not really wanting to give herself to someone unless she's totally positive. When he begins taking her shirt off, though, she can't stop him. There's something in his eyes that says, be careful of me, I could strike if you make me mad.
"Humphrey…" she tries to say, but he's already doing it. It hurts a little because he's so big, but she'll have to get used to it. She can't even push him off of her. She thinks about the fun she'll spend with her daughter when he leaves for a business trip on Monday.
"Call me Humps when we're fucking, Maritza!" he commands as he gets off her after about fifteen minutes of pure pain. "I love you, sexy thing!" His fingers slither through her loose curls on either side of her head and she feels nothing with him. He's not the one. She's not really in love with him.
She'll have to break that to him gently in the morning. She'd love to do it now, but she's so tired.
"Wow, gracias, bebé," Flaca murmurs as Michaela puts finishing touches of black polish on her nails the next day. "Aleida would've charged me like, twenty-five bucks for these!"
Michaela smirks. "I know!" She swipes liquid liner across Flaca's eyelids and dots her foster mother's lips with magenta. "So, are you goin' for side bangs that cover one of your eyes for your lunch with Ian?"
Flaca nods with a grin. "It makes me look mysterious! Girl, you could totally be a makeup artist!"
"Hey, you too! I'm surprised you didn't take cosmetology lessons. You're like, a professional!" Michaela beams at her in awe.
"You're so sweet, mija, that warms mi corazón...pero I didn't even go to college...too expensive! I got C's in high school anyway, so..." Flaca shrugs. "I suck at tests, even now. I get anxious and hella sweaty."
"Isn't that, like, everyone?"
"Nah, some people are super brave and real smart."
"You are too, Flaca. You've been my idol since we met," Michaela confesses shyly.
"I kinda got that hint when you called me the best camp counselor ever, but I thought that was just 'cause I let you eat sloppy joes like you were starving, start food fights in the mess hall, and make ceramic pots with me, resulting in you wiping clay on both my cheeks!"
Michaela giggles. "That was so much fun! Remember when the macaroni and cheese fell on that guy's head and it dripped all down his face?"
Flaca laughs out loud. "Oh, sí...and then, chaos ensued!"
"When you didn't care, that's when I knew you were cool."
"Really?" Flaca cocks an eyebrow. "I thought it was the moment we got revenge on the boys for making fun of you because you were scared of a frog."
"I had an inkling then...and that's when you started acting like my mom...or at least, that I was your favorite camper. I never believed it could be true, that you actually cared about me."
"Well, I do...we been close goin' on seven years."
"Yeah! Then you painted my face to look like a rocker chick..."
Flaca chuckles. "I so remember. Who can blame me, though, I wanted to take you to a My Chemical Romance concert!"
"Shame they broke up. At least we got The Smiths, right?"
"I would high-five you right now, but I can't." Flaca drums her fingers on the table. "Yo, hey, speaking of bands! Diablo's is playing soon, and we get free tickets!"
"Yay!" Michaela cheers. "I hope we can see him and Blanca make out, they're like, the hottest old couple ever!"
Flaca nudges her. "Why don't we leave viejo out of it, they're not even fifty yet! That would be Gloria. She'll be the big five-oh soon...but she don't look it."
"She doesn't like her family to remind her, is what Isla says. Blanciablo also look young for their ages. You Latinas age so gracefully...I hope I do too, as a white girl."
"Go look up my Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Paulson, and Catherine Zeta-Jones right now," Flaca instructs her, pointing at her phone. "You'll look amazing, just like my Caucasian celebrity crushes!"
"Mom, they're actresses, of course they're gonna-" Michaela covers her mouth when she realizes her blunder. She hasn't even asked Flaca if it was okay or appropriate to refer to her as such an important title. "Sorry, that just came out..."
"No, don't apologize, por favor, querida..." Tears glisten in Flaca's eyes and she sniffles. "If you feel comfortable calling me Mom, you can."
"Okay!"
