Unbreakable Love

by Yesenia Vargas

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to ride the bus home.”

  “What about your little brother?” They looked towards the bus. Jimmy had already taken a seat, rested his head against the window, and closed his eyes. Ryan was beside him, playing on an iPod.

  “I’m sure he’ll figure out where I am.” Ariana and Mayra walked towards a grassy area with some benches.

  The buses began to pull out of the lot, one by one, until she and Mayra were the only ones left standing in the bus area, except for a substitute teacher heading to her car. The student parking lot was still mostly full and buzzing with people.

  “So what’s the plan? How are we getting home?” Mayra looked at her with her arms crossed. “Cuz I sure as hell don’t see anyone who can give us a lift.”

  “Help me look for Carlos.”

  “Someone liked riding in a certain boy’s car.”

  They headed toward the student parking lot. They saw Carlos by himself off in the distance. He was putting his stuff in the back of his car, about to leave. Apparently, they had been about to miss him. She didn’t want to think about what would have happened then.

  “Hey, that’s Sarah over there. I bet she’ll give me a ride. My house is on her way.”

  “You’re leaving me alone?”

  “Isn’t that what you want?” Mayra looked puzzled.

  “I thought you were coming with me.” What the heck would she do with Carlos on her own? Okay, there are a lot things we could do alone, she thought.

  “You need to do this on your own.” Mayra came closer. “I’ve been holding your hand, and now it’s time for you to fly out of the nest. Now go get him before he leaves. I’ll see ya later.”

  “Wait. What happened to being careful?”

  Mayra looked at her. “I’m not saying don’t be careful. Give him a chance, but make sure he’s a good guy too.”

  Ariana nodded. Mayra gave her a hug and walked off, just like that.

  It’s not that she didn’t trust Carlos. He was a great guy. It’s not like she felt in harm’s way or something. She was just nervous. Beyond nervous. She had no clue what to say.

  But now she had no choice. She needed a ride home.

  ***

  Ariana walked over to Carlos’s car.

  Carlos’s back was to her, so he didn’t see her come up behind him. Ariana tapped his shoulder. Just touching him made her stomach feel funny.

  He turned around and smiled when he saw it was her. “Hey. What brings you to this part of the school? Miss the bus again?”

  “Yeah. Didn’t really feel like riding it today.”

  He nodded and smiled. She had been about to go on to say that she’d much rather catch a ride with him, but her confidence had vanished. She opened her mouth to say something, anything.

  “Can I catch a ride with you?”

  “Oh. I have a basketball game with the guys in like thirty minutes.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” She began to walk away, mortified.

  “But I’m sure they won’t mind if I’m a little late.”

  This was not going according to plan. “No, it’s okay, I’ll just walk.”

  Carlos grabbed her hand. “Hey. Get back here.”

  “I don’t want to bother you.” Her hand was still in his. She liked it there. They were just inches apart.

  He took her other hand. “I’d love to give you a ride home.” Carlos smiled and opened the car door for her.

  “Thanks.” She put her book bag on the floor of the car and slipped in. Carlos shut the door and walked around to the driver’s side. He got in and turned on the car.

  Ariana couldn’t believe she was in a guy’s car. Again. She had broken her parents’ rules. Again. She realized that she kind of liked the feeling, but she pushed it out her mind, not sure how she felt about that discovery.

  Carlos backed out of his parking spot effortlessly and revved the engine of his car as they left the school parking lot.

  “So you play basketball after school?”

  “Yeah, every Wednesday after school at the park. You should come sometime. See us crush the competition.” He looked over and smiled quickly.

  She nodded and looked at the dashboard. Like that would ever happen. She’d have to lie to her parents just to get as far as the driveway.

  “What position do you play?”

  “Shooting guard.”

  Ariana blinked.

  “I specialize in three-pointers, and just generally make the longer shots.

  “Oh. I think that’s what Jimmy does.”

  He nodded. Silence.

  “Sorry again about making you late to your game.”

  “You don’t have anything to be sorry about.” He turned to her for two seconds. “It’s nice to see you outside of the hallways at school.”

  She smiled.

  He turned onto another road. They would be at her house within a few minutes.

  “So have you decided what you’re going to do after graduation?” she asked, trying to pick up the conversation from last time.

  “I’m not sure. Still figuring that out. I like working with cars, so maybe I’ll study that. But I also kinda want to take a year off. I need a break from school, you know?”

  “I get that.”

  “So what about you? What’s in your future?”

  “Not sure, maybe business, like I said. Just trying to get through this year first, I guess. My parents want me to go to college, but I’m not sure.” Why had she said that? Of course she wanted to go to college, but it’s like the words that were coming out of her mouth weren’t hers. They were someone else’s.

  “Sounds like you’ve got pretty strict parents.”

  “The strictest. I hate it. Honestly, I can’t wait until I’m old enough to drive at least. Then I’ll get some say into what I want to do with my life. Or my weekends, for that matter.”

  “But until then, I guess you’re stuck with me, huh?”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

  They were turning onto her street now.

