Not Even Close (A New Generation)

by Elizabeth Reyes

  “Why not?” her roomie asked very seriously. “You’ve been here what? Two days this week? And I’m happy for you Vannah, I really am. I’ve never seen anyone so blissfully content. Financially, it’d only make sense if you did move in with him, and I know how much you hate your parents spending so much money if they don’t have to. I’m only asking because if you do, I’ll need to find another roommate.”

  “Well, I’m not,” Vannah said feeling her insides go a little crazy because Byron had dropped a few hints already. “Way too soon for that and I’m sure my parents would sooner prefer to keep paying for this than have me move in with a guy I’ve only known a few months. So, don’t worry it’d be out of the question even if I wanted to.”

  Technically, Vannah knew she was an adult, and while her parents could express their concern all they wanted, she knew they’d never impede on her happiness if it’s what she really wanted.

  While the thought was a pleasant one, and now that Byron had completely opened up about his feelings for her, it was less terrifying to get too ahead of herself, it was still a scary thought. Even the most perfect of unions weren’t guaranteed to last. It’d be hard enough to deal with if something went wrong and they broke things off as it was. But if she moved in with him and things went south, she’d be having to make an entire life change. Despite everything, it was still too soon to take that kind of risk.

  There was no time to discuss things any further. Vannah rushed out agreeing to meet Xochitl after her last class for coffee before turning in her paper at the lab, so she could leave and go straight home after. She wouldn’t even get a chance to see Byron one last time before she left, because he’d be busy filming for the reality show all day.

  Groaning when she picked up her phone as she drove into the school’s parking lot, she saw she had less than thirty percent left of battery life. In her haste to rush out of Byron’s today she forgot her spare charger there. The one she usually kept in her car to charge it when she was on the road. Grabbing her things, she darted off to her first class.

  By the end of the day, she was down to less than five percent battery life on her phone. She’d even turned the damn thing off for a better part of the day to preserve as much battery life as possible. After sending Xochitl a text to let her know she was at the on-campus coffee shop waiting for her, then sending Byron a text to tell him she loved him, she turned it back off again.

  “Oh, my God I’m starving,” Xochitl said as she took the seat across the booth from Vannah. “They have sandwiches and pastries here.”

  “I’m feeling more like a big fat burger or a nice deep-dish pizza.”

  “Well, if you wanna walk clear across campus to the food court, you’re on your own. I don’t have time.” Vannah sipped her coffee. “I still have this paper I have to turn in at the lab.”

  “My life,” Xochitl said staring at something behind Vannah. “It never fails when I’m craving something. What are the odds the GrubHub girl would be delivering both burgers and a pizza right here, right now?”

  Already smiling at her friend’s irritation, Vannah turned to see what she was talking about. Almost at the same moment, both her and Irma did a double take when they recognized each other. If it weren’t for the distinct pale red hair Vannah might not have, but there was no missing it and clearly the girl recognized her.

  “You know her?” Xochitl asked as soon as Vannah turned back to her coffee.

  “Not really, but I know of her.”

  “She keeps looking over here,” Xochitl said glancing behind Vannah casually, before sipping her coffee. “Who is she?”

  “A not so pleasant blast from the past. Remember the girl I told you showed up at Byron’s way back.” Xochitl’s brows furrowed in question. “The night we had dinner with my parents?”

  Xochitl’s eyes went wide as her eyes glanced behind Vannah again. “Well, shit I think she’s coming over here.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “Nope. Here she comes.” Xochitl took another sip of her coffee. “Don’t worry, girl. I got your back.”

  If Vannah’s head wasn’t racing, trying to make sense of why this girl would want to approach her, Vannah might’ve laughed at that.

  “Hey,” Vannah’s heart spiked at the sight of the girl at their booth. “You might not remember me—”

  “I do,” Vannah said lifting her chin sitting up a little straighter.

