Unbreakable Love

by Yesenia Vargas

  “Precisely,” replied Mayra.

  “Jimmy and I have a plan to ask our parents. Hopefully, they’ll say yes.”

  ***

  That Friday afternoon, Ariana and Jimmy got home and cleaned the house. Not that it was very dirty to begin with, but they thought it couldn’t hurt. Then Ariana lay down on the couch and texted Carlos while they waited for them to get home.

  Their mom got home first, and she immediately changed into more comfortable clothes and came to sit down on the sofa and watch TV with Ariana and Jimmy.

  “You guys cleaned the house?”

  “Yep,” Jimmy said, handing her the remote.

  “Ay, gracias, mijo.” She flipped to the Spanish channel.

  About twenty minutes later, her dad was home, and he joined them on the sofa after taking a shower.

  “Oh, I don’t want to get up and make dinner,” her mom said. She was resting her head on her dad’s shoulder. Jimmy came into the living room after having gone to the bathroom.

  “Why don’t we order in for once?” he asked, sitting down next to Ariana. “It’s Friday.”

  “Yeah!” she chimed in.

  “Why don’t you guys order some pizza?” Her dad spoke up, not moving his eyes from the TV. “And get ‘em to bring some soda too.”

  “I’ll get the phone,” Jimmy jumped up. In about five minutes, he had ordered a couple of pizzas, some hot wings, and a two liter of soda. The whole family sat there watching her parents’ favorite novela until the pizza got there half an hour later. Her dad’s left arm was wrapped around her while his right arm was wrapped around her mom. And Jimmy was sprawled out on the other sofa. Ariana and her mom commented on how good-looking the actors were while Jimmy and her dad sat up straight to watch the fistfights that erupted.

  When the doorbell finally rang, Jimmy jumped up while her dad got out his wallet and fished for some bills. A minute later, he was back with a stack of pizzas. They even got to eat in the living room, which Ariana could only remember doing once before in her life. She pulled out some paper plates and napkins from the kitchen cabinet, some cups, and they were good to go.

  They were having a good time. Family time. After her third slice of pineapple and pepperoni pizza, Ariana was done. She felt sleepy and full.

  Her parents had also finished eating. Her mom had brought some blankets from the hallway closet, and they were all too cozy, full, and sleepy to talk much. Except for Jimmy. He was still working on his fifth slice of pizza.

  She had almost forgotten what they were gonna talk about until Jimmy took one last swig of soda, cleaned up the mess, and sat back down. The soap was over, and her parents looked like they were about to get up to go to bed.

  “Mom, Dad? Ariana and I want to talk to you about something.”

  They looked at them. For a moment, her parents looked really suspicious, like they were expecting them both to ask for permission to go out or something.

  “You know Ariana's birthday is coming up, and you were thinking about getting her a car,” he began. Her dad hmphed. So not all was forgotten, she thought. He sure didn’t look sleepy anymore, that’s for sure.

  “Ariana and I were thinking that her having a car could be really useful to us as a family.” He paused, probably trying to gauge them. He was really piling it on, she thought.

  “And why is that, Jimmy?” their dad asked, shifting in his seat.

  Jimmy took a breath and let it out. “I want to try out for the varsity basketball team at school.”

  “Why do you need to do that, mijo?” Her mom finally spoke up. “We bought you a basketball hoop so you could play here with your friends.”

  “I know. And that’s fun. But I want to play for the school. If I start now, I could get a college scholarship by the time I’m a senior. It means you wouldn’t have to pay for my college.”

  That really made her parents think. She could see it. They hadn’t gone to college themselves when they had grown up in Mexico. They hadn’t even gone to high school. Instead, they had worked to put food on the table before they were teenagers. They had been very clear from early on that Ariana and Jimmy were expected to go to college.

  “I still don’t understand why Ariana having a car has anything to do with this,” her dad said. Ariana was pretty sure he did. He was just in denial.

