Luis

I hadn't seen Marie Burns in a very long time, and I couldn't help but wonder what she'd be like now. Hell, I had even gone and found a picture of my sixth grade class to see what she looked like back in the day. She had been small, light brown hair in two small braids, light brown eyes to match her hair, and she had slightly cooked teeth.

It had been a good four years since I had seen her, nearing five. I knew that I had changed. I mean moving from the United States to Mexico to the United States again in the course of three years can do that to a guy. So I waited in my room as mi mama cooked dinner, it smelled great. I could hear Carlos cleaning up his room, since Kiara had left it mama had ordered him to straighten up for our guest.

Outside I heard a car pull up our drive. Looking out the small window in my room I saw Alex step out first, going around the back to grab a bag. And then Marie. The funny thing is she looked very similar to the way she looked in sixth grade.

She was still definitely on the shorter side, still obviously not Latino, still had that brown hair and brown eyes. But though her hair was still brown it had darkened a bit in a way that only can happen naturally, and her eyes had brightened and become crisper, sort of like the really healthy glow of tree bark in fall. Her skin made her obviously white but she was tan enough to look like she had some ethnicity to her. And I noticed on her cheek there was a scar, large enough for me to see from my window.

As she walked to our house her hair bounced in its messy bun, falling out as she went. A pretty little chica.

"Luis, Carlos, vete aqui!" Mi mama shouts from downstairs. Jumping up I make my way down the stairs which are conveniently located right outside my door. Carlos doesn't seem to be following suit as quickly but as I round the corner I hear him stomping down.

"…so bonita chica! Ay dios mio I remember when you were just a little girl!" I can hear mama before I see her, she's talking to Marie who is smiling in the way people do when they aren't quite sure what else to do.

"Mama you're overwhelming her." Alex says, giving her a peck on the cheek before turning back to Marie, "I'll leave your stuff on the stairs, okay chickita?"

"Yeah, sure, thanks again." She says, turning her smile to him. At this point I realize her teeth aren't as crooked anymore. I'm not sure if her papa could afford to get her braces, but maybe he did. Either way, she had a nice smile. Which was…nice.

Mama was still talking to her, "You've met mi Alejandro and here are mis hijos Carlos y Luis. You must be hungry, are you hungry? You're so skinny mi'ja!"

"Mama! She just flew from Chicago give the girl some time, ay dios mio!" Carlos said ducking out of the way as Alex went to slap him across the head. Even though they were both out of high school they still acted like children sometimes.

"Watch your mouth Carlos." Alex muttered as he put down Marie's bag. "Well I need to go get Brittany, but I'll meet you all back here in an hour or so, bueno?"

"Bueno, bueno." Mama said, "Maybe you two can get married soon so I can have some nietos? Hmmm."

"Ay Mama!" He laughed but we all knew how tired he was getting of mama nagging him about grandchildren. Now that he and Brittany had been dating for five years she had decided the time had come for it to be okay for him to knock her up. "Adios Marie!" He called as he ducked out the door.

"Carlos, Luis! Ayuda Marie with her bag and show her where she is staying." Mama ordered, "Marie dinner is going to be at five, bueno?" She asked with a smile. Mama always seemed content with sons but now that I watched it looked like she was happy to have a daughter, if only for a while.

"Bueno Mrs. Fuentes." Marie said, her smile still sticking, "Thank you for having me."

Her tone held just a hint of regret, like she didn't really want to be here. But not enough to make me really think about it. If I was her I'd probably be a bit precautious as well. I mean getting sent away by my parent and stuff. I'd want to be at home helping, not somewhere else where I was no use at all to mi familia.

Carlos had already picked up her bag and was headed up the stairs. "Vamanos." He called and Marie and I followed him. Marie was staying in the room Carlos normally sleeps in when he is home. Now he and I are bunking together when he's around so she can have a place to herself. Lucky her.