  “I, uh . . .” Irma cleared her throat nervously. “Not sure if you’re still hanging with Byron but if you are, I was just wondering if maybe you could ask him if I left an earring at his place. I spent the night at his place the night before I saw you there with him. It’s expensive and not even mine. I’ve tried to reach out but . . .”

  Vannah wasn’t even paying attention anymore. Byron had slept with this girl the night before he took Vannah back to his house, after having dinner with her parents? That text he’d sent about having plans with someone else had been true. He’d slept with this girl after the week they’d had when he said he’d never connected so quickly to any other girl.

  “. . . teardrop shape. I didn’t even realize I lost it until days later. I can’t afford to replace it and would’ve just stopped by the shop, but uh, Byron said something about a restraining order, and I can’t risk that.”

  Not wanting to look at this girl for even another second and risk envisioning her wrapped around Byron, Vannah refrained from shuddering before nodding. “I’ll ask him.”

  Irma nodded and turned to Xochitl with a weak smile before turning back to Vannah. “Thank you.”

  The moment she was far enough away Xochitl reached her hand across the table and touched Vannah’s. “I don’t buy for a second that she didn’t know you’re still with him, and this wasn’t just her way of retaliating the fact that she’d been rejected that night because of you. You said she was pissed when she saw you, right? Earring my ass—”

  “We did find an earring that day.” Vannah had left that part out when she’d told Xochitl about the incident because she’d felt too pathetic having let him off the hook so easily. Her friend started to say something about it possibly being a coincidence. “It was a teardrop shape, and it was in his bed, Soch. We found it because he’d wanted to change the sheets before we laid down in it.” Vannah thought about how nervous he’d seemed that day. “He’d probably been nervous about what else I might notice or find in those sheets.”

  The very thought nauseated Vannah now, as she felt her eyes flood suddenly. Irma was the date he’d texted her about and then sent her packing when she showed up because his plans had suddenly changed. No wonder the girl had been so mad that night.

  “Okay, okay” Xochitl tapped Vannah’s hand. “Let’s say she did spend the night with him that night. Technically you two weren’t even exclusive then, remember? And, and, and that would be the night he thought he’d seen you making out with someone else.” Xochitl tilted her head raising her brows at Vannah. “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.” Her brows furrowed as if to think about that, then shook her head. “Anyway, for all he knew at the time he wasn’t doing anything worse that what he thought you’d possibly done. In any case, if it bothers you that much, do what your mother always tells you too. Talk to him. Talk it out.”

  Done discussing this and wanting nothing more but to hear his voice now, Vannah got her things and they both started out. Xochitl had a point. This was something that happened long before things were official between them and he’d been upfront and honest about his busy past. She’d even gotten plenty of proof about it those first few weeks. She wasn’t sure why this felt like such a slap in the face. But like when she’d first gotten that awful text from him back then, it was making her emotional now. Why did she even care? Everything was so different now. So perfect and she believed him with all her heart when he said he loved her. She just needed to hear him say it again.

  “I thought you were going to the lab to turn in your paper?” Xochitl said
when they passed it, and Vannah kept walking with her in the direction of the parking lot.

  “I need to go pick up my charger from our dorm before heading home to my parents,” Vannah explained pulling her phone out and turning it on. “I left my spare at Byron’s.”

  They exchanged glances when they walked by Ms. Thang and the guy she was obviously having an affair with now. “I can’t believe her,” Xochitl whispered then turned to Vannah before walking off in the direction of her next class. “Listen, seriously, Vannah. If this whole thing with that girl really bothers you, talk to him. Ask him about it and hash it out but I really don’t think you should let it ruin what you have with him. You said more than once you wouldn’t be holding his past against him and technically it’s what this girl is. The guy told his family he’d marry you tomorrow, for crying out loud. You two are too good together.”

  Her friend leaned in and hugged her. Vannah pouted as she pulled away still feeling stupidly emotional. “I will.” She lifted her phone. “Don’t think I have enough juice to get through a whole conversation until I get home and charge this, but I will.”

