Author's Note: Both of my fanfics have been changed to an M rating, just to be on the "safe side". Read, enjoy & review. Thank you!
*The title of this chapter is named after a song by Pink*
Dressed in an all-white Prada outfit and shoes, Rhonda was looking forward to the party at Lorenzo's place. The conversation she had with Arnold earlier in the day made her feel much better although she was still very angry at her aunt and her parents. The fact that Curly was constantly calling her cell phone only added to her frustration. However, she decided to answer his call instead of ignoring it for the umpteenth time.
"Hi Curly," she answered.
"Babe, it's about time!" Curly exclaimed." I was extremely worried about you!"
"Well, I'm fine," Rhonda told him.
"Oh, I hope you weren't ignoring me," Curly said.
Rhonda sighed." Okay, I didn't have the best day. So, I really didn't feel like talking to anyone."
"But I'm your boyfriend, babe," Curly responded, practically whining.
"And we talk all the time," Rhonda insisted." Like I said, I had a bad morning and I just needed a little peace and solitude; nothing personal."
"Well, what made your day so awful?" Curly asked.
"For starters, I woke up even sicker than I've been for the past few days," Rhonda explained." So, the moment I stepped out of the bathroom after puking my guts out, my stupid aunt started interrogating me about it and then she practically forced me to tell my parents that I'm pregnant."
"Wow, she sounds like a total witch," Curly commented.
"Tell me something I don't know."
"So, how did your mom and dad react?" Curly asked.
"To make a long story short, they were furious and they see me as a total disgrace to the family," Rhonda replied.
"Aw, don't let them depress you, babe," Curly told her." You can never be a disgrace."
"Well, thank you, Curly," Rhonda responded." Anyway, let's just drop this topic; I'm about to leave in a few minutes."
"Where are you going?" Curly asked.
"To Lorenzo's party, remember?"
"What happened to wanting peace and solitude?" Curly questioned." You won't be getting much of that at a social gathering."
"I know….but I already planned on attending this party a long time ago," Rhonda told him." Why bail out now?"
"Because you're sick, you're pregnant with my child, you're upset with your family, you have a boyfriend who loves you and is worried about you…need I continue?" Curly stated.
"Curly, I'll be fine," Rhonda responded, rolling her eyes." Besides, why aren't you coming?"
"Because everybody shuns me," Curly said.
"That is not true…..at least not anymore," Rhonda insisted." Since we've been dating, everyone's been much nicer to you and accepting of your—don't take this the wrong way—your weirdness."
"Well, they're all being fake," Curly debated." Why the hell should I want to mingle with such phonies? And do I have to point out the fact that this is your ex-boyfriend's party?"
"Oh Curly, you cannot be serious," Rhonda reacted." Where is this jealousy for Lorenzo coming from all of a sudden?"
"Hey, I have my reasons."
"Well, you can spare me your reasons, I'm going out," Rhonda told him." End of story."
At first Curly was going to get angry but instead, he remained calm." Fine babe, have a good time and be careful."
"I will," Rhonda sighed.
"I love you," Curly said.
"I love you too."
Rhonda hung up her cell phone and rolled her eyes.
Arnold's right, I can't let this linger, she thought. I HAVE to tell Curly that I'm still going to LA next week. In the meantime, I'm going to this party and I'm going to have fun. It beats staying here with "Aunt Nosy-Bitch" and my snobby parents.
To put herself in a good mood and have a reason to smile, all Rhonda had to do was take a look in the mirror, admiring the wonders that her new skirt did for her curves. So, that's exactly what she did. Some considered her to be vain but Rhonda simply insisted that she was just greatly confident.
Lorenzo, whose full name was Jose Lorenzo Lopez-Concepcion, scheduled his party for 7:00PM. His mother and father were out of town. Therefore, Lorenzo had the house all to himself, free of all adults except for the butler. Lorenzo's home was very spacious and beautiful; it even included a large, elegant ballroom and an outdoor swimming pool. Kudos was owed to his parents for working extremely hard to achieve such a luxurious lifestyle, considering the circumstances they originated from. Lorenzo's mother and father, coming from rural Mexico and Puerto-Rico, respectively, were raised in poverty. Thankfully, their son was exposed to nothing but 'the best'.