  “Although, I’m not sure I’d exactly describe it as stuck.” He smiled. She noticed his eyes and how perfectly they squinted when he smiled.

  “Me neither.”

  She tried to focus on her breathing, seeing as how it was difficult all of a sudden, and think of something to say.

  “I really hope we can see each other again. Outside of school.”

  “Yeah.” Yeah? Was that the best she could do?

  They pulled into her driveway. Or rather, Mayra’s driveway.

  “Thanks for the ride.” She got out of the car.

  “Any time.”

  She started walking towards her house while he pulled out and drove off, revving the engine again as he did. She couldn’t help but watch him disappear around the curve, wishing she had had the courage to ask him more about himself.

  As she turned around, she noticed her mom’s car in the driveway, parked near the side of the house where it was hard to see.

  Her heart began beating wildly, more so than when she had been in Carlos’ car.

  Had her mom seen her get home in a guy’s car instead of the bus? Was Jimmy even home yet?

  Damn. She looked around and couldn’t tell if the bus had already come through. What was she going to do? What time was it anyway? She checked her phone. The bus had probably come by less than five minutes ago.

  She walked up the driveway, trying not to make any noise. Then the front door opened, and her mom came out with a pot in her hand. Ariana looked back behind her, glad to see Carlos was long gone. Oh, thank God he isn’t here to see this, she thought.

  “Whose car did you just get out of, Ariana?” Ariana could see a vein popping up on her mom’s forehead. Her steps slowed down to a crawl, but her mom came right at her.

  “Answer me, Ariana! Right now!” She waved the pot at Ariana, but she was just gesturing out of anger—not trying to hit her. For now at least.

  Should she just
come right out and say it? Or lie?

  Her mom sprung at her suddenly, and Ariana jumped back, a little scared. She had never seen her mother like this.

  “He’s just a friend! I asked him if he would give me a ride home because I missed the bus.”

  “A friend? Are you sure he’s not your novio? Don’t lie to me!”

  “No! He’s a friend! He’s nice!” She tried to walk past her and into the house. Her mom grabbed her by her book bag, and Ariana spun around out of her grip and faced her mom.

  “I’m not done with you. Why did you miss the bus?” The pot was no longer in the air, but it was still by her side. Ariana couldn’t help glancing at it.

  “I was asking a teacher about a test tomorrow, and I missed the bus. Gosh, leave me alone!” She was breathing heavily, even though she hadn’t been running.

  She didn’t know where that surge of anger had come from. But she rolled with it and rushed inside before her mother could ask her anything else. She was even going to slam the door, but she caught it at the last minute.

  Who knew? Her mother might actually use that pot.

  “Shit,” she said to herself. She walked quickly down the hallway with her book bag still on her shoulder. Jimmy came out of his room as she passed by his door.

  “What the hell was that about?” he asked. He had just gotten home, but he was already in a white tank.

  She just shook her head and closed the door behind her as she went into her room. She threw her book bag on the floor and threw herself onto her bed.

  She wondered what would happen when her father got home. The real show would begin then. She might as well call one of those insane family drama shows and get her fifteen minutes of fame before her parents killed her and made Jimmy clean up after them.

  There was a knock on the door. It was probably Jimmy. Her mother would have just barged in, screaming.

  “Come in.”

  Sure enough, Jimmy came in and sat at her desk.

  She just stared at him, half her face still hidden by the pillow, waiting for him to say what he had come in to say.

  “Mom’s on the phone with Dad. She’s pissed. Why the hell did you do that for?”

  Ariana just took a big sigh. She literally wanted to sink into her pillow, her bed, and just disappear.

  What the heck had she been thinking? She should have just ridden the bus home with Jimmy, not gone looking for Carlos.

  And to top it all off, her mom had been home. The one thing that would have put the icing on the cake was if her mom had managed to say something to Carlos. Or throw that metal pot at his car and break a window or something. That would have been so embarrassing. The cops would have come, and Carlos would surely never talk to her again.

  “What are you going to tell them?”

  What am I going to tell them? “I have no freakin’ idea,” she said quietly.

  “I saw you in front of the bus. You walked away. You should have just gotten on, Ariana. Then none of this would have happened.”

  “I know that!” She had pulled her face out of her pillow to scream at her brother. Jimmy stared at her, his eyebrows knit together. She never yelled at him.

  She pushed her face into the pillow again.

  “Seriously. What’s up with you and that guy? You in love with him or something? You’ve ridden home with him twice now. Mom and Dad aren’t stupid. You should’ve known they’d figure it out kinda quick. Is it even worth it? I mean, you hardly know the guy. He doesn’t even seem like a good guy, much less the kind of guy for you.”

  “How do you know who’s right for me? I think I know myself better than you know me. I know what I want. And I can tell you what I don’t want. I don’t want Mom and Dad treating me like a ten-year-old anymore. I’m almost seventeen years old. I have feelings. I’m tired of being told what to do and what not to do.”

  She was up on her knees now, the pillow forgotten by her side. Her throat hurt, like when she was about to cry. She struggled to breathe. Tears swelled her eyes, and she willed them away.

