Marisol looks around, standing at her car, waiting for the man she called best friend. She smiles at the memories that the words best friend bought her. The two had known each other for almost six years. It was crazy really. He had his friends, she had hers, but the two came together and made a dynamic duo.

"Aye." Riley says, catching her attention. When she saw him, her eyes lit up and a smile graced his face, making him overjoyed. He wondered if she ever looked this excited when she saw her boyfriend. Her disgusting scum of a boyfriend. And here he was to break the news to her.

"Riley!" She says, hugging him. He hugs her back, tightly, like he always did. But he knew shit was gonna change after he spoke what he needed to. But she needed to know. He couldn't watch her get hurt.

"Yo, we gotta talk." He says, pulling away. She raises her eyebrows, taking a step back.

When people say 'we gotta talk' it means something serious. And Marisol didn't like that thought. She didn't like confrontation, or negativity. She was that happy go lucky child. And at one point her life aspiration was to become a hippie. She is all about positivity and happiness. That was her thing.

"Uh, alright." She says, looking down at her hands, nervous energy filling her. "Go ahead." She says, looking up.

"Desmond isn't the faithful nigga you think he is." He says, and she frowns.

"What do you mean?" Desmond wasn't faithful? Was that what Riley was trying to say? There was something wrong with that sentence. Desmond not being faithful was like saying the sky wasn't blue. Desmond was her dream man. He was in love with her and only her. He was the perfect boyfriend.

"He's been cheatin on you Mari." Riley says, his voice low and gentle. Her frown deepens then fades, and she shakes her head.

"You tryna play me Riley." She says, smiling and slapping his chest. "Your stupid." She says, but her smile fades as she makes eye contact with Riley. He was dead ass serious. Her boyfriend had cheated on her. "There's got to be a mistake."

"I'm dead ass." He says, and she shakes her head.

"It's not true." She says. "Desmond is my boyfriend. He loves me. He wouldn't do that."

"Well he did, Mari." Riley says, his voice still gentle. If there was one thing about Marisol, it's that she's the queen of denial sometimes. "He didn't love you like you love him." And she wasn't the only one. She didn't love Riley the way he loved her and Riley didn't love Cindy the way she loved him.

Just in case you forgot.

Her eyes fill up with tears and she pulls out her phone, quickly calling the man she loves. The man she thought loved her. This time, he answered.

"Hey baby, what's up-"

"You cheated?" She asks, choking back tears. Her hand reaches out and Riley takes it, tightly gripping it. Deep down inside, he memorized how soft her hand felt and how good it felt in his. They fit perfectly together, so why couldn't she see that? Why was she fighting for a nigga who didn't want her.

But then again, why was he fighting so hard for Marisol? For a girl who didn't want him? He could answer that quickly, with no hesitation. To change things. To eventually make her want him so they could be together and stay together, but that answer could be applied to her situation.

And he'd be damned if Desmond gets her again.

Theres some words said by Desmond he couldn't hear and Marisol takes a deep breath.

"It makes sense." She says, looking down and Riley squeezes her hand reassuringly. "You've been acting weird. You didn't answer my call last night. And you didn't even come to school today. So what am I supposed to assume? You never do that stuff! You always answer my calls, no matter what."

More speaking from him, probably sweet words to calm her down. But Riley would be damned.

"Desmond…" She mutters, listening and Riley squeezes her hand, not for reassurance though. To control his anger. He snatches the phone from her hand, holding it up to his ear. "What are you d-"

"Nigga, we all know what you doing. And when I see you my dude, you are fucking done? Alright?" Riley says, his voice low and filled with anger. Marisol had never seen him like this. Not around her.

"Riley, you're just jealous of me nigga. Marisol is mine nigga." Desmond says into the phone, and Riley smirks, chuckling.

"Hey, you'll believe what you want." He says, and shrugs. "Don't come around Marisol no more nigga. If you know what's good for you." He says, much to the dismay or Marisol.

When had Riley become her father? He knew she hated being controlled. "Riley, what the hell are you doing?" She asks, snatching her phone away from him.

"Don't go around him no more, Mari." Riley says, grabbing her arms and making eye contact with him. She glares at him, defiance in her eyes. "You get me right? He's only gonna hurt you. He cheated on you, Mari. More than once. You cannot go back to that nigga."

"He said he didn't do anything like that. He said he'd never hurt me." She says. "And I believe him."