Meanwhile, Juliana is on her way home from cheer practice with the live-in housekeeper and Maritza's best friend, Daisy. She used to be a nurse in her twenties, but she recently quit her job since her boss Dr. Maslov wouldn't give her a raise unless he could sleep with her.
"I can't believe she's fuckin' doing this."
"Who, your mami?"
Juliana nods glumly. "Yeah! Like...I can see it on her face that she ain't happy with him. Why can't she just kick his ass out?"
"It ain't that easy, querida. He's quite...persuasive."
"How hard is it to repeat the word no? She left him alone in our house while she went to drive her cab for her day job. He could rummage through our stuff..."
"Don't worry, I was watchin' him...and we locked up all of our valuables in a safe."
She stares out the window in silence, but then turns to the woman next to her. "Daisy?"
"Mm?"
"I don't want him in our lives at all. He talked shit about Papi. Lo siento for cursing, but he did! I hid behind the curtain, listening, as he spewed his bull. I was very shocked and insulted. My jaw dropped and my eyes widened, but I continued to eavesdrop, getting angrier by the second. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing! I stormed out when he did that!"
"Did you tell her?"
Juliana shakes her head no. "Maybe I should, but...I don't wanna be at the house when he's there. I'll go for a walk somewhere once we arrive. I need to be alone."
Daisy chucks her chin and looks at her fondly. "Alright...don't stray too far, you got it?"
"Mm-hm."
While Flaca is out with Ian, Michaela hangs out at Central Park with her friends for some baseball. Wearing a hot pink backward cap over her brown hair, she chews her gum and pops it before getting ready to bat. Abel Córdova is across from her, looking cute as ever, and he's about to pitch her the ball. Sterling Muccio, the catcher, is behind her.
"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the unofficial Little League. Isla Mendoza's on first, Armaria Khanna took second base, and Pepa Ruiz has got third. Will our star player hit a grand slam? We'll see!" Vanessa Caputo announces, pretending to speak through a microphone.
Her boyfriend Benji, Abel's brother, slings an arm around her. "Yeah, who's gonna go home with the gold?"
"I got this!" Michaela states proudly.
"Don't show off!"
She glares. "Shut up, Finn Harper-Bloom! You're such a fuckin' sore loser!"
Abel smiles at her and pitches. She hits it so hard that it sails high in the air, and she doesn't even see where it's landed because she's running at top speed toward home base. She slides into the dirt and hears loud groaning mixed with cheering in the distance.
"Yaaaay! Congratulations, even if you struck us out!" Isla gives Michaela a high-five and helps her up.
"Thanks!"
"You guys wanna see if the Ramos home is really haunted?" Finn asks.
"Yeah!" Sterling says excitedly.
"I bet you it isn't," Michaela grumbles, rolling her eyes. "Don't be stupid!"
"She's kinda right," Abel says.
"Mm-hm, you idiot boys are super childish," Isla agrees.
"It might be interesting to check it out," Armaria murmurs sheepishly.
"Unless someone here is too chicken," Finn teases Isla and Michaela, glancing between them, and they flip him off.
"Ghosts ain't even real, dumbass!" Pepa exclaims. "I'm goin' home..." She waves at them and exits.
"I dare you to go and see who's right," Vanessa says deviously. Although she's sixteen and a bit older than them, she acts younger than her age as a result of not really having much of a normal childhood until she was eight. Unlike Michaela, she had no adult she could look up to.
Benji lifts his eyebrow at Vanessa. "Babe, really?"
"What could go wrong? We're right here to make sure they'll be okay."
"What do you mean, why am I adopting her?"
"Well...if we're gonna be a serious couple, I won't see you as much if you become a full-time mom." Ian shakes his head and chuckles. "Sorry, I just can't imagine you in that position. I'm the king of molly. You don't think that's gonna bother her?"
