DISCLAIMER:
Hello, right now we're at the 11th story. What kind of story will Alejandro tell us? And will it be with Heather or not? Find out right now.
And also, Merry Xmas to everyone out there, and for those who don't celebrate it, I hope you have an awesome day too.
Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV and his creators and distributors. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic.
Alejandro's Story
It was already past 1:00 am, and the party's atmosphere was festive and joyful. Only two among the 12 guests were somehow worried, and they were those who hadn't told their story yet.
Alejandro seemed lost in his thoughts, his eyes focused on the fireplace.
"What with that ugly expression Al? Didn't you say you would win this bet with your awesome story?" asked Justin in a mocking tone. "It seems your bravado was as fake as your pectorals."
Cody put a hand in front of his bandmate. "Don't be so harsh with him, Justin. He probably can't decide what story to tell among all his different victims."
"You mean girlfriends, right? Victims sounds like he's a criminal," said Owen twiddling his fingers. "No offense Duncan."
"None taken," replied the punk raising his bottle.
The brunette guy chuckled, "no Owen, I mean victims, we know what kind of person is Alejandro."
But the Spaniard ignored them. His mind was back to older days, the days of his first love. He met her during La Noche de Santiago, tt was the best summer of his youth. But they weren't meant to be. After losing her, he promised to never truly love another woman again, a vow he broke when he fell for Heather.
"Carmencita," he said in a low tone. There were no more tears for her in his eyes. He had already cried them all.
"Earth to Al. Hey man, are you there?" asked Tyler passing a hand in front of his friend's face. "Al, can you hear me!"
Owen then began to push the Spaniard. "OH NO Al! Don't tell me you fell asleep! Wake up buddy!"
"I'm fine, so PAREN DE UNA VEZ[1]!" Alejandro slapped Tyler and Owen's hands. "And pour me another glass of wine. I'll tell you an awesome story."
Geoff thought about pouring the glass but then decided against it. Even if he forgave the Spaniard, he wasn't ready to be friendly with him, so he let Duncan do it.
"Here it is. I hope you don't have any more excuses," Duncan smirked and gave Alejandro the glass.
"Of course not," said Alejandro, drinking the glass in one go. "But before starting, I want everyone to vow over your more cherished possession to never reveal this story to anyone, friend or foe." His green eyes sparkled with the fireplace, giving his words a feeling of dread.
"Man, don't need to be scary like that. You're between friends," said DJ, who hated spooky stories and curses.
"I swear on my honor as muskrat boy, not that I believe in that kind of superstitions like curses or karma," said Harold adjusting his glasses.
Zeke glared at the nerd. "Say what you want, but karma doesn't need for you to believe in it to give you a lesson. So be careful."
"Guys it's already late. So let's stop clowning or we won't finish the stories before sunrise. I swear you sometimes act like little kids," said Trent in a stern tone.
All the guests stood quiet and looked at Trent with puzzled expressions. After a moment, they all laughed, including Trent.
"Trent, you sound just like my dad," said Owen, who couldn't stop laughing.
Duncan dried a tear. "If you didn't laugh, I would almost think you were serious."
"I know, but the atmosphere was the right one," said Trent, chuckling. "Sorry Alejandro, start whenever you want."
"Thanks amigo, this story is relatively recent," said Alejandro making a small smirk.
It was almost a year after the All-star season. Heather and I were already dating and even went together to spend our vacations in Las Vegas. Our relationship had ups and downs, but we were going strong.
So I decided to take a step forward and used the visit of my brother Carlos, who came from Spain, to introduce her to my family.
Annotation: Geoff
"Wait dude. You dated her for a year and never introduced her to your parents? That's cold," said Geoff, who was swaying a little after drinking too much.
"At that moment she had already met my mother and my brother Jose, but it wasn't official. The Burromuertos value traditions and formalities a lot. So I needed to introduce her properly," Alejandro folded his arms and nodded.
Duncan chuckled, "Well, Courtney introduced me to her parents just a week after the show, and man it was worse than I expected."