  “Jimmy’s gonna need rides to tryouts, practices, and games. You guys wouldn’t be able to do that all the time because of work,” she finally said.

  “Maybe I can ask if I can start getting out a bit earlier,” her mom said.

  Ariana had to stop herself from blurting out that she didn’t want that to happen.

  Jimmy intercepted. “You don’t have to do that, Mom. We know you guys have it tight around here sometimes. You don’t need to give up work hours. Ariana can take me to conditioning and practices if I make the team. And bring me home. That way, I don’t have to ask anyone for a ride. And we’ll stick together so she’s not here by herself either. She can stay in the gym while I practice or come to my games.”

  And it would be the perfect way to see Carlos.

  “Yeah. I don’t mind. I want to help Jimmy. And I can work on homework or hang out with Mayra.”

  Her dad still didn’t seem convinced, but her mom looked like she might budge.

  “Please, let us prove to you that we can handle it,” she said.

  “Basketball means a lot to me, Dad. It could be my ticket to college.”

  They at least seemed to be thinking about it. Her mom and dad looked at each other.

  Her dad sighed, looking at her.

  “We were going to tell you next week, but we might as well tell you right now. I’m thinking of buying a car—”

  Ariana shrieked. Jimmy smiled. They let him continue after a few seconds.

  “I’m not making any promises, and I’m not saying it’s yours. But you’ll have permission to use it. There will be rules. We’ll think about the basketball thing. You haven’t even gotten your license yet.” Her mom nodded as her dad spoke.

  “Okay. I promise I’ll be responsible. I know I can pass the test.”

  “Thanks, Mom and Dad,” Jimmy said.

  “Alright, we’re heading off to bed. Don’t stay up too late.” They got up and left.

  “Oh my gosh, I can’t wait.” She looked at Jimmy. “When does basketball season start?”

  “We start tryouts and conditioning in two weeks. November 15th, I think,” he replied. Just a couple of days before her birthday.

  “This is gonna be awesome,” she said. “I really think they’re gonna say yes.” She thought about all the time she’d be able to spend with Carlos after school.

  “Yeah, but you gotta pass that test first.” He smirked. “Or we’re both screwed.”

  ***

  Ariana couldn’t believe she was actually going to go through with this. She had never done something like this in her life. But it had been over a week of just seeing Carlos at school, and it wasn’t enough.

  She felt like a completely different person. She almost regretted her decision at the last minute and thought about changing back into her pajamas. Then she stopped herself. She had come this far. She needed to finish what she started. And she had to see Carlos. She couldn’t just ditch him after telling she’d meet him.

  It was Friday night, and she was going out. The thing was—she hadn’t asked her parents.

  Her birthday was in a week, and they still hadn’t decided if they were going to let her be responsible for taking Jimmy to basketball practices and games, which meant she still didn’t know if she’d be able to see Carlos. Before Jimmy had asked about basketball, their plan had been to let her just use the car once in a while or to go to school. She knew that if she got caught now, she’d lose any chance of being able to drive Jimmy to and from practice. But either way, she knew they’d never let her go out on a date anyway, so this was her only chance.

  It was well past midnight as she got ready to leave the house and
head towards Mayra’s. Her parents were in their room. Asleep. They had gone to sleep almost two hours ago, but Ariana had wanted to be extra cautious. She thought one of them could be lying in bed awake for a while and hear her leave the house.

  Then she’d really be in trouble. They’d probably send her off to boarding school or something. Or worse. To live with her grandparents in Mexico where there was no fast food or good television in the small town where they lived. She’d never see Carlos again. Or even graduate. Not to mention she’d never get her car or see Mayra again.

  Okay, maybe she was being dramatic now. Her parents wouldn’t send her away. They’d all move away. She smiled at the thought and took a deep breath.

  She was lying in the dark. Jimmy had gone to sleep almost an hour ago. She had heard him turn off his TV and go to the bathroom before shutting his door and turning off the light. Although he knew about Carlos, she didn’t want him knowing about everything she did.