"Cállate, I'll keep her away from las drogas! It ain't like I'm irresponsible, ¡ay dios mío! I been like her mami for siete años, cabrón." After redoing her lipstick in her compact mirror-blue this time, Flaca stands abruptly and straightens her leather jacket. "We're like this." She crosses her middle finger over her index and then grabs her purse.
"Okay, you don't need to be dramatic! I'm just sayin'...I've never seen you as the type to buckle down and take care of a kid. You won't be as fun anymore. Thirteen-year-olds are a pain in the ass to deal with."
"You know what? ¡Basta ya! Go back to Janice for all I give a shit. ¡Adiós, pendejo! Son of a fucking bitch!"
He groans loudly as she speeds away from their table, messing with her locks.
"They say that the spirit of Darius still sleeps with his widow every night and when the clock strikes twelve, he climbs into your bed..." Finn starts out as they walk toward the place, but Michaela pushes him aside and races to the front door. She goes to ring the bell but hesitates, suddenly uneasy.
"You don't gotta do this!" Isla calls out from behind the shrubbery.
"Totally okay to turn back," Abel chimes in.
"What are you waiting for, chica?" Armaria wonders aloud.
"Do you want to get arrested for trespassing?" Sterling asks rhetorically.
"Hoe-fler's probably too chicken," Finn says in a mocking tone. "Bawk, bawk, bawk!"
Michaela looks over her shoulder with a glare.
"Hey, that's enough," Vanessa reprimands him.
"It's not too late to change your mind," Benji puts in.
Michaela presses the doorbell and jumps back as if it has shocked her. Almost right away, a shirtless guy opens it with the creepiest grin on his face. "Well, hello there, dearie, are you lost?" He reaches out to lead her inside, but she shrugs away from him. If she was slightly nervous before, she's definitely scared out of her wits now.
"N-no, sir...I'm sorry! Uh...yeah!" Shrieking nonstop, she turns on her heel, rushes off the porch, and past her friends before any of them can stop her.
"Oh, shit!" Benji says. He gestures for the others to follow him and they all quickly return to the park, panting and nearly out of breath. Most of their family members are here to pick them up.
"Thank goodness that guy didn't come after her!" Armaria murmurs.
"¿Quién?" Gloria wants to know.
Who?
"Michaela," Isla informs her abuela.
"Where is she now?" Elena asks, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Probably heading back to Flaca's...she has a key to her apartment!" Abel says.
"¿Qué chico?" Blanca asks, folding her arms across her chest.
What guy?
"Should I beat him up?" Diablo wants to know.
"Nah, it's just..." Sterling points to Vanessa. "She dared us to knock on Ms. Ramos' door, and Michaela was the brave volunteer."
"Finn said it was haunted, and it piqued our curiosity," Vanessa mumbles.
"You all left her there? With a stranger?" Lorna asks incredulously.
"Benji was in charge of them, Ma...and he made sure nothing happened to her...he was watching carefully," Sterling assures her.
"Wait 'til your father hears about this!" Lorna grabs him by his shirt and drags him away, practically pushing him forward. She gestures toward Finn. "You too, young man, I'm taking you back to your folks!"
"No way!" he says stubbornly, his arms folded over his chest. "You can't tell me what to do!"
"I'll make sure he doesn't get into more mischief, don't worry about it, Lorna."
The petite brunette waves at Gloria with a relieved expression.
"I should take us home before Mama gets back," Benji mutters, pulling Abel along with him. He kisses Vanessa and they start to walk away, but Aleida, Daya, and Christina stop them in their tracks.
"I'm sooo telling your mothas! How could you do this?" Aleida demands.
"Yeah, she's just a young girl! My daughter's age!" Daya adds.
"Espera 'til we tell Flaca," Christina says.
"Michaela knows her way around here. She's fine," Armaria cuts through her family's comments with a roll of her eyes. Karla's sons and Vanessa are already gone. "It's awesome to have older friends, don't worry so much! We were just havin' fun."