Rhonda was accompanied by Nadine, Patty, Sid, Harold, Stinky and Gloria as they approached the front door of the Lopez manor. Sheena, Josh and many others were on their way. It already began to drizzle outside; it was slowly but surely progressing into an all out rainstorm. However, the date of this party was planned way before the forecast for this weekend was even predicted. Patty wore a dark grey shirt, a black skirt and black shoes. Nadine wore a short, tight, sleeveless green dress with white sandals. Meanwhile, the guys wore simpler attire like shirts and jeans but they were dressed neatly nonetheless. After Sid rang the doorbell, the butler—a Mexican gentleman named Guillermo—opened the door, politely greeted them and let them inside.
As many times as they've visited Lorenzo's residence, they still couldn't help but to be amazed at all of the elegant furniture, paintings, rugs, tiny statues made from expensive Lalique glass and the huge ninety-gallon, saltwater aquarium centered in the main hallway entrance. Even Rhonda seemed to be astonished and she, of all people, was accustomed to such opulence.
As the butler kindly pointed them to the direction of the dining room, they all saw Aida, Lorenzo's girlfriend. Indeed, she was physically attractive with her 5'2 height, slender physique, long curly, dark hair, hazel eyes and pretty, olive skin complexion. Not to mention, the outfit she wore was rather stunning. However, points were immediately deducted from her beauty due to her pretentiousness and wicked demeanor. Hardly anyone liked her. Still and all, they all politely decided to greet her.
"Hi Aida," they all said.
Instead of even attempting to be kind, Aida rudely placed a hand on her hip, tilted her head slightly to the side and evilly eyed the girls up and down, mainly Rhonda. All of the girls—except for Gloria(who was too nice for her own good)—responded with a stony glare of their own. Aida rolled her eyes at them and started to walk away. The guys were unmoved by her coldness but the girls were very offended.
"Wow, what a bitch," Nadine scoffed.
"Screw her," Rhonda said, with a nonchalant shrug.
Patty, on the other hand, was not going to ignore Aida's lack of civility. So, she quickly walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder with her index finger. Aida turned around with a foul facial expression.
"May I help you?" Aida responded with the nastiest tone of voice.
Patty lightly yet firmly tapped her right fist against her left hand as a warning gesture. Instantly intimidated by the much larger girl, Aida took a quick step back and got rid of the hostility in her face.
"Um, what do you want?" Aida asked.
"What I want is for you to show a little more respect to people when they're nice enough to say hello to your stuck-up ass," Patty replied, sternly.
"My problem isn't with you," Aida insisted.
She emphasized her statement by casting a mean look at Rhonda.
"Well, whatever your problem is, Aida, get over it," Rhonda stated, firmly.
"Exactly," Patty snarled.
"Okay, fine," Aida muttered." Hello everyone. Better?"
Without another word, she walked away, out of their eyesight.
"Boy howdy. Lorenzo can do much better," Sid commented.
Harold and Stinky nodded in agreement.
"She fails to understand that if I wanted her boyfriend, he wouldn't be with her," Rhonda said, assuredly." As much as I despise her ass, I'm glad you didn't pound her, Patty."
Patty sighed." Why do I have to threaten people to get a little respect?"
"Hey, it worked with me a long time ago, sister," they heard a familiar voice respond.
As they all turned around, they realized it was Helga Pataki. She, along with Arnold, Phoebe and Gerald, had just arrived. The four of them were dressed nicely yet casually for the party. As they all exchanged "hellos" with each other, they engaged in a conversation.
"Hey Rhonda, pay no mind to Aida," Helga told her." I can't stand that bitch either."
