The next day is filled with a feeling of hollow emptiness.
Everything hurts when Héctor wakes up the next morning, a familiar numbness swirling inside of him as he opens his eyes. Sunlight drifts through the thin curtains of the bedroom window, but it doesn't bring him contentment like usual. Instead it only emphasizes the sensation he feels at the moment as he forces himself to get out of bed.
Héctor feels too dazed to cry, even though sadness from the day before is still gnawing at him. He stands still for a moment, looking around the bedroom as if seeing it for the first time. His eyes land on his nightstand, where he'd set his present for Ernesto. It's still wrapped in the multicolored paper that he knows Ernesto likes. His legs seem to have a mind of their own as he walks over to the gift and opens it up.
Four chocolate bars, along with a note that was also supposed to be given to Ernesto. Héctor reaches for one but doesn't unwrap it. He hates chocolate; Ernesto was the one that actually appeared to enjoy it. He just holds it in his hand with a light grip. His hands are shaking as he sets the candy and the box back down. Slowly, he walks out the bedroom and heads downstairs.
Their eyes seem to follow him whenever he's around. Imelda especially keeps a close eye on him throughout the day. Héctor has a listlessness about him, and for once he doesn't try to fake hapiness. That only escalates her worry because that means he's too tired, too saddened at his best friend being forgotten to try and hide it from her or anyone else.
The house seems too big without the sound of guitar music drifting through the halls and the different rooms. Héctor is unusually quiet, no loud laughter escaping his mouth for once. He does attempt to make conversation, but Imelda can tell his heart just isn't in it today.
She should've guessed it would be too much for him to take.
A silence washes over the house in the evening, no one wanting to disturb or mess up anything. Imelda talks quietly with her brothers, and she can see they also seem to be worried about Héctor. All three of them remember how close Héctor and Ernesto used to be, even though that was a long time ago. Even when Ernesto was arrested, Héctor wouldn't leave Ernesto alone. He gave presents to Ernesto daily, even when Imelda tried to get him to stop.
Imelda stares at Héctor, once again noticing how listless his expression is. His eyes are vacant and he just stares straight ahead, as if willing Ernesto to appear in front of him, as if staring into space will make the events of yesterday nothing more than a fantasy. If notices Imelda and the other Riveras staring at him, he doesn't show it.
Imelda gets up from her seat and sits next to him, trying to decide what to say. She honestly couldn't be happier that Ernesto's gone now. Seeing Ernesto suffer has always been one of her greatest contentments. She used to be the only person in Santa Cecillia who hated him enough to go against him as much as she did. If something bad happened to Ernesto, most likely she was the cause of it. And when she'd finally taken the full chance and beat Ernesto up, she reached full optimism for a short time.
But that's another way Héctor couldn't be more different than her: she loves seeing Ernesto in pain while Héctor absolutely can't stand it. And Ernesto being forgotten clearly pushed Héctor past his breaking point.
Héctor slowly turns his head to look at Imelda, and at last he speaks.
"You still think Superhero deserves this?"
The nickname briefly catches her off guard, even though Héctor has used it millions of times before. His voice is softer than normal, but it's also stern and kind of sharp, too.
Imelda nods. "Honestly, you should've known this was coming."
Héctor frowns at her. "But Ernesto--"
She interrupts him. "Got what he deserved. Why would anyone want to think about him or bring up his name when he was so cruel?"
Héctor sighs and looks at the ground. "Oh, Superhero..."
Imelda squeezes his hand.
Héctor looks at their locked hands, then back at her. After a few moments he pulls his hand away and stands up. His eyes look straight through her before he stiffly turns away and walks up the stairs. Imelda barely holds back tears when she hears their bedroom door close.