Riley bites his lip, trying to hold in his anger. "You would." He mutters, causing her to frown even more.

"What's that supposed to me?!" She shouts, and he blows out some air.

"It means you're stupid." He says, still holding onto her. He felt that if he'd let go, she'd run off to Desmond, and he couldn't have that. Not anymore. Not once that nigga fucked up. Desmond lost Marisol. Riley would do anything to keep it that way.

"I am not stupid! I love him Riley!" She cries out, and he bites back cruel remarks. "I will fight for him!"

"See! That's why that nigga cheats!" Riley shouts, shaking her slightly. "He fucks you over time and time again because that nigga knows! He knows you won't leave him! You let him get away with shit like this! Who fucking knows how long he's been cheating on you! You'd rather fuck with niggas that hurt you rather than niggas who'd treat you right!" He says, and looks into her wide eyes.

She had started crying. "Fuck!" He shouts, letting her go and turning away from her. He didn't mean to get this mad. It was Desmond's fault. Desmond was supposed to be his nigga, but he stole Marisol right from under him. "Fucking shit." He mutters, looking down at his shoes. "Et tu, Brute." He mutters, shaking his head.

He should've known. The way Desmond looked at Marisol when she came over to hang out with them. He should've been cuffed Marisol, so Desmond could never have a chance and she wouldn't be going through this. He turns back to face her.

"Mari, I-"

"Do you like me, Riley?" She asks, wiping her face. She didn't mean to cry. She couldn't help it when someone like Riley yelled at her. There was so much emotion in him, and when he looked at her she couldn't help it. It showed that she means a lot to him.

He scoffs. "More than you think." He mutters, kicking a rock. She closes her eyes tightly, trying to stop anymore tears. How long had it been like this. "This is that niggas fault." He mutters, shaking his head. "He doesn't deserve you."

"I'm sorry." She mutters, walking to him. She was hurt. She couldn't deny Riley's words. He was probably right. He was really good at being right. She grabs his hand, squeezing it. "I'm so stupid."

"Yeah." He says, looking down at her. "You are kinda dumb." She looks up at him, slightly angry at his words and he smiles, trying not to laugh.

"Are things going to be awkward?" She asks, looking down at their feet. At their Timbs.

"If you make them awkward." He says, letting go of her hand. "But now, I wanna go home." He says, walking over to her car. "I wanna drive." He says, and she shakes her head.

"Can you even drive?" She asks, and he shrugs. She scoffs, but gets into the passenger seat anyway. She stares at her lap, her thoughts going back to Desmond. So she needed to get everything straight.

Desmond cheated on her. Riley likes her. The man she thought loved her cheated. The man she loved as a friend, as a brother, loved her. She wondered if Riley loved her the way Desmond was supposed to. What if he did? Would that make her happy?

She didn't want to use Riley as a rebound. That would be horrible. She didn't even think she could see Riley as more than what he was. A best friend. But now that he said something, she couldn't help but think. Maybe he was a good choice. He knew what she liked.

But what if things didn't work out? Could they go back to the way they were before? Would they fight for each other how she and Desmond fought for each other?

"If you're thinking of that bitch nigga, don't." Riley says, and she looks up. They were in the driveway of her house.

"I thought we were taking you h-"

"Nah, let's chill." He says, looking at her. "Are you alright with that?" He asks, and she nods.

Him and Desmond were different. Riley was more forward. So what took him so long to tell her? How long had he held feelings for her? Was she dense? There was that time where they almost kissed at their sophomore Homecoming dance. But she didn't really think much about it. It was an almost kiss.

Did it mean something back then? She unbuckled her seatbelt, opening the door and grabbing her bag from the back seat, Riley doing the same.

She felt so overwhelmed. Maybe she shouldn't have asked Riley if he had feelings for her so soon. It was always a sinking suspicion. But she pushed it to the back of her mind. Because she was happy with Desmond. It just made her think: while she was happy with Desmond, Riley was suffering, hurt by and unrequited love.

She was such a cruel person.

"Mom, I'm home!" She called out after unlocking the front door of her house. They were greeted by the sweet smell of caramel. "With Riley!"

"Oh, mi hija!" Marisol's mother says, walking to her and hugging her. The two kiss each other's cheeks, as usual. They had a good relationship with each other, especially since Marisol was their only child. "Oh, Riley!" She says, walking over to him and the two do the same.