  She checked her alarm clock one more time. She should get going. She was supposed to meet Mayra at her house in fifteen minutes. From there, the guys would pick them up, and they would go to a party or maybe a club.

  She still couldn’t believe she was doing this. But she had to if she ever wanted to have a real life, real experiences. Like every other girl her age.

  She got out of bed and went to open the window. She put her fingers on the latches and pulled them to the other side to unlock the window. She cringed at the noise they made.

  Then, she took out the mesh screen and put it inside her room. She slipped it behind the bookcase next to the window. She grabbed her purse and carefully went through the window and into the dark night.

  It was perfect outside. It had rained during the day, but now it was dry. It was a little chilly, but at least that would mask her non-weather related shivering. She turned back and closed the window, leaving it open only an inch. Hopefully no one would notice. I’ll be back way before anyone gets up, she thought.

  She walked through the garden and down the driveway. The neighborhood was dark and eerily quiet. There weren’t the sounds of car doors slamming or little kids running like there often were during the day.

  She looked back at the house. Her parents and brother were in there sleeping, completely unaware that she had even left. She didn’t know why that creeped her out. She walked to Mayra’s house without looking back again.

  chapter nine

  She was at Mayra’s in no time; with the shadows she saw everywhere, she’d practically run.

  “Hey,” Mayra said with a smile. She was just coming out of her house. “You came.”

  They hugged.

  “Yeah. I can’t believe my parents didn’t wake up.”

  “Told you it wasn’t that hard,” she said.

  Ariana nodded. “You would know. Your mom’s out like a light by the time she gets out of work. I’m still kind of nervous, though.” She felt shaky, like she might cry.

  “You’ll get used to it.” Mayra replied. They leaned on her mom’s car, waiting.

  “What time are the guys gonna be here?” Ariana asked finally. She didn’t want to think of what would happen if her parents woke up and realized she wasn’t in her room. Or in the house.

  “Marcos texted me,” she said. He was one of Carlos’ friends. “They should be here any second.”

  “Where we going?” It was definitely too late to go to the mall or out to eat, and as far as she knew, no one had made a concrete choice about where they were going to go.

  “There’s a party apparently,” she said with a smile.

  At that moment, a car turned around the corner. They thought it must be Carlos, but when it got closer, they realized it was a minivan. They ducked behind a big bush in Mayra’s front yard just in time. It was the neighbor a couple of houses down.

  “They’re getting in late,” Mayra commented.

  “That was way too close,” Ariana whispered.

  The minivan turned into its driveway, and the car turned off. The two parents got out of the car and the lady went around to the side door of the vehicle. The guy went up to unlock the front door of their house. He came back to get one of the kids, who was asleep. The mother carried the smaller one in her arms. They closed the car door behind them and went inside. Then Ariana saw car lights coming around the corner.

  “That must be them,” said Mayra.

  Carlos pulled into the driveway in his blue car. It shined even in the dark.

  He turned off the lights and got out of the car. So did his friend, Marcos. He would be accompanying Mayra. She wasn’t seeing Tony anymore, but she had already told Ariana she wasn’t interested in Carlos’ friend.

  Carlos went up to her, all smiles. She felt a knot inside her stomach, but she tried to get rid of it, ignore it. She was supposed to be enjoying herself. But she wasn’t, not yet. Maybe it was because it was her first time sneaking out.

  Carlos hugged her. She shivered.

  “You a little nervous?” he asked quietly.

  “A little,” she whispered.

  He kissed her forehead. “Don’t worry,” he said. “We’re gonna have fun. I’ll take that worry away.”

  She smiled and closed her eyes. She shivered again, this time from the cold.

  Mayra coughed.

  “We should get going,” he said.

  He pulled her in close one more time, squeezing her. Then he let go and walked her around to the other side of the car. He opened the door for her. Mayra and Marcos climbed into the back. Carlos walked back around, and they were on their way.