Daya exchanges a look with Aleida and waves Armaria forward. "Time to go home, nena. You look exhausted...and we wanna spend some moments with you before your sleepover at Michaela's."
"Okay..."
As she's sitting on a rock in the grass a little ways away from Central Park, rocking back and forth, pondering things with her arms wrapped around herself, she can hear loud cheering and laughing. She feels so lonely.
Suddenly, a tall, pretty Latina comes up to Juliana. The woman has winged eyeliner, blue lipstick, matching highlights in her long, slightly tangled hair, and a teardrop tattoo under one eye. Her bangs are straight across her forehead and she's wearing a black leather jacket over a red and black plaid dress. A silver chain necklace with a heart pendant, large silver hoop earrings, black stockings, and matching boots with silver buckles complete her outfit. "Yo..." She spreads her arms out. "Whatcha doin' out here by your lonesome?"
Juliana remembers her from somewhere. The other morning, she'd been looking through her telescope when she saw this same lady playing with several kids at the park and dancing. Juliana had smiled and laughed at the fun they were having, and she wished she could play with other people like that.
"Um...I...I kinda ran away. I'm okay, though, like not in any danger. I'll go back when my mami comes home later. The housekeeper knows I left."
"Okay." The lady still has a concerned expression on her features but doesn't come any closer.
"I'm just bored!" she blurts out. "I have no one to hang with, besides grownups."
"Well, my daughter and her amigos are chillin' together at the park. They're around your age. Wanna join 'em?"
Juliana manages a smile but eyes her warily. "Sure. You swear you ain't gonna kidnap me?"
"I promise I won't." The woman crosses her heart. She takes her phone out of her pocket and shows Juliana a video of her and a young white girl doing a makeup tutorial. "Mira, that's my niña, I'm gonna adopt her soon! I'm Marisol, by the way, but you can call me Flaca."
"Like...skinny?"
Flaca shrugs. "It's a nickname."
"Interesting!" Juliana giggles. "Mi mami y yo también nos encanta hacer tutoriales de maquillaje! We post ours on YouTube, though. Mami gets so many comments."
My mom and I love to give makeup tutorials, too!
"We used to do that, too, but once I got called a beaner Cher, I had to quit."
"Oh...that sucks."
"Yeah! We just do videos for our own entertainment and send 'em to friends. So, you down to go?" Flaca holds out her hand and wiggles her fingers, which have rings on them.
Juliana nods pleasantly and lets Flaca help her off the rock since it would be a high jump and she doesn't want to hurt her ankles. She brushes her red and gold skirt off as they stroll to the park.
"Hey, there's Pepa!" Finn points at the girl walking alongside Flaca. "When did you get into cheerleading?"
"I'm not Pepa, you moron! Is it really that hard for you white boys to tell us apart?"
"Try not to take it personal, his parents are stupid as shit," Flaca whispers. "They didn't teach him nothin'."
"No offense, but who are you?" Isla asks. "¡Hola, Flaca!"
"¡Hola!"
"I'm Juliana. What's your name?"
"Isla."
"Where's Michaela?" Flaca wonders aloud. "I thought she'd still be here..."
"Some of the kids encouraged her to play a prank," Blanca lets her know.
Flaca groans. "Oh, great!"
"She just confirmed with us that she's safe, but she wants solitude," Diablo says.
"She refuses to give a location," Gloria mutters.
"Honestly, that girl..." Flaca breathes out. "You'd think she was my biological daughter...the craziness I got into when I was a young teen, that matches hers exactly. I'mma search for her."
"Good idea," Elena murmurs. "Best of luck!"
Isla comes up to Juliana and nudges her. "Yo, wanna play basketball, two-on-two? Mi abuela y yo can be against tu y mi mamá, and Finn can be the referee 'cause he's super bossy."
Juliana nods eagerly. "Sure!"
"Hey, what are we, chopped liver?" Blanca asks, gesturing to herself and Diablo.
"It's okay, mi querida," Diablo says as he embraces her from behind and they both sit down on the bench with her on his lap, looking like the picture of perfection. "Jugaremos la próxima vez."