"I'm sure that's an obnoxious and whimsical tale, filled with subjective details, but let keep it for another time," said Harold making a small smile.
The delinquent glared at the nerd but as he wasn't sure if he was insulting him or not, he let it pass.
Alejandro chuckled and continued. "As I was saying…"
So I talked with Heather and invited her to dine at my home. It wasn't the first time we had a date there, but on the other occasions it was just the two of us or the desafortunada presencia[1] of my brother Jose, who always did his best to ruin our dates.
I needed to use all my smarts to convince her to dress well for the night. My lovely chica is a cunning woman, so she'll ask the reason if I ask her directly to dress for the occasion. And if I avoid the question, she'll get angry, don't dress appropriately, or even cancel our date.
After some talk, charm, and pleading, she agreed to wear a stunning red dress, with her hair done up in a bun and charming make-up that accented her natural beauty.
I wear formal black pants and a red shirt, with my hair in a ponytail. I know Heather suspected something when I went to pick her up because she tried to find out why I was acting like that.
Annotation: Noah
The Indian guy rolled his eyes. "And I thought that after a year dating him, Heather would learn to not trust him."
So we went to my parents' house in New Edinburgh. It was a beautiful summer evening. We parked in the driveway, and I escorted her to my home.
I let her go in first. I must say that it was an amusing spectacle.
She entered the living room and met with the whole family: my father and mother, my brother Jose, my brother Carlos, his wife Estibaliz, and my 3 years old nephew Raul.
"Heather querida, we were waiting for you," said my mother, standing up and hugging her.
My chica made an effort to smile. Even then, she looked like a deer in headlights. I could almost hear her cursing me in her mind.
"Esta es la nueva presa de Al, Carlos. ¿Qué piensas?[1]" said my brother Jose. I'll not translate that but let's just say he was just trying to get under my skin.
But luckily, my older brother is different from that snake.
"Heather, You're even more beautiful in person than on tv. I'm Carlos, Alejandro's brother. If you have a problem with him just tell me and I'll pull his ears," Carlos gave her a handshake and two kisses like it's the tradition in my country
Heather chuckled, "I may need your services sooner than you expect." She said under her breath.
Then my sister-in-law walked toward Heather. "I'm Estibaliz, Carlos's wife. I have heard so much about you Heather. And this is Raul, our son. Say hi to la novia de tito Alejandro[1]." She then made my nephew wave at Heather.
Estibaliz may be the more gossipy woman in all the north of Spain, but she's equally lovely and kind, so I have a great relationship with her.
Annotation: Cody
"After hearing him talk of his family, Alejandro's either exaggerating, or he's the black sheep. They all sound like nice people," said the brunette guy, doubting Carlos would throw anyone into shark-infested waters.
Then there was an awkward silence. My father glared at her, and Heather looked at him. I thought she would know better by now but she didn't say anything to break the atmosphere.
"We're all hungry, so let's go and dine. We can continue talking at the table," said my father, standing up.
I ran quickly next to Heather and whispered. "Quickly, introduce yourself to my father."
"Don't tell me what to do! Especially after this… this… ambush, why didn't you tell me all your family would be here?" whispered Heather in a harsh tone.
"Because you would try too hard to please them, and I wanted them to meet the normal Heather I love," I said, looking at her beautiful grey eyes. "I'll make amends later for this, but quickly introduce yourself."
Annotation: Owen
"Sorry, I don't understand. Why couldn't your father introduce himself first?" asked Owen while drinking another beer.
"That's evident Owen. In some archaic traditions people should introduce themselves to the patriarch as a way to show respect and gratitude for receiving you at their home," said Harold raising a finger.
Alejandro chuckled. "Really? That would be cool. Actually, my padre was angry because I introduced her first to my Mamá and Jose, and also I decided to take her when Carlos was there. So he was actually bitter against us."
"That's a little childish, man," DJ tilted his head. "Are you sure that was the reason?"
"Maybe you're right, and there was something else," replied Alejandro putting a thoughtful expression, then he shrugged. "But there is no use in thinking about that. We needed to defuse the situation quickly, and introducing herself could help."