"I'm quite convinced that none of us do," Phoebe said.
"Please, I'm not worried about her," Rhonda insisted." She may be a bitch, but I'm THE bitch."
"Amen to that, Princess," Helga agreed, giving her a high-five.
"Okay ladies, let's try to be nice," Arnold said.
"For real, ya'll females always want some damn drama," Gerald added, playfully.
"Whatever, Gerald," Nadine responded, with a chuckle.
For a few seconds more, everyone continued to laugh and joke around with each other until Lorenzo entered the hallway. Smiling nicely, he headed in their direction and said hello. With his height of 5'10, lean yet toned build, tanned skin, brown eyes and sharply defined lips, Lorenzo was considered to be a heartthrob.
Although Rhonda has broken up with him, she couldn't deny his charm; in fact, staring at him in his blue Versace dress-shirt, black slacks and shiny black shoes simply mesmerized her. After all, she and Lorenzo lost their virginity together and were very much in love at one point, before Curly and Aida, respectively, took over.
Like the gentlemen he was, Lorenzo gave Nadine, Patty, Gloria, Helga and Phoebe a kiss on the cheek; a standard Latino greeting. However, when he reached Rhonda, he gave her both a kiss and a hug.
"Rhonda, I like that fragrance," Lorenzo complimented her.
"Thank you," Rhonda responded, blushing.
Oooh, and I LOVE your cologne, she thought.
Lorenzo smiled at her and then he extended his hand, greeting Arnold, Gerald, Stinky and Harold. Being an exceptionally close friend to Sid, he gave him a friendly hug.
"Damn, I can't believe you're leaving soon," Sid said.
"I know, Papi, but we'll keep in touch," Lorenzo told him.
With that, Lorenzo led everyone into the dining room. The table was beautiful and lengthy; sitting there was Aida and a tall, skinny guy with wavy black hair and baggy clothing. Nadine, in particular, was rather shocked when she laid her eyes on the latter person. It was Junito, Lorenzo's cousin. He was Nadine's first love who turned out to be a complete jerk. He was recently released from jail. However, she was completely over him; therefore, she had no reason to act coldly towards him unless he stepped out of line.
Frankly, Lorenzo didn't have the best relationship with his cousin. They were so different in many ways. Lorenzo carried himself like a gentleman whereas Junito considered himself to be a thug. Although Junito prided himself on being hard and thuggish (being raised in the Bronx, New York and all), he secretly envied Lorenzo's more affluent upbringing. However, Lorenzo still extended his hospitality to him solely on the strength of being family.
"What's up, Nadine?" Junito said." Don't act like you don't know me."
"Hey Junito," Nadine responded.
"You miss me, boo?" Junito asked.
"Do not call me 'boo'," Nadine told him, sternly." You gave up that right a whole year ago."
"Girl, you need to stop frontin'," Junito scoffed.
As Nadine's new boyfriend and the father of her unborn child, Sid was angry enough to attack Junito. However, he was more than a little intimidated by this guy's hardcore, rugged appearance, so he simply kept quiet.
"Junito, just leave her be, okay?" Lorenzo told him, nicely.
"Come on, cuz, I ain't tryin' to start nothin'," Junito insisted.
"I know, I'm just saying…" Lorenzo said.
Everyone took a seat at the table, observing all of the beautiful china and silverware neatly set over it. For some reason, Aida decided to sit extra close to Lorenzo as if she had some point to prove to his ex-girlfriend. Rhonda just shook her head and tried not to laugh at the girl's childishness. Meanwhile, Sid's paranoia kicked in every time Junito would either glare at him or attempt to make eye contact with Nadine. Sensing Sid's tension, Stinky gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Hey Sid, we've got your back, dude," Harold assured him, with a whisper.
"Okay," Sid nodded.
Sensing his nervousness, Nadine smiled and rubbed Sid's thigh so he can relax a little bit. She was not the least bit fazed by the presence of her ex, so she insisted that Sid shouldn't be either.