"Hey mom." He says, a smirk on his face. Marisol's family was his second family, and his was Marisol's. "How have you been?"

"Better now that you have come visited. Once Mari got a boyfriend you went poof!" She says, waving her hand in the air. "I thought you had become a ghost!" She says, shaking her head. Riley laughs, following her as she walks into the kitchen, asking her what she was cooking.

Marisol stayed behind, going upstair and putting her stuff down in her room. She sat down at her desk, a sigh running through her and she places her head down.

She should've known. Desmond was too good to be true. The perfect boyfriend. Ha! Where would she find one of those?

Maybe Riley… Her mind had drifted into dangerous territory. If she started thinking of Riley as a love interest, everything would become weird and awkward between them. Even if he already liked her.

What if he loved her? Could he? Thinking about it made her face heat up. She didn't have these types of thoughts until she decided to ask him. She didn't even know why she asked. It just slipped from her lips without her consent.

"So you just gonna sit there wit yo head on a desk instead of eating this delicious flan yo mom made?" Riley asks, eating more of the slice of caramel pastry he had on a plate. She lifts her head up and he walked into the room, closing the door behind him and sitting on her bed. All of those things being routine for him.

He always came into her room and closed her door. So why now was it weird? She was making it awkward. "You want some of mine?" He asks, and as if on impulse she leans forward, her mouth opening.

She'd do that often, making him feed her. Was that one of the reasons why he fell for her? Her silly actions?

He didn't think much of it, placing a spoonful in her mouth and watching as she slowly chewed. "Yo mom should've become a chef like she wanted." He says, eating the rest. "She really throw it down." He says, mouth full. Marisol smiled and shook her head.

"Chew your food." She says, and he smirks before opening his mouth wide, showing his not fully chewed food. "Oh eww!" She exclaims, looking away. All of this was normal. They did this all the time. So why was it weird for her now?

He was so used to doing everything normally. As if nothing changed. "You still thinking about him?" Riley asks, and she sighs.

"No." She answers truthfully. "Can I ask you something?" She asks, and he winces a bit, sitting up straighter. He didn't like those words.

"Yeah."

"How long?" She muttered, looking down.

"Six whole years." He says, and she looks up, her eyes wide. She looks at him, taking in his smirk but she knew it was the truth.

"Fuck." She mutters, looking back down. "I'm sor-"

"Don't be." He says, shrugging. "Now that the elephant's out of the room and the pollution is out of the water, I can make my power moves." He says, and she looks up.

"Ok, so the elephant is your crush… but the pollution…" She looks at him, confusion in her eyes.

"Desmond." He laughs.

"Ooooooh." She says, understanding. "Desmond." She frowns again. He was a cheater. So why didn't it hurt as much as she thought it would? Maybe because of Riley and his crush. Maybe that became a distraction for her. That was probably the case.

"Yeah. That nigga was so pesky." Riley says, leaning forward. She freezes up, afraid he'd do something, but he ended up placing the plate on her desk. "I mean, everyone knew I was feeling you. Except you." Riley leans back until he laid on the bed, shaking his head. "Niggas is so pesky." He says.

"Sorry." She mutters, and he pats the spot next to him. She slowly moved over to him, slipping her shoes off and laying on her side, moving her legs up to her chest.

"Ah, whatever. I had a feeling he'd be the Brutus of my life."

"What is your obsession with Julius Caesar?"

"He was a real ass nigga who was backstabbed… literally." Riley shakes his head. "I could relate."

"He was a dictator."

"You do what you gotta do."

"He was full of himself."

"Confidence."

"He didn't listen to reason. He should have listened to his wife."

"Everyone makes mistakes."

"Those mistakes led to his death."

"He died a real ass nigga." Riley said, and Marisol look at him, only to see he was staring at her, a small smile on his face. "You're cute when you're mad." He says, and pinches her cheek. She swats his hand away, shaking her head.

"You are so weird."

"I've gotten that before." He says, looking back at the ceiling. "But, when you say it, it sounds like a compliment."

"You're declarations of love are weirding me out."

"But, I'm certain that it's you that holds me together. You are my glue." He says, and she looks at him, her eyebrows raised. He looks back at her, trying to hold in his laughter but failing.

"You are so stupid!" She says, slapping his chest. He grabs her hand, keeping it there as he slowly stops laughing. "Can you let me go?" She quietly mutters.

"Nope." He says, and she looks at him. "I'm not letting you go, ok?"