"This is crazy!" Calleigh yelled so he would hear her over the motor sound.
The boy stopped the bike in front of a café called "vita nueba" and they got off the bike taking off the helmets, wide smiles in their faces.
"Where are we?" Calleigh questioned following Eric to the inside of the café.
"You'll see." Was his answer as he opened the door revealing a cozy cage with wine red walls wood chairs and tables and pictures in the walls.
"Hey Eric!" The Latina with about 5'6'' feet and around 30 years old greeted haply from behind the wood counter.
"Hi Isabela." Eric greeted too giving the girl a kiss on the cheek.
"Who do you got there?" The women questioned noticing Calleigh.
"This is my new colleague, Calleigh, Calleigh, my oldest sister, Isabela." Eric introduced waiving his hands.
"Hello" Isabela said with a kiss to Calleigh's cheek.
"Hello." Calleigh replied with a shy smile.
"What are you doing here?" Isabella asked between serving a donut and cleaning a glass.
"I'm showing her the town, and there's no better place to start." Eric explained
"Will you want something?" Isabela asked raising her eyes from the plate that she was currently cleaning.
Eric looked at Calleigh in a questioning look.
"No thanks." Calleigh said understanding Eric's meaning.
"Bring me an empanada would you." Eric asked with a smile as he sat in one of the tall chairs gesturing Calleigh to do the same.
"You got to pay you know?" Isabela remembered wearing the same smile as her brother.
"I'm your brother!." Eric replied.
"You pay even more for that." The oldest girl said.
He sighed and dug his pockets for some change, but Calleigh beat him to it giving a couple bucks to pay the food.
"What are you doing?" Eric asked in a confused tune.
"Paying."
"No way." He replied.
"Way, you're giving me a guide visit, I pay."
"No."
"I wouldn't argue with me."
"I won't take your money."
"You don't have to, the money isn't for you, it's for your sister."
"You know what I mean."
"I do, and I will pay anyway."
"Calleigh..."
"Here you go Isabela said smiling widely giving calleigh her change "and stop it would you, let the girl pay."
"Isabella could you please don't support her?" Eric asked
"No." His sister replied.
Calleigh chuckled and looked at the pictures in the wall while Eric ate.
"You should try one, they're great."
"I believe you, but I really don't want to, I ate enough already."
He putted his hand out giving her a smile.
"Humor me and give it a try."
Calleigh rolled her eyes but bit the cake.
"This is great!"
"I know, it's my mum who does it."
"Tell her I'm a fan then."
"I will."
"Hey, Isabela." Eric called gaining the attention from the woman that stood 6 feet away picking up a coffee mug.
"Yes?"
"Get me 6 empanadas to take home please."
"Didn't mum gave you some yesterday?"
"Speed ate them all."
"Right."
"He did."
The woman rolled her eyes with a wide smile and came back a couple minutes with a box on hands.
"Here you go food monster."
"We got to go now, good bye."
The two brothers kissed and then the girls kissed and Eric and Calleigh left.
"You liked our trip so far?" Eric asked as they left the café.
"Yes."
"C'mon then, we got more to see."
They went to see some bars, the library, supermarket, some shops, theater, and finally got into a last bar where students used to go to relax after classes.
"Oh Great." Eric mumbled sarcastically spotting Melanie in a group of students.
"We don't have to stay here you know?"
"Don't worry, let's just sit."
Calleigh nodded and they picked a table for two in the opposite corner of Melanie and her friends.
"Hi, what can I do for you?" Asked the attendant that appeared right after they sat.
"I want a beer please." Eric asked still with a frown.
"A Pepsi it's o.k. for me."
"Will be right here."
"So, want to tell me how you and the guys met?" Calleigh asked friendly.
"At school, then I found out that Nat lived next door."
"We live next door to you?!"
"Me and Speed yes."
"How come you didn't tell me?!"
"You didn't ask." He said smiling again.
"What about Maxine?"
"We met at school and did a group work and became friends."
"Oh."
"Yes, and then you showed up and now you belong to the group too."
"You only met me today."
"Yes, but a day it's enough to tell you're a good person, and you're funny."
"Thank you." she said blushing a bit.
"You were in love with her weren't you?" she asked nodding to the table where Eric's ex-girlfriend was.
"No, I had a crush."
"No, because if it was just a crush then you'd be o.k. by now."
"Maybe I did love her then."
"I'm sorry, I won't talk about it anymore."
"You ever loved someone?"
"Really loved no."
"What is really love for you?"
"You know, really love, like, don't think about something else and want to stay with him forever and all that."
He chuckled softly and waited for her to finish her soda.
"Let's go?"
Calleigh nodded and Eric paid for the drinks leaving and riding back home.
"Well, good night." Calleigh said handing him the helmet and blushed when he kissed her on the cheek.
"Goodnight Cal."
She got into the house breathless and sat on the couch.
"So, how was it?"
"Cool?"
"Why are you breathless?"
"It was the ride home."
"Did the ride home make you blush too?" Natalia asked smiling widely at her roommate
"I'm tired, good night."
"You can hide, but you can't escape."
She smiled closing the door of her bedroom and laid on her bed.
"Calleigh Duquesne, you got a crush on Eric." Natalia screamed throw the closed door
She putted a pillow over her head smiling.
He called you Cal, he got you a nick name and he kissed you, on the cheek, but he kissed you!
...
It had passed a week since Calleigh's arrival to Miami and things were much better that she thought they would be.
"Good morning." The girls grated when they met the boys outside.
"'Morning" Speedle replied with a yawn.
The four walked to the bus and sat, Eric next to Calleigh and Tim and Natalia on front of them.
"Are you ready for another day of school?" Eric started the conversation.
"Let's just say I'm glad it's Friday."