"Welcome to the Hotel Fuentes." Carlos announced, dropping her bag on the bed. Then he looked her up and down, for a guy who had a steady girlfriend he was still fine with checking other girls out openly. But he is loyal to Kiara; he just likes to appreciate the view. I try to be a bit more subtle. "You grew up nice chickita."

I can see her half blush, like she's trying to stop blushing mid way through the reddening of her cheeks. I didn't think it was possible but she managed it. Half blushing I mean. Shaking my head I look away, I'm getting too observant. I do that sometimes. On places, or things, or people, or girls in particular. What can I say? I might not be Alex or Carlos but I'm still a guy.

"Luis!" Carlos shouts, and I suddenly realize I must have been zoning out. "You're about the same age as Marie right? Why don't you show her around tonight?"

Carlos is so typical sometimes; he thinks I've been single too long, so he is always trying to help me get laid. Which is embarrassing at times. Like right now. Rolling my eyes I say, "Si. You're sixteen, right?"

"Fifteen." She corrects, hands in the pockets of her jeans, "But I'll be sixteen in a few weeks."

I'm going to be seventeen in a month or so. I'm old for my grade. "Are you a junior?" I ask a bit confused. She's pretty young for my class…

"Yes." She says, giving me a look that says, 'Don't-assume-anything-about-me', which makes me laugh since on her it looks so strange. She's so little, I probably would classify her as cute. So trying to be tough makes her seem ridiculous.

"The chickita has attitude." Carlos teases giving me a punch on the shoulder, then leaning closer he says, "Go for it bro, or someone else will." With a smirk he leaves.

He has to antagonize me all the time. Turning around I shove him into the wall and he shoves me back until we're both on the ground. I feel him hit me in the gut which hurts but I get him on the jaw so we're about even.

"Basta!" Mama shouts, "We have company! Control yourselves!" We both get off each other.

Of course Carlos can avoid trouble by playing his favorite card. "Oh! I gotta go get Kiara. Adios mama!"

As he runs past her she whacks him on the shoulder, which makes me laugh. Big mistake. Her glare turns to me and I quickly say, "What?" I use my innocent who-couldn't-resist-me smile that I got from Alex. Of course she can resist anyone so she whacks me on the arm as well.

"Get to your room! And apologize to Marie for the trouble." She orders still glaring as she heads back down the stairs. I can hear her mumbling in Spanish as she goes. Something about us being worse than diablos.

I turn to Marie who has her arms crossed over her chest. I try not to stare at her chichis too openly. She's smirking at me, which bugs me. So I got punished by my mama doesn't mean the fight wasn't worth it.

We're both staring at each other.

"I'm the room across," I don't even have a moment of hesitation as I continue, "Come visit anytime." I stick on a smile. I'm not Alex or Carlos but that doesn't mean I don't know how to act like them.

For a minute her smiling façade breaks and she looks timid, like a little animal that needs protecting from a trap. But that disappears faster than my mama's enchiladas after a long day at work.

Rolling her eyes she sneers, "You're not my type."

But I saw her break so I take advantage of it and take a step closer to her. It's a small room and I'm pretty tall, so I'm pretty close to her now. She holds strong staring right back at me though. "Mujer, I think I can change that." I quietly down to her. This is not me but it's gotten me girls before. And if Carlos is going to be on my ass about her, I might as well get whatever I can get with her over with so he'll back off.

Alex won't like it so much though.

"Oh really?" She says, just as quietly, but she isn't smiling as confidently as I am. "Well….you…."

Before her comeback comes someone else shouts, "Luis you better be in that room or else!"

Ay mama.

"Go on, don't want to get mommy any angrier with you." Marie smirks, giving me a shove with a lot more force than I believed she had. I step back and find myself in the doorway. "And you're still not my type." She adds as she closes the door forcing me out.

As I walk across the hall to my room I think about what she said. Our brief conversation after years of not seeing each other. She knows me as little as I know her.

But I know myself very well. And I know that I'm a Fuentes. And I just got challenged. Which means now I'm going to prove her wrong. Let the games begin.