We'll play next time.
"Have fun, chiquitas!" Flaca tells Juliana and Isla. "I'll be back soon!" she calls out to everyone.
"Bye!" They all wave at her.
The prospect of playing basketball with another girl her age had seemed appealing at first, but once Juliana has the ball and the two adults are surrounding her, she feels claustrophobic. She backs up, still holding it tight. Isla makes a swipe for it, but Juliana quickly jerks away from her. "Stop it, you're too close!"
"Lo siento, that's the game, you a newbie or somethin'?"
"I'm open!" Elena raises her hands.
Juliana gladly throws it to her, but escapes the group like a bat out of hell, screaming at the top of her lungs. Ignoring the others asking where she's going, she doesn't stop until-
Boom!
She literally crashes into someone in the middle of the forest and collapses on her bottom. "Ow! Carajo..." She's gasping in and out, barely able to calm her rapidly pounding heart.
"Jeez...watch where you're goin'!" a girl exclaims tiredly.
"I'd say the same for you! Qué mierda..."
They both sit up and exchange a curious look. "You got a leaf in your hair."
Juliana frowns and pulls it out. "Yours is super tangled."
She makes a face. "I know."
They circle each other. "You ruined my cheerleading uniform!" Juliana complains, pointing out the dirt stain on her white top.
"You can wash it, ya know. However, my tights are ripped 'cause you knocked me over."
Juliana puts her hands on her hips. "Excuse me? We collided, ohh-kay?"
"I'm allowed to be upset."
"Not my fault a tree branch made a hole in your stockings. You can get another pair."
"Touché."
"Hold up..." Juliana gestures to her, suddenly realizing something. "You're that white chick in Flaca's video on her phone!"
"You met her?"
"Yeah...she's really nice and kinda cool...she was telling me about her latest art project and a concert she recently went to with you."
"That's Flaca, all right. She's amazing...took me in when I had nobody, and she's such a teen at heart. She's my real mom, no matter what anyone says."
"I understand your gushing! She reminds me of mi mami a little bit. They should totally meet!"
"Yeah, they'd be real close!"
"I suppose I gotta introduce myself...Juliana Ramos."
"Michaela Gonzales." Beaming now, they shake hands and then sit down on a large rock together. "Well...I may as well be. My current last name sucks."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"Hoefler."
Juliana chuckles. "You're right, that is lame."
"Well, what about yours?"
She cocks her head to one side. "What's wrong with mine?"
"Nothin', but...just tell me you don't have a ghost livin' in your house."
"¿Qué? No, loca...why would you think that?"
Michaela appears to be embarrassed and she shrugs. "I, uh...I wanted to prove to my friends that it wasn't haunted, so I went to see for myself."
Juliana rolls her eyes. "Y'all need better hobbies than making up stories about people. Holy shit..."
"I rang the doorbell and this weirdo opened up and was about to invite me in...that's why I raced off into the woods. He looked like he wanted to eat me for dinner! You don't look like you were at track practice. What happened?"
"I didn't wanna go home." Juliana folds her arms across her chest and averts her eyes to the ground. "Mami's about to marry this gross asshole, the one you saw. Like, she doesn't want to, but he's...scary." She glances back up at Michaela. "I dunno how to get rid of that monster."
"Two words. Itching. Powder."
Juliana raises an eyebrow at her and smirks. "You think that'll work?"
"It might make him decide you're a brat and that it's not worth being with your mom anymore."
"Yeah...she and I are like a package deal."
"You happen to have your phone on you?"
Juliana shakes her head no. "I told Daisy, our housekeeper, that I'd be back before dark. I don't need my mami getting mad at me or nothin'."
Michaela holds up her mobile device. "Gimme your number. I'll text you later."
"Okay!" Juliana does so. "I'll let you know how it goes."
"Cool!"
"Thanks for the advice!"
"You're welcome!"