All of a sudden, Helga exclaimed." Criminy! What is this? An epidemic?"
"What's the matter, babe?" Arnold asked.
It didn't take long to realize what Helga was referring to. Entering the dining room was none other Miles Rocca, a young man in his early twenties who used to have an adulterous affair with Helga. He and Lorenzo warmly greeted each other. Miles's family was extremely rich just like the Lloyds and the Lopezes. Due to their families' associations with each other, Miles naturally became a friend to both Rhonda and Lorenzo. Ever since Helga dumped (and nearly killed him) and ever since his wife Scarlett left him for his unfaithfulness, Miles has certainly toned down on his malicious ways.
Surprisingly, Arnold took the high road and said." Hi Miles."
"Whoa…I mean…oh…hey Arnold," Miles responded." How've you been?"
"Never been better," Arnold grinned, putting his arm around Helga." Thanks for asking."
Miles smiled politely yet nervously and then took a seat. Arnold was not the type of person to hold grudges which explains why he can still be cordial to a guy he gave a brutal beat-down to merely months ago. A part of Gerald, however, regretted not breaking Miles's neck for violating Phoebe—which is what also pushed Helga over the edge.
Moments later, Eugene, Sheena, Josh, Lila, Wesley and many others came to join. Luckily, there was a second table nearby to accommodate those who couldn't fit at the first one. Before the actual party began, dinner was going to be served by the chefs. Everyone was captivated by the mouth-watering aroma of the hearty, Spanish feast that included stewed chicken, roast pork, citrus-marinated shrimp, Jalapeno corn cakes, rice, beans, pigeon peas and a salad.
"Okay everyone, before you dig into the arroz con pollo, I have an announcement," Lorenzo declared.
"Well, make it snappy, Rico Suave, I'm starving over here," Helga said, jokingly.
Lorenzo laughed." No problem, Mami."
Everyone sat quietly as Lorenzo rose to his feet, holding Aida's hand. She stood up beside him as they firmly held each other's hand.
"Aida and I are engaged," Lorenzo announced.
Everyone was so shocked that they remained hushed, especially Rhonda. Aida was not well-liked by many of them and they certainly thought Lorenzo could do better. Lorenzo twitched a little at the lack of reaction from his guests. Aida crossed her arms and scanned the crowd unkindly with her hazel eyes.
"Um, congrat—ulations?" Miles uttered, in an attempt to break the awkward silence.
"Congratulations," someone else said.
A series of 'congratulations' followed until just about everyone said it.
"Thank you," Lorenzo responded.
Out of respect and courtesy—which Lorenzo's new fiancée barely possessed—everyone clapped. Lorenzo and Aida shared a brief yet endearing kiss. The guests decided to be mature and realize that their personal opinion of Aida should have no affect on Lorenzo's future with her, if that's what he truly desired. Lorenzo nodded and smiled until the applause subsided.
"In two days, as you all know, I'll be on my way to Puerto-Rico for college," Lorenzo continued." I also wanted to tell you guys how much I appreciated your friendship and how much it has meant to me to have known you all. Arnold, to this day, you are still the friendliest, most thoughtful person I've ever met, Papi."
"Thanks Lorenzo," Arnold said, with a smile.
"Sid, you still are and will always be my best friend," Lorenzo assured him." I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Lorenzo," Sid responded, trying his hardest not to get emotional.
"And Rhonda, in spite of everything, you and I had some amazing times together…the best," Lorenzo stated." You'll always have a special place in here." He pointed to his heart." I'll definitely miss you."
"Aaaaawww," the guests reacted.
Rhonda was touched." Thank you, Lorenzo."
Aida, once again, rolled her eyes. However, why should Rhonda care? Just because she and Lorenzo had broken up it doesn't mean that they have to hate each other.
"Okay, buen provecho!" Lorenzo said.
Without a second thought, everyone commenced to indulge in their dinner. The party was only beginning. How will the rest of the night play out?