  Twenty-Eight

  Standoff

  Byron

  Taking advantage of the break between filming, Byron let them know he was going upstairs to make a few calls. He hadn’t talked or even had a chance to check his texts all day, they’d kept him so busy. As soon as he was in his front room he plopped down onto his sofa and checked his texts skipping all of them until he saw the text from Savannah and smiled big as he clicked on it and read it.

  I love you!

  It’d been sent about a half hour earlier. Likely when she was done with class and headed out to La Jolla. He hit the speed dial. It rang two times before she answered.

  “Hello?”

  Just hearing her voice had him smiling even bigger. “Hey, baby. You on your way home already?”

  “No, I forgot my charger at your place, so I’m picking up the one at the dorm first, turning in my assignment from there instead of the lab at school, then taking off.”

  He almost wished he wasn’t so attuned to her demeanor, because there was an instant concern when he picked up on her sounding off. “Everything okay?” When she didn’t respond immediately, he sat up slowly. “Savannah, something wrong?”

  “I ran into Irma today.”

  His mind raced. Irma? Then it hit him, and his stomach plummeted making him sit up even straighter. “Yeah? She say something to you?”

  She was silent for a moment but after a few harrowing seconds, she finally spoke up. “She did actually. She lost her earring when she spent the night at your place. Said it was the night before she showed up . . . The night she was so angry when she saw me there.”

  Shooting up from the sofa feeling incensed and horrified, Byron refrained from growling. “I would’ve told you, Savannah. I swear to God—”

  He froze when the line went dead. Glancing down at his phone he got confirmation that she’d hung up on him. “Fuck!” He roared at the top of his lungs before hitting redial instantly.

  Of course, the call went straight to voicemail and he ran his fingers through his hair roughly. “Son of a bitch!”

  After trying Savannah a couple more times with the same outcome, he scrolled through his old texts since he didn’t even have Irma on his contact list anymore. But before he could find the last exchange between them which was months ago there was a knock at his door. The door flung open before he could even ask who it was. Beast, Nine, and Orlando walked in.

  “You ready to get back to this shit? Trying to be done with this in under an hour,” Beast said as he walked straight to the fridge. “Lila’s with Ali and the kids but I don’t wanna keep her there all night. Sure as fuck wish Ali would just let me hire a temporary care taker until she fully recovers from her C-section.”

  “Why doesn’t she?” Orlando asked taking a seat at the kitchen counter.

  “Doesn’t like the idea of strangers around the kids.” Beast pulled out a water bottle from the fridge. “I don’t either, but we’d go through an agency that does extensive background checks and shit. Only her sister’s adamant she’s got it. Whole foster care crap they went through growing up, has them both dead set against the kids being cared for by strangers. Even Lila’s nanny is a longtime and trusted family friend of her husbands.”

  “I don’t blame them,” Nine said shaking his head. “It’s why I thank God Dee Dee can work from home.”

  Byron listened impatiently to the Husbands of Boyle Heights blather on about their childcare matters. Several long minutes later, Beast slapped his hand down on the counter, marking the end of their little daddy drivel fest. “Let’s do this. I wanna get out here before six.”

  With all his calls to Savannah still going straight to voicemail and her not responding to any of his pathetic pleading texts, Byron had no choice but to get back to work. She’d probably be home soon anyway. She wouldn’t be able to talk in depth until at least much later tonight.

  Knowing how much Beast wanted to get back to his wife and kids, Byron offered to let his own footage be shot last, so his brother could leave early. Half hour after that, Byron’s phone rang, and he nearly jumped off his stool. His heart just about gave when he saw it was Savannah’s mom.

  Not sure what to expect, he answered almost breathlessly. “Hello?”

  “Is Savannah with you?”

  “No.” He walked away from the crew without explanation, his heart speeding up now for an altogether different reason. “I thought she’d be with you.”