  “So there’s a party,” Carlos said to Ariana. “A friend of mine is hosting one at a club in town. The one near the town square. You been there?”

  She shook her head. Mayra, of course, had been there. So had Carlos’ friend.

  “A bunch of people from school and the community college are going to be there,” he said. “It’s supposed to be one the best parties of the year.” He definitely seemed excited. Ariana became even more nervous as she realized there would probably be drinking involved, especially with the college kids there.

  What would she do if she were offered a drink? Wouldn’t it be rude to turn it down? She had tasted beer once at a family party. She and Jimmy both had taken a sip. It had tasted incredibly gross. Jimmy hadn’t liked it either, and they had each gone back to soda.

  “You okay?” Mayra said over her shoulder.

  She nodded and took a deep breath. Everything would be fine. She’d be back in a few hours, definitely before nine o’clock, because that’s when her parents usually woke up on Saturdays.

  Carlos reached over and grabbed her hand. He squeezed it. Her hand was sweaty. She dried it on her dress and held his hand again.

  ***

  The party was still packed, even this late. They found a place to park and got out of the car. Ariana felt pretty self-conscious. She was wearing a dress that was too short. She had known it as she put it on back in her room but had decided to wear it anyways.

  She wasn’t sure why. She kept pulling at it, feeling like everyone had a view of her underwear. She knew that every girl there would be wearing something ten times more revealing, but she worried anyways.

  Carlos came around and grabbed her hand. They began walking towards the building. Once they were at the entrance, they came up to a couple of security guards, who let them in. After going in, Carlos put his hand on her waist. Ariana looked at it, sitting there, not believing they were actually at a party.

  She looked around. She saw thin girls, thick girls, and everything in between. But all of them either had their boobs hanging out, were in danger of exposing their behinds, or both. She saw guys in skinny jeans, baggy jeans, t-shirts, and button-up shirts. A lot of the girls were grinding on the guys. Or each other. She saw one girl down a shot while a group of people cheered her on and watched a guy getting way too friendly with a girl right on the dance floor. She saw a huge guy walk past and motion for them to keep moving. Securit
y.

  Meanwhile, Carlos, Mayra, and Marcos were at ease. They squeezed through the crowd, dancing to the deafening music. Ariana could already feel herself sweating, it was so hot.

  But smiled as she looked around. She was finally getting the opportunity to do what she wanted.

  Good thing she had left her purse in her car—there was nowhere to put it. A new song started. Oh, she loved this one.

  “You want to dance?” Carlos asked in her ear.

  She nodded. Mayra and Marcos followed them to the dance floor.

  She felt so awkward. At least at the party where they met, she had been with Mayra and Jimmy and knew a lot of the people there. She didn’t recognize anyone here, except for maybe one or two people.

  She tried to relax and let the music take over her body. It was a really good song. She closed her eyes and danced, moving her hips and arms. Carlos was behind her, doing the same. He got really close. His hands were low on her waist, and his face was next to hers.

  She could feel his breath on her. She liked his hands on her. She turned around and pulled him down for a kiss.

  Carlos moved his hands to her butt. She pulled away but only a couple of inches.

  “You’re so sexy,” Carlos said in her ear. “I just want to touch you, kiss you.”

  She turned around and smiled. She put her mouth to his ear. “Let’s stick to dancing for now.”

  A bachata song came on. They began to move to the song, hips ridiculously close to each other. She looked behind Carlos for Mayra and saw her dancing with Marcos. Mayra gave her a wink, and she smiled back.

  This was awesome. This is what she had been missing out on?

  They danced like that for an hour at least, covered in sweat by the time they took a break.

  “You want something to drink?” Carlos asked.

  “Please.” She nodded. She used her hand to fan herself. Mayra and Marcos were still going at it.

  Marcos came back with two drinks. He handed one to her. She looked at it. Smelled it. Definitely alcohol.