Heather gave me a death glare and strolled to catch with my father.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Burromuerto. My name is Heather. Alejandro talks so much about you that this doesn't feel like the first time we meet," said Heather making her best smile.
My father nodded. "I'm Felipe Burromuerto, Alejandro's father. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
He then walked and sat at the head of the table.
"See," Heather smirked proudly, "it wasn't that hard. I'll have him eating out of my hand before the dinner's end."
Sadly she didn't notice my father gave her a polite but distant response. This would be a long night.
He looked at Heather, expecting her to sit at his left, but when I pulled out her chair, she dragged me away from the table.
"What are you doing?" Heather whispered. "Why are you sitting me next to your dad?"
"Because you're today's guest of honor, so you need to sit there," I answered, trying to remain calm.
Her face beamed and she smiled, filled with pride for being the guest of honor.
"I didn't expect anything less," she said, but then she looked at me, tilting her head."But that's not what my parents taught me. Also, you're overdramatic. Who cares where I sit?"
"Every person in this house cares about it, so please, sit next to my dad," I knew she didn't really care about the sitting arrangement. She was doing this on purpose because she enjoyed seeing me panicking.
Annotation: Justin
"I can understand that feeling. I also enjoy seeing you when you're miserable," said Justin, winking and making finger guns.
Finally, she sat next to my father. I was at her right and next to me, Jose. Across the table would sit my mother, Carlos, and Estibaliz, with Raulito in his chair next to her. My sister-in-law was helping my mother in the kitchen.
"Heather guapa, how long have you been dating Al, 6 months?" asked Jose, making a devious smirk.
When I realized it was a trap, it was too late. Heather answered without thinking.
"Six? We have been dating for eleven months. Our anniversary is in 10 days," replied Heather in a proud tone, raising her head.
My father made a stern smile. "A full year? Time it's really such an ephemeral thing." He then glared at me, "and you never thought about introducing her to your family?"
"Papá, don't be so harsh. You know how shy is Alejandro. He probably didn't find the right occasion," said Carlos trying to help me.
"Or maybe he doesn't want to introduce every affair he has to our parents," said Jose, enjoying the mess he created.
Heather glared at him. "Jose, are you insinuating I'm just an affair?"
I stood up to confront that snake but he was already backing up. "Of course not querida. I was just wondering why our pequeño Al would take so much time introducing his girlfriend to our Dad."
"Don't fight at the table. You know how your mother hates fights," said my father in a stern voice. Quickly Jose and I dropped our discussion.
It seemed peaceful, but Heather was still upset about what had happened earlier. She then turned to my father. "So Dad, Alejandro usually introduces you to all of his girlfriends?"
My father flustered, not expecting to be called Dad by the guest, which made both Carlos and Jose chuckle. I just covered my face waiting for the worst.
But miraculously my father didn't mind it. "No, he never introduced any of the gals he's dating but calling them girlfriends would be giving him too much credit."
"Then you shouldn't be surprised. It's obvious Alejandro didn't want to introduce me until he was sure we were serious. So stop frowning and worrying about him never introducing me. You'll get wrinkles."
I wanted to die. Maybe my father would let me date her after disowning me. Jose just slapped my back while laughing.
Annotation: DJ
"Man, during all your story, every time you talk about your Dad, you seem distressed. Did you have a problem with him?" Asked DJ, for the Brickhouse fathers were a really personal matter.
"Yes, distressed was exactly how I was feeling," said Alejandro, pouring himself a cup of wine and drinking a small sip. "He was always stern, cold, and serious. Expecting the best from my brothers and me. He also was strict with the traditions, so I was afraid he would disapprove of my relationship with Heather."
"I understand that feeling," said Trent, nodding. "My father's so strict that sometimes I wonder if he really loves my mom and me."
Duncan chuckled. "Hahaha, I'm the same, but I'm sure my Dad hates my guts. He and I'll never look at each other eyes."
"I'm sorry, guys, it must be really hard," said Owen sniffing. "My Dad's really kind and showered us with love. I can't imagine being raised in any other way."