  Jimmy took a deep breath. And then he nodded. “You know I’ve got your back, but still. I just don’t like this.”

  ***

  Less than an hour later, her father was home. Ariana hadn’t yet come out of her room. Even Jimmy had sauntered back into his room. She hadn’t turned on the television. She hadn’t even moved. What was she going to tell them?

  Her father was going to have a huge fit. How could she have been so stupid? She felt a huge pit in her stomach. It felt worse than throwing up, worse than being sick. This was real, almost tangible, dread.

  A few minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. It was Jimmy.

  “Yeah?”

  “Mom and Dad said to come to the living room.” He stood in the doorway, waiting for her to move. She took a deep breath and followed him out.

  Her father was calm. Too calm. He was sitting on the sofa and staring at the floor. When she came in, his eyes focused on her and stayed there. His lips were squeezed tight as he looked up at her.

  “Where were you today?” he asked in Spanish.

  “I missed the bus so I asked a friend if he could give me a ride home.” She was standing before him. He looked up at her.

  “Why didn’t you call one of us to come get you?” Each word he spoke had been louder than the last. His face was red. Her mother was standing beside him with her arms crossed across her chest. Jimmy had sat down on the other sofa, the one between Ariana and her parents.

  She shrugged. “My phone ran out of battery.”

  Wrong thing to say. Her father shook his head and took a deep breath. “So you can get a ride home from a boy, but you can’t ask someone to lend you their cell phone? You couldn’t have gone into the school and asked at the office to use the phone?”

  She hadn’t thought of that.

  “What do you have to say? Explain yourself,” her mother said.

  She just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. She gave a sigh.

  “Your mother just asked you a question, Ariana. Answer it.” Her father stared at her.

  “I have nothing to say. I know I’m getting in trouble either way, so what does it matter?”

  “You want to do things that way? Okay. We will. Hand over your cell phone. No computer. For two weeks. I think that’s what you need to stay focused on school and not boys. You don’t have time for boyfriends right now. And you’re not old enough either.”

  She shook her head as hot tears filled her eyes. She didn’t have time for boyfriends? How had this even turned into a boyfriend issue?

  She had just gotten a ride home from someone who happened to be a guy. And who happened to be into her. Unfortunately, it was never as simple as that for her parents. Besides, I have plenty of time with nothing to do, she thought. She was home all the time and wasn’t allowed to go anywhere (with the exception of Mayra’s house, sometimes) unless her parents went with her.

  “I’m sixteen. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to accept that I’m growing up. Whether you like it or not. And, in less two years, I can legally do whatever I want. I won’t have to listen to you anymore.”

  “Ariana…” It was Jimmy. She could tell by the way he said her name that he was astounded at her response.

  “It’s true.”

  “Stop s—”

  “It’s okay, Jimmy,” her mother said. “Let her say those things. But while she’s under our roof, it doesn’t matter if she’s eighteen or eighty. She will have to follow our rules. Give me your cell phone. Now.”

  She rolled her eyes and stomped to her room. She was about to slam the door, but thought better of it at the last second—again. Her phone was actually in the pocket of her hoodie, but she needed to delete Carlos’s text messages. She realized she didn’t have time to go through and delete those and not Mayra’s, so she just settled for deleting all of them at once.

  She went back to the living room and placed the phone in her mother’s outstretched hand.r />
  “Now get started on those dishes. You can help with the laundry after that.”

  Shut the hell up, she thought, fuming. She clenched her teeth and walked to the kitchen.

  ***

  Ariana couldn’t wait to tell Mayra everything that had happened.

  The next day at lunch, she finally got the chance. And as if things hadn’t been bad enough, there had been a pop quiz in world history, and she hadn’t done the reading. She had been too busy sulking in her room, not to mention cleaning every nook and cranny of the house as punishment.

  She looked down at her lunch tray. Even the cafeteria food sucked extra today. The only thing that looked remotely edible was the small container of canned peaches.

  Mayra sat down beside her. “Please let me borrow a dollar,” Ariana pleaded.

  “Watcha need a dollar for?”

  “Soda. Caffeine. And some chips. This food sucks. I can’t eat it, and I’m starving.” She had already looked in her bag for money, but she’d been thirty cents short for even a soda.

  “Okay, okay. Don’t fret.” Mayra began rummaging in her backpack. She pulled out her pocketbook and took out two rumpled dollar bills.

  “Here.”

  “You’re a lifesaver. I’ll be right back, and then I’ll tell you what happened last night with my parents. Worst night ever.”

  “Hurry then. I want to hear this.” She began digging into her salad. Ariana hated salads.

  She ran to the vending machine and put in her dollar for some chips. She grabbed them, took a couple steps to the right, and put in the other dollar and some change for a soda.

  She pressed the button for a soda. Then, at the same time, she felt someone behind her and heard a sexy whisper in her ear.

  “Hey, Cinderella.”

  She turned around in about two seconds.

  Carlos. With a smile on his face. When didn’t he smile? There wasn’t a pencil behind his ear today, though.

  “Hey.”

  “I texted you last night, but maybe you were asleep or ignoring me? I never got a reply.”