Me too Eric agreed chuckling.
"You got any plans for the weekend?" Calleigh asked him with a smile.
"It depends."
"On what?"
"Your answer."
In the front sit Natalia and Tim changed a look and a grin.
"My answer?"
"Yes" Eric said. "Do you want to go out with me?"
"As friends?"
"Yes, the carnival's on town so I thought we could go."
"Sure."
...
"Hi!" Calleigh greated Eric with a 1000 watt smile.
"Hi, ready to have some fun?"
"Always."
"Ride on then." Eric said patting Tim's motorcycle's sit.
"He let you use it again?!"
"Yes, unbelievable I know."
"Really unbelievable."
She reminded that just a couple days Valera had sat on that bike only to get out seconds later due to Speedle's death glares.
Eric gave her the helmet and they both ridded on getting to the fair in 20 minutes stopping in front og a poster.
"Wow, this is huge." Calleigh said looking at all the lights.
"Not so much, so, where do you want to go first?"
"Rollercoaster!" She said eyes staring the iron structure.
"You like roller coasters?"
"I love roller coasters."
He laughed and grabbed her hand running to the ticket seller.
"Two please."
"5 bucks."
Eric dug his pockets in record time paying the tickets.
"I pay the food." Calleigh warned even though Eric ignored completely.
"C'mon Cal, let's go!" Eric yelled dragging her to the line.
"Wait!"
"No, you can't wait for fun Cal."
Nor for love she thought immediately trying to block it no, you can't fall in love fro him, no way Cal.
"Are you o.k.?" Eric asked grabbing her shoulder.
"Yes." She answered moving away from his touch.
"Are you sick or something?" He asked sensing the weird tune in her voice.
"No."
"O.k. then."
The man called the people to the roller coaster and Eric And Calleigh got in with smiles in their faces.
"This is going to be great."
"You bet."
...
"That was great!" Calleigh exclaimed when they got off the roller coaster blushing and smiling widely
"I know !"
"What now?"
"Hum, eat?"
"o.k."
they went for a trailer of food and asked for hotdogs.
"I shouldn't eat hotdogs."
"Why not?"
"I got to follow a diet if I want to go to the nationals."
"You really take swimming seriously hum?"
"I have to."
"Why?"
"My family is not rich, every help is welcome, I want to go to the Olympics, get a patronize and get real money and help out."
"Wow."
"What?"
"That's very adult of you."
"Nah, you just never thought about it, your family is probably rich, perfect."
"My family is everything but perfect." she said her voice getting harsh.
"What, your parents fight? Yell at which other? Don't take you out for dinner? Because that's not that bad."
"You don't know a thing about me or my parents, so shut up!"
"Hey, o.k., calm Down Cal." Eric said rubbing her harm softly.
She calmed a bit at her nickname together with his touch.
"Don't ever talk about my parents again, understood?"
"Sure."
"No Eric, really, don't ever talk about them."
"I won't, I promise."
"Right." She said sarcastically."
"What, you don't believe me?"
"You wouldn't be the first break your promises."
"I won't break the promise Cal, if you ask me not to talk about them then I won't, why is it so hard to believe?"
"Because I have trust issues." she spat getting away from him.
Eric froze for a minute but then ran after Calleigh.
"Cal wait!"
He reached her and noticed the tears that streamed down her face.
"Are you crying?!"
She sobbed lightly and he evolved her in a tight hug his hand rubbing her back as she cried on his shoulder.
"Shh, c'mon Cal, you don't need to cry, and you'll make me cry too if you go on, and I have to keep my look you know?"
She giggled between the crying and lifted her head from his shoulder.
"Idiot."
"Maybe, but it made you stop crying."
"Yes."
"Want to go on another trip on the roller coaster? You know, to cheer you up."
"No, I would throw up the dinner."
"o.k., so, do something calm for a while?"
"Yeah."
"Hey Cal, do you like bears?"
"I guess."
He dragged her to a trailer with a shooting game.
"You want to try sir?"
"Yes please."
"For one dollar you got three shots, you hit all of them you got a big stuffing animal."
"o.k."
Eric grabbed the fake pistol on his hand and aimed to the target, first shot, hit, second one hit, third one, miss.
"Sorry pal, looks like you only got the small one." The man said waving to the animals.
"Sorry Cal, looks like you can't have the big one."
"I don't mind."
"You still got the right to pick a small one though."
"o.k., what's your favorite?"
He thought for a bit and then smiled.
"Turtle."
"o.k., the turtle please."
"Here you go" the man said handing her the stuffed turtle.
Calleigh thanked with a smile and she and Eric left the trailer roaming throw the park
"Oh, hi Eric." A girl that had just ran into Eric greeted.
"Hum... H-hi Jackie." Eric stuttered blushing a bit.
"Who's your friend?"
"Oh right, this is Calleigh, she lives next door."
"Hi Calleigh."
"Hi."
"So,, what are you doing here?"
"Having fun, what about you?"
"Same thing."
"Are you with someone?"
"No, I'm all by myself."
"Oh, you can join us if you want to."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, please."
"o.k."
"cool, we were going to ride the rollercoaster again."
"You can ride it?"
"Sure, it's fun."
"I 'm scared of roller coasters."
"C'mon, I'll be right besides you."
"I don't know."
"Please."
"O,k,"
Eric grabbed Jackie's hand and they went to the rollercoaster with a lost Calleigh behind them.
They ride on the coaster with Eric and Jackie in a sit and Calleigh behind them with a frown that got heavier when the girl grabbed Eric's harm and he hold her closer smiling widely.
The trip ended and Calleigh got of in record time heading for the exit of the park without saying anything to Eric that didn't even noticed her absent in the middle of flirting with Jackie.