"My Dad too. He's really a great guy. I want to be as awesome as him when I grow up," said Tyler making a fist pump.
Alejandro shook his head. "I also admire my Dad, but he was always kind of cold and distant, but anyway, let me continue."
But to my brothers and my surprise, my father didn't get angry. He began to laugh, and it wasn't a normal laugh. He was laughing so loud that he held his sides.
"Rosa, ven un momento, no vas a creer lo que me dijo esta cría. Ahora entiendo como domo a Alejandro[1]," said my father in spanish
"Papá?" I asked, completely shocked by his attitude.
Heather looked at me flustered, not sure about what was happening. "What is he saying?"
"He really likes you. Well done cuñis[1]," said Carlos making a big smile.
I kissed her on the cheek. "Don't worry, my dad just found your comment really amusing."
"You should bring her more often Al," said Jose, enjoying my suffering as always.
When my Mom came from the kitchen, my father told her what happened (in Spanish, of course), and she began to laugh too.
"Oh Heather, you're too much," said my mother, winking at her.
"Thanks, I never suspect that the Burromuertos would enjoy so much a food joke," Heather said, but even if she sounded happy, her eyes showed she was upset.
Annotation: Geoff
"Well dude, that was awesome. Then the dinner was a success," said Geoff raising his bottle and smiling.
Alejandro sighed. "I wish, but my brother still has some tricks under his sleeve."
"I never understood that. Why does your brother hate you so much? It some kind of zeppelin rivalry?" asked Tyler, raising an eyebrow.
"I think you mean sibling rivalry," Harold adjusted his glasses.
The jock put a thoughtful expression. "Maybe I wanted to say that, but anyway, why does he hate you so much?"
"I don't know. He has hated me since we were young. Maybe he was jealous of not being the younger anymore?" replied Alejandro shrugging. "Anyway, as I was saying."
The dinner was great, my mom made some chipirones, croquetas and paella. Heather enjoyed all and showed princess-like table manners, and the atmosphere was really relaxed after the incident with my Dad. But my brother Jose was scheming something.
Then he did it. I must admit that he's quite cunning when he wants to mess with someone, especially with me.
"Dad," he started. "For this occasion, I think we should open a Ribera del Duero to celebrate."
"Great idea, I'm sure Heather would appreciate a good red wine," my father looked at her with a big grin on his face.
I tried to stop them. "I think she's happy with the red wine we're drinking right now, right chica?"
But she always has to ignore my advice when it matters. "C'mon Alejandro, I'm curious about this good wine your father is talking about."
My stupid brother made an evil smirk as he went to look for the bottle. I sighed, but Carlos tried to comfort me.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine," my older brother winked. "it's only one or two glasses and I'll also drink."
I love Carlos. He's always cared about me. Not like the other snake.
Jose came back carrying 3 bottles, and in a swift moment, he put 2 on the table, opened the third one and poured a glass for Dad and one for Heather.
"Here, cuñis, I'm sure you have enough good taste to enjoy such a fine wine," he smirked, enjoying his own mischief.
That hurt my Heather's pride, who then tasted the wine, "It has a strong aroma, but I like it."
"You're not only feisty but also had a great taste. It's obvious why Alejandro fell for you," said my father, laughing loudly.
"Dad please," I smiled. Jose plan seemed to backfire. My father was fonder of Heather after sharing some glasses.
Carlos also wanted to help and took the bottle. "We can't let you two drink alone. Let me join you," he then poured a glass and drank it, trying to help so Heather didn't have to drink too much.
Sadly he's the WORST drinker in the family. After 30 minutes, he was sleeping on the couch while the rest of the family enjoyed the table talk.
The big issue was that Heather kept drinking, and she was a little more than tipsy.
"Hahaha, Alejandro, why you didn't tell me your parents were so funny? I was afraid to have a really boring night, but they're really cool," said Heather, slurring a little.
"Heather do you want another glass?" asked Jose. I was about to stop him, but it wasn't necessary.
My mother glared at him. "Jose, I think our guest already drank enough, so you can stop."
