Chapter 15: Haunted
Reina couldn't sleep that night.
She wanted to blame the adrenaline from all the wine she'd consumed, but honestly she'd never had trouble sleeping after a night of drinking before.
No, I'm just still furious at everything that happened.
That was it. Between the mess with her father and yet another mess with Ander, it was no wonder that her ability to doze off was affected.
After Reina tossed and turned for what felt like the thousandth time, she gave up. Punching at her pillow and hoisting herself up into a sitting position on her bed, Reina stared at the inky darkness of her massive bedroom. Dawn was just breaking through the blinds of her floor-to-ceiling windows, and it felt like she was the only person awake in the entire world.
Reina retrieved her phone from the bedside table and scanned for messages. Matteo had sent several messages, asking her if she was okay and to call him back.
It was now several hours later, but Reina still tried her luck. Tapping at Matteo's name on her phone screen, she waited for him to pick up the call. After three attempts with no answer, she gave up.
Well. If she was stuck in her room at this hour, there was really only one thing she could do.
Less than ten minutes later, Reina was lounging on the velvet sofa by her bedroom windows, puffing on a joint that she'd just rolled.
Maybe this is the true meaning of life, Reina thought hazily as her body relaxed into the comfort of the sofa. Nobody needs anyone. All we need is weed and its sweet intoxication.
Something was still missing though – music!
Reina scrolled through her phone's Apple Music to look for a suitable album to listen to. Her eyes caught the sight of one of Drake's albums and her shoulders tensed up as her mind flashed back to the weed session she had with Ander in his room. With Drake providing the soundtrack to the session. The pizza. The kiss. Which led to –
"Damn you, Ander Muñoz," Reina swore out loud. Why did he inevitably appear in her thoughts, again and again?
Almost indignantly, she selected to play an album by Rosalía.
As the pristine sound of Rosalía's 'Malamente' streamed in from her room's Bang & Olufsen speaker system, Reina inhaled from her joint and decided on one thing: She had had enough of Drake's music in this lifetime.
Reina was dreaming about flying through clouds of candy floss when she was awakened by the persistent buzz of her phone next to her pillow.
She managed to crack one eye open to peek at the caller's name before she answered. "What is it, Kate?" she grumbled. "I was sleeping."
"Are you for real? It's almost 4pm, Reina."
"So?"
"Listen, we're on the way back from La Concha Beach. We're almost reaching Madrid, actually, and we're coming to pick you up. The plan is to head to Matteo's house. The boys and Emilia want to play tennis, but you and I can chill by the pool. The weather's amazing today. What do you say?"
"No thanks," Reina responded coolly. Apparently she was still not done being angry at Matteo and the rest of them for ditching her this weekend.
"Reina, don't be mad anymore. Matteo has a surprise for you."
"I'm not interested."
Kate made an impatient sound. "I'm passing the phone to Matteo. Hang on."
"Hello? Reina?" Matteo spoke.
"What is it, Matteo?" Reina muttered.
"Please just get ready, baby. We're about 45 minutes away."
"Look, I'm just not in the mood to socialize today."
"You don't have to do any socializing. Just come over and relax, okay? Kate heard from Christian that you and your father had a bad argument at the wine gala last night. I know you won't want to be at your house today, even more so than usual..."
"Kate and Christian? Are they BFFs now? They should just set up their own IGTV account and broadcast their collective news together," Reina quipped dryly.
Matteo chuckled. "You know that Kate is just using Christian to get any information that can be turned into our advantage. It's a great strategy."
Is that what Reina was doing with Ander too?
"Nothing matters to you except for winning at everything. Even if it means hurting other people to achieve your victories."
Apparently Ander's words had the ability to haunt Reina. And she hated it.
Reina decided that she definitely needed a huge distraction, otherwise she'd go crazy being alone with her thoughts, and very possibly with even more memories of Ander.
"Okay, I'll see you all in a bit," Reina told Matteo before hanging up.
By the time Noel's Range Rover Evoque pulled up at her driveway, Reina was in a better mood. She climbed in to the back seats where Matteo and Emilia were sitting.
"Hey Reina," Noel greeted from the driver's seat. "Good morning to you."
Kate laughed from the passenger seat. "Don't try to be cheeky. She might just bite your head off."
"Great seeing all of you too," Reina said with a roll of her eyes.
"We've missed you. Especially me," Matteo murmured next to her, wrapping his fingers around hers.
Reina glanced at Matteo. "Is that so? In the midst of having so much fun at La Concha? I'm shocked."
"It was Matteo's idea to come back early. To cheer you up," Emilia told her gently.
"The wine gala was a horrible event. You guys have no idea," Reina lamented.
Well, most of the gala was horrible – the part where she stood in a circle drinking with the Las Encinas people was actually maybe sort of bearable. Maybe.
"What happened exactly?" Noel asked.
Reina sighed. "That's a story for another day. Right now I just want to let loose and forget everything."
"As you wish," Matteo told her with a smile. "Also, Kate may have mentioned that I have a surprise for you..."
"She did..."
"It's waiting for you at the house. So you'll have to be patient for just a bit more."
"You're gonna love it, Reina," Kate declared with an envious sigh. "In rare times like this, I wish I was dating Matteo..."
"You probably dream of it every day and write my name on every page of your diary," Matteo teased.
"Gross. I take it back. I will never wish I was dating you," Kate replied, making a gagging sound.
After a couple more minutes of chatter among the five of them, Reina spotted the turning into the private road that led to Matteo's family home – Which was actually a huge mansion with a separate guest house, a tennis court and an Olympic-size pool.