  “She was supposed to be. Should’ve arrived over an hour ago but she never got here, and we can’t get a hold of her.”

  “I . . . I’ve been working. I thought she’d be home by now.”

  “She’s not. When’s the last time you talked to her?”

  Byron checked his watch relieved, and not sure why her mother sounded so alarmed. “Just over two hours ago. She said she was going back to her dorm to turn in an assignment, then head back home right after.”

  “Oh, thank God!” she said sounding overly relieved. “So, she wasn’t at school anymore?”

  “No, why?”

  “You haven’t watched the news? There’s some kind of standoff at her school. A shooting, and we haven’t been able to get a hold of her in over two hours. Xochitl isn’t answering either.”

  Feeling his heart thud, Byron stopped in his tracks. “Standoff?”

  “Yes, we’ve been so worried.” Her mother went on. “Her father is already headed out there with his brothers and my son. But you’re saying two hours ago she was going back to her dorm?”

  “Yeah.” He nodded suddenly feeling enormously relieved. Obviously, her mom was overreacting, right? “She also mentioned needing to pick up her phone charger but would be headed out right after. She should be there soon. Maybe her phone just wasn’t charged enough. It might’ve died on the way.” He explained about Savannah having left her car charger at his place. “The one at her dorm only charges on the wall.”

  It made sense, he told himself inwardly, despite her parents being this worried making him feel alarmed. All Byron’s calls to her had gone straight to voicemail. Even if she was pissed at him, she wouldn’t have deliberately turned her phone off knowing her family might try to get a hold of her. Her mother said she’d call her dad and let him know, since he was likely still thinking the worst.

  “I’ll call you as soon as I know anything,” Byron said. “Please call me if you hear something first.”

  “Will do.”

  They were off the phone, but there was no way Byron was going back to filming. There had to be something he could do. “I gotta cut this short, guys,” he said as soon as he was back to where they were waiting on him, but didn’t even wait for them to respond, or bother to explain why.

  He hit speed dial as he rushed upstairs to his apartment. To his surprise, Savannah’s phone wasn’t going straight to voicemail anymore, but she still wasn’t answering. H
e waited until it finally did go to her voicemail before hanging up.

  Grabbing his keys, he cursed himself for not having asked Savannah’s mom for Xochitl’s number. He’d never thought to ask Savannah for it either. With no other recourse, he told Nine to close up for him because he had to leave ASAP and headed to her dorm.

  He rushed out and into his car, his mind racing but he refused to give into the ugly thoughts that maybe she’d been in an accident or something worse. Since her phone was ringing now, he tried her mom again. “When’s the last time you tried calling her?” he asked as soon as she answered.

  “I was calling every five minutes but since its going straight to voicemail, I stopped trying about twenty minutes ago.”

  “Try her now. It’s ringing now but she’s not answering. She was upset with me when I last talked to her, but I’m sure she’ll answer you.”

  Her mom was quiet for a second, but thankfully didn’t ask why Savannah was upset. A few minutes later he read the text from her mom letting him know Savannah hadn’t answered.

  “Fuck!”

  He banged his steering wheel and tried Savannah again a few more times. Each time it rang until it went to voicemail. As he pulled into the parking lot of her dorm the line surprisingly clicked midway through the third ring and Byron’s heart nearly burst with relief, until he heard the male voice on the other end.

  “Hello?”

  Glancing down, he checked to make sure he hadn’t hit a different number by mistake, but confirmed it was hers. It’s when another thought of why she might be missing came to him, and he was hit with a mixture of terror and rage. “Who the fuck is this? And where’s Savannah?”

  “This is her father.”

  Byron stopped cold just as he jumped out of his car and almost smiled. “Mr. Moreno? You found her?”

  “No. Just her phone.” Feeling the blood thrum in his ears, Byron swallowed hard not sure what to think. But he started toward her dorm anyway. “What do you mean? Where?”

  “Here at her dorm. We just got here. It was still on the charger.”