"But Mom is just some court-"
"JOSE ANTONIO, I said stop. Do I need to repeat myself?" said my Mom in a harsh tone, unusual to her.
Jose frowned but backed up. "No Mamá, no problem."
I smiled triumphantly. At least he would stop trying to make Heather drunker. But my victory was short-lived because it was already too late.
She hugged me, kissing my cheek. "Alejandro, why are you so serious? When we're together, you're usually more charming than this."
"Heather stop, you're drunk," I said, pushing her away.
"Oh, c'mon I'm just a little tipsy," she hugged me again, "you're just shy because we're in front of your parents."
My father, who was also drunk, just laughed. "Hahaha, I swear this girl is awesome Alejandro, you need to cherish her."
Annotation: Trent
"Your Dad really thought Heather is a great girlfriend? I wonder if it was because he was drunk," said the musician rubbing his neck.
Alejandro sighed. "C'mon she isn't that bad she can be a little…"
"Manipulative bitch?"
"Mean, dude?"
"Scary?"
"Eh? Arrogant?"
"Aggressive, I remember that time she threw a kayak on my head."
"NO!" shouted Alejandro, shutting up all the guests. "Complex, she can be a little complex but she isn't that bad."
Noah chuckled. "Nice try, but you're either too drunk or you don't remember her that well. And I think you loved a person for their defects."
"Ok, I got it. My Heather can sometimes be a really difficult person. But anyway my father loved her," said Alejandro as he continued the story.
I got off her hug and helped her sit again. "I'll go for some water to the kitchen mi amor. Just wait here."
"Just hurry. In the meanwhile, I'll be asking your Dad to tell me some embarrassing anecdotes about you," she said, making an impish smile.
I hurried to the kitchen, I needed to do something to help before the night was ruined. I was so nervous that I didn't realize my mother had followed me.
"Alejandro, are you ok?" she asked me, frowning.
I was taken aback by the question. "Yes, of course I'm fine."
"Really? Alejandro I'm your mother. You can trust me," she looked, putting her hand on my shoulder.
"I…"
"You're worried that your father and I wouldn't accept your relationship with Heather? Right?"
I was surprised. "How did you know?"
"I have been your mother for 20 years, I know you better than anyone else," she told me, making a tender smile.
Annotation: Harold
"Yes, mothers are like superheroes. They can read your mind, know what are you hiding from them, and also can find ANYTHING you lose in your room, no matter if you already look everywhere. My Mom is my favorite superhero," said Harold, nodding. "Well, after Batman and Spiderman. I mean, the best detective in the world and spider-powers are too cool."
She then served me a glass of wine and one for herself, I was still awed at her intuition, but she ignored me and kept talking.
"I would prefer if you didn't overthink so much, like your father and brothers, but I guess you just got that from me," said my Mom smiling. "But Heather's a great girl, and if you love her is enough for us." Then we were interrupted by my father's loud laughter. "And also it seems your Papá really likes her."
Her words filled me with confidence. I hugged her before going back to the dining room. "Thanks Mamá, I really need to hear that."
"Hehehe, even if you're a man, you'll always be my baby boy," she told me before releasing me. "Also, remember me to tell you about the time your father met my parents. That's a true horror story."
"It was that bad?"
"Worse than bad. At least this time we didn't have anyone injured, and the police aren't here," said my mother, winking.
Annotation: Cody
"I'm the only one who wants to hear that story?" asked Cody, rubbing his chin.
We came back with the dessert, and what I found really surprised me. My father, Estibaliz and Jose were laughing while Heather talked with my nephew Raul.
"Tia Heather, why are you frowning all the time?" asked my nephew, with a big grin on his face.
"I already told you to leave me alone. I hate kidsss," said Heather slurring, but luckily my family and Raul thought she was joking.
My nephew chuckled. "But you're really pretty."
"At least you have good taste. Ok maybe I can tolerate you a little if you stay silent," Heather looked down on him, smirking proudly.
When Raul saw me, he left my seat and ran around the table to his mother's side. I sat next to Heather, who turned her face. It seemed she still was angry.