Pretty impressive, but Reina still won. Her family home had two separate guest houses, a tennis court, an Olympic-size pool and a basketball court. Not that any of this was ever utilized in the slightest. Her father just loved extravagance, that was all. It was sickening.
"Okay, here we are," Matteo announced as the group stepped into the living room. He went to retrieve a flat orange-hued rectangle gift box that sat on the coffee table.
Reina drew in her breath quickly. She recognized that iconic orange box, of course – it was from Hermès.
"Open it," Kate squealed in excitement.
Reina took the gift box and carefully lifted the lid, which revealed a chic black and white silk scarf with intricate prints.
"This is limited edition," Reina spoke. "How did you..?"
"Hermès wants to work with my mother for their new campaign. So she asked for this small favor from them," Matteo explained, grinning.
"It's gorgeous, I love it." Reina stood on her tiptoes to give Matteo a kiss on the lips. "Thank you, baby."
"All right. Reina has been appeased, so everyone can breathe easy now," Noel joked.
Reina stuck out her tongue at Noel.
"Time for tennis!" Matteo said. "Eric texted me to say he'll be here in ten minutes. Let's go warm up first."
Noel and Emilia nodded, following Matteo out to the tennis court.
Meanwhile, Reina and Kate made their way to the poolside. They were both dressed in bikini tops and denim shorts. And Kate was right – the weather was perfect for poolside relaxation. The late afternoon sun was merely peeking through the clouds and a cooling breeze tickled their faces.
Kate got one of the house helpers to prepare mimosas for them, and before long, the two girls were sitting on the pool ledge with their legs dipped in the water, sipping on mimosas in crystal flutes.
"I really needed this," Reina stated appreciatively.
"It's not a bad way to end a Sunday," Kate responded as she finished her mimosa and reached for a second one.
"So how was La Concha? Amazing, I suppose?" Reina asked.
Kate nodded her head. "The hotel was right in front of the beach, and we had our own infinity pool and sundeck. Also, the seafood was divine. Especially the calamari ala plancha, oh my God. So good!"
"Okay, okay. Please stop before I start wallowing in self-pity again," Reina said. She looked thoughtful for a second. "Emi seems a little quiet today. Did something happen at the trip or something?"
Kate blinked then cleared her throat. "Perhaps she was just feeling tired. We didn't get much sleep at La Concha, as you can imagine. We drank till the morning."
"Right..." Reina stared at Kate. "Or is it something that you don't want to tell me?"
Kate didn't answer immediately. "I don't know, Reina. I'm not sure how you'd react. And honestly, I thought you would've figured it out on your own..."
Reina frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"
"Do you really want me to be truthful with you?"
Reina put down her mimosa and gave Kate her full concentration. "Yes."
When she saw that Kate was still hesitant, she blurted out, "Do I have a problem? Am I self-absorbed? And do I care too much about winning and nothing else?"
Kate's eyebrows shot up. "Whoa, where did all this come from?"
"It doesn't matter. I just want to know. Is that what all of you think about me?"
"Well Reina, we've always been very careful around you. Careful about what we say and do. Because you're..." Kate paused.
"I'm what?" Reina prodded.
"You're just... not easy to be with."
"So I'm difficult," Reina said flatly.
Kate shrugged. "Well, your temperament is hardly the best. But there's something else. See, I've been in this group for so many years, from when Noel and I were dating, to when we broke up, and then to now, when we've become best friends. Through it all, I – I can't say for sure that you and I are friends. At least not in a way that goes beyond the superficial surface."
"Why is that?"
"Like you said, you don't care much about anything, apart from winning. I don't know if I can trust you or rely on you as a, well, a semi-decent human being..."
Ouch.
Trying not to sound emotional in any way, Reina replied, "I see."
"Don't get me wrong, we do have fun together. Lots of fun. You're always the life of the party. And Matteo adores you, so as Matteo's friends, we totally support him."
"Do you really?" Reina wondered. "I honestly want to know."
Kate's face grew serious. "If you must know... The way things are between you and Matteo right now, I think you two may not be good for each other. You bring out the competitiveness in him. He indulges you far too much and lets you get away with murder. It's just not healthy, you know? I just feel that you and Matteo have a lot to work on when it comes to improving the relationship."
Double ouch.
"I appreciate your honesty." Reina lowered her gaze for a second, then looked up again at Kate. "But I'm not sure how all of this relates to my question about Emi...?"
Kate laughed without humor. "My honesty has its limits."
"Come on, Kate. Don't leave me to die from curiosity here."
"Fine. But promise you won't freak out, okay?"
"So dramatic. But whatever. Okay. I promise."
Kate pursed her lips. "Our dearest Emi, she's been in love with Matteo for the longest time. You know they go way back, like since their preschool days?"
Reina involuntarily gasped. Why hadn't she noticed anything before? Her level of self-absorption must be even higher than she'd thought.
"But you don't have to worry," Kate added hastily. "Emi enjoyed hanging out with Matteo at La Concha, sure. It reminded her of their old times. And she probably felt something when we returned today. It's back to reality for her. But I know Emi would never try anything. She fully respects your relationship with Matteo. And besides, Matteo is another dense one. He'd never see Emi as anything beyond a childhood friend."
"Wow." Reina dropped her face into her hands, still reeling from everything that Kate had told her.
"Our group is rather interesting, isn't it?" Kate remarked.
Reina sighed. "That would be an understatement."
The next day after school, Reina found herself standing at the front door of the Muñoz residence.
Here I go with my attempt at being a semi-decent human being.
She took a deep breath before pressing the doorbell.
The door was briskly opened and Azucena Muñoz appeared. "Reina, hello. What a nice surprise."
"Hi Azucena," Reina said, her smile tinged with nervousness. "Is Ander at home please?"