The dinner ended without too many problems. We talked a little after the dessert and said our goodbyes.
"It was a pleasure," said Heather. Even if she was drunk she still behaved perfectly.
"The pleasure was mine hija. I hope to see you soon," said my father, making a charming smile, just like mine. "And Alejandro you better take care of her."
"Yes Dad I will," I said, hugging my girlfriend.
"Be careful on the road, ok? And send me a message once you're at home," said my Mom. "See you later Heather."
Heather nodded, she waved at Jose, Estibaliz, and Raul and then went outside. I did the same and went behind her.
As soon as we went inside the car she glared at me.
"You'll pay me for this humiliation. Next time you fool me into some surprise family meeting, I'll leave, understood?" she said, her tone as cold as her glare.
"Si mi amor."
Then we both stood silent for a moment. "But I had to admit your family is amusing. I wouldn't mind meeting them again."
After hearing those words my face beamed. I kissed her, it was a short kiss on the lips, but I wanted to show her my happiness.
"Thanks chica, you're wonderful."
"I know."
Alejandro's story end
"And with that kiss ended the first time Heather met my parents," said Alejandro, making a small smile.
"Wow, that was awesome! And did she meet with your parents again?" asked Tyler, looking at him with wide eyes.
The Spaniard nodded. "A lot of times, she basically goes to their house once a month."
"Hey Al, and did you already meet his parents?" Owen opened another pork rind bag and ate a handful.
"Yes, it was also a weird situation, but not as much as this one," Alejandro shuddered while remembering.
Duncan finished his beer, "So there is only one guy in this room who hasn't told his story, right bookworm?"
"I don't remember agreeing with this competition," said Noah rolling his eyes.
"Oh c'mon, little buddy, you're an awesome storyteller," Owen stood up, facing Noah.
Trent nodded in agreement, "yes man, don't be a killjoy. You even heard and mock our stories, and it's just for fun."
"Remember if you don't do it, you'll receive some bad karma," said Ezekiel, frowning. "And believe me, you don't want that.
"Yes dude, I'm sure you can do it. I'll get you a beer for the courage," Geoff stood up and rushed to the table.
The Indian guy sighed. "Ok, ok. Just STOP! I'll do it but stop with all that positive energy. I'll break out in a rash if you continue." He then looked at them, his eyes sparkling with the fire. "I just have the right story for this night."
Author Notes:
[1] Alejandro translations:
Paren the una vez = Stop Right now!
desafortunada presencia = literally unfortunate presence, it's an old colloquial phrase in Spain.
Esta es la nueva presa de Al, Carlos. ¿Qué piensas? = Carlos, she is Al's new prey. What do you think?
La novia de tito Alejandro = Uncle Alejandro's girlfriend. Tito is a colloquial informal pet name for uncle.
Rosa, ven un momento, no vas a creer lo que me dijo esta cría. Ahora entiendo como domo a Alejandro = Rosa, come here for a second, you won't believe what this child told me. Now I undertand how she tamed Alejandro.
Cría is a colloquial way to call a young girl, used mainly by old people.
Cuñis = informal pet form of Cuñada, sister in law.
This time Alejandro's story is a classic family gathering. It has some comedy, some drama but the stakes are low and the main source of comedy and drama is the interactions between Heather and the Burromuertos and how this affects the narrator.
The unreliable narrator is less obvious this time because Alejandro sounds distressed about the whole incident. But remember it's Alejandro the one telling it, so probably José was vilified a lot more than in the actual dinner.
Now answering the reviews.
amit. avrashmi: Yep, Tyler could go for a most different story, but he is so in love with Lindsay that he thinks it's the best story out there.
And you were right it was Heather the one who joined Alejandro in his story, I hope you enjoy it.
Total simaniac: Hehehe, yes maybe I should try to make it more comedic like Geoff, I know exactly what you mean by anti-climatic. In the end, it's a story everyone knows how it started and how it would end. I take note and hope to improve this in the future.
And about Alejandro, I hope the story was better than Tyler one, and you were right it was with Heather.
As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you like it, no forget to review.
